Holly & Heather’s Helpful Hint: Lemons and Yoga and Sleep, oh my!

 

 

 

Continuing our quest for a “better us” for 2018, we began doing a series of video workshops on healthy living. Even if we already “know” so much about what it takes to keep our bodies and minds balanced, it is always refreshing to reacquaint ourselves with long forgotten wisdom. And we were so happy to hear that living our lives WITH JOY is part of healthy living! Why do we sometimes forget that? That’s a topic for another blog…

Nutrition is certainly integral to keeping our bodies free from illness. One take away this week was drinking lemon water every day. Lemons are an amazing fruit that contain vitamin C and can help reduce inflammation. And we all know the importance of keeping our bodies hydrated with good, old fashioned water throughout the day.

Movement of any kind is also vital to maintaining our range of motion in our joints, flexibility and strength. We enjoy practicing yoga weekly not only for the physical benefits but also for the meditative and spiritual aspects as well. After a class, we feel the immediate effects of energy, peace and groundedness.

Lastly but probably most importantly is the power of sleep in our lives. We all know how cranky and sick we feel when we don’t get enough. What we didn’t realize is how much our brains are working when we sleep – repairing what needs repairing in our bodies, resetting our immune systems, cycling through different stages to help us psychologically as well. And so we both bought new pillows this month to aid a restful, restorative night’s sleep.

Any healthy thoughts to share?

Holly and Heather’s Helpful Hint: Take a Break and Enjoy!

We all work so hard so many days, out in the world and inside our own homes. There is always a task or a chore to be done. But sometimes you have to say, “I need a break AND I need to have some good times!” And that’s exactly what we did last weekend!

Anyone who knows us well knows that in our teenage years…long ago…we were major soap opera junkies! Our favorite at the time was General Hospital and one of our heart throbs was Rick Springfield who played Dr. Noah Drake. After he left the show we spent endless hours listening to his album, “Working Class Dog” which we had to stop and start a bazillion times to be able to write down every word to “Jessie’s Girl” in order to learn all the words and sing it by heart (no YouTube back then!). Well it just so happens that Rick has a new album coming out and he is on tour and we got to see him!!! He was amazing, still has a great voice at age 68 and can play the guitar like nobody’s business.

Doing something fun and special together, for us, is so important. We don’t get to do it frequently but we are always planning so we have something to look forward to. Taking a break to enjoy yourself is so important. It needs to be scheduled into your life as much as any other priority that life throws your way.

Here’s to Rick! ❤️

Holly & Heather’s Helpful Hint: New Year, Same You, Doing Great!

So often when a new year begins, the resolutions come out for a fresh start. Lose weight, stop smoking and have more fun are usually at the top of people’s lists but remember that the core of who you are stays the same. So often we try to change ourselves to something that we think we should be doing and don’t get us wrong, getting healthy is great, but you can’t lose sight of who you are and what’s good for you emotionally, physically and spiritually.

What’s right for you may not be what’s right for the next person.  Listen to that little voice inside when you are trying to make a change and see if you feel comfortable.  Maybe spin cycling is a great cardio workout but yoga is more your thing.  Apply that philosophy to your spirituality, relationships, anywhere you think you’d like to make a positive change in your life.  Being a people pleaser usually doesn’t bring you that inner peace that promotes positive change.  Follow your heart and your own path.

And don’t forget there are many chances for a fresh start besides the new year. It could be in September when the school year starts anew, the spring when living things are coming out of their winter sleep or on a Monday for no reason at all but the start of a new week.  Remind yourself that you are doing great, and be gentle with yourself.  Just trying is a big deal! We hope your new year is off to a fantastic start!

Holly & Heather’s Helpful Hint: Leftover Mash-Up’s!

Was your refrigerator full of left over food from holiday festivities? Ours was and with a hodgepodge of portions of everything from appetizers to desserts, it’s hard to get enough to re-heat a full meal. Plus sometimes you just can’t eat any more New Year’s pork and sauerkraut! Here’s a fun spin on some leftovers we reconstituted into new dishes:

Berry Pie Smoothie:

We had frozen cranberries leftover from Christmas (used them in cocktails for a festive look and to flavor drinks in place of ice) and put a handful in a blender with 3/4 cup of almond milk and the inside scoopings of a slice of berry pie.  The filling only (no pie crust) was mainly a gelatinous mix of peaches, cherries and blueberries.  It was blended until smooth, and smelled just like pie and tasted delicious!

Vegetable Medley Egg Bake:

In a baking dish, throw in any left over vegetables you have.  Ours were all chopped up and pre-seasoned in their original dishes but if they weren’t, sprinkle on some salt and pepper.  In the bottom of our pan went broccoli, potatoes and zucchini.  If you have any left over greens too like spinach add it in!  Also delicious to add on top of vegetables are any leftover meats like ham or sausage.  In a separate bowl beat 3 or 4 eggs (or a cup or 2 of egg whites from a carton, depending on how many veggies you have in your dish), mix in a little milk (we used half and half as we always buy extra for guests to add to their coffee) and some grated left over cheese (we like to make cheese boards for the holidays and always have extra cheddar or gouda on hand).  Pour egg/milk/cheese mixture into the baking dish.  It should almost come to the top of the veggies.  Sprinkle some extra cheese on top and bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until eggs are set and not runny.