Choose to live a wonderful life

This is the blog category for Healthy Body & Fitness.

Top Tips for Strengthening Your Immunity with Essential Oils

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Right now, it seems like we’re living in a sci-fi movie. Walking down the streets of New York City with everyone in masks and acting like it’s normal…it’s just totally crazy.

So now we all want to know, what can we do to try and protect ourselves and our loved ones? Doing what we can to try and boost our immune systems may help us feel a small sense of control in this otherwise uncontrollable situation.

Many of us take extra Vitamin C or Zinc when we feel that we need a little something extra, because we understand that certain supplements can be helpful. As an essential oils expert and Certified Aromatherapist, I also turn to the therapeutic and medicinal benefits of Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade essential oils, which contain properties that are known to support our bodies’ immune systems. I am not saying they will prevent or cure any disease, but they may help our bodies to be a little stronger. Here are my go-to oils and overall top tips.

1.     OnGuard Protective Blend:  this amazing blend is germ-destroying and may be highly effective when it comes to helping keep our immune systems strong. I recommend using a few drops of OnGuard in a diffuser anytime day or night. I also love using it orally by putting 1-2 drops in a veggie cap and taking it with water. A great option for topical use it to apply it with a carrier oil, like Fractionated Coconut Oil, to the bottoms of your feet or even to the neck or chest, if someone is feeling a under the weather.

2.     Melissa essential oil, which is sometimes referred to as Lemon Balm oil, is a great oil to use for immune support. It is also known as a powerful cleansing agent, and definitely an oil I use if I’m worried about helping my body to fight something off. Melissa can be used just like OnGuard (or even in combination with OnGuard) in a veggie cap, and I like to use it under my tongue for an immune boost.

3.     Clove and Cinnamon together: Clove essential oil can be hugely beneficial for our immune systems. In fact, people talk all the time about incorporating certain fruits and veggies into our diets that are known to have high levels of antioxidants, like blueberries or broccoli. But what many people don’t know is that Clove actually has the highest antioxidant value of all! According to the USDA’s ORAC scale, blueberries are around 9600 and broccoli is at most around 2100, while Clove is at 290,283! You can use a drop or two of Clove essential oil in an empty veggie cap, and pop it down the hatch. PRO TIP: The OnGuard blend contains both of these oils.

4.     Copaiba essential oil is part of my daily routine, as studies have shown it may be helpful for any swelling in our bodies. Now you may wonder what this has to do with immune support, but here’s the thing…high levels of stress and anxiety can promote inflammation, which can then wreak havoc on our bodies, and in turn, weaken our immune system. It’s so important to try and manage your stress levels in order to maintain a healthy immune system, and Copaiba can be beneficial in that regard. 

5.     Tea Tree essential oil is another one that’s on repeat in our home, because it can also destroy germs. It can help purify our bodies, and can be used either topically or orally in a veggie cap. As noted briefly above, it’s ok to use several oils together in a veggie cap, and I have combined those discussed here to make it quick and easy.

In addition to my favorite essential oils to use for immune support, there are several other ways to help naturally support your immunity. Be sure you get enough sleep, try and exercise at least 15-30 minutes a day, eat more whole foods and fresh vegetables and drink more water. Personally, I also take high quality supplements, called Lifelong Vitality Pack, on a daily basis, to ensure I’m getting all of the proper vitamins, minerals and nutrients my body needs.

At the end of the day, we do have ways to help our bodies stay healthy and strong…it’s just a matter of doing them!

From Conscious Consumer to One Mindful Planet

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As a veteran TV producer, I learned early in my career how to research just about anything and everything, how to dig deeper, ask the right questions to uncover the often times hidden truth.

I knew about GMO’s before people were questioning them. I told everyone who would listen about the growth hormones in our livestock making us as unhealthy as the plumped up meat we were ingesting. I cut out gluten before it became trendy. I meditated, exercised, kept a gratitude journal, and was eating as healthy as possible. I was doing all I could to live a conscious and healthy life. But it wasn’t until I became a parent that I realized just how little I really knew about the world around me.

Becoming a parent is life changing, every person raising a child will agree to that. I expected little sleep, lots of diaper changes, and a halted social life. I was okay with all of that.

What I didn’t expect was the jolting wake up call regarding the potential toxins in everything my family consumed, touched, and surrounded ourselves with, from environmental considerations like the water we were drinking and the air we were breathing to simple aesthetic choices like the sheets we were sleeping on and the curtains being hung in the baby’s room.

It all started when I was researching organic, non-GMO baby formula that didn’t have arsenic in it. Yes…arsenic. It’s in most baby formulas including the organic ones, disguised as “organic brown-rice syrup”.[i] Insane right. Then I was searching for truly organic baby food, organic clothes, organic crib sheets and window curtains without the ever-toxic fire retardant substances in them.

I became a slave to the Internet, researching every company’s sourcing methods and stockholder allegiance, every ingredient in the food we bought, every product we use from our bathroom (soap, shampoo, toothpaste, beauty products, cleaning products, etc.) to our bedroom (sheets, curtains, pillows, rugs, furniture, etc.) and everything in between.

I was exhausted, spending my very little free time while my newborn was sleeping, scouring the Internet. I should have been showering or sleeping myself but I couldn’t. I was obsessed with learning all I could about the products we have here in the US and what they do to our minds, our bodies, and our environment. No sooner did I remove one toxic product from our house than I found another lurking somewhere I least expected.

As I researched and researched I found myself asking, why isn’t there a website that has all this information in one place? Why hasn’t someone created a website for people who are conscious of what they put into their bodies and fill their minds with, and are looking to make the world a better place for their children and grandchildren? I would find sites with interesting and mindful articles, a couple with great conscious media. You can even find organic, non-toxic, non-GMO, eco-friendly products if you search specifically for them, and you know exactly what you are looking for.

But there wasn’t one place. A hub, so to speak, that had it all in once place. A “go to” source for all things conscious, eco-friendly, green, organic, non-toxic, non-GMO. A space to learn, grow and share stories, modalities, products, and journeys with other mindful people; a conscious community of individuals who desire a better quality of life for themselves, their families, and their communities local and global.

So, as a seasoned television producer, one who loves a good story, knows how to research and seek out change agents, spiritual gurus, conscious coaches and teachers, experts who are devoting their lives to educate the masses, innovators and product developers who are making a difference, instead of waiting for someone else to do this, I would do this…for myself, my family, for you and your families, for all the families across the globe who are craving information and resources that are trusted, credible, and who always puts people’s health, wellness and the sustainability of our planet first before dollar signs.

I have always considered myself a student of life; ever seeking, ever learning, and always asking questions. I enjoy expanding and growing and I look forward to hearing from you, my new friends about how you live your life consciously, and what mindful practices center you, bring you more abundance and joy. Share with me what organic, eco-friendly, non-toxic products work for you and your family. And what new thought leaders are impacting your lives. I look forward to being on this journey with you all. I’m grateful that you found “our” site, because it’s not just mine, it’s yours too. We are now a “collective”, a community of conscious consumers for all areas of our lives, and together we can make better and more mindful decisions leading to happier and healthier lives for us all and our planet. That, my friends, is One Mindful Planet. Thank you for sharing this journey with me. With Love and Gratitude – Tammy 

[i] http://healthland.time.com/2012/02/16/oh-baby-why-there-may-be-arsenic-in-your-infant-formula/

3 Easy Ways to Drink More Water (and Save the Planet!)

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We all need to drink more water. It aids in digestion, clears our skin, and gives us energy. But what do you do if your tap water tastes bad, you’re worried about your building’s old pipes, and you want to avoid plastic bottles and cartridges? It’s a modern dilemma: Icky tap water and too much plastic.

But there is hope. Adding bamboo charcoal to tap water improves taste and reduces plastic use.

Here’s what you can do:

  1. Toss the plastic pitcher with plastic cartridges from your refrigerator into the trash. Having water sit in plastic is never appetizing.

Find a glass carafe at your local secondhand store or online and add a few pieces of bamboo charcoal. Within minutes, you will have tasty tap water in your home or office. Your water will be loaded with minerals like calcium and magnesium. Tasty water is much easier to drink.

  1. Ditch the plastic bottle. Why pay money for a single serving of water?

Add bamboo charcoal to a canteen or reusable glass bottle. You can have purified tap water wherever you go! If you have bamboo charcoal in your bottle, you can fill your vessel with tap water from public water sources (even bathroom faucets).

  1. Keep a carafe by your bed.

Purified water at your fingertips is a great way to start the day. Rather than rushing to the kitchen to make coffee, try drinking a delicious glass of water first thing in the morning. Coffee has it’s perks (no pun intended), but it actually dehydrates the body. Starting the day off with a fresh, filtered, and flavorful glass of water will revitalize your cells after a long night’s sleep.