Mother's Day Gifts to Support Her Wellness

Today's blog comes with permission to share and send to your significant other and children.
Mother's Day is approaching and it is the one day we take to recognize all the work you put into this 24/7/365 job.  
There is a saying I try to embrace each day, especially when I am feeling the tank is running low.

Easier said than done, am I right?
Mom's are known to put their children and families ahead of their own health and well-being.  You sacrifice your workout to bring the kids to practice, cook what you know the kids will eat instead of the healthy meal you deserve, skimp on sleep to finish housework or a project that was put on the back burner until you had a little peace and quiet. There is not enough caffeine in the world that will replace the essential benefits of taking care of your needs FIRST!

You are an Essential Worker

While recognizing first responders, the medical community and grocery store staff during this pandemic, let's add Mom to the list of essential workers.  THANK YOU!
You have taken on many roles throughout this pandemic. If you are not taking care of your essential needs, you will burn out...and then you CANNOT take care of others.  It is time to take on the role of SELF!
So, how do you keep your cup filled?

• EAT healthy and mindful eating is crucial.  The food you eat fuels your body to get that to do list done.  Fuel your body with the right foods in the right portions during the right time of the day and your body will run smoothly.  Feed your body junk and you will feel fatigued, experience mood swings and, if it continues long term, result in weight gain and illness.  
• MOVE 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise a day is the minimum daily recommendation for adults.  Moderate to vigorous means your heart rate rises, you break a sweat and it would be challenging (not necessarily impossible) to hold a conversation with someone.  These 30 minutes can be consecutive or break them up throughout the day.
• SLEEP 7-8 hours a night...that is all you need!  But are you cashing on on these rest and recovery hours?  Imagine there is a crew inside your body who, while you are asleep, comes out and cleans up all the waste, repairs damaged cells and  muscles, and refills your tank so when you wake up you are 100% ready to go.  Well, this is what your body does while you sleep. It takes at least 7 hours of restful, restorative sleep for the crew to get the work done. If you are sacrificing sleep to catch up on your day, you will not be fully recharged for the following day. I bet you plug your Smartphone in to wake to a 100% charged battery. Is your internal battery 100% too?

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Self Care for Mom

Mother's day is here. You have worked hard. While the pasta necklace and hand print in clay is loved and appreciated, maybe a few subliminal hints to some well deserved gifts of appreciation that help fill your cup is necessary. I have created a list of 10 items I recommend that provide a mom with stress free, relaxing time, gadgets to make life easier and a few "Me Time" ideas.  Feel free to print it out and leave in a conspicuous place for gift givers to see.

1. HELLO FRESH  Healthy eating is a must, but who has time for all that shopping, prep and cooking?  Hello Fresh to the rescue!  This meal delivery company offers tastes for every pallet. Their prices are more than reasonable considering they do the shopping and prepping for you and their ingredients always arrive fresh. The meals are simple unless you want to go ahead and attempt a gourmet version.  No grocery shopping and dinner ready in 30 minutes? What ever will you do with all that extra time?
2. INSTANT POT I'll admit I was a bit skeptical at first but now my Instant Pot makes a weekly appearance when meal planning, When I need a quick meal or side dish, I can dump everything (even frozen chicken wings) into this and dinner is ready in a half hour.  Clean Up? Toss it in the dishwasher.  Take back your night, mom!
3. FITBIT there are lots of choices when it comes to fitness trackers but, in my opinion, the FitBit has my vote for #1.  With a variety of styles from simple tracker to Smartwatch, the platform for the FitBit makes heart rate monitoring, steps taken, calories eaten and hours slept easy to track.
4. RESTORATIVE YOGA If you are nervous about yoga or intimidated by tangled up, pretzel like poses and head stands, restorative yoga is a great way to introduce yourself to this amazing form of self care. Restorative Yoga "helps cultivate the skill of conscious relaxation, discover where we hold tension, creates conditions for the relaxation response to kick in and helps us face what we are avoiding" according to Yoga Journal. Each relaxing pose is held for long periods of time as you sink in and melt away stress.  Paired with soft music and relaxing aromatherapy, don't be surprised if you find yourself fighting the urge to sleep (you would not be the first to doze off...speaking from experience).  Check out Groupon for deals and discounts for new members and try different studios until you find a connection. Then schedule a routine practice and feel your cup begin to overflow!
5. ESSENTIAL OIL DIFFUSER "Aromatherapy is the practice of using essential oils for therapeutic benefit. Aromatherapy has been used for centuries. When inhaled, the scent molecules in essential oils travel from the olfactory nerves directly to the brain and especially impact the amygdala, the emotional center of the brain." (John Hopkins Medicine) By diffusing or massaging into the skin, these oils have been used for centuries to treat depression, fatigue, stress, headaches, nausea and a whole host of ailments holistically. Because these oils are highly concentrated, they are very powerful.  It is important, especially with young children, pregnant women and pets to consult with an aromatherapist before using.  I recommend Lavender, the most popular of all the oils, as it is generally safe for most to use.  Diffuse for one hour and breathe in the calming scent at bedtime, at work or when stress begins to creep in.  I LOVE Eden's Garden for their 100% therapeutic grade oils.  They offer a variety of diffusers and create your own kits as well as kid friendly oils and delicious blends.
6. CALM APP SUBSCRIPTION While the free version of this popular meditation app is great, I recommend investing in a subscription to Calm.  Whether a beginner to mindful breathing or a seasoned meditation expert, this app helps you focus and build a meditation routine.  Adopting a meditation practice has many benefits including reducing stress, building resiliency, sharpen attention and prepare one to respond to stressful situations in a controlled and nonreactive manner.  This app also provides master classes in mindfulness and meditation, music and, my favorite, sleep stories.  I have yet to hear a whole 30 minute story as the relaxing voices of every narrator causes me to drift off within 5-10 minutes of listening.
7. BATH SALTS, SHOWER BOMBS AND BODY BUTTER Before bed, why not wind down with the therapeutic benefits of aromatherapy in your bath or shower?  Bath salts made with muscle relaxing epsom salts and calming essential oils begins to relax the body for a restful nights sleep.  Not a bath person or tub is cluttered with bath toys?  Try a shower bomb instead.  Follow up with a skin nourishing body butter in lavender to hydrate the skin during sleep and awaken soft, refreshed and ready to use your mom super powers!
8. JOURNAL, ADULT COLORING BOOK,  and HERBAL TEA It is no secret staring into an illuminated screen just before bed interferes with your circadian rhythm or natural sleep cycle.  Melatonin, the sleep hormone, is secreted when the eyes and brain register darkness.  This powerful little chemical begins to shut the body down and prepare for restorative sleep. As soon as light from lamps, phones, computers or tablets enter, Melatonin thinks it is day time, stops secreting and the body enters "wake" mode.  It may then take up to 90 minutes after turning these lights off to get Melatonin going again, quickly chipping away at restful and restorative sleep.  Engaging in relaxing activities prior to bed that do not require a light shining in your eyes can help you unwind after a long day.  Reading, writing in a journal or coloring in an adult coloring book is a wonderfully mindful, stress reducing activity that allows Melatonin to do its work.  Add a warm cup of decaf herbal tea (especially lavender and chamomile) and you may find yourself unable to finish your thought before drifting off.  (Don't forget your local honey) I love these personalized journals to write down each night what I am grateful for or download a printable Mandala coloring page and get creative.​​

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Self Care is NOT Selfish

One thought you MUST let go of is that self care is selfish...it is NOT!! In fact, it is necessary.  If you have no gas in the tank, have depleted your back up energy and are running on fumes and caffeine, you are unable to give to your loved ones the care and love you want to give and they need.  Even worse, you run the risk of burnout, adrenal fatigue and metal illness.  
Put yourself first, mom.  
Give yourself permission to love and care for yourself.
Mother's Day should be EVERY day!
You are doing a great job.
You are awesome.
In case you need reinforcement, give this a watch and then ask your kids what they think about you using these questions from iMom. I would love if you shared some of their responses in the comments below!

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Happy Mother's Day

From one mom to anther, I want to wish you the happiest, self loving, most relaxing and memorable mother's day.
Be kind. Hug a lot and tell your kids you love them. 
Health and Happiness
Liz