NaturalCounselor Health and Wellness Blog For Women

We all know that illness can be caused when toxicity in our body increases.  To reduce toxicity you can always try weight loss detox with whole foods and detox recipes.  But did you know that toxicity can be increased by stress.  So why not try to reduce your stress first?

To reduce stress you can learn to relax, improve sleep quantity, or try some breathing exercises.   If you reduce your stress you may be able to reduce female hormone imbalance and ease pre-menopausal and post menopausal symptoms.

There is more to life than increasing its speed.  ~ Mohandas K. Gandhi

One of the best stress reducers is to try to do nothing for five minutes.  Can you do it? It will be even better if you lie down and put your legs up on the wall – in Legs-up-the Wall Pose. This detoxing pose will help you to relax, drain lymph from the legs and increase blood flow.

If you are not sure how to start, some directions from yogajournal.com might help:

Start with your support about 5 to 6 inches away from the wall.

Sit sideways on right end of the support, with your right side against the wall (left-handers can substitute “left” for “right” in these instructions).

Exhale and, with one smooth movement, swing your legs up onto the wall and your shoulders and head lightly down onto the floor.

The first few times you do this, you may ignominiously slide off the support and plop down with your buttocks on the floor. Don’t get discouraged. Try lowering the support and/or moving it slightly further off the wall until you gain some facility with this movement, then move back closer to the wall.

Try to relax on the floor doing nothing every day, and if you think you don’t have time, lie down while you watch TV, talk on the phone or plan a weekend  getaway.  Breathe, smile and be happy…..

Let us slow down and learn how to do nothing from time to time to feel and look fabulous, shall we?

Breathe, smile and be happy.

Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health Coach and Counselor

NaturalCounselorBlog.com

Do you like singing? Singing reduces stress and pain, and boosts your immune system, which is very important during Cold and Flu and the stressful Holiday season.

Singing can also lower your blood pressure and heart rate, help with stress headaches, improves your mood, and gives you more energy.

Singing will benefit your overall health..

Let us sing, breathe, smile and be happy!

Happy and Healthy Hanukkah!!!

Breathe, smile and be happy.

© Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition Counselor and Coach

My son sent me this article a few days ago “Ten ways to beat stress in 10 minutes or less” by Alison Kotch.  I would like to share some of the stress remedies and tips from the article because they are a valuable addition to my Six Instant Mood Boosters.

Garlic Sex and Swearing as a Stress Remedy

Take One second to Swear

Researchers at England’s University of East Anglia Norwich looked into leadership styles and found that using swear words can reduce stress. Good luck, #!$*&^*@!

Take Five seconds to Pop fish oil

According to research, people with the highest blood levels of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids are happier and more agreeable. Try a supplement of 400 milligrams each of EPA and DHA fish oils

Take 30 seconds to Know your hoku

Acupressure is a tension releaser, according to researchers at Hong Kong Polytechnic University who found it can reduce stress up to 39 percent. For fast relief, massage your hoku (the fleshy part between the thumb and index finger) for 20 to 30 seconds.

Take 30 seconds to Sit back

Forget what you’ve been told about sitting up straight to relieve tension in your back. Researchers in Canada found that leaning back at a 135-degree angle is the best sitting position for reducing back pain.

Take One minute to Add garlic

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham believe they’ve figured out why garlic is good for heart health, and their finding implies it’s a powerful stress buster too. When you digest garlic’s main ingredient, organosulfur allicin, your body produces hydrogen sulfide, which relaxes blood vessels and increases blood flow.

Take Five minutes and Take a YouTube timeout

Just the anticipation of laughing decreases the stress hormones dopac, cortisol, and epinephrine by 38, 39, and 70 percent, respectively, according to researchers at LomaLindaUniversity in California. And when researchers at the University of Maryland showed short movie clips to study participants, those who watched funny films experienced a 22 percent increase in blood flow to their hearts.

Take 10 minutes and Just do it

Kissing or hugging your wife can reduce stress because it raises levels of oxytocin, the hormone associated with bonding and love, say researchers at the University of Carolina. And a Scottish researcher found that having sex regularly lowers anxiety, stress, and blood pressure.

Of course, we always have to remember to breathe, smile and be happy.

Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Counselor and Health Coach