Top 10 Natural Home Remedies for Sickness

Here are my top 10 favorite things to have on hand to have whenever I feel a cold sneaking up on me, or anytime I want to add a little natural detox boost help to my internal organs.

1) Lemons

2) Garlic

3) Apple Cider Vinegar

4) Cayenne Pepper

5) Ginger

6) Honey

7) Tea

8) Cranberries

9) Chicken Broth

10) Cinnamon 

My Top 5 Ways to Relax

1. Tea

I really like Yogi tea. Well, I like a lot of teas, but Yogi tea has a really good variety, is easily accessible, affordable, & often made with organic ingredients. For relaxing, I like the Kava & Bedtime varieties. (Vanilla Spice Perfect Energy is one of my morning favs.)



2. Music

Classic trance from '96-00 is some of the best music ever made IMO. Find a Pandora station you like or create a playlist on iTunes. Mine is called "Downbeat Lyrics."


3. Yoga / Meditation

I finally crossed over into the Yoga realm this year. I used to not like it (all my friends gasp.) I think it was because when I did do yoga before, it was because I had to take it in conjunction with the dance program(s) I was in. This meant it was pretty advanced (read: uncomfortable wondering where my pelvis is upside down) and mandatory (read: not very fun when you have to do something & try to do it well.) I decided to try it again at a gym I work at, and LOVED it. I found the simple movements at the end of a long Monday the perfect way to end hours of hard work.

4. Pilates / Other Exercise

I'm a huge fan of Pilates. When I first started taking it in college for my Dance degree I fell in love with it and the way it made me feel after every class. Pilates is great for almost everyone: It's low impact, you don't have to be flexible or awkward like yoga, it's easy on your back... You just plain feel better after.

5. Supplements & Eating Healthy

 Ha! Time to cheat. Or do it the hard way?
Supplements: Valerian is great for anxiety & relaxation. Melatonin is good for sleep. B2, B6 & other B Vitamins are great too, and for energy (figure that one out.) Magnesium has been featured in some studies. Kava is another supplement (like the tea as well.)

Eating healthy: I'm serious. I have changed my eating habits twice in my life:

The first time I went from eating Bacon Ultimate Cheeseburgers with Bacon Cheddar Potato Wedges & a milkshake at least 3 times a week to not drinking cow's milk at all while hugely cutting down on processed carbs and meat (and many other animal products. I couldn't give up cheese though.) This first time started out for purely vanity reasons: It was the first year I both wasn't teaching dance and didn't have my full-time on-your-feet-for-9-hours-a-day-in-heels job, so I was gaining weight. Two things happened: 1) I dropped 15-20 pounds within 2-3 months by just those two changes, and 2) I stopped getting sick. Like, catch every cold that comes along, strep throat & bronchitis twice a year every year in my life sick. The latter is what made me stick to eating healthier. Within a couple months, it was so night & day. It still is.

And the second time: I wanted to get my butt off all those crappy prescriptions I was on (for things like anxiety & my heart etc) and start being able to live life. Studying nutrition & eating healthy for my body is what made it happen. It took me from being practically bed-ridden for a solid two years to having the freaking amazing energetic happy pinch-me-I-don't-want-to-wake-up-ever life that I have now.
Yeah. Food can and will do that to you.

Bonus way to relax: Vino.
Yes, a glass of red wine at the end of the day can not just help relax, but red wine is also good for the heart. :)

Study for yourself, be healthy & happy. And relax!

Being Healthy is Not a Part Time Job

And sometimes I forget that.

Sometimes I get so excited and comfortable with my happy contentment of health that I ease up a little too much. Sure, that cupcake won't kill me. Heck, I'm low on carbs, I can eat those free cookies at work. I love pizza. I eat healthy the rest of the time...

There's nothing wrong with these thoughts by themselves of course. The problem comes when you say these things to yourself more & more frequently. Then the next thing you know you're having the second caramel apple ever in your life two days in a row and haven't kept up your food logging this week and wonder why your body all of the sudden feels like you're coming down with something.

The caramel apple was pretty good though.

Halfway through my shift at work today my body was screaming for nutrients. My skin feels achy when things like this happen... That I know I need a high dose of veggies, some tea, probably some homemade soup, and definitely a decent amount of sleep with a day of relaxation. When it was time for me to clock out tonight, that's pretty much all I wanted to do. Planned gym-time had to be set aside as I stopped by the grocery store on my way home to pick up a couple essentials.

On my way a small light bulb came on: My detox drink. Now hold your horses: I'm not using the phrase "detox drink" as some magical potion that's going to make you instantly healthy or thin or clean you out like the million detox drink fads claim. Nature has its little helpers for things like this.

Let's start with the basics:
Water. Duh. Drink lots of it. Put stuff in it. What stuff?

Lemons / Lemon Juice: 
Lemons are high in Vitamin C, which helps your immunity to help ward off things like colds & infections. It is an antioxidant which helps prevent inflammation, heart issues and cancer. It is an assistant to our liver - which is one of our two main organs (the other being our kidneys) that actually does our body's detoxing. It is also a natural disinfectant.

When people say, "We don't need to take anything special to detox, our body does that on their own." Well, they are both right and wrong. Our body DOES cleanse itself, but it needs help, aka instructions on how to do this. It doesn't make sense to think you can chug as much alcohol as you want and your body will clean all of it out for you with no issues forever, right? Your body knows what to do, but you still have to help it, not hurt it.

Cayenne Pepper: 
I try to sneak this in almost anywhere I can on a daily basis: In my egg whites for breakfast, my quinoa for lunch, my chicken or pasta for dinner. It is one of the most potent anti-inflammatory ingredients for health, great for metabolizing food and digestion. This temporary increase in metabolism produces a thermal effect which naturally helps the body speed up its detoxifying process. Cayenne is also noted to help blood pressure & prevent the formation of blood clots.

Apple Cider Vinegar:
Fights bacteria, improves digestion & metabolism, strengthens the immune system and prevents UTIs.

And here is what I gather around my kitchen to make my own detox drink. It may not taste fabulous, but it does the job! I caught the flu for my first time in years this past January, and I was able to start getting over it within a matter of days after I started drinking this. More to follow!

Drink More Water!

Really, does anyone even know anyone who drinks too much water? People may drink a lot of soda, or a lot of beer, but rarely do you hear of a person drinking too much water.

How do we force ourselves to drink more water, and how do we make it interesting? We should be drinking the standard 8 cups, or if you're athletic or detoxing - 10 cups a day.

Different things work for different people, but my saviors are:
Tea
Sparkling Water
Lemon Juice & Stevia

During the two years I was fixing my heart naturally, I cut out all caffeine. I was the person who had 2 Redbulls, a Caramel Frappuchino, and a couple ephedra (when they were legal) a day & still be tired. Then again my life did move at 180 miles an hour...

I started introducing *some* caffeine into my system a little over a year ago: Yerba Mate & green tea mostly, a couple times a week. Last Christmas I had my first peppermint mocha in a few years & it was A-MA-ZING, but generally I like to limit my caffeinated drinks to no more then 2-3 mornings a week when I feel I need them. I don't do the $4.50 lattes across the street from my work, I get caffeinated at home for about $.30 a pop or less.
My 3 favorites are:
Yerba Mate Guayaki - Chocolate Flavored (try it with a splash of vanilla almond or soy milk)
Yogi Vanilla Spice Perfect Energy Tea
Trader Joe's Organic Green Tea (with lemon & honey)

So although they are caffeinated & shouldn't count as water, at least I get my first 8 ounces in on my way to work. 

I bought one of those 32oz water bottles to bring to work so if I drank the whole thing, I'd know I'd at least had 1/2 my water goal for the day. What I do is fill it up 1/3rd of the way with water, pour some lemon juice in it, add a touch of stevia and tilt it in my freezer overnight to bring to work the next day. In the morning I just fill the rest with water & add a little more lemon juice & stevia. BAM - delicious sugar-free, calorie free, fake crap free, guilt free refreshing goodness all day long. One of my trainers liked it so much he had me make a batch for him haha.

WATER - it's not just water.
As ridiculous it is to say - READ THE LABELS ON YOUR WATER. Especially if you get flavored water. Run FAR away from aspartame. It should really only say "water" and maybe "natural flavors" or something if that's what you're going for. I've seen regular water have 4 ingredients. Really...

I'm a huge fan of Trader Joe's (as I am with most things Trader Joe's) sparkling water. I get a few of the flavored 2 liter bottles each week & it's a great alternative to soda or juice. It's only $.99a bottle and I could drink it all day and night.

Last but not least, I am a huge fan of Sleepytime tea. My mom first started giving this to me when I was in junior high and had trouble sleeping. They have lots of flavors, but I always have Sleepytime Vanilla and Sleepytime Extra on hand. 

Having the tricks of tea on my way to work, a 32oz bottle at work, and tea before bed helps me hit at least 6 out of my 8 glasses for the day. The rest comes with exercise or effort. And maybe a couple more trips to the bathroom. :)


Drink up! 

Samantha Marie