Physical Health Archives - Robards Healthy Lifestyles

Healthy Lifestyle, Happy Home

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Feb 102019

Healthy Breakfast for the Family

If you have a healthy lifestyle then you probably have a happy home, because they go together. I describe a happy home as a place where the heart is. It’s a place where you feel comfortable, and where you know everyone else there feels comfortable too. There is peace and a feeling of security. There is a calm atmosphere. Everyone feels respected and cared for. It’s clean and orderly, and the family does it’s best to keep toxins out. There are healthy foods and snacks, and healthy eating routines. So, how do healthy lifestyles and happy homes go together?

Healthy Lifestyles and Happy Homes Go Together

Your home can be the actual, physical building, or what goes on inside the walls. The actual building, your home, has to be bought first, moved into and organized. Then all the happy family members have to work together to keep it clean. Think about what all of this means. Moving into a new home is a time consuming, stressful and often frustrating experience. There are tons of deadlines. The paperwork and steady stream of necessary appointments is constant. How do you cope?

How To Cope

You live well. You get enough sleep and try to help others in your family do the same. You eat well. You make sure you have healthy food handy and healthy snacks available to fill in the gaps. You use non-toxic cleaners and time-saving products to quickly wipe up spills and mishaps. You take a few minutes each day, even through all the stress and confusion to do some exercises and take a family walk. You care for your spiritual health by reading, listening to or watching something positive and encouraging each day. What does this do?

What Living Well Does

It reduces stress, which helps you and your entire family deal with the situation calmly. This helps you stay healthy because the stress that could be taking it’s toll on your body isn’t taking it’s toll on your body. So you remain strong and able to cope. Since you are remaining calm, there are no, or less, angry outbursts at family members, which also contributes to the peace in the family. Everybody is getting it through it. Yay!

Thank you for reading and stay tuned for more tips on living well, healthy lifestyles and happy homes.

Martha xoxo

This article was written by Martha L. Robards

Photo Credit: Free photo 84960626 © creativecommonsstockphotos – Dreamstime.com

February is American Heart Month

Healthy Living, Main Topics, News, Physical Health No Responses »

Feb 052019

Shopping for Healthy Lifestyles

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. To prevent heart disease and increase awareness of its effects, RHL is proudly participating in American Heart Month. Locally, 13,000 each year are affected by heart disease.

We have several activities planned throughout the month to help you learn about activities and products that can help you prevent heart disease
Helping us all live healthy lifestyles

You can make healthy changes to lower your risk of developing heart disease. Controlling and preventing risk factors is also important for people who already have heart disease. To lower your risk:

Watch your weight.
Quit smoking and stay away from secondhand smoke.
Control your cholesterol and blood pressure.
If you drink alcohol, drink only in moderation.
Get active and eat healthy.

For more information, email me (Martha) at martha.pminlt@gmail.com, or call me at 505-750-7847.

This information was taken from HealthFinder.gov

Picture credit: https://healthfinder.gov/HealthTopics/Category/health-conditions-and-diseases/heart-health/heart-healthy-foods-shopping-list

Eucalyptus and the Common Cold

Children, Healthy Living, Mental and Emotional Health, Physical Health No Responses »

Jan 152019

One of the things I cover in my current series of essential oils workshops (next workshop Tues., Jan 22) is about how essential oils can help with a cold. Essential oils stir the senses. They do much more though. They activate our body’s own healing powers. They act on principals involving our whole being, so they can us affect us physically, emotionally, psychologically and mentally.

Help fight colds with eucalyptus essential oil.

When we have a cold, we are miserable. We get the chills, headaches, coughs, fevers, congestion. Most often, we just have to wait it through and try to be as comfortable as possible, without damaging all of our close relationships during this temporary period of gloominess. Okay, it might not be that bad, but you and I can do something to ease the discomfort.

Purchase a bottle of good quality eucalyptus oil, either online or from a local health-food type store.

Eucalyptus essential oil has powerful properties.

Eucalyptus has been used in cold remedies forever, so it is a well known oil. Inhaled, the oil can be an effective decongestant for those times when your nose is all stopped up. Preventing a cold in the first place is a good idea, and using eucalyptus oil in a diffuser is a good way to help your immune system start to get prepared for the cold season. If you have a weakened immune system, a cold can develop into serious illness, so it is important to do everything to prevent a cold or minimize the effects of a cold.

Start using eucalyptus in a diffuser as soon as you start feeling the symptoms a cold coming on. Diffuse the oil in the morning before you go to work, and as soon as you come home. You can also carry a bottle of the oil with you and just sniff the bottle several times a day, without touching your nose to the top of the bottle.

According to the CDC, “Common colds are the main reason that children miss school and adults miss work.”

People can get a cold anytime of the year. Colds can be spread quickly, so it’s important to wash hands regularly, stay away from sick people, and disinfect surfaces that are touched frequently. Eucalyptus oil has a high content of citronellal, which gives it bactericidal property.

Taking the time to care for ourselves helps us live healthy lifestyles. The less we spend sick, the more time we spend healthy.

Thanks for reading.

Martha

xoxo

Sources:

https://www.cdc.gov/dotw/common-cold/index.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_oil

Complete Aromatherapy Handbook by Susanne Fischer-Rizzi

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus_oil#/media/File:Eucalyptus_polybractea_leaf.JPG

Help Colds With Essential Oils

Air Quality, Children, Healthy Living, Mental and Emotional Health, Natural Health, Physical Health No Responses »

Jan 102019

My husband says that the person behind him on the bus coughed for two miles. I would have been scrambling to find a seat as far away from the coughing person as possible. But alas, sometimes there is just no escaping it. One of the next best things you can do to keep yourself safe from getting a cold is to build your immune system up as much as possible. Even if you do get a cold, there are things you can do to reduce those nasty symptoms. An article at Healthline.com cites a few studies showing the benefits of using essential oils to prevent or treat the common cold.

There are quite a number of essential oils with properties that do just that. Whether you already use aromatherapy or are just getting started with it, it is worth a review of what has been shown to work for colds. Here is a brief check on three good essential oils for your cold supply box:

Eucalyptus: has antiviral and antimicrobial properties. It can be inhaled with steam (be careful not to burn yourself) or used in a diffuser. It may safely fight viruses and can help with respiratory problems.

Peppermint: contains menthol and is used as a natural decongestant and fever-reducer. Peppermint oil has shown in tests to have viral activity. Menthol is used in cough drops to help sooth throats. Use by inhaling the steam or in a diffuser.

Chamomile: can help reduce cold symptoms and helps with sleep. Inhale with steam, use in a diffuser or drink some chamomile tea.

Buy essential oils that are pure, traceable to their sources, fairly priced and sustainably harvested. If you are careful to follow these guidelines, you will purchase high quality essential oils which are the only kind you should use for aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is very powerful and effective when done properly.

Learn more about how essential oils can be used for colds and flu next Tuesday, January 15 from 1:00 p.m to 2:00 p.m., at the Cesar Chavez library, located at 3635 W. Baseline Ave., Laveen, AZ. Call me, Martha, at 505-750-7847 or email me at marthapmintl@gmail.com to reserve your spot or for more information.

Martha has been writing articles about wellness for 10 years.

Sources:

https://www.healthline.com/health/cold-flu/essential-oils-for-colds#treatment

Melaleuca

National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy

Martha L. Robards c 2019

Happy Counter-top Cleaning

Air Quality, Children, Healthy Living, Physical Health No Responses »

Jan 072019

We want our counter-tops to look nice for years to come. At the same time, you may want a cleaner that is safe for counter-top surfaces, including natural stone, ‘green’, meaning non-toxic, environmentally friendly and made with ‘natural’ ingredients, and that also has cleaning power. So, what do you look for?

No Chemicals

Toxic chemicals are commonly used in household cleaners today. Even most store-bought polishes have toxic ingredients. One way to tell is to check the label and see what it says about coming in contact with it. If the back label has skull and cross bones, that is an indication that it not safe for you or your children. Another surefire indicator it is toxic is that it has childproof safety caps. Look for cleaners that do not contain chlorine bleach, formaldehyde, ammonia, phthalates, triclosan or parabens.

Safe for Family and Counter-tops

What is safe for your family should be safe for your counter-tops. However, non-toxic does not always mean that. For instance, many household non-toxic cleaners are made with citric acid, which is a great natural cleaner, but not good for natural stone. If you have granite, marble, travertine, limestone, or onyx surfaces, natural cleaners containing citrus or vinegar should not be used, as they contain acid that can etch the stone. Look at the label and make sure it says the cleaner is safe for natural stone, as suggested by marble-granites.com. The product I use in my home is highly concentrated and made with plant-derived cleaning agents, yet does not use caustic ingredients. It states on the label that it is safe to “use on granite, marble and natural stone”.

Non-toxic Ingredients

Palm and coconut derived cleaning agents, tea tree oil (Melaleuca oil), orange essential oil, lemon essential oil, lavender essential oil and many other plant derived cleaning ingredients make cleaners that have cleaning power, yet are not toxic. Look for cleaning products that are made with these ingredients.

In our February newsletter, ‘In Touch’, Robards Healthy Lifestyles, brought to your attention a European Lung Health Study that was published in the peer reviewed, American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine on February 16, 2018.

Do Your Research for Nutrition

Healthy Living, Mental and Emotional Health, Physical Health, Quotes and Posts No Responses »

Dec 032018

It’s the first week of December and it’s getting colder. People are loading up on their nutritional supplies now for winter. If you are, don’t forget to keep in mind being an educated, aware consumer.

For the cost of a cup of coffee a day, we can get high-quality nutritional supplements. We can give ourselves the best chance to get the nutrition our bodies need to live a healthy life and have healthy lifestyles. Eating right, exercising, getting enough sleep and fresh air and water are all part of a healthy lifestyle, along with good nutritional supplements. Being aware of what is available helps us decide what we want and helps us learn how to be more aware of ourselves and what we are doing. As a result, we may start changing our thinking and habits involving how we shop for our nutritional supplies and supplements.

Do Your Research

Sometimes it’s not easy to know which supplements to purchase. They are definitely an investment. There are a lot of good companies out there with good products, and there are also a lot of bad companies out there with bad products.

There is no doubt that it takes time and energy to do the research necessary to find good products we feel good about purchasing. But it is worth it. When we do, chances are we will be repeat customers. We will continue to buy that product. Being an educated consumer means we know where our hard-earned money is going, and we can be happy with the decisions we’ve made. We do that with the homes, cars, and clothes we purchase. Shouldn’t we do it with what we are putting into our bodies as well?

Research the company that manufactures the supplements you are considering. Where is it located? What are their manufacturing and distributing practices? How old are the supplements by the time they get to your hands? These are things some choose to be concerned about. They address healthy lifestyles from deeper aspects such as where our money is going, how the companies we support contribute to green living and, again, being educated consumers.

I would love to tell you more about the nutritional products and supplements my family and I use.

Contact me at marthapmintl@gmail.com , or call me on my cell phone at 505-750-7847.

Martha xox

Challenge Your Routine

Arthritis, Healthy Living, Mental and Emotional Health, Natural Health, Physical Health, Symptoms No Responses »

Sep 262018

One of the definitions of ‘challenge’ in Mirriam-Webster is, “to arouse or stimulate especially by presenting with difficulties.” That’s the definition I’m using for this post, not because I want to encourage people to present their health with difficulties, but because I want to encourage people to stimulate their routines to change for the better, for their health. Make sense?

Stay on top of your health. Take your vitamins. Get into or improve your routine. Take your omega 3′s and 6′s. Get into or improve your routine. Take your probiotics. Get into or improve your routine. Take your antioxidants. Get into or improve your routine. Take your anti-inflammation blend. Get into or improve your routine. Exercise. Get into or improve your routine. Get enough sleep. Get into or improve your routine.

Get the point? Get the point.

Let’s keep up the challenge to live healthy lifestyles.

https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/adding-pa/activities-olderadults.htm

Why Procrastination Hurts

Children, Financial Health, Healthy Living, Mental and Emotional Health, Natural Health, Physical Health No Responses »

Sep 242018

Why Procrastination Hurts

I was showing a short video about procrastination to one of my students, and it struck me how much it applies to so many areas of our lives. I procrastinate in making doctors’ appointments and paying certain bills. It’s not that they don’t get done. They just don’t get done in a timely manner. I decided to research it a little more and make some changes. Besides, how can I be showing someone else about it if I don’t work on it myself. I am a big believer in being prepared, and yet, with some things, I need to work on not procrastinating. Good grief, I can make a doctor’s appointment online!

Procrastination can be defined as “the avoidance of doing a task that needs to be accomplished. It could be further stated as a habitual/intentional delay of starting or finishing a task despite its negative consequences.” ~ Wikipedia. That’s pretty much it.

Why Procrastination Hurts

Procrastination causes some to wait until the very last moment to do something they really don’t want to do. For instance, a student who needs to prepare for an exam, and despite having several weeks to do so, waits until the night before the test to cram all night. That hurts. In my case, I don’t like this bill because it’s an arrears on something we got behind on when the economy fell apart. However, procrastinating paying it only makes the situation worse, because the interest and penalties increase. That hurts too. Avoiding a task doesn’t make it go away, nor diminish the importance of it.

What I was reminded of is that sometimes people procrastinate because they are disorganized, live with clutter, multi-task too often, are easily distracted, or have trouble with punctuality. Those are all different issues in themselves, but they all contribute to each other. I struggle with a touch of all of them in one way or another.

Make a Plan and Follow It

In my work, (the work that earns me money, and my volunteer work) I have a lot of appointments to make and keep, plans to make and share, phone calls, texts, and much more. I have a running calendar where I put all my activities, and always carry a notebook to write things down in. I am going to change the way I’m making my doctors’ appointments to help me not procrastinate doing it. I plan on thinking more seriously about why it’s important to get my check ups done more timely. For the bill I don’t like, I plan on going into my account and see if I can set it up for automatic payments.

You can do the same with whatever it is you procrastinate on. Think of why you don’t want to do it and why you should. Think of how you can change that. Write down pros and cons (I’ve done that for years). Make a plan and try it. Keep improving. We’re all trying to do that. These things will help us as we continue to live healthy lifestyles.

Benefits of Loyalty

Good Friends, Healthy Living, Mental and Emotional Health, Physical Health No Responses »

Sep 182018

Loyalty has been defined as “a very personal and powerful form of faithfulness”. If you have a ‘work from the luxury of your own home’ business, you have possibly chosen a company to partner with. When you did that, you probably signed a contract that has its own form of terms and conditions about procedures, products and conduct. When you got married you also ‘signed a contract’, so to speak – on paper and hearts. You may have other relationships, friends, siblings, etc., where you feel a sense of loyalty.

The benefits of being loyal far outweigh what you think you might receive by not being loyal. Very often, the temptations to be disloyal start from an outside source that we have allowed ourselves to be exposed to. In our home businesses, it could be the success that others seem to be having with their company while we are struggling with our own businesses. In our marriages, it can come from a ‘listening’ ear (in the form of telephone calls, texts, social media, or a work mate) to the problems we could be having with our mate. The same thing can happen with friendships, and other family relationships. Disloyalty can come in the form of physical disloyalty or emotional disloyalty.

Working through the situation, finding a way to cope, better understand and stick to it, is almost always the best way. Face the problems, talk things out, explore coping strategies. Practice self-control and self-sacrifice.

Three things I’ve found are wonderful benefits of loyalty are:

Longevity. When you continue to work through the obstacles of having a ‘work from the luxury of your own home’ business, as I do, you begin to see success ONLY when you persist. Find a good company you can work with and be loyal to the process, even when things seem to be going wrong. The same idea applies to marriage. It is only when we persist with loyalty in our marriage that we see the power of what that loyalty does to us, our mate, and the relationship. As time goes by, and with each struggle we cope with together, we build another unbroken link in the process. Look back on the time and things you’ve already successfully coped with in different aspects of your life and meditate on them. Your emotional and mental health, and physical health will benefit as well, because your conscience will be clear and you will be building emotional and mental strength. Since our emotional, mental and physical health are all tied in together, all will benefit. It helps us live healthy lifestyles.

Mutual trust. The longer we show loyalty to the important people, activities, and processes in our lives, the more trust we build. This could mean our customers and team members — will trust us, and the more we can trust them. This could mean our marriage mates — will trust us, and the more we can trust them. We build relationships by mutual trust – in almost every area of life, be it family, work associates, friends, and home business. By staying loyal, being dependable, solid in our resolve, and self-sacrificing, we show over a period of time to others and to ourselves that we can be trusted, and that moves the other people in our lives to be loyal too. We sharpen each other for loyalty. We become mentors to each other, helpers and cheerleaders.

Experiencing the growth. Only by being loyal and sticking it out, can you begin to see, witness and experience what you and those around you can become and do. If we give up and give in to temptation to search elsewhere, look to the side, succumb to doubt, dwell on the negative, and ultimately become disloyal, thereby destroying what trust there was, what could have been will never be. In today’s world, many people are short tempered, disloyal, have short attention spans, are dishonest, and we can become the same, if we don’t work hard on not being those things. Many people never reach or see the full potential of their relationships in their home businesses, marriages, families, friendships, and other relationships and endeavors because they have not worked on being loyal. Do not despair. Do it and reap the benefits.

I would love to tell you about the benefits I have have experienced by being loyal to the company I am partnered with.

Please contact me at marthapmintl@gmail.com , or call me at 602-243-5642 (Phoenix) or 505-750-7847 (cell).

Shakin’ Peaches

Children, Healthy Living, Natural Health, Physical Health No Responses »

Aug 312018

Your blood sugar has a direct effect on how hungry you are and how energetic you feel. Keeping your blood sugar balanced promotes a healthy insulin response. Eat fruit, vegetables, edamame, popcorn, and peaches to help control your blood sugar.

There are also shakes available in peach flavor that have natural blood support ingredients to help you control blood sugar and energy levels. Choose shakes that contain ingredients such as green leaf extract, ginseng root, cinnamon bark extract and sweet potato extract. These ingredients can help you have less fatigue, more energy and less appetite. They can also help curb your sweet tooth cravings.

It may feel like a challenge to eat right to control or prevent diabetes, high blood sugar or low blood sugar, or pre-diabetes and metabolic syndrome, but making some simple changes in your diet can make all the difference. You can learn to eat differently and change your relationship with food.

Peach flavored shakes. Yummy!

Peaches are low in calories, important in controlling weight, contain vitamins and fiber, also important in controlling weight and diabetes. So shake your peaches — make them shakin’ peaches in a shake, or fruit bowl.

Pictures and information taken from:

CDC.gov

Wikipedia

Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County

Peach Cobbler Shake

Guide to Controlling Pre-Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome

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