Tag: wellness

Happy Anniversary to Me

kimbrown16154 Comments

Today, February 27, 2020, is my 2 year blog anniversary!

Happy blog-iversary to me!

 

I started this blog as a fun way to share the things I have learned about health, wellness, and holistic living. I have been able to do much more than I expected! Although I don’t get to write as much as I would like, I have managed to post 76 blog posts over 2200 people have viewed.

Some highlights:

  • My most loved post was Benefits of Dry Body Brushing (A great practice during these dry winter months).
  • I have received a lot of comments and questions since I posted about my acupuncture experiences.
  • The book lists have been a hit and I have so many more to add this year (I am on a roll with reading right now).
  • Hummus Veggie Wraps was the most loved recipe.
  • I had my first guest post.
  • My favorite posts? That’s a toughie. It is a toss up. A Year of Gratitude and Thanks talks about a life changing habit for me.
  • Let’s Talk about Sleep is a favorite because Emily and Bo were hilarious in this one.

If you haven’t already, sign up on my blog and new posts will be emailed so you will never miss a thing! You can also follow me on Pinterest and Facebook. Check my home page for links.

Thanks for sticking with me for 2 years!

 

Kim and Ally’s Favorite Podcasts

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I’m probably a little behind the times (OK fine, A LOT behind) but in an effort to make the most of my time, I have started listening to Podcasts. I’ve heard several people talk about them lately, including my niece Ally, home on a visit from Boston. I decided to check them out and it didn’t take long for me to find some favorites. Since I’m so new at this, I am including her favorites as well! True Crime is such a popular category, but you will notice those are absent from my list. No worries – Ally has you covered! I am basically afraid of my own shadow, so listening to True Crime is NOT a good idea for me. One episode of Dateline and I’m convinced a murdered is lurking in the woods.

Thus far I have focused on those in the scope of mind, body, soul health and wellness. Since I typically listen while I’m getting ready in the morning or during my commute once the kids get out of the car (which is only about 10 – 15 minutes) I prefer shorter podcasts I can listen to in 20 minutes or less. I’ve tried listening at work but I find it too hard to focus.

I will post an update in a few months once I’ve had more time to explore. But for now – here’s our favorite podcasts!

Kim’s List

Optimal Health Daily

Dr. Neal Malik

This podcast reads the latest and greatest health and fitness blogs and also has Q&A Episodes. I like these because they are short (usually 15 minutes or less) and cover topics I find interesting. A sister podcast to this is Optimal Living Daily, which reads content on personal development, productivity, and more.

Daily Inspiration

Steve Harvey

A daily dose of inspiration from The Steve Harvey Morning Show. I like him, although sometimes he’s hard for me to take serious because, well, he’s Steve Harvey! (Think Family Feud) This shows a different side of him and I have enjoyed it so far.

The Mindset and Motivation Podcast

Rob Dial 

(Soon changing names to The Mindset Mentor.) This is probably my favorite podcast. The episode about his 10 day silent meditation retreat was so interesting. I actually know someone who attends a retreat like this every year. 10 days without talking! #Meditation goals. I’ve had several good takeaways from each episode and have stayed engaged with very little mind wandering! I love his tag line at the end: “Make it your mission to make someone else’s day better.”

The Daily Still

Cindy L. Helton 

At first I listened to this on my way to work, but for me, good meditation requires closing my eyes. Not a great idea when you’re driving! So I moved it up in my day. I have a morning routine that works well for me, which you can read about here. I have been listening before I get out of bed, however the last time I got so relaxed I almost fell back asleep! Oops. Because of this, I’m thinking about actually moving this one to the end of my day right before I go to sleep.  They are short, which is great if you are new to meditation.

The Nutrition Diva

Monica Reinagel 

Information on easy ways to upgrade your eating habits.

Ally’s List

The Daily

The NY Times

20 minute news podcast – new 5 days a week. If you like a quick news recap, this is a good option.

Serial Season 1

This American Life

A podcast from the creators of This American Life. It unfolds one story over the course of a whole season. If you like murder mystery, this might worth checking out.  As for me, I’m skipping this one!

Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez

The Boston Globe: Wondery 

“Football star Aaron Hernandez went from the bright lights of the Super Bowl to a convicted murderer in a few years. The Boston Globe’s Spotlight team takes a hard look at the crisis facing football through the lens of Aaron Hernandez’s life and terrible crimes.” This one looks interesting and Ally enjoyed it. I plan to check this one out!

The Moth

Ally says this one is really good. it’s about people telling their stories. Some are funny, some are sad. She actually went to a live show and loved it! She lives in Boston so more exciting things happen there compared to my little town of Grass Lake, Michigan. No live podcast shows here!

What the Health

Kaiser Health News

Weekly Healthcare news. She has a degree in Public Health so it makes sense this is on her list!

If you’re new to the world of Podcasts and don’t know where to start, check out your favorite categories. You can find pretty much anything: Art, Comedy, Fiction, Business, News, Sports, and more. It’s a great way to fill your time! Let us know some of your favorites! Thanks to Ally for her awesome suggestions.

My Acupuncture Experience Part 2

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After 6 acupuncture visits, I have so much to share about my success!

I’ve had 3 more visits since my first acupuncture post, which you can read here.

Treatment #4: Sinuses, Walk Between, and Middle Rushing points.

This visit was the first time I felt scared when he explained the treatment. I was sweating on the table paper for sure! 2 needles went into my eyebrows. My eyebrows! What?! I was so nervous. This is supposed to help with my sinuses. Eek. It wasn’t that bad, even though I was prepared for the worst. The right side was more noticeable than the left.

Walk Between is a point on your foot. This is on the liver meridian and helps to eliminate heat from the body. This is exactly what I needed because I have had a pitta headache for over a week. (If you have no idea what a pitta headache is, read this. The walk between point can also help with sudden anger, tension, and headache in or above the eyes, which is exactly how I would describe my pitta headaches. It gives me a very full and heavy feeling in my head with burning eyes. This point can help you be flexible with plans and adapt if things don’t go quite the way you anticipated. The doctor explained it like walking between two people or two situations and feeling like you are unable to please both sides. Been there. Done that!

Middle Rushing point was on my finger and this one did not feel good. Ouch. This is the first time acupuncture HURT. Luckily it only lasted for a few seconds and then the pain was gone. The needle went in my middle finger near the base of my nail. This point clears heat from the heart and pericardium. It helps with relationships and brings vision and clarity to the heart. After this treatment my headaches improved about 90% and my mood is great!

Treatment #5: Lesser mansion

This one was also high up on the pain scale. They should name it sweaty table paper because that was the result! It’s a spot on the heart meridian on the palm of the hand. It’s used to clear heart fire and calm mental agitation. A few other needles were inserted into my ankle and arms as well, but honestly, I was so distracted by the palm needles, I forgot to pay attention to the other points and locations! Despite the discomfort during this visit, my mood has been great since this treatment. I find myself having a lot more patience with my husband and kids.

Treatment #6 Walk Between, Happy Calm, Supreme Surge, and neck/shoulder points

He repeated the walk between point which seems to be very effective for me.

Near the Walk Between point is Happy Calm, a point on the liver meridian. Don’t you just love the name of this one?! Who doesn’t want to experience a happy calm? This point is similar to the Walk Between point because it clears liver heat/fire, removes frustration and stagnation, and calms anger.

It smooths and regulates energy which brings you into balance. It helps with painful, burning eyes (recurring issue for me) headache, sinus issues, and can help detox the liver from alcohol. Since I went camping last weekend and had a few adult beverages, this was a nice little bonus!

Supreme Surge is a point on the heart meridian, located on the pinky finger by the base of the nail. Not a great feeler for sure, but it works well to calm the mind and clear heat. Notice the theme? Too much heat is an issue for me and acupuncture has been so helpful!

He also put 3-4 needles on various points on my neck and back to help with tension, which is a big contributor to my headaches. I tend to carry all my stress in my upper back/neck area.

After acupuncture I am usually tired. The times I’ve rested afterward seem to be the most effective. Coincidence? Not sure?

I have started going once a month instead of twice a month. So far so good. I was worried I would start to regress by spreading out my appointments, but my mood is still great. My PMS has improved a little and I feel happier all around!

I’m so thrilled with my results! Has anyone else tried acupuncture? If so, I want to hear about it!! If you want to try it, but haven’t yet, let me know your questions or concerns. I’m certainly no expert but I would be glad to share more about my experience!