Stress has become such a commonplace part of our every day lives. So many things running through our mental checklists at all times, "Did I remember to get something out for dinner? Why didn't my baby sleep well last night? Did I take my supplements this morning?"
I wanted to share an intentional way for you to focus on relaxing your mind throughout the course of your day. This easy-to-implement habit will help to mitigate stress and improve your overall well-being.
Breathing! - we do it everyday, but can we do it better?
There are so many benefits and even different ways to be intentional with it.
Like yes we breathe everyday at every moment but when you take time to do that slow, deep and intentional breathing it’s an amazing impact on your mind and body ❤️
Deep breathing is the act of slowing down your breath and relaxing your mind.
How can deep breathing help me?
What comes to mind when you think of deep breathing? Things like meditations and yoga?
Did you know it’s actually beneficial for everyone and can be done in any setting?
Taking a moment everyday to do a simple guided breathing technique can have huge positive effects on your body and overall health!
The more oxygen in your blood, the more energy you’ll have; I know we could all use that!
When the afternoon slump hits, take a minute to take a few deep breaths 💕 you’ll be amazed at the feeling.
Do you take time for deep breathing?
The harvest is associated with abundance, prosperity and wealth. Humans too experience an "autumn". If spring represents new birth and childhood, and summer symbolizes youth, autumn represents adulthood and maturity.
I wanted to share with you my must haves for the Autumn season as a new mom.
Diffuser scents : I just got an essential oil called cozy chai and it just brings me right into that fall mood without all those nasty candle chemicals
Sweaters that fit : having recently given birth, I truly have no idea if I even have any sweaters that fit and allow me to breastfeed. eh. So what I'm hearing is that I should go shopping?😜
Cute hats: I have a love/hate relationship with hats. I like my sunhat that I would always wear whenever I was in California, but I haven't yet found a winter hat I actually want to wear that is cute - favorite hats anyone?
A warm fun drink of choice: I talk a lot about this because to me having an exciting hot beverage to enjoy when it’s cold out just makes things that much cozier! what’s yours?
Cute boots!: I love to wear my fall boots, yes even in Florida I can do that in January, I used to love to wear high healed leather boots that went up to my mid calf-these days not so much, more of the short boot style with a little heel -what about you?
🍂What are your Fall Must Haves! Comment below and let me know!
Something I get asked about in terms of pregnancy (well besides food that is) is the all too famous stretch marks!
So I wanted to share some of my pregnancy secrets for your growing belly!
Your skin is literally being stretched by growing a human (which is pretty amazing if you think about it!) BUT can we do anything for those marks that sometimes show up and don’t always make you feel the most confident version of you? Absolutely!!!
First, let me say, YES there is something to be said about wearing them with pride, but also we can do so much to support the health of our skin along the way! It's not only important to support your skin for stretch marks, but with a rapidly growing belly and stretching skin can come lots and lots of itching too.
Every night I would apply what I call the happy belly blend. This is my super simple balm-like recipe that consists of Lavender, Frankincense and Cypress essential oils mixed with coconut oil. It is so soothing for the itching and it’s also very moisturizing which may help with the appearance of any stretch marks.
Here is what you will need:
A glass jar with lid for storage
Coconut oil
Young Living Essential oils (Lavender, Frankincense, and Cypress)
Start by melting down the coconut oil and then give it some time to cool a bit (not until completely hardened, you still want it soft for mixing).
Then go in and add about 10 drops of each essential oil and stir just until it's well incorporated.
To be fair I just threw random amounts in towards the end of pregnancy.
I am extremely picky about what goes on my body and essential oils have little regulation. Young Living oils tick all the boxes for me when it comes to the best of the best in the industry, so only Young Living essential oils for me.
During my last few months of pregnancy someone said to me that I could get stretch marks after birth, which I thought well maybe that is possible?
But also, maybe not!
Luckily for me (as usual, disclaimer here that everyone’s body is different!) that did not happen!
I'm in the process of creating a guide all around nutrition and support for pregnant women to share all my secrets and best kept tips to help you during your journey, join the waitlist here to be the first to know when it's available!
I want to say a few things lavender does and how important it is to relax 👇
Relaxation is important for the immune system because it helps maintain a healthy balance in the body and promotes optimal immune function. Chronic stress and a lack of relaxation can have a negative impact on the immune system in several ways:
Prolonged stress can lead to chronic inflammation in the body, which can weaken the immune system. Inflammatory responses are meant to be temporary and occur when the body is threatened by pathogens, injury, or other stressors. However, chronic stress can lead to persistent inflammation, which is associated with a range of health problems and can suppress the immune system's ability to respond to new threats effectively.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces water
- 1 bag Tazo Calm Chamomile Tea (or your favorite brand of Chamomile tea)
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 toothpick swirl of Lavender Vitality Essential Oil
Instructions:
- Heat the water just until it turns steamy; no need to bring to a boil.
- Place a chamomile tea bag in a cup and pour the water over the bag.
- Cover the cup with a saucer to hold the heat in and let it steep for 5 minutes.
- Uncover the cup and dispose of the tea bag.
- Stir in the honey until it dissolves.
- Place a clean toothpick in your Lavender Vitality Essential Oil and then swirl that into the mug. Discard the toothpick and enjoy!
I definitely didn’t know a lot about breastfeeding before giving birth, other than my boobs will feed the munchkin.
In reality there are so many different things to learn and experience!
I was talking to someone and they were like, oh wait that’s not true?! So I thought here’s a few common breastfeeding myths and the real deal!
✨ Breastfeeding helps you lose weight
✨ Breastfeeding doesn’t help baby after 6 months
✨ What you eat as a breastfeeding mom doesn’t really matter for your milk
Let’s debunk these!
👉Losing weight isn’t a direct result from nursing your baby and each mom is different. Although you do burn around 500 calories by breastfeeding, you’re also eating more to produce that milk. There’s also the aspect of your body holding onto that weight to make sure you can feed your little one!
👉Your milk changes during your breastfeeding journey, but it’s still an important part of your baby’s diet and nutritional needs, even after 6 months! When you consume caffeine and alcohol (for example) that can end up (in small amounts) in your breast milk. There are also important vitamins and minerals that can be absorbed from your breast milk (like vitamin A, iron and others!) that come from your food.
👉What you eat can alter your milk! Traces of the food that you consume do get into your breastmilk so it’s important to be mindful of what you eat and if it causes any digestive or other issues for your baby (check out my previous post about dairy!)
Did any of these surprise you!?
You can grab my free guide to learn more about breastfeeding and tips for nursing moms here!
