Tag: lifestyle

health

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day

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I try to bring awareness to fibromyalgia every week via my Fibro Friday posts, but I wanted to spend this Tuesday, Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, as an opportunity to share some of my insights about my condition.

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(Photo credit)

My fibro journey has been an absolute roller coaster at times. There have been some intense highs (finding occasional relief and modifying my lifestyle to make things easier for me), and some dramatic lows (which I won’t be reliving here on the blog LOL!) In any case, I’ve learned so much from this experience, and despite the discomfort, I’m thankful for this condition.

Yes, I’m thankful for fibro.

If I hadn’t been diagnosed with fibro, I would have continued to overwork myself, abuse my body through inconsistent sleeping, and deny that a deeper part of myself needed healing. My fibro forced me to slow down, learn how to really care for myself, and start taking the steps to live an authentically healthy lifestyle. Fibro led me to relocating to my dream home (which is closer to my healthcare team), find work that wasn’t mentally draining, and gave me an opportunity to spend more time at home with my family.

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Fibro forced me to re-examine the balance within my life

Most importantly, living with fibro taught me to ask for help and to allow others to help me. I was so independent and “strong”: I never felt the need to ask for help. But now I’ve learned to rely on my wonderful support network and I can really appreciate the way that my love ones have rallied around me.

Fibro was the most painful gift I’ve ever received, and I’m grateful for it.

I can’t speak for everyone diagnosed with fibro, but as for me, I see the silver lining to this “purple cloud”. And I’m okay with how things are unfolding for me.

That’s all for today. If you know anyone suffering from fibro or another chronic illness, please send them some love today. Take care!

fitness · health

Fibro Fridays: Yoga for Fibro Relief

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Happy Friday, friends! We’ve completed another week, and aren’t we happy for that? This first full week of May was pleasant, despite the fact that we’re all still adjusting to our collective new normal.

As a person managing fibromyalgia symptoms, I look for relief from multiple sources. I prefer to supplement my prescription and alternative medicine routine with physical activity that is gentle, effective and easy to do at home. For that reason, I turned to yoga tutorials on YouTube to help me to stay active and reduce physical pain.

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I’ve tried several different tutorials and I have a few that I can recommend. I hope that you can use these to get pain relief and feel better!

Firstly, Shima Flow Yoga’s Yoga for Fibromyalgia is the gentlest routine that I’ve used, and I always feel so good after I do it. It’s the perfect length (a little under 30 minutes) and doesn’t require any special equipment. I highly recommend this one!

Next, Sleepy Santosha’s Gentle Yoga for Fibromyalgia is a little longer than the previous video (a tad over 30 minutes) but is still a good one. This channel is really good because the yogi is a chronic pain sufferer, so she’s mindful of our physical limitations. I noticed that the routine is a bit more intense that the previously mentioned video, but I like that this channel does have multiple videos specifically for fibro.

Finally, when I’m pressed for time, I go to Shima Flow Yoga’s abbreviated Yoga for Fibromyalgia video. This video is less than 15 minutes and you can pace it as quickly or as slowly as you like.

Let me know if you try any of these videos, and how well they work for you. I’ll talk to you all next week. Take care, and enjoy your weekend!

art · culture · international · travel

Throwback Thursday Travel: China, Part 1

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I shared some photos of my trip to China almost two years ago (to the date!) on this blog. I remember this trip fondly and I can’t wait to return when international travel is an option again. Until then, here are some photos that I haven’t shared before. These are all from Beijing: I’ll add pictures from Hangzhou and Shanghai in a separate post. Enjoy!

Meal I enjoyed at a local mall: one of the best veggie curries I’ve ever had!

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A quick snap at The Forbidden City

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The Great Wall

Local shopping district: I visited Plastered8 t-shirt shop and found some cool stuff

Yum!

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Spots of beauty everywhere

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Cute bib from Haidilao restaurant (their hotpot was superb!)

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A philosophy for life

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beauty · life curation · luxury

Embracing Natural Beauty When You Can’t Leave Your Home

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Last week, I shared a post about how I’m enjoying the natural beauty around my home. I’m fortunate to live in a suburb where I have a yard, beautiful plants, and a climate that is conducive to growing the kind of plants I enjoy.

For those that aren’t able to walk outdoors and take in natural beauty (either because of strict quarantine measures or due to living in a “concrete jungle”), I wanted to share some links to websites and YouTube channels that highlight natural beauty around the world.

My current favorite is the Keukenhof Garden in Holland. With millions of stunning tulips bulbs planted, the garden is a feast for the eyes. I’m thrilled that I can take in all of this natural beauty from the comfort of my home.

 

There is also the US Botanic Garden (located in Washington, DC). This incredible garden used to have many fascinating public events and was a wonderful resource for anyone interested in learning more about botany. At this time, however, you can do a virtual tour as well as many online programs. You can even do “yoga in the garden” online every Saturday during the pandemic.

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(A double flowering lenten rose, from the US Botanic Garden website)

Another lovely garden that I used to visit regularly during my workday was the Enid A. Haupt Garden. This stunning pocket of serenity was my perfect place to “get away” when I needed some time to relax away from the office. I always walked around the “parterre”, though this was only a small portion of the garden.

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(A photo of one of the urns in the Haupt Garden Parterre)

In my hometown, there is an incredible botanical garden. At Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, it is also possible to do a virtual tour. These gardens are particularly special, because of their stunning annual butterfly exhibit.

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(Elegant butterfly featured on the Lewis Ginter Botanic Garden website)

If your city has a public garden or other outdoor space, you can probably do a virtual tour (a quick Google search should let you know if virtual tours are available). Do you have a favorite garden to tour? Let me know all about it in the comments below!

 

life curation

Meet My New Love!

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Recently, I’ve entered a relationship so wonderful and rewarding that I can hardly believe it! This love is so true and I’m so happy to share my new love with you. . .

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Meet Chewy, my shih tzu! He’s 4 years old, and he was re-homed with me after my best friend discovered that he wasn’t a good fit for her family (they needed a more active dog for their lifestyle). I had a shih tzu many years ago, so I was familiar with the breed and their temperament, so I was comfortable inviting this little boy to our home.

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My sweet boy before he visited my groomer

I love this sweet boy so much! He’s very quiet, easygoing and affectionate. He is such a sweetheart! He’s been with me for a week and it’s been a lot of fun having this new personality in my home.

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My cuddle bug after his first grooming session

Chewy has made my heart feel so full: I’m thrilled that we have him in our family. I’m looking forward to sharing more about him in upcoming posts!

health

Fibro Fridays: Fibro Awareness Month

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Happy Fibro Friday! As we welcome the month of May, I’m happy to share that this month is also Fibromyalgia Awareness Month. I will continue to share information about fibro every Friday, and I hope that the information I share can be used to create additional awareness around this potentially devastating condition.

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(image courtesy of Zazzle)

I’ve done well with managing my symptoms and taking care of myself, but that doesn’t mean that things are perfect! No, on the contrary, I continue to learn about fibro because I’m still learning how to manage my symptoms and improve my health. I’m just glad that I’m not as negatively impacted by it as I was prior to my diagnosis.

I hope you all are healthy and safe. Enjoy your weekend, and I’ll talk to you all soon. Take care!

life curation · Uncategorized

How to Support Small Businesses During the Pandemic

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One of the things that continues to come to my mind is the well-being of small business owners, especially those that are not able to do business in person (“nonessential” businesses). As individuals, we may not be able to save every small business, but we can definitely do something to help support these businesses.

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Buying local and buying from small businesses can make a big impact

Seek out Etsy sellers – Etsy is full of creatives that make and sell all sorts of amazing stuff.If you’re looking for something specific, try Etsy first. You may be able to quickly locate the perfect item, and (as a plus!) you’ll be able to support a small business owner.

Use local food delivery – If you’re tired of cooking, or maybe you just want to get your grocery items delivered to your front door, then local food delivery services are just what you need. Seek out small (non-chain) restaurants for your meals, and if you use a grocery delivery service, then make sure to tip your delivery person. That money can make a huge difference to the “gig economy” workers that may be working in these services to help cover expenses during this crisis.

Use Amazon to help you – Amazon has set up a portal specifically for handmade items from every state in the US. If you want to ensure that the money you spend goes directly to sellers living near you, you can click on your region and then select your state to find vendors. I recently purchased these darling Cinderella earrings for a special little one in my life. They’re so cute, I may end up buying the Belle earrings for myself!


Charming Cinderella earrings

Ask family and friends to give you referrals – Of course, if you’re at a loss for businesses to support, ask your family and friends to make suggestions. Some of them may themselves be business owners that you can support directly, or they may know some business owners that would appreciate having a new customer.

Do you have any ideas for supporting small and local businesses that I didn’t mention? Let me know all about it in the comments below!

 

 

 

(this post contains affiliate links)

beauty · life curation

Getting Gorgeous, Inside and Out

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One of my not-so-guilty pleasures has been looking at YouTube videos for beauty, style and life advice. As you all recall, I love watching mature YouTubers give their tips and tricks for living well. Along with the mature ladies, I also check out the younger women that are making great content on YouTube.

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A few of my recent favorite videos have been around the topic of “glowing up” during the quarantine. This concept – improving our looks while we stay home – is very popular because many of us FINALLY have time to do all of the beauty treatments, fitness routines, and dietary changes that we’ve always wanted to try. So, since we have the time, why not?

Here are a couple of my favorite videos featuring how to “glow up”, both on the inside and the outside (because having a beautiful exterior and broken interior is not the goal: wholistic/holistic health and beauty is what we’re creating!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

beauty · life curation

Embracing Natural Beauty

Mstldelano2 Comments

With all of this “free” time at home, I have been concentrating on slowing down and enjoying the simple pleasures around me. The main pleasure I’ve indulged in regularly is taking in the stunning beauty of the flowers and trees surrounding my home. Here are a few of my favorite photos. Enjoy!

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My hot pink azaleas

A yellow rose bush that is beginning to bloom

Baby pink rhododendrons

My Japanese maple (the leaves are stunning!)

I find that spending a little time walking the perimeter of my home does wonders for my mood and my energy. Embracing natural beauty has such a calming effect on me. I also planted some irises, tigridias, and gladiolus bulbs that I’m patiently waiting to bloom. When those flowers bloom, I’ll take more pictures and share them with you all.

beauty · life curation · luxury

Getting Crafty: Planning to Make Bath Bombs

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Since we’re all stuck in the house for the indefinite future, I figured this would be a great time to explore some of the curiosities I’ve had for a while. One of those curiosities involves those neat little fizzy bath bombs. I knew that these were frighteningly simple to make, but I’ve never had the ingredients to make my own. Until now.

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First, I looked up some basic recipes to see which ingredients and tools I need. I’m using this recipe from Our Oily House as a guide, because it has great reviews and looked simple enough. I went ahead and invested in a few supplies so that I can start making my own bath bombs at home. I went to Amazon and picked up a mold:

I also got some citric acid:

I ordered some epsom salt as well, but then I found a more affordable salt at a local store, so I’ll be returning that to Amazon this week. I already had baking soda, essential oils, cornstarch, and coconut oil, so once the rest of my order is received, I’ll be ready to experiment.

I can’t wait to share my fizzy goodies with you all! I’m so excited to try this!

 

 

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