Articles in General Wellness
Posted by Geri on May 9, 2012Yesterday I had the honor of attending a book signing for my friend Buna Dahal. I met Buna through my ownership of Ciao Bella Day Spa and am so inspired by her strength.
Buna was born blind in Nepal and from very early in her life she pushed against the boundaries of low expectations. She lead her own parents to the doorstep of the Provincial School for the Blind in Dharan, which initiated a personal trajectory that brought her to the United States as a scholarship student at the Overbrook International school at age 18. After completing her degree from Columbia College in Chicago at 26, Buna was invited to present an empowering speech at the United Nations in March 2007. She earned her Masters Degree from Regis University School of Professional Studies just before her 38th birthday.
At an early age Buna realized that she had a dream… not just to survive but to live. She challenged every obstactle with her strong determination to be better and stronger. In last night’s presentation she told the group that leadership comes from the heart. It’s nothing you learn from a How-To Book. There are leadership skills in each of us, we just need the courage to recognize them and march forward to grab everything we can out of life. Find your passion and look for opportunities.
Believe in yourself.
I am me. Let me be unique.
Lead yourself first. Trust your heart. It knows how to lead. Have courage.
Do more than survive….. find your passion and LIVE.
Thank you, Buna. You are a true inspiration.
Posted by Sarah Miller on March 3, 2012Winter is hard on skin.
Unlike the rest of our body, our face is exposed to the cold, wind, and sun whenever we step outside. Cold weather tends to suck every last drop of moisture out of our skin, resulting in a red, rough, flaky texture. It also causes our sebum production to slow down triggering tightness, and inflammation and a breakdown of collagen which causes premature wrinkles, and fine lines.
The best thing you can do to hydrate your skin is drink plenty of water. The amount of water needed can change every day, based on your physical activity, current health condition, the climate and weather conditions. Typically men should drink about 3 liters of water and women should drink about 2.2 liters of water per day. Pregnant women should drink about 2.3 liters of water daily and 3.1 liters while breast feeding. Those who exercise should increase their water intake by .5 to 1 liter. The same thing applies with extreme cold or hot weather conditions and during illness; especially fever, vomiting or diarrhea.
If you are drinking an adequate amount of water, but your skin is still showing signs of dehydration, you may need to adjust your moisturizer.
How do you know which moisturizer is right for you? It’s important to find a moisturizer that will seal in the moisture you already have as well as the moisture you’re missing. It should be powerful enough to protect against environmental aggressors, yet not be so heavy that it results in a shiny, greasy appearance. It should also be effective all day long and leave your skin soft
and velvety.
YonKa’s Crème 28 does all of that! It’s a 3-in-1 restorative product. It protects, moisturizes and deeply re-hydrates. It’s lightweight and won’t clog pores. This time of year, I use it as a final hydration cream in almost all of the facial treatments I provide.
Once you have the right protection, the benefits will show immediately resulting in a smooth, glowing, supple appearance.
Some things you can do at home to combat the effects of winter are:
- Wash your face with lukewarm, not hot water
- Exfoliate regularly (at least twice per week)
- Apply your moisturizer to damp skin after showering (helps to lock-in extra moisture)
- Avoid using alcohol-based toners or astringents that tend to over-dry the skin
Easy at-home treatments for dry, dehydrated skin:
Exfoliating Mask
¼ cup almonds, finely chopped
1 tablespoon oatmeal
4 tablespoons soy milk
1 tablespoon mashed avocado
In a bowl, blend ingredients until pasty. If the mixture is too dry, add another tablespoon of soy milk. Spread a thin, even layer over face, rubbing gently in a circular motion, avoiding eyes. Leave on for 20 minutes, then remove with a warm, wet washcloth. Repeat twice per week.
Moisturizing Mask
½ large ripe banana
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
In a bowl, mash banana with oil; blend until smooth. Apply mixture to clean, dry face, avoid eyes, and leave on for 20 minutes. Rinse and pat dry. Treat once per day or whenever skin feels dry and dehydrated.
Posted by Geri on January 26, 2012I am reminded of my daughter’s second grade Junior Achievement lesson, when I spent 4 weeks teaching the kids about the difference between wants and needs. I had one hour each week with them and together we learned that a new video game is not a NEED. We learned that most of what we wanted Santa to bring was a WANT and not a NEED. It was fun to reminisce about that lesson, and in doing so I realized that the balance of wants and needs is way out of whack in my life.
I want to this, but I have to do that.
I want to go here, but I have to go there.
I have to get this done. I have to get that done.
I want to do that, but there is no time.
Maybe another day. Maybe later.
have to….have to… have to….. There are SO many ‘have to’ dos, that I think I might go insane! I have recently realized my dilemma may be self imposed. If I’m honest, my dilemma IS self-imposed. Sometime along the way I have taken on the role of Super Woman. Over the years I have taken on problems that don’t really belong to me, but I’m happy to go solve them, because that’s what I do. I have to help.
have to…have to.. have to…
I’m sure you do it too. You over commit, over schedule, over plan and over think. We must stop. We must step back and decide if what we are doing is what we WANT to do, or more dreadfully, is what we HAVE to do. There must be a better balance. Of course the day is filled with things that have to get done. But, the day should also be sprinkled with things that you want to get done.
What makes you smile? Do it. Do it more often.
What fills your heart with happiness? Do it. Do it more often.
Super woman is make believe. Time to get real.
Posted by Geri on January 14, 2012Wellness focuses on physical, emotional and spiritual health, and all three aspects should be considered part of your wellness plan.
Physical pain is obvious and can usually be relieved with pain medication. Emotional pain is harder to conquer and is often not obvious to the outside world. Statistics show that nearly 10% of the adult population suffers from depression or anxiety, two of the most common forms of emotional pain.
In a recent discussion with a friend of mine who is putting together a new course for a local community college on How Training for a Marathon is Like Training for Life, we discovered that many of the keys to success in marathon training can be directly applied to life. Of course this is meant to be a metaphorical comparison and in no way discounts the emotional pain you may be experiencing.
Lean into the Pain. When we are exercising and feel the first twinge of pain we pull away. We withdraw from that level of exertion and move down the scale to something ‘a little easier’. That is exactly what we shouldn’t be doing. Our brains instinctively tell us to avoid pain. However, in marathon training, as in life, it is impossible to achieve mastery without pain–sometimes for a long time. Though counter-intuitive, we should be LEANING INTO the pain of effort–not away. To escape the pain, you must push through this roadblock and get to the other side. Stand strong to the pain and don’t back down.
For me, this lesson applies directly to my life (I am NOT training for a marathon). Whether it’s growing my small business or dealing with a plethora of other ‘life issues’, pushing through the pain allows me to carry the hope that ‘this won’t last forever’ and ‘there’s light on the other side’.
We often avoid the rain, but rain cleanses, it makes things GROW–just like the pain of effort makes us grow. It is okay to put on a raincoat when it rains, but it’s not okay to stay inside and AVOID the rain..and the pain…lest we deny ourselves the joy of victory.
So, go buy a raincoat. You can do this. Push through the pain and celebrate what’s on the other side!
Posted by Geri on December 28, 2011As I write this blog post, we are three days away from a new year. As we wind down 2011 and look forward to what 2012 might bring, I find myself breathing a sigh of relief that I survived another hard year. Life is hard, yes it is true. But, life is hard for everyone. I am learning to put challenges into a new perspective and realize that perhaps I should stop trying to control my life and just ‘let it happen’.
A good friend gave me a bit of advice the other day; she said “let go…. let God“. Another wonder bit of advice came from the book Gabby, the story of Gabby Giffords and her struggle to regain strength and health after her terrible ordeal. Her husband said it this way “courage is living the life you were given when it isn’t the life you had planned”. Woo.. for me, that sums it up PERFECTLY.
Being a very strong Type A, I have always been sure that I could control my world, I just needed to ‘want to’ bad enough. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. My life’s motto. I stayed headstrong and stubborn with making sure my life went according to plan. It didn’t work. Whew, I’m exhausted. As we all know, it’s really not possible to ‘control’ life. Yes, it is necessary to arrange order and structure in life to make your days easier to manage, but really, that’s much different than ‘control’.
I have always been convinced that people come into our lives at precisely the moment we need them most. It is our job to keep our hearts (and eyes) open and recognize these gifts.
I was headed to the airport on a business trip the other week and had made up my mind that morning that I would ‘be open’ to whatever was going to happen to me that day. No tunnel vision. Just open and paying attention to what was happening around me.
I was standing waiting for the train and this man came down the escalator screaming to someone on his cell phone. He was cussing up a storm. I looked at the elderly lady next to me and she said ” oh my, life is too short to be that angry“. I nodded and agreed. The train came and we both got on. She came and stood very close to me with tears in her eyes. She told me that her and her daughter had a falling out many months ago and that her daughter hadn’t spoken to her in months. That morning, just before she left for the airport, the daughter called. She apologized for the rife that had caused so much pain and told her mother she was sorry and that she loved her.
This stranger then touched my arm and said “we shouldn’t let anger take over our lives“. Whow…. how did she know those were the exact words I needed to hear that day? I got tears in my eyes as the train came to a stop. I hugged her and thanked her for her special gift.
That chance encounter has had an impact on my life. We are all dealing with our individual struggles, but have the ability to bring light to another person’s day. Whose life have you touched today?
Happy New Year to you and those you love!
