How to have high energy all the time and never feel tired again!

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high_energy

Skeptical?  You should be.

If you’ve been around here awhile, you know that I often ask readers where they need help with natural health & beauty.

Not long ago, a reader sent me a comment like this:

I’m just so tired all the time.  It’s hard for me to get up in the morning, and I have a hard time getting motivated at work.  I’d like to know how I can have tons of energy, all of the time, and stop feeling tired!

I get a lot (a LOT) of emails from women saying they want more energy.  But the words in this one triggered something for me – she wants high energy all the time.  

Is that even possible?

And if it is possible to have high energy all of the time – should you even want that?

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Filed Under: Health

4 little lifestyle tweaks for a better summer

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Everyone talks about eating seasonally.

It’s the way humans ate for millennia (we didn’t have a choice!), and suddenly, it’s trendy.

But what about the rest of your life?  Do you make seasonal adjustments?
(And I’m talking about more than just swapping out your wardrobe!)

Ok at first glance, adjusting your routine and lifestyle for the season might seem crazy!  I’ve finally figured out a routine that works for me, and now you want me to change it?!

But stick with me here.  Adjusting your life for the seasons makes a lot of sense.  That how humans lived forever (until very recently when our modern food supplies, electricity and careers enabled us to do, eat and be exactly the same, every single day.)

I’m all about modern conveniences!  But there’s something quaint and comforting about living in sync with the seasons.  It just feels right.

And I believe that if you just make a few small adjustments for the coming summer season – you’ll feel better too.  Here’s how.

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Filed Under: Health

Do you know this trick for finding healthy food to eat?

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choosing_healthy_food

Walking down a grocery store aisle, you might think we are the healthiest eaters ever.

“Fat free!”, “Certified by the Heart Association!”, “Proven to lower your cholesterol!”

At least, that’s according to the fronts of the food packets.

In reality, we know it’s different, because we SEE the problems around us.  Diabetes. Excess weight.  High cholesterol.  High blood pressure.  Feeling tired all the time.

Clearly there’s a disconnect.

The problem is that in our overstimulated, overwhelmed, stressed out lives, we just read the front of the packages … and want to believe what the marketers tell us.

It’s always funny reading vintage advertising.  ”Dr. Chase’s miracle pills for curing everything!” Did people really believe that stuff?

But we are still falling for the same tricks … it’s just that marketing today is much more subtle and savvy.

Fortunately, there is a way to find healthy food that avoids label confusion – and once you start doing this, you’ll never read the front of packets again…

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Filed Under: Food, Health

Wild Weeds Iron Tonic

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wild weeds iron tonic

Forget the idea of holding your nose while taking some unpleasant medicine.

One of the many reasons I love natural health and herbal remedies, is that you can usually get beneficial foods and plants into your body AND have them taste good!

(Not all of the time of course.  Hello, valerian!)

You can make herbal infusions, infused honeys, fresh juices, fermented veggies … and of course, infused alcohols.

In the past I’ve experimented with infused hard alcohols (like brandy and rum) with tasty results. (See: chocolate temptation liqueur and winter warmer rum.)

This week I’m experimenting with tonic wines.  And in particular, making a traditional iron tonic that tastes a lot like a wintery spiced wine.  Yum.  To enjoy in moderation of course.

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Filed Under: Health

Make a clarifying skin toner

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Clarifying Skin Toner

I was always envious of those girls with luminous, smooth, glowing skin.

Skin that looked refined and buffed.  Porcelain or peaches-and-cream our grandmothers’ might have called it.

That was never me.  I tend towards oily skin and big pores.  Glowing skin?  Yes, I glow.  But more from the greasies than some ethereal internal luminescence.

So making my own skincare has been a revelation for me.

Using the Oil Cleansing Method and Luxe facial oil have really normalized and improved my skin.  (I know, putting OIL on oily skin! Who woulda thunk it?)

And recently I have heard from a lot of readers who are struggling with oily, congested skin with pimples, acne and blackheads.  It seemed like a good time to create a third product we could add to our cleansing routine.  A product especially for the oily-skin prone among us!  (Don’t worry, dry skin types … I’ll describe how you could adapt this recipe to work for you too!)

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4 tools I use to follow my dreams (and you can too!)

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FollowYourDreams_Bridge

You know those ‘out of body’ type moments?  When you suddenly “wake up” and see your life from an outsider perspective, even for just a brief moment?

That happened to me this week.

While visiting a good friend in southwest France, we were invited to a birthday dinner.  We arrived at a 1800s farmhouse in the French countryside – with a big, heavy table set outdoors, a bonfire, fairy lights, and (in true French style) copious amounts of good food and wine.

As everyone was bustling around getting food ready, I suddenly had this flash of perspective and gratitude.  How did I end up here at this moment?  After years (and years) of wanting to live in Europe and run my own business – I was finally doing it.  

Of course, it hasn’t always been this way.

Since I’ve left my corporate job and started my own business as a natural health coach, I’ve gotten lots of questions from readers, friends and people I meet asking how I did it.  So I thought I would share some resources and tools that have helped me along the way.

I am still in the early days of my business, so I can’t give you a recipe for success.  But here are 4 tools that I’ve used regularly to get myself onto the right path (which for many years seemed like just a fantasy …)  

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Filed Under: Creativity, Inspiration

Is this common food causing your skin problems?

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You think you have your skin figured out. You’ve got your routine. You know the cleanser that works. You know how often (and how hard) to scrub. You’ve got your favorite moisturizer.

And then it happens.

Skin freakout!

Seemingly out of the blue. Greasiness. Acne. Dry flakiness. Red, inflamed flare-ups. Itchy patches.

This happened to me (yes, to me! ugh!) a few weeks ago.

It’s such a knock to your confidence when your skin misbehaves, isn’t it?

I didn’t even want to leave the house.

And I started beating myself up inside – how can I pretend to know about natural beauty when my own skin does this?!  And then: Why did this happen? What did I change??

Lightbulb moment: I made the connection.

On a recent trip I’d been eating very differently than usual – I’d eaten a ton of dairy. Yogurt with breakfast. Coffee and milk. And glorious, melty cheese with lunch and dinner.

Could this be the cause? Could dairy be the cause of my (and your) skin problems?

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Stress Relief Body Cream – Tutorial

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stress_relief_body_cream

I thought quitting my corporate job would eliminate my stress.

Ha!

How wrong I was.  Self-employment brings with it a whole different kind of stress … irregular income, accountants, hustling for business, sitting alone in front of your computer all day with no coworkers…

But I experienced a completely unexpected source of stress this week … trying to make a video tutorial on how to make this body cream!

Oh I had visions of Amanda-as-Nigella creating a luscious body cream in a gorgeously light and airy kitchen.

The reality was dark and dreary, with echoey sound and going on far too long (thank you small city kitchen, London gray skies and trying to film myself!)

Fortunately for me, I was making stress relief body cream, which was almost as good as chocolate to soothe my frustrated nerves.

And you can make some too.  Just follow this tutorial (in photos … while I work up the courage to try filming again!)

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Super Simple Homemade Lip Scrub Recipe

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Homemade Lip Scrub Recipe

When you go out in the evenings, are you more of a dark eyes or dark lips kind of woman?

Generally, I choose my eyes.

But occasionally, when I feel like being totally vintage glam and changing it up a bit – I like to rock a bright, red lip.

For me, doing a smokey eye is carefree.  I know how to do it.  It’s a look that works.  I like my eyes.

But the red lip creates a bit more stress … will I leave lip marks on all my drinks?  Will the lipstick end up on my teeth?  Will I eat off part of the lipstick leaving a strange red lip-liner looking ring around my lips?

And most of all … where did all these little flakes on my lips come from?!

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3 Natural Living Insights from Trill Farm

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Natural Living Course at Trill Farm - Spring 2013

While sipping on a herb infused cocktail (made from ingredients foraged within steps of where I was sitting), I had a flash of insight:

Living well doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated.

In fact, the most simple creations with fresh foods and herbs (whether for eating, drinking, health or beauty) are often the best.

Since I’m in the business of natural health and beauty, I often hear that all this natural living stuff is great for people living the Good Life in the countryside – but that it’s not possible for busy urbanites.  

To that I say, au contraire.  

As you know I live in a small flat in London without a garden, and I’m telling you, it IS possible.  And my recent workshop experience has given me even more ideas and inspiration for making any lifestyle more natural and sustainable.

For the past 5 days, I’ve been at Trill Farm in Devon for their seasonal Natural Living course.  I had the opportunity to teach a full day Natural Beauty workshop, and participate in the entire course – from living foods, to foraging, to hedgerow medicine and mindfulness.  It was a relaxing, inspiring and nourishing weekend.

Yes there is gorgeous countryside, delicious organic food, and so much fresh air and space (essential for this city-dweller) … but more than that, this course was inspiring and insightful.

So today I wanted to share 3 natural living insights that anyone can use to bring more natural health, balance and creativity into their life.

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Filed Under: Inspiration, Travel
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