Wellness Wednesday, January 19th

Call Me Mrs Potato Head  I mentioned that I was trying to go 'poo free.  It's not working so well for me.  I love the curls that appear when I'm not using shampoo, but I don't like the texture and feel of my hair.  I can't run my fingers thru it.  I decided I'd buy one of the shampoos that don't use any of the damaging or questionable ingredients, but my local stores don't carry any.  I'd use that to wean my scalp off the harsh chemicals.  Being desperate I started looking around the house for anything that would take the oil away without stripping my hair or drying my scalp.  I tried our produce wash from BioKleen.  It worked a little, in that it removed the oil build-up, but it took away the curls.  So now I'm on the hunt for any of the products at the Skin Deep database that have a 2 or lower rating.  I'm still going to aim for no 'poo, but it appears I'll need to wean my scalp from it.

AZ Sun in January  For as long as I can remember, there have been unseasonably warm days in January.  Happens enough that I started paying attention, and we get nice warm weather in January and then it gets cold again for a while.  What does this have to do with wellness?  The sunshine is a nice emotional boost, and likely a good immunity booster too, but for someone like me with seasonal allergies, it's a reminder that blooming things make me sneeze!  I've read that after improving my overall health, I'll be able to combat the allergies and maybe not even suffer any longer.  It's cause enough to keep taking fermented cod liver oil.  It's probably the only dietary change I've made that isn't pleasurable.  I take the orange flavored capsules, so if I have my drink ready to go and swallow it fast enough, I can't taste it.  I have to take it before bed though, to keep from "enjoying it" again throughout the day, KWIM?

Helpful Links I use the internet a lot.  A lot lot.  Is that proper English?  I want to share with you my recent hangouts in regard to health and wellness.

I purchased the eCourse at Anne's Health Place and am even keeping up with the lessons.  The course is called When You’re Too Tired: A Woman’s Practical Guide to Overcoming Fatigue  and lessons are delivered via PDF once a week.  For the month of January the package (16 chapters) is only $7.99.  I don't make anything by referring you, I just think it's worth a look.

I also worked on and completed Breaking the Sugar Habit from Lisa at WellGrounded Life.  I appreciated the fresh approach to sugar addiction so much that I emailed her my delight.  Here's her response:

 Dear Kelly!

Thank you so much for this wonderful (and thorough) response-- it means so much to me that you took the time to write. I love that you found such value in the workbook.

And I'm thrilled you'll be sharing about the workbook on your blog. Thank you! If you don't mind, please direct folks to this page www.wellgroundedlife.com/ripple so they can hop on to the weekly email program and will receive a link after they sign up for a few bonus resources (the break the sugar habit workbook being one of them).
Also, if you'd like to share a little bit about my upcoming course, Designed for Wellness...I'd be so grateful. Here is a short description and course link:

Lisa Byrne's signature course, Designed for Wellness will begin January 29, 2011. This 12 week program is an online, multimedia course for busy moms who want to take their health and life to a whole new level through whole-person approaches to nutrition and wellness. Dealing with issues like stress, overwhelm, exhaustion, weight gain, mood swings, cravings, and scattered focus...this class delivers a process to discover personalized strategies for wellness in a practical, concrete and uncomplicated way. Check it out if it you want more details! (www.WellGroundedLife.com/dfw )

Again, Kelly-- so grateful for your reaching out to me-- it has made my day!
And please let me know your blog's url so I can check your online home out too!
Warmly,

Lisa

She gave a mini stress cure course last summer that I just recently completed, and I found it enlightening too.

Mental and Emotional Health Check  I'm noticing a bit of improvement in my energy level and/or ability to focus on a project.  Saturday I had a huge project list (huge for me anyway) that I thought would be put on hold since Tony had what we think is a migraine headache.  I worked on what I could while he rested in a darkened room.  By late afternoon he was feeling better, and I still wanted to finish up my projects, so we tackled them together and got it done!  Getting some of these things off my mental checklist feels very freeing and it drives me on to continue as I can.  I gave myself permission not to expect perfection, nor that energy level all the time, but rather to appreciate it when I have it and take advantage of it.  I think one secret to Saturday's success was ordering pizza for dinner.  Saved time and energy, but probably didn't contribute much in the way of nutrition!

Thoughts?  How do you keep a "sunny disposition" in the short days of winter?