Preparing for a Tranquil Night Sleep

By Sam Sample
Considering the stress and stimulation that we are increasingly being exposed to, it’s no wonder that many of us find it difficult to fall asleep at night, suffer from poor sleep or wake up feeling tired and flat.

Checking emails in bed on the iPhone or Blackberry, eating a large meal at nighttime, going to the gym late at night, worrying about how much work there is to get through, watching television in bed, depending on alcohol or pharmaceuticals to help fall asleep, are all recipes for an inability to fall asleep or disrupted night’s sleep.

Incorporating daily self caring rituals when you’re unwinding from the day and preparing yourself for bedtime is a much better option that will help promote a healthy and tranquil night’s sleep. The key is to find something that makes you feel relaxed, then repeat it each night to help release the day’s stress.

Diffuse a blend of essential oils in your bedroom. Relax, run a bath, make a cup of herbal tea, focus on your breathing and let yourself go. With every breath you take, breathe in relaxation, and breathe out your worries. Ease into a tranquil sleep.

Diet
Avoid coffee, tea and other stimulants after lunchtime so that they have completely worn off by the time you prepare to go to bed.
Avoid eating a large meal before going to bed, particularly carbohydrates so that your body isn’t busy trying to digest food whilst you’re trying to fall asleep.
Avoid alcohol as it disrupts your ability to reach deep REM stages of sleep.
For nights when you really are finding it difficult to fall asleep, valerian is a much healthier alternative to sleeping tablets. The herb is believed to be a remedy for sleeping problems and does not have the same “hangover” effect of sleeping pills.

Exercise
Incorporate exercise into your daily routine. There is so much research out there stating that regular exercise is one of the best physical stress-reduction techniques, that it relaxes tense muscles, helps you to sleep, improves blood flow to the brain and releases chemicals called endorphins in to your blood stream giving you a feeling of happiness.
However, make an effort to avoid high intensity exercise (unless it involves sex) in the evening as it may keep you stimulated. Exercise in the morning or afternoon instead.

The Bedroom
Your bedroom is a sanctuary for sleeping. Create a tranquil environment by minimizing noise, light and temperature extremes in your bedroom.
To help prevent a sleep disorder from disrupting your life, use the bed and bedroom for sleep only. Please don’t watch TV or work in bed (including checking emails on your Blackberry of iphone).
Keep a notebook beside your bed and if ever you lay in bed with thoughts racing around your head, write those thoughts down in the notebook so that you can revisit them the next day.

Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is a true holistic approach to healing in that it uses oils extracted from plants and flowers to treat the physical, mental and spiritual body. Essential oils stimulate receptors in the nose which relay messages to the limbic system, the part of the brain that regulates emotions. The use of essential oils is nothing new, dating back thousands of years. The most beneficial part of aromatherapy, in my opinion, is that it can be incorporated into daily life via creams, massage oils, bath oils, compresses and for burning in an oil burner; and that blends can be tailor made to suit your requirements, for example, to help calm and induce sleep.

Lavender is regarded as the first choice in the treatment of insomnia. It is reputed to act as a sedative in conditions of mental and emotional agitation and unrest, calming the mind.
Roman Chamomile is renowned for soothing restlessness and nervous irritability, as well as alleviating anxiety and stress.
Sweet Orange is renowned for having a mild sedative and antidepressant effect as well as being refreshing.
Sandalwood is renowned for having a relaxing effect on nerves and has long been considered the first choice for meditation as it is reputed to quieten mental chatter.

Rituals
Finish working at least one hour before going to bed so that your mind has a chance to stop thinking about work and day-to-day stress.
Create a bedtime ritual that appeals to you, whether its meditation, deep breathing, reading, bathing or utilizing the benefits of aromatherapy to help make the transition from “working day” to “tranquil night”.

An hour before bedtime add a few drops of sleep inducing essential oils to your oil burner and fill your bedroom with a calming scent.

Sip on a cup of relaxing herbal tea such as Chamomile and Vervain, that are both renowned for their calming, sleep inducing qualities.

Run a warm bath, add a few drops of sleep inducing essential oils and relax for 20 minutes by closing your eyes and focusing on your breathing. With every inhale breathe in tranquility and the scent of the oils, and with every exhale breathe out your worries.

Slip in to bed and ease into a tranquil sleep.

Beauty Maven Meets Eco Beauty

What Rachel Avalons seminar taught me about the beauty industry…

Whether its dipping into latest Sephora finds or scanning through celebrity looks, my heart has always fluttered just that much more when it comes to beauty. And with being an eco writer, I figured I pretty much knew all there was to about eco beauty.

Thats why when I heard about holistic nutritionist and eco expert, Rachel Avalons Lecture on Eco Beauty, I was curious to see what the green “it” girl would be discussing. Knowing there is at least one natural makeup product that meets my approval, and often putting pestle and mortar to use in my kitchen for new facial concoctions, I wondered what the eco industrys freshest face would have to say about beauty that I didnt already know.

I walked into the lecture room, paper and pen in hand and ready to soak up what I thought would be new beauty tips. I also got a chance to have a quick meet and greet with Rachel, who was absolutely charming and a natural host. With people pouring in, we quickly took our seats and the presentation set sail to what was going to be a revealing look at the beauty industry.

Moments in, I was capsized by own limited perceptions of beauty. Rachel began with where our beauty products are coming from, whats in them, and how detrimental they are to our health. The virtually self-regulated cosmetic industry is saturated by politics and hazards, even though one could argue the two were never really mutually exclusive anyway. Though we all know about lobby groups, Rachels knowledge of what exactly comprises the beauty industry which policies so easily saunter past the red-tape (and why), and how they affect us, is absolutely horrifying. In short, I learned that just like the IRS, we should never really trust the so-called “safety” regulations.

But to learn what was actually in all those lovely pressed powders, tubes and jars left me thoroughly disgusted. So whats in it exactly?

Think Gemma Artertons scene in Quantum of Solace, where shes covered head to toe in oil, and then youve got a very small picture of what youre actually spackling on yourself everyday. The trauma of what Gemmas character goes through varies disfiguringly with our own experience – after all, with that much toxic waste on her she inevitably died. On the other hand, we go about our day with ten fold more and think were glamorous. Put on, rinse, and repeat.

Considering we toss ourselves into a daily beauty gauntlet with questionable (and sometimes cancer-causing agents), you can only imagine how much damage were doing to ourselves in the long run.

If you consider the basics, (like shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, mouthwash, etc), its easy to see how the average American uses about 10 products a day – which exposes them to about 125 chemicals!

If you factor in that our skin absorbs 60% of what we put on it, and with the average girl wearing makeup at 14, by the time youre 85 youve been exposing your body to harsh chemicals and toxins for over 70 years! Its no wonder that we have such a high rate of cancer in society, with 1 in 3 women and 1 in 2 men now being diagnosed with it. The role of cancer in beauty was another interesting component of Rachels lecture, and got me questioning about how many chemicals I expose myself to daily without even thinking about it – all in the name of beauty.

And beauty isnt just for women. Conscious care is definitely something both men and women need to think about (because almost everyone uses shampoo, soap, deodorant, etc.). I brought my fiancÃ

All Creatures, Great and Small

Canon recently announced the finalists in its Keepers Competition. We love Little Puppy, Big Kiss in the Once in a Lifetime category. Visit this link and register to vote! By voting and answering one simple question you go into the draw to win a PowerShot SX210 IS, so you can capture Keepers of your own.

Improve Your Energy Levels

Feeling tired? Exhausted? Lacking concentration? Lacking motivation? Whilst energy drinks, coffee, and pharmaceuticals may offer a quick short-term solution and “hit” of energy, they are not doing you, your loved ones or the planet any favors.

If you’d like to get off the roller coaster ride of energy highs and lows, it might be a good idea to consider other options. Following is a number of lifestyle choices and rituals specifically targeted to help improve energy levels. I encourage you to challenge yourself this next month by making a conscious effort to implement these alternatives in to your everyday life, and take note of how you feel in four weeks’ time.

Invigorate your body and mind. Take a few minutes to give yourself an energizing massage. Focus on your breathing. Stretch and exercise your body. Movement is the key to a healthy body, mind and soul. Moisturize your skin with invigorating oils. Nourish yourself with a well balanced meal and drink an adequate amount of purified water each day. Radiate with life.

Diet

Give up stimulants such as coffee, sugar and mainstream chocolate for one month and make a conscious effort to become aware of the difference in how you feel. Yes, you may suffer withdrawal symptoms such as headaches and fatigue for a couple of days but once you push through these 2 – 4 days, you’ll come out the other end feeling so much better.

Choose herbal teas instead of coffee.

Choose protein rich foods such as nuts, seeds or hummus on carrots, cucumber and celery as snacks instead of chocolate and sweets.

I used to be a coffee-a-day girl… nothing serious… just the usual morning “pick me up” that I became dependent on. But one day I started to think that coffee had control of me and I detested the fact that I “needed” my coffee fix. So I decided to give it up. The first day was horrid. I lay in foetal position for 4 hours with a splitting headache that no painkiller could suppress. But then something magical happened after day-two, I no longer had that “need” for my morning kick starter and it was like a cloud had been lifted off my mind. More clarity. More energy. Myore morning motivation.

General dietary advice for sustained energy, health and wellbeing
Graze rather than overeat. Large meals are harder to digest, place a strain on your organs and can result in indigestion and sleepiness.
Eat a balanced, nutritious diet based on organic and biodynamic wholefoods: fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, nuts and seeds.
Choose a wide variety of brightly colored fruits and vegetables that are in season.
Take either a heaped tablespoon of ground flax, pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds, or a tablespoon of blended seed oil. My favorite is Udos Omega 3:6:9 Oil Blend.
Eat probiotic-rich foods to improve your digestive and immune health. eg, kefir
Drink clean filtered tap water and herbal teas.
AVOID alcohol, caffeine, smoking, processed foods and take-out food with added chemicals and processed ingredients; AVOID fat free, diet, low or no cholesterol packaged foods. AVOID cage eggs, dairy and meat that is not pasture fed. AVOID refined table salt, sugar and margarine. AVOID soft drinks, cordial, bottled juices and vitamin waters that are full of sugar and artificial additives.

Exercise
Being unfit and overweight places a massive strain on the body, depleting your energy. There is so much research out there stating that regular exercise is one of the best physical stress-reduction techniques, that it relaxes tense muscles, helps you to sleep, improves blood flow to the brain and releases chemicals called endorphins in to your blood stream giving you a feeling of happiness. Oh, and the fact that a little exercise each day is wonderful for improving stamina and oxygenation of the body.

For the next month make the effort to move your body every day. Whether its a brisk 15 minute walk around the block, a half hour jog in the park, a yoga class, workout at the gym, swim at the beach, laps in the pool, or bicycle ride, do something to get your body moving and body sweating.

Personally I really start to feel it if I dont exercise for a few weeks: I become more lazy and sleep in that little bit longer, I become brilliant at conjuring up reasons why I deserve my sleep ins, my mood drops, I lack inspiration and no longer have that spring in my step or vibrant energy that I love so much. The simple truth is that movement is the key to a healthy body, mind and soul. Your body loves to move. It was designed to move.

Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is a true holistic approach to healing in that it uses oils extracted from plants and flowers to treat the physical, mental and spiritual body. Essential oils stimulate receptors in the nose which relay messages to the limbic system, the part of the brain that regulates emotions. The use of essential oils is nothing new, dating back thousands of years. The most beneficial part of aromatherapy, in my opinion, is that it can be incorporated into daily life via creams, massage oils, bath oils, compresses and for burning in an oil burner; and that blends can be tailor made to suit your requirements, for example, to uplift and invigorate.

Uplifting and Invigorating essential oils
Lemon is reputed to have properties which can lift the spirits and overcome mental fatigue.
Peppermint is renowned for enhancing concentration and stimulating circulation.
Eucalyptus is renowned for restoring vitality and reviving spirits.
Rosemary is associated with clearing thoughts and is renowned for promoting circulation of energy.

Morning Ritual
Start each morning by body brushing your dry skin to stimulate the lymphatic system. Shower, and then gently massage your body with a light layer of body oil scented with invigorating essential oils to help wake up your body and mind. If you’d prefer not to use a scented body moisturizer then add a few drops of invigorating essential oils to the shower and transform your morning cleanse into an uplifting experience to help wake you up.

Daytime Ritual
If you work in an office, how about going for a walk in your lunch break in a nearby park, around the harbor, by the beach or simply around the block to help clear your mind and improve energy levels for a more productive afternoon. Use the opportunity to fill your lungs with fresh air. Find a quiet place and take a moment to focus on your breathing. With every inhale, breathe in energizing oxygen. With every exhale breathe out stress, fatigue and stale thoughts.

When Im at work, I make the effort to take regular breaks from my computer by getting up and going for a walk around the garden in the sunshine, to help recharge and refresh my mind. It works!

Afternoon Ritual
If you’re one that feels drowsy and lacking concentration around 3pm, please don’t reach for the nearest chocolate bar or coffee cup. It may be due to the natural cycle (and dip) of your circadian rhythm and the associated anticipation of sleep. Try burning uplifting and invigorating essential oils in an oil burner around this time, or sip on a stimulating herbal tea such as gingko, peppermint and schisandra that are all renowned for their uplifting properties.

Most importantly, please remember to be kind, gentle and patient with yourself as you’re learning these new ways of thinking, doing and considering. Keep in mind that every moment in the day is a new opportunity to make a different choice – a choice to help improve your holistic health and happiness that not only benefits you, but your loved ones and the planet we all share.

Improve Your Energy Levels by Sam Sample

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