Autumn Pantry Preparation

Buy local.  Buy from local farmers, either directly from their farm or from a farmer’s market.  

Join a food co-op. You will get to try lots of new things for the 1st time and you will get to do this at a fraction of the price.

Buy produce that is in-season. Purchasing food that is in season is not just cheaper, it is nutritionally beneficial too. Buying strawberries in January and asparagus in October requires that the produce be picked before it is fully ripe, and the produce begins to decompose and lose nutrients the second it is separated from the plant.  

Grow as much as you can in the space you have.  Plant a sunny windowsill with salad veggies and herbs, grow a container garden on a balcony, or turn your yard into a mini-farm.  Apartment dwellers can have shared access to garden space close to their home buildings.

Plan your menu after shopping not before. This allows you to stay on budget. You can take advantage of the best deals and plan your meals around those.  

Buy staples in bulk. Organic grains like brown rice, wheat berries, cornmeal, barley and oatmeal can be purchased in bulk quantities.  This reduces the price to lower than or equivalent to the smaller conventional packages that are offered in your local grocery store.

Buy some meats frozen instead of fresh.  Some butcher shops freeze meat that isn’t sold immediately and sell if for a lower price.  Look for deals on frozen chicken breasts, frozen fish, and frozen turkey breast. Fish is often cheaper frozen.

Buy meat in bulk.  Look into buying beef in quantity.  Check out the prices at local farms for a quarter of a cow.  You will pay slightly more for the lesser cuts but much less for the better quality cuts.  It balances out to a much lower price for meat farmed in the healthiest way possible.

Don’t buy anything with an ingredients list greater than 5 items. The more items on the ingredients list, the more likely you are consuming additives, preservatives, food colourings & artificial food flavouring.  None of which add to your health.

Cook from scratch.  May sound time consuming but if you organize yourself in your home kitchen, much of the preparation can be quick & easy.  

Some conventionally grown foods are okay.  Some foods have a fairly low pesticide load, even when conventionally grown.  Organic produce, while the healthiest are expensive.   

Preserve food.  Whether you grow it yourself, rescue it from the 'last day of sale' rack at the grocery store, or buy it by the bushel from a farmer, learning to preserve your own food allows you to buy in bulk and squirrel some of that delicious food away for the winter ahead.  Canning, dehydrating, and freezing are all methods to help extend the summer harvest for use later in the year.

Eat leftovers.  When you put aside small amounts of leftovers in a freezer container, you can make 'soup' for a meal that is basically free because it came from items that would have otherwise been discarded.  Use larger amounts of leftovers for lunch boxes or a buffet style meal for the family.

'Shop' from nature.  You might be surprised to learn how many edible plants are growing wild in your own neighbourhood. Even those of us in the city can often find things to forage. 

Autumn Detox & Reflexology Massage

Reflexology is a therapeutic method of relieving pain as well as activating the release of toxic buildup in the body by stimulating predefined pressure points on the feet, hands and face.

 

Reflexologists work from maps of predefined pressure points that are located on the hands, feet and face.

 

These pressure points connect directly through the nervous system and affect the body's organs and glands.

 

You can receive a reflexology treatment by a reflexology health therapist or you can learn the trigger points on your body and self administer them.

 

 

In the Autumn as you continue your detox through exercise & juicing, you can also combine these with reflexology massage treatments 2-3 times per week if you are doing the treatments for yourself. 

 

If you are receiving the treatments from a reflexology, one hour long session per week will suffice.

 

Massage, whether it's a full body massage or reflexology massage for your feet, face or hands are a highly effective way to cleanse the internal body. 

 

You will find that your detox will increase the desired results when you combine reflexology or massage with exercise and juicing. 

 

If you are trying to lose weight, you'll notice quicker results as well.

Autumn Detox & Foot Baths

 

Detox Foot Bath

If you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, speak to your physician before giving yourself these baths. 

 

You want to avoid over stimulating your heart.

In the evening, before bed and after skin brushing, try giving yourself a detox foot bath. 

 

Again, if you’re feeling particularly unwell, be gentle with the amount of ingredients you use. 

 

I recommend using 1 cup of Epsom salts for every 60 lbs of weight.  So if you are 120 lbs, use 2 cups. 

 

However, if you’re very ill, or worn out, try only ½ cup or 1 cup of Epsom salts.  

 

The weaker you are, the more toxins are likely in your body.  When they begin to circulate from doing skin brushing & these baths, you'll feel very ill and may give up before you've had benefit. 

This is a formula I recommend:

Basin of hot water (no more than 98 degrees).

About 2 cups of Epsom salts (for a person 120 pounds). 

 

If you feel very healthy and want to aggressively clean out your lymphatic system, double this amount.  So instead of 2 cups, try 3-4 cups of Epsom salts. 

About 2 cups of hydrogen peroxide. 

When wanting a thorough cleanse, add an additional 2 cups.  Try to use the therapeutic grade found in natural health stores.   Hydrogen peroxide stimulates oxygen in the blood providing you a greater sense of ‘aliveness’ & calming to your nervous system.

About 1 cup of baking soda. 

 

As with hydrogen peroxide, natural health stores carry a grade that is without any additives that are not supportive of good health. 

 

Baking soda in the foot bath relieves itching& skin irritation. 

 

This is critical for you if you’ve been experiencing allergic reactions due to food intolerances or toxin buildup in the body.

As an addition, you can also add some raw, grated ginger, about a tablespoon.  It stimulates the body to increase blood flow. 

Many detox foot baths also call for addition of essential oils. 

 

As they are highly potent, you may wish to experiment first which ones trigger release of toxins and give you a greater sense of calm. 

 

I’ll talk at length about essential oils at a later date.

Best time to give yourself a detox foot bath is before bed. 

 

Give yourself a skin brush treatment, first, then soak in the foot bath for about 20 minutes. 

 

The truth though is that by 20 minutes, the bath will no longer be hot. 

 

I prefer to soak in the steaming bath for several minutes and then let my feet relax even further in the warm water for another 10-15 minutes. 

 

I read a book, listen to music.  Sometimes, I sit at my laptop and blog while I soak my feet.  Whatever works for you.

You’ll find your body heating up during the foot bath. 

 

For great health, you should be drinking upwards of 8 glasses of purified, non-chlorinated water everyday. 

 

When you do a foot bath, add an additional 1 to 2 glasses of water daily, depending on your height and weight.  The taller you are, the heavier you, the more water you will need.

After the foot bath, do not rub your feet aggressively dry.  Instead pat them dry. 

 

Your feet pores are open and are now actively releasing toxins.  Allow them to release so patting dry will least interfere with your ores.

 

At this point, you may also wish to stimulate your internal organs by pressing specific reflexology trigger points. 

 

As with essential oils, I'll be discussing reflexology at length at a later date. 

 

In the meantime, if you're eager to try reflexology, google the topic as there is an ocean of knowledge available online to get you started.

 

If you feel nauseous or headachy after your foot bath, place your feet in cool water.  This slows down the detoxification from your body. 
 

Give yourself a foot bath every night or at least twice a week until your energy has increased, your focus has improved and your overall health is better. 

 

Consider this a therapy to heal yourself of poor health.   A period of three to six weeks should clear up a number of health issues.

 

However, I also advise that you try giving yourself detox foot baths at least once or twice a week on an ongoing basis to maintain good health.

 

Skin brushing can be done everyday twice a day on an ongoing, non stop basis. 

While your detoxing, eat fruits, vegetables, lots of purified water, organic chicken and fish.  Eat whole foods.  

 

Supplement your diet with vitamin & minerals & good fats. 

 

When you exercise, do so gently as your body needs it’s strength to detoxify. 

Other than increasing your energy & focus, you will likely begin to see other ailments reduce or eliminate such as yeast infections, inflammation in joints, headaches, weary eyes. 

 

During the heaviest part of the detoxification process, your tongue will likely have a thick white coat or even a coat with a yellowish tinge. 

 

Scrape off this coat as it’s simply unwanted substances coming out of your body.

When you go for walks when you detoxify, you may find yourself sweating more than normal and your sweat may take on different odours. 

 

Again, allow what’s been built up in your body to leave.

 

Detox foot baths & skin brushing is inexpensive, simple & quick to do & non invasive to your body. 

 

Moreover, the benefits, as I've pointed out, are critical to your overall health & well being.
Farmer's Daughter

Autumn Detox & Skin Brushing (Pt2)

Here’s how to start:

Skin Brushing

Before you shower, skin brush your entire body.  Do twice a day, morning & before bed.

 

Start at your feet and move upwards toward your heart. 

 

Include your back, arms, legs. 

Do not skin brush your face. 

 

You should feel tingly as you’ve stimulated your lymphatic system and have increased your body’s circulation. 

The lymphatic system’s role is to remove unwanted substances, toxins from the body. 

 

When we age, our muscle tone typically decreases.  It is the muscles that push the lymph (the fluid within the lymphatic system) through the body. 

 

As we age our ability to move lymph through our body, decreases. 

Result is that toxins, unwanted substances remain unmoved from the body. 

They stay in the body and cluster.  After a time they create blockages & ultimately illness. 

 

Skin brush in the morning& then once again before bedtime to stimulate your lymphatic system. 

 

Over time you should notice a difference in your body’s skin.  Cellulite may begin to disappear. 

Your skin appears more vibrant, smoother.  You’re also removing dead skin cells allowing for new skin to appear providing a more youthful appearance to your skin.

Autumn Detox & Skin Brushing (Pt1)

If you are feeling unwell, fatigued, headachy or unfocused, try these home remedies.   

If you’re working outside the home, as many of us do, try these remedies but be mindful that these formulas are potent. 

Reduce the frequency & the amount of ingredients until you've found what works best for you.

Give yourself a series of detox foot baths & brush your body twice a day with a natural loofah brush. 

This method is called skin brushing. 

 

The aim of these remedies is to stimulate your body’s lymphatic system to push toxins through & out of your body. 

 

When doing these foot baths & skin brushing, be mindful that when toxins are circulated in your bodies, before their release of your body, you may feel even worse than before you started. 

To avoid feeling poorly, DO NOT be overly aggressive with, particularly, the foot baths. 

"The rule of thumb" is that the sicker you are, the more toxins are in your body and awaiting release.  Therefore, be gentle. 

Try a lighter version of the foot baths to start and increase the ingredients as the days & weeks continue.

For the foot bath, these are ingredients you can use, although you won’t need each of them in each bath: 

Hot water
Epsom salts
Sea salts
Hydrogen peroxide
Baking soda 

You can also use:

Bentonite clay
White wine vinegar
Apple cider vinegar 
Raw ginger 

Exercising in Autumn

 

 

Autumn is a transitional time of year. The leaves change colour.  The sun sets at dinner time and the sun rises well after 7AM.  

 

As beautiful as this time of year can be, it is also a stressful period for many that wish to continue their exercise regimens but jogging at 6AM in their shorts is no longer viable.

 

Another change that Autumn brings is I find a fatigue comes over me every afternoon sometime between 2PM and 5PM, something that doesn't seem to happen to me in the summer months.

 

The answer to these shifts is change a few tactical items in your exercise regimen and you will continue to enjoy exercising in the Autumn and well into the Winter months.

 

Hiking Trails

 

The changing of the leaves is beautiful and the hiking trails are even more enticing than they are in the summer. 

 

Bundle up and drive to the country to the many hiking trails or go to an inner city park that is large enough to have outdoor trails. 

 

Taking in the fresh air and a gentle but long walk is healthy & invigorating. 

 

It's also a time that even if you walk alone, you will likely see others on the trails.  A time to engage in social contact outside your work hours is also emotionally healthy.  And what is emotionally healthy ultimately leads to a strong physical body.

 

Biking through trails is also invigorating.  I've spoken endlessly about the benefits of sweating in this blog and Fall is a wonderful time to sweat through exercise. 

 

It takes longer to sweat because of cooler temperatures but this allows you to bike longer than you can if it's hot outside.  And biking longer allows you more exercise time, a healthy bonus.

 

 

Home & Cottage Activities

 

Fall is the time to prepare your home, cottage & yard for the winter.  

 

Many weekends can be spent outdoors doing these activities. 

 

Raking leaves and preparing your garden for the winter are also outdoor chores that will keep you active. 

Increased oxygen from being outdoors and physical exertion is healthy & stimulating.  Also gives your mind a rest.

 

 

Dress for the Weather

 

Summer exercise routines have you outdoors in shorts & a T shirt. 

 

However, with the changing & shifting temperatures, you may one day be outside wishing you had short sleeves while other days you will shivering in brisk winds.

 

The solution, of course, is to dress in layers. 

 

Have a light weight jacket that can double as a rain coat, a long sleeve top and a T-shirt underneath this. 

 

As you walk and heat up your body, you'll find that 1/2 way through your walk, you will likely be taking off your jacket and top and enjoying your walk in a sleeveless top. 

 

Wear hiking boots that are comfortable and allow you to continue walking in the rain. 

 

Your jacket should have a hood if it rains. 

 

I walk everyday regardless of the weather and so only the worst snow storms will stop me from venturing outdoors. 

 

So I learned early on that I had to be realistic about the weather and not let it stop me from my walk.

 

When deciding what to wear on my walk, I have one rule of thumb. 

 

If I feel cold when I start my walk, I know I'm not dressed warmly enough.  So I go back in and put on an extra sweater or bring mitts or a hat if it's really cool.

 

I want to feel good when I walk and by doing this I always look forward to my walks.  Eventually I warm up and so I start taking one layer after the other off.  By the time I reach home again, I'm often in short sleeves and feeling very warm.

 

Some days my walks are slow and I spend a lot of time looking up to the sky, watching birds, the clouds. 

 

I sometimes spend a long time in the forests exploring.  And I also enjoying finding quiet enclaves that I can sit in and talk to nature. 

 

Sometimes, I walk briskly and feel invigorated and lively when I return.  I often have a 2nd wind to do more things.

 

All of this serves my well being.  I get fresh air, lots of oxygen. 

 

I strengthen my body's ability to circulate which as I've said many times is the key to longevity.  

 

 

Drink Lemon Tea

 

Your circulation strengthens when you walk or jog and when you combine it with drinking liquids to flush out unwanted substances from your body. 

 

An ongoing detoxification of your body is essential for good health.

 

The liquids are best if purified, clean, fresh water. 

 

As Autumn is cooler, the desire to drink cool water is not strong.  Try drinking room temperature water. 

 

Hot herbal tea or steaming lemon water is even better for your body as the lemon helps the water flush out toxins.

 

 

Lemon Tea Recipe

 

1 litre purified water (non chlorinated)

Juice from 1 lemon

1 teaspoon honey

Dash cayenne pepper (optional)

 

Boil your water.  Squeeze the lemon & pour it's juice into the steaming water.  Add honey.  Stir. 

I sometimes add cayenne pepper for extra flavour & spice. 

 

Bring on your walk or drink after you return.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soothing A Fever

Inflammed chest, sore throats, headaches, fatigue ... all common symptoms this seasonal colds & flues. 

We also suffer from fever all too often.

Here are some easy to use, natural remedies to calm a fever.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

#1 Hot Compress

Soak a small towel in steaming, hot apple cider vinegar. 

Wait a moment until you can safely put it on your body. 

Place on your forehead or stomach or around your feet.  Your body should cool soon. 

#2  Hot Bath

Run a hot, steaming bath and pour 1/2 to 1 cup of apple cider vinegar in it. 

Soak for 10-20 minutes. 

The vinegar stimulates the body's circulation and calms the nervous system.  Fevers should be reduced after this bath.

GARLIC

#1  Foot Paste

Blend 1/2 teaspoon of crushed garlic.  Blend with a teaspoon of olive oil. 

Lightly rub over the bottoms of your feet and wrap your feet with a warmed towel. 

If you can leave it overnight, do so, otherwise, leave on for 2 hours. 

Garlic will stimulate your body to heal itself and re establish balanced temperatures.

Regrets of the Dying

 

This blog is about living the good life and living it with a sense of simplicity. 

 

Simplicity is also about honesty and getting to the heart of what matters most in life. 

 

A palliative nurse recently wrote a book called 'The Top Five Regrets of the Dying'. 

 

I've watched it being reviewed again and again by many on the internet.  It's obviously hit a cord.

 

I thank this nurse and the elders who shared their wisdom. 

 

I have read these 5 regrets over many times and have given these observations a great deal of thought. 

 

I've especially wondered how I could embed them into my own way of life before I reach the end of life.  I don't want regrets.

 

These are the 5 main regrets that the elderly shared with the author of this book.  An excerpt for each is also provided.

 

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

“This was the most common regret of all.

When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled.

Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made or not made. 

Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.”

2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard. 

“This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship.

Women also spoke of this regret, but as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners.

All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.”

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings. 

“Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others.

As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming.

Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.”

 
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends. 

“Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down.

Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years.

There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved.

Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.”
 
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

”This is a surprisingly common one.

Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice.

They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits.

The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives.

Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to themselves, that they were content, when deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.”

These are the 5 main regrets from the book. 
I have noticed a surprising absence of some things such as family relations. 

Are the elderly happy with how they've related to their families?  Their siblings?  Their children?  Their spouses?  No regrets, really?

Also no mention of their relationship & contribution to society.  I wonder why?  Do they believe they've left the world in a better place than how they came into it? 

The elderly women, as they were from a different generation, were not bread winners as the women are today. 

What regrets will the baby boomer women have as they approach their final years? 

Will they feel they worked too much & sacrificed more than they received back?  The oldest baby boomers turn 67 this year. 

I think we can learn from this book and rewrite our own legacy before it's too late.