Physical Health and Body Archives - Page 18 of 24

3 Ways For a Calm Happy Thanksgiving

In the past decade, I have spent 3 separate Thanksgiving holidays abroad or overseas that was everything but a calm Happy Thanksgiving. It was organized chaos in Mexico, Spain, and Morocco.

It’s all relative to each person’s life. For me, the trips were exciting and memorable times, and during more calm days when we traveled around freely. Some refer to as “the easier days.”

Those holidays, I was attending celebrational gatherings and occasions. But despite the freedom and travel adventure, I always felt something missing, being away.

…It’s the similar feeling that you get when you’ve arrived to your destination (place or accomplishments) and now you’re ready to go home or move on to what’s next…

Have you been there?

In those past Thanksgiving occasions, I knew that the something-missing was being in the country that I’m most grateful for, where I live and grew up celebrating Thanksgiving (along with all Americans) on the last Thursday in November. 🦃

Watching the Macy’s Day Parade is a calm Happy Thansgiving event I look forward to… and, hearing television football games played in the background, catching up with family and friends, getting the special dinner on the table in the afternoon, and forgetting calories to celebrate.

…And remembering that Thanksgiving starts and sets the countdown to Christmas.🎄

Holiday time is also a time when holiday stress can creep in finishing work projects for the year, gift giving decisions, and sometimes compromising decisions on food and travel, and making winter and holiday plans.

…So, especially if that’s you, I wanted to help you to find a calm Happy Thanksgiving to kick-off your BEST holiday season.

I joyfully love to keep my holiday season as calm and simple as possible. And baking at home is one of those ways. That’s how I roll (and some time before this year ends I’ll be baking my first swiss roll and you can be the judge of how it turns out… so stay tuned).

And our staying calm is how I believe we can win in our life’s marathon. You don’t have to look far to find ways to not find R&R in this life. It’s your perception (mindset shift) that can change everything for you. I know this, because it did for me.

You can stay cool as a cucumber even when your situations get complicated and sometimes out of our hands.

You’re your biggest influence if you allow yourself that empowered choice.

We can go after the things that make us happy or feel calm.

One example is the Black Friday and Cyber Monday frenzies (you don’t need a reminder as they’re everywhere). Those are part of our newer culture traditions, but not what make a calm Happy Thanksgiving.

I mentioned I was overseas on three Thanksgiving occasions. One occasion was spent in Seville, Spain.

That year, I noticed they had similar shopping celebrations inside a mall I went into. I realized day after Thanksgiving big shopping sales don’t just happen in America in a shouting from the rooftops or fun confetti gun sorta way 🎉.

My turkey (while not the traditional kind) that year came from an express Carrefour grocery supermarket, and while not stuffed (the turkey or myself 😊), I felt grateful that I was healthy and able to travel before I started a new work chapter in my life.

… I felt I knew what I more deeply wanted in this Life… meaningful things that brought more peace, joy, and love that were missing from the previous season.

…That can sound like a Hallmark card or movie-ish, but that’s what everyone wants no matter what socioeconomic status. That never changes. And even if it’s never declared.

Having nice stuff is great, but getting in a habit of buying can swallow us up if we take the eye off the real joy and riches in this world.

And then those fickle feelings, thoughts, and moods can creep into the day. And we can easily feel dissatisfied at some point when our elated feelings draw to an end and the novelty wears off (…that’s this life).

We can then feel something missing when what we really want is to feel whole (and not missing anything). We want to feel healthy and healed.

So, from that lens, looking for the calm (and not the highs that can lead us to the lows) keeps us joyful, content, and in full gratitude (for our life). And in control of our feelings and lives. Simple to say but not easy to do if the mind muscles haven’t been stretched or we get super busy or proud.

I remember in my past, I would get invited to foodie restaurants where the bill would be similar to say getting the indulgent luxury spa works package.

I never felt guilty, but I never felt any better than if I didn’t go, when I looked back. There was a misalignment.

Deeper inside, I remember feeling I would have preferred to just stay at home and eat a nice bowl of delicious healthy homemade soup instead of getting all dolled-up to go out and splurge on a decadent 4-course dinner.

I didn’t need to feed my ego and outer wants. And my body would’ve thanked me for it too!

calm Happy Thanksgiving homemade yam soup — In case you get tired of pumpkin everything, and over Thanksgiving… here’s a delicious, calming Vata yam soup you can try! 😋

…It took me feeling that I wasn’t missing anything to get to that revelation. Does that make sense?

And maybe since I had worked in and out and behind-the-hotel catering and restaurant hospitality-scenes, my lens was altered and the happy going-out eating Disney-effect just wasn’t the same.

…but I really do think it was more just being misaligned with my purpose. At that time, I was still trying to figure out what category that could be as I used limited gifts and talents (and more management and planning skills) in corporate work.

Today, I know what keeps life calm and joyful (especially as we enter holiday weeks where it’s easy to get off healthy and happy balance)… and, that’s taking care of and growing yourself (mind-body-spirit).

We all have a chance to forge a new path or start a new pivot for the first or nth time in this or the next season. I know what that is like as much as anyone (and probably even more). It can be a little uncomfortable in uncertainty, but with taking risks come rewards.

You could be in a slow season or a fast-paced one that’s passing you. Neither I found were sustainable. They were for a season.

And whatever the case is for you today, it’s better to take charge of your destiny.

…Because you’ve probably noticed in your life, as soon as you get used to a way, then a new one is presented especially these days in our warp speed up and slow down world… and sometime it’s hurry up and wait (that will help you in your adaptability and flexibility… good skills to have!).

If you want to find your next calling or your purpose, one thing you can do is maintain better consistent sleep which I think is one of the telltale signs of your optimal mental health (and of course physical health).

If you have a new purpose to wake up for or purposefully trying to search for one, your mental health improves and that helps your sleep. And getting moving with physical exercise can be one of those easier ways to get this sleep party started (if that needs restoration).

As for finding your life’s purpose, if that’s the crossroad where you are, thinking outside of what’s around you and finding inspiration from those outside your circles (different from you) and the sources you usually would look at, can definitely spark new life and life-giving journeys…

For many seasons, looking back, I found I was thinking way too small at times (not dreaming big) and usually those were clouded thoughts. There wasn’t a sharp gut knowing that I had felt before in other seasons (from dreams or heart whispers). Like those feelings of when you know, you know, and when you don’t, you don’t.

When I got more air and space, I could believe for bigger things, and those ideas became my reality. Not usually right away, but sometimes they did “suddenly” in life’s mysterious and everything-happens-for-a-reason ways.

I consider myself a feet-firmly planted on the ground type of person… and maybe that’s how you operate.

On the ground, these days with all the resources we have available to us, we can go straight to the root, find resources, and decision maker sources, and bypass months of trying to find right answers, and get in the front door. The right ones open for you in your effort and staying calm.

And to help you stay calm, here are 3 simple ways to stay feeling balanced, joyful and in calm waiting (if you are waiting) over the Thanksgiving weekend and maybe (hopefully) beyond… Continue reading “3 Ways For a Calm Happy Thanksgiving”

Pitta 5 Love Languages to Restore Imbalance

Pitta is a heated situation where you want to get back to love and peace. And a cooling off like ice cream can do just that. Easy chocolate soft serve recipe below. 🍦🍫

You may not be a Pitta type, but you may have others in your life who dominate in this dosha body (and mind-body) type. If they are unaware, they can be impatient, irritated, and annoyed. Or maybe that’s you. We’re all just one step away from a Vata, Pitta, or Kapha imbalance. Restoring the balance helps us operate optimally.

And btw, this avocado tree that started from a seed in the summer, is a calming addition. It’s looking a little like a Jack and the Beanstalk, but it’s healthy. And if a plant is healthy, then it’s happy.

…As humans we’re a ‘lil more complex and want it all (and have more areas that need TLC). Plus from others, we want our preferred 5 love languages met.

And if yours happens to be Gift, then I have a nice giant healthier (but just as tasty) oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe below that you can bake and gift to that Pitta someone (or yourself 😋)… and you can decorate with frosting words if you like. Remember the big cookies you could buy in the mall?

Finding ways to be kind like gifting a cookie, helps when we have someone dominant in our lives and relationships who has a Pitta imbalance. And they act less than, well… desirable or pleasant.

…and that’s because they’re probably stressed about something in their life. If things aren’t happening as they had hoped, this can be a source of sour cherry or bitter thorns that subtly weaves their way into other parts of life.

And chronic stress buildup we know is the silent ager and gateway to health inflammation. Feelings of stress can be masked inside the body. And whether anger is acted out, it’s more a personality trait (and violence is more a male species trait).

And, panicking and anxiety is a heavy Vata trait, so if you’ve been wondering why people naturally panic and others don’t, that’s the way they’re wired. And experiences along their journey can trigger their emotional or uncontrollable body reactions.

The tricky part is you can have a combination of body things going on. It’s better to nip in the bud so undesired tendencies don’t settle in, and you can live optimally free of inflammation and discomforts. (You can learn more about this by taking the Body Balance Quiz).

Today I wanted to talk specifically about Pitta as just about everyone has a dominant Pitta in their life whether it’s at home or work.

If another person’s Pitta imbalance is spilling over to you and causing angst in your life, then you should especially keep reading so you can be aware (and moving towards getting your life back).

Let’s start with…

What if you could silently help the Pitta person (a loved one, a housemate, a boss, a co-worker, or your Pitta self) or people in your life without saying a word? I mean, no one wants to poke (or provoke) the bear.

First of all, most people are unaware they are misbehaving or creating noticeable havoc affecting others if they haven’t already learn to control how they act, at least in front of people. They are naturally that way and you are naturally your way. And probably no one has stopped them (and maybe even encouraged them because they don’t have to encounter them regularly like you do).

Even if you have mentioned their behavior in passing, it may not register. What they are experiencing internally can be louder than your words. It’s their internal turmoil. And the oil spill is damage passes onto you.

Most dominant Pittas love (or should I say live for) productivity. Emotional drama is not going to embrace them and they may even avoid those situations. They’re not going to stick around for the gossip (and that’s not necessarily a bad thing as they have better things to do with their time).

How it can hurt is they may not have a plug-in cord with their heart and surface feelings. (Even though they may feel even deeper inside than those who wear their hearts on their sleeves). Whatever the case, we shouldn’t fault them for what they don’t have and they shouldn’t fault us for our lacks they perceive.

Pitta managers (think the managing directors) can act like a typical Type-A in Corporate America. The tradeoff is they’re not often good with focus on living balanced or taking daily joy time out every day unless there’s a definitive goal assigned to what they’re doing.

Working out, running, or bicycling can be a better work-life balance time-off activity in their focused eyes.

So, to a Pitta, starting a conversation with having a better work-life balance probably isn’t going to win them over, lol. Those of us who are Vatas can find that interesting as we love to enjoy and relax.

Having a happy life discussion may even enter a downward spiral if you’re looking for a promotion. Getting the right things done is more the language you want to use, and this could also be with a relationship partner.

If you can present spreadsheets, logical conclusions, and rationale, this will go over better than anecdotal evidence. You may even want to get to the bottom line first and then explain the backup story.

Strong Pittas make great finishers and competitors. Professional athletes are usually high Pittas because they can stay calm under pressure, so they continue to score when others could crumble.

For a Pitta relationship, you may want to suggest joint leisure physical activities or yoga. Emphasizing more active yoga poses like Warrior or Mountain standing poses where hands and arms are in movement.

A lying down Knee Hug or Happy Baby Pose won’t do much for a Pitta. But a stretch in hamstrings will remind them of working out and not having sore leg muscles the next day (healthy productivity).

A quiet practice like eyes-closed meditation can be good for a Pitta since there is a clear beginning and end when the eyes close and open. And if there’s a clear goal like helping to reduce stress, then they can be all in. “Being more intentional in life” can be a little too obscure.

Whoever your Pittas are in your life, here are 5 ways you can bring in more love for each of the 5 love languages (from Gary Chapman’s book).

5 Love Languages for the Pittas in your Life:

Quality Time:

For a Pitta co-worker, if you can’t physically spend time with them, silent prayer for them is a proactive way that would help. No one ever refuses a prayer no matter what beliefs they hold or don’t hold.

For a romantic partner, working out together (mentioned above), or an engaging activity like cooking a meal together, ice skating, or playing a game could be fun. If an activity is mentioned, even if it’s not favorable to you, think about what would be a benefit in taking a few hours.

We can spend that much time, cleaning and piddling around doing nothing or watching television where the time just disappears. Or in feeling guilt for not agreeing.

What if you did something that meant a lot to the other person? It’s time you put into the relationship and quality to them. Think of it as an act of service (love).

Acts of Service:

Maybe your Pitta friend or spouse needs a vacation, but they can’t take one just yet. You could change the situation around you. This works for babies. O how a fussy baby can be quietly silenced, being held in the air, or with a ‘lil playful drops of water trickling down their heads that you release from a straw.

For an adult, that won’t work (and will probably get you in hot water!) but the same strategy works.

You can similarly change their immediate atmosphere. And create ambiance (that’s what we would say in a restaurant).

You can play Kenny G or jazzy tone music around them. Music has a profound calming effect. You can explore a bunch of music play suggestions.

You can light up or gift them with a lavender or musky scented gift. This could bath be salts, a candle, or tea. This can help soothe them back to relax mode.

This can be coupled with quality time activities but also when they’re most stressed out, like when they first get home from work or had chaotic travel.

You know when they’re relaxed because they won’t be acting irritated by what was or wasn’t done.

Gifts and Physical Touch:

Maybe make a homemade or thoughtful gift like an avocado smoothie or a photo memory displayed that may go over very well. You may need to dig a ‘lil deeper to find a gift to evoke feeling from a memory vs. giving a thoughtful gift, like…

Bake a carrot cake, prepare a Middle Eastern meal (lotsa astringent tastes that will help balance them) or order one in.

…Or you can make waffles or pancakes.

…Or this irresistible and versatile healthy oatmeal chocolate chip cookie (that can also be a breakfast idea). The printable recipe is found here 🍴.

oatmeal chocolate chip cookie Pitta love food. — Who wouldn’t love this cookie and if you hand frosted writing something nice?

2/3 cup oats

1/2+ cup whole wheat flour for a standard cake pan (this can vary depending on the size of your baking pan. Be sure you can cover the entire bottom of the pan for a whole cookie.)

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 Tbsp maple syrup (for low-sugar)

1 Tbsp yogurt

1/4 cup almond milk

2 Tbsp chocolate chips (add on top like in my photo above if you don’t want a lumpy cookie. Then you can slightly heat the cookie up in the oven recommended for warm but intact chocolate chips when you’re ready to enjoy).

1 tsp cocoa powder

1 egg

Mix ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes. I like to let the edges brown just a tad (for the crunchy bite). No muss, no fuss… just simple smiles.

Movin’ on…

Easy Soft Serve Chocolate Ice Cream (Egg Yolk Method)

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

6 egg yolks
3 cups milk (low-fat)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup fine sugar (monk fruit sugar alternative)

Instructions

Add milk and cocoa powder to a pot, and heat until you see a light boil (a few small boil bubbles). Then turn the heat off.
Take the pot off the heat and let cool for a few minutes.
Add your egg yolks to a separate mixing bowl and beat with sugar to emulsify until pale or lighter yellow color.
Add slightly cooled mixture to egg yolks and constantly stir with quick motions (prevent curdling).
When combined, set in refrigerator to cool down for about 15 minutes or longer.
Prepare ice cream maker machine and bowl if you will be using one to set the soft serve ice cream. Take bowl out of freezer for about 30 minutes if it has been in the back of the freezer. Freezer temps vary but you want the bowl cold enough but e.g. not with frozen icicles on the sides but not water condensation. Tip: for the balance, have the bowl a little less cold because you can always freeze the ice cream back up in the freezer. And soft serve is more creamy, watery, and soft than ice cream.
Alternatively, if you are not using an ice cream maker/bowl, be sure to stir the ice cream every half hour or so to remove any forming icicles.

Moisturize Tips – for Eczema Dry Skin

Moisturize if your skin is dry may be what’s needed for you in these climate changing times. And if you’re experiencing eczema skin or other dryness signs, you’ll want to drench yourself and let these tips soak in like I did when I first discovered an eczema flair-up due to global warming…

And if that’s you, you’ve come to the right place for moisturize tips…

With global warming and climate change (plus global cooling) on the reality fast rise, the outdoor dry air is becoming more dry, and this plays extra havoc on our affected bodies… down to the hypodermis and skin cells level.

In awareness, you can proactively moisturize (more), make healthy changes (10 tips below to check off), and not be blind-sided by your body’s need to adjust naturally.

You may find yourself needing more products as I did… and I ended up in the hospital emergency room because of a dry foot. Can you imagine!?

But I found I needed more than moisturizers and products with hyaluronic acid for soothing parched skin.

It was like a body heat rash sun burn, but was eczema.

I felt good drinking more water and eating 90% water fruits like melons which wasn’t enough, but it was a start.

And a watermelon sorbet helps as hydrating and cooling that can help restore your body temperature.

But if you feel like you’re drinking water like a camel and keep moisturizing like it’s already winter (and you’re still dry), there’s nothing wrong with you…

Climate change can affect sensitive skin with symptoms you may never have had before.

For me, I had good skin and there was no need to moisturize certain body parts regularly up until a few years ago when I learned about eczema as a diagnosis.

Eczema complicated my situation where I ended up in a hospital emergency room.

One good daily check is your home thermostat.

Another is your body thermostat. This will feel different despite our 98°F/36°C human bodies.

If you’re Pitta imbalanced, your natural heat will be increased and get really bad like it did for me one season where I needed body balance intervention.

One of the first places to transition is testing the shower water temperatures you’re using based on outdoor temperatures and your body (balanced or imbalanced).

If it’s hot outside or you feel hot, getting used to the cooler shower water temperatures will do your body good.

You can start on cool and end on cool water temps if you’re high in Pitta or it’s summer.

Scalding hot will always be harsh on the skin even if you’re leaning into Vata and Kapha preferences that like the nourishing and comforting heat. And yes… feeling more anxiety or clingy in any way are related.

For Vata and Kaphas, you may already be on the cooler side, so a little warmer to start and end is good.

You can use Ayurvedic small changes to help change your previous habits.

That’s one way of how knowing what your Ayurvedic body imbalances are now that can help you.

And you can restore them without intervention.

Self-care and prioritizing our prized bodies above our stuff keep us running optimally through the seasons.

And just like you change out your clothes from summer to autumn and winter, you want to change your routines and habits for your changing body.

Our skin, as our largest organ, acts as a barrier to our internal body organs we can’t see.

Your skin is constantly changing, and renewing and a great place to start.

Retinol (that I learned as the stronger Retin-A from youth) can help that process along if a little doesn’t irritate your skin too much.

10 Moisturize Self-Care Tips:

FOR SKIN AND SPECIFIC BODY PARTS

At the bare minimum, take care of the entry points on your body.

1) Eyes: Your eyes aren’t just the window to your soul, they are the gateway to how you see the world. And if you have dry eyes, that’s one fuzzy world!

Adding eye drops helps (and especially if you’re on your digital devices more than ever).

Blue light blocking UVB glasses are necessary as you never know when you’ll be walking in the strong sun and don’t want to end up with cataracts or eye diseases that’s a reality for aging people. I learned that from my mom.

As a society, we can seem to care more about what fashionable pair of specs we’re wearing and forget about our precious eyes.

Needing to moisturize our eyes when we wake up lets us know we’ve slept that swimming fish don’t need (not even the smart Dr. Seuss Goldfish ones 😉).

That could be a habit stack for us along with nasal saline drops (another main entrance into the body).

The Neti pot is a nasal cleansing habit I do weekly and when kept up with is effective to prevent nasty sinus infections.

2) Lips: Daily real self-care things can seem small (and sometimes inconvenient or annoying) but you’re naturally given your refined parts like tender soft lips so you can chew with your mouth closed (unlike a cute monkey-ape that happily spits out food in its company).

At home, I like to bring in outdoor local wonderment by using organic honey, a household-must in more ways than one.

One way you may not have thought about is using honey to moisturize dry lips. It’s better than Vaseline because it’s edible.

Glossy raw honey works better than a honey lip balm, especially if you’re about to eat or drink.

…Plus you get a ‘lil sweet taste in that’s always a plus for a sweet tooth 😉

Honey lips stay supple because the natural humectant locks in the moisture.

And even helps for little salty cuts on the sides of your lips in between the top and bottom lip, if that happens to you like it does for me.

Honey is also antibacterial. The B.C. Egyptians are credited for discovering honey as a secret medicinal ingredient.

They lived like the Kardashians and Queen bees.

Honey back then meant luxury. I wonder if the Queen Bee would’ve adapted to today’s changing climate.

We still know that nature provides the best sources and resources where natural solutions can be the best answers to our problems.

…And this is why our natural bodies intuitively know what we need (and that I’m super passionate about in Ayurveda).

Our bodies are connection points to our mind and spirit that make us above other mammals.

For honey, depending on your need, you can find a local raw honey source in your area or you use a good standby like Manuka honey (native to Australia/New Zealand) that has become the gold standard and is pricier.

If you buy processed honey fillers, those aren’t the same.

The sugar honey bear shows his age as he crystallizes. and is not one you want to add to your medicinal cabinet, as cute and wallet-friendly as a honey celebrity that he is. 🍯

3) Whole-body moisturize (before and) after showering for prevention.

If your skin feels raisin dry, steaming in the warm shower helps.

If right after exiting the shower, you moisturize right away, you can seal in the moisture on certain dry parts with a product like Vaseline lotion that has petrolatum (it’s like adding a protective wax or protective coat).

The rose pink Vaseline version is good for heated Pitta moments.

And then add your favorite lotion if you’re still feeling dry skin. That’s a good habit to get into.

We all have different skin so I mention a few good ingredients here that you can see what works for you…

In the evening, you can mix it up with shea butter, coconut or avocado oil, or Ceramide 3 lotions.

You may even want to moisturize a few times each day if you are super dry.

That’s what I do, as needed.

I use different unscented or fragrance-free moisturizers that don’t have harmful phthalates.

Phtalates are the skin ingredients that you want to avoid where you don’t see immediate effects to health.

I also keep natural, great citrusy scented hand creams close by.

Mixing it up (biodiversity) helps your body to adapt better to changing body and climate situations in the your environment.

When in doubt or confused of what to select… don’t let all the hoopla of different ingredients overwhelm you, but focus on 3 main things… moisturize, moisturize, and moisturize!

But if more severe and you need to soothe itchy skin inflammations, look for ingredients like aloe, colloidal oatmeal, vitamins C and E, and healthy oils (coconut, carrot seed, olive oils… if you can eat it, then you know it’s skin-safe and good food moisturizing ideas).

Don’t forget honey too… it’s sticky good!

For dryness around your scalp, you can try coconut oil and other moisturizers that you’re not allergic to.

The scalp isn’t as delicate as the face where you want to avoid oils.

Try to leave in after your shower (or let soak in before you shower). We’re so quick to get cleaned off from the greasiness, but that’s sheer bathing luxury for your skin.

4) Salve and sesame oil: for dryness on and around nails and cuticles. You want to let your nails breathe (if you usually have them polished or wear artificial nails).

Cooler weather is a good time to let your nails go au naturel for in between breathing days.

That also gives you a break from year-round time consuming and costly nail maintenance… that can be a huge breath of fresh air!

moisturize — This is a moist salve (good for dry cuticles) and dry lips, essential oil spray for pillow or yoga mats, and moist lip balm almost as good as honey… PLUS a nice quote!

5) Shea Butter: For rough sandpaper hands or feet, an emollient-softening lotion with shea butter can feel rich and good.

Hands and feet tend to be the first places that can get very dry so take extra mani-pedi self-care measures.

Keep lotion by your computer, desk, and body so you can use throughout the day as needed or when you remember (and see it).

6) Aloe: Is another great skin quencher and is not fussy or sticky.

It’s naturally clear color like water (not the Kermit frog green dye color you may have seen that sells better).

And pure aloe is water to your skin. I never used to use aloe regularly. I only used it to quickly heal skin burns from kitchen heat accidents.

But now it’s a great non-greasy moistener for in-between moisturizing with lotions.

It’s like a sip of water to your skin, that is better than nothing when your skin is parched… it’s like drinking water on your skin, and it can tie-you over until you get a full moisturizer on.

It has saved me many times in the dry summer!

FOOD AND DRINKS

7) Water and Coconut water: Is super hydrating from the natural Super Fruit.

VitaCoco water is hydrolyzing, and can help if you’re not sugar-sensitive.

If you are, there’s nothing more pure than plain water.

Natural water like Voss and Fiji water are treats but skipping the cases of grocery plastic bottle filtered waters (stripped of minerals) are good ideas.

A replaceable Brita pitcher and filter or home water filter system from your fridge can work better for most daily water and is a better reusable water system.

To supplement water that can be boring, you can make smoothies and healthy beverages that have nutrients.

8) Substituting ingredients: Preventing inflammation caused by dryness helps to maintain a healthy balance in your body.

You can subtly do this with small replacements like fruit sugar over refined sugar, and a healthy fats list like EVOO, avocado, or coconut oil over poly fats (e.g. margarine, butter, vegetable oil, hydrogenated oils… and the stuff you and I grew up consuming).

9) Seasonal foods: Lean into what’s seasonally “in” by shopping at the local farmers markets or in the abundant seasonal bins in grocery stores.

You can often tell when there’s an abundance because the organic choice is also abundant.

You can see a variety of abundance from a distance in its bright colors and up close with unique PLU small stickers.

When I did party planning in Mediterranean cuisine restaurants, the menus were always seasonal, based on the available foods priced reasonably.

…So you wouldn’t see watermelon-inspired recipes in the winter and pumpkin or pomegranate dishes in the spring.

10) Spices: are a great way to balance food seasonality and keep your food and dishes interesting year-round with reliable seasonings.

Isn’t spice the variety of life!? …in my world, anyway, it is (and hopefully in yours!).

Oregano is healthy and one of my first favorites which goes well with red sauces and Italian dishes.

Then as spices evolved in the Western world, turmeric became a star.

Don’t let the turmeric drying and astringent texture to your tongue fool you into believing it’s drying you out. It’s body healing (and where you can get a glimpse of balancing wholeness through food).

Cumin is also great for soothing.

Plus, these spices are anti-inflammatory and good to eat for dry, irritated skin.

Until next time, take good self care! …And if you want to learn how to restore annoying imbalances (dry-related or something else), you can take my body balance quiz.

Or if you’re wanting a moist with coconut oil sweet treat, you’ll love this low-sugar easy and healthy chocolate banana bread recipe. 🍫🍌🍞

Ayurvedic Survival Ways For Travel

Ayurvedic ways help you survive travel. Because they can restore through your senses, that are heightened. In travel, we see new exciting sights, hear new sounds, try new activities, and taste new foods. Those are good.

But we also experience the stress of travel (of not knowing, waiting, and new customs).

That can be sensory overload. So you can make your travel better, if you prepare with Ayurvedic remedies.

You may be rusty and getting your travel legs back, as you and some of us have not traveled much over the past years.

So whether you’re rusty traveling or not, before you board your plane, below are some great Ayurvedic tips to run through to prepare and pack.

…And good to share with companions who like to fly by the seat of their pants!

This article and list below can help you (or them) get excited again about packing and for your travel adventures. ✈️

First off, I’m personally happy that travel conveniences have evolved.

Liquids don’t have to be pre-packed in bags anymore, so you want to be sure to bring your creams and eye drops you may have forgottten about especially if we haven’t traveled in a few years.

There’s no total quantity limit.

And many innovative airports have smartphone chargers built-in.

You sometimes don’t even have to bring out your cords for your newer devices. That something to get excited about before you board! 💛

And as of 2025, we don’t have to take our shoes off to go through security!

Hello there… I’m Brandy, a planner at heart.

I’m the person that will have what is needed while others fly by the seat of their pants. 😁

I still neatly pack all my liquids in a plastic bag to stay organized.

…And just in case the rules haven’t changed in an airport I’m flying in or out of. As a planner, just in case is my motto.

One profile that I adopted as an event planner early on is focusing on details.

And in the details, we plan everything and don’t miss anything (or as best we can).

Some things we can’t plan.

I’ve learned from my hotel catering management days.

And I consider myself lucky to have leisurely traveled overseas almost every other year for a decade.

Because travel offers a good change in scenery and a learning experience wherever you go.

Hotels make vacation life easy, as they have an in-person check-in/out and additional services, a coffee café or restaurant with room service, and breakfast options usually.

They run 24 x 7 so there’s always someone there to avoid hassles with a card or code that doesn’t work (that leads to Pitta frustration).

Whether you deal with door hassles or other travel stresses, listening to your Ayurvedic body clues can soothe you.

No matter what temporary roof you have on travel, today we can do so much on-travel to self-restore our balance and wellness. 🌱

This can start with making choices like using a full-service hotel good for pampering and ultimate body self-care.

Some hotel rooms even come with tempting luxury robes and irresistible turn-down chocolates if you’re lucky.

Some have a knowledgeable in-house concierge who can answer your questions, and in-hotel spa and attendants.

They also have bellmen that can do the heavy lift, moving your luggage to your room and can help you get around by ordering taxis for you.

And if those services aren’t enough, there are usually clothing cleaning valet services from the housekeeping staff who clean the rooms and make your bed every day. That could be a robot someday soon, just sayin’!. 🤖

During the pandemic, hotels were one of the first business impacted and testing robots to fold towels.

Another hotel feature is in-room safes that give us peace of mind so we can relax on vacation.

Hotels run a business with consistent features that’s different experience than a short-term rental run by your neighbor .

For short stays, hotels can be less stressful and worth every penny.

And in true Vata fashion on vacation, you don’t mind and like to move around from hotel to hotel, to get a different hotel vibe and soak in a new locale while visiting new places. For others, that may sound like work.

…But, everyone’s a little different.

To each her own, and that’s what makes this world go round and each of us uniquely special. 🌍

One things that helps everyone is planning ahead. It comes in handy as it saves time and prevents hassle inconveniences as some need travel items can’t be found in certain places.

For flying travel essentials, I still put the liquids in a zip lock size bag (out of organized habit) and pack it to the rim.

But now you can pack many more on your carry-on as long as any one liquid bottle does not exceed the amount limit.

That’s something to be happy about. 😊

You can even bring your small liquid soaps, so you don’t have to use the shampoo or hard bar of soap.

So go ahead and add those toiletries you can’t live without to your list now or in your carry-on bag.

Other Ayurvedic flying travel essentials includes personal things that calm your senses like essential oils.

Vanilla scents will help your anxiety and rose scents for your irritated moments. Those are common feelings you’ll experience on travel.

Also, dryness is usually a part of flying travel life, as the re-circulating air on planes is filtered, but drying and drinking too many liquids mean inconvenient bathroom runs.

Time zones also affect your body in every way. You want to moisturize your thirsty skin after you get settled and after you take a shower especially from a long overnight flight.

You can also use a green tea, lavender, or rose face mist that feels soothing to restore a Ayurvedic Pitta body.

Ayurvedic Flying Travel Essentials

Jet lag temporary stress doesn’t do body damage like chronic stress, but being on a vacation can produce stressful moments if you get lost, are on a time crunch, or when you’re with a new travel partner where you don’t know what to expect.

Some other common stress-inducing situations:

…Once you leave your house for vacation, your eating times, patterns, and what you eat routine changes as food is prepared for you unless you have access to a kitchen under your temporary vacation roof. But then foraging is always a new adventure.

The ingredients consumed are different than back home. Maybe, bring a spice or two that reminds you of home cooking that’ll help calm nerves.

And also pack Ayurvedic spices like turmeric (anti-inflammatory), cumin when it’s Pitta hot, and cayenne pepper when it’s Kapha cool temperatures.

Cinnamon is good for Vata and good for a sweet addition and sugar-alternative for beverages

…A home sleeping routine is interrupted. You rarely hear that people naturally slept better on a plane ride than in their bed at home.

Bring your ear buds that come in handy in more ways than one.

Ayurvedic Flying Travel Essentials: What to Pack in a Carry-on Bag (checklist)

__ Allowable liquids (remembering you’ll have to toss out water or any liquids larger than the size allotted when you get to Security after you airport checkin)

__ Bagged teas for comfort (peppermint tea bags to calm a stomach that’s doing somersaults. Herbal teas are found in most hotels)

__Eye drops and nasal sprays. You can also carry a little coconut oil or Vaseline that isn’t considered a liquid.

__Moisturizing lip balm, sunscreen lip balm, face, and hand moisturizer, and body sunscreen.

__A light essential oil scent like citrus, vanilla, or bergamot for calming. Taking a whiff of peppermint oil helps headaches. Gone are the days when wearing scents on a plane are customary.

__Scarf for coolness. In some countries, they require shoulders to be covered going inside churches so it’s good to have a lightweight one for covering.

__ Compression socks (good for flying where air changes and it gets cold).

Wear regular socks on the plane as likely you’ll have to take your shoes off to go through Security. And there’s nothing less comforting than having to walk bare feet on the cold public floor.

__ Gloves for if you get cold hands or it’s winter. An extra pair of gloves is good to bring as sometimes you lose one.

__A squishable hat or ballcap that you can attach to the outside of your bag makes you American, but so adorable. If you have long hair, remember to pack hair ties to keep you cool.

__Vitamins help to boost immunity when you don’t have immunity foods at your convenience and you’re in and around the public more often.

Include: Vitamin C, a mushroom or onion complex, and/or zinc, elderberry.

Take extra vitamin C as it’s water soluble and your body naturally rids of any extra (that’s not the case with B, A, and E that are also essential flying travel vitamins you can get in a multivitamin or immunity support supplement that you can dissolve in water).

__Minerals such as magnesium-calcium will help you on travel and with your circadian rhythm. Lavender tea or your Sleepy-time blend of tea can also help your sleeping efforts.

Some other miscellaneous flying travel essentials that are often forgotten, include: tissues, cough drops (in case your throat gets dry), and an apple good when you can’t brush your teeth. It will help clean teeth, so is better than gum.

Check-in bag items:

Water bottles are not always easy to find in some countries outside the U.S. So if you want to be cool, and stay cool, it’s good to bring an aluminum one.

You can store some of your smaller items inside until it’s filled with water at your destination.

Plastic or aluminum ones can be expensive to buy in a pinch. I learned my lesson in Rome when the fountain-style public tap water is potable (safe to drink), but the water bottles for tourists to buy could be as high as $40. You can bring your cooling metal bottle or purchase a collapsible travel bottle to pack in your other bag.

Of course, you can use regular plastic water bottles you buy locally, but your water bottle would look cooler in your memorable photos. 📸

You can also bring cut ginger, to add to your water. This is an Ayurvedic practice. The best way to get the ginger juices out is to chew the piece with your teeth and drink with water.

Ginger is Ayurvedic and great for morning hygiene and digestion. It’s a good primer before coffee in the morning. Or you can bring ginger spice (to make everything nice) for your long travel adventures.

For in-between meals, oatmeal is a good dry food to bring along as you can usually find warm water in your room from the room coffee/tea maker.

Some chain hotels even offer free breakfasts with warm oatmeal or oatmeal packets.

It’s smart to carry nutrition bars just in case you get super hungry, have low blood sugar, or have a drop in potassium.

Carrying bars around even when you’re in town cruising around is a good idea as it won’t ruin your next meal but will tie you over

…I was once in a museum where you had to stand in a line and wait to go in, and the only food they sold in the gift shop was a high sugar candy bar.

I could’ve brought a bar and not spent extra minutes moving around.

On travel, you can bring healthy energy powder supplement where you just add water.

You can also consider protein powder if you want to squeeze in a run, or a quick workout in your room or the hotel gym. With a full-on meal, you’d have to wait for your food to digest. So powders and bars have their smart use in place!

It’s also a good idea to bring a bathing suit on any trip. I actually pack this in my travel flying essentials bag because it’s so lightweight and I know I’ll need it.

Even if it’s winter and not warm beach weather, I find an indoor pool, spa, sauna, hot steam room, or jacuzzi that can be very relaxing and therapeutic.

Aaah… I’m dreaming already.

And the last thing you want to do is go bathing suit shopping on vacation unless you’re at the beach.

And one last thing…

Pack a pair of flip-flops. They take little bag space and they’re good to walk around with in a room, outdoor patio, or hotel spa (…ahhh!).

And you can wash them off with a little shampoo and water in your hotel room before you can quickly dry them off and put them back in your bag.

You can easily find cheap flip flops for a few bucks in America, in case you don’t want to bring them back home.

And this is a good food-as-medicine bottle to make and bring for your Ayurvedic balance…

organic navel orange peel for ayurveda drinks

Ayurvedic Apple Cider Vinegar Heartburn and Digestif Elixir

To calm heartburn, apple cider vinegar is a good "medicine" to have on you and this digestif will help with temporary indigestion symptoms.

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

apple cider vinegar (with the mother)
water
orange zest
cinnamon
five spice blend (fennel, cloves, anise, pepper)

Instructions

Shake up apple cider vinegar if it has the healthy "mother."
Add ACV and water (about 1:1 ratio) to a small bottle. Add additional ingredients. Shake. Ready to go! Are you?

Hypochondria: Health Prevention vs. Health Anxiety

Especially if you’re predominantly a natural Vata body-mind, you’re likely sensitive to changing daily weather, body, and health conditions (and can have hypochondria or health worry tendencies).

To a sturdy, unaffected Kapha or a strong, enduring Pitta, your Vata body health thoughts could be seen somewhere between hypochondria thinking and healthy prevention.

We all have traces of each body type in us (air/space, water/fire, and earth/water in more eastern world dosha term descriptions), and at any time, any of us can get off-balance for a day, a season, or longer.

If you’re experiencing any natural body type imbalances these can start off as minor body annoyances, but that can gradually aggravate your quality of life as they grow and the season goes on–so it’s better to nip them in the bud and make the healthier lifestyle changes/choices now or asap.

Today I wanted to share how you can handle and next steps for any of your less-than feel-good (unhealthy) body symptoms (that we all will run into at some point in our lives).

If you’re a super sensitive person, seek healthy prevention ways, live a healthy, balanced lifestyle balance, or are even a slight germophobe, then you may have hypochondria tendencies that can be good and bad, and I wanted to delve deeper into how you can play up the good sides and get rid of the bad tendencies as a healthy lifestyle choice you make…

In some countries outside the U.S., like our sister countries, Italy and France, hypochondria ways of thinking are known to permeate the culture. So a French Vata person is more likely to be adaptive to healthy preventative ways and body health self-awareness. They can also get inside their minds a little too much, e.g. taking more than they need or before symptoms arise.

So let’s look at both sides.

The Good In Hypochondria

If you consider yourself a hypochondriac (or know of someone who is), you can help detect and prevent health issues with solid facts and knowledge, as you probably like to Google and research health symptoms and solutions, and read health articles to become aware of the latest trends and outbreaks.

You can replace old health beliefs with better ones as they evolve, a concept that’s never-ending.

You can be more in-tune with your body so that when you do have a health concern that needs to be addressed, you know which specialists to see over general help, as you’re been a researcher and live in and feel parts of your body.

You can also share helpful, health information with other people to bring awareness to better health ideas, such as OTC medicine knowledge and alternative medicine solution paths that you learn.

The Not-So-Good In Hypochondria

But then there’s the other side…

You can go down the wrong diagnosis rabbit-hole believing that something is causing your health issue that’s not based on all the facts.

You can falsely imagine your health scenarios worsening that cause anxious-worry energy, that further hurt your health or symptoms in our human bi-directional mind-body connections.

You can also become less productive and stressed as you believe yourself as a sick person or feeling less than 100%. Some of these thoughts can lead to chronic ailments or symptoms that last longer than a week.

So, the balance between healthy and unhealthy hypochondria thinking is doing and attempting the right things that don’t over or under-react to the symptoms you’re experiencing.

Observing your body, and gathering data from the opinions of others around you can be a good, first step sounding board. And of course, talking to a medical professional when it’s necessary.

Some people tend to go to the doctor for everything and anything, and then there are others who won’t tend to go unless they’re seriously ill and you have to convince them to go to the hospital. In general, you want to be somewhere in between these two extremes.

When you talk to friends and co-workers first, they will likely share their learned health journey experiences. They may advise seeing a doctor and that could be the next healthy step, but before that, here’s how you can handle almost any change in daily, health situation that comes up without a known cause and before you have a diagnosis.

And, before you consider seeing a doctor or reach for your medicine cabinet to treat symptoms with no known cause, you can ask yourself objectively:

On a scale of 1-10 — how severe (feelings, pain, and appearance) are your symptoms relative to your normal daily health?

Continue reading “Hypochondria: Health Prevention vs. Health Anxiety”