Posts

3 Natural Sunburn Remedies That You Can Find in Your Kitchen

/1 Comment/in /by

Summer is fast approaching! Even though many of us are still sheltering-in-place, getting outside and enjoying nature is one of the healthiest, most uplifting things you can do. We all know that too much sun can leave your skin damaged. I personally have to really guard against this because I’ve always been prone to sunburns. So let’s talk about how you can help your skin naturally if you get too much sun. But real quick, I want to let you know that I am offering a free webinar next week (Tools to Thrive During COVID & Beyond–see the details on the right under “upcoming events”).


 
Your skin has cells that produce melanin–a dark pigment that protects the skin from the ultraviolet rays. When you stay under the sun for a long time, your skin cells produce a lot more melanin–That’s how a tan happens.
 
But too much of anything is not good, right? Prolonged exposure to the UV rays causes damage to your skin cells’ DNA. Your skin cells can run into trouble when they can’t produce enough melanin quickly enough to protect you.
 
This can predispose you to sun damage, sunburns, and even possible skin cancer over time.
 
There are certain factors that affect the severity of your sunburn: your skin color and the harshness of the sun. It’s usually extremely hot during midday, so if you are fair-skinned, your skin can get sunburned even when you expose yourself to 10-15 minutes.
 
You may see redness on the sunburned area 3-4 hours after exposure to the sun because the blood vessels in your skin dilate. The increased supply of blood in your skin is an attempt to repair your damaged skin cells.
 
The best prevention for sunburn is to not overdo your sun exposure. Wear hats, protective clothing, and non-toxic sunblocks (we’ll talk more about this next week), but let me be clear, the sun is really good for your health in a lot of ways (bone health, heart health, immune system, etc). It’s not healthy to overdo sun exposure and get sunburned, so that’s what we want to avoid. And if you do get burned, here are three natural sunburn remedies that you can easily grab from your kitchen. Your skin will thank you for this!

Apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is made from fermented apple juice and contains 1-11% of acetic acid. Since it has antiseptic properties and a cooling effect, it soothes sunburns and speeds up the healing process.
 
You have to dilute it with water, though, so it doesn’t irritate your skin. There is no specific vinegar-to-water ratio, but if you tend to have sensitive skin it’s recommended to dilute it more. You can put the dilution in a spray bottle and spray it on your affected skin. You can also take a tepid bath with some apple cider vinegar mixed with the water.
 

Baking soda

Bicarbonate of soda is also antiseptic. It reduces itching and inflammation in sunburn. You can make a paste and apply it on your burned skin, or again, take a cool bath using water with a few handfuls of baking soda.
 

Oatmeal

There’s a reason why a lot of lotions and beauty products have oats in them. Oats have been long known to be one of the best home remedies because of their anti-inflammatory effects. Oatmeal applied on your burned skin can reduce inflammation and relieve pain.
 
The sunburn appearance may only be seen 24-36 hours after your exposure, but healing takes about 3-5 days. Make sure to soothe it well with those home remedies to speed up your skin’s recovery.
 
Stay tuned next week!  I’ll be giving natural sunscreen alternatives and more health care tips!
 
It is my passion to work with people like you whose health symptoms are getting in the way of you living life fully and with a sense of freedom in your body. I can help you to regain your health so you can feel great and free to enjoy life fully.
 
If you’re ready to discover where your best health has been hiding, I’d love to connect with you!
Apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session. http://bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).
Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health!

~Rebecca

Potassium Broth for Immunity and More!

/0 Comments/in /by

With the threat of the corona virus going around, I want to share with you a simple recipe to boost your immunity. Potassium broth is a powerful elixir to promote your immune health.
 
Potassium is an electrolyte that works together with sodium to regulate your fluid balance, control your heart rhythm and blood pressure, regulate digestion, and maintain nerve impulses, muscle contractions and pH balance.

 

With that being said, potassium is very important for your body to maintain its vital functions. Lack of potassium results in fatigue, weakness, and constipation. These symptoms can go worse to paralysis, respiratory failure, and painful gut obstructions.
 
Since your body doesn’t produce potassium, you should be getting it from your diet. It is recommended that adults consume 4,700 mg of potassium per day. Sadly, though, less than 2% of Americans meet the RDA.
 

Potassium Sources

You can take potassium supplements, but food sources are healthier. The best food sources of potassium are fresh foods (versus canned or processed).
There are a lot of foods that contain potassium:

  • Bananas, oranges, and avocados
  • Parsley
  • Mushrooms
  • Cucumbers
  • Peas
  • White beans
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Potatoes
  • Lentils
  • Lima beans 


Potassium Broth Benefits

Another way to get potassium is potassium broth.

Potassium broth can:

  • Strengthen your immune system.
  • Help prevent you from catching colds and flu (and get over them more quickly). 
  • Fights cancer and diseases.Potassium broth is prepared from vegetables that contain phytochemicals, chemical compounds in plants other than vitamins and minerals. These phytochemicals serve as the plants’ defense against predators, pathogens and competitors. If they can do so for themselves, it means they can also fight pathogens and diseases in our body.
  • Rejuvenates and hastens recovery. Moms who have just given birth or people who have been ill or just came out of surgery need this tonic to regain their energy and aid them back to health.
  • Prevents muscle weakness, twitching, and cramps. For pregnant women and the elderly, leg cramps are very common. A sip of potassium broth every night is a great home remedy for this problem.

A not-so-secret ingredient to increase the absorption of potassium and minerals in the gut is a tablespoon of liquid whey in a cup of potassium broth (omit if you are sensitive to dairy).

Now here are 3 potassium broth recipes you don’t wanna miss:

It is my passion to work with people like you whose health symptoms are getting in the way of you living life fully and with a sense of freedom in your body. I can help you to regain your health so you can feel great and free to enjoy life fully.

If you’re ready to discover where your best health has been hiding, I’d love to connect with you!
Apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session. http://bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).

Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health!

~Rebecca

COVID-19 and Obesity — Everything You Need to Know

/0 Comments/in /by

The COVID-19 pandemic has the world on lockdown. Many of you have paused their lives, trying to find ways to stay healthy. There are some of you who are at increased risk of having a more severe reaction to the virus or having life-threatening complications. Today we are going to look at how obesity and excess body fat contributes to being at increased risk of infection and complications.

According to the World Health Organization, 650 million people were overweight in 2016. That same year, the global rate of obesity was three times what it was in 1975, according to the obesity statistics. 

Now, with the lockdown, obese people can’t visit the gyms or proceed with their weight loss plans, and this is devastating to them. Here’s why obese people are at a higher risk than others: 

  • People with heart disease and diabetes are more prone to COVID-19 infection 
  • Obese people are harder to treat in the in-patients setting, challenging to diagnose, and difficult to transport
  • The pandemic has them trapped inside with limited weight loss opportunities
  • Their wish to lose weight might be suppressed by COVID-19 anxiety 

If you or someone you care about falls into this category, this may inspire you to make some healthy changes or continue with your healthy habits.

Look Around You

Stand in front of a mirror and take a good look at yourself. It doesn’t matter how you’ve reached this point in your life right now. What matters are the choices you can start to make. Start out by asking yourself these questions:

Do I want to feel restricted in movements and/or feel constant pain in my joints? 

Do I still want to be dependent on others to help me in regular activities around the house?

Do I want to be exposed to the COVID-19 risks mentioned above?

Weight loss, to the point of reaching a healthy weight that feels good to you, reduces health risks. It’s good for you and all the members of your family who love you unconditionally, who support you and wish you well.  If it’s too daunting to focus on exercise and meal plans, try shifting your focus to the people in your life and how everyone benefits when you feel better.

There are people in your corner who want you to succeed: friends, family, and/or professionals! What is one action you can take today, no matter how small, to upgrade your habits to support a healthy weight?

Read Success Stories

The Internet is full of success stories of overweight people who were dedicated to their goal and reached it. The ones that keep it off transformed more than just their physical habits: they transformed their mindset as well. You can learn from their experiences. Use their success stories to boost you up and give you strength when you feel you need some motivation or whenever you feel like giving up.

Make mental notes on the time those people took to lose weight, what they did to change their habits and what helped them the most. Isolation is the perfect time to think about how you can upgrade your game plan. It’s important to know that you can be a success story too! You can feel better and be an inspiration for others. 

Summary

If you’re obese or overweight, know that continuing to take action will reduce your risk of getting COVID-19 and complications associated with this virus. You are worth it and you don’t have to do it alone. Look around at who can support you. Sometimes, a simple message to a trainer or a training buddy, a therapist, a nutritionist, or health coach can help you stay on your weight loss journey. I’m rooting for you!

In health,

Rebecca Hazelton & Dusan Goljic