Momma's Day ...

Hope your Mother's Day was fantastic ... Was it what we all dream of? ... a day without laundry, cooking, cleaning or picking up dirty clothes?  Ahh yes!  Sounds like bliss!

The other night I was going through my old teaching stuff.  Yeah, it's time to finally release all the old teaching posters, books, bulletin board papers, books, etc.  I came across my old calendars from my time before kids.  What a kick!  Distances run, miles biked, weekends away, and dinners with friends were all over the boxes!  I had a good laugh and couldn't wait to show my husband when he came home with my daughter from a scrimmage late into Thursday night.  The days before kids were full of fun!  What I had no idea about was what I really was missing.  I looked at the calendar and thought  what did I really do before I became a mother?  Well, I was having fun and loved my students greatly, but I couldn't imagine life right now without them.  I'm sure you all feel the same way as being a full-time mom is sometimes over-whelming, with no time off, but you wouldn't want to change things one bit!

Hopefully yesterday gave you a few minutes to lie in bed a little longer, enjoy a meal that someone else lovingly prepared or even if you're like me you were on a field cheering on your children (I used to laugh when I'd hear parents complaining about Mother's Day games, our league doesn't ever give Mother's Day off and they were shocked we had to play)!

Time to ourselves is precious.  We are constantly doing for others and often times forget to give to ourselves.  I hear this all the time from friends and clients.  The thing is this ... if we don't make time for ourselves, our families feel the strain.  We give, give, give and eventually this gets old.  The vibe in our voices, the health of our bodies, and our relationships begin to weaken.  Here is one simple tip that I have found works for everyone:

Add Yourself to Your To-Do List!

If you really want to feel better and have a family that reflects your happiness, make time for yourself.  Even 10 minutes a day can have profound effects on your health.

*Turn off your smartphone ...  even if it is just for 30 minutes during the day.  The constant connectedness never ends ... ours brains never focus on just one thing anymore as we are constantly being pulled in many directions.  Try it ... you may like it!!!
*Schedule your time ... sometimes we just don't have enough hours in the day for ourselves.  Put the scheduled "you" time into your calendar and stick to it.  Get that walk in, go to the movies, take a nap, play that game, etc!
*Create rituals and routines ... we all know routines work but somehow we tend to avoid them.  My biggest tool lately is the sticky pad!!  I use them to remind me of my intentions for the day and rip them off my "list wall" every time something is completed.  Woohoo!  That feeling of success is motivating!

By creating some "You Time" you will be able to enjoy your family with a bit more perspective.  Before you know it, they're grown up!  I could never really appreciate this until lately, as many of my friends' kids are off to college.  My daughter begins high school in the Fall!  We will be expanding our driveway as now we will have 3 cars in the driveway in the coming year and a half. We are getting our sights set on how to find a college that fits her needs, and so on.  How did this happen so fast?  While it is really difficult to not get caught up in the "busy-ness" of the days, I try to take a step back every day and enjoy my kids and our crazy schedules!

 

Hannah's 7th birthday party!

Sophie turning 12!

Much Love and Positive Energy to You All,
Krista

Happy May Everyone! Brain Tumor Awareness Month ...

Yes, it's May already!  Did the words brain tumor just make your skin crawl?  Sorry bout that ... but it's that time of the year to raise awareness about a cause that's near and dear to my heart ... ok, my head.

Yes, I love May because it's the season of growing flowers, Mother's Day and the start of Summer!  Although I'd love a beautiful bouquet of peonies for my day, I'd love it even more if we could find a cure for this little known brain tumor diagnosis called a "meningioma."  A WHAT??!!  I screamed into the phone when I was diagnosed.  Yes, this brain tumor is the most prevalent primary brain tumor out there.

"Of all the patients diagnosed with one, 65% are women.  According to Peter McLaren Black, professor of neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School, meningioma is diagnosed in about one in 1,000 people each year and that at least 138,000 people in the U.S. are living with one."

 ~Liz Holzemer, meningioma survivor and author of "Curveball:  When Life Throws You a Brain Tumor"

These kinds of brain tumors are the ones somewhat discounted by the medical profession as they are known as the "good kind of brain tumors," as many of them are benign.  Call me crazy but in my opinion there are no good brain tumors!  Many meningiomas cause blindness (that's me), deafness, paralysis, cognitive changes, severe mood changes, depression, seizures and more.  Meningiomas have claimed the lives of too many.  It is not a simple surgery (craniotomy) that is just finished when they close you up with titanium screws.  Many people have to learn to live with disablilites and continue to wait and see if the tumor will continue to grow.

I have been blessed with great doctors here in NYC and in Pittsburgh.  Most people who are newly diagnosed have a very good chance of finding a great team of neurosurgeons who have committed their lives to researching and understanding meningiomas.  But we still don't know why people get them.  I had a nice sized tumor the size of a golf ball in my sphenoid wing.  I've always lived a healthy life, heck I'm a holistic health coach!  What causes these things??

If you are able, please consider donating to a non-profit group  called Meningioma Mommas.  Our brain tumors are underfunded  and understudied. You can make a difference!

http://www.meningiomamommas.org/donations

It was the scariest time of my life when I was diagnosed.  I thought I was going to be gone ... not being able to see my two daughters grow up, or grow old with my husband.  I didn't know anyone who had survived a brain tumor or let alone had one! If you or anyone else you know has been diagnosed please feel free to contact me!  You are not alone in your fight!

Much Love,
Krista Daley
 http://krista-daley.healthcoach.integrativenutrition.com/
 http://www.refuelyourathleticfamily.com/

I have never shown this pic to anyone but my family.  I was in the ring with a heavyweight!

Cannot believe my Mom actually wanted to remember me this way!

My love bunny was able to visit :)

Isn't that too freaky?

Here is my "mask face" from the radiation at UPMD last March.

My man smiling to see my clear MRI last June.

Umbrella Drink for You (and your fussy kid!)

It is beyond beautiful here today in NJ!  We are now into Summer for at least a day or two!  Instant happy mood for me!

Anyway I have one really fussy kid as far as getting in "real" food with colors, fiber ... pretty much everything I tell you to eat.  She's also got seasonal allergies right now (who doesn't?) and is milk sensitive.  I just wanted to share a great smoothie with you if you have one of those kids ... and honestly if you threw an umbrella and some rum into it, I'm sure the resorts would be charging $12 for a single serving!

Ok, have to throw this in ... this has a lot of natural sugar in it.  Way more than I would drink on a regular basis ... but for those young athletes it is a good idea ... they need some fiber, natural sugars, a little fat ...  great to drink after practices.  

Pineapple-Mango-Coconut-Banana Smoothie
aka Umbrella Drink

1 ripe banana
1/2 fresh mango (or frozen if you don't have fresh)
1/2 cup pineapple
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk or rice milk
I also added some coconut flakes ... Roasted Coconut chips that are sooo good!

(I never measure when I make these so you can just use what you have!)

Blend.
Enjoy!

Here's to more glorious Sunshine!
Krista

Yummy Skincare You Have in Your Cabinets!

Happy Friday My Healthy Peeps!

I have had a great week off with my kids and their friends this week ... no homework and crazy schedules lead to one happy Momma!  I cannot believe it's Friday already!  Soon enough it will go back to insane after school and weekend schedules - between my two girls we have 4 soccer team schedules, 2 lacrosse schedules and 1 track and field schedule ... yep, enjoying the bliss right now of peace!

One thing I wanted to pass on to you was a very simple recipe for great skin care.  If you've been reading any of the stories recently about the chemicals in all your household products, you know that everything out there contains yucky unpronouncable (is that even a word?) ingredients that have serious health risks.  I've been using some all-natural skin care products now for the last 9 months and I have to say I love them and cannot go back to using the other stuff.  I threw out all the soaps, cleaning products and skin care as I cannot stand the smell of fake stuff anymore and because they are downright bad for us and the environment.  And ... my bloodwork that I update every year actually improved in my levels of hormones ... yep, at my age the numbers actually got better :)

So here's a fantastic scrub for you to try:

Homemade Face and Body Scrub

2 teaspoons of honey (raw, organic or local if you have it)

2 teaspoons of granulated sugar (organic brown sugar works best ... the regular kind is too soft) 

1/2 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil 

optional:  2 drops of lavender essential oil  (please contact me for ordering details)

Mix together in a bowl ... gently apply to face in circular motion and rinse!  I also get in the shower with this as to apply as an exfoliant to the rest of me!  Just make sure you don't leave any residue behind for your famiiy!

Chemical free and so much cheaper than expensive spa treatments!!

Enjoy!

xo,

Krista

 

Eggs ... which one?

Which egg is "Organic?" 

So it's Easter time and all the little eggs are out ... chocolate, marshmallow, Cadbury, etc.  I happen to love eggs ... they are such a great source of protein as we all know.  If I do eggs in the morning ... or even lunch as I just made an awesome spinach, tomato, feta cheese omelet ... I feel very happy!  Personally those breakfasts that are just carbs ... not protein, do absolutely nothing for me as I burn carbs up and feel horrible.  My blood sugar is way too unhappy :(

Anyway, I just had to share this photo I took of these two eggs.  I only buy organic eggs that say their chickens are "cage free."  If you've ever seen what goes on in a factory full of chickens, it will gross you out big time and you'll never eat a chicken or an egg from there again!  And you shouldn't!  They are sickly and full of antibiotics, fed garbage and then you're supposed to feel good from eating them or their eggs?  Not happening.  So I ran out of eggs and happened to be at our local hardware store.  He raises chickens ... yes, here in Northern NJ where it's pretty unusual to have anything other than domestic pets (and the uninvited furry folks like the bears who come out to see if you have anything good in your garbage cans, and the families of foxes and turkeys).  His eggs are gorgeous ... all different colors and sizes.  The yolks above are different colors and sizes.  You guessed it ... the bottom one is from 1/2 mile from my house.  Why is it so orange and big compared to the Lancaster County "organic" store bought one?  Because he feeds it real food, they scratch on the real dirt, ingesting minerals found in the soil and it hasn't been sitting on a shelf for long at all!  Good stuff.

I'll cut to the point of my story as I am on my way out to pick up kids from school to begin the long awaited Spring Break!  Yes, you should buy organic ... I truly believe we need to know where our food comes from and what it has been fed, what if any pesticides have been used, and honestly how far it had to travel to get here!  Your body is your temple ... after learning all that I have about toxins and how it can harm your body, believe me, you don't need more of that stuff to harm you or your family.  Here's the good thing about our Spring and Summer season approaching:  There will be many farm stands popping up around us!  Go and talk to the farmers and growers.  Ask them about their food.  Most of them cannot afford to apply for the official "organic" label but do not use chemicals or pesticides because they know how to do it without big business watching over them.  NO GMO's!  You need to know what you are eating to keep your body "clean" and functioning at a high level.  So now that the weather is changing, get out there and enjoy the weather and try to eat locally.  Your kids will love the visits to the farms ... and start thinking about what you are planting this season!

Aren't they pretty?  I love the blue ones!

Happy Easter if you are celebrating!  Here's to rebirth and new beginnings!
Be Well,
Krista

Happy Healthy Dog!!

Happy Monday All!  With sunshine and the start of a new week, I wanted to get my greens in right away this morning ... but my fridge drawer had other things in it besides the usual overabundance of greens!  I guess I've been slipping in checking out inventory so I decided to use what I had to juice instead.  I love juicing for that reason ... just use what you have and presto - there is a glass full of vitamins and good stuff waiting for you!

This is what landed in my glass:  2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, 1 head of romaine lettuce, 1 lemon.  Nice and sour with a bit of sweetness.

When I juice, my dog Karma is always waiting for a handout.  I guess not all carnivorous dogs turn their noses up to veggies and fruits ... maybe she knows what I'm about by now!  Anyway, I crack up when I see her getting excited for her veggie treats!  Btw, if you don't have a juicer, you are left with the "pulp" of the fruits and veggies and I always think it is a shame to throw it out so I hand it to her.

Just wanted to pass that along to you dog owners with juicers!  Of course you don't want to overload them with too much and remember no grapes or onions for our furry friends!

Be Well!!!  Only 16 days until Spring ... the Vernal Equinox!  Yippee!!!
Krista

How Do You Eat?

I've just been to the mall ... yes, on a Saturday.
A few observations ... first it was like Christmas shopping by the time my daughter and I left the mall!  Is it always like this on a day in March?

As I approached my car, I noticed a paper note stuck into my side view mirror ... this vehicle next to the driver's side was soooo close to me I could barely get into my car. I had parked far away from everyone!  I opened the note and this is what it said:

Ummm, I didn't make you park that close to me did I?
Thank God, with all my sensors and back up gadgets I made it out without a scratch!  But, what do you make of that note?  I guess I'm glad they wrote it but seriously, did you have to pick that spot?

Anyway, I digress ... at the mall - this was the Short Hills Mall where it is full of upscale, ridiculously expensive shoes (but oh did Jimmy Choo's pink sandals look yummy!), Range Rover Epoque in the center of the mall and the list goes on, I noticed people eating.  Not so much sitting down and eating, but walking and eating, eating while reading,  and eating while on their laptops (you know those men who bring their wives there to shop and they sit in the center court).

Did you ever notice when you eat in this manner that you tend to be hungry an hour later?  Do our bodies even notice we ate a meal or a snack even though our bellies are full?  Sometimes I am guilty of this ... inhaling a meal while I'm alone.  It's like our digestion didn't even know what hit it!  Anyway I've started trying to consciously really enjoy my food!  Try it if you're doing the "eat and read", "eat and play your ipad", "eat and watch tv" method ... chew your food!  Count the bites.  Each bite counts and helps your digestion function properly.  Start with 20 bites and work up to 50.  It will help you feel good and enjoy what you're eating!!

In Wellness,
Krista

PS ... If you wrote the above note please know I did not even touch your Lexus with my fingertip!  Hope the next car in didn't either!