Now, before we’re in the midst of Winter, is a great time to get prepared and stocked up on the right stuff. (Yes, that may include Toilet Paper, you know, because 2020). I can’t wait for you to ready about Winter Wellness incorporating Essential Oils
We’re going to be talking about my Top 5:
Supplementation, Essential Oils, Sleep, Food and the dreaded Exercise.
So let’s get right to it, shall we?
First up: Supplements
Please know that I’m not talking about Vitamins from Wal-Mart or even the Health Food Store! I’m talking about, you guessed it, doTERRA Vitamins here.
Why? Because they are “bioavailable”. Simply put, instead of peeing them right out, they are completely absorbed and used by the body. Not to mention they also contain the goodness that are Essential Oils.
The Solution? As mentioned above, doTERRA’s Lifelong Vitality Vitamins, LLV for short, ARE indeed absorbed and used. They contain every little vitamin and mineral the body needs as well as wholefood nutrients and more. They are amazing powerhouses in supporting the body all year round, but are of course especially important during the cold months. Even more if you are living in a climate like I am here in Missouri. Cold and Flu Season is about to start!
Of course there is also a Kid’s version called a2z ( think multivitamin ) and an Omega blend for all things healthy brain development! ( I will have a doTERRA link at the bottom of this article for you to find out even more )
Let’s talk Sunlight, Vitamin D to be more specific.
Did you know that only 20 minutes a day, outside in sunlight WITHOUT sunlight can give your body up to 20.000, yes, 20K units of Vitamin D?
But really think about it. How much are we actually outside these days to charge up on this and take advantage of nature?
An alternative? A Vitamin D3 and K2 supplement in one. Why K2 as well? It helps the body better absorb the Vitamin D3! Think Vitamin C to help with Iron absorption. Same concept.
My favorite: Thorne brand from amazon. An average, though on the high end, need for Vitamin D is 1000 iu for every 25lbs of body weight. Yes, this one can be taken by children as well.
Let’s talk Vitamin C.
And I’m not talking about those sugar and chemical laden Emergen-C packets here.
I’m talking about a bio-avalable, pre-dissolved Lipo Spheric Vitamin C here. These ones on amazon for example. Simply squeeze into a glass of orange juice or straight into your mouth and wash it down with a glass of water.
Did you know that newer science studies have found that Vitamin C does actually NOT prevent you from getting sick but rather supports the body in getting better? Think about it, I know I have had this happen to me. When I was sick as a child, I would crave orange juice or lemonade!
Why? Vitamin C!
Let’s talk guts.
Did you know that 80%, yes 8 0 percent of our bodies immune system actually lives in your guts?
CRAZY!
You know what that means. Support, support, support!
How you may wonder? I mean, we all don’t eat a pound of Sauerkraut or drink nearly enough Kombucha daily.
The answer? Supplement! Again, bio-available doTERRA Supplements, PB Assist Capsules.
Think a capsule inside a capsule. One for the stomach, the other for the intestines. 6 Billion of them from 6 different strains. These numbers are amazing when it comes to Pre-/Probiotics.
Just think about it, some come refridgerated and can’t survive on a kitchen counter. How are they going to make it through stomach acid? They’re simply not!
Of course we have a Kids version as well, called PB Assist Jr. Think healthy Pixie Stick with the same concept of stomach and gut but in a yummy, watermelon- strawberry flavored powder. ( Even I treat myself to one here and there. SHHH, don’t tell my kids!
A true Powerhouse in Soft-Gel form: OnGuard+ Soft-Gels.
Not only do they contain the amazing doTERRA OnGuard Protective blend, they also contain Melissa Essential Oil. Immune support on Steroids if you ask me and the scientists behind this!
My husband and myself take these daily, especially during this season.Okay, let’s be honest, this whole YEAR has been a season. But my almost 9 year old, if he is not taking the mini Beadlets filled with OnGuard, he takes one of these as well.
To sum up the Supplement portion:
doTERRA Supplements are bio-available and amazing for the body. Every other one? Highly questionable.
Next up: Essential Oils
Of course we are going to start of with my current favorite of the season/year: OnGuard.
From Oil to Roller to Handsoap and even Toothpaste, doTERRA has it all. Why are these products better than say, store-bought ” Winter Twinkle light scented Anti-bacterial Soap”?
I will tell you in a jiffy!
How are we currently using the OnGuard Blend oil in our house? We diffuse it! At least one time daily, in ALL diffusers we have in the house, we load them up with 3 drops and tap water each and let them run for two hour.
Why?
OnGuard helps support the immune system naturally, it gets ickies off of surfaces and even out of the air!
How do we like to use the OnGuard Touch, prediluted Roller? We roll it on our and the kids ( yes, they are both used to oils) feet before bed, put our socks on and tucked in we get. Now, if you have a little-little one, I would suggest using the kids version of the OnGuard Touch Roller called Stronger. It has the same effects on the body and immune supporting properties, it just contains milder oils like Frankincense and Rose for example instead of very HOT oils like cinnamon or clove, which is in the “regular” OnGuard blend.
Now, why NOT use anti-bacterial soap?
Because of bacteria! Good bacteria that is! It is called the Bio-film and it is a natural, bacterial barrier that is all over our skin! Think our built-in defense system. What does that highly chemically and often fragranced soap do? KILL IT ALL! Yes, all of it. Good bacteria, bad bacteria, the soap knows no difference!
Why doTERRA OnGuard Foaming Hand Soap? It DOES NOT kill the good bacteria, but rather support it in doing it’s job of fighting off the bad bacteria!
Also, did you know that HUNDREDS of harmful, hormone disrupting and yes, even cancer causing chemicals legally hide behind the word “Fragrance”? SCARY
Let’s talk about the OnGuard Cleaner Concentrate for a second.
Did you know that when you clean a surface with bleach and touch it 5 minutes later, bacteria already starts to grow again?
Not with this one! This one, diluted and used as a spray cleaner, can actively prevent re-growth of unwanted Ickies for several DAYS?
Yes! It’s true! Not to mention, it is safe around pets and children! I personally use it to clean my little man’s highchair and even him after meals!
Breathing.
Another way to incorporate Essential Oils is when you are stuffed up and need support in the respiratory system.
One of our favorite ways to do this is by creating a “Breathing Tent” or even the “Mug of Death”. It sounds weird and scary but I promise you, the results are amazing1
Breathing Tent
I prefer to use on eof my husbands large T-Shirts for this. Also note, this is for ADULTS. For children, this would be too intense.
Here’s how it works:
Add a squirt of Fractionated Coconut Oil into the palm of your hand and add 2 drops each of the following Essential Oils:
Rosemary
Lime
Peppermint
Now, take this mixture and rub it on your neck and chest, careful not to touch your face or god forbid, eyes.
Next, pull the shirt up just over your nose but below the eyes and get it as air tight to the face as possible.
Inhale deeply multiple times, yes, coughing is normal.
You will feel your airways opening up and yes, the nose will start running as the oils help to thin down any gunk inside the airways.
Mug of Death
Let me start this one of by saying IT IS INTENSE, not for children and to keep tissues close by!
Start by getting some water heated up and by getting a bowl or coffee mug set on your table or counter.
Add 2 drops each of the following Essential Oils to the mug or bowl:
Lemon
Oregano
Peppermint
Tea Tree
Then add the water and let it stand there for around 30 second.
Next, hold your face, eyes closed, close to the mug and inhale deeply. Coughing is normal here too! It will feel intense.
You will literally feel the gunk loosening up, so keep the tissues handy and also your airways are opening too! It will feel a little weird to feel how big your lungs actually are!
Sleep
Very important and I know personally, I barely get enough of it. How about you?
Here’s some Tips and Tricks on how to improve that good night’s sleep.
Bad Light aka Blue light.
Think cell phone screens, TVs, Laptop or computer screens. They all have Blue light coming off of them which will trick your brain into thinking it’s not time to relax yet and can therefor hinder you falling asleep.
What can you do?
Simply put, around 2 hours before it’s time to fall asleep, turn off all devices. Yes, ALL of them and occupy yourself otherwise. Crochet along to a podcast, reorganize recipes or simply read a book with a cup of herbal tea along side it.
A solution that should be used durin the day as well to help with tired eyes from staring at a screen all day long? Blue Light Glasses! I’m wearing mine as I’m typing this and they are amazing. They even out the blue-ness with a little yellow tint so things won’t be as bright. Now, those are of course no excuse to still stay on your laptop or phone until sleep time!
Food before bed is quite another no-no.
You wouldn’t eat a nice, big dinner and hop in the pool, am I right?
So why would you try to go to sleep with a body whose main priority is not relaxation, but digestion at the moment?
2 hours. Just like the Blue Light issue, two hours is also the “threshold” here. I know I actually wake up with heartburn when I eat close to bedtime, and it’s not pretty!
So give your body the time it needs, especially when it is going to be quite a heavy meal. Think deep fried etc!
No Caffeine after 2pm!
Yes, I’m talking to you in the Starbucks Drive-through on the way home from work!
Seriously though, caffeine after 2pm is going to interrupt the falling asleep and calming down in general sooo much!
An alternative? That would be tea. Now, don’t write it off just yet, coffee drinkers! I’m talking about a Mushroom Tea here! Yes, you read that right, I said Mushroom. The magic potion is called Chaga Tea and it is brewed from mushroom chunks or powder.
My friend Ange described it like this, and I agree. “It tastes the way coffee smells”. It is earthy, brown like coffee and amazing for the body without the caffeine!
Drink it like you would coffee, with a little creamer or what I actually do in the morning, I brew my coffee and then mix it half-half with chaga tea!
Diffusing Oils at Bedtime is a MUST
This is a definite must and a routine for my kids at our house. On their way to the bathtub every night, we go to the oil case and they pick out which blend they would like for that night.
Often, that includes calming oils like Serenity or Lavender, blended with oils like OnGuard or Arborvitae and even Vetiver, the “Knock out Oil” as my oldest calls it.
While they are in the bathroom, supervised of course, I go to the bedroom and fill the diffuser with water and their oils of choice.
We also incorporate the oils in their lotioning after the tub-time. For my 2 year old, 1 drop of Lavender in his bodylotion and for my almost 9 year old I use 2 drops in his lotion. That is if he agrees to lotion himself up that night.
Then it’s OnGuard on the feet, socks on, a deep breath of the diffusing oils,PJs and a story.
Along the same lines goes the routine for the adults. Bath or shower, Oiling and diffusing and then relax time and off to sleep.
Bonus: My bath soak recipe
1 cup unscented Epsom Salt
1 squirt doTERRA bodywash or unscented Dr. Bronners
3 drops of Lavender Essential Oil
Next up: Food
Yeah, I know, we all know we should be stopping those late night Pizza snacks just to “get rid of that last slice” or those m&m’s we mindlessly snack on during TV time ( which we already learned is bad right before bed .
But is it really that bad for us? And now much sugar should be the daily max? How does that all play a role in our immune system?
Sugar = Bad
Did you know the recommended amount of sugar daily, for an adult, is only 20 – 25g? That’s 4 to 5 TEASPOONS!
Did you also know a sweet, flavored yogurt has around 17g of sugar? That’s almost the whole daily “allowance” of sugar! That’s bananas!
Also, have you ever looked at the label of the things you buy at the store?
For example Pasta Sauce, Sausages, Pre-seasoned meats….. You guessed it: SUGAR is in it! It’s crazy! Even in things you would never guess!
Heck, Ketchup has more sugar than Tomato!
The most scary part about this, aside from sugar literally being addicting, is that it can compromise your immune response! Meaning it weakens your immune system!
Hearty Veggie Soup
I’m going to bring up my friend Ange up again as she gave me this idea in one of her Lives. Weekly ( at least ) hearty vegetable soup for the soul!
Think all things Fall and Winter vegetables: Carrots, Celery Root, Cabbage, lots of Garlic, Onions, Squash and Pumpkin… you get what I’m saying.
Even better: Bone Broth!
Be it homemade or this one from amazon, bone broth makes it sooo much better. How do you make bone broth? I like to add some carrot, celery and onion to it during cooking. Use it straight away for the soup, other recipes or let it cool and store it in the fridge or freezer for a while.
Fresh Fruit
Along the lines of low sugar and produce, another great thing to add to your daily meals or instead of a snack is low-sugar fruits.
Think organic apples and pears as well as berries and even kiwis. Citrus fruits like Lemons and Limes are also low in sugar.
PHEW, we’re getting there!
Water
How much water do you drink each day? Really think about it because things like coffee, soda, juice and tea do NOT count here.
I’m talking plain water, maybe with some essential oil.
Want to be really shocked? Track your plain water intake for a couple of days!
The goal? Half your body weight in ounces AT LEAST! I know people that drink a gallon of water a day. Yes, a GALLON.
I try to make it to at least 3 of my 30 oz tumblers a day. I love to add some essential oils to mine too, favorites being Lemon, Lime, Grapefruit and Wild Orange. Of course only in stainless steel or glass!
Lastly, the dreaded one: Exercise
I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t work out enough, if at all and it shows. I really need to get back to doing my daily “Yoga with Adriene” on Youtube
She has all kinds of targeted exercises and just amazing Yoga content!
Otherwise, and even I manage to do these, is to take the stairs or park at the end of the lot at the grocery store for those extra 30 seconds of walking. Unless of course my kids are tagging along!
In all seriousness, this Fall and Winter weather is NOT the time to start daily CrossFit workouts. That extra stress on the body can actually also weaken your immune system!
And there you have it! Winter Wellness incorporating Essential Oils! With a new challenge for you:
Track your water intake for a few days and come back here to let us all know how much you truly drink! It will shock you!
Thank you,
Melanie
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