Monthly Archives: July 2012

R is for Roses – Really Romantic Remedies

Posted on July 31, 2012 | Leave a comment

Red, Red Rose – the symbol of romance, of beauty and of love.   Romance – the allure of a loved one preparing a romantic night on a bed strewn with rose petals, or a warm bath with rose petals floating sensuously.  The natural beauty of the aromas of roses has been incorporated into the world’s best perfumes for generations.

Greek mythology gives us the story of the creation of the rose.  The Goddess of Flowers (Chloris) transformed a lifeless nymph into a flower, with the help of the other gods.  Beauty came from Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love.  The scent of sweetness was the blessing of Dionysus, God of Wine.  From the Three Graces – Aglaia (Splendor), Euphrosyne (Mirth), and Thalia (Good Cheer) – came joy, charm, and brightness.  The West Wind in the form of Zephyr breathed the clouds away and life into her as Apollo, God of the Sun, allowed the sun to shine on the flower and make her bloom as the Queen of all the Flowers.

For all of us naturally beautiful women (and you men, too!), the rose is an ingredient we can really enjoy for natural skin care and for natural health. Rose essential oil is extracted from the flower head of the plant.  Aromatherapy (see A is for Aromatherapy – More than a Pretty Smell) guides us to the head of a plant when we are looking for remedies for the emotions and the nervous system.  Roses are especially important in stress relief and relaxation.

For skin care, rose oil is used best topically.  Add about 8 drops of rose essential oil (the best comes from Bulgaria) to each 10 ml of carrier oil (I like jojoba or sweet almond oils) to make a nourishing, moisturizing and beautifying treatment for the skin.

Rosewater is effective for eye infections.  Ice creams from the Middle East are prepared with rosewater.  Rose hips are powerfully filled with Vitamin C.  Rose is a scent associated with women and femininity and so it follows that symptoms experienced by women like PMS or post menopausal distress will be helped by roses and rose oil.  Rose aroma is uplifting and can be used to balance the emotions and enhance self-esteem.

For pampering yourself or romancing a loved one, nothing does the trick like soaking in a bathtub filled with warm water and rose petals.  Sprinkle a tub-full of water with your (pesticide free please!) rose petals and lie back on a pillow as you breathe in the aromatherapeutic magic of love and relaxation.  For a little sensuality and romance you can add a half cup of coconut milk like Cleopatra’s famous milk baths.

And roses just smell good so they will make you feel good.  What could be better for a Naturally Beautiful Women!

 

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Posted in Mind-Body-Spirit, natural beauty, Natural Health, Romance and Sex

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Q is for Quiet – for Quality of Qontemplation

Posted on July 29, 2012 | Leave a comment

Shhhh!  Quit talking for just a moment.  And listen.  What is the sound of silence?

Every day in every way, we are bombarded by sounds.  The loud sounds of the TV and the blare of car horns.  Dogs barking and roosters crowing (at least where I live!).  Children crying and people laughing.  We have become so accustomed to noise every moment, we’ve forgotten what quiet can sound like.  Or what good comes from being quiet, sitting in the silence, listening to — nothing.

Another name for sitting in the silence is “meditation,” a word that really frightens a lot of people.  We hear “I can’t meditate.” “I can’t sit still.”  ” I can’t quiet my thoughts.”  Or can you?

Try it for just a moment.  Turn everything off.  Sit still.  If you need to, put on noise-blocking headphones (good for people in cities or buses or planes).  Breathe.  Concentrate.  Listen.  Can you do this?  Do you find yourself fidgeting, distracted, missing something?  We have become afraid of the silence, afraid of what we might hear when there is nothing to hear.  Stop.  Breathe.  Listen.

This exercise is perhaps one of the most daunting experiences we have as humans.  To completely relax, de-stress, be in our own space of silence and stillness.  One can hear the voice of one’s own soul when we are quiet.  What would your soul say to you if you could hear it speak?

For more on meditation, see M is for Meditation – Why?  Hmmm?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=debgoWX1tLU

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P is for Pomegranates for Passion, Prostates, and Perfect Skin!

Posted on July 28, 2012 | Leave a comment

Pomegranates are popping out all over my neighborhood and I’m so excited about their powers!   Pomegranates pack a powerful punch for your natural beauty and for your natural health and while they’re available for the next few months, should be used in your beauty regimen and on your plates. Pomegranate juice, popular in the Middle East, is now touted as one of the “superfruits” like acai and goji berries.  Pomegranates have been shown to have more antioxidants than green tea.  A 100 ml-serving of pomegranate juice contains 16 percent of the daily adult requirement of vitamin C, as well as pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), folic acid, potassium and iron.

The pomegranate appears in a lot of ancient literature, from Rumi to Shakespeare.  Some say the forbidden fruit of the Bible was not the apple after all, but a pomegranate fruit (which makes sense because the ruby red pomegranate is native to the Middle East.   Pomegranates, like most foods that are considered aphrodisiacs, look juicy and sexy.  A recent study in London showed that men and women who drank one glass of pomegranate juice a day for 14 days had a significant increase in testosterone, and increased sex drive.

Pomegranates are also powerful potions for your natural beauty.  Pomegranate oil is used in hot oil treatments prior to shampooing for dry, frizzy hair.  For strengthening nails and conditioning cuticles, apply the fruit’s oils to the nails or soak your fingers in it before a manicure.  It’s especially helpful to repair any damage right after removing gel nails.

 Here are a few benefits to drinking pomegranate juice:

1.  Pomegranates, once again, have more antioxidants than even one of our other favorites – green tea.  Antioxidants lower your risk of heart disease and cancer, and have powerful anti-aging results.

2.  Pomegranates also have anti-inflammatory properties and help to decrease the incidence and damage caused by osteoarthritis.

3.  A study conducted by the Harvard Medical School, showed that pomegranate juice slowed down the proliferation of prostate cancer cells, great news for men.

4. Pomegranates also contain phytonutrients which can suppress estrogen production that slows the growth of breast cancer cells.

5.  Pomegranates significantly lower blood pressure and reduce the amount of arterial plaque buildup which can lead to cardiovascular disease.

6.  Pomegranates have been shown to inhibit the aggregation of abnormal platelets which can cause strokes and heart attacks.

7.  Pomegranates are packed full of vitamin A which decreases wrinkles and helps to prevent the aging of your skin.

8. Pomegranates are a good remedy for skin damaged by sun exposure.

POMEGRANATE FACE SCRUB for healthy, glowing skin

Ingredients

  • 1 TBL. Honey (preferably organic)
  • 3 TBL. Olive oil
  • 3 TBL. packed brown sugar
  • 2 TBL. fresh whole pomegranate seeds

Place the sugar in a bowl and slowly pour in the olive oil and honey, mixing to create a smooth paste (add more oil if it’s too dry, or more sugar if it’s too wet).  Stir in fresh pomegranate seeds, trying not to smash too many.  Apply the mixture to your face, gently pushing on the seeds to release the juice. The bursting seeds will give your skin a healthy, rosy glow.  Massage the scrub gently into your skin for 5 minutes.  The rinse very well with warm water.

 POMEGRANATE MARTINI

 

 

This is a favorite drink of one of our favorite people, Oprah Winfrey –

2 oz vodka
1 oz Cointreau or Controy orange liqueur
6 oz pomegranate juice

 

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker 1/4 filled with chopped ice. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Serve with a squeeze of lemon.

Serves 2.

 

 

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Posted in Anti-aging, natural beauty, Recipes, Romance and Sex

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O is for Older and On Our Own – Oh Yeah!

Posted on July 27, 2012 | Leave a comment

What does getting old look like?  It’s a lot different these days.  We may have silver hair, but we can all be Golden Girls.

Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Sophia – the Golden Girls – 4 women growing old together and shattering all of our preconceptions about age and women.  These Golden Girls were the first look many of us had at the lives of women as they aged.  They didn’t sit around and crochet doilies – they continued to work and were active in their communities.  They didn’t spend nights alone in their rocking chairs – they continued to be social, they continued to date – and yes, they even continued to have sex.

Here was a myth-shattering view of senior citizens, of older women.  These four women found ways to get old but continue to act young.  They were healthy, they were hopeful, and they were a heck of a lot of fun!  Dorothy, larger than life, showed us it was okay to be strong, intelligent and independent, while still living with her 80-year-old mother.  Sophia, her mother, was a wise-cracking, spitfire of a senior who found humor in everything and finally had stopped caring what other people thought.  Rose, the maiden, remained the innocent and naïve farm girl, who really had her own sense of what was important in life and love and family.  And Blanche – how we loved Blanche as she made us feel good about sex.  Blanche was the vamp, the femme fatale, the archetype of the seductress – on the outside.  And vulnerable like most of us on the inside.

We can take a cue from these four women.  We don’t have to spend the “twilight years” of life alone.  We have options.  We can take up golf and live with other active seniors in a community in Arizona or Florida.  We can run off and be an expatriate in a beautiful colonial town in Mexico.  We can join forces and live together in co-housing communities like the Golden Girl Homes – http://www.goldengirlhomes.us/Home.asp – based on the concept of intentional communities and communes of our youth.  Like Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Sophia – when we get old we can all live together and sit around the kitchen table at night and eat cheesecake and ice cream every night – yippee!!

For advice on how to look young as you get older, see previous post – F is for Fabulous Forties, Fantastic Fifties and still going strong at Sixty. 

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Posted in Anti-aging, Healthy Senior Women, Mind-Body-Spirit

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N is for Negative Nellies – are they driving you Nuts?

Posted on July 25, 2012 | Leave a comment

 

 

 

 

 

Know a lot of “Negative Nellies?” – know enough to get them out of your life right now!  Negative people can be energy vampires, people who will drain the very life out of you by looking at the dark side of everything.  We’ve talked a lot about the power of positive thinking and the Law of Attraction that says that what you give out is what you get back.  Say No to the world, and you’ll get Nothing but No back.  Say Yes and chances are life will be good!  YES!

Negative thinking, according to respected thinkers like Caroline Myss and Louise Hay, can even create illness.  Negative attitudes create negative responses within your body.  Positive thinking can open you up to lifestyle changes that help you heal any illnesses and become a naturally positive and healthy person.

We all complain sometimes, sometimes you actually have a reason to do it.  If you’re complaining because something has really gone wrong and you need help finding a solution, then go ahead and get it out.  But if you’re complaining just to be heard or to vent about things all of the time, then get a grip and cut it out!

If you find yourself in the company of constant complainers, you get to choose whether they will be in your life or not.  Here are some tips to deal with “Negative Nellies” –

1.  Be positive with them.  When they start their complaining, say to them, “I know you will figure out what to do – you’re so smart…” or something like, “Wow – that really is tough – but you are so good at dealing with stuff like this – I know you’ll find a solution.”

2.  Don’t take anything they say personally.  (One of the 4 Agreements of Don Miguel Ruiz.)  Most of the time when people say something bad or negative, it’s about them, not about you.

3.  Ignore their comments.  I find it easier just to change the subject rather than engage in a negative discussion.

4.  See if you can reframe the conversation to get them to see at least one good thing about the situation.  But don’t be surprised if this doesn’t work – some people love their negativity!

5.  Disarm someone’s negativity by being upbeat and enthusiastic and pointing out all the nice things you see or feel or hear.

6.  Make new friends.  Spend your time with people who are happy and positive.  If you can’t get away completely (family or work), limit the time you do spend with them, set boundaries, don’t be available.  Make naturally healthy choices for yourself.

7.  Practice Unconditional Love.  In your mind, see the Negative Nelly surrounded by love and happiness and light.  Love them no matter what.

8.  Keep a gratitude journal next to your bed and make it an everyday habit to write down 5 things that made you happy.  It will help your attitude and your sleep.

9.  Be of service.  Help somebody else.  It’s hard to be negative when you’re putting a smile on somebody else’s face!

10.  Spend your time doing positive things for yourself.      Use your time to cook and eat healthy foods.  Drink more water.  Get enough sleep.  Look in the mirror and smile.  Read some motivating and inspiring books like  Everyday Positive Thinking by Louise Hay or The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale. Make better use of your own time by taking care of your natural beauty and your natural health.

 

 

 

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