So much to do…not enough time to do it all?!

Oh my goodness, where do I even begin??

The last week and a half has been a complete blur! So much so, that I didn’t even get the chance to blog. My apologies to those who follow me. The act of writing for me is so therapeutic, that when I don’t give myself the chance to sit down and concentrate on it, time runs away from me.

In the last week, I feel like I have been running around in circles with my head cut off trying to look for my tail. Seriously crazy INTENSE week. Just to give you an idea of what it looked like…I am the Office Manager/Administrator for my boyfriend’s home business, which week by week is getting busier and busier. I also run my own Arbonne business from my home as well. I work my business entirely over the internet, which means I am constantly corresponding with clients, consultants and potential prospects 24/7. I blog for an amazing magazine as well. Tanya Lee and I met online over Facebook when I asked her if she would like to try a sample of Arbonnes RE9 and she wrote back to me saying “do I look old”? to which I replied “of course not!,…so do you wanna try a sample?” lol,  and since then we have started a beautiful friendship across the Canada/US borders. On top of that I have my 2 crazy dogs to help take care of and last but certainly not least, I have my beautiful 17 month old son, Kaynen, to throw into the mix as well. Oh, and at the same time, trying to stay in decent shape so that I find myself attractive enough to stand in front of the mirror and wink at myself J . I’m a stay at home mom, office manager, business owner, dog walker, friend, companion and lover. Geez, can a girl get a break??

No.

No break.

Never a break.

Always something to do. 

I am still standing though, mind you on wobbly legs and with very tired eyes, but I am still up and that’s what matters the most to me. Is that no matter how many labels I have placed on myself, I know I am strong enough to keep up and keep going. I have figured out the easiest and most efficient way for me to get everything done, is to “chunk” my time. So my mornings are basically a “NO WORK ZONE” meaning I cook breakfast for the family, sit down and eat said breakfast, play with Kaynen and the dogs, chat with Josh and then walk the dogs. By 1pm it’s Kaynens nap time for 2 hours, which gives me the time to catch up on Arbonne work and Therapy Admin work. After which, its then lunch time, and usually I can sneak in an extra hour of work while Kaynen eats his lunch. Then more play time, perhaps another dog walk, preparation of dinner and then sitting down to eat at around 630. Kaynen will then play for another hour and a half until bedtime at 8. I then hop into my bike shorts and take myself for a 45 minute spin, then a 20 minute HIIT workout then a shower. 930 rolls around and that usually means following up on Arbonne emails and Therapy emails. By 11:30-midnight, I’m pretty pooped, but have just enough left in me to hang out with my main man for an hour or so.  By 1 am I am pretty much a zombie and hit the hay.

I tell ya, if it wasn’t for Arbonnes amazing RE9 anti-aging creams and super-duper concealer and foundation, the “Walking Dead” would be casting a new zombie character.

Chunking my time has made my life seem insanely busy, but completely manageable. Josh is an amazing father and helps out a tonne when not working. Every now and then I even score a mini massage ;)

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the stuff that goes on in your day/week/month…whatever it is….write it down and then sort out your priorities according to what is most important to you. What can wait so that you can spend more time with your man, your kids, your pets, your work. Choose your priorities and make them the most important things out of every little thing that creeps up on you and I can guarantee that life won’t seem so out of sorts at the end of the day. J

Wishing you all a very “chunking” good week!

Cheers to your Health,

Katerina

Health and Wellness

GEM Magazine LI

Massage Therapy and the Lymphatic System

Have you had a stressful day…the kind of day where absolutely everything that could go wrong does? Have you ever thought about taking the “time out” that we so desperately need once in a while just to recoup the overall feeling of relaxation? I always laugh to myself when I put my 16 month old son into a “time out”, or as the childcare providers now call it “a time in”…I always think as I’m telling him to stay put…”Gawd, I wish someone would put me in a time out so that I can just have 29 minutes to myself (29 minutes = 1 minute for every year= absolute sanity saver time) My son always comes out of time in time so much more relaxed looking and his whole demeanor changes. He’s calm again and happy to play quietly or sit with daddy reading. Everyone’s time out is different...mine happens to be in the corner facing the wall for 29 minutes, but yours may be to lie on the table facing down while someone tenderly rubs your aches, pains and stress away. Doesn’t that sound just lovely? Many of you know that massage comes not only with the much needed relaxation benefits but it plays a much more important role in how our body responds to stress, disease, and toxic buildup. Massage Therapy plays a big role in how our lymphatic system functions.

What is your Lymphatic System you ask? Well I will give you the answer…

Your lymphatic system is responsible for defending against infection and disease in the body.

A little background work before we get to the big picture though…

The adult body contains is made up of about 40L of water. Within that 40L, 25L can be found in the cells, also known as intracellular fluid; and 15L can be found outside the cells or extracellular fluid. Within that 15L of extracellular fluid, 12L of it is located between the cells. This is known as interstitial fluid and 3L of extracellular fluid can be found inside blood vessels as plasma or also known as intravascular fluid. Got it? Ok. Good. Next step J So, what does the body do with all this fluid? Well, fluid in the blood and the interstitial fluid are constantly being mixed in and out of blood capillaries to ensure that the waste product that is given off by the cells is removed, so as not to remain stagnant and toxic. Basically, our body is a giant washing machine, always trying to get all the compartments super shiny and working properly.

What is the function of our beautiful Lymphatic System then? Our lymphatic system has 2 gigantic functions that it needs to complete every second of the day:

1. Helps to return excess fluid and protein from the interstitial fluid compartment back into the blood circulation. This ensures that the plasma colloid osmotic pressure will not drop as it requires protein to remain in the blood or the fluid to stay inside the circulatory system.
2. Defense – lymphoid tissue produces, maintains and distributes lymphocytes – white blood cells – these are the cells responsible for defense against germs and bacteria that have crept their way into our system.

That being said, the lymphatic system can get clogged or plugged up which can cause edema – Edema is the accumulation of fluid within the interstitial compartments which in turn will cause swelling.

So how does massage help to avoid Edema buildup?

Well, there are a number of ways that Massage Therapy helps to keep our
Lymphatic System happy and healthy and here they are:

1. Encourages lymphatic fluid drainage thereby decreasing the chance for edema to occur
2. The effects of lymphatic massage are equal to the circulatory effects produced by the contraction of the muscles
3.  Using the appropriate strokes and drainage techniques can help with the movement of lymphatic fluid thereby reducing edema
4. Passive exercise can help when used in conjunction to encourage lymphatic drainage
5.  Lymphatic massage can speed lymphatic drainage and quicken the resolution of swelling caused by adhesions.
6. Massage is very effective in relieving post-surgical swelling and pain and for enhancing the rate and quality of healing
7.  By helping to remove edema fluid this greatly reduces the incidence of fluid thickening in the body
8. Pain can be relieved by removing the chemicals and waste products that have been dissolved in the fluid that stimulates pain receptors.

My boyfriend Josh is a massage therapist and we have many clients who come into our clinic space stressed out and run down and once their treatment is done, I see the same expression on their face that my son gets after time in time. Calm. They are happier, they walk lighter, they seem brighter! A massage has such wonderful healing and feeling good effects, I understand why all the celebrities employ their own on a full time regular basis. However, as a regular 9-5 person though, a massage will not only benefit you..but everyone else around you too!

Hmm, what’s that saying…?

Oh yes!

Happy Wife…Happy Life!

And my personal favorite – Happy mommy = happy everybody J

Cheers to your Health and have a lovely “time out”

Katerina

Health and Wellness

GEM Magazine LI

It's That Time of Year Again...Resolutions!

Well, we made it into the new year alive and well. All the hype surrounding December 21st being the last day of civilization didn't really end up panning out too well for those that truly believed it was going to happen, which means one thing must now occur...Dun, dun, dun...the dreaded Resolutions list. You know that joyous list that we make every year, like clockwork, stating all the ways we are going to make our life better, or drop those last 10 pounds we've been holding onto for the last ten years, or blah, blah, blah, whatever. Now, I pride myself on being the ever-so-happy optimist, but even I know the reality of what happens when you make a resolutions list.

Nothing.

That's right.

Absolutely nothing happens.

Don't get me wrong...we all start out with the best of intentions, but then life starts to get in the way, priorities happen, those 10 pounds never do come off, in fact, we probably end up gaining a few more, and our life getting better, well, there's always next year. However, I have come up with my own way of getting around the list of resolutions. Besides the fact that I never make one to begin with, I do make a concentrated effort to reflect on the year that just passed to see what went right, what went wrong, and how I can go about not making the same mistakes again. It doesn't work out for me every year though. Sometimes I do end up making the same mistakes year after year. For instance, losing those last 10 pounds...I’m still trying to and will probably be trying the rest of my life, but I'm learning not too stress out about it too much.

No, instead of a resolutions list, I set myself up with a "ways to feel better" list. This list includes all the things that I need to work on appreciating more because I end up taking them for granted day to day. You know...the little things, like kissing my man more often, spending less time on the computer, continuing to be a good person (because I am a good person, and don't need a resolution to help me with that), holding the door open a couple more times, maybe smile a bit more, stress less, say please and thank you. At the end of the day, I make a list that will help me be a better person, overall. Because I do have to live with myself 24/7 for the rest of my life, I want to make sure that I am happy, healthy and grateful while getting there.

My son, who is 16 months old now (almost 17 months), has taught me some of the best lessons in life already. He has taught me that to wake up every morning happy makes the rest of the day go smoothly, that crying when he is hurt or frustrated is exactly what the soul needed at that very moment in order to "right" itself again, and that a simple hug and kiss makes all the fear or pain in the world better. He is teaching me to appreciate those little things in life and I am forever grateful that I am able to see the world in a whole new way again because of him.

Listening to the sounds of the leaves rustling on a windy day or watching the beauty of the first snowfall draping the landscape in pure white, these beautiful moments offered to us by the earth are the rare moments when we need to stop and take it all in. They are gifts to us to keep us moving at a healthy pace. If you are missing these moments, you must ask yourself....what else are you missing?

Resolutions or not, I wish all my readers a very happy and healthy new year!

Cheers to your Health,

Katerina

GEM Magazine LI, Health and Wellness