V & C Natural Health (2025)

01/06/2023

Some days I take some time off too.

31/05/2023

Allergies, sinuses, or runny nose are bothering you?

Some ideas that we use at home to reduce symptoms:
1. Chest rub - mix Eucalyptus (helps open the sinus pathways) , Lemon (supports mucus clearing in nasal and sinus region), and Thyme (reduces inflammation) essential oils with your favorite carrier oil. Rub it on your chest, also inhale from your palm. 🌿💧
2. Enjoy some tea - nettle leaves (soothes the respiratory system), catnip (natural decongestant with calming properties), peppermint, elderflower, marshmellow root (soothes dry inflamed tissues), red clover 🍵 (idea is from Sarah Farr - Healing Herbal Teas book)
3. Diffuse - Eucalyptus and Lemon essential oils (or I like to use Orange essential oils for the night instead of lemon for its calmingproperties) 🌿 🍊
4. Inhale - peppermint and chamomile herbs. Boil some water, remove from stove, add herbs, inhale under a towel for several minutes. I like the herbs better than essential oils here, because the oils evaporate in no time, plus with the herbs you get the bonus of starining it and drink as tea. 🌿🌼

06/03/2023

Today's lunch. Pretty much fridge clean up. A little this and that: lettuce, shredded cabbage, basil, beans, corn, onions, riced cauliflower, pumpkin seeds. Yummy and filling.

05/03/2023

Vincent made an amazing smoothie for after a hard workout. 🥬🍓🫐🍌

Fun facts: I finished my eight-week strength workout program! 🎉
Weight lost: zero
Inches lost: zero
It was a strength and muscle building program and I feel stronger, more energized and more focused and motivated!!! But deep deep down I was hoping for an itty-bitty loss of some inches. (I paid attention to my menu as well).
At age 47 young, while the hormones are messing with me, I just have to work harder than in my twenties.
Vincent says that I burned fat and built muscles, and I built my body up for the next program. He made me feel better.
Today I started my 100 day "morning meltdown" program. I like the sound of that!!
I also spent a month researching, and started incorporateing special foods, herbs, essential oils, and habits that support the hormonal changes in women fourty plus, so I can take charge of my body, and don't have to blame my belly on my hormones. 😀 (notice how the picture is carefully cropped 🤭☺ )

20/09/2022

I went with the floral theme when creating this fruit bowl for my niece's wedding shower. 🌼
I had so much fun with the colors! 🍇🍍🍓🫐
The little coconut bowls can be removed for individual servings. 🥥
Since nobody ate the pineapple flowers, I added them into my smoothie later this afternoon. Yum! 🧃

09/02/2022

I am super excited about my first homegrown spouts. 🌱
I tried the sprouts on my sandwich, as topping on my salad, and on various dishes. They are tasty and add a little crunch to your dish.

What are spouts? Sprouts are seeds that have germinated and become very young plants. Sprouts contain a high amount of nutrients and vitamins that are not present in the actual plant. These are all the important nutrients that the plant will need to grow in its initial days and our body can also utilize.

They are super easy to grow at home, all you need is a container, seeds, water, and your patience for 5-7 days. Take advantage of their incredible health benefits. They boost your immune system, are great for digestive and heart health, and have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and detoxifying qualities.

You can sprout beans, grains, nuts, and seeds. My sprout pack contains alfalfa, clover, radish, and mustard seeds. A very tasty combination.

Sprouts are delicious, nutritious, and a great way to add flair to your usual dishes.

In what ways do you use sprouts?

31/01/2022

My final order of herbs arrived and I was super excited to explore creating multiple blends of teas. I made wellness tea, detox tea, tea for strength and women's health.

I made the WELLNESS TEA for my book-club meeting. The Wellness tea comes in handy as winter is the cold and flu season and we can all boost our immune system. What better way to do it than to sip a cup of delicious herbal tea loaded with remedial properties.

Every year January is our self-help and personal development month, so we each read a book of our own choice. We not only learn something new that helps us grow, but in our meeting we share all of our wisdom and we go home with amazing tips, tricks, and ideas to try.

My book selection was Healing Herbal Teas by Sarah Farr.

I love herbs and I love tea so I was very excited to explore more.

I learned the art of blending, how to find balance in tastes, the different ways of making herbal teas, and I tried out various recipes for different ailments.

I make Wellness tea as soon as I feel the cold and flu symptoms, runny nose, sore throat, cough.

I use:
Yarrow and elderflower have been used for centuries for the common cold, they induce perspiration and also help reduce fever.

Ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom add a bit of spice to the tea while they have strong antimicrobial properties.

Licorice provides soothing relief to a sore throat or cough.

Modifications:
We tried this before, and the flavor of this tea was a bit strong for my boys, but they enjoyed it without the cinnamon and cardamom.

Tip: Have a sore throat? Try a spoonful of honey or add it to your wellness tea.

Precautions and concerns!

Yarrow is safe for most individuals. However, you should avoid it if you have a bleeding disorder or are pregnant, breastfeeding, undergoing surgery, or allergic to ragweed.

Consult with your health care provider before you start using any herbs or spices.

29/01/2022

It's almost the end of January. How are you doing on your new year's resolutions? Or do you not even bother because you know that you would not follow through, so why disappoint yourself?

Have you played with the idea of CREATING LONG-LASTING CHANGES in your life? Then wonder how to make it happen?

CREATING HEALTHY HABITS is a great start.

WHY start with healthy habits?

✅ You will feel better

✅ You will feel happier

✅ Your health will improve

✅ Your immune system will be stronger

✅ You will be able to focus better

✅ You will be more productive

✅ You will produce next-level results

✅ You will be more energized

✅ You will have more time for more fun

What is YOUR WHY? What is it that you have been wanting for a long time but you just never got around to accomplishing it? Create a compelling vision.

WHAT kind of healthy habits to create?

My strategy is to ADD HEALTHY HABITS vs. focusing on what I should NOT do. I started out with the easy things I can ADD to my daily routine EVERY DAY:

✴ More exercise
✴ More water
✴ More fruits and vegetables
✴ More sleep
✴ More fun family time

Think about up to five easy things that you can EASILY ADD to YOUR DAILY ROUTINE. The idea is that adding more of the good stuff will crowd out the not-so-good habits. You don't have to raise the bar high. Just add more than you had or did before.

HOW to make this happen?

Okay. You got the 'why' and the 'what'. But how can you make sure you follow through? How do you create habits that stick and you are not stopping in a couple of weeks?

First, you need to set your INTENTION. Then CREATE A BEHAVIOR that you PRACTICE every day. (for example, instead of just starting my day with a glass of water, now I add lemon and ginger to my water every morning). No matter what. Every day. Eventually, this habit will be automatic. You do not even think about it.

When this new HABIT BECOMES A PART OF YOU, then you are ready to ADD NEW habits that help you move forward towards your goals, towards your vision.

As Tony Robbins says: "Success is not an overnight event." It's a lot of the small things that add up. Create a life that you desire.

18/01/2022

OMG! I just jogged 6k!! 🏃‍♀️

If you know me, you know that I do all kinds of workouts, but I do not run. I attempted running multiple times in the past years, because it's supposed to super good for you and millions of people cannot be wrong. Plus, my kiddo is doing it and I want to be good inspiration for him. Well, I have never done more then five runs in a row and never longer than ten minutes because I was just out of breath.

Today I was crushing it. I figured I will run couple laps while Cooper has his hour and a half running training, and I just kept going.

Perhaps because I was listening to Brendon Burchard 's new year kick off call about creating a life that I desire. I NEED TO BRING IN THE ENERGY AND POSITIVITY INTO MY LIFE EVERY DAY. 🔥 Nobody will do that for me.

Yes! THIS YEAR WILL BE EXTRAORDINARY!
Why? Because I decided to make it happen!! 🤩

After I lost count of my laps I checked my Strava, running tracker, and it said 6k! I could have gone more, but I panicked, I have never run this long. 6k, 42 min. I wanted to make sure I can walk tomorrow. 😀 I am still wondering how did I just spent 40 min jogging out of the blue, but my daily strength, cardio and yoga exercises must be showing! (And the extra water, more green smoothies, and more sleep I added to my daily habits, consistently, every day)

Let's see if I can keep going and do it again, or more on Wednesday.

Do You want this year be extraordinary for you?
What is important to you? Write it down. Visualize the end result. Every day. Create habits that will move you forward towards that end goal. Consistently, on a daily basis.
As Brendon Burchard says, "You are the architect of your life".

10/01/2022

Sunshine and Cooper's amazing race this morning gave me inspiration:

* I went for a run (more like a jog),
* I washed the windows (great streching),
* I washed my car (great arm exercise), and
* I worked a bit outside enjoying the sunshine.
* Created a new batch of lemon juice and fresh ginger mix for next week's morning water.
* Watching football with family.
* And my evening yoga is scheduled.

A little inspiration got me started.
Momentum kept me going.

As Tony Robbins says:
"Wishlist is not a resolution.
When you resolve something is a resolution."

I am ADDING HEALTHY HABITS every day for a healthier and happier 2022. And beyond

06/01/2022

The workout room is set up. No more excuses!

#1 item on my list of HEALTHY HABITS TO ADD this year consistently is EXERCISE/ movement.

The year 2022 will be the year of HEALTH for me. I not only want to boost my immune system to better fight Covid-19, which does not seem to go away, but I also want to feel better, get my energy back, and lose that little belly I grew in the past year.

Soon I need to head back to the office, so I need to fit back into my work pants and I want to boost my immune system to better fight bugs, cold and flu viruses.

I got a head start in December. I created a routine that I can easily fit into my schedule:

🧘‍♀️ Every morning when I get out of bed, I do 30 push ups and couple vinyasas right by my bed.

🧘‍♀️ Every evening I do 15 min of yoga and stretch. It's nice to relax my body right before going to bed.

🏋‍♀️ 3-4 times a week I do a 30-60 min exercise program: mix of cardio, strength training, mobility and yoga.

🚶‍♀️ Some days I go for a walk during my lunch hour or have family fun time in the snow.

Keep moving! Physical activity may help you boost your immune system, lower stress, help you sleep better, boost your metabolism, create better mobility, tone your body, and make you feel happier. Some people might even build some muscles and loose weight. If you feel inspired, make sure to balance your workout program and do only what feels comfortable for you.

04/01/2022

Happy New Year 2022!
Who wants to feel better and have more energy than the year before? The year 2022 will be the year of HEALTH for me. I not only want to boost my immune system to better fight Covid-19, which does not seem to go away, but I also want to feel better, get my energy back, and lose that little belly I grew in the past year.

I decided to create healthy habits that I will incorporate into my daily routine every day. I have a whole list of them, but I will commit to them one at a time so I do not get overwhelmed and just quit after one week.

Do you know what is the secret to staying on track? I do not promise to stop doing anything. That would want me to crave that thing even more (chocolate is my weakness). The plan is to ADD HEALTHY HABITS to my daily routine that will actually crowd out the not-so-good habits.

#1 Exercise or movement every day - walking, cardio, strength training or yoga. Adding a bit more every day than I did before. And when it's going to be only 15 minutes of yoga or my ten-minute morning routine, that is okay. The idea is to bring the heart rate up, stretch and create mobility to loosen up those tight muscles and joints, breathing fresh air while walking or jogging.

#2 Drink a glass of LEMON-GINGER WATER first thing in the morning.

I already start my day with a glass of water to get hydrated first thing in the morning. The added lemon and ginger not only enhance the flavor but also boosts the immune system, helps with digestion, and flush out the toxins that your liver was working on so hard eliminating at night.
Added bonus: have you noticed when you are hydrated, your skin is brighter? Plus the Vitamin C from the lemon helps produce collagen that will create a youthful and glowing look we are all after.

Tip: I like my lemon-ginger water warm in the morning because it's easier for me to drink it and it also flushes to toxins more easily. But if you prefer it cold, the health benefits are just as rewarding.

Tomorrow morning before you reach for your coffee pot, try a glass of lemon-ginger water. No worries, you can still get your coffee afterward!

Here is how to make it:

03/01/2022

What a great way to kick off 2022! Family time in the snowy mountains, sledding and sore muscles from the hike back up so we can slide down again and again. ❄

In 2022 I decided to create healthy habits that I incorporate daily, not just for a week, but long term. It's easier to add new habits then removing the not so good ones.

#1 on the list is getting some exercise or movement daily. Being outside in fresh air is a double bonus. Lots of laughter with family is priceless.

I wish you a happy, healthy and successful New Year!! We all have high hopes to make year 2022 better than the last two. Let's do it!

01/09/2021

OMG! You have to try this shiitake mushroom recipe!

Honestly, this is the first time I cooked shiitake mushrooms. By habit, I am just used to buying the white button or crimini mushrooms but I thought I will give the shiitake a try. (Costco had a good price on it so I splurged.)

Note: Did you know that shiitake mushrooms not only taste amazing but have also been long used in traditional Chinese medicine for heart health and boosting your immune system? I think we can use a lot of immune boosts these days.

I looked for recipes, but I did not quite like any of them so I created one on my own based on some suggested ingredients.

It turned out super Yummy!!! (see my easy recipe in the comments)

It’s easy, tasty, and it’s good for you! Try it.

Request: if you have an amazing shiitake mushroom recipe you think I need to try, please comment below. I am ready to buy some more and explore different tastes!

23/08/2021

Update on my cucumbers. 🥒 The squirrel got there before I did!! Removed it from the plant and carried it to our sitting area..and enjoyed it.
I thought those guys are lovers of nuts and seeds.. 😀😀

16/08/2021

Great family time at the beach, a mini vacation from work and the city. Relaxing by the ocean, jogging on the beach with Cooper, taking photos with Vincent.
I realized how nice it is to find something that my children and us parents both enjoy. It creates bonding time, which is hard to find during their teenage years when they are busy with school, friends, sports and video games.
I cherish every minute of it!

10/08/2021

Today's harvest. Plenty more to ripe.

My grandma suggested to run the cucumbers 🥒 upward, rather than on the ground. Saves space and they are actually super happy.

I have been pruning the tomato 🍅 leaves so the plant can focus on the tomatoes rather than growing the greenery. Tips from my aunt.
Plus it's easier for the sunshine to reach them. 🌞
Location is also key. After living here for three years, I found the sunniest place!

27/05/2021

Lunch date with my son, Vincent. Enjoying the sunshine.
Vincent is taking the photo, but his plate is there 😀

It's nice to get a bit of energy and be more focused for my next meetings.

You might notice a bowl of fruit on the table. That's not just for decoration, I put them out on the sun for several days hoping they will ripe better and faster. 🌞🥝🍐

Note: I am dressed for Zoom: nice shirt, necklace and comfy sweats. This has been the trend in the past year. 😀🌺

V & C Natural Health