Category: health and fitness

February 13, 2015

Homemade Vapour Rub

Homemade vapour rubs are the perfect solution for the many colds and infections we pick up during the long winter months.

For myself, I suffer with chronic sinus infections and this is the only thing that keeps me going during the day (especially since I do not want to reply on antibiotics all the time!). I have one jar at home and another at my desk at work.

The eucalyptus oil works well in opening up the nasal passages allowing you to breathe that much easier. The natural ingredients (two only!) gives you the confidence to use not only on yourself but your children as well.

Ingredients

2 tbsp of coconut oil
8 drops of eucalyptus essential oil

Warm up the coconut oil for roughly 30-45 seconds depending on how solid the coconut oil was when you started. You want it to not be a liquid but still able to mix to ensure the eucalyptus oil will be evenly spread through.

Add the eight drops of eucalyptus oil to the coconut oil and stir. I like to call this part the sniff test! Smell the mixture – does it smell strong enough? No? Add a few more drops in, stir and smell again. You don’t want the vapour rub to be so strong that you would not want to put it on your skin but strong enough to give you enough relief.

The mixture will form into a harder solid after you make it and is easy to apply. It also can turn into a liquid easily because of the coconut oil! You just need a small amount each time you put on an application so you can either chill the vapour rub to return it to a solid state or use it in it’s liquid form.

Do you make your own homemade vapour rub?

December 4, 2014

Elite Man MultiVitamins: Increase Energy & Boost Immunity #review

While we all try our best to ensure we are eating well rounded meals following the Food Guide it can still happen that we are not consuming enough of certain vitamins and minerals. A lack of proper nutrients can lead to multiple health conditions as well as an overall feeling of fatigue and I know for myself irritability!

A multivitamin is essential to ensure we are providing our bodies with the nutrients it needs to function at it’s best ability. Picking a multivitamin is usually the hardest part! A multivitamin should be geared towards gender – both males and females have different dietary needs and your multivitamin should reflect this. My husband will always require different amounts of nutrients and what works for me may not work for him. A good multivitamin will have minimal side effects (this can be trial and error) – how many of you have purchased a package of vitamins only to have it make you feel nauseated? A good multivitamin is easy to swallow and leaves no odd aftertaste in your mouth (I can’t stand the slight fish taste some leave – yuck!).

Elite Man multivitamins has taken many factors into consideration and developed a multivitamin that contains an unique blend of vitamins geared towards men. The blend contains thirty three essential vitamins and minerals as well as extra vitamin C, D, E, B6 and B12. The B vitamins are important for energy, a lot of the time when we are tired frequently a low level of B12 can be the cause.

Elite Man multivitamins work to help to improve focus, boost energy and promote digestion. My husband found he had a slight increase of energy which also helped with his focus during work hours and his workouts. He wanted to get his workouts done when taking his multivitamins!

Elite Man multivitamins can be purchased online on Amazon.com for a price of $39.95US with free shipping. International orders (Canada and Europe) can also purchase through Amazon by clicking on Other Sellers on Amazon and choosing the Elite Man multivitamin on the bottom with shipping options to Canada and Europe. The order is fulfilled by Vitamin Elite. Until the end of 2014, Vitamin Elite is also offering a 25% off coupon code! Just enter code at checkout: WK24PTTS.

While taking a multivitamin and ensuring a good overall nutritional intake is important, never ignore your body and it’s symptoms. A doctor’s opinion is always important if you are feeling extremely fatigued and unwell. Always make sure to read labels before trying a new multivitamin to check ingredients.

Elite Man is giving my US and Canadian readers a chance to win their own bottle! US and Canadian residents, 18 years of age and older can enter via the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a bottle of Elite Man multivitamins in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own and those of my husband. Always read labels and consult a pharmacist or physician before trying new products. WMJ is not responsible for any side effects that could be associated with taking a multivitamin.

October 14, 2014

The #FallMarketplace at Walmart: Full of #BrightIdeas to Make Fall Cleaning a Snap! #shop

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

This holiday long weekend flew by at lightning speed! Not only did we celebrate Thanksgiving with our families but it was also my birthday (woot woot!!). We had so much to prepare for these occasions; purchasing meals, appetizers, reservations and the dreaded cleaning. On Friday, we headed into the #FallMarketplace demonstrations at Walmart (as part of the #CollectiveBias shop) and checked out the Fall Cleaning demo that featured Scrubbing Bubbles T-Gels.

Fall cleaning is one of my least favourite things to do – especially when it comes to the bathrooms! I live with three boys and somehow no matter what I do the toilet is never as clean as I wish it would be. It probably doesn’t help that our youngest likes to help clean the toilet by peeing around the rim (his exact explanation when I caught him doing this!!).

I don’t know about you but I honestly feel that the bathroom happens to be the one room that says a lot about your home. When I know that company is coming over I want my bathroom to look and smell fresh (without having to spend hours achieving this look!). At the demo on Friday we were able to smell and check out the Scrubbing Bubbles T-Gels in: Mountain Morning, Glade Rain shower and Citrus with Hydrogen Peroxide.We loved the smells so much we picked up all three scents.

We decided to match the scent of the toilet cleaning gel to our plug in air freshener and started with the citrus with hydrogen peroxide. I have never used T-Gels before so I was quite pleased to see how easy to assemble they were and how compact the kit was. It was literally pull the two pieces out of the box and connect them together and I was done. All that was left was to gently apply the T-Gel to the side of the toilet and with every flush the toilet is cleansed and a pleasant citrus smell remains.

The best part? The T-Gels can last up to six weeks! That refreshing smell from the toilet is still going strong after applying it on the Friday evening. Not to mention our youngest things it is super cool to have this green thing stuck on the inside of the toilet.

With our bathroom taken care of with Scrubbing Bubbles, we were able to forget about the cleaning and focus on the important stuff – family time! We baked chocolate cupcakes, painted pumpkins to give as gifts, made special hand print keepsakes for family members and not to mention the cooking. I still feel like I am detoxing from all the delicious food we had all weekend. It was well worth every moment – the love and happiness that we shared are memories that will last forever.

How do you make fall cleaning easy so that you can focus on the important holiday events?

July 25, 2014

My Health and Fitness Goals – No More Excuses

For the longest time now I have been frustrated with my weight and lack of weight loss. I have been trying (well attempting at times) to lose weight for my personal health and overall emotional well being. This has been such a tough road for me as I am an emotional eater – the moment I get upset or hurt I run for a cookie or chips or anything else that is bad for me. In the long run I have only hurt myself – not only is this emotionally draining but physicially I was hurting myself.

Last week I decided to stop this cycle and really get back to taking care of myself both mentally and physically. I had to really step back, look at my goals, figure out what was realistic and attainable and what is not. I came up with some short term goals and long term goals that I am ready to share with you and hope to use this as accountability for myself as well!

Short Term Goals

Participate in daily exercise for at least thirty minutes.
Eliminate all extra sources of sugar.
Adopt a much cleaner and simpler meal plan.
Spend thirty minutes of the day on myself whether reading or in the bath but just me, myself and I!

My long term goals are to lose weight (fifty is my goal to bring me to a healthy weight for my body structure) but more importantly to have the energy and ability to play outdoor sports with my children.

So How Did I Do?

This week I started on the 21 Day Fix workout (I am in no way affiliated, sponsored nor reviewing their products) and I honestly can say I LOVE the workouts. There is a fantastic variety and she makes my muscles hurt some that I have not felt in a long time. My first workout I could not complete the whole thirty minutes but by the end of the week I was sweating down to the last second with her. And all those excuses of why I couldn’t exercise in the morning? Gone out that window! I am keeping track of this on my fridge in a calendar and highlighting my workouts as I complete them – there is something about crossing off each workout that makes me feel great inside!

I have eliminated all juice and diet pops out of my diet. The only added sugar I am taking in is in my coffee which I have adjusted to a black coffee with two teaspoons of sugar. I love the meal plan that goes along with the 21 Day Fix – I have never felt so full and satisfied in a long time – my cravings have pretty much been eliminated. Meals are quick and easy to prepare with no extra cost to me. My doctor is happy too as now I make more of an effort to get in that 1.5L of water every day!

I can’t wait to see how this week goes and update you next week (I may even be courageous enough to post some before pictures!).

July 10, 2014

How to Eat Healthy on Less Info Graphic

I had to share this info graphic with you as it really helps to hit home on nutrition and where we are spending our money. I love the first part about buying in bulk versus pre-packaged items as well as buying local. Some great tips to keep in mind when you are shopping and worried that you can’t buy healthy!

Source: TopMastersInHealthcare.com

How do you try to eat healthy on a budget?