DIY Rosemary Lemon Dishpan Hands Remedy

Are your hands rough, dry, and chapped from washing dishes? Mine are! Is the cold, windy weather making things worse? Absolutely! That's why I mixed up this batch of healing rosemary lemon salt scrub. I use it a few times daily to exfoliate, moisturize, and heal my hands naturally. 

Here's the recipe so you can mix up a batch too. You probably already have most of the ingredients in your kitchen. Keep some near your sink so that you remember to use it.

DIY Rosemary Lemon Dishpan Hands Remedy Recipe

You'll need:

• 1 cup kosher (coarse) sea salt or epsom salt
• 1 lemon
• 3-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 6 drops lemon essential oil or about 1 T fresh lemon juice
• 6 drops rosemary essential oil (optional)
• 1/2 cup organic almond oil, more or less (substitute: olive oil has a strong smell, which you may or may not like, but is also suitable for this recipe.)

DIY Chocolate Espresso Mint Cookie Sugar Scrub Recipe

Nothing says Happy Holidays like this delicious smelling DIY Chocolate Espresso Mint Cookie Sugar Scrub.

This all natural scrub is a yummy treat for skin damaged by winter weather. Almond oil is moisturizing. Sugar and ground coffee exfoliate dry skin. Chocolate, coffee, and vanilla are rich in antioxidants, which help prevent and repair damaged skin cells. Honey is a humectant, so it actually draws moisture to your skin and keeps it there. Peppermint oil perks up your mood, chasing away the winter blues.

This bath and shower-friendly scrub is also great for use after washing your hands.

DIY Chocolate Espresso Mint Cookie Sugar Scrub Recipe

You'll need:

• 1/2 cup fair trade ground coffee beans 
• 3 oz fair trade brown sugar (substitute: white sugar with 1 tsp molasses blended in)
• 1 heaping tablespoon fair trade cocoa powder or cacao powder
• 1 tablespoon fair trade raw honey (vegan substitute: vegetable glycerine)
• 1/2 cup organic almond oil, more or less
• 10 drops French vanilla liquid stevia (substitute: 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean powder)
• 6 drops peppermint essential oil

My Very Un-Zen Meditations in the Omega Labyrinth

My husband and I enjoyed two days of R & R at Omega in Rhinebeck, NY last week. The retreat was a great way to take time out to reconnect with myself and reassess how I spend my (mental, emotional, and physical) energy.

We unplugged, ate wholesome food, and made new friends. We did lots of scheduled group activities like JourneyDance, improv, tai chi, yoga and meditation. We connected with nature by sleeping in a tent cabin surrounded by the sounds of nature, relaxing in a hammock while watching colorful leaves fall, canoeing in the lake, and walking in the woods. We even took a workshop to learn how to strategically align our lives with the phases of the moon.

Our last activity was a group meditative walk through a labyrinth. Labyrinth Society defines a labyrinth as "a single path or unicursal tool for personal, psychological and spiritual transformation." It's also important to note that, unlike a maze, a labyrinth has one path and no dead ends. You slowly walk the winding path, get to the center, and then follow the path back out. You're encouraged to bring a question you would like answered with you.

Here's what the labyrinth at Omega looks like:

photo credit

Frustrated would best describe my state of mind while walking to the center of the labyrinth. You might not be able to tell from the photo but it's probably about 4 yards wide in diameter. It's not that big. Still, it took what felt like forever to get to the middle. Also at some point during the walk in, I decided the question I had brought in with me ("What should I do about my coaching practice?") was completely wrong and insignificant. I was also angry and jealous because everyone else seemed to be in such a peaceful and meditative state. Grrr! I alternated between fantasies of leaping into the center and just walking out (because what was the point anyhow?).

My New Favorite Sustainable Clothing Shop - thredUP Review

thredUP is the largest online consignment shop where you can find like-new women's and kid's apparel (clothing, shoes, and handbags), choosing current styles from over 25,000 brands.

I recently made my first purchase. I spent less than $75 thanks to the discount thredUP offers new shoppers. The purchase included a mix of discount brands (like F21 and Old Navy) and slightly more upscale and unique pieces including a Hive & Honey dress made from recycled paper!

Then a day later I made another one! I spent about $120 but my haul was mostly designer stuff like J Brand jeans, 7 for All Mankind skinny jeans, and vegan Neuaura boots.

I seriously love thredUP online thrift store. Here's why:

It's super easy to find clothes that you love and actually fit.
No more having to dig through endless racks of clothes to find something you like, only to discover it's not your size. Their simple, user-friendly platform makes shopping a breeze! On thredUP you even can create a personal shop that contains your favorite brands, your size, and type of apparel.

7 Things You Need to Start a Health Coaching Business

Here's a list of everything you must have to start working from home as a health coach. I use these essential resources to grow my home-based online business.

1. Health Coach Certification
2. Website
3. Business cards
4. Online appointment scheduling software
5. Newsletter
6. Professional phone number
7. Online payment system

Keep reading for details about the affordable resources I used to start my health coaching business and continue to use today to operate my practice. I initially invested about $5K to start my business and spend under $30 a month to maintain it.

Health Coach Certification from Institute for Integrative Nutrition
Entering a health coach training program is the first step to starting a health coaching business. I recommend Integrative Nutrition. I'm a graduate!

During the Institute for Integrative Nutrition one year program, you will learn from inspiring leaders in the health and wellness industry as well as experts in business and marketing, connect with an amazing supportive community, and experience a remarkable personal transformation – all through a convenient online platform that makes learning on-the-go possible for anyone.

Why I Decided to Enroll in IIN's Health Coach Training Program

In July 2013, I began studying online to become a health coach at Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN). I decided to enroll at IIN because:

• I had completed college over 5 years ago and craved to return to structured education, but I did not want to go to graduate school.
• I was seeking a career that would allow me to help people, grow, and earn as much as I want.
• I wanted to improve my personal health, especially to end my sugar addiction and to begin to exercise regularly.

I was excited about the possibility of becoming a health coach, but I was also a little scared because:

• I was afraid I wouldn't be able to afford it.
• I wasn't the best student in college; it was often hard for me to keep up.
• I didn't know much about nutrition and was clueless about exercise.

I am so glad I didn't let fear keep me from pursuing my new dream. I called an IIN admission rep and learned:

How to Understand Your Cravings & Stop Them Fast

Last week, I shared a really simple explanation of why sugar is bad for you. I also shared (in my newsletter, which you should totally subscribe to) how to use a food diary to track your sugar consumption. Hope those resources illuminated how much sugar you're eating and how it affects your body.

Of course, there's knowledge of how and why something is bad for you and then there's figuring out what to do about it.

Do you stick to "natural sugars" like evaporated cane juice, honey, or agave? Do you stop eating sugar completely? Is it even possible to really quit sugar without becoming a hermit?

Those are the kinds of decisions I coach my clients through. I love helping a woman slow down the self-judgement train (the one most of us have been riding on since our preteens) enough to bravely jump off, catch her breath, and look at her food and lifestyle choices from the perspective of her heart.

Here are my four go-to questions for deconstructing cravings: