Wellness Woman 40 And Beyond Blog

SLEEP - is now in the news.  Arianna Huffington has written a book about the necessity of sleep. Her new book "The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life One Night At A Time"  talks about how important it is to get enough sleep.  Arianna's book talks about the fact that we are a sleep-deprived society and if we don't change our patterns of sleep the result can be poor health and in some cases death.  In a recent article written by Jane Mulkerrins about Arianna Huffington and her book, Ms. Mulkerrins discovered that "skimping on sleep may eventually, affect us so badly that those of us who don’t end up dead – through cancer, heart disease or fatal accidents caused by exhaustion – will be overweight, stupid and depressed, our brains, metabolisms and moods ravaged.  Sleep deprivation has even been tied to making one more susceptible to Alzheimer's!

The Sleep Revolution by Arianna Huffington





It is true we are a nation of sleep-deprived people.    One of the fir…

I noticed something this weekend that scared me. 

I found myself struggling to remember names of places, and some people.  It felt like the name I was looking for was within grasp but I just couldn't quite get it!  Immediately I thought of my grandfather.  He developed Dementia at age 70.  He lived to be 97 years old, but by then his short-term memory was almost gone.  I also thought of my Dad who lived to be 87 and was sharp as a tack. 

I decided right then and there that I was going to create a diet for my brain health, focus and concentration.   This is the brain diet that I have been doing for the last year.  I can tell you, I truly do feel a significant difference.  SERIOUSLY!! 

BRAIN HEALTH DIET
MORNING DIET 
It is important to eat breakfast.  Period.  Just coffee and orange juice with a pastry are not enough nor does it help with your brain health.  In the morning include these in your breakfast: 

Boiled Egg- the egg has choline in it which is a powerful nutrient found in the vit…

By the time I hit 50, I was spiritually, emotionally and physically drained.  Nothing appeared to be wrong on the outside, but on the inside, I was suffering.  I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, I wasn't sleeping well, and I felt tired all the time even when I did sleep.  To add insult to injury, I was also menopausal!  Ba combination all the way around.

My  Doctors and family insisted that I go on a retreat.  At first, I thought the idea was ridiculous.  I didn't want to take the time off work, I felt I could handle it, and frankly, I was afraid of the idea of focusing on just me.  For years I had used my family, my career as excuses for not dealing with the fact that I just wasn't well.

I finally decided to a leap of faith and take some time off.  Going on a retreat, changing my environment, and spending quality time with me was exactly what I needed.  I learned that taking that time off for yourself to get re-acquainted with you was invaluable.   Making the deci…

I was first diagnosed with anxiety with borderline depression 10 years ago when I was 51.  I was devastated. I knew something was wrong but for years had denied that I needed help.  Once it was all "out in the open"  I decided to educate myself as much as possible. I was determined to get rid of this horrible feeling I had been living with off and on for 20 years. At first, I was put on medication.  It did help the symptoms (sleeplessness, feelings of overwhelm, out of control fear) but I didn't like the side effect - weight gain.  After 6 months with my Doctor's help, I got myself off the medication and began using supplements and herbs.   Below is a reprint from an article on healthline.com.  I used this information as a reference when it came to deciding what to use.  I kept track of my feelings and results in a journal and over time found the ones that worked best for me.  Let me also say you should always consult your Physician or Holistic Practitioner when it come…

This year (2019) certainly did start out with a bang! 

I started a speaking tour with 3 other wonderful women - "The Self-Love Explosion" empowerment and motivational speaking event for women over 40.    I also had a new book come out in February "Power Up Super Woman"  a collaborative book written by 17 women who share their stories of courage and wisdom, truly an empowering and inspirational book.  I  also had started working on new classes for my online school Holistic Living and Wellness Academy.  Life was going pretty good ... then the bottom fell out.

My father, Dr. Marion J. Woods,  passed away.  He was 87. 

You can never prepare for the loss of a loved one, especially a parent.  Over the last few years, I knew that my fathers time was getting shorter.  It was just a feeling, but strong enough to give me the desire to spend as much time with him as possible.  But given that, the grief and pain are still very present.

My father was a community leader, and acti…

I love traveling, especially when I am going to visit my family, but it could be very stressful for the mind and the body: planning the trip, preparing luggage, stressful security lines or even feeling changes in your body.  For instance, you might get swelling of the feet and legs because of the of the change in pressure on the airplane.  Last week, I caught a plane and I practiced some rituals to increase my wellness while traveling.  Here are some practices and tips that I use to help me to stay well and energized once I arrive at my destination.  
Before Traveling
Plan your trip in advance - In order to reduce last-minute stress and confusion, it’s a great practice to plan.  (examples making extra keys, picking up mail rides to the airport)
Make a list with all you need - consider making the list a month in advance and add to its needed keeping in mind a cutoff date for the list  
Start eating a healthy diet - days before, try to have a healthy diet: increasing vegetables and fruits, r…