It’s Monday so I’m pretty sure there are a few of you (including myself) out there who are probably feeling stressed, distracted, worried about hitting deadlines, feeling overwhelmed, worried how you’ll get everything done etc.
But I’ve found a wonderful website that will push all that aside.
Simply, clear your schedule for 2 minutes, click here and just sit back and zone out.
That’s it. Just do nothing for 2 minutes. Repeat daily to watch the stress melt away.
Enjoy x
I love a bargain, I actively seek out cheaper alternatives to things, download coupons and make sure I keep an eye on prices of things I wish to purchase. But Black Friday? No thank you. I’m just going to put this out there, I find it grotesque. Fighting over deals, trampling over someone to get a TV that you could probably live without and this year more than ever, with all the stuff going on around the world, it just seems crass.
I really love gift buying and the whole Christmas experience but Black Friday just makes me think do we really need more “stuff”? Could we maybe give less but make them more meaningful gifts? Plenty to think about.
As you may have noticed via instagram, I’m starting to work with essential oils. I’ll be hosting some workshops on the run up to christmas so be sure to sign up to my newsletter for details.
So what are essential oils? Well, they are organic compounds that are extracted from the plants. They have so many uses, from relaxation to healing and can replace most modern medicine, especially when it comes to things like colds & flu, sore muscles, skin conditions and digestion problems.
But it’s SO important that you buy certified, pure therapeutic grade oils to see the true benefits. Not all essential oils are created equally. In fact, most of them are pointless and often synthetic. If you want to order or find out more about the brand I trust and personally use, email oils@rachaelphillips.me.
Since every essential oil has unique and healing benefits, I thought I’d run though 10 of the most popular essential oils and just some of the ways you can use them…
Ginger will improve your digestion, reduce inflammation and relieve nausea.
Sandalwood which is my absolute favourite, as I tell Tanya of Tanya’s Healthy Living, it just smells so grown up and will improve energy.
Lemon is one of the most popular essential oils, I’m not ashamed to say that I add a drop or two to my G&T’s (again, if you want to ingest essential oils they HAVE to be 100% therapeutic grade). But lemon doesn’t just taste amazing it also improves lymph drainage and cleanses the body. It’s a great oil to diffuse too if you want to get energised. Also, use lemon to replace many of your household cleaners – better for the environment and better for your health. Continue reading “Health benefits of the top 10 essential oils”
*Originally published in 2014. But since I’ve just watched a segment on BBC’s One Show where they’re talking about just how much food we waste each year, I thought it was the perfect time to reshare!
I hate food waste. I’ve told you this before.
And I love clever little kitchen tips that not only make life easier but also eliminate problems like wastage.
Here are few kitchen tips to avoid waste…and you’re going to need to stock up on apples!!
Wrap banana stems in cling film. Banana’s release natural ethylene gas to ripen themselves, and the majority of the gas is released from the bottom. By wrapping in cling film, you’ll stop some of the gas from reaching the rest of the banana.
Store potatoes with an apple, to stop sprouting.
Store eggs with the pointed side down which will help them keep fresh for a longer.
Do not store tomatoes and cucumbers in the same draw. Tomatoes give out gases that cause cucumbers to rot faster so make sure that you keep these two apart.
Same with apples (one bad apple and all that)…don’t store with the rest of the fruits and vegetables as they give out certain gases that cause fruits and vegetables to taste bitter and turn faster.
Actually, whilst we’re talking about apples. If you want to ripen fruit faster (ie plums) then put an apple in the bowl.
Wilted greens? Revive with ice water. The osmosis process means that water travels across the permeable membrane of the leafy vegetable’s cell walls into dehydrated cells, which will make them look fresh again.
If the radishes have shriveled, place them in a jar of cold water. Water will restore the radish to its previous splendour.
Keep root vegetables in a vertical position. This lets the veggie save energy and remain fresh for a longer time. This is via FoodFromTheFridge
Do you have any great tips to share??
As you may know, one of my THINGS is doing more in less time. So the extra hour at the end of the month is good by me.
The team at Tempur have been in touch and asked me what I’m planning on doing with my extra 60 minutes – they’ve also put together a great infographic with 20 ideas of things you can do to make the most of your extra time.
I’m going to use my hour wisely by trying to build up some time credits for the rest of the week. My plan is to have a bit of an email cleanse – get down to that illusive inbox zero and if that takes less than an hour (HA!) then I’m going to get my meal prep for the week started too.
Now, over to you, what are you going to do with your extra time?
Source: Tempur
This phantom limb is used as a way of signaling busyness and unapproachability to strangers while existing as an addictive force that promotes the splitting of attention between those who are physically with you and those who are not. – Eric Pickersgill
I’m going to be blogging a bit more about essential oils in the next few weeks/months (including running some online workshops on how to use essential oils, if you’re interested, sign up to my newsletter for details)
But I just wanted to do a quick post on why I use oils when it comes to looking after my skin.
First of all, oil is a simple, clean ingredient and much like what we eat, the less processed our beauty products are, the better they are for us. My top tip is that if you see the word “fragranced” or “perfumed” then it’s been tinkered with. Stick to organic, cold pressed oils for the best results.
Here’s a post originally published in 2014 but I think that some people may find it a help…
So here’s a question for you, have you heard of the term “scanner” when it comes to describing someone’s personality?
No? But I’m sure that you’ve heard the variants such as multi-passionate and multi-potential which have become somewhat buzz words of late.
“People who love to read and write, to fix and invent things, to design projects and businesses, to cook and sing, and to create the perfect dinner party. (You’ll notice I didn’t use the word “or,” because Scanners don’t love to do one thing or the other; they love them all.)”
Well, this is me down to a tee. I’m constantly digging, scheming and dreaming. I’ve known about this term for quite a while and you know what? I’ve learned to embraced it.
And I’m not alone!
I’ve had quite a few careers jobs in my young(isn) life (call centre agent, sales, talent agent, event planner, public relations, small business owner, journalist etc) AND alongside a vast range of interests and willingness to try new things has meant that I’ve often been branded unfocussed and scatty…
But as the New York based author says: “A scanner is GENETICALLY wired to be fanatically interested in multiple things at once.”
You hear that? It’s genetically wired.
But scanners have a major problem. We become bored and go off on tangents and we think it’s bad that we keep quitting things and moving on. Something which Sher thinks we should stop feeling bad about and instead start having fun with. We also tend to doubt ourselves because we fail to decide on just one career path which then leads to worrying that we could be getting it wrong which then leads to the frantic need to focus.
But before you start thinking that procrastination habit is OK, not everyone is a scanner. There are people who jump from idea to idea that do so because they actually can’t make up their mind about what they want to do or have other reasons for doing so. Continue reading “Are you a scanner? And how to cope if you are.”
The more my blog evolves, the more I find myself writing for busy women. Probably because I am one myself, so I understand the need to want to get more done in less time.
But being busy doesn’t mean you can’t be healthy. So I’m starting a new series of posts to provide you with some tips to help you “hack” your health without using up lots of your valuable time.
First up: Automate your eating.
How much of your time is spent thinking about what you’re going to have for your breakfast/lunch/dinner? Only to then go home and throw a frozen pizza in the oven because you just can’t think about it any longer?
Trust me. I’ve been there and if I’m honest, unless I plan – it still happens.
By automating your eating and planning your meals ahead of time helps you prevent making unhealthy last-minute food choices.
Automating your eating isn’t about eating the exact same thing every day. You can have a small – and make sure it’s small because the point of this exercise is to make your life easier – rota of foods that you can choose from. When you get up in the morning and you know what you’re going to be eating for the day – that’s one less decision you need to make.
Dr Oz has famously said how he eats blueberries and greek yogurt every morning because it saves him time debating over what to have for breakfast and therefore avoids the dreaded decision fatigue that so many of us encounter on a daily basis.
