New Years Changes

"At least three times a day ask yourself what is really important. Have the wisdom and the courage to build your life around your answer." Dr. Lee Jampolsky

Like a lot of other people, I start off the New Year trying to improve mind and body. I have read two books that have really helped me along this path.

I came across this blog several months ago.
As soon as I saw this lady was coming out with a book I added it to my amazon cart. The subtitle sounded like the exact intervention I needed. While I am pretty aware of too much screen time, my things to do lists were really taking me over. I tracked the shipping and saw my book would be arriving on Friday- perfect! Nothing like having a whole weekend to enjoy a new book. But then I got an email from UPS that my package would be delayed due to icy roads. So I had to wait until Wednesday. Fear not - I had plenty to keep me busy for the weekend. So far this book is just what I needed to help me with my goal. I can't say much of the information or strategies are exactly new but it is great timing to read this book while trying to focus on what really matters.

So now that I am nurturing my soul, I needed to work on my body. There was no denying that my ski pants fit a lot better last year. But even more than getting clothes to feel loser, I wanted to get rid of my migraines.

Here is a little back info: I have been plagued with migraines since being a teenager. Over time I have figured out a few culprits (fake sugar) but for the most part I have relied pretty heavily on Relpax for the last ten years. Now I have new insurance which does not cover this pricey fix and rather than starting to search for another drug I figured I wanted to try to find out the root cause.

A friend of my raved about The Conscious Cleanse so I bought the book, started using my blender for green smoothies instead of fun cocktails and geared up for this big change by weening myself off of caffeine and most sugar. In September I did my first conscious cleanse. The first four days were HELL, sugar withdrawal is an awful experience. I was sure I must be sick with some potent virus. But after I got all the sugar out of my system I really started to feel the benefits. The most amazing thing was not needing to take any sort of painkiller (Advil or Relpax) for almost four months. (Without really wanting to, I confirmed the sugar- migraine connection when I ate too many Christmas cookies....ugh!). At any rate- without sounding preachy- I want all my fellow migraine sufferers to know what I wish my neurologist told me ten years ago- sugar can cause migraines.

Side note: one of my favorite parts of the Conscious Cleanse was the focus on taking time for yourself, including baths. I bought six bags of these Epsom salt baths photoed below. This link also tells all the benefits of Epsom salt.

Great article: The Power of Epsom Salt