The Elf Blog

Holiday Health

The days are shorter and colder and damper, yet the pace of life is getting faster.  It can make it very difficult to stay in good shape for the holidays.  You aren't likely to enjoy the holidays if you are ill. 

So make taking care of yourself part of your holiday routine:

• Try your very best to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night.  If you are well-rested, it's easier to fight off germs; plus, you''ll be more productive when you are awake.
• Make sure at least one meal a day is healthy.  It's easy to succumb to fast food when things get hectic.  If you have to go that route, try the healthier options, like a roasted chicken and a premade salad from the grocery store.  Just as fast as burgers, but with actual nutritional content.
• Get some exercise that isn't running around a mall or doing laundry.  You can take a walk on your lunch hour or just use the stairs instead of the elevator.  Whatever you can do to keep yourself moving will be a help.
• Schedule in some quiet time at least once a week.  Your brain and your body need time to recharge.

Fall Health

On the East Coast, Fall is finally here.  The days are brisk and the nights are growing cold.

It's important to take extra care of yourself during this time of year. 

• If you're sick, stay home and get well.  I'm all for sharing, but not your germs.
• Keep tissues with you so you can practice good coughing and sneezing etiuette.
• Get enough rest and exercise and try to eat properly.  The healthier you are to start, the better you'll be able to fight the germs.
• Fall winds and heat from the furnace can dry your skin.  Make moisturizing part of your daily routine.
• Just because the days are colder doesn't mean you can abandon your sunscreen.  The sun shines in the fall and winter and, in the winter, it reflects off the snow.  Moisturizer and lip balm with at least SPF 15 should be part of your daily routine.

Take good care of yourself so you can get outside to enjoy the beautiful autumn days.

An Elf Recommendation

On my recent vacation, I visited a magical place.  No, not the North Pole.  In my world, that's a business trip!

I made two visits to the Spa at Colonial Williamsburg.  Any spa treatment comes with access to the steam room, hot tub, and lounges.  The amenities include everything from beauty products and chilled cloths dampened with lavender water to custom-blended teas and almonds.  (You can purchase the beauty products and teas at the spa boutique.  If you run out once you get home, they'll ship.)

The staff is solicitous and professional; thoroughly competent, yet charming and helpful. A wide variety of treatments are offered, so you have plenty of choice.  They even have a special suite where couples or mothers and daughters or best friends can receive treatments side-by-side.

There is one significant danger:  you may never want to leave, it's so relaxing and lovely.

Now, you'll notice this blog post isn't categorized as a money-saving venture.  Well, it isn't one.  This isn't an inexpoensive treat.  It's a splurge.  But it's worth it!

Rethinking a Fresh Start

For obvious reasons, people tend to tie their fresh starts to the new year.  On January 1, people start exercise programs or diets, start getting organized, and decide to save more money.

But there's no reason to be bound by the conventional calendar approach.  In fact, now is a great time for a fresh start.

If you want to start an exercise program, now is a great time.  Gyms are less crowded.  They offer special deals and it's easier to book time with a personal trainer. When it's hot and humid outside, I'm more likely to drag myself into a nice air-conditioned gym.  Workout clothes like shorts, t-shirts, tanks, and swimsuits are also likely to be on sale.

When is a better time to start a diet:  in the middle of the winter when it's cold and you want lots of comfort foods or the height of the summer, when fresh fruits and vegetables fill the farmer's markets at good prices.  Plus, on a summer evening, a nice salad topped with leftover grilled chicken sounds way more appealing than heating the house up by cooking.

As for organizing your time well, now's a perfect time to start.  For many of us, the year really runs on the school schedule.  That means things heat up again in the next few weeks.  That gives a new chance to make choices between outside activities.  How many committees do you want to volunteer for?  How many activities will your kids sign up for?  How much will you take on?  Start making those choices.  And don't forget to block out some time that remains purposely unscheduled. 

If you want to organize your things, now's a great time.  Lots of storage solutions go on sale at this time of year because of college students.  Also, if you want to get rid of things, thrift shops seem to be more empty around this time of year, so they need more donations.

As for saving money:  it's always a good time to save!

Spring Health

As spring settles in, it's a good time to think about your springtime health habits.

The temperatures get warmer which means it's time to give extra attention to hydrating well.  Focus on drinking more water each day.  If you want something a little more exciting, get sparkling water or club soda and add a squeeze of lemon or lime or orange or tangerine or grapefruit or a shot of pomegranate or cranberry juice.  I also like to make iced herbal tea, sweetened with some apple juice.

Also, it's essential to wear sunscreen every day.  Look for a moisturizer with a good sunscreen and you can kill two birds with one stone.

As the weather gets nicer, get outside and walk around, jump rope, do yard work, roller skate, anything to get your heart pumping and your muscles moving.  Moving around will also help you sleep better.

During spring, the world comes back to life!  Make sure that you do too!

Holiday Stress

With Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, holiday stress is on the horizon. The key to controlling holiday stress is understanding its source.

Do you leave everything until the last minute?  Then use the Thanksgiving and Christmas countdowns to prepare a little each week.

Do you overschedule yourself?  If so, you'll need to exercise more discipline with your calendar.  You don't have to go everywhere and do everything.  Prioritize the activities and events that mean the most. 

Do you try to do everything yourself?  Ask for help or use shortcuts, such as prepared party foods or gift wrap services.

Do you hold yourself to an unrealistic standard?  Remember, all the holiday scenes you see on tv are created by teams of experts who have multiple takes to get it right.  Make you and your loved ones happy.  that's all that counts.

It's November!

Somehow, it got to be November when I wasn't looking!  This fall seems to have gone VERY fast.  But as the cold weather sets in to stay, here are some tips:

• Give extra attention to moisturizer, lip balm, and sunscreen.  Winter cold and wind as well as dry central heat can be nasty to the skin.
• If your exercise routine depends on walking or running outdoors, you may find yourself cutting back as the weather gets bad.  Spend some time now finding an indoor alternative such as yoga, pilates, etc.  You may also want to check local high schools and colleges to see if any offer inexpensive access to indoor tracks or weight rooms.
• Remember to stay hydrated.  Water and herbal teas are especially good choices.
• It's easy to pack on the weight during the winter since activity is often reduced and many comfort foods are high in calories.  Consider having a few soup and salad dinners. 
• Since it gets dark earlier, make sure that your exterior lights work well and that you can be seen if out walking at night.
• Get your winter coats out of storage and make sure they still fit and are in good repair.
• Put heavierweight (or more) blankets and conforters on your beds so you can turn the heat down at night.
• Invest in inexpensive draft blockers for your doors.  You really don't need to heat the great outdoors!

Halloween Safety

With only three days left until Halloween, it's time to make final safety preparations:

• If you have kids who will be trick or treating, check your weather forecast for Friday evening to make sure that they will be warm enough.  Consider putting a few layers of fleece or a turtle neck or long underwear underneath a costume.  If rain is expected, make sure you have plenty of umbrellas handy.
• Everyone who will be on the streets should have plenty of reflective tape on their costumes.  Buy a role at a home improvement store and stick it all over.  Glowsticks can add to a costume AND make you more visible.  Of course, several flashlights are a requirement.
• Make sure that a costume isn't so long or cumbersome that the wearer is likely to trip and fall.  Hospitals are not fun on Halloween.
• Makeup allows better vision than masks.
• Make sure that no parts of a costume flutter.  If they do, exercise exceptional care around candles or other flames.
• Limit use of candles in decorating.  If you do use them, make sure they are enclosed.
• Keep all pets inside after dark on Halloween.  Don't let a pet outside unless you are right there.
• Always trick or treat in neighborhoods you know and immediately toss any unwrapped candy.
• Enjoy the frights, but be careful of those who have a lower "scare threshhold."

Have a spooky, but safe, Hallloween.

Health and Beauty in Fall and Winter

Last week we talked about getting your house ready for the change of seasons.  But as the days grow shorter and the weather grows colder, it's necessary to prepare yourself for the change too.

Cold weather and central heating can dry out your skin, making regular moisturizing absolutely critical.  During the day, using a moisturizer and lip gloss with spf protection is a very good idea.  Moisturizing post-shower and before bed is also beneficial.  Limiting caffeine intake and drinking plenty of water builds moisture fro the inside out.

Eating well and getting enough sleep (that's at LEAST 7 hours a night) will help you fight off all those annoying winter bugs. Plus, a healthy diet and rest will give you more energy to do all the things you need to do.

Humidity is Not My Friend

I hate humidity which makes my residing in Washington, D.C. not the best of ideas.  When you live in a humid climate, you just have to accept that much of the summer will be terribly unpleasant.

Some things to keep in mind:

• If you are entertaining, make sure that there are plenty of non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated beverages and that there is a shady and cool place for folks to go if they get overheated.  When it's humid, your perspiration doesn't evaporate as fast which makes it less effective as a coolant.
• Bugs love humid weather, so if you entertain in the evenings, have extra bug spray and other deterrents.
• Put your dry clean clothing away.  You are going to sweat.  A lot.  Don't add high dry cleaning bills to the discomfort.
• Accept that your hair will look stupid.
• Try to limit periods of extended outdoor exertion.  Go outside and exercise, but break it into smaller periods and stay hydrated.
• If you get heat rash from damp skin rubbing against itself, use Neosporin.  I swear, that stuff is magic,  It heals nasty heat rash with a single application.