Supernatural Botanicals

Hitting that hour-long cardio class today?  Read this recent study and you may just skip the class all together.

In a recent study, people who used kettlebells torched a whopping 400 calories in 20 minutes.

Kettlebells have made strength training fun and interesting with its new design, enabling the exerciser to perform a multitude of moves that were otherwise not possible with simple hand weights.

Entire classes, and even gyms, have been created based on the practice of kettlebell exercise.  Consider jazzing up your strength routine with kettlebells, and torch 400 calories in 20 minutes while you’re at it.

You might be surprised to learn that adding a little salt to your bath water can actually help improve your circulation.  Bath salts also reduce tenderness.  They are recommended for people with back pain, arthritis, muscle tension or spasms, and minor work and sports injuries.  They’re great for easing stiff, sore, muscles and aching feet and legs. Perfect for post-workout relief for sore muscles.Bath salts open the pores to purify the skin, cleansing away dirt, sweat, and toxins. They aid in the healing of dry skin, making skin softer and more supple. Salts can help improve common irritations such as insect bites, minor rashes, and calluses on feet, as well as more serious skin conditions like athlete’s foot, eczema, and psoriasis. High quality salts may also help improve the appearance of scars.  Salts made with essential oils offer the added benefit of aromatherapy. Pleasant, soothing scents have been shown to induce calmness and promote relaxation. Scented bath salts combine these attributes with other healing properties. The ability to relax and unwind at the end of the day is also the best way to insure sound, restful sleep at night, and bath salts can help.

Check out the Bath Salts at Supernatural Botanicals for blissful bathing.

Lavender essential oil has a vast range of healing and therapeutic properties.  When using skincare or aromatherapy products, be sure the ingredients contain “lavender essential oil”, not lavender fragrance oil, in order to receive the healing and therapeutic benefits of pure lavender. 

The following are just some of the many reasons to use lavender for it’s healing abilities.

Nervous System: Lavender essential oil has a calming scent which makes it an excellent tonic for the nerves. Therefore, it helps in treating migraines, headaches, anxiety, depression, nervous tension and emotional stress. The refreshing aroma removes nervous exhaustion and restlessness and increases mental activity.

Sleep: Lavender essential oil induces sleep and hence it is often recommended for insomnia.

Pain Relief: Lavender essential oil is also an excellent remedy for various types of pains including those caused by sore muscles, tense muscles, muscular aches, rheumatism, sprains, backache and lumbago. A regular massage with lavender oil provides relief from pain in the joints.

Urine Flow: Lavender essential oil is good for urinary disorders as it stimulates urine production. It helps in restoring hormonal balance and reduces cystitis or inflammation of the urinary bladder. It also reduces any associated cramps.

Respiratory Disorders: Lavender oil is extensively used for various respiratory problems including throat infections, flu, cough, cold, asthma, sinus congestion, bronchitis, whooping cough, laryngitis, and tonsillitis. The oil is either used in the form of vapour or applied on the skin of neck, chest and back. It is also added in many vaporizers and inhalers used for cold and coughs.

Skin Care: The health benefits of lavender oil for the skin can be attributed to its antiseptic and antifungal properties. It is used to treat various skin disorders such as acne, wrinkles, psoriasis, and other inflammations. It heals wounds, cuts, burns, and sunburns rapidly as it aids in the formation of scar tissues. Lavender oil is added to chamomile to treat eczema.

Hair Care: Lavender essential oil is useful for the hair as it can be very effective on lice and lice eggs or nits.

Blood Circulation: Lavender essential oil is also good for improving blood circulation. It lowers blood pressure and is used for hypertension.

Digestion: Lavender oil is useful for digestion as it increases the mobility of the intestine. The oil also stimulates the production of gastric juices and bile and thus aids in treating indigestion, stomach pain, colic, flatulence, vomiting and diarrhoea.

Immunity: Regular use of lavender essential oil provides resistance to diseases.

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 Try Supernatural Botanicals Lavender Water Linen Spray to experience the benefits of pure lavender essential oils.

There’s a reason why most hot wings taste so ridiculously delicious…it’s because they’re fried.  Not to worry, though, there’s a way to do hot wings better. Instead of frying the wings, blast them at 450 degrees on a cookie sheet in the oven.  Use a cookie sheet with edges, as the wings will produce liquid. Line the tray with tin foil first for easy clean up.  Lay the wings in a single layer, then blast them in a 450 degree oven until cooked thoroughly, about 20-25  minutes.  At the very end of cooking time, place them right under the broiler and blast them for an extra minute to get the skin good and crispy. Immediately place them into a bowl and drown them in Red Hot hot sauce.  The regular recipe calls for butter and Red Hot, but you can eliminate more calories by omitting this step.  The hot sauce will still stick to the wings. Go easy on the bleu cheese dressing, but heavy on carrot sticks and celery, and you’ll have a skinnier post-Superbowl victory dance.

Meditation.  It’s a beautiful thing.  Now hang on, don’t grab your latte and go running for the door just yet.

Meditation, perhaps to your surprise, is not only reserved for the deep-thinking, tree-hugging, granola-eating individuals of the world.  And those of us who practice meditation regularly, we have all been on that side of the fence at one point, too.  Many of us have thought it was too new-agey or down right flaky, that is, until we tried it.

Meditation can be simply sitting in a quiet room, concentrating on your breath slowly in and out, for no longer than a minute.  Yes, even one minute can bring great benefits to your life.  Consider the wonderful benefits below, then contemplate at least one minute of time just for yourself today.  After all, you’ll never know until you try..so dig right into the concept of taking a minute of  “me” time and start to notice how you feel.  Who knows, you just might have a craving for granola afterward!

Here are just a few of the hundreds of benefits meditation offers:

Physiological benefits:
1- It lowers oxygen consumption.
2- It decreases respiratory rate.
3- It increases blood flow and slows the heart rate.
4- Increases exercise tolerance.
5- Leads to a deeper level of physical relaxation.
6- Good for people with high blood pressure.
7- Reduces anxiety attacks by lowering the levels of blood lactate.
8- Decreases muscle tension
9- Helps in chronic diseases like allergies, arthritis etc.
10- Reduces Pre-menstrual Syndrome symptoms.

Psychological Benefits:

1- Builds self-confidence.
2- Increases serotonin level, influences mood and behavior
3- Resolve phobias & fears
4- Helps control own thoughts
5- Helps with focus & concentration
6- Increase creativity
7- Increased brain wave coherence
8- Improved learning ability and memory
9- Increased feelings of vitality and rejuvenation
10- Increased emotional stability

Spiritual Benefits:

1- Helps keep things in perspective
2- Provides peace of mind, happiness
3- Helps you discover your purpose
4- Increased self-actualization
5- Increased compassion
6- Growing wisdom
7- Deeper understanding of yourself and others
8- Brings body, mind, spirit in harmony
9- Deeper Level of spiritual relaxation
10- Increased acceptance of one’s self

If you’re anything like the rest of the working class in America, chances are, you are starved for sleep.  Dropping into bed at 11:30 p.m, only to wake again at 5 a.m. is robbing you of much needed mental functioning.  But, there’s good news.  If you aren’t getting enough sleep Monday through Friday, sleeping in late on Saturday or Sunday can undo the damage.  According to a UPenn study, a full 10 hours of rest one night a week can boost energy and increase your mood.

It’s the second week in January….are you still keeping your fitness goals?  Keep yourself inspired and motivated with magazine subscriptions to fitness magazines.   Fitness magazines, such as Oxygen, Self, or Shape magazines keep you learning and yearning for more.  It’s literally the gift that keeps on giving.  Each month you’ll learn about new techniques and exercises to help you achieve a lean, strong, and healthy body.  And if you subscribe to a fitness magazine, you’ll get a new dose of inspiration every 30  days.  Without a doubt, you’ll see a body in those magazines that inspire you to work out harder, eat better, and push yourself to achieve your fitness goals.  From rookies to advanced gym rats, you’ll find something inspirational every single month.  *Frugal tip:  Borrow magazines from the library and have access to all the fitness magazines on the newsstands.

For decades we’ve heard we should avoid feeding our children sugar, fearing that it will make them hyper.  But according to new studies, scientists no longer believe that to be true.

Scientists have found no connection between sugar and hyperactivity.  The theory is…sugar is a carbohydrate that our bodies use for energy.  It shouldn’t make you more hyper than if you ate any other carbohydrate. 

Sugar, of course, can lead to tooth decay and obesity, but as far as it being linked to hyperactivity, there’s no concrete evidence to prove such a theory.

Look at this LifeCORE bike….Fancy!  It has all the bells and whistles with 12 challenging programs.  The cool mesh seat makes it extra comfy.  Wouldn’t you love to mix up your cardio routine with this bike?  Well, you can!  Click on over to Shape magazine your chance to win this bike!