Healthier Lifestyle Tips

Disclaimer: I received this product for free from Momsmeet.com. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.

Relaxing can be hard. Especially during the holidays. This is why I was over the moon to I received this CBD kit from cbdMD. CBD products, including oils, tinctures, bath bombs, gummies, and more. The specific kit I received included three bath bombs, one of each the relax, rejuvenate, and restore product lines, along with two tinctures. Now you may be asking, why CBD oils at bath time? Here are a few reasons why. 

What is CBD oil?

Cannabidiol, commonly known as CBD, is by far one of the most studied compounds of the 116-plus known cannabinoids found in industrial hemp. The natural compound byproduct of the plant, comprising up to 40 percent of hemp. Unlike THC, CBD is non-intoxicating and non-habit-forming.

About cbdMD

We all want what is best for our family. And our own personal self-care. Which is cbdMD uses only the highest third-party testing standards to ensure that its full product line is vegan, non-GMO, THC-free, and in low-waste packaging. All while power-packed with CBD power. So no matter which products you use, cbdMD’s mission remains true: To support and protect wellness—the natural way.

This past month I was able to try out their 300mg tincture, in natural flavor. What I really liked about this product, is its lack of taste, making it easy to take alone or add to my morning juice or tea. To use, simply, fill the dropper, put it under your tongue for 30-60 seconds and then swallow.  Or add to your favorite beverage, as I did. It’s also worth pointing out that you can also opt for their other flavors, including berry or mint, too. I also enjoyed their nighttime pom version as well before bed. Taken 30-minutes before bed, this deliciously flavored tincture, which includes natural mint flavor and features sleep-providing melatonin and other herbal extracts, will remain my favorite part of my nighttime ritual to help me make the most of my precious hours sleeping ahead. 

Relaxing with cbdMD

As a plant-based princess myself, it also bears repeating that cbdMD is vegan, non-GMO, fair trade, and are made with USA grown hemp. I was really excited about this line of products. Especially their bath bombs. Made with both CBD and essential oils, each bath bomb contains 100mg of premium CBD, with no artificial dyes or preservatives.  It’s also non-staining and absorption-safe. In fact, after ing this line of bath bombs I didn’t have the dreaded water stains around the waterline. A huge bonus in my book, which is why I can’t wait to try more of the bath bombs.

The bundle that I received can be purchased on the website for $89.99. It’s a great deal and they also have other bundles and everything is available as singles as well including other items such as gummies, topicals, and capsules. You can use the code MOMSMEET to save 15% off your order at cbdmd.com.

Friends, do you plan on trying cbdMD to relax, recoup, and rejuvenate your mind and body this holiday season at home? Leave your thoughts in the comments below. 

Yoga can be intimidating if you’ve never tried it before, especially if you’re a little anxious about your body. But who could blame you? If social media is anything to go by, you can only do yoga if you’re young, skinny and donning Lululemon. But this couldn’t be further from what yoga is supposed to be about.

If you’ve decided that you need self-care in your schedule each day and yoga isn’t on your list yet, these genuine benefits of this ancient practice could get you onto the matt.

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Break Cycles of Destructive Behaviours

If you’ve attempted to give up a vice, you’ll know how hard it can be to break habits. Many people make the mistake of focusing their attention on the behavior itself, rather than understanding that addictive behavior is often a symptom of a more profound imbalance in another area of your life. These imbalances could be linked to stress and anxiety. If you’re trying to kick a bad habit, yoga could help you find the calm and focus you need to identify the cause of your imbalances and start to correct them. You’ll develop an awareness of the ways that your body and mind interact to generate your impulses, meaning you’ll be more likely to notice when you’re acting impulsively. Learning to read the signals your body is sending is a great way to boost your ability to avoid things that cause you harm.

Shift Your Focus Away From Beauty

Despite what our youth-obsessed culture may be telling us, the motivation to do yoga should not be in order to look more attractive in selfies. Yoga is not about weight loss at all, but it can help you understand the more intricate and profound ways that your body composition impacts your overall mental and physical health. This shift away from weight and other culture-driven beauty standards can be a really profound experience for senior women, who often have the experience of feeling overlooked by society.

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Fix Your Posture

In yoga, you’ll learn to attend closely to the experience of being in your body. The closer attention you pay to how your body feels when you’re in various postures—especially when you hold them for a few long breaths—the more you’re able to anticipate what would make your practice feel more sustainable and comfortable. Once you start to develop a sensitivity to the way your body feels while you’re practicing yoga, you naturally notice how you’re standing, sitting or carrying yourself in your everyday life. This focus on posture and alignment has profound health benefits, especially when it comes to aging, and can greatly enhance your self-esteem.

Yoga should be accessible for everyone to try, but it’s understandable that many people get nervous the first time. These real benefits could help you get over your inhibitions.

Please note: This post is sponsored by Diamond Bloggers. All opinions expressed are my own. 

Have you ever noticed how aches and pains seem to pop up frequently during the colder months of the year? With winter quickly approaching more and more people will find their back pain, especially lower back pain, being exasperated during the holiday season at home. In fact, the United States National Library of Medicine states that “Acute low back pain is most often caused by a sudden injury to the muscles and ligaments supporting the back.

The types of pain that may be caused by muscle spasms or a strain or tear in the muscles and ligaments.” Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, and Psoriatic Arthritis are all subject to being in more pain during the cold months of winter. Particularly for those living with Allodynia, a condition where people can forecast the onset of cold weather based on the amount of pain they are in due to changes in weather patterns. As cold weather often leaves patients suffering from back pain to have more sensitive, shrunken nerve endings and surrounding back and joint muscle tension. 

So if you’re anything like me and suffer from winter stressed back pain, or are looking for some prevention tips, you’re in luck. As below I’ve pulled together simple ways to help prevent it at home this season to help you get started on the road to better back health this season ahead*:

Five reasons your back hurts more in winter

A lack of physical exertion

Winter weather often dictates more sedentary activities at home. With prolonged periods of sitting curled up in chairs, beds, and the like to keep warm. Periods that can lead to poor posture that causes excessive stress being placed on your back. These hygee-inspired seasons also lend themselves to periods of less intentional exercise. This coupled with cold, wintery days with fewer daylight hours aids in your body deconditioning itself to normative strength and stability. A lack of movement can cause muscle tightness and joint stiffness if you don’t stretch out all the muscles and joints regularly. 

As our muscles tend to tense up in the cold which can result in increased muscle tension, leaving you feeling achy throughout the day. And for those who experience chronic back pain, cold weather often leads to longer periods of time at home with the feeling of tighter and more painful back issues. 

Overeating

Most people would agree that winter is the season for rich, hearty foods. Heavy, carb-laden dishes, sugary treats, and creamy sauces are all staples of the Standard American diet. Many people also report being hungrier in winter, with stronger cravings and an increased urge to snack. Is this winter appetite all in our heads, or is there a reason why we may want to eat more in cold weather? According to science, there are several biological reasons why. Such as cold weather stimulating our survival impulses. As long before humans lived in climate-controlled dwellings and were able to purchase a dazzling array of food by mail, winter was a hazardous time of year. Autumn’s harvest dictating survivability throughout the colder months of the year. For this reason, the urge to binge on food at the first hint of chilly weather is deeply ingrained in our biological makeup. It’s a survival impulse, much in the same way animals put on body fat in preparation for hibernation. It also explains why we crave foods that are rich in carbs, sugar, and fat during the winter. Its a biological means of self-preservation. 

Eating also makes us warmer. Consuming calories also helps to warm the body up. As cold weather makes your body temperature drop, you could feel an urge to eat more. However, this same urge to consume high-sugar, high-fat foods, can cause a spike in your blood sugar levels followed by a dip in equal measure of A1C levels. Leaving you feeling colder, hungrier, and putting yourself at risk of putting on weight due to excess calorie consumption.

This is also seen in those who have the winter blues.  Shorter days spent indoors means that many of us are exposed to little sunlight each day which can result in vitamin D deficiency. A key neurotransmitter that helps regulate feelings of wellbeing and sleep, which is generated by exposure to sunlight. Deficiencies that have been linked to the onset of Seasonal Affective Disorder, a form of depression associated with the shorter days of winter which affects many people in countries where winter brings increased darkness. This is why it is important also to eat plenty of foods rich in tryptophan, an amino acid needed for normal growth in infants and for nitrogen balance in adults, such as leafy greens, and broccoli to offset SAD symptoms in winter. 

Then there’s our culture associates rich, wintery foods. Though there are biological reasons why we may crave more food in winter, there are also psychological reasons, too! From childhood, we are taught to associate winter with comfort foods and time-honored, cultural recipes. Foods often linked to celebrations such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year.  Festivities traditionally linked to feasting and self-indulgence, that when combined with deep-seated familiar associations, contribute to our urge to eat more during the winter months. All of which contributes to seasonal weight gain and exasperated back and disc health.

Dehydration

Dehydration is most commonly thought of as a hot-weather health concern, but in cold weather, dehydration can also be a significant health risk. During the winter months, sweat evaporates more rapidly in cold, dry air, leading to dehydration. Cooler temperatures can also reduce the body’s thirst response as we lose more fluids through respiratory water loss than on warm days. When you can see your breath in the cold air, that’s actually water vapor that your body is losing. The colder the temperature and the more intense the exercise, the more vapor you lose when you breathe. Coupled with wearing heavy jackets, long underwear, hats, scarves, and the like that help your body conserve heat. An added factor in winter dehydrations. Especially for young children, older adults, and people with chronic illnesses such as bulging disc,  herniated disc, sciatica,  and stenosis. 

Barometric Pressure

The additional pressure can also exacerbate injuries that you thought might not be there or might have been gone. This is why it’s important to see a doctor after accidental falls or car collisions. There may be invisible injuries like whiplash that can get much worse in the cold. Not only should you ensure it’s being treated, but if the accident was another person’s fault, then an attorney like Dennis Hernandez can help, but only if you have the evidence that the injury exists. Then you can get the compensation you need for treatment, rather than be surprised by new back pain in the winter and have no way to address it.

Many people say they experience back, shoulder pain, and joint pain either just before a storm. Implying that their bodies are able to register the barometric pressure changes that occur during such times. However, to date, there is no scientific evidence proving a correlation between declining atmospheric pressure and back pain. Science does prove that when you’re cold, the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in your back tighten and become less flexible, thereby making them much more prone to injuries and increased periods of sustained back pain.  A  2007 Tufts University study concluded that 10-degree drops in ambient temperature were linked to incremental increases in arthritic pain. Even The Weather Channel devotes a healthy living section to a daily Aches and Pains Index. Making the need to keep joints and discs warm in colder months of the utmost priority. 

Sleep

The amount of sleep you get each night dictates how you feel the next morning. But aside from impacting how alert you are at work, sleep, or a lack thereof,  can have serious effects on back health.  According to the National Sleep Foundation, more than half of American adults report experiencing insomnia symptoms in a given year. A condition often marked by restless and frequently interrupted sleep cycles, which can be caused by a variety of factors including stress, chronic pain, medications, and lifestyle changes. Among the common factors that lead to insomnia is chronic back pain. While back pain may cause insomnia, researchers have found that insomnia also makes symptoms of back pain worse. Since the time we spend sleeping is crucial for allowing the body time to recharge, those who don’t get a full night’s rest are more likely to experience bouts of pain brought about by poor physical health. which is why getting 8 hours of sleep is necessary to allow your body the rest it needs in order to perform its best, decrease inflammation that causes recurring back pain, lower stress, and manage your emotional health.

How to prevent back pain in winter

While there are numerous reasons for cold-weather induced back pain, there are ways you can work towards decreasing your back pain in equal measure including: 

1. Movement. Maintaining a consistent exercise plan, including stretching routines, can help to better your back health during colder months by keeping your blood flowing.
2. Hydrate. Drink plenty of water and keep your body hydrated. Water flushes out, provides cushioning, and lubricates your joints and discs, especially in the back. This helps keep your back and joint cells full of essential fluids and nutrients as well as protecting the intestinal tract lining from damage by way of food-related enzymes that can negatively interact with back health.
3. Better sleep. Getting 8 hours of sleep is not a myth relegated to sleep-deprived toddler moms in the trenches battling co-sleeping rituals or hipster shop owners. For your body needs rest in order to perform its best. Giving yourself the 8 plus hours adults need each evening gives your body, and back, the added benefit of decreasing the inflammation which causes pain.
4. Avoid stress. The winter holidays can be more stressful than joyous by various estimations. This is why finding means to have a simplifier, less-stressful holidays are key. Steps that help to bring you physical, and financial peace of mind, while also allowing you to better relax and manage your emotional health throughout the colder months ahead.
5. Go to the leafy side. Avoiding foods that sabotage your immune system, spike A1C levels, decrease SAD symptoms, and aggravate back pain inflammation can all greatly add to your health during the winter. Striving to eat a diet full of dark, leafy greens, nutrient-rich carbs, lower triglyceride levels, and immune-building vegetables will allow your body to naturally maintain your overall health. Including healthier meal planning, finding healthier versions of your favorite comfort foods, and indulging in healthier snacks throughout the day to keep your metabolism, and back health, running at full speed. 
6. Keep warm. Treat back pain with heat. As heat application allows softback tissues to stretch around the spine, for back muscles, connective tissue, and adhesions. The added benefit of back stiffness can lead to greater back flexibility and overall comfort. Trying a heating pad or hot water bottle can help relax sensitive areas, too.
7. Get outdoors. spending as little as 30-minutes during daylight hours getting some sun on your exposed skin can help you give your body essential daily levels of vitamin D. Promoting better sleep, adequate serotonin levels, decreasing SAD symptoms, and allowing you to live with less inflammation throughout the day. Speak to your physician about adding a daily vitamin D, Omega 3, and Vitamin C supplement can help maintain healthy joints and back health, too. 

Persistent winter back pain

Those living with persistent back pain, and acute lower back and neck pain caused by a sudden injury to the muscles and ligaments supporting the back should take even better care of their back health in winter. As the cold weather problems mentioned above can be caused by muscle spasms or a strain or tear in the muscles and ligaments. Those living with acute back pain are subject to periods of inflammation by just performing their regular chores and activities, making it uber important to keep an eye on back health during the holiday season, especially for those living in areas of heavy annual snow accumulation. 

As snow accumulation will likely get heavier when it’s wet and shoveling puts a strain on your heart, and back. And if you have no choice but to shovel, wear a hat, gloves, and waterproof shoes. Always lifting with your legs, and not your back. To push snow rather than lift it, and to not get in a cycle shoveling in the same direction. Make sure to regularly switch directions. This helps to keep different muscles and ligaments moving in tandem and helps to prevent actual back pain.  Remember, snow shoveling is not a race. When shoveling snow, take small breaks, stretch your back, and maintain a steady, not exhausting pace for yourself. 

For persistent, ongoing back pain lasting longer than one month or for those suspecting they have degenerative disc disease, you should consult with your primary health care provider. As they may send you to see either an orthopedist or neurologist for recommending epidural injections or referrals to pain management clinics, physical therapists, or physiotherapy centers. Experts trained in sports injuries, neck pain, headaches, chiropractic methods, massage therapy, thermal pain relief, acupressure, or acupuncturist aid. 

Winter back pain can be a real bear. so if you feel like your lower back pain worsens on days when it’s cold or the weather is changing, or from drops in barometric pressure and outdoor temperature causing increased pain in your back, the above-mentioned tips can help. Now, I want to ask, do you currently have steps in place to help lessen winter back pain at home or do you regularly utilize the help of specialists to help with back pain or degenerative disc disease? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

*Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor or Registered Dietitian. The information presented is purely to share my experience. As always, check with a doctor before making any fitness or nutrition changes. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any activities or ideas derived from this site. All information and resources found on TheLadyPrefers2Save.com are based on the opinions of the author (unless otherwise noted). All information is intended to motivate readers to make their own health, nutrition, and fitness decisions after consulting with their health care provider. Including meal prep education and recipe ideas.  If you are seeking help due to depression, or Seasonal Affective Disorder, please contact the SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), This is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations. Callers can also order free publications and other information. Thank you.

We are rapidly approaching the end of another year and with that comes the time that many of us think ahead with resolutions and goals for the next twelve months. Some of them may be focused on fitness or diet, others may be to do with your lifestyle or general life choices. Self-improvement should always be high on the agenda, and so it may be time to start thinking about some of the goals you could embrace in the new year. With that in mind, here are some suggestions. 

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Your confidence 

Is it time you thought about how confident you are? A lot of the time we can all feel a title low or doubt ourselves in many areas of our lives and more specifically this can have a lot to do with the way we think about ourselves. So why not tackle that inner critic and demons we all have about the way we look and feel. It could be that your teeth are a big issue, forcing you to avoid smiling in pictures and generally being the centre of attention. You could find out pricing and payment options for dental implants and also look at other options such as braces or teeth whitening. Speaking with your dentist could help you put a plan of action in place. Maybe it is your skincare, the way you dress, or just generally feeling good in your own skin. There are things that you can actively do and set goals towards to help boost your confidence in the new year ahead. 

Your mindset

Your mind is one of the biggest assets in our lives, and subsequently one of the most powerful influences. So if you have a negative mindset, you may want to think about how you can ensure that this gets resolved in the new year. There are many ways you can overcome negativity in your life. Setting goals is a great way to do it, along with working on the inner conversation you have with yourself. A positive mindset can help you in other areas of your life, so it is a great focus and goal to have for the new year ahead. 

How healthy are you?

Another thing you may want to think about as self-improvement and setting a goal is to determine how healthy you are. Are you active daily? Are you eating the right foods? These can be. Great goals to have for the new year and happen to be some of the most common resolutions people have such as losing weight or getting fitter. So it could be a great way to ensure that you start off the year in the right way by making your health a priority of self-improvement. 

Your career 

Finally, maybe you have grand plans for your career and lifestyle next year and want to make this a goal. It could be that you want to ensure that you do all that you can to take the next step on the career ladder. Or maybe you like the idea of coming away from your job and starting a new career or even a business of your own. The options are endless and a focus in this area can be great for January and beyond. 

Let’s hope these tips help you when it comes to the self-improvement goals you can embrace in the new year. 

We all hope that the people we know and care about will do well in life, but alas, this isn’t always possible. Life can be pretty complicated at times, and there are always people who fall through the cracks and start moving in the wrong direction. Hopefully, this flirtation with mistakes is just that -a flirtation and they come back to the straight and narrow soon. But sometimes it goes on for longer, and it becomes clear that you have to do something. Below, we take a look at a few ways you can help a friend that’s going down the wrong path. 

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Speak Up

It’s much easier to say nothing at all and to hope that everything just works itself out over time. But if you keep on thinking that way, and things don’t improve, then you’ll kick yourself at one stage or another. Remember, being a friend doesn’t mean just enjoying the good moments; it’s sticking around when the going gets tough. So say something. A little word might just give your friend the wake-up call that they need.

Be There For Them

It’s easy for people who are going through difficult moments to adopt an “it’s us against the world” attitude. They think everyone’s out to get them; sometimes, they’ll be correct, but mostly it’s an incorrect position. However, it’s still best that you avoid the tough love approach if they begin talking in this way. Just be there for them. Of course, you should set boundaries; this isn’t about being a doormat. It’s about letting them know that they have a friend in the world who won’t leave them.

Finding Additional Help and Support

You want to help your friend in any way that you can, but the truth is that you may not have the expertise and knowledge needed to help them through whatever it is they’re going through. But there will be other people that can help. Being a friend might involve conducting research to see what support is available. This could be anything from finding the nearest heroin addiction treatment center to putting your friend in touch with a trained psychologist. When a person is going through a tough period, they’re often incapable of doing the things that would help them to get to a better space. This is where you can come in.

Positive Love and Attention

People don’t just fall into bad situations. Often, it’s because they’re listening to the darker side of their mind, the one that pushes them down and tells them that they’re not worthy. The person can lose all perspective, and forget all their positive qualities. You can function to remind me that while, yes, they’ve got a dark side, they’re also pretty awesome in other ways. It’s all about bringing this other side to the forefront. You can do this by simply building up their confidence through your words, or by gently nudging them to put themselves in places where you know that they would succeed. 

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The word ‘cultured’ can often leave us a little confused. How is it defined, and is this something you should focus on at all costs? Of course, we would hesitate a guess and suggest that while this isn’t the most important thing you could ever do for yourself, it will grant you a real sense of intrigue and enjoyment, and allow you to connect through a shared experience with those you love the most. Also, sometimes being aware of the greatest form of art can help you feel appreciated in this creative zone, and it may lead you down a rabbit hole of appreciation. That can’t be a bad thing.

But how can you become a little more cultured without having to attend pompous socialite parties, or to try and appear cultured without experiencing what that means in the first place? Of course, it’s less difficult than you think. In fact, this can help you build your understanding of a range of different tropes and understandings, potentially giving you the keys to move forward to your best ends.

Please, consider:

Classical Music

It’s often tempting to listen to classical music in the background as if it were simply filler or elevator noise. But that’s not the case. It could be that listening to modern takes on classical compositions, keeping a classical radio station playing whenever you drive, or listening to a few pieces on vinyl can help you see just why this is considered the most incredible ‘genre’ of all, although it quite clearly transcends that definition. If you’re unsure of where to start, consider listening to those celebrated by an author you respect.

Classic Novels

From Dostoyevsky to Tolstoy, Joyce to Twain, Dickens to Austin and Woolfe, becoming a little more cultured is always helped by reading classic novels, perhaps the most celebrated of their craft. There’s something special about reading this kind of content, a language that is rarely used, plots that are complex and well-considered, books that, while old, can bear striking similarities to the lives we live today, at least in their ethical, moral or societal commentaries. You needn’t be the most voracious reader to gain something from this practice, and so we would heartily recommend it.

Broadway Shows

The longest-running Broadway shows can be the longest-running for a reason. That doesn’t happen accidentally in a highly competitive theatrical space. This is why heading to see a great broadway show, especially during the festive season, can be so enjoyable. It can also persuade you to see even more theatre shows, perhaps humble shows ran by local theatre companies in your local environment, or maybe even to start reading about the history of dramatic action itself, such as the greats Chekhov, Stanislavski, and Brecht. With that, you’ll be sure to have an even more cultured understanding regarding the power of theatre.

With this advice, you’re sure to become a little more cultured, in a way that is less than pretentious, but more than enjoyable.