Empowered selfcare, lifestyle strategies & coaching
Safety and security first I’m always surprised at how many women don’t know safety and security go hand in hand with selfcare. Selfcare is an essential tool for Black women to navigate the unique challenges they face in the world. However, selfcare is often thought …
Holiday cooking season Hello fall and winter holiday cooking season, y’all! Nothing says cozy and yummy in this cold climate like a spicy pot of my healthy collard greens recipe. Collard greens are steeped in the traditions of the black diaspora in the Americas and …
Happy holidays to everyone around the world and bon appetite! With all of the delicious dishes being served for the holidays, I can’t forget about drinks. My after dinner holiday tea recipe is a perfect way to end our holiday meal. For different parts of the world, the spices vary for this soothing beverage.
For centuries, people have created beverages as accompaniments to their meals. This is especially true for the holiday and festival seasons. From parts of Africa, the middle and Asia, many drink after dinner teas on regular basis. In Victorian England, these were known as tisanes rather than tea. Tisanes are usually made from fresh or dried plant parts like leaves, flowers, crushed seeds, etc. As to whether or not other folks have their own after dinner holiday tea recipe, I’m guessing I’m not alone.
If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll remember that I’m all about function and flavor. I love creating an after dinner tea recipe each season. Since it’s fall heading into winter, here, it’s time for my holiday blend. today’s recipe is no different and features a blend of spices that are great for the stomach. This after dinner holiday tea recipe also includes spices that remind of you fall and winter goodies! All of these ingredients are particularly great for gut health, which is the back bone of our immune system.
My spice blend is anti-inflammatory, supports the immune system, is anti-microbial and anti-viral. For example, caraway and coriander alleviate bloat, IBS, and indigestion. Other benefits of this tea blend include, helping to alleviate diarrhoea as well as constipation. Mint soothes the stomach and helps alleviate nausea. All if not most of these ingredients, promote a healthy gut, immune system and so much more. You can read more about the benefits in some of my favourite tea recipes like this one by clicking right here!
1. 1/4 cup of ginger (fresh)
2. 1 teaspoon of caraway seeds, freshly ground
3. 1/2 teaspoon of coriander
4. 1/2- 1 whole medium cinnamon stick
5. 1/4 cup of finely shredded mint leaves
6. 1/4 tea spoon of fresh, ground green cardamom
7. 1/4 cup of gingered honey
8. 24 ounces of filtered water
For how to make gingered honey, click here to get the recipe and how you can switch it up for a variety of purposes. Since I’m an avid herbal tea drinker, I love to make my own gingered honey. Don’t be afraid or intimated about making it yourself because it is easy to make. Just keep in mind that you will need to give it sufficient time to cure and develop it’s potency.
Making your after dinner holiday tea
First, bring your water to a gentle boil and then add your fresh ground ingredients. Toss in your cinnamon stick and fresh shredded ginger, turning down the heat to a low simmer for about 10 mins. Next, add your gingered honey with your fine shredded mint leaves for an additional 3-5 mins. Finally, turn off the heat and strain your after dinner holiday tea. You can then garnish your tea with a pinch of fresh mint and add more honey to taste.
Spices add flavour, complexity and in a lot of instances, a variety of healing elements to every dish you create. This is one of the main reasons why I’m so passionate about decolonizing your traditional food ways in addition to knowing what is actually in your food. Food has a tremendous capacity to heal the body and is often the first place to go in order to heal your body naturally. If you have doubts about the power of spices in your food, you can read what John Hopkins Medicine states right here. Also, make sure you subscribe and follow my blog to get the latest updates, posts, and more!
Ginger as a kitchen staple Ginger is one of the most versatile and healing spices (herbs) around my kitchen! In my opinion, there are very few things that beat out ginger when it comes adding a dose of healing to my food and drinks. My …
We are in the last quarter of 2022 and it is time to make the right shift for staying healthy and living your best life! If You’re not there yet, that’s okay because its never too late to improve your life. That being said, there …
For every season we need to make adjustments in our routines, cycles, etc in every area of our lives. That means when it comes to fitness and working out, it’s good idea to make changes for the season too. This is even more true when you start factoring in ageing, etc. Fall fitness for women over 40 makes a lot of sense especially if you want to avoid injuries! Avoiding injuries while working out, should always be your goal if you want to reap the benefits of an active lifestyle.
We need to adapt our lifestyles and routines to each new season during the year. Especially if you want to truly enjoy the year and all it has to offer. Granted, we can’t account for every eventuality, but we can make smart decisions on how to move forward. When it comes to women over 40, we’ve got other things to consider such as bone and hormonal health. This also impacts how and what types, of exercises we engage in. Keeping these fall fitness for women over 40 in mind, is my way helping women stay healthy and active 365 days a year
With the fall comes the usual cold and flu season as well as other potential community health infections and illnesses. It is also a time when our stress and anxiety get elevated, seasonal affective disorder kicks in (colder and northern regions of the world), etc. As we get older, we can become more vulnerable to respiratory and other illness and injury. When you consider hormonal fluctuations, shifts in dietary needs, the potential for loss of mobility and a decline in over all health can increase dramatically.
Yes, there is a right and a wrong way to exercise and you don’t need to be a fitness guru to figure it out either! First off, never abruptly jump into a vigorous and or high intensive workout program / routine. That is one of the best ways to get injured and completely sideline all of your fitness goals. Instead, consult your healthcare provider, fitness coach and get your fitness assessment. If you already have a good idea of your own fitness level, you’re already a quarter of the way to elevating your health and fitness.
As a women’s self-care and health coach for women over 40, I always recommend starting out light and slow to start. Once you’ve got your routine planned and in place, it’s easy to increase your intensity and amount of weight training. You can read more about some of my favorite exercises for women over 40 when you click here. I always say, “let your body be your guide”! This is the main reason why I stress the importance of selfcare because self-care forces you to tune into the needs of your body. Self-care also teaches you body awareness and connectivity. If you’ve ever had the sense that “something” is “off” in your body, then you know what I’m talking about.
1. If you’ve been off of your exercise routine for more than 2 weeks, don’t restart your program with high intensity/ high impact exercises. Instead, start light and focus on exercises that hone in on mobility and flexibility.
2. Always check in with your healthcare provider, health coach, or fitness coach after a long hiatus from working out. It will help you avoid injuries that can affect your long term health and mobility.
3. Get a workout / fitness plan that is geared toward taking advantage of the fall season. For instance, fall is the perfect time for long walks and hikes because it’s neither to hot or too cool.
4. Fall is also one of those times of the year, when you want to make sure you are taking the right supplements to help support your immune system and overall wellness. While supplements can never be a substitute for whole food, it is necessary to add natural supplements, herbs, spices, etc that support and optimise your body functions.
5. Never underestimate the power of a good stretching and mobility routine. Even as I say this to you, I’m always reminding myself to do the same. Frequent and constant stretching routines (i.e. yoga, pilates, etc) will save you from injury and misery. Not only that, one of the downsides of ageing (in general), is the loss of mobility and flexibility. You want to stay toned, avoid aches and pains associated with arthritis and so forth? Start your yoga and or Pilates practice in addition to weight training to maintain your active lifestyle!
Start thinking of “ageing” as the “use it or lose it” principle on steroids, and less like it’s the twilight years of your life. I’m learning that we all have an expiration date that is unspecified and far from guaranteed. Every day in the news, I hear of some young person who’s been struck down in the prime of her/his/their life while others make it well past their 90s. Bottom line? We all live in the dash ”-“ of our time here on earth so why not live it fabulously and with purpose?
Self-care and self-love will help you achieve all of this and more, if you are willing to embrace the journey and gain the courage to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Plus, anything worth having is always worth the work to get there. As for the internalised socio-cultural patriarchy (and often misogyny) that women should learn to “age gracefully”, I call b.s. on that! We are all entitled to live life to the fullest and part of that means honouring your body, and giving it what it needs to thrive. You get to decide!
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Economic hardships We’re in a recession folks and that means tightening our belts. It also means being resourceful and finding creative ways to self care on a tight budget. That also means, getting recession proof self care strategies to help you weather the storm! While no …
Spices for all seasons It’s almost time to get ready for back to school, work! Once I get in to the full swing of summer, I also like to replenish my stock of herbs. For me, I always make sure that my kitchen is fully …
We all get excited for summer getaways this time of the year. But, things can get uncomfortable and ugly if we’re not prepared or fail to pack appropriately. So, today, I felt it was a good idea to share my summer vacation outfit tips. After all, it’s more than possible to look, chic and still be comfortable!
As a kid, I hated all of the excess baggage, incidentals, etc and always promised myself that when I grew up, I’d never put myself or my kids through that. Fast forward to adulthood and I’ve come to appreciate the benefits of being prepared. But unlike my parents’ version of preparation, I go for style, function and durability. This means that everything I pack can transition from day to night as well as from hot to cool (for those cooler summer evenings). Over time my summer vacation outfit tips have shifted and evolved as I gained more travel experience. This also includes learning to pack for emergencies and sudden changes in my itinerary.
Long before you head out the door, it’s always a good idea to have a travel or vacation check list posted either on the fridge or your bathroom mirror. Trust me, this works and you’ll thank me later. That way, you can keep a running tally of everything you’ve packed and what you still need to include in your luggage. It also helps you stay organized and it will keep you from over packing! Next, keep emergencies items, meds, etc, in your carry on bag. This also goes for small electronics like your cellphone and or digital reader. If you’re more of a visual person , check out my tipsheet pin on Pinterest!
Always pack clothing that’s either wrinkle-free or easy wear. Unless you’re going to some high-end resort where dry cleaning services are readily available, go for low maintenance fabrics. It’s relatively easy to find great outfits that are made from sustainable fabrics that are also durable and feel good against the skin. Just recently I was pleasantly surprised at how Target has expanded it’s clothing line to include form, function and cuteness to it’s brand! I found some great, affordable boho chic summer dresses to add to my closet. One more thing. As much as possible, pick outfits that can be layered in order to expand your outfit selection. It’s a great way to make sure that you always have a temperature-appropriate outfit to get you through your trip!
One quick reminder here: the airports and most other travel hubs, ports, etc are a hot mess! So, expect that whatever can go wrong, will have a high probability of happening. That’s why I always carry a wrinkle free out fit that can go from day to evening without any issues. No anxiety of being stuck in the same outfit because your luggage got delayed or lost. When you have a capsule easy-wear out fit in your carry-on you won’t have to deal with that.
Now that you’re all packed up and ready to go with my summer vacation outfit tips, I have to remind you to also remember to selfcare this summer as well. Also, pack a little wellness pack to boost your immune system to help you stay healthy on your trip. Try my awesome summer wellness tea recipes with these easy to use ingredients. What are some of your summer vacation outfit tips? Share them so everyone can add to their own lists.
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