Finding your vogue can help improve stress and self-care when having a hard time. Today’s episode of “Happiness through Hardship”- The Podcast is with Melissa Berry from Cancer Fashionista who shares how she did just that. Melissa’s a fashion and beauty publicist and a triple negative breast cancer survivor. After her diagnosis she was looking for the “vogue of cancer.” She couldn’t find one place that housed tips, tools and brands that helped cancer patients look and feel beautiful. So, she created it herself and started – Cancer Fashionista and on this episode she shares with us how tapping into beauty helped her through hardship.
Episode 21: Helping Find Your Vogue
25 Tips for a Healthy Mind & Body
I used to be that person who started her diet or training “tomorrow.” But in recent years, the power of Nike’s famous slogan, “Just Do It” has resonated. An over-thinker to the core, I learned to stop analyzing and just put one foot in front of the other toward a small healthy goal. I remember days with only few hours of sleep, rushing to drop the baby at daycare then off to hours worth of boardroom meetings. My mind was so active with the stress of getting through the day, I always thought I was too busy to take care of myself.
Healthy Gadget Girl: Five Easy Healthy Living Resources
If there was a coronation for Whole Foods royalty, I’d at least be on the court. When I started making small changes toward my healthy aka clean lifestyle journey, Whole Foods was my refuge. I knew that I could explore through its aisles and be safe from hazardous toxins. More importantly, Whole Foods was a castle of wholesome items and ingredients. I spent hours picking multi-colored new vegetables and had many conversations with employees about beauty product ingredients. Not only did I enjoy these research-filled shopping trips, but also used their venue as a gathering place to work or meet friends.
Health & Wellness News & Info. Recap, Week of 1/19
If you are new to my Health & Wellness News & Information Recap, below is a roundup of my favorite informational finds from this past week on the web. Since Pretty Wellness covers clean eating, active living (mindfulness and fitness), clean living (non-toxic beauty and home) and cancer information, you will see articles, information and posts under these content categories. Here’s my recap from the week of January 19.
CLEAN EATING
I love this post from Oprah”s OWN page on Huffington Post because the recipes listed are more unique, ranging from parsnip rice to a dessert-like sweet potato soup.
ACTIVE LIVING
I’m proud that early in my career, if I took a lunch, it was often to exercise. In fact, a few years ago, my colleagues and I started a walking lunch club. So, I got all nostalgic reading about the benefits of walking during a lunch break on the New York Times Well blog. I used to laugh at myself, swapping out my high heels for my running shoes that were kept underneath my desk.
CLEAN LIVING – NONTOXIC LIFE
I get excited about clean living tips especially those that include using wholesome ingredients to solve beauty issues. This list from Greatist.com, covers recommendations for wintertime skin and haircare.
CANCER /INSPIRATION
Last week, I was on the local news recalling my initial breast cancer diagnosis and sharing resources on how others can navigate through this painful time.
HEALTHY FAMILY:
Who doesn’t love Playdoh? Just the smell alone brings me back to my own childhood. Knowing we all used to sniff and sometimes taste it as kids, I was excited to see a DIY recipe for Playdoh made with non-toxic wholesome ingredients from MommyinSports.
What interesting story or posts did you read this week about health and wellness?
Book Review: ‘Thrive’ by Arianna Huffington
I was proud to be a laser-focused workaholic.
I used to boast about my multi-tasking skills. I even went so far as to connect my work computer to my elliptical with a bungee cord so I could read emails and trade publications while exercising.
I remember bragging to a top-executive that I only slept three hours a night, so that I could exceed everyone’s expectations as a new mother and superstar employee.
I skimmed books, listened to podcasts and networked with many women about finding a way to “have it all.” Even when I changed my career to focus on my family values, I was still conditioned to live a harried life. I scheduled my day from early morning to late evening and multi-tasked through much of it. Additionally, I felt like every item on my to-do list should be achieved with high merit.
I thought I was thriving because I was “successful” with a promising career and beautiful family. Oh, how I wish Arianna Huffington’s Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder
A Quick Fix for Peace and Presence
Living on the shoreline for the past 10 years, I only occasionally saw the beauty of the beaches. I knew the sights were pretty, but was running too fast to appreciate the feeling of calmness they could bring to my life. Now, after a second cancer diagnosis, visiting Walnut Beach is one of my favorite pastimes. Just being around the shell-covered sand and glistening water brightens my day and teaches me to breathe, be in the present, and find peace in any situation.
The “old me” thought she knew peace. To her, peace of mind meant being successful in the workplace. Of course, for a working mother, that came with its own unique set of hurdles. But the old me didn’t see those hurdles as negatives. Instead, she looked at them as opportunities to become even more successful.