Merry Meet, my Silver Sage Family!
Guess what?! When Pumpkin and I went walkies this morning, we saw something big and dark, trying to fly through the clouds on this cold and rainy day! We both stopped, not sure if we should move or not, because what we saw was headed straight toward us! My eyes grew large and Pumpi began to growl, low and deep in her little chest, as if she were a big dog, who was hell-bent on protecting her momma! Nooo, what we saw wasn’t an airplane, or a helicopter. It looked to be a Magickal baby dragon, snorting out sparkle-filled-fire balls as it awkwardly, flapped it’s wings as if it was just learning how to fly. đ
Yep, I used the Palo Santo again…..it makes me so happy and even weirder than normal…..LOL!!
Sooo, in today’s episode of W.C.W., we’re gonna be checking out how to do WALKING AFFIRMATIONS! Be sure to watch until the end so you can laugh, smile, and possibly learn something that is REALLY helpful! đ I’m so glad you’re here, my Silver Sage Family!
Positive thought for you: Smile and be silly if you feel like it because it’s good to hang out with your inner child!
Happy Holidays!
Merry Christmas! (whichever one fits….smiles)
The Silver Sage Witch of
Witchcraftandmore.com
Thereâs a lot of talk about food cravings stemming from nutritional deficiencies, but research has not proved this to be true. If you’ve ever been tempted to blame your chocolate urges on a magnesium deficiency, Kimberly Snyder, a clinical nutritionist and the author of The Beauty Detox Power, would beg to disagree. She claims your desire for chocolate is more likely coming from an emotional place than a biological one.
âI do believe itâs important to listen to your body and feel what foods you are naturally drawn to,â says Snyder. âOverall though, many common cravings are tied to emotional root causes. We often crave foods with specific textures â crunchy, soft, creamy, or smooth â and these textures correspond to particular emotions.â
âThere are two types of hunger,â explains Amy Gorin, RDN, of Amy Gorin Nutrition, in the New York City area. âHomeostatic hunger, or the physical need to eat, and hedonic hunger, the desire to eat foods for pleasure.â For instance, she notes, âyou might be craving salt when your body actually needs it, such as after a hard workout during which you lost salt through sweating. Or you might be craving the salty food as more of a comfort food, since foods that tend to be salty are also ones that are higher in fat, like potato chips, which is what we crave sometimes during hedonic hunger.â
Itâs not hard to grasp the psychological component of food cravings and how we may have been conditioned, from childhood, to want certain foods right now. Take sweets, for instance. âMost of us grew up with sweets being presented as a reward,â says Snyder. âThe very anticipation of a reward triggers the neurotransmitterdopamine in our brain and studies show that regular bingeing on sugar stimulates dopamine â the âfeel-goodâ chemical, which is very addictive.â
Or maybe you donât have an out-of-control sweet tooth but you still find yourself wanting to reach for the carton of cookie dough ice cream. Snyder sees clients craving fatty foods like ice cream and cream-laden dishes during extremely busy times, when they are being pulled in different directions. âDuring these times, fat can feel stabilizing. Itâs heavy in your stomach and takes a while to digest, which can feel like it is grounding for you,â she says.
Different cravings also appear to have different consequences. A study published in December 2015 in the journal Eating Behaviors looked at the relationship between food cravings and addictive eating. Researchers found that cravings for sweets and other foods high in carbohydrates may be more closely linked with bingeing and other addictive eating behaviors, while cravings for fats seem to be more closely associated with increased body mass index.
Cravings announce themselves clearly, but whatâs behind them is complex, and various factors come into play. While cravings arenât always tied to emotional eating, before you reach for that piece of cake or bowl of pasta, check to see if your emotions may be to blame â and learn the smart ways to combat the cravings.
Additional reporting by Deborah Shapiro.
Satisfy a Craving for Sweets With Less Sugar
Jill Chen/Stocksy
From a young age, many of us come to associate celebrations with sweets, from cake at birthday parties to dessert after finishing our veggies. âThis is part of what makes sugar so comforting. And for many of us, sugary treats are like a hug â soothing and reassuring,â says Snyder. âThe sugar can make us feel temporarily happy or comforted, especially if those feelings are lacking or if we’re stressed or sad in any way.â
I was lucky enough to go to the Dead Sea several years back and experience first-hand how wonderful it is to soak in an ancient, mineral-rich sea. I enjoyed a stress-free day of floating in the sea under the hot blazing sun and also got the chance to give myself my first real spa treatment â a head-to-toe slathering of fresh, black Dead Sea mud!
It not only left my skin silky and smooth, but uplifted my spirits as well. I was refreshed and renewed. Before leaving, I got the chance to scoop some mud up from the sea bottom and take it home in a baggy. Of course, it didnât last long.
Now years later, I relive my revitalizing Dead Sea experience at home by using a commercial product to do an at-home spa treatment. Check out my upcoming post, âHow to Do a Detoxifying and Revitalizing Dead Sea Mud Spa Treatment at Homeâ for all the details.
Iâve also realized why I felt so great after spending that day at the Dead Sea. Itâs a special environment low in relative humidity with high barometric pressure and oxygen-rich air, and the water and mud are full of nutrients that offer a range of health benefits. So, it truly enhances your well-being.
Therefore, I thought Iâd share with you a few of the amazing health benefits it offers. Intrigued? Read on.
BENEFITS OF DEAD SEA MUD
1. Detoxifies
The mudâs gentle pulling action helps gently exfoliate the skin and draw out impurities and toxins, so itâs a perfect part of any holistic health detox plan. Itâs also great for oily, acne-prone skin.
2. Increases Circulation
Ever noticed how after doing a facial your skin is red? Thatâs because facials stimulate blood flow and body masks or wraps do the same thing. Circulation helps bring vital nutrients and oxygen to your cells and carry away toxins and wastes â all essential to healthy and normal cell functioning.
3. Improves Skin Health
Dead sea mud is high in minerals, such as sodium, chloride, magnesium, potassium, iron, and calcium, so it nourishes the skin. It also naturally softens and moisturizes, so it dramatically improves the appearance and health of your skin leaving it more tone, even in texture, and clearer.
4. Treats Skin Conditions
Studies by the Dead Sea Research Center (DSRC), a non-profit organization, have shown Dead Sea mud is useful for treating skin conditions, such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, andÂ
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