Posted: 2559 days ago in Health
This coming Monday, October 28, join New York Times best selling author, John D. Gresham, and myself on his radio show, ‘Military Monday‘!
He and I will be discussing alternative medical treatment for military veterans, including the treatment of chronic pain; a condition shared by many military personnel.
To listen, tune in here at 1pm. If you just so happen to miss the show, we’ll post it on www.DrTania.com following showtime via Blog Talk Radio.
Happy Listening!
Posted: 2574 days ago in Everything Else
What’s all the hype about bacon? Am I the only one who truly doesn’t care for the stuff?
It has all the potential for being one of my favorite foods: crispy, hot and salty.
But I just don’t like it.
If I’m going in for an indulgence like that, I’m going straight for the french fry.
What’s funny is that people are appalled when I decline the bacon wrapped/topped/filled whatever. You DON’T LIKE BACON??? How can you NOT LIKE BACON?
Like it would have been less offensive had I just said I don’t like babies or puppies.
Why does anyone care if I don’t like bacon? If I don’t eat it, doesn’t that mean there’s more for you anyway?
So back off, bacon lovers. Back off!
Posted: 2580 days ago in Lifestyle
I get homesick when I stay in hotels. There’s something about that climate-controlled air and generic décor that freaks me out – and makes me long for the comforts of home. Whether I’m staying at the Ritz or a Hampton Inn, they look the same in Hawaii as they do in Holland.
Traveling is not fun when you are homesick, so what’s the point, right?
Years ago, I discovered that renting condos or houses when traveling is a great choice. You instantly double or quadruple your space (often for the same price), and get a much more authentic experience.
We took the girls to Spain for two weeks when they were pretty young. Instead of tripping over each other in a hotel room and eating a generic breakfast, we had a three-bedroom apartment in Barcelona within walking distance of many local cafes where the shopkeepers served the girls “churros con chocolate” every morning. Yeah, you have to forgo the daily maid and room service, but somehow having a laundry room and kitchen makes up for that (not that you need to cook or clean on vacation, but those things come in very handy!).
I wouldn’t trade feeling like a local for any hotel amenity. You won’t even feel the absence of the on-site spa or gym because you can find the best massage therapists or yoga studios online in minutes.
Since the Spain trip, we’ve rented homes in every conceivable area: big cities, small towns, on islands and in the country, and we’ve not once been disappointed. Here’s one of my favorite sites: Vacation Rentals by Owner. Check it out. I promise you will not be disappointed.
Bon Voyage!
Posted: 2585 days ago in Health
I think it’s lovely that we devote a day to the well-being of one of our most vital organs – our heart. Most of us know what we should be doing to keep our hearts healthy, but I’ll give you a quick recap of my top heart-healthy tips:
Healthy-heart information is plentiful, but let’s not forget that the heart is also the center of our emotional well-being.
Even if you are a prime physical specimen; depression, loneliness and stress will surely affect your heart health after a period of time. Conversely, those of us struggling with disease consistently recover more quickly, tolerate treatments better and report a better quality of life overall if they feel loved, cared for and peaceful in their hearts.
So take this day to check in with yourself, and make sure that you are doing all you can to keep your heart – and soul– healthy for many years to come.
With so much love on #worldheartday!
Posted: 2616 days ago in Everything Else
My family would starve if it weren’t for Trader Joe. For those unfortunate souls that don’t know whom I am speaking of, let me explain. Trader Joe’s is the most wonderful grocery store in the world that sells a little bit of high quality everything.
Oh, how do I love thee, Joe? Let me count the ways!
The list goes on, and on, and on my sweet Joe. <3 <3 <3
So if I leave the house with a certain look in my eye, my husband knows I have a date with Joe, and that is just fine with him. It means dinner’s going to be darn good tonight!
Posted: 2623 days ago in Everything Else
You know that what you think about expands, right? And that sometimes thinking about something, whatever it might be, is enough to set the universe into motion to bring it to you.
Out of the blue, you think of a friend that you haven’t heard from in a long time, and “rrrrrring”…. there she is on your caller ID. Sound familiar? That same energy has a funny way of creeping into our lives when we least expect it in other ways, too.
I was digging through a box of books to donate one day, when I came across “The Four-Hour Work Week” by Timothy Ferriss. I had gotten the book while dashing for a plane a few years ago (even though I typically go for beach-type books). It’s a really easy read, and has some great tips for streamlining your life to doing more living now instead of waiting on that dreaded “someday.”
The irony in all of this is that in the past year I’ve reduced my in-office schedule to, you guessed it, four hours a week! Now how did that happen? It really wasn’t part of any master plan, but during negotiations with my practice partners, four was the number that we agreed upon. I never once remembered that I had read that book, but somehow that seed was planted, and well, Viola! Bingo! Eureka! You get my drift.
So, when you’re blowing out those birthday candles (and I hope that you still are, I mean, it’s cake for Pete’s sake!), or thinking about what you want for your future, make sure you’re ready to get it because sister, it’s quite likely on its way!
Posted: 2633 days ago in Lifestyle
I am a Leo through-and-through.
In fact I just read this list and LOL’d because it was so spot-on: (Leo Zodiac Characteristics). Here are the rest of the signs for my Zodiac lovers out there.
Do you love your birthday like I do? I mean, when else can you do pretty much whatever you want and get zero flack for it? And presents! Who doesn’t love presents? I make no excuses for that — I love to get gifts, and I especially love “from-the-heart,” thoughtful ones.
But still, you might find me crying on my birthday.
Mostly, they are tears of joy. My family is just amazing, I get to do work that I love; I’m healthy, happy, and blessed many times over. That moves me to tears of gratitude on a regular basis, and especially on my birthday, when I feel okay about it being all about me! Just a few of those tears, though, are for those parts of life that I will never get to experience again. I didn’t love my teenage years, but what I wouldn’t give to have that body again! And now that we are exploring colleges with our girls, I am a little wistful that I never took that semester abroad.
All in all, I have very few regrets but many, many gifts and moments to look forward to. My crying is done for today (unless, of course, someone ate the last piece of my 7-layer birthday cake!).
Happy Birthday to Me!
Posted: 2639 days ago in Everything Else
“What” do you want?
By “what” I don’t just mean “stuff“. I do mean “stuff also,” because if we’re all getting stuff, why not get the stuff that we want?
However, this is about everything we want; the relationship, the family, good health, and career. So if we don’t have a good three-dimensional vision of what exactly it is that we want for our lives, we’re quite likely not going to get it.
In fact, I believe that if we are not on a conscious path to get a certain result, experience, or thing, we tend to get the “universal leftovers.”
I am pretty sure no one wants that.
If you can’t see what you want, or have a hazy sight on your vision, this is what I suggest; make a dream board. A dream board is a fun way to put your wishes, goals, and dreams out into the universe.
Now, some of you may already know what I’m talking about, and some may not. Either way, it never hurts to revisit a dream board, and it also doesn’t hurt to get more intentional about what we want.
Now, I’m an arts-and-craftsy kind of girl so anything that has to do with a poster board, glue sticks, scissors, and a glass of wine gets my juices flowing (I added that last part in because all crafts are better with vino!).
A good friend of mine facilitated a dream board party for group of my girlfriends and me. All the guests contributed to the party by bringing poster board, magazines, and a snack to share. My girlfriend is a great “lead-by-example” kind of girl, and since she has had some considerable work experience with Tony Robbins, she kicked off the evening with a very short message on creating the life of your dreams.
Then, we went to town…
She instructed us to cut out pictures and words of things that represented what we wanted out of this life. So you can be sure that I cut out a picture of that Michael Kors watch I was eying, but I also found yoga symbols, a picture of a happy family, and a woman of a certain age radiating good health to add to my board.
Like me, I’m sure you have a general idea of what you want in this world: to be happy, healthy, and successful, but that looks very different from you to me. You may not want my watch, my family, or my vacation, so if you don’t have clarity on what you want for your life, you just might get my sh*t. Good or bad. What makes me happy, might make you miserable. More reasons to be intentional!
With the mere act of having a clear picture of what I wanted, the universe was set in motion to bring it to me. So whether you are skeptical or not – I challenge you! Grab a friend (it’s much more fun as a group) and revisit your arts-and-crafts days of kindergarten. You might find that like an idealistic 5-year-old, the world is your oyster so long as you can envision it.
Posted: 2695 days ago in Wellness
I’ll admit it – I used to be an exercise snob. And an adrenaline junkie. Especially since I started competing in triathlons and half-marathons at age 40. After an intense cardio or weight workout, I would drag myself past the zen-like women politely padding into the yoga room for their ‘gentle stretch’ and think to myself, “Ha! Get a real workout! You are such posers.” Those were even some of my kinder thoughts. Then one day out of nowhere – I blew out my Achilles tendon while training for a marathon (the irony of that is not lost on me), and my days of ‘real’ exercise came to a grinding halt.
I was hurting physically, but was also really distraught emotionally. My workouts were a huge part of my day! Desperate to maintain my fitness level – and to continue fitting into my skinny jeans – I shamefully snuck into my first yoga class.
Boy was I bored to tears…. for about 30 seconds. Very quickly, I learned that yogis are fierce! And firm! A few weeks into my practice, my husband confessed that I should, “keep doing whatever it was that I was doing at the gym lately,” because, “you come home looking like you’ve gone to therapy. And church. And had sex.” I guess the whole ‘body-mind’ thing that yoga has going for it was showing all over my face!
After a while of practicing yoga regularly, I found differences ‘off the mat’ too, like finding peace throughout the day; that’s a wonderful part of yoga. And talk about bonus points: it was having a great effect on my body! Since starting yoga, my fitness level has not declined at all, and my muscles are long, lean and strong. Even though I can run again, I only do so occasionally and only when it fits in between the 4-6 yoga classes I take each week. I love it all: Vinyasa, Bikram, in a studio or on the beach – bring it on! So just when I thought my life was falling apart, it was actually just falling into place.
Namaste!