Beating the Winter Blues

By the time February rolls around I have had about enough of dreary, cold weather. I am solar powered, so  cloudy skies and the low sun angle leave me feeling a bit lethargic. Some ways I have found to beat the winter blues are to boost my metabolism and keep excess pounds from creeping on in the months when I am less physically active. Every morning drink I what I call my winter tonic. The tonic detoxes and helps to boost metabolism, which aids the body with its morning cleansing cycle. I prepare it first thing in the morning and after my breakfast green drink and bowl of fruit, I sip on it over the course of the morning to give me a lift,  and to carry me over until lunch.

The winter tonic is comprised of fresh lemon juice, beet root powder, cayenne powder, honey and water. Lemon juice is full of immune boosting vitamin C, is anti-viral and anti-bacterial, and aids in weight maintenance since it is a digestive aid and liver cleanser.The beet root powder provides a wide range of nutrients but most significantly Betaine which helps the liver process fat, preventing the accumulation of fatty tissue in the liver. Beet root also reduces Triglycerides and LDL cholesterol in the blood, and so helps lower blood pressure. Beet root is high in magnesium, which aids the body in utilizing calcium and is necessary for bone production. The magnesium in beet root will help reduce bone loss due to menopause. Cayenne pepper is a powerful anti-inflammatory, helps stimulate circulation and neutralize acidity in the body, which helps to prevent cancer, (*cancer cells can not grow in an alkaline environment, so alkalizing the blood is a way to help keep cancer at bay). It also aids in digestion, relieves indigestion and heartburn, and detoxes the blood. Honey has powerful anti-bacterial, anti-viral and antiseptic properties and has a low glycemic index, so it provides an boost of energy without playing havoc with blood sugar.
Since the winter tonic has just a few ingredients, and can be prepared in my personal blender and consumed right out of the blender container, there is very little clean up, so its preparation does not add significantly to my morning schedule. The personal blender container also has a lid so I can safely transport it if I am leaving the house.
                                                          Winter Blues Tonic

1-2 lemons (depending on size), squeezed
1 tsp. organic beet root powder
1 Tbsp. honey (raw if you can get it)
1/8 tsp., cayenne, *I do need to warn you though, that it is spicy and may take a little time to get used to the zing of the cayenne, but it grows on you and you build a tolerance to the heat. If the level of cayenne in the recipe is too much for you in the beginning, start with less and build up to the 1/8 tsp.
10 oz. of purified water

Put all ingredients in personal rocket blender or regular blender if you don't have a personal sized blender, and blend until honey is dissolved and other ingredients are well blended, (just a few seconds unless the honey is crystallized). Enjoy!

Another way that I beat the winter blues is to do my best to stay well. As a preventative measure, I use a blend of 4 essential oils, called 4X  , by Secrets of Eden, (Young Living makes a product called Thieves, which is great, but as much as I use it is out of my price range). I use it daily, especially when I am going to be out in public, to battle against bacteria and virus' that abound in the winter. Four drops on tongue will do it and chase it with a little water if needed. I have been doing this for so long that I just knock it back and swallow and I am off, but I wouldn't recommend that for a new user...

I don't like to use anti-bacterial soap or hand sanitizer due to unhealthy chemicals that are in them, so I use a natural alternative, essential oil of lemon. Since lemon oil is antibacterial, antiviral and antiseptic, it work very well as a hand sanitizer, just a drop couple of drops on your hands, rub them together and you're good to go. I usually put my hands to my face and breathe deeply to get the most of that wonderful brightening scent, and to deposit lemon oil particles in my nose to fight airborne germs. I also have a diffuser that fits in my cigarette lighter in the car,  I drop lemon oil on the pad in the diffuser to fill the car with bacteria fighting essence as a second line of defense against sickness. Lemon oil has the added benefit of being antidepressant in nature, so it also helps to battle the winter blues.  If you decide to purchase essential oil of lemon, you can most likely find it at your local health food store. Please, where citrus essential oils are concerned, always purchase organic, since the skin of regular citrus is heavily sprayed with pesticides and fungicides.
I hope that this will help you all to win the battle with the winter blues. I would love to hear what you do to keep the blues away and stay well in the winter. Leave me a comment  and tell us all about it or come and visit A View From the Cottage on Facebook  and post something there! Hope to see you soon!

Blog Hops that this post is linked to: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/ , http://frugallysustainable.com/
h,http://thismindbeinyou.blogspot.com/ , http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com, ,http://hibiscushouse1.blogspot.com,



** If you suffer from heartburn, kidney or gall bladder problems or have a citrus allergy consult your doctor before using these remedies or drinking lemon juice. To protect your teeth enamel, wait at least half an hour before brushing your teeth after chewing, drinking or rinsing with lemon juice. Rubbing lemon juice or oil and drinking lemon juice is not suitable for children under the age of 10. Lemons are effective home remedies for a variety of health concerns but in the case of serious illness always consult your doctor first.**
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