Woman in Real Life

Do you have any stress in your life? If you said "no" I'd really love to know your secret! Whether it's work and family commitments, illness, aging parents, sleep troubles, racing thoughts or a combination of all of the above, most of us experience some level of stress in our daily lives.

While our bodies are equipped to handle some stress, too much stress can have detrimental effects. The Mayo Clinic has identified these symptoms of stress - headache, muscle tension or pain, chest pain, fatigue, change in sex drive, stomach upset, sleep problems, anxiety, irritability, sadness, overeating, undereating and more! Gets you all stressed just thinking about it, doesn't it?


I really believe that treating yourself and your body kindly is the first step to overcoming stress. Daily challenges and difficulties are inevitable, so you need to be your own biggest advocate. Treat yourself with love, say "no" to activities and events that would send you over the edge, delegate when possible and reward yourself for just being awesome! Oh, and eat your veggies! (Mom was so right about that one!)


Bring on Balance!

Natural Vitality, the makers of Natural Calm (a much-used product for achieving calm in our house) have created a beautiful and inspiring Calmful Balance eGuide. This idea-packed magazine-style guide will have you ready to welcome calmful balance into your life. Put perfection on the back burner and cook up a life with more fun and less stress!

The book offers recipes, tips and reflections on bringing balance to:

• your home
• your eating
• how you shop
• helping the planet
• handling stress

It's not about what you're doing wrong - rather it's about gently incorporating fun strategies that will bring some welcome balance to your stressful life. Be sure to download the gorgeous, full-colour, 28-page (and best of all free!) Calmful Balance eGuide and give yourself some much-deserved love and attention. You will also have access to other inspiring publications, such as the Green Chef's Ebook, the Kids Health Guide and online versions of Organic Connections magazine.



Whenever anybody tells me that they or their child is having trouble sleeping or is experiencing stress or anxiety, I ask them if they've tried Natural Calm. I only ever recommend products that I have personally tried and found helpful. This is one of those products. The night before that stressful first day of school in the fall, for example, will inevitably find us doling out Natural Calm to each family member. (It fizzes up in warm water and comes in several tasty flavours, such as lemon and raspberry-lemon.) Because many of us are woefully short on magnesium, Natural Calm can be used daily to enjoy the benefits of magnesium, which is essential for muscle and nerve function, a healthy immune system and strong bones. It is also great for relief of constipation. In fact, if you are new to Natural Calm, start with the smallest recommended dosage, because it can have a bowel-loosening effect.)*

 Read on for an exciting Natural Vitality giveaway!



We all know that diet and nutrition is so important when it comes to greeting each day with strength and determination and reducing the detrimental effects of stress. I'm not saying that you have to immediately give up fast food and desserts and take on a raw diet. I believe you'll be more successful by making small, gradual steps towards healthy eating. You could have a smoothie each morning for breakfast, for example, introducing a different ingredient each week. The makers of Natural Calm have shared this delicious, healthy chocolate chia smoothie recipe as inspiration. (Find more recipes in the ebook.)