Health and Wellness Archives | Align to Wellness

Finding My Heart ~ On A Hot Summer’s Day
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Finding My Heart ~ On A Hot Summer’s Day

Finding My Heart, Health and Wellness, Personal Stories, Tools and Techniques

Finding My Heart ~ On A Hot Summer’s Day

Gabby ~ Queen Extraordinaire The scorching sun was beating down upon me; my skin turning bright red as I watched the blisters quickly begin to form on my arms. Nah, I'm just kidding. It was hot on that August day don't get me wrong; the heat was totally tolerable and manageable for me at least. But then again, I wasn't the one wearing a fur coat. As I'm sure you figured out by now, I'm talking about my little four legged child Gabby. She is an English Labrador Retriever - Queen Extraordinaire. Bless her little heart, she just has zero tolerance for the heat. Anything above 80 degrees and she is just plain miserable. You can imagine then, what was happening on this wonderful 95 degree warm, sunny day. It only took an hour of her constant whining and panting for me to finally give in and take a break. I knew Continue reading ...

Maggie2017-01-23T11:42:02-08:00November 14th, 2016|Finding My Heart, Health and Wellness, Personal Stories, Tools and Techniques|

Finding My Heart ~ In My Chinese Chicken Salad
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Finding My Heart ~ In My Chinese Chicken Salad

Finding My Heart, Health and Wellness, Nutrition, Personal Stories

Finding My Heart ~ In My Chinese Chicken Salad

I hate cabbage. Okay, hate is a pretty strong word especially since I'm supposed to be promoting love - so let me start over. I am joyfully in dislike of said, 'cabbage'. It isn't the taste that is so bad, nor the crunch or that special smell that reminds me of working in the mud bathes in Calistoga as a teenager. It is the fact that my poor little gut just can't seem to digest it easily. (And yes, if you are thinking about farts, you are correct). I, however, continue to eat it because of all of the wonderful health benefits of doing so. It's a great source fiber, super good for increasing the alkalinity of your gut environment and is loaded with Vitamin C, B6, Potassium, folic acid, biotin, calcium, magnesium and manganese. It also is one of the better sources for those cancer fighting phytonutrients like glucocinolates. I try not to grumble Continue reading ...

Maggie2017-01-23T11:42:02-08:00November 3rd, 2016|Finding My Heart, Health and Wellness, Nutrition, Personal Stories|

Do you need to put forgiveness into action in your life?
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Do you need to put forgiveness into action in your life?

Grief and Grieving, Health and Wellness, Love and Relationships, Tools and Techniques

Do you need to put forgiveness into action in your life?

I’m inspired today to write about forgiveness. I think we often forget the importance and power behind this very simple, yet deeply complex act. Most of us have been involved in a situation where we feel we have been hurt or wronged by someone, and that some form of forgiveness is required. Some of us have been deeply hurt physically, emotionally, or spiritually and our very survival depends on whether or not we can forgive so that we can move on. For others, the wounds are so deep they can’t even make the connection between forgiveness and right action – it seems as if payback is the only option. Forgiveness is a powerful act. It is something I encourage many clients to start with, or to become aware of, when they are beginning the stages of self growth and personal transformation. Many times the most complex problems are brought into light by starting with the Continue reading ...

Maggie2017-01-23T11:42:02-08:00June 14th, 2015|Grief and Grieving, Health and Wellness, Love and Relationships, Tools and Techniques|

Occupational Therapy – Growing good things.
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Occupational Therapy – Growing good things.

Health and Wellness, Occupational Therapy, Personal Stories

Occupational Therapy – Growing good things.

I have been asked so many times, “What is Occupational Therapy anyway? Do you help people get jobs?” Or I’ve had comments like, “Oh yeah, I know what that is. You go into different work places and make sure people are doing their jobs right.” Well…Yes, and No. As an Occupational Therapist, I look at what you like to do, what prevents you from doing it, and then I help you find a way to either do it on your own again, or I determine what compensatory strategies you may need in order to do a modified version of that task so you can engage and enjoy it again. Occupation in itself is ANYTHING that you choose to spend your time doing. Some things we have to do, for example, personal hygiene and basic daily self-care tasks like eating, bathing and personal grooming. It can also include how you are able to do your job; Continue reading ...

Maggie2017-01-23T11:42:02-08:00May 12th, 2015|Health and Wellness, Occupational Therapy, Personal Stories|

Help I’ve Fallen And I Can’t Get Up – Back Pain No More!
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Help I’ve Fallen And I Can’t Get Up – Back Pain No More!

Health and Wellness, Personal Stories, Tools and Techniques

Help I’ve Fallen And I Can’t Get Up – Back Pain No More!

"Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!" That was me just a little over a year ago. I was the typical story: I stood up, slightly turned to reach for a towel and “pop”! That’s all she wrote. Seconds later I had excruciating pain that took my breath away and put me into a state of shock. I not only hurt like hell, but the pain immediately created a sense of fear that ran deep into the depths of my soul. Was this it? Had I just lost my independence? Was I forever going to be disabled? Intuitively I knew I needed to lay flat on the floor and bend my knees to elevate the pressure in my low back, so down I went. As a clinician I knew what it meant to have a level of pain that bad; I knew deep down I was eventually going to need to get medical help. Continue reading ...

Maggie2015-05-29T16:58:22-07:00May 10th, 2015|Health and Wellness, Personal Stories, Tools and Techniques|