Wellness Wednesday

A Luxurious Spa Day at Home

/ Fiddle Dee Dee / Leave a comment

Who doesn’t love a trip to the spa or a long, luxurious soak in the tub? Whether you’re living the Mom-life, Wife-life, the Work-life or all of the above, one thing is for sure: we all need some time for ourselves for self-care in order to detox, rest and rejuvenate. Imagine if you could do that without ever leaving the house, feeling guilty or spending a fortune?!

Luxury at home / ohfiddledeedee.com

By far one of my favorite ways to detox is to prepare a hot bath and let my cares wash away. This has become a once-a-week thing for me over the last couple of years and honestly it’s one of the best things I’ve done! You can create a spa-like environment in your own bathroom to escape in the evening after the kids are in bed or while hubby is watching reruns of M*A*S*H or sleeping through that Hallmark channel you were watching together. Leave him snoring on the couch and grab a few things from the kitchen to elevate your bath game and soak away!

Spa Day at Home / ohfiddledeedee.com

The beauty of a bath is you can make it as simple or as fancy as you like. Sometimes just the fragrance of bubbles and music will soothe the soul, but sometime I love the visual as well as sensual appeal of a bath. Fresh fruits, bath salts and even milk can change your bath game.

Create your own Spa Day / ohfiddledeedee.com

Ingredients for my latest soothing bath were oh so simple: almond milk, citrus slices, Dr Teals salts, fresh flowers, candles, and music. Oh! I forgot the tea! That’s it. Things I seem to always have on hand and things that appeal to my senses.

Spa Day Ingredients / ohfiddledeedee.com

To prepare this sweet bath I put on a playlist consisting of the contemporary jazz sounds of Diana Krall and Harry Connick, Jr, filled the tub with water as hot as I could stand, swirled the milk, bath salts together in the water, then floated the citrus slices and roses on top. Go on and squeeze a little of the citrus juices into the water as well. I use Dr. Teals Himalayan salts for this because they have a citrus undertone that really pairs well with the citrus slices! Finally, I lit candles that complimented the fragrance of the salts and citrus before sliding in to relax with on oversized cup of Celestial Sleepytime tea.

Spa Day at Home / ohfiddledeedee.com

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The beauty of this bath is you can change up the “ingredients “ to suit your own senses! If you like lavender, pair it with roses. Try peppermint and eucalyptus. There are many options, and you can even find a tea to compliment all of these combinations.

Tea and a soak / ohfiddledeee.com

 

Bathtime / ohfiddledeedee.com

That’s all it takes for a little slice of relaxation in this crazy time. Treat yourself and remember self care is important. You can’t take care of your family if you’re running on empty. Thirty minutes to detox isn’t selfish; it’s necessary. Savor the moment and you’ll be amazed how much this time will do you good.

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Hiking Providence Canyon State Park

/ Fiddle Dee Dee / Leave a comment

I often hear people complain how hard it is to lose weight.

Let me tell you, losing 100 pounds was easy!

What’s actually hard is maintaining weight loss and not slipping back into ages old habits! It’s so easy to have a cheat meal here or there that becomes weeks of poor nutrition, to become disillusioned or bored with the gym, discover a new series on Netflix, or decide to take a little break because we can just jump right back in.

Believe me, I struggle with this a lot, and since moving to Atlanta two years ago it’s been a continual struggle as I emotionally ate my way through the move, MacKenzie’s wedding, Bradley’s enlistment, and now sheer boredom and loneliness has become my worst enemy. Thankfully I have an amazing husband who has dove into his own fitness journey and is now my “let’s get off the couch” motivator.

hiking Providence Canyon / Oh Fiddle Dee Dee

My handsome Spartan running motivator.

For the first time in years Audley is working 40 hours a week… a Monday-Thursday schedule. It’s so nice, but it didn’t take long for us to go stir crazy in the house on his off days. While scrolling through Instagram one day I saw pictures of this gorgeous location right here in Georgia; Providence Canyon.

Providence Canyon State Park / Oh Fiddle Dee Dee

We decided to take a short road trip and get our rear ends off the sofa and away from the pantry.

Located about 2 1/2 hours south of Atlanta, Providence Canyon is actually the result of poor farming practices 200 years ago (many lessons learned), but it’s also a beautiful location for picnicking, exploring, and photographing.

in the base of Providence Canyon / Oh Fiddle Dee Dee

The stunning red, white, purple and pink sandstone walls that form the canyon might have you thinking you’ve gone out west, but I promise, you’re still in the South!

The canyon makes a gorgeous backdrop for hiking and exploring.

Providence Canyon / Oh Fiddle Dee Dee

Hiking Providence Canyon / Oh Fiddle Dee Dee

There are roughly 10 miles of trails you can hike throughout the beautiful canyon. These various hikes range from easy to moderate in difficulty. Choose wisely for your level of fitness and health.  Each can take a couple of hours to five or more. You’ll be amazed at the different scenery as you wander through the canyon. One minute you’re in a lush forest and the next sandy desert. It’s a beautiful result from costly mistakes generations ago.

Overlooking Providence Canyon / Oh Fiddle Dee Dee

Providence Canyon Wooded Trails / Oh Fiddle Dee Dee

When hiking Providence Canyon you need to prepare accordingly. First, this is a state park, so there is a $5 fee to park. If you purchase a Georgia State Parks pass you can find all kinds of adventures throughout the state and only pay once! While strolling around the top of the canyon is relaxing and easy, going into the canyon is a little different. The grounds throughout the area are sandy and wet. Trails take you down and up hills, through forest areas and into various rocky fingers of the many canyons. Wear appropriate shoes for these trails; shoes made for hiking and that you don’t mind getting muddy and wet are best. Smalls steams of water flow all through the canyon floor. You also need water for drinking. Once down in the canyon there are no bathrooms or water fountains. We packed a small backpack with bottles of water.

And don’t forget bug repellant.  Mosquitos love wetlands.

Hiking Necessities / Oh Fiddle Dee Dee

Our lightweight Kavu bag holds several bottles of water and snack packs of nuts for a trail hike. Audley is partial to his Salomon trail shoes, and I love my Merrells. Shop for hiking/trail shoes that fit your feet well and work for various weekend adventures. Protecting your feet is so important if you are going to hike!

Hike Providence Canyon / Oh FIddle Dee Dee

Dress comfortably for your hike. I wore leggings and a tee-shirt even-though it’s hot, just because of their water wicking ability. You don’t want blisters on your thighs from hiking and sweat rolling down your legs. It is NOT comfortable. Wearing pants also leaves less places for mosquitos to nail ya.

There is a longer hike through the canyon that you will need to pack snacks as well as extra water to take as it is pretty long. We plan to go back and do that one in the fall.

Canyon Floor at Providence Canyon / Oh Fiddle Dee Dee

Providence Canyon / Oh Fiddle Dee Dee

img_6459canyon bottom at Providence Canyon / Oh FIddle Dee Dee

Nature at Providence Canyon / Oh Fiddle Dee Dee

Providence Canyon Lumpkin, GA / Oh Fiddle Dee Dee

Audley and I hiked over five miles in and around the canyon, then enjoyed a yummy picnic up on the rim.

Providence Canyon Picnic / Oh FIddle Dee Dee

Providence Canyon was one time a thriving town. Remnants can be found throughout the park including an old wooden Methodist church building and cemetery dating back to the mid-1800’s. There are also old rusted out cars along the trail up to, but we didn’t explore that area to see them. We will definitely add that to our hike in the fall.

Providence Mothodist Church / Oh Fiddle Dee Dee

Providence Cemetery / Oh Fiddle Dee Dee

Cemetery at Providence Canyon / Oh FIddle Dee Dee

Providnce Canyon Cemetery / Oh FIddle Dee Dee

Methodist Church Building / Oh Fiddle Dee Dee

If you are looking for a quick weekend adventure and an opportunity to get off the couch, a trip to Providence Canyon is definitely worth making! I won’t say hiking is a way to lose weight, but it’s a great way to explore where you live (statewide or regionally), get in some fresh air, and get moving!

Being sedentary is hazardous to your health.

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Hooray for gorgeous days and beautiful places!!!

Enjoy the views and let me know what you think!

Looking down onto Providence Canyon Trails / Oh FIddle Dee Dee

Providence Canyon State Park

8930 Canyon Road
Lumpkin, GA 31815
Stewart County

 

Wellness Wednesday: InTown Salt Room

/ Fiddle Dee Dee / Leave a comment

While I no longer train clients or write much about it, I still train myself and keep up with health and wellness trends as I continue to strive to be healthy for myself and my family. Over the last couple of years I’ve really learned becoming healthy is very much a mind game as much as it is a physical game. In order to be truly healthy we must maintain a good relationship and balance between our minds, bodies, and spiritual lives. I have loved dabbling and studying homeopathic ways of healing the mind and body, and have been fascinated by certain methods from cryotherapy to essential oils for a while now.

If you read any health publication you’re likely to find an article referencing the benefits of pink Himalayan salt. It doesn’t matter if you have added it to your diet or added a salt lamp to your home, so many people I know have tested the waters using this useful organic mineral and are discovering a few of its benefits.

Last week I was invited to visit the InTown Salt Room located in the historic Grant Park neighborhood of Atlanta. While you can sometimes find a Salt Room experience in a spa setting, the owner of InTown Salt Room, Carrie Wright, is proud to have the only space fully dedicated to salt therapy in Atlanta.

Salt Bricks made from salt mined from the Himalayan Mountains

Intown Salt Room, is a technological and modern 1,000 square foot space with 6,000 pounds of Himalayan salt incorporated in the decor. It’s a serene setting from the moment you walk in, and you carry that serenity while feeling at peace when you walk out!

The salt covering the walls, floors, and through the building was mined from the salt caves of the Himalayan mountains and imported.

Intown Salt Room offers two unique salt room experiences, a Breathing Room and Meditation Room. Each breathing and meditation session is 30 minutes, where you simply sit in a zero gravity chair, relax to calming music and breathe.

The “breathe room” is a private getaway of Himalayan salt,” infused with the purest of salt air. Breathing in a dry salt room, known as dry salt therapy, can cleanse your airways and allow you to take in more oxygen for a deeper breath. In addition to respiratory benefits, dry salt can have a positive effect on skin and be naturally calming to help relieve stress, anxiety and fatigue.”

The treatment, known as dry salt therapy (or halotherapy), dates back hundreds of years to Eastern Europe (where it was noticed the miners of salt had less respiratory issues than others in the same communities), and is purported to offer a variety of health benefits. These include relief from respiratory ailments such as asthma, allergies, bronchitis, colds, ear infections and sinusitis, as well as skin conditions like acne, eczema, psoriasis, rashes and rosacea, as well as aiding in inflammation according to the Salt Therapy Association.

The “Meditation room” combines Himalayan salt with sound therapy to help you relax. “Slip on a pair of headphones and sink into one of their zero gravity Wave Loungers built with Acoustic Resonance Technology™, for a whole body sensory experience. This mind and body meditation encourages you to be present and calm, leaving you rested and rejuvenated.”

Completely rested and rejuvenated was exactly how I felt as I left the meditation room.  Honestly I felt like I didn’t have a single care in the world.

I really want a wall of salt bricks in my bedroom now.

While you can certainly do a salt room on your own, visiting with a friend is a great way to relax and enjoy this spa-like and unique experience! I invited Tammie ( Talking with Tami ) to accompany me. As relaxed as we were when we left the salt room, lunch out seemed to be even more laid back and enjoyable. We were both so relaxed!

I found myself completely absorbed in both salt room experiences, and I think I could definitely become a believer in the idea of salt therapy. This experience is definitely something I am open to doing again, and often.

Check out a salt room experience near you and let me know what you think?

Fit(…ish)

/ Fiddle Dee Dee / Leave a comment

Food seems to be the theme of my postings lately, which is just fine as I really love food.  At the same time, I do feel guilty posting so many unhealthy recipes and meals out when I try to maintain a fairly healthy lifestyle.

I often refer to it as living Fit…ish.

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The question I’m asked most often is have I kept off the 100 pounds that I lost over the last several years, or like many who undergo such a drastic transformation, have I put it back on?

The truth is, I’ve gained and lost the same 20 pounds multiple times over the last two years, staying fairly consistent with someone in maintenance.  I know very few people that don’t fluctuate with their weight over time.   The key is maintaining, knowing when to make changes and catch yourself when falling back into bad habits.  At this moment I am on the heavier side of that 20 pounds.  While I know how to eat and how to exercise, I am still am emotional eater, so when stress sets in (moving, owing taxes, transmission going out in my car, having a car accident….) I eat.

{And y’all, I do love food.}

The gym is still my best friend, which really helps with maintaining my weight, and I do eat pretty healthy throughout the week.  Recently though, maintenance is not enough and I really want to finish the journey that began over four years ago.  I’ve not posted on a healthy lifestyle in quite a while and with summer right around the corner, there is even more desire to feel great as well as a desire to look good before vacations and weekend adventures.

Even though the calendar announced spring, winter and dreary weather seems to be lingering around.  When the weather is dreary I love a flavorful soup for my lunch!

Using simple, but fresh ingredients, this quick recipe for one makes a delicious and filling meal full of healthy benefits!

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Add to your shopping list, organic chicken bone broth, baby kale, yellow bell pepper, purple potatoes(just because they are so pretty!), garlic, lemon, baby bellas, and avocado oil.

 

Purple-Potatoes | Fiddle Dee Dee

First, you’ll make a lemon based chicken broth for your soup, then add the veggies (starting with the potatoes so they can soften), simmering for the flavors to blend and the kale to wilt.  Baby kale is not as bitter as traditionally served kale, so I really like using it.

Kale-and-Potato-Soup-Ingredients | Fiddle Dee Dee

I top my soup off with a little avocado oil for the addition of a healthy fat.

Avocado-Oil | Fiddle Dee Dee

Season with black pepper and you have a savory soup that leaves you filled with energy instead of feeling lethargic and bloated.

Kale-and-Potato-Soup | Fiddle Dee Dee

You can print off the full recipe for Simple Kale & Potato Soup here.  Just double it if you want to share.

Here’s to kicking off a healthy spring and reaching all of our goals!

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