Beating the Pollen Season with Local Honey

Ahhhh, springtime.  I love the milder temps (although we had a mild winter to begin with here in Atlanta), the chirping birds building nests, and the budding flowers.  However, the pollen was outrageous this spring with counts as high as 9000 on some days.  Yes, that's right -- 9000 pollen count!  I'm not adding extra zeroes for the fun of it, believe me.  :) Any pollen count over 1500 is considered to be in the "extremely high" category, and we went waaaaay above that.  We are truly in the midst of Pollen-apocalypse here in the deep South!

 azalea blooms

Well, the 9K pollen count wore me down.  You name the symptom, and I had it.  Watery, itchy eyes. Sneezing.  Stuffy nose.  Runny nose.  Sore throat.  Headache.  Blech!  I needed help.  I started out with an OTC medication, but a friend of mine suggested local honey.  I know this blog is about taking "small steps daily," but I was looking for a huge step in getting relief from the evil pollen invading Atlanta.

Local honey from Moye's Pharmacy and Earl Grey tea from Teavana

The idea behind eating local honey is like gradually vaccinating the body against allergens in your area, a process called immunotherapy.  In other words, it's like getting allergy shots but a LOT more pleasant.  :) I did some cursory research (which is to say I briefly googled the topic) and found that a lot of people feel immunotherapy works for them.

So . . . off my husband went to purchase local honey at Moye's, a local pharmacy chain.  I must say that we both were suffering and we both feel better now.  I don't know if it's due to the meds I briefly took or the local honey, but I do feel better.  At any rate, I enjoyed sipping hot tea each night with a tablespoon of honey added to it.  Ahhhhh!

Going Green . . . for Tea

Growing up in the Deep South, I thought I'd always be a sweet iced tea girl.  However, during my college days at Mississippi State University, I developed a taste for hot tea (among other things -- shhhhh!).  My two favorites were Earl Grey and Constant Comment from Bigelow, and I also loved the Oolong tea at Chinese restaurants.

Fast forward 20+ years and enter Teavana.  I had zero idea hot tea could be so . . . specialized, not to mention expensive!  My brother treated me to a beautiful thermos and Earl Grey from Teavana for my birthday recently, and I must say I'm hooked!  

Reeeeally nice thermos from Teavana -- pardon the wine glass! 

With some Christmas money I received a short time after, I ventured into the world of green tea by purchasing Gyokuro Genmaicha, a blend that is made with toasted brown rice.  A friend of mine said he loved drinking green tea with honey and one Splenda packet.  It helped him sleep like a baby at night.  I'll be trying that for sure!  :D

Gyokuro Genmaicha in Teavana canister -- I cannot believe this picture turned out so well!

Drinking hot tea is relaxing to me and just one more small way to remember to take time for myself after a busy day at work and then at home being a mom.  And, by shopping at Teavana, I'm able to get a new toy for my Kalvin the Kat!  

Kalvin the Kat playing in a Teavana bag.
I think it must have smelled like catnip to him.  LOL

Tabata This, Tabata That, Tabata Tired!

Across the workout world (of which I'm really and truly not a part of), the Tabata craze is hot, hot, hot.  Don't get me wrong -- I do like working out, but I'm definitely a fair weather fan of it.  I happened across Tabata via a YouTube search on short exercise clips to try in the mornings before I got ready for work as part of what I'm doing for Lent (see this blog entry).  Tabata is supposed to be a four-minute workout where you exert maximum energy for 20 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds.  Most people choose routines featuring cardio moves, but you can also incorporate plyometrics and weight resistance.  Basically, you pick four exercises to perform and repeat them until the four minutes are up.  Here's some more information.  I, of course, would die if I did a full-fledged hard core Tabata workout, so I am doing "beginner" types of exercises that (hopefully) won't kill me.  Here's one from diet.com's newly certified personal trainer Sarah Dussault.

Beginner Tabata Workout Video

It reminds me a lot of bootcamp workouts and interval training except that it is much, much shorter.  I like that there is an endless variety of exercises you can choose to perform and that the calorie burn is inevitable.  Incorporating this workout at the end of a walk/run but before one of my yoga routines is something I like to do if I'm doing an extended workout.  If you try it, let me know what you think.  :)

Why Small Steps Daily?

Well, I figure if I sort my thoughts out in this blog format, it would help me . . . and maybe anyone else who reads them, too.  I am like anyone else.  I have a family, a career, a household, and a myriad of interests (see my bio) to keep me occupied.  I do too much and don't know how to have down time.  Take tonight, for instance.  My husband has taken our kids to visit with his dad for two nights.  What am I doing?  I wasted half my time halfway doing chores like washing the sheets, staying away from a deliciously decadent dessert I made last night for a block party, and floating back and forth between Facebook and Twitter.  Oh, and I took a nap.  I mean, really.  I couldn't think of anything better to do!

Anyway, I do have some major areas of my life that need attending:

• My Personal Finances:  My husband and I are strong believers in being debt free.
• My health:  I do my best to eat well.  Also, I hit 40 a few years back and am determined to look like I'm in my 30's (or younger).  :)
• My family:  I mean both my kids and my aging parents.  Talk about two ends of the spectrum!
• My house:  I am constantly trying to decorate, to maintain, and beautify this place I call home.
• My hobbies:  I love to read, craft . . . well, just look at my bio.  :)
• My career:  I am a 21-year veteran in my field and have started grad school recently.
• My spirituality:  I am always on a pathway . . . 

So, anyhoo, these are the topics you may very well find on this blog!  It may sound like a lot, but then again, it's about taking small steps daily!