Jewelry Storage

If you are like most “beautiful women,” you probably have piles of jewelry scattered everywhere.  Some may be in your safe deposit box or your home safe.  Other items might be in various jewelry boxes in your bedroom or bath area.

I have had the hardest time trying to figure out how to store my costume jewelry.  I've purchased jewelry boxes and jewelry "trees."  I have tried using black velvet or organza drawstring bags.  I've tried leaving them in the jewelry boxes they came in.  I've even hung them on nails I've hammered around my closet.  But I never found the perfect solution... until recently.

I bought a few boxes of Ziploc heavy duty pint-sized freezer bags and started sorting my jewelry.  Each necklace got it's own bag.  If it had matching earrings, they went in the same bag as the necklace.  I put 2-3 pairs of earrings in a bag and 2-3 rings in another bag.  This is a great project to do during these cold wintery days when you don't really want to get out and about.  And, you'll feel great when your jewelry is organized and easy-to-find for the New Year! 

When you begin to sort your jewelry, you will find pieces that you had forgotten about.  You'll find those broken pieces and those that you don't want to wear any more.  Just keep the jewelry that you will wear.  Toss out the things you don't want to wear (or sell them).  Take any damaged items that you want to keep for repair.

Once you've got your jewelry all bagged up, you'll need to decide how to store those bags.  You may have some drawers in your dresser that you can use.  You may want to store the necklaces separately from the rings, bracelets or earrings.  If you don't have any drawer space, look at purchasing some baskets, or clear plastic containers or even a beautiful chest such as those pictured below.

Happy Holidays and Happy Jewelry Sorting!

Stella & Dot

According to their web site, Stella and Dot, an Inc. 500 Fastest-Growing Company, is a San Francisco based social selling company that creates flexible entrepreneurial opportunities for women. Their boutique-style jewelry and accessories line is available exclusively through in-home Trunk Shows by Independent Stylists and online. Their one-of-a-kind collections are designed by celebrated New York designers and featured in Gossip Girl, In Style and Lucky Magazine as well as on the wrists and necklines of today's hottest celebrities.

Why am I talking about this company?

Our connection was born at a women's conference in Dallas that my daughter and I attended.  It was there that we met Tysh, a successful Stella and Dot stylist.  She was fun and delightful and told us she would be near Tyler for Thanksgiving and would love to do a trunk show for us.  I thought it could be a fun way to entertain all of the relatives who were at my house, as well as those visiting my friends.  You know how you get tired of eating and fighting the crowds of Black Friday?  Well, join us and slow down for a while, visit friends, look at jewelry and shop for those gifts you still have to buy.

We all loved trying on the wonderful necklaces, bracelets and rings, looking in the mirror or just getting opinions from everyone else. 

We had a nice crowd and there was lots of laughter and excitement.  And, of course, my 8-year-old granddaughter thought it was truly magical!

Have you ever attended a Stella and Dot trunk show?  What did you think?  Post a comment and let me know.



How Often Are You Stretching?

When I went in to the chiropractor this week for my chronic back pain, the first thing she asked, as I was face down on the table, was “How often are you stretching?” Oops. That seems to be one more thing that has been squeezed out of my life. Oh, I do an hour of yoga every couple of weeks, but obviously that is not keeping me anywhere near flexible.

Later in the week, I went to visit my massage therapist. The first thing he asked, as I was face down on the table waiting for his myofascial release massage to begin, was “How often are you stretching?” Oh, no… that same question again.

It seems that as we age, our connective muscle tissue shortens and if we do not stretch our muscles, we become stiff, sore and inflexible. As I’ve been researching, it seems that we need to be stretching every single day, not just a couple of times a month.

Yesterday as I was stretching to my yoga tape, I realized how stiff I was.  A few years ago I could do most of those routines without much trouble at all, but now they were "suddenly" hard to do.  Guess I need to figure out how to get "stretching" squeezed back into my life on a daily basis. Any ideas?

Can We Save Our Husbands?

This is an "all-American breakfast" that we love, but it can kill us.  We've got to start thinking about our health and that certainly doesn't just mean we have to start running or going to the gym.  It means that we need to change the way we eat.
 
I'm on a crusade to "save our husbands."  In the past year I have personally known four men who have suddenly died.  No warning... they just keeled over and died.  What a heartbreaking scenario for their wives and their children as well as their friends.  Is there a way that we can "up the odds" of keeping our husbands alive and well?
 
I think there is.
 
Too often, the first symptom of heart disease is a fatal heart attack.  Of course, this can happen to women as well as men, so I want us to use our "bully pulpit" as the caretakers of our families to make sure we all remain free of heart disease.

There is a preponderance of evidence that a simple change of diet can actually prevent and even REVERSE heart disease.  A recent CNN documentary by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, The Last Heart Attack, showed how we can accomplish that goal.

The first step towards health would be to exchange the breakfast pictured above to one of oatmeal or shredded wheat with a nondairy milk.  Then start eating starches (beans, rice, corn, or potatoes) without added fat or butter, as your main dish for each meal.  Add fruits and vegetables and you are suddenly eating for health and not for heart disease.

Let me know how you do!

Sign up to receive new blog posts directly to your inbox.  Just fill in your name and e-mail address in the gray box to the left and hit the "submit" button. You will then get an e-mail asking you to confirm your e-mail address.  Once you do that, you will be signed up to receive new blog posts.

© 2007-2015 Melinda Coker

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: “Melinda Coker, health coach and author of the book, Diet and Cancer: Is There a Connection?, teaches men and women around the world how to develop a healthy lifestyle.”

Joint Replacements for Baby Boomers

A couple of articles in the news today have made me wonder about us Baby Boomers and our frenzied need to prove we are not aging. We want to continue to run for miles, play tennis or water ski even though our joints are taking a beating. We’re wearing out our shoulders, knees and hips by trying to stay fit.

According to the AP, knee replacement surgeries have more than tripled in the last decade for people in the 45-to-64 age group - from 264,311 in 1997 to 621,029 in 2009. TV ads show people water skiing with their new knees or hips. We want to be fixed and we usually want it “now.” Joint replacements have enabled millions of people to lead better lives, but we don’t really know how long they will last with all of our running and skiing and tennis playing.

Artificial knees have been lasting 20 years, according to a study presented at a recent orthopedics conference, but that’s in people who go watch their grandkids’ soccer game. We don’t know how long they will last in people who actually want to play soccer.

”Besides the usual risks of surgery – infection, blood clots, anesthesia problems – replacing joints in younger people increases the odds they’ll need future operations when these wear out,” specialists caution.

Another side of this advancement as heard on NPR’s Morning Edition is that the FDA is now asking the manufacturers of “metal on metal” hip replacements to take a closer look at how their patients fare after surgery.

This is in response to consumer complaints about the implants. It has been found that metal shavings can sometimes cause infection, severe damage to local tissue, and allergic reactions. There have been some rare reports to the FDA about cases of enough metal released into the bloodstream to cause problems with a patient’s neurological system or heart.

Even amid concerns about certain models of artificial hips, Dr. Joshua Jacobs, chairman of Rush University Medical Center’s orthopedic surgery department, says most patients have no problems and are doing extremely well with their new artificial hips.

Yoga

Nearly ten years ago I ordered a set of yoga tapes which I still love to this day, Yoga Zone - Premiere Collection (Beginners).  I had previously purchased some other yoga videos, but as a beginner I could not really keep up with them. This set was different. Alan Finger’s calming voice guided me through an appropriately paced set of poses while two assistants showed me how to do them, so I could watch as well as listen. Each hour-long workout left me feeling relaxed and renewed.

For a few years I was a faithful practitioner of yoga. That does not mean I was any type of expert… that just means that I cycled through three of the Yoga Zone tapes on a weekly basis. Then, I quit and started doing other workouts.

However, any time my back or joints start aching I remember to get out my yoga mat and turn on those old tapes. An hour later, I once again feel relaxed and renewed.

Yoga is known for improving posture and balance while increasing flexibility, strength and muscle tone. By building your core and developing your strength and flexibility as you age, you will not fall so often if you trip over something.  You'll be able to catch yourself.  Yoga decreases joint and muscle pain which in turn makes you feel better and improves your sleep.

It’s easy to get started. Buy the tapes (DVDs now) and a Yoga mat. Set your alarm an hour earlier than normal. Climb out of bed and go to your TV, turn on the DVD and just start the poses in your pajamas. It couldn’t be easier.

Healthy Feet

As an “older” woman, I have begun to have some foot problems.  To keep me from the podiatrist’s knife, I bought some “Yoga Toes” which I’ve been wearing 3-4 times a week while bathing or reading or watching TV. Whenever I can put my feet up to rest.

Recently I’ve been reading the book, Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall which has made me want to go a little further with my natural healing. In the book, McDougall quotes Dr. Paul Brand, a professor of surgery, who says, “foot ailments such as corns, bunions, hammer-toes, flat feet, and fallen arches are nearly nonexistent in countries where most people go barefoot.”

Stanford’s track and cross-country coach, Vin Lananna said, “If you strengthen the foot by going barefoot, I think you reduce the risk of Achilles and knee and plantar fascia problems.” According to McDougall, Lananna made sure his runners always did part of their workouts in bare feet on the track’s infield.

Dr. Gerard Hartmann, a physical therapist who works with the world’s finest distance runners said, “the best injury-prevention advice he’s ever heard came from a coach who advocated ‘running barefoot on dewy grass three times a week.’”

The fascinating part about reading this book was that I began to think of myself as a runner, even though I probably haven’t run more than a few hundred feet at a time in years. So one warm evening recently, I challenged my husband to a short race on the golf course… barefoot.

In my mind I could see me taking off and running like the wind leaving my husband in my dust. He wanted to give me a head start, and I looked at him like he was crazy. So we started off. “Oh, my gosh…” I could barely even get started and by the time I did, I was the one left in the dust. We did 3 or 4 more races and I got a little better, but never did beat him. The next morning when I got up, my back was really knotted up and I ended up in the chiropractor’s office before the day was over. After a couple of days of rest, I do plan to go out to the golf course once again and practice running barefoot. Maybe I’ll get better… or maybe I’m too old?

Decide To Be Healthy

Do you want to be healthy? Do you want to live a life that is full of energy and free of disease? I think we all want that, but are we willing to do what it takes to get it?

One of the things we must do is to learn how to be healthy. Healthy, energetic people have learned what it takes to be healthy. Learn those skills, practice them, and you will be healthy and fit, too.

Being healthy calls for making many unconventional choices. If you can surround yourself with other healthy, fit people it will make it easier to make those hard choices. Becoming healthy and maintaining that health and fitness is a day-in, day-out endeavor. You may not make healthy choices 100% of the time, but the healthier you become, the easier and more automatic healthy choices will become.

Eat a plant-based, whole food diet as much as you can. Before buying foods that come in packages, learn to read the ingredient list. Don’t buy foods with lots of added fats and sugars or with a long list of ingredients you don’t even recognize.

Learn to drink water or herbal teas. Regular and diet soft drinks acidify your body, decay your teeth and leach minerals like calcium out of your bones. Fruit juices and other sweetened drinks stimulate a pro-inflammatory insulin response.

You must take responsibility for your own well-being and your own daily choices. Don’t rely on doctors to save you from heart attacks with fancy surgery or from diabetes with insulin or from cancer with toxic chemotherapy and radiation treatments. It is your body. Take care of it.

Sign up to receive new blog posts directly to your inbox.  Just fill in your name and e-mail address in the gray box to the left and hit the "submit" button. You will then get an e-mail asking you to confirm your e-mail address.  Once you do that, you will be signed up to receive new blog posts.

© 2007-2015 Melinda Coker

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: “Melinda Coker, health coach and author of the book, Diet and Cancer: Is There a Connection?, teaches men and women around the world how to develop a healthy lifestyle.”