Wordless Wednesday: Signs of Fall

It may still be in the 80's here in Florida, but I'm starting to see some signs of fall...

Warrior Salve & Foot Soak Combo for Tired, Aching Muscles and Feet

Back in 2010, when I trained over 500 miles and walked 60 miles in the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure, I started developing what would eventually become my first herbal products for sore muscles.  The first and most popular to date has been my sore muscle salve but a really great complement to it is my foot soak.

I had a really great team captain for the 3 Day who taught us well to stretch and stretch often.  I have to thank her for that because after walking 60 miles in 3 days, I was a little sore after the fact but I was not in pain and I think that it largely has to do with the stretching.  I did something else immediately after the walk that I believe contributed to my quick recovery: I took a nice, long, hot herbal bath (and then followed it up with my sore muscle salve!).

My foot soak was formulated based on that herbal bath concoction.  It includes Epsom salts, baking soda, mugwort, sage, rosemary, and lavender.  These natural ingredients are anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, pain relieving, skin softening, detoxifying, and aromatic.  Lavender is a wonderfully relaxing herb.  Mugwort is used to invigorate tired feet (and was once used by Roman soldiers to relieve aching feet on their long marches).  Sage helps relieve joint pain and is strengthening.  Rosemary helps increase circulation.  Baking soda softens the skin.  Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate which, absorbed through the skin, not only increases magnesium levels in the body but also acts as a sedative for the nervous system, reduces swelling, and relaxes muscles.  It also draws toxins from the body and is a natural exfoliant.  A really great way to massage your feet in the foot soak is by adding smooth river rocks or marbles to the basin!

Whether you're a seasoned athlete, training for an event, or just sore from over doing it over the weekend, my Warrior Salve and Foot Soak are fantastic, all natural ways of caring for your aching self!

My Warrior Salve and Foot Soak also come as a set and makes a really great gift for the Pink Warrior in your life.

Organic Produce Delivered Right to My Door

A while ago, I saw a Groupon for 50% off organic fruit and vegetable delivery from Tampa Bay Organics.  I don't know what took me so long, but I finally used it this week.  This morning, I woke up to a big box full of fresh, organic produce on my doorstep!

It contained:

1 each Celery
1 each Eggplant
2 each Tomatoes
3 each Ginger Gold Apples
1 each Grapes, Black Seedless
2 each Nectarines
1 each Mixed Baby Greens
3 each Yukon Gold Potatoes
4 each Bananas
1 each Avocado
3 each Oranges

There's nothing too exotic in this box, so I'll probably just make a nice salad with the veggies, maybe a little eggplant parmesan, and just enjoy the fruit.  Everything smells so good and looks so fresh!

The Groupon was $20 for one of their Medium sized boxes normally priced at $38.  I'd say that's a decent amount of organic booty delivered right to my home for that cost!  There was an ice pack in the box to help keep everything cool and they say that if you're not going to be home when they deliver, they'll put it into a cooler if you leave one out for them.  You can choose to make substitutions to your box and they let you choose your delivery schedule.  I haven't decided yet if I'm going to become a regular customer yet, but if I do, I would probably drop down to the small box and maybe do it every other week.

Are you a member of a CSA?  I'm sure you get all kinds of amazing produce!  I know they can get expensive, so do you feel like the cost is worth it?  I'd love to hear your thoughts, so please share in the comments below!

Simple Joy Sunday

Here are some things that made my week happy...

Purging!  I am so not an obsessive shoe girl, but my closet was actually pretty full of them.  I'd buy shoes for special occasions and then they would sit there for years (occasions to get *that* gussied up don't come too often).  I actually had shoes in my closet from about 15 years ago!  I have a brown grocery bag FULL of shoes that are falling apart, that don't fit, or that I haven't worn in years.  I love clearing out unnecessary things and making space; donating to a worthy cause is a plus, too.

I'm having a lot of fun learning Wordpress and building my new website.  There's so much to learn but it is a lot of fun!  See more in my post here.

I joined a new Meetup group called Sticks and Twigs Nature Girl.  The main point of the group is an appreciation of nature and the outdoors.  They have some fun stuff planned already including a hike in a local nature preserve.  I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to meet other women with similar outdoorsy interests!

I started the next phase of my workout to kick my ass and get into shape: Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30.  As you may remember, I *loved* her 30 Day Shred, so I'm really looking forward to this!  If it's anything like the Shred was, I expect the workouts to be totally kick ass and expect great results.  (This is only Day Two, so no review yet.)

Lastly, I was driving into my neighborhood on my way home from work one day and had to stop.  There were a few ducks crossing the road.  =)

What made you smile this week?  I'd love to hear, if you'd like to share in the comments below!