Now that October is upon us, it’s time to plant the garlic! There are two varieties of garlic, softneck and hardneck. The “neck” of garlic is the stem of the plant. Hardneck garlic tends to grow larger, produces a garlic scape (an edible stalk that is great for pesto, stir fry, and etc.), is hardier in Northern climates, and has more of a complex flavor than a softneck garlic (softneck is what is in the grocery store). Garlic is one of the easiest crops to grow! Like any crop

I always get the question.. What is that vivid blue flower and why is it in your veggie garden?! That vivid blue flower is called a “Starflower” also known as Borage. Borage is a self-seeding herb that has many uses in and out of the garden. It’s flowers and leaves, when young, are edible and have a mild cucumber-like flavor. Borage is good for the bees which in turn is great for the garden! It can also be used as a companion plant with strawberries, squash, and tomatoes in

Ok… so who here doesn’t like onions? There are a few of you out there! Hey! That’s ok! Did you know that onions are sooooo good for you?! They have been around since ancient times. They are packed with B and C vitamins, potassium, and they are low in calories. They are beneficial for your metabolism, nerve function,blood sugar, and heart health… to name a few of the many benefits! I grow onions in my garden and use them as a bug repellent in addition to, of course, eating and

As the weather gets warmer, my gardening “chores” start happening. One of my “chores” is to get the tomato seedlings started. How I decide on that is always dependent on the last frost date, when will the soil warm up, and most importantly, the number of days till harvest! Here in Kansas City, generally the last frost date is around the end of March. By the time we get to the end of April, our weather has warmed up considerably. Most of my tomato harvest dates run between 80

How you treat your body NOW will affect it LATER on. What in the world does that mean? Well let’s put it this way… if you don’t take care of your body by making healthy choices in what you eat, how you manage your stress, how many hours you sleep, and how much exercise you get…. It will eventually catch up to you. How do I know? I ignored all of those factors!! I was fortunate enough to get an early warning sign…. I got sick! My body said “I’ve had enough”.... “I can’t take

I’ve been picking at the “diet and changing your lifestyle” theme over the past few blogs. DIET is a BIG word in our culture. My guess is that everyone has done it at least once in their lifetime. Studies show that over 45 million people diet each year spending over 33 Billion dollars on trying to get slim and trim!!! That’s an incredible. What’s also incredible is that within 3 years, most people have gained the weight they lost back. Changing your lifestyle, in my book, bas

Studies show that people regain weight within in 1 to 5 years of a diet. WOW! Then why bother? You’re just going to gain it all back. How about this thought.... Why not change your lifestyle and then you won’t need a diet? Lifestyle is how a person lives. It's how we think and what our attitude is towards ourselves and the world. How we live affects our health which not only includes the body but the mind and spirit as well. A diet that "didn't work" might have had allot

#24- Hang with a friend Friendships can help our physical, mental, and emotional health. Social support from friends lowers our stress, increases our immune system, increases our self-confidence and happiness, and benefits our overall health. What does friendship look like to you? “Like” us at Beyond Basic Health #friends #health #happy #educator #BeyondBasicHealth

#21 - Reorganize the To Do List Holiday times seem to amp up the stress in our already stressed out world. If you’re trying to squeeze 20 hours of “to do’s” into an already jam- packed 8 hour day, you will definitely feel stressed! By changing how you look at the “To Do” list , you can take stress off of you and open up many opportunities to get it done! *What could you take a closer look at? *Which tasks are important *Which tasks can wait or be saved for later Which tasks c

Thankful and Grateful can be interchangeable. If you’re grateful, then you are thankful! When was the last time you thanked someone that is important in your life? When was the last time you were grateful for someone whether you knew them or not? Practicing gratitude as a regular daily habit can help you cope with stress and it can be quite empowering. People that are grateful/thankful have a tendency to be happier, sleep better, express more kindness and compassion towards o

#17-Develop the habit of positive self-talk DO YOU TALK TO YOURSELF IN A POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE WAY? The way we talk to ourselves affects our body, mind, and spirit. Negative self-talk can include self-doubt, criticism or catastrophic types of predictions. For example, saying or thinking “I can’t stand this”, “ I don’t have time for this” or “this will never work out” can just stress you out, especially during this holiday season! Talking to ourselves in a positive way can help

#16 -Focus on Breathing The way you breathe can make a BIG difference on your stress level. Just a simple breathing exercise can calm the body and the brain down in a few short minutes. A simple breathing exercise would be the following: *Breathing in through your nose and let your belly fill with air. *Count to the number three as you inhale. *Hold your breathe for two seconds and then slowly exhale through your nose while counting to three. “Like” us at Beyond Basic Health

#5-Build a Snowman! (if there is snow, of course!!) We grew up with the habit of building a snowman after the first heavy wet snow! Even as adults, we still do it today!! Grab an extra carrot, a few charcoal briquets, a few twigs, a hat and scarf and frosty will be set! Benefits: fresh air, fun, memories!! Your thought:Do you have a fun story or memory around building a snowman? “Like” us at Beyond Basic Health #Snowman #Frosty #HealthyHoliday #Wellness #Educator