Don't Want to Pay and Arm and a Leg for a Mani or Pedi?

DON’T WANT TO PAY AN ARM AND A LEG FOR A MANI OR PEDI?

What woman doesn’t like a bit of pampering every now and then? My 88 year old Mum just started having pedicures a few years ago and she can’t believe what she’s been missing all those other years! She feels  so pretty-ed-up and relaxed after having been pampered by Nadia our esthetician.

Now in all fairness, not everyone has a wad of cash laying around for all the pampering we girls would love to have. Let’s face it. The spa industry has really taken off in the last couple of decades and the prices have been going sky-high as well. I know that some spas in my area are charging an average of $80.00 or more for an hour pedi and that’s before the tax and tip! Ouch!.... on the pocket book!  Now if you do your homework and ask around, go on-line, call around  and Facebook, you might be surprised what’s out there for affordable spa services.

I was at a spa one time that is very high-end in my community as I received a gift certificate from two of my students. I was so excited! I made my appointment for an hour pedi. To cut to the chase……..it was the most expensive (I had to shell out almost the same amount of the gift certificate and it was for $50.00)  the worst pedi I’ve EVER had!  The esthetician was more interested in trying to sell me a product that she was peddling on the side (not from the spa)and she talked non-stop! I kept wanting to tell  her to concentrate on giving me the pedi I was paying for and let me relax……but I didn’t ……I know, I know. I should have said something.

After my Mum had gone to a couple of different spas in our area and was paying close to a hundred bucks a shot, I decided to call around and see what and who I could find that was more affordable. It took only a handful of phone calls but I found a beauty salon/spa just minutes from our home. Now, it didn’t have expensive décor but the décor is very tasteful and lovely. There is only one esthetician (Nadia) but she is full time and does the most amazing job we’ve ever had!  She’s not happy until she has done the most perfect job. Guess how much this half hour mini-pedi costs.  You ready for this?............. $23.00 taxes in! Yup, and her half hour pedi is far superior to any hour pedi I’ve EVER had!!!!!  Her full spa pedi is even more amazing and it’s only $55.00 taxes in. The salon/spa is called Hair Identity and it’s on Sackville Drive in Sackville Nova Scotia. The staff is very friendly and professional.

My daughter found another esthetician  on Facebook through some of her connections in my area. I haven’t tried it yet but I’m booked in for May for a spa pedi that’s 90 minutes and all for the grand cost of $40.00. I’ll let you know how it is after that day.

Something important to check out before you go to any spa no matter what their décor looks like or their prices, is the way they sterilize their equipment.  Ask what they use and how the procedure is done. Not all spas have an autoclave but as long as they use hospital grade disinfectant and the equipment is in the solution for the appropriate time, then you’ve done your homework, mission accomplished! And book that appointment and go get yourself pretty-ed up!

BEAM ME UP SCOTTIE PART 2

If you recall in my part 1 of said title above, I was having  laser therapy on my hip. I’ve been back a few times now and am also having my arm lasered. I had a pinched nerve in my shoulder which was causing pain in my upper arm…..go figure :-S  After two visits to my family physician, who kept telling me the pain in my arm was from my fibromyalgia, I went to my chiropractor who found the pinched nerve within seconds. Then he treated it and now with a little laser it’s almost gone. J

Long story short, the lasers have enabled me to take my progress a few steps further and the pain levels way down, quicker than traditional physio, chiropractic,etc.

A few weeks ago I couldn’t walk up the stairs with both legs leading, only my right one. I was contstently limping and now I only limp every now and then.

To date, I’ve had about six treatments and will continue going for the next few weeks about once every ten days or so.

My game plan is this. To be able to run walk, play games, go to the play park and just have LOTS of FUN with my little grand-daughters.

BIG thanks to my osteo Lynn and my physio Tom at www. bedfordhealthcentre.com

and the www.bioflexlaser.com that they use, I’m on my way to better health and mobility.

Also, a big thank-you to my chiropractor Dr. Ben at Alpha Laser Therapy Clinic on Hammonds Plains Rd. Bedford NS. (new address).

Beam Me Up scottie Part 2

BEAM ME UP SCOTTIE PART 2

If you recall in my part 1 of said title above, I was having  laser therapy on my hip. I’ve been back a few times now and am also having my arm lasered. I had a pinched nerve in my shoulder which was causing pain in my upper arm…..go figure :-S  After two visits to my family physician, who kept telling me the pain in my arm was from my fibromyalgia, I went to my chiropractor who found the pinched nerve within seconds. Then he treated it and now with a little laser it’s almost gone. J

Long story short, the lasers have enabled me to take my progress a few steps further and the pain levels way down, quicker than traditional physio, chiropractic,etc.

A few weeks ago I couldn’t walk up the stairs with both legs leading, only my right one. I was constantly limping and now I only limp every now and then.

To date, I’ve had about six treatments and will continue going for the next few weeks about once every ten days or so.

My game plan is this. To be able to run walk, play games, go to the play park and just have LOTS of FUN with my little grand-daughters.

BIG thanks to my osteo Lynn and my physio Tom at www. bedfordhealthcentre.com

and the www.bioflexlaser.com that they use, I’m on my way to better health and mobility.

Also, a big thank-you to my chiropractor Dr. Ben at Alpha Laser Therapy Clinic on Hammonds Plains Rd. Bedford NS. (new address).

One Little Piece of Cake Please......Not!!!

 ONE LITTLE PIECE OF CAKE PLEASE…….NOT!!!

It happened again. I went to a pot luck tonight and told myself I could have just a “small piece of cake” and nothing more. Ok….I had my one piece of cake……and two cookies…..and a small piece of sponge cake L

I know what some of you are saying (at least the skinny ones sitting there eating your pealed apple as your big “ treat” of the day…..”she really needs to get control of herself and be healthy like me. If I can do it, she can”.) OK, is there a habit or addiction you need to get under control? I’m not trying to justify my bad habit by calling out yours but…..

Do you bite your nails, smoke, take drugs (illegal that is), have more clothes/shoes  in your closet than you need( think of all the times you need retail therapy for yourself) , pull your hair out,  procrastinate, overeat, drink (alcohol that is. If you want a “cold one” there’s ice water in the fridge ), complain a lot, have unforgiveness, obsess, do too much of an activity that your work/home life/family suffers (eg. Watch too much TV or computer usage), sexual promiscuity, under eating, AND the list could go on.

We all have our bad habits. Some are just easier to hide from people than others. Let’s be encouragers of one another. Cheer and help your friend that’s trying to lose weight instead of giving her a box of chocolates  as gift, pray and be by the side of someone who needs your physical presence  to kick the habit of….. (You fill in the blank here). Also, don’t feel ashamed to ask for help from your friends and family who you know will support, help and cheer you on.

Here’s a couple of my fav Bible verses:

Psalm 55:22

 ²² Give your burdens to the LORD,
      and he will take care of you.
      He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

2 Timothy 1:7

⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

Let’s cheer, pray and encourage each other on and depend on Him Who is able to keep us J

We all have made and will make mistakes. Let’s try and help each other when those times get tough no matter what the habit or addiction.

BEAM ME UP SCOTTIE!!!!

For any of you that are Trekkies out there, you know that this above line from Star Trek is when the illustrious Capt. Kirk would frantically tell  Chief Engineer Scotty to get him out of a “situation” by beaming him from some enemy infested planet where some of the crew have already been killed. (you know, that if you were the guy in the red tunic, you were NOT coming back!!). Ah yes, we saw what the future would hold for us with cordless phones (telecommunicators), computers that would think for us, space travel to unknown worlds, and those lasers that Scotty used to “beam” you up or lasers to shoot at the enemy and the lasers that Dr. McCoy used to heal you when you had your arm zapped off by a Klingon laser. All science fiction,right?

Well now we have those cordless phones, space travel is now available to those who can afford it, personal computers are the norm in most households, and we may not be able to have a “Scotty” to beam us up, but the world is a much smaller place with faster modes of travel. AND lasers are now the norm in many medical procedures.

I've experienced those lasers first hand. I've had three laser treatments on my hip from an old sport's injury (not a good idea to ride a horse you don't know, get thrown from said horse, hit a tree and then hit the ground).  When you're twelve you don't think about the fact that when you are 50, that old injury will crop up in the form of arthritis or bursitis or some other 'itis”. For me, it's bursitis.

Imagine not being able to exercise, shop for hours or not being able to go up the stairs using both legs one after the other. That's what it's been like for me since August when this hip problem cropped up.

I started seeing my osteopath ( a passive form of physio) who then suggested I get some laser treatments from the physiotherapist in the clinic. I was sceptical at first and a little nervous. All I felt was a slight warming but nothing more from the  Bioflex laser. When I came into the clinic that morning, I was my usual, slow, limping self but, when I got up from the laser treatment, I walked out of the clinic with no pain or limping!!! I was a believer in laser therapy! It's been a slow process but the laser treatments  have worked better and faster than regular physio or other conventional treatments. Because my pain site is so deep, even the lasers are going to take a few treatments along with some osteo and some Tylenol Arthritis (anti-inflammatory).  And on top of this, I discovered that there are lasers that can be purchased for home use! Who'da thunk?!

 www.terraquantusa.com &  www.bioflexlaser.com are two companies that make home use lasers.

Drug -free pain management is big business now with more people opting for less pills and more proactive treatments. And that's what makes me a believer in all of the above.

In With the New....Out With the Old

Well, Christmas is over and we've all started a New Year in 2012. The tree is gone, the decorations are gone (except for a pretty wreath on the front of my house and one inside....I just tell my husband that they are "winter" decor :-D), the house has been cleaned and any baking, boxed candy etc. have been put in the freezer where it will be less tempting ( but seriously...have you ever tried a frozen peanut butter bon bon?!) Now, where to put all those gifts we got for Christmas. Mmmm......?
I just read on a site that is challenging people to de-clutter their homes one day at a time for 365 day in a row. Today's idea was to look at your walls and see if anything was there that you really could do without. Eg. like a picture that has no emotional attachment, an out-dated  craft etc.
I think this idea has some merit. Look around your home, room by room. What do you see?  A closet that you put "stuff" in, walls cluttered in pictures, crafts or spoon holders, a floor you can hardly see, a dresser (or any flat surface) that you can't see, MANY knic,knacs, too many plants of which some you keep forgetting to water, a garage that you can't get the car into, multiple items that you only need one of, clothes you haven't had on in months (or years) AND the list could go on....but you get the idea, right?
So what can you do without? But before throwing things in the garbage consider what you can part with to give to a loved one, a friend or to charities. Please be considerate though that you don't force things on people with a guilty pout on your face if they really don't want your black dress with the football player shoulder pads from 1987. Maybe you didn't wear it "that many times" and "it's just like new" but to them, you've just insulted them. AND please don't donate garbage to charities either. They have to pay to have all that un-saleable stuff taken to the tip (dump). 
So here's to a very Happy New 2012 with thoughts of doing without so much excess in our lives.

Muppet Hair :-S

If you have curly, wavy or kinky hair you know exactly what I mean by the term, "muppet hair".  You watch as all your friends get the latest cuts,styles and you look like a mop.  You TRY as a teenager (especially as a teen) and then as an adult to have the latest do but no amount of stylist promises, hair straighteners, or magic products work. You leave the salon with a new purpose in life and then try the next day to follow the step by step instructions that your hairdresser told you and ...........sproing!  Your hair is back to it's wild, out of control look. Until........
a friend of mine who has beautiful, bountiful curls told me about her hairdresser who was trained specifically to cut curly hair. I  had noticed that my friends hair was looking pretty awesome for the last few months so I though it couldn't hurt to try this new stylist out.
WOW! What a difference!  First of all, Lyndsay at Vibe Salon and Spa, Bedford, Nova Scotia, had a good look at my locks, then started snipping on dry hair. She  explained that wet hair is heavy hair and as a curly-girl, your wet hair turns into dry hair that's not straight so the cut is done dry. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous about this snip here and there approach but when Lydsay was finish I had the most fabulous hair cut I have EVER had!!!!  She recommended Moroccan Oil products and a leave in spray moisturizer by Deva Concepts of NYC.  Now these are a bit expensive so I started the hunt for the same products but ones that weren't so hard on the wallet. My shampoo and conditioner have to be sulfate free. Sulfate is a huge no-no for curly, ethnic hair as it strips the natural oils from our already dry hair giving us that tumbleweed look :-s
I found a store called Sally Beauty that carries salon supplies but is also open to the public. I bought a $5.00 membership card and have saved a bundle since. I use Argan oil,Argan Oil curl cream, Silk Elements shampoo and conditioner. My hair has thanked me many times since :-)
www.curlygirldesign.com  & devachansalon.com have some great tips and tricks for curly hair that are life savers.  
The most important things to remember are: no sulfate, alcohol in any of your  products, wash your hair only 3-4 times a week (preferably less if you can), dry your hair with an old cotton t-shirt (never use a terry towel as it frizzes hair......like we need help with that!), comb your hair with your fingers or a very wide tooth comb in the shower with lots of conditioner on. Then don't comb again until the next wash and NEVER brush your hair. Hair brushes are frizzie monsters as well. 
Good luck and embrace your curly, kinky,wave of glory as the Good Lord gave you! :-)