A Few Of My Favorite Things - Part 1

Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes . . . . I love the snow. And I love December. And I LOVE Christmas. But something very . . . VERY strange happened last year. And I don’t think I was alone.

photo by Kristin Chiasson | Dreamstime.com

Last year something was just off. Try as I might, I just could NOT get into the Christmas spirit. I don’t know what it was. But everyone I sp

oke to felt the same. My mom, my friends, my own children even!

And it had me truly concerned that maybe Christmas had lost it’s magic for me.

But here we are a year later, and I’m so relieved to say that my love affair with Christmas is back in full force! In fact, I’ve been bingeing on Hallmark movies since the beginning of November. And that’s TRULY saying something, because I’ve always been a Christmas purist. NOTHING terribly Christmas-y until Black Friday.

We don’t usually get the tree until the first weekend of December, but this year, it’s already up and decorated. In fact, I’m finishing the house decorations today.

But this year is not only a complete reversal of last year, it’s been a reversal of the norm. I’m already planning what to make for the teachers AND I’m aiming to get them out early so it’s just all done with.

I even hit up the mall on Black Friday, which I’ve never really done before, but the girls wanted to go shopping, so off we went. And you know what? I didn’t hate it! In fact, it has potentially added to my Christmas Spirit.

So to that end, from now through Christmas, I will be doing my weekly blog on . . . . yep . . . . My Favorite Things.

And it’s just SO hard to choose where to start. . . . I have so many things that I use on a regular basis that I love. I think I’ll make a big poster of all of my favorite things written on it, and just throw a dart.

BRB!

Okay, I’m back. And the dart said . . . . my Nayoya Acupressure Mat. Oh how I love this thing!! I’ve taken to laying on it a bit every night at bedtime.

Sore muscles? Back ache? Head ache? Tired feet? Give the Nayoya Acupressure Mat a try!

I’ll be honest. No, it’s not the most comfortable thing in the world to lay on. At first. But less than 5 minutes in and your whole body just feels more relaxed.

Every so often, I get something caught in the very middle of my back and it causes a tension headache. The kind where you stand up and your head starts pounding? Yeah, that. Ugh! And plenty of times, it’s inconveniently timed, so I can’t get to my chiropractor. What’s a girl to do?

Enter, the Nayoya Acupressure Mat. I lay on the mat for about 30 to 45 minutes, and I can get my muscles to loosen enough that it’s not so bad. And then a few gentle back stretches and I can usually get a little adjustment to happen and it all goes away. (Note: I do not feel this is a substitute for my weekly adjustments, as there’s always so much more going on.)

For those tough workouts my coach and trainers have me doing? Fabulous! Sitting on the mat with my legs out hits my hamstrings in a way that diminishes the soreness. Laying on my side and placing the mat from my hip to my knee, I can get some blood flowing to those iliotibial bands that need so much TLC to keep from being aggravated.

So if you’re a runner, cyclist, swimmer, weight-lifter, or, well, just a person (ha!) - or know anyone that fits that description - I highly recommend trying out the Nayoya Acupressure Mat. And I hope you fall in love with it just as much as I have!