8 glasses of water a day? It's NOT what the doctor ordered anymore!

WE all know the health tip that the average person should drink 8 glasses of water per day, right?

                                                                 Photo by: Suat Eman

Well, Scientific American says, it's not that simple!  People who eat a healthy diet and diet of roughly 1,900 calories per day get most of their water needs met from their food. Check out the article HERE for a detailed explanation.

Either way, if you want to increase your water intake - try adding a slice of cucumber, lemon, mint or basil to your glass and you'll be more apt to drink it down!

Image: Michelle Meiklejohn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Sipping on cucumber and mint water reminds me of being at a spa, transports me to a calm and relaxed state. Which I'm sure we all could use in our daily lives at home!

On another note, I think this company has taken this water to a WHOLE OTHER LEVEL.....Meat Water? What is this madness?

Water flavors like Chicken Teriyaki, Fish N Chips, Shrimp Salad and Cheeseburger?

Can someone tell me if this is a joke? Seriously, anyone? MeatWater?

We're hosting a GIVEAWAY at Zodiaque

Come one, come all and enter to win some of our fantastic Earl Grey Detox Tea bath salts..........and best of all.................it's FREE!

Tell your friends, share the link and YOU could both win a prize!

STEP ONE:  FOLLOW our BLOG (scroll down and click on the toolbar on the left, click "FOLLOW")

STEP TWO:  Click HERE to enter   "LIKE" our Facebook page and click "Giveaway" to enter to win!

STEP THREE: Leave a comment below to let us know you entered! :-)

Good Luck!

Little Gray Fox: Etsy Seller Q&A - Meet Zodiaque Bath

How exciting! Our shop was featured on Little Grey Fox's Blog. Check it out and leave a comment if you'd like.

Little Gray Fox: Etsy Seller Q&A - Meet Zodiaque Bath

Eat your Veggies!

Today's wellness challenge is to make a list of the veggies in your fridge, and post them on the door.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/steenbergs/4909678312/

 This way, you'll be more apt to cook with them or just snack on them more often. Too many times, the poor carrots or celery gets jammed in the bottom drawer, never again to appear until it's covered in fuzz!

It's obvious the benefits that fresh fruits and veggies have on our physical health. So get those veggies IN YOUR BELLY!

While you're at it, plant some in your garden so you never have to run to the store to get in your quota again!

Here are some Etsy stores that have fruit & veggie seeds:

Crenshaw Melon

- Purchase Crenshaw Melon Seeds HERE 

Rhubarb

- Purchase Rhubarb Seeds HERE

- Purchase Organic Bushy Cucumber Seeds HERE

.....I can't wait until next month when I can move to a new house that hopefully has room for a GARDEN! :-)

Nose your way to happy memories

Taste and smell are two senses that are most closely tied to memories. Today's daily challenge is to experience a taste or smell that reminds you of something happy or positive.


Remembering a happy smell or taste can actually increase your mood and the act of re-living a positive event can lower your blood pressure and create effects much like that of meditation.

MY happy scent is Jasmine.

Jasmine, brings me back to a family vacation in Hawaii when I was young. I got my first fresh flower lei made out of Pikake which is Hawaiian jasmine. Whenever I smell this fresh scent I am instantly transported to the warm beach breeze of Maui. 

Mmm, I can feel my blood pressure lowering already! Love that memory!

Love yourself first

 Wellness challenge for Wednesday (a bit late)

Write down one thing that you love about yourself. Do it. NOW. Not later. Why?

Well, acknowledging something good about yourself whether it be a tiny thing like, "I keep my socks in pairs" or a big thing like "I make a point to always tell the truth" actually does a body good!

By naming positive traits in yourself, you boost your self esteem by leaps and bounds which lowers depression, reduces anxiety and stress and can even bolster your immunity to sickness and disease!

To check out the T-Shirt pictured above, click HERE

Wellness for your skin!

Now that the sun rules most of the days this season, have you bothered to look at the ingredients in your sunscreen lately? If a product is labeled as a "personal care product" such as sunscreen and facewash etc. almost any chemical is allowed to be used.

There are no federal regulations for sunscreen currently, so this makes it so much more important that you do your own homework to protect yourself & family.

Here are a few places you can do some research on what products/ingredients are safe these days!

The Environmental Working Group's 2011 Sunscreen Guide
and
EWG's Skin Deep Guide to Sunscreen

This is one of EWG's top picks:

...........and THAT's my wellness post for the day.

Sniff your way to wellness today!

Did you know that getting your 'ol sniffer to inhale Orange or Lavender can actually lower anxiety and increase positive feelings in humans?

There was a study held in Austria that tested this, and Prevention Magazine wrote an article about it. Take a look HERE


And to toot my own horn, my shop Zodiaque does carry Lavender and Orange bath salts. Not merely a perfume, but the actual oil pressed from the lavender and orange plants. Our Gemini bath salts (perfect for anyone with a birthday between May 21- June 20), are Lavender and Basil. The Leo blend has Orange, Jasmine and Lemon essential oils.

Now, don't cry if you're neither a Leo OR a Gemini, I can do a special order for you with any of the 100% natural blends above if you'd prefer. Just send me a message and I'll list a personalized item just for you!

Daily wellness challenges # 3

As you know, I've given myself a challenge of posting for at least 7 days straight something that promotes peace and/or wellness.

How strange is it that I just happened upon a website today that does just that! It sends emails with daily wellness challenges, with a bit of social networking intertwined and a points system.

Sounds like fun, so I just joined today. I'll share with you the challenges, and perhaps you'll be inspired to come along for the ride!

If you're interested in joining yourself, CLICK HERE

Today's challenge was to find an insect either LIVE or online and observe it's intricacies, in hopes that it will make us realize how complex and interdependent our world is. 

I chose to inspect the Praying Mantis, thinking it might lead me to think about meditation or some other prayer related activity. Instead, I learned that they are classified as a "solitary insect", living life alone, no tribe, no partner or children to keep company with (except for a one time mate, which they "lovingly" eat afterward).

All this made me thankful that the human race, as crazy and messed up as they can be need each other to survive.  That we aren't made to be left alone for all of our existence. I'm thankful to be human and leave the solitary life to the Praying Mantis. Hey, he doesn't seem to mind!

It's nice to be nice!

People seek to be recognized, to be seen in the world by friends, strangers and the like. It seems like "important people" often times have to compromise themselves to get to a place of importance. On the other hand, being kind to people in life only takes a moment, feels good, builds character and lasts for a lifetime.

I challenge you to BE NICE to someone tomorrow and see just how great it feels!

I found another cool art print with a great message.

 To purchase this print - CLICK HERE

....and I got this post in with 20 minutes to spare....whew I'm still on track for my 7 posts in a week challenge!

Be who you are!

Day ONE - The first installment of my blog mission (to post about something that inspires peace and/or wellness).

Click here to view more details

Today I found a very cool art print for a kid's room, reminding one to "Be who you ARRRRGH" what a cute take on a very important idea.

Of course in life, we all find ourselves in a spot at times where we don't feel we're being true to our core self. Those are the times we re-examine our lives and have to "reboot" to return to our true nature of being and relating in a genuine way.

Let's all remember to seek to be our true selves, no matter what others around us may think.

....and that's my post for the day. My goal is to post daily for at least one week! Wish me luck!

My new mission for this blog...

is to find an interesting tidbit or item to post daily that inspires peace and wellness in some aspect. It could be an item for sale somewhere, an idea, a poem or article. I'm talking peace in the body, mind, soul, spirit or any combination of the above.

I can't wait to see what I can find to inspire myself and others here on this blog. Hey, if you have an idea (either produced by yourself or someone you know) send me a message and I'll check it out!

....this photo gives me a taste of peace. How about you?

Father's Day is coming up

So, I decided to create a little treasury on Etsy of some fun barware, speakeasy themed items that a dad or brother might like. I've noticed it takes some digging to find items on Etsy that are male centric.

Maybe you'll find something for the man in your life?

Speakeasy Items for Father's Day