Eat to Reduce Inflammation

Not all chronic pain can be linked to inflammation inside your body, but a lot of it can. You can take anti-inflammatory medications, and you should if prescribed by a doctor. But you should also make dietary changes to reduce inflammation.

First, you need to cut out known causes of inflammation. These sources include fried foods, refined carbs, sugar, red meats, and processed meats. Saying goodbye to french fries, soft drinks, bagels, and steak can help you reduce your pain after your body begins to readjust.

Of course, it’s not just about what you can’t eat; there are also foods that you should eat in your fight against inflammation. Stock up on tomatoes, nuts and fatty fish such as salmon. Eat plenty of berries. Cook your food in olive oil instead of butter or margarine.

Do what you can to lose weight if you are overweight or obese, as “fatty tissue produces chemicals that cause inflammation, and carrying around extra weight can tax your body, increasing pain and discomfort.”

Get Help with Housework

If you suffer from chronic pain, even simple tasks like sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping can cause stress on your muscles and joints, leading to severe discomfort. Give yourself a break and hire some help.

If you can afford it, hire a cleaning service. Even if you can only pay for part-time assistance, you would benefit from the extra hands. Depending on the age of your children, look into either a part-time nanny or daycare services. Consider also hiring a lawn care company to maintain your yard. The cost of lawn care maintenance usually includes mowing, edging, and removing debris. Look for reputable house cleaning and lawn care companies by researching customer reviews and checking ratings.

Of course, some activities like gardening can actually help those with chronic pain, so you might want to do some of your housework yourself. But the moment it becomes clear that your home-making responsibilities are causing you pain, don’t be afraid to seek out help.

Reconfigure Your Bedroom

Unfortunately, sleep issues and chronic pain go together like peanut butter & jelly. If you have one, you usually have the other. Chronic pain can exacerbate sleeping troubles, and not getting enough rest can exacerbate chronic pain. To help get yourself out of this vicious cycle, make some alterations to your sleeping situation.

Turn your bedroom into a no-technology zone. Don’t bring your phone, computer, or even a TV into your bedroom. Don’t check work emails, don’t watch Netflix; in fact, don’t do anything in your bedroom except sleep and have sex. You must train your brain to think “sleep” when you get in bed, or else it will focus on countless tasks.

For some, total quiet is the way to go; for others, that complete quiet makes them focus on the pain. Find what works best for you. If you need some background noise, try a white noise machine, or play quiet, calming music.

Small Changes

While you may want to throw yourself into a host of changes to help fight your chronic pain, it’s important to take it a step at a time. Especially when it comes to new habits. Lifestyle changes are more likely to stick when they’re gradually implemented. So start small, maybe by getting help with housework. Once you have this figured out, turn to addressing your meals. By slowly adapting to these changes, you’re in a better position to really feel the benefits, making it easier to tweak what works and what doesn’t.

Everyone’s chronic pain is different, and much of dealing with it is trial and error. You try something, and it works or it doesn’t, and what works for one person completely fails for the next. However, by tweaking some basic elements in your home life, you can put yourself in a better situation to manage your chronic pain.

Photo Credit: Pixabay.com

About the Author:

Emma Grace Brown lives her life by her rules; and it works! When she’s not snuggling puppies, Emma promotes female empowerment through her website. Her mission is to help those who live with self-doubt to realize they don’t have to mold themselves to conventionality. 

The post GUEST POST: How to Reduce Chronic Pain at Home first appeared on #NoOrdinaryLiz.

FEAR
A word that is constantly hiding around in everyone’s back pockets.  FEAR of heights, FEAR of public speaking, FEAR of spiders, and FEAR of the dark.  It comes in many forms and learns to camouflage itself in a way that you don’t know how to identify it until it’s too late to brace yourself for what is about to happen!

Has it been awhile since you’ve had those hair-raising moments long enough to slice anyone who stumbles in your way?  Are you ready to determine if you should tackle the “Fight or Flight” approach? Do you have that sensation AKA adrenaline that rushes through your entire body that makes you feel like you’re every superhero in the Marvel club?  

Well, you’re in luck! I’m proud to be partnering with Scream-A-Geddon again as they petrify our Bay area residents with 6 attractions in 1 location, it’s guaranteed to make you flash that FEAR card the moment you step on the premises. 

SCREAM-A-GEDDON  voted best newcomer by USA’s Best Haunted Houses, returns for its 4th year that started on Friday, September 21st.

SCREAM-A-GEDDON will feature brand new haunted attractions Rage 3D, Demon’s Revenge and Zombie Paintball Assault. Deadwoods, Infected: Ground Zero and Blackpool Prison will be returning for the 2018 Halloween season. Infected: Ground Zero will challenge guests to take a step further and become a part of the story and take on terrifying challenges to stay alive. Are you ready to tackle those FEARS?

WARNING: Please continue to read further if you DARE!

These attractions are not for the faint-hearted. It is the ONE and ONLY choice for victims who want a grisly, disturbing and thrilling sinister experience. Check out a couple of attractions below.

 Rage 3D  Are you a sane person? Would you venture into a world built by your subconscious? Prepare to have your senses assaulted by strange stimuli that makes it hard to discern what’s up and what’s down. Walk through rooms that will twist, turn and rotate making you question where you are putting your next step. Yes, the walls will squeeze in and reach out for you… that is normal for this type of thing.  Abnormal creatures, figures and clowns will blend in with the environment around you in a barrage of colors, shapes and architecture making you question what is living and what is a figment of your psyche. Surrender the sensation of sound as roaring music is pumped into the rooms that make screaming at the strange encounters meaningless. They can’t hear you. No one can. Get ready to have reality, fiction, dreams, nightmares all blend into one with an over-the-top experience that will leave you panicking for more.

Infected Ground Zero  Shortly after the landing of a large meteorite in a farmer’s cornfield, an unexplained phenomenon began to make the locals act… peculiar. Reports of their aggressive and irrational behavior caught the attention of authorities and a special government containment team was deployed to study, analyze and quarantine. Not long after deployment, communications were lost and the team’s fate is unknown. Try to control your terror as you weave your way through fields, military tents and the farmhouse to confront the creatures within. Will you be the next one infected?

SCREAM-A-GEDDON: 27839 Saint Joe Road,  Dade City, FL 33525

Doors opened on September 21st and patiently awaiting for your unnerving arrival through November 3rd. Tickets start at $19.95.

The General Admission ticket includes unlimited access to all haunted attractions (excluding Zombie Paintball Assault).

The VIP “Fast Pass” allows you to skip the General Admission line and use the “Fast Pass” lane once per attraction.

The Zombie Paintball Assault ticket includes paintballs and admission to the Zombie Paintball Assault attraction only (Does not include General Admission to SCREAM-A-GEDDON, which is sold separately).

The Super VIP “Fast Pass” includes UNLIMITED NO WAIT access to every attraction, with a tour guide and a $20 gift shop apparel credit (Zombie Paintball Assault admission sold separately).

Are you ready to chase your FEARS?

For more information, be sure to follow SCREAM-A-GEDDON on social media!
On Facebook.
On Twitter.

This is no TRICK, but it is a TREAT!  Want a chance to win tickets to experience this No Ordinary Halloween?
Leave me a comment below telling me WHY you’d love to have this awesome opportunity to exercise your FEAR skills, and I’ll choose TWO random comments on October 15th (using Random.org) and announce the winners here on the blog and on social media! Stay tuned.

Want to increase your chances of winning?

Add additional comments below each time you do the following:

• Follow No Ordinary Liz on Twitter.
• Like No Ordinary Liz on Facebook.
• Follow SCREAM-A-GEDDON on Twitter.
• Like SCREAM-A-GEDDON on Facebook.

Disclaimer: This post is written on behalf of SCREAM-A-GEDDON!  All pictures and descriptions were provided by SCREAM-A-GEDDON.  I was able to chase my FEARS by attending the attractions in exchange for blog and social media posts.   All opinions are my own.

The post No Ordinary Halloween (GIVEAWAY) first appeared on #NoOrdinaryLiz.

Has it been awhile since you’ve had those hair-raising moments long enough to slice anyone who stumbles in your way?  Are you ready to determine if you should tackle the “Fight or Flight” approach? Do you have that sensation AKA adrenaline that rushes through your entire body that makes you feel like you’re every superhero in the Marvel club?  

Well, you’re in luck! There is a new park that is lingering the Bay area. It’s guaranteed to make you flash that FEAR card the moment you step on the premises. 

SCREAM-A-GEDDON  voted best newcomer by USA’s Best Haunted Houses, returns for its third year starting Friday, September 22nd. SCREAM-A-GEDDON promises sinister attractions that are more interactive than ever before and will feature haunted attractions with themes that range from an infectious disease epidemic to a heinous and sinister prison riot. The attractions include Deadwoods, Bedlam 3D, Cursed Hayride, Blackpool Prison and newly redesigned Infected: Ground Zero and Monster Midway. Infected: Ground Zero will challenge guests to take a step further and become a part of the story and take on terrifying challenges to stay alive. Are you ready to tackle those FEARS?

WARNING: Please continue to read further if you DARE!

These attractions are not for the faint-hearted. It is the ONE and ONLY choice for victims who want a grisly, disturbing and thrilling sinister experience.

 Bedlam could be thought of as pandemonium and anarchy, but you could also say that it’s immersion in the chaos of the unknown. The clowns and fiends that fill Bedlam 3D will terrorize you, chase you and try to consume your flesh. Experience the 3D clown house known as Bedlam 3D!  With the current clown epidemic strolling the streets throughout the country, this attraction will certainly put your mind at ease!

Cursed Hayride  is residents of a town cursed with immortality have wanted to die for years, but their attempts to reach the afterlife have been in vain. In order to escape their never-ending torture they must replace their soul with yours. Ride the wagon through Cursed Hayride and witness the horrifying sights and sounds of the doomed souls. But remember – they want your life, and your soul…

Infected Ground Zero  Shortly after the landing of a large meteorite in a farmer’s cornfield, an unexplained phenomenon began to make the locals act… peculiar. Reports of their aggressive and irrational behavior caught the attention of authorities and a special government containment team was deployed to study, analyze and quarantine. Not long after deployment, communications were lost and the team’s fate is unknown. Try to control your terror as you weave your way through fields, military tents and the farmhouse to confront the creatures within. Will you be the next one infected?

SCREAM-A-GEDDON: 27839 Saint Joe Road,  Dade City, FL 33525

Doors open on September 22nd and patiently awaiting for your unnerving arrival through November 4th. Tickets start at $19.95.

Are you ready to chase your FEARS?

For more information, be sure to follow SCREAM-A-GEDDON on social media!
On Facebook.
On Twitter.

This is no TRICK, but it is a TREAT!  Want a chance to win tickets to experience this No Ordinary FEAR?
Leave me a comment below telling me WHY you’d love to have this awesome opportunity to exercise your FEAR skills, and I’ll choose TWO random comments on October 15th (using Random.org) and announce the winners here on the blog and on social media! Stay tuned.

Want to increase your chances of winning?

Add additional comments below each time you do the following:

• Follow No Ordinary Liz on Twitter.
• Like No Ordinary Liz on Facebook.
• Follow SCREAM-A-GEDDON on Twitter.
• Like SCREAM-A-GEDDON on Facebook.

Disclaimer: This post is written on behalf of SCREAM-A-GEDDON!  All pictures and descriptions were provided by SCREAM-A-GEDDON.  I was able to chase my FEARS by attending the attractions in exchange for blog and social media posts.   All opinions are my own.

The post No Ordinary Fear (GIVEAWAY) first appeared on #NoOrdinaryLiz.

So I just returned from my second leg of summer travels. With the celebration of America’s birthday behind me and celebrating the first few days of summer in the Great Smokies, it got me thinking. I want to do more! So I’ve decided to share with you what’s on my bucket list. It’s a big one!

My 120 No Ordinary bucket list.
1. Write a book
2. Visit Wilmington, NC
3. Meet Ellen Degeneres
4. Sip coffee with Oprah
5. Make pizza from scratch
6. Master the guitar
7. Ride in a helicopter over the Grand Canyons
8. Master how to make the perfect guacamole
9. Speak Spanish fluently
10. Make homemade ice cream
11. Sleep in an igloo in Finland under the Northern Lights
12. Learn how to make the perfect biscuits~n~gravy
13. Go on a cruise
14. Swim with the sharks
15. Deep sea fishing
16. Go to Hawaii and master belly dancing
17. Read the entire bible
18. Meet Nicholas Sparks
19. Airboat ride through the Everglades in alligator infested waters
20. Drive over 150+ mph in a race car down Daytona Motor Speedway
21. Fall in Love
22. Get matching tattoos
23. Run a half marathon without stopping to check out the views
24. Hit 500 blog posts
25. Hit over 10,000+ blog views
26. Be able to touch my toes fully without bending my knees to stretch
27. Take a ride on a seaplane
28. Hold a parakeet
29. Stand under the Sutherland Falls, in New Zealand
30. Kiss in the rain, just like Noah kissed Allie in “The Notebook”
31. Win the pie eating contest
32. Watch an erupted volcano
33. Meet Carrie Underwood
34. Star in a commercial
35. Dog sledding at Christmas
36. Visit the White House
37. Ride in a horse carriage
38. Explore a cave
39. Fly a kite
40. Be on TV
41. Give $100,000 to charity
42. Start a fire
43. Travel cross country in an RV
44. Get Hollywood glammed and attend an expensive dinner in Singapore
45. Visit the Eiffel Tower
46. Have drinks with Morgan Freeman
47. Visit Arlington Cemetery
48. Go to Jade Mountain in St. Lucia
49. Play a game of paintball
50. Police ride along
51.  Ride in a hot air balloon
52. Swim with Dolphins
53. Learn how to sail
54. Visit Montana
55. Go horseback riding in Wyoming
56. Stay at a Dude Ranch
57. Meet Clint Eastwood
58. Attend a professional rodeo
59. Chase a tornado
60. Wash an elephant
61. Ride a camel
62. Hangout in Dubai
63. Ride in a limo
64. Officiate a wedding
65. Drive through a dust storm in Arizona
66. Explore every state park
67. Go to Yosemite
68. Horseback riding on the beach
69. Stay in an expensive mansion
70. Hug a Redwood
71. Milk a cow
72. Name a star after me
73. Visit Space
74. Be a mentor
75. Start a nonprofit
76. Have a house for orphaned children
77. Help the homeless
78. Write a children’s book
79. Volunteer at a retirement home
80. Play BINGO at the retirement home
81. Master self-defense
82. Visit a real-life Castle
83. Meet Queen Elizabeth II
84. Be hypnotized
85. Visit all 50 states
86. Answer a personal ad
87. Meet a world leader
88. Go to a High School reunion
89. Have an awesome conversation with a complete stranger
90. Meeting someone by chance
91. Lay in a bed of rose petals
92. Receive a fan letter
93. Start a blog
94. Shoot a bow and arrow
95. Win a lottery ticket
96. Master chicken~n~dumplings
97. Visit Italy
98. Squash grapes with my feet to make my own wine, in Italy
99. To be loved
100. Make someone’s day
101. Be on a radio show
102. Be on the cover of Glamour
103. Be a guest for TED Talk
104. Visit a Live TED Talk
105. Be in a professional photo shoot
106. Ride on an expensive Yacht
107. Have no credit card debt
108. Have no debt at all
109. Order room service
110. Eat fresh honey directly from a beehive
111. Be on a jumbotron
112. Meet the entire Walking Dead cast
113. See the Hollywood sign
114. Visit Vegas
115. Send flowers to myself
116. Be someone’s hero
117. New York Times best seller
118. See a lighthouse
119. Celebrate a holiday in a different country
120. Go on a spontaneous road trip

The post No Ordinary Bucket List first appeared on #NoOrdinaryLiz.

That is a bold statement and a question I’ve been asking myself since I was a little girl. I still remember that sunny day sitting in the back of that yellow rustic taxi cab window. The sun glistening through the trees and it’s reflection brushing my face as we stroll down that ole rugged mountain road.  Every time we would pass green plants, shrubs or flowers, I was curious as to how they played a part in our world.

I have the greatest honor and privilege of knowing the author, Amber Bennett of “Stella on Science“, a fantastic children’s book that truly resonates with our culture and society today. I had the opportunity to read the book prior to it hitting the shelves in every bookstore around the land and I certainly can say, I fell in love with the story, the colored pages and the entire book!  I certainly believe you’re never too old to pick up a children’s book, in my opinion.

I don’t won’t to spoil the book for you, but I wanted to share with you why this book can change our future for every little girl and how I felt a connection with Stella!

 (Image from the book, Stella on Science)

This book had the most vivid and colorful pages I’ve ever seen in a children’s book. Each page depicts every feeling I had as a little girl. To dream.  While reading this book, I couldn’t help but think about the days in the back of that yellow cab. Stella and I had something in common. We were curious.  Curious about life around us and how we would fit in.

 (Image from the book, Stella on Science)

Botany, defined as the study of plants was going to be my dream job. I just knew it. I wanted to be the one who found the cure for cancer. As excited as I was to start that journey in chasing my dream, it quickly came crashing down after about four months in. Chemistry, physics and mathematics were definitely not my strong suits, so I gave up and decided to change my major. Why did I do that? I obviously had the mentality that if I couldn’t be successful in the classroom, how the heck could I make it in the field? I remember thinking this career would be better for men vs women.

That was then.

Today, the most important role in my life is being an aunt to my amazing niece, Teagan, and I can’t help but think about her future. What will her dreams be? What will she want to be when she grows up?  Will she be curious like Stella? I do my best to tell her I’ll always be in her corner to tell her how beautiful, amazing and smart she is and that she will grow up to do exceptional things with her life. The life she has ahead of her is limitless. She just has to soar.

 (Image from the book, Stella on Science)

If I had at least one person who really believed in me and told me I would’ve been anything I wanted to be as a little girl, I would’ve been living my dream as a Botanist today. All it takes is for our children to be raised with a vision that they are powerful little humans who shouldn’t let a title, label or a corner office discourage them from owning it!

For our future, I have a message:

To: Teagan and all the little girls who will wonder what they will be like as they grow, I hope you choose to live your life to be a warrior! One that’s full of kindness, bravery, purpose, daring, leader, fierce, boundless, unstoppable, equal, creative, flawless and nothing short of EXTRAORDINARY as you certainly are NO ORDINARY GIRL!

(Aunt Wiz and Teagan)

Would you like to WIN an autographed copy by Stella and Amber Bennett???
Leave me a comment below telling me what you wanted to be when you grew up, and I’ll choose a random comment on February 23rd, 2017 (using Random.org) and announce the winner here on the blog and on social media!

Want to increase your chances of winning?
Add additional comments below each time you do the following:

• Follow No Ordinary Liz on Twitter.
• Like No Ordinary Liz on Facebook.
• Follow Amber Bennett on Twitter.
• Like Amber Bennett on Facebook.
• Purchase Stella on Science .

 I received a copy of this book for reviewing purposes. The review is written by me on behalf of Amber Bennett. The opinions expressed above are all mine.

The post No Ordinary Girl…My REVIEW: “Stella on Science” Children’s Book and Giveaway first appeared on #NoOrdinaryLiz.

So with that being said, after two weeks of thinking, planning, strategizing, going broke in Office Depot and maneuvering how I wanted to achieve these certain goals in 2017, it really comes down to this: DO YOU!

Well what do I mean by that, you say? It’s simple. If you do the things that make YOU happy, you have already succeeded and your original goals that you set for yourself will play out right before you. Even though life around you is running at maximum speed, doesn’t mean you can’t slow down to enjoy MORE!

In no particular order, here’s a few MORE things I want to accomplish every day of the entire year!

– MORE jamming
– MORE enjoying life
– MORE dreaming
– MORE sunsets
– MORE hugs
– MORE road trips
– MORE blogging
– MORE love
– MORE fun
– MORE sleep
– MORE coffee
– MORE friends
– MORE thinking
– MORE Netflix
– MORE creating
– MORE mentoring
– MORE sista time
– MORE discovering
– MORE mistakes
– MORE leading
– MORE smoky mountains
– MORE chicken pot pie
– MORE fierce
– MORE authentic
– MORE chances
– MORE inspiring
– MORE thankful
– MORE chicken & dumplings
– MORE LaCroix
– MORE learning
– MORE media

Hold on to each moment. Cherish it and REPEAT!

(photo courtesy of Google)

Have a wonderful New Year being YOU!

Do you have any things you want to do MORE of this year? I would love to hear what those are!

The post No Ordinary Resolutions first appeared on #NoOrdinaryLiz.