Frozen

Ok, all that stuff I said about healthy eating... is it too late to take it back?

It has begun.

The rain, the cold, and henceforth so have my cravings for "comfort food". Keeping in mind, the term "comfort food" is a way to pretend like I'm not talking about excessive amounts of pizza and mashed potatoes. Guess what those things are mostly made out of? Things I am not allowed to eat.

As far as I can tell, I've got two three options:

1. Give in and embrace my fat pants.

2. Move to a warmer climate immediately.

3. Practice will power and find new and innovative ways to incorporate healthy eating into the comfort food zone. 

Its pretty obvious which option is the clear choice here...
Number 2. Number 2 is the one.
Buuuuuuut since that requires a lot more than a whim, I guess I'll try number 3 on for size until I'm properly prepared to evacuate.

Its true, it seems as if winter has finally arrived. In my mission to remain positive through the endless search for my slippers, I came up with a helpful list of ways to cope with the colder months. You're welcome.

1. Find a really nice sweater that makes you feel like wearing it all the time. Because you will have to do that. You will literally never see your own skin below the face until summer.

2.

The entire series of Friends is coming to Netflix in January. End of point.

3.

Did you know you can get to Cancun for like $400? True story. Skyscanner. Check it out. Click the link. Just don't talk to me after you do it because if you're going to the beach and I'm not, then I hate you. And in case you didn't know, there is a fully stocked wealth of information on Central America and Mexico in my Travel Blog, "Postcards"

4. This recipe which I am giving to you because I care. You can view and/or download it by clicking this link Easy Tortilla Soup for People Who Don't Have Easy Access to a Mexican Market. It has, in the past, been referred to as, "The best soup ever!" Which was a real compliment coming from him.

5.  Baileys Coffee.

6.

Take baths. Like, proper baths. If you draw a good bath its kind of like sitting in a giant cup of tea. I've never particularly liked baths because I tend to get really panicky when I get to that point where I feel overheated and suffocated. Here's the trick: Make it a spa style bath. Bring a cold drink. Keep a window cracked, and halfway through, I add a little cool water so its cool enough for me to lay back and cover my ears with water because I kind of like the muffled sound of music from under the water. Here's the quick guide to things you can put in your bath:

Milk - Soothing and smoothing. No Joke. AND you will feel like an old world princess literally having a milk bath. Add it to the water and come out feeling like a cream puff. In softness, not shape 

Sea Salt - Again with the lactic acid, but this is meant to reduce build up which is what makes those muscles so sore after work. Sea salt in the bath should help ease that pain and relax you a little. 

Epsom Salts - All around pretty amazing. Adding these to the bath create whats called reverse osmosis, pulling toxins out of the body, and allowing all the goods to flow in. Magnesium and sulfates are naturally ocurring in epsom salts and are extremely effective in detoxifying your body. Among other things, they can help to reduce aches and pains, improves muscle function, blood flow, and joints. For chronic pain, bruises, soreness, or your pick of dozens of other issues, add a healthy handful or more to a bath and soak it up for at least 40 minutes. Unless you have open sores, then don't. Also don't use soap, it will mess it all up, for real. 

Ginger/Cayenne - Used with epsom salts, they help you sweat it out and increase the detox experience for the hardcore detoxer.
Honey - Again, it is a soothing agent for irritated skin but also, if you mix honey with any oils you're using in your bath, it will prevent the oils from just sitting on top of the water. Handy! 

Oatmeal - We all know the basic oatmeal bath, but you can keep the mess to a minimum by using a tea ball or mesh bag. 

Mineral/Essential Oils - different oils have different benefits. I like simple sesame oil because it has 1 millions uses and is usually hanging around the house, but a trip to your local natural foods store will have lots of options I'm sure. 

Lavender - Lavender is aromatherapy. Its soothing and relaxing AND helps relieve inflammation. I keep it in the little bag or tea ball from the oatmeal tip so it doesn't make a huge mess in the bath and drain.

That's all I have so far. I'm not much of a winter person, the whole "enjoying the seasons" thing is pretty new to me. I don't care what Princess Elsa says. When someone asks me if I wanna build a snowman I'll probably be unable to hear them from inside all of my layers, so no. No snowmen for me. You can find me sitting next to the heater vent scrolling through my photos from tropical trips.

Stay warm.