Brigitte's Blog

Simple Ways to Work Toward Self-Improvement
This blog post was inspired by Ian Garza of Big On Balance. Do you feel like you’re not quite where you want to be in life? Perhaps you feel like you’re stuck and not sure how to build the life you want. Taking initiative to start on the path to

5 Ways Seniors Can Live a Happier, More Fulfilled Life
This blog post was inspired by Jason Lewis of Strongwell – an organization with a focus on fitness for Seniors. The average person now lives to be approximately 77.8 years old. Unfortunately, quality of life tends to decline as age increases for some people. No one can avoid the aging process;

Elevating your at-home yoga practice for overall wellness (and oral health)
Yoga is part of my daily routine. When I wake up and before I go to bed. Yoga is mostly known for increasing flexibility, improving bone health, and strengthening your muscles. But few people know that yoga has several unexpected benefits — such as improved oral health. Here’s a great

Age gracefully
“The trick to aging gracefully is to enjoy it.” ~Unknown Aging gracefully is a term used a lot that gets my attention. A recent article I read about aging was, How to Age Gracefully; the author is an 80-year-old woman. This provided some inspiration. Now I’m reflecting on the

Self-Care can Help Reduce the Stress of Running Your Business
You are likely organized and goal oriented if you are a business owner or freelancer. You probably enjoy being a leader, calling the shots and value the knowledge that you’ve earned for your own success. But constant go-getting (aka hustling) can take a toll. Freelancers and small business owners may

Five practical ways to reduce tension in your household
Guest post by Derek Goodman Many families across the country are dealing with extra tension and stress as they self-isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Know that you’re not alone. It’s essential to address any issues that are causing tension so that you can promote healthy relationships with one another and thrive

The Confident Reality
The definition of the word “confidence” is a belief in yourself, the conviction that you have the ability to meet life’s challenges, to succeed and to act properly. Being confident requires a realistic sense of your capabilities and feeling secure in that. Confidence is not all encompassing in every aspect

Embrace the Gray
The worst thing I ever did with my hair was getting a perm in the 80’s. The best thing I have ever done with my hair is to just let it be. Back in the day I saw older women (like our mothers) dye their hair because gray hair was

Simple ways to spark inspiration
At the beginning of the year, people like to set resolutions for changes and to reach certain goals. We need to spark inspiration along the way to help us reach them, right? Inspiration is about enthusiasm. It’s the excitement of your mind or emotion to a high level of feeling

The year of resilience
Sometimes it takes something unexpected to challenge us to change. There’s no denying that the challenges of 2020 tested our resilience and made an impact on our routines. This was also an opportunity to pause, look inward, and make important changes to the way we work and live. It’s those

Times Like These
If you’re like me, you enjoy listening to music when cooking, driving, exercising, or just listening in general. Music can uplift you, it can change your mood. Music is an expression of emotion. The way vocals and/or instruments are combined produces a form of beauty. Listening to music has always

Real Things Living coloring journal is a real thing now
It’s finally here – the Real Things Living Coloring Journal! Why was this created? We all feel a little busy and overwhelmed sometimes and need an outlet…some quiet time to reflect and create some calmness. This is where the idea for a coloring journal was born. This simple coloring journal

Change your mindset to think about health beyond healthcare
Below is an article I wrote a couple of years ago that was featured on Thrive Global and thought it should be shared again in 2020. We are all “patients” and we need to create a culture of health in our everyday lives. Everyday you hear about that latest trend in healthcare,

The purpose of awareness
Why is awareness important, particularly with something like cancer? Awareness is the greatest agent for change. `Eckhart Tolle There are a lot of cancer “Awareness” events and patient empowerment movements. Examples are October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, and February is touted as Cancer Prevention Month. I’ve written about OVER-awareness before and how

A running journey
We each have our own fitness journey. I’m not referencing participating in a sport, but being involved with an activity to improve your health. Some people like to ride outdoor bikes, mountain biking or road biking. Some people like to go to the gym and lift weights or participate in

Do this one thing
If you don’t do anything else today, just do this one thing for yourself. Smile. I’ve written about the importance of smiling before. And thought it was important to share again that Smiling does matter, especially now. A smile is so simple. It can change a moment, it can change

A little humor is needed
I’ve been blogging for about 10 years now. It started from the encouragement of my sons after the rare brain tumor diagnosis (acoustic neuroma). The purpose of the blog content is to give others some hope and encouragement. I’ve connected with a lot of great people over the years, because

Dry brushing self-care tip
Several years ago, I created a list of “ten self-care tips” to help inspire others be healthier. I thought it was important to share this again. You can download it here – [download id=”5773″] Tip #7 is about dry brushing. There are a lot of dry brush options out there

Being cathartic
Can being cathartic have a positive affect on your health? A simple answer is yes. Catharsis is a Greek word and it basically allows you to achieve a “state of moral and spiritual renewal.” It refers to an experience a person can have of releasing emotional tension and feeling refreshed after. Mark Simon

Your private garden
“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” ~Audrey Hepburn Metaphors are helpful because they assist in explaining the unknown in terms of something known. A garden reference is a helpful metaphor of humanity. When I think of a garden, it makes me visualize beautiful flowers or growing vegetables to

This is what can happen when you crave chocolate
What day is it? Our county started shelter-at-home on March, Friday the 13th. For real. It’s been 8 weeks since that day as of this writing. My last post was about how reading, writing and being outside can help with creativity. Being outside is one of my favorite things to do. Nature can

At the Helm
Being outside is one of my favorite things to do. It can be hiking, running, boating, or a simple walk outside. Nature can be healing, inspiring and motivating. Writing is something beneficial for me as well. It’s something I’ve enjoyed doing most of my life and learned the creativity involved can motivate and help

Getting yogi with you
Over the years, I’ve incorporated certain yoga poses as part of a daily routine. In the morning it helps me wake up; and in the evening it relaxes me and helps me fall asleep. During this shelter-at-home situation for Covid-19, studying yoga more has become important to me. One of

Social distancing
Social distancing sounds so much better than being quarantined. Take this time, if you can, and focus on a hobby or personal development or how you can help others. I decided to ad-lib a verbal update on our situation rather than just write about it. How are you