Strategic Living for a Joyful, Self Reliant and Healthy Life

Homemade Arthritis, Muscle and Joint Pain Salve

There is not an active person I know of who has not suffered at one time or another from sore muscles. Couple those sore muscles with tender, inflamed joints and you have a recipe for misery. I know this first hand because, being of a certain age, my joints hurt more often than not.

I am here to tell you that you do not need to suffer needlessly nor do you have to spend a fortune on pharmaceuticals or overpriced over the counter remedies concocted from ingredients you are unable to pronounce. Instead, you can make up a batch of homemade muscle and joint rub using a base salve or other carrier oil and a single essential oil: wintergreen.

Why wintergreen essential oil? It is inexpensive, readily available, and potent. A little goes a long way. Ready to learn more?

Putting a Priority on Self-Care is Not Being Selfish

By Gaye Levy 9 Comments

If there is one thing I have learned since entering retirement, it is that demands for my time and attention have not changed. If anything, armed with the knowledge that I have time on my hands, the demands have seemed to escalate. If I am being honest, some of these demands are coming from within but others are coming from well-meaning but misguided acquaintances. Take note that I did not say “friends” but rather acquaintances. More about that in a moment.

So here is the thing. Saying yes to every request is exhausting. Whether it is an invitation to a social event or a request to serve on a committee, the never-ending list of demands on your time can turn you into a rat on a treadmill. Without adequate time to stop and catch your breath, your sleep suffers as does your health, and even though you otherwise have a healthy lifestyle, your immune system becomes compromised. Heck, even rats need to rest!

In this article, I am going to reaffirm nine things we all need to embrace in order to maintain our sanity in this crazy mixed up world. Some will call this self-care, while others will call it mindfulness. The ignorant will call it selfish. But trust me on this: putting a priority on self-care is not being selfish. Instead, it is an important component of living a strategic life.

Get the Updated Prepper’s Guide to Food Storage for Free: Feb 1-5

By Gaye Levy 6 Comments

It is once again time to grab a copy of The Prepper’s Guide to Food Storage for free. The dates are February 1 to February 5.

Those of you familiar with my book will notice that I have recently changed the cover in order to reflect that the book is no longer a part of or associated with the Backdoor Survival website. You will also find that I have updated the “About the Author” section to reflect my current life situation which is retired and living in Arizona. There are a few other small changes, but nothing major.

It is hard to believe that The Prepper’s Guide to Food Storage was first published in December 2013.

Although not a lot has changed relative to food storage methods and techniques, there are some pieces missing in the book, such as dealing with food storage when there are special health or diet concerns. In addition, moving from Washington State to Arizona has greatly influenced my thoughts relative to the stability of canned and packaged goods when maintaining a steady 70 degree or less environment is either cost-prohibitive or impossible. I will be addressing those issues in upcoming articles here on Strategic Living.