I use an overturned bucket in my bathroom, kind of like how the video guy is using a box for proper toilet alignment. I have to whole heartedly agree with what he says about needing very little toilet paper too!

Eventually, I really would like to get a Squatty Potty. I think it would look better in the bathroom than a bucket. ;)

I just got home from a vigorous CrossFit workout. When I walked in the door my hubby was just about to take off for the golf course but he always asks how my workout was. Today I think he was a little taken aback by my enthusiastic “Awesome!” It was a really tough workout and we had four mini WODs today (WOD=workout of the day). I did squats, pushups, mountain climbers, rope climbing, medball presses, medball wall touches, 100 meter sprints, calf jumps, supermen, bicycles, rowing, sprinters, hip extensions, db floor press, and deadlifts. Most of it AMRAP or as many rounds as possible. Two months ago if I had done this workout I probably would have collapsed in exhaustion. Today though I just marveled at what I can do and how good I felt doing it. Building endurance and muscle has a lot to do with it but I think most of it is due to some other factors, which spurred me to make this top ten list.

Feel free to add your comments about daily health practices in the comments below. I would love to hear how you are staying healthy!

1. Eat Real Food – Everything you eat becomes part of your body because you are constantly rebuilding and replenishing your cells. Every single day your body is rebuilding itself and it is using the “tools” you give it. Those tools are the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients you eat. If you are not getting the proper nutrition then your house is being built by a framer who was never given nails, hammer, or wood that has not been infested. Scary thought. Ask yourself, am I made of PopTarts and pizza or healthy whole, real foods? For optimum health we need ample amounts of fresh fruits and veggies/greens, high quality protein, and lots of dietary fat. The ratio that works best for me is 50% fat, 30% protein, and 20% carbs and I get that from grass fed meats, coconut oil, nuts, dairy, fruits, greens, and veggies. I have simply never felt better in my life then I have after going paleo/primal.

2. Get the Bowels Moving – Many people overlook this important aspect of health but I think bowel and gut health is indicative of what your health is like throughout your whole body. If you have a leaky gut then you will likely have food allergies and immunity problems. If you have bowel issues then you also likely have nutrient absorption issues which means your body is not accessing the nutrition it needs for rebuilding effectively. Unhealthy bowels can also set you up for larger problems, like colon cancer. I can attest that you never, ever want to go through that so make sure your bowel health is a daily consideration even if you ARE 28 and think that colon cancer can’t touch you. You should be moving your bowels at least once per day but after each large meal is also a good thing to shoot for. A good book to read is What’s Your Poo Telling You?

My secret weapon of late for colon health is greek yogurt with Spectrum Essentials Ground Flax with Berries. This keeps me regular!

3. Take High Quality Supplements – I am now a big believer that we cannot get everything we need from food, at least not in this modern day. Our soil conditions have fallen so far that it is impossible to expect that our food will have all the vitamins and minerals we need. Also many farms feed animals subpar foods like grains and soy, which means you eat meat from unhealthy animals. You are what you eat and you are what your food eats. We can do better by eating the best quality foods we can but we also need to supplement. I will not do without my magnesium, vitamin D3, fermented fish oils, High Vitamin Butter Oil, coconut oil, milk thistle capsules, chlorella tablets, and greens powders.

4. Break a Sweat – Exercise keeps you healthy, energetic, and happy. Weight training and other strength exercises help you build and maintain bone health as well as good balance to prevent injuries and falls. These same exercises also help you to retain your youthful flexibility. Exercise stimulates your lymph system and brings oxygenated blood to all your cells and it helps to regulate your weight.

5. Get Enough Sleep – Regeneration and healing occurs at night when you are sleeping. This time is very important and must never be shortchanged in favor of a busy lifestyle. Getting sufficient sleep (ala 8-10 hours a night) reduces stress, helps you maintain a healthy weight, improves brain function and clarity, improves physical performance, reduces depression, regulates hormones, reduces inflammation, and generally reduces your risk of disease and illness.

6. Spend Time in Nature – We need to get outside regularly and soak up Vitamin D. It is essential. We should also be spending time outside barefoot or Earthing so that we regulate the electric currents in our body and ground ourselves to the healing power of Mother Nature. Spending time outdoors makes us calmer, less stressed, happier, and it provides a cleaner source of air.

7. Spend Some Time on You – We need to spend time doing things we enjoy. No, it’s not selfish to pursue those things that bring you happiness. In fact it is vital to good mental and physical health. Give yourself frequent time outs from stressful situations and make the time to do the things you love.

8. Get a Mental Workout – Just as we need to exert ourselves physically we also need to break a mental sweat daily. This can mean reading, writing, doing a puzzle or some other activity but you need exercises like this to keep you sharp and active mentally.

9. Take Care of Your Skin – Our cells rebuild us a new meat suit regularly and it is a reflection of our health. Dry brush daily to brush away dead skin cells and encourage new growth as well as get the lymphatic system moving along. Use nontoxic, organic skincare products that will nourish your skin and not poison it. Hydrating with water and green smoothies also bathes our skin cells and plumps them up. Eat foods that protect your skin from exposure and avoid sunburns.

10. Breathe Clean Air – I am a big believer in air purifiers because indoor air can be toxic. Think about all the products that may be off gassing in the home (in a concentrated area) and you will see why you should be cleaning your indoor air and/or opening windows and doors to allow fresh air to circulate inside. Clean, fresh air will also help you keep illness at bay.

What do you do every day for YOUR health?

A few months back now my family had its first ever bout with the big bad…head lice. I managed to go through my entire life without ever having had lice or even having it in my house. Luckily, I can still say I have never personally had lice but one of my kids did get a visit from these little guys and I was at a loss about what to do since I have zero experience with this issue. As the digital mom that I am, I sought advice from Facebook about natural – pesticide free – ways to get rid of these scary goobers. I say scary because they managed to reduce my child’s head to a bloody mass of scabs from biting and my child’s scratching. To make matters worse, we actually got the lice from a neighbor kid who had them, spent the night at our house (in my child’s bed), and never bothered to inform us. Ugh!

Anyway, from Facebook I was able to figure out that tea tree oil, peppermint oil, and vinegar would be my go-to resources for this adventure. The oils are hated by lice and they are also helpful in killing them. Vinegar would help dissolve the glue that the lice use to “stick” their nits on your hair shafts. I ended up making a list of all the stuff I found helpful…

Natural Ways to Remedy Head Lice

• Peppermint Oil
• Tea tree Oil
• Oregano Oil
• Salt
• Vinegar
• Coconut oil, another vegetable oil, or mayo – smothers lice – apply to hair and wrap with plastic wrap
• Flat Iron – To melt the nits “glue”
• A nit comb – or as I prefer, a metal flea comb from the pet store

We wanted to avoid conventional lice treatments for obvious reasons. They are pesticide based and if we work so hard to eat foods without pesticides and wear clothing grown from cotton without pesticides then it only goes to follow that putting it on our children’s heads will just not do. We also found that the tiny plastic combs sold as lice combs were nearly useless. The metal flea combs found online or at pet stores are more durable, the spaces between slats are smaller, and the one we chose actually has a double row of teeth. We compared it to the plastic lice comb from the drugstore and it was so much more effective with pulling lice and nits from the hair.

Once armed with our flea comb I made my own lice shampoo and guessed on the proportions.

All Natural Head Lice Shampoo Treatment

• 1 Quart size ball jar
• 1 Tablespoon (1 squirt) Dr. Bronner’s peppermint soap
• 8-10 Drops tea tree oil (we use Trader Joe’s brand)
• Fill jar to top with water, shake before each use.
• Rinse with vinegar and let sit in hair for 5 minutes. Plastic wrap is optional (we didn’t use it)
• Comb hair with flea comb or lice comb

We spent 1-2 hours each night doing this whole process and we did it every night for about 2 weeks. Getting that pesticide lice treatment would have been a whole lot easier, I will grant you that. It is not necessary though. Suzanne at Mommy Footprint shared on Facebook a theory that perhaps kids whose hair was washed less frequently and with non-conventional shampoos (no poo) were better safe guarded from lice. Smart Mama kind of confirmed by saying that lice cannot stick as well to hair that is “dirty” or containing the natural oils it is meant to be coated with. Very interesting! Perhaps my kiddo’s no poo hair may have helped us avoid lice until now but when the infestation is on your pillow (thanks to the aforementioned sleepover) I think the deck is stacked against you.

For bedding and stuffed toys we simply washed in hot water with a few drops of tea oil thrown in. We also dried everything on hot. We could have also dried them with a washcloth containing a few drops of tea tree oil or peppermint oil but I did not think of it at the time. If there is a next time though, we will be set!

** A reader also recommended Lice Shield Leave in Spray. It is supposedly made up of natural essential oils but I cannot find a full ingredients list so you may or may not want to check that out. If I see any, I will update.

Have you experienced head lice? Do you have any tips to share?

Naturally healthy teeth and gums have been on my radar of late. One of the “issues” I wanted to help fix when I decided to go paleo several months back was my own dental health. I think I have been relatively lucky for most of my life in this area. I don’t think I even got a cavity until I was pregnant with my third child and if you recall I had cancer while pregnant with him so my body was in serious crisis mode at the time. When I went vegetarian a few years back though my gums and teeth started to decline and at the time I didn’t think it was related. After I started reading up on grains though I started to think that may be the culprit. Even though I tried to avoid becoming a “grainarian” the simple fact is that I ate more grains and junk carbs as a vegetarian than I ever did as am omnivore. This is why I think I started to have issues with bleeding gums, plaque buildup on my teeth, and dental caries (cavities).

The book Cure Tooth Decay (which is completely awesome) discusses how it isn’t specific foods so much that cause decay but instead it is the fact that these foods replace the foods you should be eating for strong healthy teeth. Things like grains, sugar, and other processed foods lack the nutrients and minerals we need and tooth decay occurs because we are malnourished. Healthy teeth will not decay or break down and healthy teeth are created and maintained with a healthy diet.

This book highlights a lot of the work done by Weston A. Price with photos of his findings. If you are not familiar with Weston A. Price he traveled the world looking at primitive cultures and looking at how healthy they were and how healthy their teeth were compared to their counterparts who adopted more modern and westernized diets. The results are shocking. The Aborigines of Australia are one such group studied. Their primitive hunter-gatherer diet of roots, stems, leaves, berries, seeds, bugs, eggs, birds, aquatic animals, and native peas eaten with animal flesh such as kangaroo resulted in zero instances of dental cavities. When the same people started to eat modern, westernized diets… 70% of them had serous dental decay problems.

There are several other cultures featured in the book but they all have some things in common that show us what we need to eat for good dental health. All the groups with little to no dental decay had diets rich in fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E,K) and minerals like calcium and phosphorus. 30-70% of their calories were derived from fat and they ate things like things like grassfed diary, organs and head meat from fish and shellfish, and/or organs of land animals. Grains are generally not recommended because they lack many of these nutrients and they also have anti-nutrients inside them that prevent us from assimilating what nutrients they DO have. Also the modern versions of foods such as eggs are no longer going to cut it. The eggs you can buy at most stores for instance, are sourced from chickens that are fed grains and thus they are the byproduct of malnourished chickens. To get the best eggs we have to buy those sourced from chickens who are allowed to roam on pastures and eat grass and bugs. This is why we will also want grassfed/pastured meat and organs or wild seafood instead of farmed.

The book highlights each nutrient we need and shares the best sources for all of them. I copied the lists on my scanner so I can reference them often. I highly doubt I will ever buy or consume pig’s blood but I will make a special trip to get duck eggs which have about seven times the Vitamin D of chicken eggs. I can also see quickly that turkey liver has lots more Vitamin A than chicken liver. High up on just about all these lists is Blue Ice fermented cod liver oil so that is a must have for me.

The book Reversing Gum Disease is another gem that shows how we should be able to keep all our teeth for our entire lives. Gum disease though often stems from vitamin deficiency that causes bone loss in the sockets around the teeth and also unhealthy gums. When our gums get unhealthy they loosen and develop pockets that allow food to go down under the gum line and cause further bone loss. It recommends supplementing with vitamins and getting plenty of magnesium and zinc. The magnesium part is important because without magnesium we cannot utilize the calcium we need for stronger teeth. It also recommends eating more bone broth and using herbal rinses and toothpastes instead of the harsh chemical ones from stores.

You can also buy supplements specific to dental health like The Dental Essentials. They claim that taken daily, “The Dental Essentials” can help reduce the incidence of cavities by up to 95% in as little as 3 months and this is done with a blend of vitamins and minerals. They also claim that can you arrest decay and remineralize damaged areas without the need for drilling and filling, which I too believe is totally possible. The company sent me some of the pills and the drops to try so from the packaging I can see that they are essentially calcium, phosphorus, Vitamin D3, Vitamin K2, Magnesium, and Zinc. The drops are flavorless and odorless so they are perfect for kids because you can add them to their drinking water, milk, or smoothies.

I really like the idea of their products but I have to assume that the vitamins are synthetic and I would much prefer those sourced from real food. That is my only criticism though. I am taking them along with some other supplements while I try to find some good recipes for incorporating more organ meats.

After 5 months of ancestral eating and nutrients supplementation I have seen some amazing progress in my own dental health. Before I made the switch I was diagnosed with Periodontitis and had pockets of 3, 4, and 5mm. That is pretty severe for those not familiar and I had to have a deep cleaning. This week I went back and the pockets were all 1s and 2s with a couple 3s on my back teeth. My formerly bleeding gums are now pink and healthy looking. The dental caries that my dentist wanted to fill previously are now just being watched.  My dentist and I are pleased as punch. My husband has also seen progress. Before going paleo he had a toothache every other month and was told he needed some root canals. He only held off because he hates to spend that kind of money. After going paleo though and eating more pastured meats and eggs and also taking the supplements I give him, he has not had one single toothache. I can only hope that this means they are healing.

Have you had any experience with curing dental decay and gum disease naturally? I would love to hear!

Related Reading: Oil Pulling for Natural Dental Health & Toxic Toothpaste for Children

To understand what the slow movement is and what it could mean in our lives, we first need to take a look at what life is currently like for most of us today. We have schedules that are generally jam-packed full of things to do ranging from work, to errands, to chauffeuring kids to after school activities. Often times our schedules are so full during the week that it is often hard for some of us to plan meals and cook a decent dinner… which of course can mean purchasing take-out foods several times a week. Proper nutrition and the connection we have with family at meal times should be one of our biggest priorities and yet we are so busy that they get sidelined for faster and easier.

The slow movement is a completely opposite lifestyle. Instead of cramming as much as can be crammed into the schedule, slow movement advocates are purposely slowing things down so they can pause and enjoy life. The slow movement is a cultural shift that touches on a number of areas in life, including:

• Food – As mentioned above, a lot of folks are eating fast-food several times throughout the week. I used to be one of them. The slow movement though emphasizes mindful eating, which is not compatible with the fast-food culture prevalent today. Advocates of slow food believe in eating the right foods, carefully picked, at a slower rate so they are thoroughly able to enjoy their food and relish in the nutrients that are bringing health and wellness to their bodies. This is why many slow food fans enjoy artisan fare, local markets, and foods celebrating various cultures and heritages.

• Travel – Even our vacations seem rushed and not relaxing enough. We try to pack in as much adventure as we can and end up feeling anything but refreshed and relaxed by the end of our “vacation”. Slow travel advocates focus on slowing down when they travel. Instead of rushing from location to location while on vacation, slow travelers often choose destinations where they are able to mingle with the local residents and connect with the community there in a meaningful way.

• City Life – Believe it or not, entire cities are considered “slow.” The concept of “slow cities” originated in Italy. These communities generally have no more than 50,000 people who all agree on meeting certain principles and “slow criteria.” Often, these cities have a slower feel to them as they have less noise and traffic. I actually love to read about living in countries that value this slower lifestyle so I can see how to incorporate some of that into my day to day life. Good books that come to mind are Go Slow Italy, Under the Tuscan Sun, and The Olive Farm: A Memoir of Life, Love, and Olive Oil in the South of France. I have an entire shelf in my bedroom of books like these.

• Education – Advocates of slow schooling place more emphasis on teaching children how to connect with the world than the information found in text books and test scores. Slow educational practices focus more on discovering how individual children learn best, finding out what they love, and combining these with real life experiences and adventures to enhance learning.

• Investing – Advocates of the slow movement believe in shopping local and investing their money in the communities where they live, work, and play. They believe that by investing in small enterprises and businesses within the local community, they will be able to better stimulate the local economy, which helps everyone. It also makes them more mindful of where their money goes and what it goes to support.

• Reading – Yes, believe it or not, the slow movement even touches literacy. Today, there are a number of reading aids available to people… tablets, e-books, e-readers, blogs, etc., which is making the traditional book rare. The world is becoming so wrapped up in the “do-it-now, do-it-fast” mentality that we are losing the simple pleasures in life… such as reading physical books. There is nothing wrong with reading e-books on your tablet or e-reader, but it is helpful to unplug and pick up a real book on a regular basis. Reading helps reduce stress, improve motivation, and start inspiration.

Even though I am always taking steps to go slower I frequently have moments where I know I could be doing more. This past weekend I went to see a new release movie and I ended up taking my seat 35 minutes before the start time. I brought a book but it was too dark to read so I played on my smart  phone until it went dead. The realization that I was uncomfortable to just sit and do nothing for 15 minutes without something to occupy me and entertain me, really bothered me. I made a conscious decision to embrace that time and be content with having nothing better to do than people watch and be with my own thoughts. It was refreshing. Why is it so hard to be mindful of this all the time?

Now it’s your turn. What steps have you taken to “go slow”? Do you struggle with it?

Recommended: In Praise of Slowness: Challenging the Cult of Speed

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Added to the Green & Natural Mamas Blog Hop

It is so very easy to get caught up in the outside demands in our lives and forget about the simple “basic” things that can provide happiness and contentment if we choose to prioritize them. We can get so busy and frantic in our every day living that many people now long to get back to the basics and simplify, but they don’t have a clue where to start. It doesn’t help that our obsession with a fast track life and material things also means we have to keep up that harried pace to pay the rent and pay for all our stuff. Few can handle just losing everything they have worked years to accumulate. This is exactly why there have been so many self help books written about this topic. We don’t seem to know how to back track and start over without feeling as though we have failed somehow. Below are a few empowering steps you can take to get back to the basics and begin enjoying the simpler things in life once again.

1. Give yourself a “time out.” While you may find that it is difficult to find an hour for yourself during the day, it’s not hard to find 15 minutes. Whether you do it in the morning, lunchtime or before bed, close the door and sit down for just 15 minutes. Write in a journal, drink tea on your porch, take a bath, sit outside on a picnic blanket, light a candle and meditate, read a self help book or a daily devotional… whatever it is, do it during this sacred 15 minute period.

This time is for you to use for yourself  for your emotional betterment. A book I read recently that you may find helpful is Ancient Secrets of the Goddesses. At times it was a bit new agey and “out there” for me but I liked how each chapter addressed a different goddess and a different aspect of ourselves that we may need to cultivate or improve… delegation, sensitivity, independence, joy, passion, balance, self love, etc. It is the perfect type of book to grab if you care to read during this 15 minute time out.

2. Figure out what your life necessities are. The problem that most of us have is that we have over-extended ourselves and therefore, have no time for anything else. So, if you want to get back to the basics, you first have to determine what the necessities are in your life. In other words, what are the “must have’s” and the “must do’s”? If it’s not a must have or a must do, then it’s not a necessity.

It may be tough to eliminate certain activities from your life, but when you are able to clear a little time in your schedule by getting rid of the not-so-important things in your life, then you’ll find that it was worth it. You don’t have to stop with you either – if your kids are involved in 10 different activities, then it’s time they choose which ones (say 2 or 3) are most important and stop the others.

3. Change your entertainment choices. While it can be very nice to have television, internet, and video games, these things take away a lot of time from our lives. Few of us will look back on TV or video game time as life enhancing in any way so maybe we need to change things up. You probably know people who have managed to cut out the above distractions and you admire them for it. However, at the same time, we aren’t confident that we can do the exact same thing. We make excuses. The good news is that we can. Sit down and think about the things you do for entertainment and then think of other activities that you enjoy doing (walking in the park, reading a book, hiking, volunteering, writing, etc.) and make time to do more of those things. Gradually cut out the other activities from your life. If you can’t go cold turkey on old habits keep pushing them back and making the slot of available time for them smaller and smaller until giving them up no longer seems like a big issue.

4. Talk with family and friends. Make a point to prioritize the relationships you have in your life and spend more time with those you love if that is your desire. If you are spending too much time on family obligations and finding you do not have enough time for yourself, talk to them about that as well. Connect with others who have gotten away from the “rat race” and are enjoying a simpler lifestyle. This will help you stay motivated and give you new ideas for things you can do to slow down, in addition to building friendships.

5. Make a date with yourself.  It can be feel selfish to ask for time for yourself and your own interests but taking care of yourself is not selfish. Think of it as time spent refilling your gas tank. If you expect to have enough fuel operate efficiently and be a good mother, lover, and partner then you need that time to refill your tank. My husband and I have arranged our schedule to make sure we each get this time each and every week. We both have ample time to go to the gym, catch a movie, get a massage, spend a few hours strolling thrift stores, hitting some balls at the golf range, or even sleeping in if we so choose. This prevents either of us from getting overwhelmed or feeling as though we are doing “more” than the other partner.

As with many things in life the idea of simplifying can seem unattainable but when you break it down into steps, it suddenly becomes more manageable. It is rather funny when you think about it that we need this help to slow down, live with greater purpose, and find joy in the small things… but we often do. How have you managed to scale down and simplify in your life? Has it made you happier?

Don’t you just love the photo above? I imagine this is what me, my husband, and my six year old look like each night. Well, except I would never, ever have white sheets on our bed, and the six year old is likely to be laying sideways kicking one of us in he face. It is nice to imagine we look that peaceful though. ;)

I have actually suffered from insomnia for a few years now and it has gotten better after I started exercising 4-5 days a week (about a year ago) and went paleo (about 4 months ago). I have even noticed a big difference just in the last 2 weeks as I started supplementing with magnesium but I would still like to sleep more. Last night I knew I would have to wake up at 6:00 am to make the early CrossFit class and when I passed by a bottle of Melatonin I decided to try it. It has been recommended as a natural sleep aid for years. So I took one pill about 20 minutes before bed and even went to bed early, missing the season finale of The Walking Dead. THAT is commitment to fitness yo!

I wish I could say I slept through the night in peaceful slumber but I did not. It was a HUGE mistake taking that pill and I am ready to chuck that entire bottle in the garbage. One side effect of Melatonin, as I understand it now anyway, is vivid dreams. I had vivid NIGHTMARES all night long. They were so vivid and terrible that they woke me up all night long, usually screaming. My poor husband was woke continuously as I thrashed around screaming “Help!”

Then when I woke up my ears were ringing and my head felt like it weighed 50 pounds. I won’t go into how I know this detail but it was eerily similar to what happens when you overdose on certain analgesics. I can’t believe I did but I still went to CrossFit. Then I came home and crashed. I slept for hours and then later had to keep taking cold showers because I felt like I was burning up. I still feel like I am operating at 110 degrees (hot flashes) and I am seriously going to hesitate next time I decide to take anything from a pill bottle, whether it is touted as natural or not.

Ironically I read a book last night about Curing Tooth Decay (awesome book BTW) and it discusses all the vitamins and minerals you need to remineralize your teeth and prevent them from decaying, ever. It specifically said that you must not take synthetic supplements. You must get them from food and it listed lots of sources for each. After reading the book and experiencing this I am really going to make a bigger effort to get my hands on specific foods that have the properties I am looking for and not be so quick to reach for a bottle. Or I will make sure that the ingredients in the bottle are from food and are not synthesized. I actually already know this and am not sure why I had this lapse. It is good to have these reminders that food should be our medicine.

]]> http://naturemoms.com/blog/2012/03/19/natural-sleep-aids-that-arent-so-natural/feed/ 8 http://naturemoms.com/blog/2012/03/15/feeling-hard-core-today-or-why-i-joined-a-crossfit-gym/ http://naturemoms.com/blog/2012/03/15/feeling-hard-core-today-or-why-i-joined-a-crossfit-gym/#comments Thu, 15 Mar 2012 18:56:52 +0000 Tiffany http://naturemoms.com/blog/?p=9852

I joined a second gym this week. Sounds kind of crazy but I badly wanted to try CrossFit and you typically need to find a specialized CrossFit gym or “box” for that. My other gym is pretty darn awesome and I still plan to go there three times a week but they are pretty vanilla and just don’t have kettlebells, rings, jump boxes, or medicine balls. I toyed with the idea of buying some kettlebells but heck good ones can cost $85 a pop. Plus I know myself well enough to know that I will not work out at home. It’s just not gonna happen.

So I joined a CrossFit box and today was my first workout. Facebook folks had me pretty darn scared about how tough it would be. In fact I was shaking as I drove there. I almost had a coronary when I discovered I would have to drive through a roundabout to get there. Those things terrify me! Anyway the roundabout was the worst part by far because the workout was awesome. No tears, I swear. :)

I am in better shape than I gave myself credit for and when I said those exact words to hubby he said “Duh!” I swim about 6 miles per week and lift weights 3 times a week. I also run whenever I get the urge so I am not exactly an exercise newbie but still I was worried because it’s CrossFit, notorious for being extremely tough. I have no doubt I will be a little sore tomorrow but I kept up and think I was probably one of the best in the class are far as strength and times.

The actual gym was a blast too. It was was very… er, rough with chunks of missing drywall, bars and rings hanging everywhere, uneven flooring with astro turf for carpet, and graffiti all over the walls of this big warehouse building. The atmosphere was very ghetto but for CrossFit it just kind of works. Plus they played AC/DC’s Hell’s Bells really loud and that equates to automatic approval for me.

I came, I lived, and I plan to go back two times a week. Booyah!

Have you tried CrossFit yet?

I went from virtually no premenstrual issues to experiencing bloating, water retention, and cramps. This was not a big deal in general because before I went off grains I was pretty much bloated all the time and barely even knew what it felt like to NOT be bloated. Still it bothered me that my health could improve on so many levels by eating paleo, but yet this one area seemed to get worse. Well, a quickie Google search about why I had a wicked craving for chocolate during that time of month lead me to the words “magnesium deficient”. I knew a little about magnesium and its role in the body but I wanted to know more and so I picked up The Magnesium Miracle.

This book has proved to be a wealth of good information. Magnesium is incredibly important to our health and yet most of us are deficient because we aren’t getting it from our food. Depleted soil is in large part to blame but our overly stressed and busy lifestyles as well as processed food diets also make it easy for us to become deficient. It is such a problem that the World Health Organization has even toyed with adding it to our water supply.

So what does Magnesium do in the body? Well, do you have the time to read a book about it?

It has such an important role in our body and it effects so many body systems that it is hard to know where to start. For one, it regulates more than 325 enzymes in the body and the most vital of those are ones that help to produce, transport, store, and utilize energy. Many aspects of our metabolism are also regulated by magnesium and it facilitates the electrical current that works its way through the miles of nerves in our body. Magnesium also determines muscle activity by controlling the entry and release of calcium inside cells. Quite simply magnesium is indispensable to life and yet it is continually being lost from our natural food supply.

In addition to being a powerhouse of information on Magnesium this book also makes and excellent case for why it is getting harder and harder to get needed minerals without supplementation. Our food supply is just not cutting it.

Just some of the things Magnesium can help you with:

• Anxiety/Panic Attacks
• Asthma
• Bowel Issues
• Depression
• Detoxification
• Diabetes
• Fatigue
• Heart Disease
• Insomnia
• Migraines
• Musculoskeletal  conditions
• Nerve problems
• PMS, infertility, pregnancy problems
• Osteoporosis
• Tooth Decay

Other helpful things I learned:

Magnesium deficiency can cause constipation, which then causes toxins to be reabsorbed into the body instead of expelled with the waste.

We have plenty of reasons to stay away from fluoride but here is another. Fluoride seeks out what little magnesium you have in the body and it binds with it, making it unavailable to do its work. The new mineral produced in the bonding also ends up taking the place of magnesium in our bones but it is brittle and makes our bones much weaker and prone to fracture.

If we are in poor health already and have a leaky gut we are more likely to not absorb the magnesium we ARE eating. A high protein diet can make the deficiency worse as can eating grains and soy because of the phytic acid content in them. I thought perhaps getting rid of grains was the issue but it seems perhaps not in light of that. Grains/soy may be high in magnesium but they also prevent you from absorbing it properly… go figure. I am guessing it is the same with nuts. I think that going grain free did move along my deficiency though, even if grains are a poor quality source.

ADHD, ADD, and autism have all been associated with magnesium deficiency and there are those in some medical circles who think it may be the cause of these issues. Adrenaline in the body causes magnesium levels to go down so hyperactive children especially need extra magnesium because of their constantly high adrenaline levels. Very interesting! The whole section of the book that addresses deficiency in kids has me looking into how I can introduce this supplement to them.

Okay so what do I need to do to bring my magnesium levels back up and alleviate some of these PMS symptoms? I could just give in to the chocolate cravings because chocolate is high in magnesium… that is why my body craved it! Most doctors advise against that though because of the sugar but I eat very dark chocolate without much sugar so no problems there. I also plan to eat more pumpkins seeds (eating some now in fact), soaked nuts, kelp, dulse, herbs, and wild greens. After reading about how grains impede magnesium absorption I am not the least bit worried about excluding them. I just have to eat more magnesium rich foods to replace what little I got from grains.

I am also using my Ancient Minerals products daily to help me absorb magnesium through the skin. I apply the spray or gel before I go to the gym and then I shower it off when I get there. After one day of using them a premenstrual backache went away. They really do work. I also hope to get more of the bath flakes and take baths in them on non gym days. Lastly, I plan to supplement with magnesium pills. I look forward to seeing how I feel a few weeks and months from now.

** Also recommended by a reader (see below) the Natural Vitality – Natural Calm Rasp-Lemon powder, which is a magnesium/calcium powder you can put in water and kids supposedly love it. Gotta try that!

 Update – 4/7/2012

This update comes roughly one month later. I woke up this morning to find my monthly visitor had arrived with nary a symptom. No PMS at all. No backaches, minimal bloating, no fatigue whatsoever, and no chocolate cravings. My skin also gets a bit oily and I may get a tiny pimple or two this time of month. I had none of that this time. In fact last month I told the kids I was sick and spent two days in bed, dog tired. This month I could literally do cartwheels in the backyard. I am totally sold on magnesium supplementation at this point.

What did I do exactly? I started taking a 500mg pill every single day and eating more magnesium rich foods. I sprayed myself with magensium oil almost daily about 20 minutes before my shower because it is more easily absorbed via the skin. After strenuous CrossFit workouts I would soak in magnesium flakes and also drink dark chocolate coconut water or Natural Vitality drink products. It was pretty effortless to make these small changes but the benefit was amazing!

This news story has me absolutely FUMING and it has become clear that I need to have a discussion with my kids about what they need to do if their school even DARE to try this.

Apparently a 14 year old child in Detroit was suddenly pulled from her class without warning or explanation. They took her to the nurses office and gave her four different vaccine shots. They never asked for parental permission and in fact they ignored a signed directive on file from the girl’s mother to never provide medical care or services for her daughter. They vaccinated the young woman for the flu, meningitis, HPV, and Hep A.  Understandably the mother, Sighle Kinney, was furious and is looking for someone to be held accountable for this travesty. She has made it clear she did not intend for her daughter to receive these vaccines, especially the HPV one. Afterwards her daughter developed a full body rash and missed several days of school.

My three kids attend three different pubic schools. All have a vaccine waiver in their files and written notes saying that they must NEVER be vaccinated. In light of this story though I will be talking with each of my kids about what they are to do if someone does try to vaccinate them on the sly. If any attempts like this were made I would consider it assault and I will tell my kids to view it as such as well. They will be advised to:

• Scream
• Kick
• Run from the room
• Demand that a parent be called AND the police
• Tell them that their mother will unleash a can of you know what if they even DARE…

Some may think this is being a little nutso but this kind of government interference cannot be tolerated. I have made a conscious decision to not inject my kids with poison and I am following all the laws for my state whilst I also protect my children. I investigated the vaccine laws before we even decided to move to this state! If anyone tries to supersede my parental authority they are going to have one angry parent on their hands but they are going to have a rabid parent where vaccines are concerned.

Have you prepared your kids, just in case they are faced with this scenario?

See below for a video about the Detroit Family:

When you shower or wash in chlorinated water the heat from that water opens your pores allowing those chemical compounds to sink into your skin. In addition, breathing in the steaming chlorinated air can affect your lungs and bronchial tubes. Here are just some of the problems that chlorine in your water can cause.

• A higher risk of cancer
• problems with circulation
• lung and breathing problems
• increased asthma attacks
• thyroid problems due to blocked iodine receptors

In addition, to these life threatening problems chlorinated water in your shower or bath can also cause your hair to become rough and brittle and lose color, cause your skin to dry out and flake, and dry out the fluid in your eyes and cause eye irritations. Is it any wonder that our skin is prone to dryness and irritation in the winter, when we are more likely to turn our bathrooms into mini chlorine saunas? No.

While you can avoid drinking chlorinated water by filtering your water via your Brita pitcher, you are probably thinking that there is no way you can avoid that chlorinated water in your bath or shower. However, you couldn’t be more wrong. There are a variety of bath and shower filters on market today that you can use to reduce your risks from chlorinated water.

Benefits Of Chlorine Filters For Showers And Baths

Chlorine filters for showers and baths remove chlorine and other toxins from the water in your shower and bath. The benefits of these filters should be obvious. By filtering the chlorine out, the steam you are inhaling won’t cause irritation and damage to your bronchial tubes or to your lungs. It also means that there won’t be chlorine compounds coming out of your showerhead massager and pounding into your skin and your pores. You are better protected from all the hazards associated with continued chlorine exposure.

In addition, you will be reducing the drying effects of these chemicals on your hair and skin and in the long run end up saving money on all the beauty products you buy to try and mitigate the damage.

You may not be able to prevent the city from adding chlorine to the water supply, but you can help to protect your self from the damage that chlorine causes with a chlorine water filter. Save the chlorine for special occasions like the pool, it has no place in our every day lives.

Most people think of ginger as the spice that is used in baked goods or Asian soups for it’s wonderful almost woodsy flavor. But, people in other countries have not only used ginger as a spice in their food for centuries, but for its medicinal benefits as well. While some of the health benefits of ginger are well known throughout the world new benefits of this incredible spice is being discovered all of the time. Here are some of the health benefits and uses of ginger.

Ginger Tea For A Variety Of Ills

Ginger is a wonderful digestive aid and tea made with ginger is used to help digestion, ease menstrual cramps, and soothe stomach upset. Drinking a cup of ginger tea before going on a car trip can help prevent or ease motion sickness. Because ginger tea aids digestion scientists now think that it may actually aid in weight loss which makes sense since ginger is what is known as warm spice and may increase metabolism which aids in weight loss.

Inflammation And Pain Relief

Ginger also contains properties that make it helpful in reducing both inflammation and pain. People suffering from arthritis who eat food seasoned with ginger and drink ginger tea report a reduction in both joint pain and inflammation. This is important because it decreases their dependence on subscription and Over the counter drugs which often have negative side effects.

Studies also suggest that ginger can help prevent kidney damage for people who diabetes. This is extremely good news because this means that diabetics may well live longer healthier lives.

Ginger Fights Cancer

In studies done at the University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota it has been proven that ginger may well prevent or slow certain types of cancer. The University of Michigan study showed that when ginger powder was applied to ovarian cancer cells they induced the cells to die. While more studies need to be done this is good news for cancer researches and may help to reduce the incidents of ovarian cancer in our lifetime.

The study at the University of Minnesota was just as promising. This study showed that ginger could actually slow the growth of colon cancer. Again more studies need to be undertaken in this area, but further studies may find that the right amount ginger may well kill colon cancer cells as well. In addition, earlier studies suggest that colon cancer may have it’s start in poor digestion and since ginger aids digestion it just may help not only treat colon cancer, but prevent it as well.

Who could have guessed that that simple spice sitting in your kitchen cabinet could be so good for your health or have so many benefits. Maybe it’s time you took a new look at what ginger can do for you.

Suggested Reading: Ginger: Common Spice and Wonder Drug

People who sit in front of computers all day often underestimate the number of things they can do right in their own office to alleviate stress once the tension begins to rise. There’s no need to grit your teeth and bear it, because yoga poses to reduce anxiety can be done without leaving your desk.

The mountain pose – perhaps the most simple of all yoga positions – begins by standing with feet hip- width apart. Tuck your tailbone in slightly to align the hips and spine and open your chest while keeping your arms by your side, palms facing outward. Close your eyes and take a series of deep breaths, helping to coordinate your mind and body.

When you begin to feel the hours spent typing on a keyboard in your back and shoulders, try this simple stretch. Reach your right arm in front of you and cross it to the left over your chest. Hook your left arm over it until you feel a gentle pull, then bend the elbow of your right arm so that your hand is pointed toward the ceiling. Remain in this pose for however long you need, then repeat on the other side.

If you begin to feel like your back is hunched over, try standing or sitting on the edge of your seat and clasp your hands together at your lower back. Straighten your arms, then lift them upward until you feel your spine straighten, you may even get a very distinct sensation of your vertebrae coming into alignment and your shoulder blades come closer together.

Head rolls can alleviate neck discomfort during those long working days. Close your eyes and let your head drop toward your chest, rolling it in a full circle until you’re back in starting position. From there, roll it in the opposite direction. This can be a fluid movement or one in which you pause in positions that feel good to you, as you may be stretching muscles that you didn’t even realize were tense.

In order to maintain leg strength and tone even when working a desk job, try the aptly named chair pose. Stand with feet close together and lower your hips as if you are about to sit in a chair, but stopping halfway. Swing your arms upward so that your hands are pointing not quite to the ceiling. Hold this for as long as you can, because it’s a great way to keep the legs and core strong.

Author Information - Dahn Yoga is one of the largest yoga and tai chi companies in the world with its own unique style and brand of yoga. Dahn Yoga is rooted in the rich history of an ancient Asian mind-body practice, Sun Do, and in the wisdom of the Chun Bu Kyung.

Illnesses do not come upon us out of the blue. They are developed from small daily sins against Nature. When enough sins have accumulated, illness will suddenly appear. – Hippocrates

A few weeks back I wrote about the winter blues and how the seasons affect our moods and energy levels. At the time I couldn’t help but think about how so much of the solution comes from simply removing ourselves from the insulation of our homes and getting outside more. A disconnect from our planet can be making us moody, depressed, and unhealthy. We nature lovers talk a good game about how important it is to rediscover nature but most people cannot be bothered which what they perceive as “nominal” benefits. Being cooped us is making them moody and tired? Pft! They would rather get their energy boost from a can of Red Bull because they are simply too busy to go outside and commune with Mother Nature.

It got me thinking about how many health issues are directly related to a lack of connection to nature. I don’t mean something like the disconnect with our food chain, which makes us buy processed foods, which leads us to consume sugary crap and go down diabetes row. I was looking for more glaring instances… ala removing my wiggling toes from the loose soil of my garden and putting on shoes leads to this. Having a roof over our heads instead of the moon results in that. This curiosity led me to some further research, which then led me to a couple different books I hope to share here. The first is an amazing book called Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever?

This book essentially talks about the natural energy in our body and the natural energy that runs throughout our planet. More and more scientists from varied fields… geophysics, biophysics, electrophysiology, electrical engineering, medicine… are seeing how the electrical energy that emanates from the earth controls our own bodily frequencies. The book likens the earth’s control of our bodily energy to the way a conductor controls the cadence of an orchestra. It ensures a balanced, rhythmic flow. What happens to that flow when we remove ourselves from that energy by wearing insulated shoes and we spend all our time in buildings and in beds that disconnect us from the earth’s surface? The book likens this to a light bulb with a loose connection. We flicker, we shine weakly, our light may go out.

This book was everything I hoped to find and more. As I read it I couldn’t help but think about how many people have no concept of our electrical roots. Well, maybe they give it a little thought if they saw The Matrix movies. If you haven’t seen the movies, basically humans in the future are used as batteries for heat and electricity by sentient machines. Movie aside, it shows how we as humans are bioelectric in nature. The earth’s subtle ground currents and electrical potential rises and falls with the position of the sun. The intensity is more positive (energetic) during the day and less positive in the evening. The earth’s energy helps to regulate our own bodily energy. Our sleep patterns, our hormones, our health… all of it, is tied to this flow and regulation of energy. Without it, we are a flickering light bulb. Earlier humans instinctively knew this, even if they didn’t know what electricity was. Just think about all the ancient peoples, tribes, clans etc. that worshipped nature and viewed the earth as sacred. They knew it has a life force or an energy that they could tap into. They knew that they needed to maintain a connection with it. Earth worship is probably the oldest “religion” there is in fact. They knew something that we seem to have forgotten along the way or that we have been programmed to ignore.

The premise of this book is that a connection to the earth remedies an electrical instability and an electron deficiency we are not aware we have. Connecting to the earth is also not accomplished as many commonly think, by hiking, camping, and gardening to get closer to nature. Earthing is a term that actually means grounding. Grounding defined: to place on or cause to touch the ground. When our ancestors slept on the ground or walked barefoot, they were grounded, touching the earth. Earthing then means that we make it a practice to sit on the ground (not on a plastic chair), walk barefoot through dirt and grass, and also use conductive bed sheets and floor pads in our house. I had never even heard of such things before and now I totally want them!

The bed sheets and mats are linked by a wire to the grounding rod outside/under your home. I assume you must have grounded circuits for this to work though. The first place we moved into here in Ohio was so old that it did not have grounded circuits. Anyway, you ground yourself the same way you ground an appliance. Electricity always seeks the ground/earth (coincidence?) and with appliances you want to ground them to prevent yourself from getting shocked or electrocuted.. ala the electricity will go to the ground rather than go through you. Grounding yourself by earthing protects your bioelectrical circuitry, free electrons and stabilizing energy signals are transferred to your body, and it recharges and balances you. The sheets are obviously used to ground you to the earth while in your bed, so you don’t have to go sleep outside. The mats are for you to rest your feet on while you watch TV or for your feet or arms/hands while sitting at a desk/computer. You literally plug yourself into the healing powers of the earth.

Okay, so I just barely scratched the surface of all the wonderful info in this book. It has many, many real life examples of people who have healed themselves of various things with earthing… pain, inflammation and inflammatory disease, insomnia, low energy, stress, headaches, hormonal issues, and more. It discusses inflammation as a starting point for many diseases and also the well researched hypothesis that much of the disease in developed countries is due to ravaged immune systems. I completely agree and would have numerous reasons to cite for our poor immunity, vaccines, poor diet, no exercise, lack of sleep, etc but I would also add a lack of physical contact to the earth after reading this book. I envision the human race as having evolved with an umbilical cord that attaches us to our planet and we are carelessly severing that cord with our modern lifestyle. Sever that cord that tethers us to our planet and you are cut off from that nourishment and healing energy.

It was fascinating to read the personal story of one of the authors, Clinton Ober. He was the owner of a huge cable TV operation and worked for years in the installation of these systems. Working with electricity was a huge part of his life until he got very sick and he reevaluated his life and priorities. A sudden thought he had in Sedona about how much of the earth’s energy people wearing rubber shoes were missing lead him to a variety of personal experiments. He actually walked around with a voltmeter to see how his body was being affected by electrical energy in his home. When he would get close to a lamp or some other appliance, his EMF voltage would go up. At one point, while lying in bed he registered the highest EMF levels yet and he decided it must be due to all the wiring in the wall that this bed was up against. He immediately deduced that the electric fields were preventing him from getting sufficient sleep, which at this point was elusive unless he medicated first. With that knowledge he ran a ground wire out to a stake in his yard and fastened it to his bed with a metallic duct tape grid. He put the voltmeter on his chest and it zeroed out. The next thing he knew it was morning. He had fallen asleep with the voltmeter on his chest and this “event” was reproduced every night thereafter.

From there he asked friends if he could ground their beds and he was getting great reports, including one friend who was convinced that his arthritis pain was receding. He started remembering little tidbits from his childhood near a Native American reservation in Montana. The grandfather who dug a pit in the ground for his granddaughter to sleep in when she had a fever. The admonishment from a mother to her children that shoes will make you sick. He knew he was on to something and the book Earthing is the culmination of years of research spurred from a chance thought and a few experiments.

Also discussed is research into shoes and how they have been devastating for human health as well as the benefits animals get from being pastured or allowed to roam wild as opposed to confined in barns, coops, and outbuildings. Also the results of a study done on grounding as it relates to cortisol levels. Cortisol is known as the stress hormone and many studies have also linked it to weight gain issues. Grounding, as demonstrated in the study, returned Cortisol levels to a natural, normal rhythm. Ironically this study was initiated by a doctor who read about Earthing via a scientific journal and wanted to prove it was not possible to benefit from such a practice. He could not do so. Also studied was the impact of Earthing on inflammation and by extension heart disease as well as our ability to heal from cuts and wounds faster by Earthing.

I could go on much, much longer but this post has gotten large enough I think. I highly recommend Earthing for a great read. Even if you don’t end up trying it, I think the book has lots of food for thought and lots of great research into how the disconnect from our planet is hurting us. I hope to post more in the future as I try it myself.

So it goes to follow that if you use a negative-ion generator in your home you can benefit from the negative ions and the biochemical reaction they will create inside your body. Negative-ion generators also usually (from what I have seen) tend to be coupled with air purifiers. The air is cleaned of pollutants and allergens and it gets dosed with the happy molecules. I have been using air purifiers to do just that in my own home for well over a month now and have been VERY happy with the results.

I have two of the Permatech Ionizing Air Cleaners by Bionaire. With those we use Aer1 Ready Air Purifiers that get rid of germs and allergens. We have cleaner indoor air, it smells nice and clean in the house, allergens and germs are being filtered out, and optionally you can use the negative ion generator to fill the air with mood boosting negative ions. Typically I let the machine downstairs run for most of the day with the ion generator running for 3 to 4 hours in the morning. In the late evening I turn on the unit upstairs and we all breathe in fresh air while we sleep. They are slim units so we don’t worry about space. They have a washable pre-filter, which helps maximize filtration by the HEPA-Type filter, a filter service reminder, speed options, and a remote control. I can remember that I forgot to turn it on or off while I am sitting at my desk and just click the remote control to take care of that. Time to turn off the ionizer? Done in one click.

I think I have already seen a big improvement in my mood since using them but how to do verify something like that? Especially when you are also doing a variety of other things to combat moodiness as well. I can only say that I think they help. I KNOW they help with making the air cleaner and fresher though. We recently took a fake Christmas tree off the hands of some family members and it had been stored in their really musty basement. When we set it up at our house it stank to high heaven and made the whole house smell like rank basement. My first instinct was to break out the “birthday cake” soy candle and that worked only as long as it was lit, to mask the smell. Then I remembered (DUH!) that I could turn on the air purifier. Within 24 hours the smell was gone and I haven’t noticed it since. It was silly of me to forget because when we first moved to Ohio we were living in a 150 year old house and it smelled really old. My parents brought a similar but bigger air purifier into the house and within a few days all we smelled was clean air (no scent at all).

All in all, we are pleased as punch to have these purifiers. I had high expectations, hoping it would be a mood booster AND clean the air but it works on all counts, I am pleased to say. When we finally get a dog (my daughter is allergic) we will see just how well they filter out allergens too.

Disclosure: I received a free air purifier from Bionaire and Aer1 Filters (click for a filter coupon), plus several free filters to review, all words and opinions are mine of course. Many thanks to them for their generosity!

Is exercise something you consider a necessary evil for staying healthy and fit? Is it more drudgery and duty than an eagerly anticipated activity? If so, you’re not alone – there are a lot of people who would rather go see the dentist than “exercise”. This is why New Year’s resolutions to exercise more don’t last past February more often than not. If it is something you hate to do or are grudgingly obligated to do then you are not likely to stick with it long term.

I think one of the things that prevented me from falling in love with exercise was the fact that I associated it with in home stationary bikes and aerobics via DVD or VHS. I personally can’t stand either of those things and yet that is what I grew up with. Dad rode a bike and mom did aerobics. Blah! Both of them were pretty active but that is not what I ended up associating with health and fitness. Riding a bike in the house or sweatin to the oldies is just not for me. It has to be something you love and are committed to. If you fall in love with exercising, you are far more likely to keep it up.

But how do you go about falling in love with exercise?

Here are some ideas…

Make It a Game

I use SparkPeople and Daily Mile to track fitness goals and workouts. Seeing what I have accomplished, earning points, or seeing myself at the top of the leaderboard give me incentive and they make me proud of my accomplishments. Its like a game.

Of course you can also literally  play a game. Some popular gaming systems have workout “games” that have been known to make dedicated “players” out of those who had trouble sticking to an exercise routine. Users say that the reasons why these games keep them interested are the variety (your workout varies each time, reducing the boredom associated with DVDs and videos) and user control. We have EA Sports Active here and I love the virtual running track. There are dance-based games as well, where you sweat and burn calories while having fun dancing. We really want to add Just Dance 3 to our collection.

Make It “You Time”

Oh heck yeah! My gym time 4 days a week is my “me time”. I get a much needed break from my children and I get out of the house. Since I am alone with my kids for much of the day and all of the evening this is soooo important to me. If you can merge your exercise routine with some much-needed time for yourself, you may find yourself looking forward to workouts. Maybe it’s outside in your yard/neighborhood, or in a local park, or the gym – the point is to tailor your workout to fit your personal needs so that it’s your thing, whether it’s time alone or time with others. My weekly water aerobics classes have lead me to make some great friends and develop my lacking social life a bit more. I love walking into the gym and catching up with the ladies.

Do Something You Like

There seems to be a misconception that you have to hate your exercise for it to be effective – sort of like eating your spinach as a kid. If it tastes/feels bad, it must be good for you. But there are so many fun options when it comes to exercising that there’s no excuse to hate what you’re doing!

Certainly, exercise is work and doesn’t always feel great right at the moment. But choosing an activity you love will help you keep it up even when it gets tough. Dancing, horseback riding, hiking, jumping rope, hula hooping, belly dancing, Pilates or Yoga classes, martial arts, etc. are all forms of exercise that can be so much fun you forget that they are work (and you’re more willing to push through when it does feel like work).

Log Your Progress

Write down how you feel as you progress. Do you have more energy? Are you running/walking faster? Are your muscles more toned? Have you lost weight? Keep notes on how you were when you started and throughout your progress. Looking at this list can be a boost and help you love your exercise routine because of what it’s doing for you.

Not only will you be doing something good for you, your kids will see exercise as something FUN and be more likely to pursue fitness themselves.

So, have you fallen in love with exercise? What are your tips?

Oil pulling was used to help prevent tooth decay, stop bleeding gums, ease bad breath, and help to heal a dry throat and mouth and chapped lips. Oil pulling also was used to help re anchor loose teeth and to help reduce gum disease as well as help to whiten and brighten teeth.

With the recent re surge of interest in ancient remedies for the treatment of various medical conditions Oil pulling has come to the attention of those seeking natural remedies for an assortment of medical and dental problems and there have even been several studies done to determine whether or not oil pulling can improve dental health and the findings have been extremely positive.

In several informal studies that were conducted oil pulling was shown to help reduce both plaque and gingivitis resulting in healthier gums and teeth. People who have tried oil pulling for 3-6 months have stated that they have had fewer cavities, loose teeth have firmed back up and they see less redness and swelling in their gums. While such testimonies are only anecdotal evidence that oil pulling is good for your dental health this evidence certainly carries weight in the absence of more scientific studies.

In addition, there have been few negative side effects reported either by the study subjects or those who have tried oil pulling on their own which means that there is every indication that oil pulling may be a safe way of treating a wide array of dental problems or simply keeping your dental health to begin with.

If you have been dealing with a build up of plaque, gingivitis, bad breath or just discolored or loose teeth that you might want to try oil pulling and see if it works for you.

How To Do Oil Pulling

First thing in the morning before eating or drinking anything pour a tablespoon of sesame seed oil, coconut oil, or olive oil into your mouth and swish it around for about 20 minutes. As you swish the oil will become thinner due to your saliva. Keep swishing. You will know when it is time to spit out the oil when it becomes whitish and once again begins to thicken from the germs and plague that is being pulled into the oil.

If you find that you cannot resist the urge to swallow spit the oil out and start again. It may take some practice until you can swish the oil long enough to complete the process.

After spitting the oil out rinse your mouth with warm salt water.

The oil will remove the plaque and other bacteria from your mouth and the warm salt water will help clear the oily feel that remains in your mouth. Over time your teeth should look whiter and your gums should look healthier. It can be done 1-2 times weekly with good results and even daily if you have problems, such as cavities or sore gums.

Oil pulling may not be for everyone but, it is a cheap and effective way to protect your dental health.

Related: Oil Pulling Therapy: Detoxifying and Healing the Body Through Oral Cleansing

The Coconut Oil Miracle

Here are a few suggestions:

Reduce Salt and Alcohol Consumption

That bloated feeling most women get during their monthly flow is due to water retention. You can reduce that bloated uncomfortable feeling by cutting back on your salt and alcohol intake starting about a week before your period is due. Both alcohol and salt makes the body retain water so by cutting back on these two items you can reduce the amount of fluid your body retains. You may also want to increase the amount of water you drink during this period as it will help to rinse the salt from your system faster than just reducing your salt intake alone.

Eating Healthy

While eating healthy regularly is good for your overall health, it is especially important to eat healthy immediately before and during your period. Some studies show that by increasing the amount of green leafy vegetables you eat during this time that feeling of constant tiredness is reduced and adding bananas and other sources of vitamin B to your diet may help to ease the cramping that occurs during this time.

Aroma Therapy Baths And That Hot Water Bottle

Many women find that when that cramping starts taking aroma therapy baths using either lavender or rose scented bath oils can help to reduce those muscle spasms that lead to those cramps and aching back and thighs and help to relax you overall. By relaxing your muscles you reduce that crampy feeling which results in your being able to sleep and function with less pain. Using a hot water bottle or heating pad can also reduce those cramps and ease some of your menstrual discomfort. If you want a greener option than a hot water bottle go with a Warmables heat pack. The outer shell is cloth and the inside is filled with recycled cherry pits!

Using citrus candles or incense can also lighten that dark mood that some women feel while going through their monthly period. Lifting your mood can actually make you feel better not just emotionally but physically as well.

Mild Exercise

While the last thing you want to do when feeling achy and moody is exercise, you really should force yourself into doing some mild exercise during this time. Walking or swimming may actually reduce your back and headaches and give you more energy as well. Exercising in the days before your period is thought by many experts to actually reduce menstrual symptoms and duration. I find it to be true in my experience. After I started exercising 4-5 days a week my periods decreased in duration by more than a whole day.

By combining some or all of these suggestions you can reduce much of that menstrual pain and discomfort if not all of it. This will allow you to continue with your normal activities and leave you feeling more comfortable than you thought possible.

Related: Alternative and Natural Menstrual Products

I have been researching the winter blues quite a bit lately. The official name is Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. I have become convinced that I have become a victim of this disorder ever since I moved to Ohio from Arizona five years ago. There are many signs. When the days get shorter and darker many people get anxious, depressed, become socially withdrawn, have a hard time functioning at work, lose momentum and motivation, oversleep, can’t concentrate, gain weight, and develop a craving for carbs and sugary foods. These symptoms could be just mildly irritating in some and very drastic for others. I noticed a problem a couple years ago when it seemed like half the year I had absolutely no ambition or drive. I was prone to overeating, getting sick, and being generally moody and depressed. The past two winters in particular were BAD. My marriage almost imploded two years in a row and I knew come spring that I had to do something the following year. To address this I kicked off a new exercise regime that spring and that has done wonders for me (still going strong!) but with the disappearance of the light this fall and the return of my lack of motivation I knew I had to do something more. I suspect that I might be one of the 9-10% of the population that doesn’t do well with shorter days and less sunlight. I get the winter blues.

Now that I know what it is and have taken steps to remedy it, I am amazed that I didn’t catch onto this earlier. Instead of spending an entire day wasting time away on the computer bemoaning my lack of motivation I am much better served by taking a seat in front of a sunny window and reading for a few hours in the direct sunlight. Spending an afternoon in that seemingly lazy pursuit energizes me and gives me motivation to get busy the rest of the day and into the night. Taking a walk in the sun for 30 minutes each day… its like an energy infusion.

After reading the Winter Blues: Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder (which is excellent BTW), I decided to outline a plan and hopefully beat this thing. I have had plenty of days that have started out bad but when I follow the advice in the book I can turn it around. I am pretty confident that if I stay on top of it, I can sail through it this year.

Here are some of the ways we can keep the winter blues at bay:

• On sunny days spend at least 30 minutes outside.
• If you can’t go outside, spend as much time as you can next to a sunny window.
• If you can’t go outside or hang next to a window, use a light therapy box.
• Exercise for at least 30 minutes each day.
• Rather than letting the cold weather keep you indoors, bundle up for winter and get outside as often as you can, even if it is cloudy.
• Vacation in the winter, ideally in a sunny place.
• Increase your protein and reduce carbs, which are more likely to make you tired and lethargic.
• Consider nutrient density in your diet and food choices. Avoid empty calories.
• Stay away from added sugar.
• Use St. John’s Wort as a natural and herbal antidepressant and give it several weeks to work.
• Limit alcohol (yes, even that Egg Nog).
• Reduce stress.
• Do not let yourself oversleep.
• Fill the air with negative ions (see below).
• Accept that you have a handicap in the winter and be kind to yourself!

All of the above things can be done with minimal planning and work. It usually just requires you to be mindful of how your needs increase in the winter. You have to accept that you need a little more TLC in the winter and concentrate on nourishing your mind and body. A vacation might be prohibitive due to cost but things like St. John’s Wort and nourishing foods shouldn’t be to hard to get. I plan to buy a light therapy box before winter kicks into high gear and I have already been using a Permatech Ionizing Air Cleaner by Bionaire at home, both downstairs and upstairs. It cleans and purifies the air so we are less likely to get sick AND it releases negative ions. There have been some studies done at Columbia that showed how patients with SAD who sat in front of a negative ion generator for 30 minutes each morning had as much positive effect on depression as sitting in front of a light box, also a proven therapy.

For the science behind SAD, light therapy, and negative ions read Winter Blues. It is by far the best source of info on all of this that I have read thus far, though it does tend to get quite technical and scientific in explaining all of it.

Do you suffer from the winter blues? How are you going to tackle it this year?

Much of the information you find about staying healthy around Halloween addresses what you can do beforehand… aka keep kids away from the candy. You see advice to have the Great Pumpkin come and trade the candy for books and toys or you forgo trick or treating and make healthier treats yourself. That is actually great advice. Halloween candy is actually terribly bad for your kid’s health. Those are just the facts. It is loaded with immune suppressing sugar and other junkie ingredients like artificial dyes. Consuming all that candy is literally putting their immune systems under attack and during a time when they are already vulnerable… allergy season, fewer sunlight hours, and cold and flu bugs rearing their ugly heads.

But avoiding the candy is not always possible because they could get it at school or from other kids. It also sets up the concept of forbidden fruit. I would rather teach my kids to avoid it when they can but also teach them how to take care of their bodies after they have had a lapse in judgement. Giving them insight into how their body works when we eat junk and how we can nurture ourselves in the aftermath is just as important in my mind as teaching them about healthy eating. After all, I know I shouldn’t drink much alcohol or eat those candy cane flavored chocolates that abound this time of year, but I do. Instead of beating myself up when I want the bad I have to learn how to balance it with the good and take care of myself when my healthy habits take a detour.

It helps that we don’t allow too much candy to make its way home. We give the kids small buckets or lunch bags (much smaller than typical treat bags) and when they are filled, we go home. Doing it this way mitigates some of the damage hopefully. The second thing we usually do after Halloween is tell the kids to eat up the candy. No, we don’t let them eat 5 pieces each day and extend the immune suppressing abilities of all that junk. It’s best to get it gone and start the healing. My kids typically don’t eat all of it that night so the next day most of it magically disappears (works for younger kids) or I buy them out. Give me the rest of that candy and I will take you to a movie, deal?

Here are some other ways that we give our family an immunity boost after gorging on candy. These tips work for Halloween or any candy centric holiday (ie Valentines and Easter).

Broth – Once that candy is gone we go into a week long spree of nourishing, broth based soups that are heavy on the veggies, garlic, onions, and ginger. My crock pot and my dutch oven get used daily for at least a week.

Hydration – The drink of choice after Halloween is good old fashioned water and I make sure it is alkaline as well. No natural juice or sweetened teas right now, just water.

Fermented Drinks – After a week of mostly water we reintroduce fermented drinks like water kefir and dairy kefir, which enhance immunity with their live cultures. We mostly make our own but their are also some good ones from Lifeway. Their Pumpkin Spice and Cranberry Crème Brulee are a good way to mix kefir with holiday cheer.

Garlic - It has strong antiviral and antibacterial properties and can help ward of illness. I will often use an entire bulb in our soups after we have had excessive candy exposure.

No White Stuff- Sugar is one of the white things to be avoided but also white rice and flour. This week my hubby made pancakes with coconut flour and quinoa flour and he also made an apple pie with quinoa flour. We have gotten in the habit of using substitutes in our baking and cooking but it can be especially important not to eat any more of the white stuff after a candy binge.

Ginger - Ginger warms you up so fast you think you might be having a hot flash. That is of course why it works so well. It raises your body temperature and fights off viruses and prevents them from replicating. It is also anti-inflammatory and it supports our immune system.

Elderberry - This amazing herb is an anti-viral and it helps to fight viruses by warming your body temperature. It also has strong antioxidant properties that boost the immune system. You can make your own or you can buy it in the form of Sambucol.

If your reduced immunity does contribute to a cold, it’s most important to stay hydrated. Plain filtered water and sodium-light broths and may help reduce congestion. To further reduce pain and symptoms, you can take a multi-symptom OTC cold and flu medication.

Exercise – Mom and Dad go the gym but the kiddos need an extra dose of exercise after all that candy to. This is easily accomplished with neighborhood walks (most evenings for a couple weeks) and hiking at our nearby park system on the weekends. Exercise really boosts our immune system.

Plenty of Rest – After an event like Halloween we send the kids to bed earlier so they can get plenty of rest… their little bodies need it. All week long they are required to hit the sack an hour earlier than usual and this gives their immune system a chance to recover from the shock of all that sugar. Just wake a kid up for school the day after Halloween and see how much the extra rest was needed. A child after a sugar binge can be downright terrifying.

How will you keep your kids healthy AFTER Halloween?

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