Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Some tweaks

*sparklingly (http://sparklingly.blogspot.com)
{ Admiring my anti-winter colors a few weeks ago }

So here's the thing, even with all the goodness I've been adding into my daily life, I haven't quite experienced all the results I wanted (namely: more energy and continuously clear skin). At the same time as I've been thinking about this, I've been spending my weekends working on a side project that has me reading/familiarizing myself with the wellness philosophies of Kris Carr/Crazy Sexy Wellness and Dr. Mark Hyman/Functional Medicine. (Randomly amazing that I—finally—get to read about things I'm interested in for work, no?).

With all these thoughts jumbled about in my head, I decided there are a few more small changes I can make that might up my energy, clear my skin, and help me take better care of myself. So here's what I'm thinking of doing:


Play with the balance of my diet:
My diet is almost entirely made up of: vegetables (organic when needed and affordable; local when possible),  whole milk/non-homogenized dairy products from happy cows, meat from humanely, non-toxically bred animals, eggs from pastured chickies, and lots of nuts/seeds/coconut oil/spices.

+ But, I'm thinking one thing that might be a good way to experiment would be to dial back the dairy products a teensy bit.

+ And, add in even more vegetables (which would in effect make me eat less meat).

My thinking here is: I'm still a little lethargic and I still get a few inflammations on my face now and then. These could be the product of stress, a dairy intolerance, or not enough vegetables, so perhaps weighing my diet more towards the vegetable side and a wee bit off the dairy/meat side might make a difference. (Definitely not removing anything, just playing with the balance).



Fight the effects of SAD:
I've been super lazy lately—the dark afternoons, cold shadowy mornings and overall ho-humness has seen me spending more time than usual on my couch or in my bed. I've been avoiding physical activity, playing with gadgets in bed (which means staying up later, more stress on my eyes and getting worse sleep!)...just all around not taking good care of myself.

+ So I need to just get myself together and realize that no matter how cozy and warm my bed is at 6AM, I will never feel worse by getting myself out of bed and moving around a bit, despite that initial cold moment in my pj's when I stand up (whereas I will almost ALWAYS feel worse when 10AM rolls around and I'm already yawning).

+ Need to get back into the habit of slowly shutting myself off electronically way before bedtime. I'm going to blame the recent lack of this on a run of blah books from the library that haven't kept me mesmerized once I'm in bed and before I nod off.


Get some vitamins and minerals into my system:
I once took a women's multivitamin in college and then another 4 years ago. Both bouts lasted about a week because they made me feel horrible (bloated, upset stomach, a little nausea). Then the last two years I thought if my diet was better, there was no need for a vitamin. I've now learned two things: the type of vitamin you take matters (my Centrum One-A-Days weren't really very good quality) and no matter how well I eat, I still need vitamins.

It's almost impossible to get the full range of vitamins and minerals you need from a regular diet (especially when you throw in declining soil and food quality, laziness, late nights, stress, travel, etc.). Plus, given the ever-increasing presence of toxins in our environment (especially in urban settings), we need some help keeping ourselves nice and clean.

Once I realized I could do with a supplement, I did a LOT of research to get the best one I could find (not just the most convenient) and ended up purchasing a duo that contains 100+ organic superfoods and herbs plus all the vitamins and minerals I need from organically grown, naturally found nutrients (most tablets are injected with synthetic vitamins created in a lab, these are from plants) and has zero fillers (which was the problem with Centrum for me).

The "duo" is a daily supplement for women + a powder that I can add to my morning smoothies or a glass of water.

+ The supplement is for a daily dose of vitamins, minerals, enzymes etc. in wholefood form to keep all my systems running and synapses firing.

+ The superfood is for a hefty dose of bioactive phytonutrients and antoxidants to keep me clean.

I can't wait to start trying these to see if they make any difference. (I'll share the name and product once I've had a chance to try them out).


So, those are some of the little changes I'm going to start working in —will report back in a bit to let you know how it's going.

2 comments :

  1. All of the changes you're planning to make sound like they'll make a big difference. And it's always interesting to read about what other people are trying. :) I'm currently eliminating gluten, since I noticed a correlation between eating it and getting skin rashes. It could be a bunch of other things, but I'm really hoping I've finally pinpointed the issue...as sad as I'll be to give up so many of my favorite carbs.
    Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing how these changes work out for you!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, dear! I really hope they will make a big difference. This lack of energy is a pain in the tush. The only thing left to try after all these is a different job (since I'm NEVER tired on vacation...maybe it's sitting for 8 hours in front of a computer that's the culprit?). :)

      And, I'm with you on seeing what other people are trying. Hope the gluten thing has worked/is working for you. That was relatively easy for me to give up (which shocked me), but cutting back on dairy will be a little tricky (especially since I rely on full-fat dairy to sweeten things instead of sugar), but here we go...! XOXO

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XOXO,
J.