Toxic

December 15, 2011 by

 

Is everyone else singing an awesome Brittney Spears song in their head right now? It’s ok, I am too. If you have been reading RWS for awhile, you know I take thyroid medication. In case you missed this, check out my thyroid story post. Anyway, I have been on my meds for two months, and my doctor wanted to do a second test to see if my dosage needed to be altered. I told him my hair had been falling out a lot, and so he did some further testing, and the result was…my body is toxic. Huh? Yes, this involves food, but that’s for another post. Also, more importantly, it has to do with chemicals entering my body from the air, cleaning products, shower water, laundry detergents, etc.

Luckily, before I had the test I had already ordered a special water filter for my shower. (More on that on Friday). Which I knew would help. I started doing some research and realized a lot of products I use either for personal hygiene or cleaning purposes are doing my body harm. I guess it’s one of those things I always “knew” but didn’t realize how much it was hurting me.

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When I went to the store yesterday I decided to buy some Burt’s Bee’s lotion, night cream, and moisturizer. It’s a small step, but a step in the right direction. What else am I planning on doing? A few things actually! Since I am cheap, some of these products will have to wait until I run out of the current product. I don’t want to waste!

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Antibacterial Hand soap: In my research, I found antibacterial soaps may have harmful chemicals that interfere with your bodies good cells and can negatively affect certain systems of the body.

Laundry items: Seventh Generation products are made of plant-derived, odor neutralizing cleaning agents. It is free of dyes and synthetic materials, and and is non irritating to the skin. Some detergents and dryer sheets can negatively affect the sinus cavities and other parts/systems of your body. I have never used seventh generation but I am very curious and interested to try!

cleaning products: Obviously regular cleaning solutions have lots of ingredients I can not pronounce. I guess I should have taken a hint when the chemicals make my eyes burn and leaves a strong smell in the bathrooms for hours after I clean them. Seventh generation carries a lot of products such as dishwashing liquid, toilet bowl cleaner, and all purpose cleaner.

air fresheners:  When you spray air fresheners into the air, you are releasing chemicals to just float around in the air which you inhale, ingest, etc. Some studies suggest air fresheners can be harmful to growing infants.

air: Bobby and I have two air purifiers we have had for years. Honestly, it’s a pain to have to clean them all the time so they have been turned off for awhile, but they are back on now.

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Now, with all that being said, I do not plan to go to the extreme and rid my house of everything with a scent or chemical, but I am going to slowly make a few changes and see how it affects my health. Hopefully my hair will start falling out and my body won’t be as toxic!

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Went to the gym again yesterday and did triceps and chest weights, as well as 30 minutes on the bike. Will be hitting it again today, before my crazy weekend starts!

In totally unrelated news, our house made the front webpage of our neighborhood. I have no idea who took the picture but I love it!

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QOTD: What are your thoughts on natural items such as these? Do you use any of these? Tell me what does and doesn’t work for you.

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From the Bottom to the Top

December 14, 2011 by

 

Goooodddd morning friends! Being able to work out the past few days (upper body and bike only) has REALLY put me in a better mood. Those that say they don’t workout because they don’t want to have their energy zapped…PEOPLE, it’s the exact opposite. You will have so much more energy, it’s awesome. Anyway, I was doing some research last night and found an article talking about the ten healthiest cities for women. I knew that mine would not be on there, but I did want to share them with you:

1. Greenest: Des Moines, IA

2. Healthiest overall: Cambridge, Mass.

3. Healthiest eaters: Santa Barbara, Calif.

4. Safest: San Jose, Calif.

5. Happiest: Raleigh, N.C.

6. Longest lives: Honolulu, Hawaii

7. Most active: Denver, Colo.

8. Healthiest love lives: Seattle, Wash.

9. Best breasts: Bethesda, Md. Get your mine out of the gutter! This is in terms of health/mammograms, etc.

10. Best skin: Miami, Fla.

(source)

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If you agree, disagree, live in one of these areas, I would love your input. This brings me to my next point…sadly, not only is my city on here, but my state, Mississippi, is regularly the most overweight in the country. Check out this article  about one woman who is trying to change that. I wish there were more people like that! I would LOVE to be a part of a movement to get the gulf coast more healthy. I have no idea how to even START. If anyone has any experience or ideas, throw them my way! Unfortunately money doesn’t grow on trees down here on the coast, so it would have to be something with little to no overhead. Any ideas or suggestions? Help a sister out so we can get Mississippi off the bottom of that list and into the top ten!

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In other totally random news, I FINALLY, I’m talking seven months overdo got a haircut yesterday. I got bangs and some layers and I really like how it came out!

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Luckily I have a ton of headbands because I think the bangs are going to drive me ca-RAY-zy. But it’s so nice to have a nice little change right before the holidays and new year. I am keeping up with my upper body weights and riding the stationary bike. hopefully only 6 days to go!

QOTD: Any ideas for helping my community get on the right track with health and fitness?

**If you are a blogger running the Disney princess half and want to be a part of a meet up, vote on the right sidebar for a day and time! ———->

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Get Healthy, Starting NOW!

December 9, 2011 by

 

As a lot of you know I am a FitFluential Ambassador. I was so excited to be chosen back when it all began, and things are really starting to move now and I couldn’t be more excited! We were asked to share 7 steps or tips we could give to someone who wanted to start being healthy, right now. SO many people say “I will start Monday” or “I will start in January” but why not start now? We are not promised tomorrow, so make today the first day of the rest of your life, and make it a good one! So, here are my 7 tips/steps. Small things you can start doing NOW that will put you on the path to being fit and healthy:

1. Find your motivation/inspiration: Everyone has a reason that they want to be healthy. It is the thing way down deep that keeps you going even in the hard times. The thing you think about when you don’t feel like working out. This can be your family, an upcoming race or competition, wanting to be alive long enough to see your grandkids get married, anything really! Once you figure out what it is, it can help drive you and push you on to meet your goals.

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2. Get enough sleep: Sounds so simple but is so difficult for some people. If you are not getting enough sleep, you will fall into a vicious cycle of exhaustion, excuses, and grumpiness! How can you adequately care for your family if you are exhausted? How can you feel like working out if all you want to do is take a nap? Aim for 7-8 hours and notice a big jump in your drive and energy levels.

3. Cook more: We all know that restaurant meals are way larger than an actual portion should be. A person can easily consume a day’s worth of calories in one meal out. Pack your lunch before you go to work, celebrate the weekend in some other way than eating out, and save restaurants for special occasions. Or, learn where you CAN eat out that has healthy options with correct portion sizes.

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4. take time each day to be still: Here on RWS I place a lot of importance on mental health as well as physical health. I feel that you can be as physically fit as you want but if you are mentally or emotionally exhausted or struggling, you aren’t truly “healthy.” So take a few minutes each day to sit in the quiet by yourself and reflect. For me, it’s praying. For someone else, it may be taking a nice long bath. But take some time to be still and decompress every day. Even if it’s just five minutes.

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5.  Eat Breakfast: So many people think if they skip breakfast they will lose weight. Breakfast is wht kick starts your metabolism for the day and keeps your energy levels up. If you skip breakfast not only are you more likely to be tired, but also more likely to over eat later in the day.

6. Move more: It can be parking at the farthest away spot in the parking lot, or going to an extra spin class this week, but just move more! Have a dance party with your kids while you help them clean their rooms. Walk the dog. Play tag with your kids in the backyard. It doesn’t have to be an hour long sweat session to count as a workout, just get your body moving and you will WANT to do more and more!

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7. Make it fun: If you don’t enjoy what you are doing it’s easy to let new good habits die. To make them tick, make sure you are enjoying what you are doing. If you hate running, don’t run! Take a zumba class instead. There are so many ways to stay active and fit, just get a little creative and see what you can come up with!

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QOTD: Do you have any tips for someone trying to get healthy?

*Check out the poll on the right sidebar if you are running Disney’s Princess half marathon and would like to participate in a meet up!

*email me a picture of your Christmas tree or outdoor lights and I will post on my blog with your blog link!

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Nice to Meat You…and Other Healthy Changes

May 19, 2011 by

 

No, I am not a loser who spelled meet wrong, I am talking about MEAT, you know, like the stuff you eat. Erin over at The Healthy Apron asked me to help spread the word about MeatLESS May. (Sorry I am a little late girl, it’s been a busy month!)

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Please note Erin is not saying (nor am I) to stop eating meat. I for one will always ALWAYS have meat as a PART of my diet. I also realize it can be unhealthy to eat it too much. We as Americans are so programmed (especially in the south) that in order for a meal to be a meal it must involve meat.  So, let’s join Erin and at least try to look into other healthy non-meat options. Even if you just throw in a random new meal once a week, you may even find a new favorite!

I will admit, for about two weeks now I have been eating more healthy and just by doing that I am noticing big changes. My face is more clear, I have more energy, and my sugar cravings haven’t been as bad as I thought they would be. I have been focusing on foods that are healthy and taste good, but that will keep me FULL so I am not constantly in the panty or refrigerator during the day.

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One snack I have been eating almost everyday is Chobani yogurt, more specifically strawberry banana. Holy yum! The store closest to my house NEVER has strawberry banana so I drive to a FURTHER AWAY store just for this stuff. It’s so amazingly wonderful. It keeps me FULL in between meals which is one reason I am loving it!

I am also not eating late at night like I was when we first moved in. We were seriously eating ice cream and cupcakes almost every night, it was crazy. and unhealthy. and I slept horribly.

My next goal is drinking more water. I am about to be traveling a lot so this is super important! I know this will also help clear up my face. Fingers crossed!

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QOTD: What is a healthy change you have made lately that you have noticed benefitting your health?

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What Makes you Healthy?

March 31, 2011 by

 

I have been meaning to post about this for awhile, and figured today was a good enough day as any! There has been a lot of talk swirling around about what being healthy really means. Is it a split percentage between eating healthy and exercising? What about mental health, or healthy hygiene habits? I honestly think this is a PERSONAL decision, and not an “across the board” blanket statement you can make about someone.

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If someone has emotional issues, then mental health is going to be more important and beneficial to their current well being, because we all know how stress can take years off your life!

If someone else never brushes their teeth or flosses, it is going to be VERY important that they start doing that to be healthy, more so important than an exercise or healthy eating plan.

Then you have someone like me, who would RATHER workout more than eat salads everyday. It is more important to me to be active than more restrictive on my eating. Of course I try to eat healthy, but I also have chocolate everyday and bread and sugar. If I were to take those things out of my life to be more healthy, then my mental health would suffer, which would probably make me depressed and angry, and that isn’t very healthy now is it? Everyone handles things differently, and all decisions have varying effects on people. Of course I think you should try to eat healthy AND have healthy habits AND exercise AND be mentally healthy, but you can’t juggle all of those plates perfectly at the same time without one coming crashing down in my opinion.

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The key is BALANCE. And guess what? it’s ok if your balance is different from your sisters, your friends, or the bloggers blog that you read religiously. You were made to be unique, there is no one else like you! Take pride in the fact that you are a one of a kind masterpiece!

You are not healthy because some magazine says you have to do this or that to be so.

You are not healthy just because you run a marathon.

You are not healthy because you do all the “right” things other people expect you to do.

You have to personally define healthy for yourself, and be that. If you try to be someone else’s healthy, you will probably fall short and never be happy with yourself. Is it ok to read articles, get input and help on healthy habits? of course! But be your own person! Take all those little bits of advice and form health for yourself.

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I used to think healthy was fitting every health article and piece of advice to a T. It became an impossible chore and made me miserable! I have since found a balance that works for me. There is always room for improvement, but I want to actually live my life, and not look back and realize I wasted all my time trying to reach some impossible perfect goal of health according to someone else’s standards. Advice will always conflict, people will always disagree, and that’s ok!

Look for a follow up post coming soon about my thoughts on being beautiful!

Two Questions of the day today:

What are your thoughts on what health means? What is it to you? Do you strive to be someone else’s standard of healthy or do you have your own?

I am working on pieces for my blog..what are some things you want to see more of, don’t want to see etc? More workout related posts, pictures, food, family life, dogs, Disney, etc? if you don’t want to leave anything in the comments you can e mail me at runningwithsass AT gmail DOT com.

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I never thought this day would come…

January 19, 2010 by

Ok, so I am a self proclaimed junk food adict. I love sweets, sugar, soda, pizza, hamburgers, mashed potatoes, and anything with cheese (well, almost, I hate broccoli YUCK!) I always heard people say things like “when you start to eat better, your body feels better and you won’t want to eat the bad things, and you will crave good things.”
Well, I never believed this, I mean who doesn’t love a good burger and fries or milkshake? Well, I have started to get to where this really does apply to me! I honestly NEVER thought it would happen. I have by NO MEANS “arrived.” I still don’t like veggies that much and I still love junk, but I crave it less, and crave better stuff more. Also, not even that, but I will say “hhmm a milkshake sounds so good” but then I will think “wait..that will be a ton of calories and make me feel so gross when I run tomorrow.” etc. It’s like I actually think before I eat (sometimes). For instance, when we were in Disneyworld for the 1/2 marathon, we ate SO BAD, greasy, yummy, food. Well, by the end of the trip I was CRAVING fruit. FRUIT! me!!! It was so odd but true! I defiantely still have a ways to go, but I feel like I am on the right track, and it feels great! Realizing how differnt foods affect my runs or just my day in general really help me to not be so sluggish!
So, give it a try. If someone like me can notice a difference, I know you can, too!!! Now if I could just figure out a way to like salad….

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