Recently, added new vitamin supplements to my (albeit patchy) regime including a calcium-magnesium-zinc combination, and a chewable glucosamine tablet (mmm berry flavored) and discovered after about two or three weeks that my fingernails were remarkably strong, long and not flaking apart at the tips. These things never happen together, until now. I believe these circumstances to be correlated.
On top of that, I used a nail buffer which, in my opinion, is an excellent way to improve the nails aesthetically without exposing your body to an extra little helping of chemicals that could be inhaled or absorbed through the skin. I used to love nail polish as a kid, but over the years it started feeling uncomfortable when I put it on, like something wasn't quite right. So no more of that for me. I find the more natural look to be preferable as well. As long as you don't file them down so thin that they break or bend anyway, but that's why its good to start with healhy nails in the first place. WIN.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Travelling, Traveling
Been travelling. Just now I learned that while both "travelling" and "traveling" are acceptible spellings, the variation with only one "l" is American, while the other is used in Canada/Britain (and most other English-speaking countries). Just in case there was anyone else out there reading this besides me who didn't already know, there you go.
I was recently out east where I did a substantial amount of walking around. Around 6 hours per day, I would say, on average. I don't drive, and I didn't know where I wanted to go well enough to bike, so I walked everywhere. Eating-wise, it alternated between super healthy, forgetting to eat altogether and being understandably indulgent (it can't be a vacation for nothing). My budget for the trip was low, which meant that I would eat cheaply from fresh produce markets and prepare food where I was staying with friends and relatives. That, along with the numerous unavoidably necessary hot dogs, and not to mention the Midnight Poutine. Amazing. (Note: I kind of hate that I love hot dogs. But I do.)
What it all averaged out to was, when I arrived home, my roommate remarked that it looked as if I had lost about ten pounds. I haven't checked this on the scale, but I took my usual measurements in inches and it confirmed that I was down considerably, even smaller than I was after I had been sick for three weeks. Following this, I highly recommend the budget-travel & walking exercise and diet plan as a way to get into the right headspace and, after noticing an encouraging difference, getting onto the right track back home. Which is what I have been doing for the past week, and I've impressed myself so far. Keep going, team.
I was recently out east where I did a substantial amount of walking around. Around 6 hours per day, I would say, on average. I don't drive, and I didn't know where I wanted to go well enough to bike, so I walked everywhere. Eating-wise, it alternated between super healthy, forgetting to eat altogether and being understandably indulgent (it can't be a vacation for nothing). My budget for the trip was low, which meant that I would eat cheaply from fresh produce markets and prepare food where I was staying with friends and relatives. That, along with the numerous unavoidably necessary hot dogs, and not to mention the Midnight Poutine. Amazing. (Note: I kind of hate that I love hot dogs. But I do.)
What it all averaged out to was, when I arrived home, my roommate remarked that it looked as if I had lost about ten pounds. I haven't checked this on the scale, but I took my usual measurements in inches and it confirmed that I was down considerably, even smaller than I was after I had been sick for three weeks. Following this, I highly recommend the budget-travel & walking exercise and diet plan as a way to get into the right headspace and, after noticing an encouraging difference, getting onto the right track back home. Which is what I have been doing for the past week, and I've impressed myself so far. Keep going, team.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Health status update
Recent episodes: Had a crazy stomach ache this morning caused by both cramps and digestion problems! Gross.... Possible guesses as to the cause: dehydration, irregular eating habits. Inability to take birth control pills regularly... they're really not for me. Must investigate other options.
Immune system: Still sick with this virus that I've had for almost two weeks now... it has evolved into an intermittent cough.
Self esteem: low, but on the up... albeit slowly. I did some yoga yesterday, which was helpful in making me value myself more.
Mental health: still can't motivate myself to start working. Had a very frank chat with a friend/roommate yesterday night. Hopefully it will help clarify some things.
Strength and energy: Low. Sickness!
Sleep: very lousy last night. Didn't feel that sleepy until 5am.
Appearance: blemishes not overwhelming. One or two problem spots. A few on chest area worry me... must prevent reoccurrance. Cellulite more noticable than ever on front of thighs and knees. Although, a roommate did comment that it looked like I have lost weight.
Immune system: Still sick with this virus that I've had for almost two weeks now... it has evolved into an intermittent cough.
Self esteem: low, but on the up... albeit slowly. I did some yoga yesterday, which was helpful in making me value myself more.
Mental health: still can't motivate myself to start working. Had a very frank chat with a friend/roommate yesterday night. Hopefully it will help clarify some things.
Strength and energy: Low. Sickness!
Sleep: very lousy last night. Didn't feel that sleepy until 5am.
Appearance: blemishes not overwhelming. One or two problem spots. A few on chest area worry me... must prevent reoccurrance. Cellulite more noticable than ever on front of thighs and knees. Although, a roommate did comment that it looked like I have lost weight.
Bitter Sweet...
Today: reading about the negative properties of refined sugar. Sometimes I make the choice to do something differently, but then, later, I can't remember why. That's a huge reason for having this blog - to help me remember the road I took to get to my decisions, and to hopefully prevent regressions.
Here's a link to the page I was reading on sugars. I say this about internet research : like a scientific theory, it's just a hypothesis until proven wrong. Especially when it comes to health related material, which is often very prone to bias. So, here is material which may help to form my hypothesis.
I am trying to re-evaluate the refined sugar/ sugar substitute question. I couldn't remember why agave nectar was supposed to be healthier as a sweetener. Here are a few gleanings I am going with for now: 1. It has a lower glycemic index, and gets absorbed into the body over a longer time, which means that it doesn't create so much of the "sugar highs" followed by the "sugar blues." Your system isn't as hard put upon to repeatedly create the insulin it needs to handle that much sugar, and so it helps reduce the long term risk of developing diabetes. 2. Agave is sweeter than sugar, so you need less... even though there doesn't seem to be a huge calorie difference. 3. It can be considered a vegan sweetener, whereas other sugars sometimes cannot, if they have been filtered through animal bone as part of the refining process (weird!)
Also on refined sugars: some sources suggest that sugar lowers the ability of the white blood cells to effectively eliminate threats to the immune system.
However, there are other sources that suggest that agave nectar is not so good. It does go through a refining process, so it's not really that "natural." Here was something that caught my attention: there's a suggestion that agave's very high levels of fructose interfere with copper metabolism which makes it difficult for collagen-elastin to form (this is stuff that makes your skin stretchy and young looking, among other things) and so it might be a useful piece of information for the war against cellulite.
So is agave really any better? Maybe not. Is it worse? Probably not but maybe. My only way of knowing is what my body tells me about it. It definitely makes sense to reduce my intake, if not eliminating it from my diet altogether.
Here's a link to the page I was reading on sugars. I say this about internet research : like a scientific theory, it's just a hypothesis until proven wrong. Especially when it comes to health related material, which is often very prone to bias. So, here is material which may help to form my hypothesis.
I am trying to re-evaluate the refined sugar/ sugar substitute question. I couldn't remember why agave nectar was supposed to be healthier as a sweetener. Here are a few gleanings I am going with for now: 1. It has a lower glycemic index, and gets absorbed into the body over a longer time, which means that it doesn't create so much of the "sugar highs" followed by the "sugar blues." Your system isn't as hard put upon to repeatedly create the insulin it needs to handle that much sugar, and so it helps reduce the long term risk of developing diabetes. 2. Agave is sweeter than sugar, so you need less... even though there doesn't seem to be a huge calorie difference. 3. It can be considered a vegan sweetener, whereas other sugars sometimes cannot, if they have been filtered through animal bone as part of the refining process (weird!)
Also on refined sugars: some sources suggest that sugar lowers the ability of the white blood cells to effectively eliminate threats to the immune system.
However, there are other sources that suggest that agave nectar is not so good. It does go through a refining process, so it's not really that "natural." Here was something that caught my attention: there's a suggestion that agave's very high levels of fructose interfere with copper metabolism which makes it difficult for collagen-elastin to form (this is stuff that makes your skin stretchy and young looking, among other things) and so it might be a useful piece of information for the war against cellulite.
So is agave really any better? Maybe not. Is it worse? Probably not but maybe. My only way of knowing is what my body tells me about it. It definitely makes sense to reduce my intake, if not eliminating it from my diet altogether.
Monday, January 31, 2011
A few days ago I had a definite meltdown. I couldn't deal with the combination of work/health/hormonal issues. Yesterday I had a long message chat with my mom about how lousy I feel about myself, and I tried to be honest and not really sparing any details. Towards the end of the conversation I ended up taking stock of everything, and writing, "where did I get this massive inferiority complex?" Maybe if I can understand that, then I can start the repairs.
Also yesterday, I tried dry brushing my skin in the direction of my lymph nodes to promote circulation and proper lymph drainage... I don't know if it was working, but it sure felt great. More on this later, I guess, as the number one rule of Health Country is to get enough sleep. Which, in my case, means doing that now. Goodnight :)
Also yesterday, I tried dry brushing my skin in the direction of my lymph nodes to promote circulation and proper lymph drainage... I don't know if it was working, but it sure felt great. More on this later, I guess, as the number one rule of Health Country is to get enough sleep. Which, in my case, means doing that now. Goodnight :)
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Toothpaste
It's occured to me before that it would be nice to find a natural substitute for toothpaste. Usually, it's one of those things that half enters my mind and then gets forgotten on a back shelf somewhere. Tonight, however, I ended up searching "natural toothpaste" and found a cool page with a multitude of interesting tips, including a toothpaste recipe... I will have to try it soon and let you know how it goes. Every little bit helps, right?
Friday, January 28, 2011
Real-Life Hope
Today I was on youtube looking for real people's experiences of various weight loss strategies. I'm so sick of ads that momentarily inflate the hope balloon, making you think that they might be able to provide "the solution." Really, here's what will happen: you'll end up wasting your time reading their webpage and then probably feel worse after succumbing to the emotional rollercoaster of hope - no hope. At least... hopefully you didn't actually buy into it and give them your credit card number (don't do it! Solidarity!)
So... there were a substantial number of video blogs about people's experiences with the so-called Master Cleanse, which I found very intriguing, if not totally persuasive (I reserve judgement till later, when I investigate further). I love youtube for allowing real people to share their experiences so easily... well, they seemed like real people and not fabrications by actors. Always be watchful. We have to collectively work not to get sucked in. Do I seem paranoid yet? How much paranoia belongs in Health Country?
Anyway, I was hoping to find a similar video blog on the subject of cellulite... if so many people have this problem, why the silence? It was starting to seem like the only people talking about it were the ones hoping to make a buck. But, to be real, I don't think I would want to post my dimply ass on youtube, and it's likely that not too many other people with this condition would jump at that idea either. So I guess it was unrealistic of me to hope for video blogs... I just wanted to see a real face. Changing my tactic, I came across a page that I'm very excited about... The Cellulite Investigation. The issues addressed are all too familiar... undesirable conditions that wouldn't otherwise appear related turn out to be symptoms of the same set of unhealthy circumstances? It all makes more sense! Now... the real work: to pin down those unhealthy circumstances and find a way to sustainably fix them. This site gives me hope... and a sense of "you're not in it for the money" kind of relief.
So... there were a substantial number of video blogs about people's experiences with the so-called Master Cleanse, which I found very intriguing, if not totally persuasive (I reserve judgement till later, when I investigate further). I love youtube for allowing real people to share their experiences so easily... well, they seemed like real people and not fabrications by actors. Always be watchful. We have to collectively work not to get sucked in. Do I seem paranoid yet? How much paranoia belongs in Health Country?
Anyway, I was hoping to find a similar video blog on the subject of cellulite... if so many people have this problem, why the silence? It was starting to seem like the only people talking about it were the ones hoping to make a buck. But, to be real, I don't think I would want to post my dimply ass on youtube, and it's likely that not too many other people with this condition would jump at that idea either. So I guess it was unrealistic of me to hope for video blogs... I just wanted to see a real face. Changing my tactic, I came across a page that I'm very excited about... The Cellulite Investigation. The issues addressed are all too familiar... undesirable conditions that wouldn't otherwise appear related turn out to be symptoms of the same set of unhealthy circumstances? It all makes more sense! Now... the real work: to pin down those unhealthy circumstances and find a way to sustainably fix them. This site gives me hope... and a sense of "you're not in it for the money" kind of relief.
Inspiration is always a start.
Lately I've been watching a new TV show about some folks on their own road to health. There's something kind of fishy about sitting on the couch watching TV for inspiration on getting healthy... but so far this has been worth the idle time (only one hour per week). As long as you actually get up and do something afterward!! The show is Village On A Diet, set in Taylor, British Columbia. Their goal as a town is to collectively lose a tonne of weight in three months, and pick up healthier lifestyles along the way. You can see this program every Monday at 9pm on CBC, or streaming over their website (not sure if this feature works from outside of Canada). So far I am loving it... more will likely follow on this topic. Cheers :)
Time to hit the road...
There is one thing that I know for sure. For a long time now, I have not been able to describe myself as being in a state of "wellness." I know this is a relative thing, and that overall I'm more "well" than, say, someone with a terminal illness, for instance. I'm thankful for what I don't have to deal with (yet) on that front... but all is not well, and I believe that I can find the power to make it significantly better. I want to fix what's not quite right, and I want to be around to see the benefits later, as a healthy adult of a ripe old age.
Wish me luck as I set out to report on the sights, false turns, and landmarks along the way to Health Country. I'll try to do my best. - Kiddo
Wish me luck as I set out to report on the sights, false turns, and landmarks along the way to Health Country. I'll try to do my best. - Kiddo
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