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Well hello there!
Wow where do I even start!?
I guess first and foremost I should say happy 2018 everyone… Now that we’re over 3 months into the year! It makes me sad that I was so very MIA last year here on the blog after starting out the year so strong. It was just about a year ago that my all day “morning sickness” was in full swing and I was learning that for me pregnancy is not a breeze!
In all honesty, the whole time I was pregnant I just felt like I had nothing to give or contribute. I really didn't feel like myself pretty much the entire time except for maybe like one month of my third trimester and at the very very beginning before the nausea set in.
But that's not the story you came here for!
I do however, want to say sorry for disappearing last year and I want to say that I'm going to do better this year. But I also make no promises because everyday is filled with new surprises. I'm a mom now! (I know, DUH) and even separate from that I’m insanely busy. If I use my time wisely I can make it work though because I’ve SO missed all of you!
The good news is that I at least feel like myself again except more whole than ever because I gave birth to the love of my life in the form of my son. I literally love him so much it hurts you guys! I mean it’s just wild! I'm getting ahead of myself! I've been promising this here birthing story of mine (or is it my son’s birth story? Whatever!) for awhile now and I finally feel like I can take the time to sit down and write!
TRUE STORY: I wrote this post months ago and now at almost 5 months postpartum I’m coming back to edit and finally post it! It’s really long so I apologize in advance.
Blogging has just felt HARD recently. I’m out of practice and I’ve lost my confidence in some areas including writing.
Often when I come to my laptop I'm bombarded by my other job, the one I took LAST January in order to pay the bills. And although I still have that job, I also know that I can't put my passions off to the side anymore and that's a huge part of where this blog and YOU come in! Without pushing and challenging myself and putting myself out there I'm just stagnating my own life and my own goals. PLUS I know that the work I do here is important, because YOU are important to me and I really want to refocus this year now that I feel like ME again.
So with all that being said here goes my birthing story!
I knew years before I got pregnant that I wanted to have a home water birth. I wish I could give you some beautiful philosophical reason for this but honestly once I heard about it I just knew that it was something I wanted to do. It sounded badass and exactly the way I’d want to bring a human into this world. Ultimately I didn't actually give birth IN the water but I surely did labor in the water, I give birth at home, and it was 100% unmedicated and 100% insane! I also knew once I heard about this thing called hypnobirthing a few years back that I wanted to give it a shot! The potential of a painless birth free from fear and medication sounded too good to pass up! Plus the whole philosophy behind it just really resonated with me. Gosh I have just so much to share here but let's start from the beginning of the end of my pregnancy….
At around 36 weeks pregnant (standard pregnancy lasts 40 weeks total) I started getting really impatient and eager for my little boy to arrive. Like I was so anxious to meet this little guy! I kept seeing people give birth on my fb feed and I was soooo jelly! I mean I was still teaching group fitness classes 3x a week (LifeBarre & PiYo and I did through 38w before stopping at 39w) but my body really was hurting and uncomfortable.
From the endless heartburn, to the bruised ribs, the bad lower back pain the JOYS of waddling around everywhere and feeling huge - I was so over it. Because of this I decided to do everything in my power to help this baby get into optimal birthing position and get the ball rolling on the whole labor thing. Some might call these “natural induction methods” but really these won’t send you into labor if your baby isn’t ready to come out (unfortunately). Baby boy was sitting REALLY high, hence the rib bruising and heartburn discomfort. My ribs are STILL jacked up! Keep in mind I didn't actually go into labor and have him until I was 40 weeks and 3 days. Regardless I am so happy I put in the work leading up to having him because things ultimately went well and I didn’t go very long overdue! Here's what I started doing to get into the birthing zone my last few weeks of pregnancy:
All of this helped me both mentally and physically prepare for labor... Or at least as much as you can for something you have no frame of reference for.
Watching movies and TV, even the documentaries about labor or legit videos of people giving birth, or reading ALL of the things cannot possibly prepare you for what it's actually like. It's different for everyone but I found labor and giving birth to be the most insane, intense, animalistic experience ever. I mean really nothing compares and it's just crazy! Like damn I can’t even believe I did that!
Because I opted for a home birth with midwives I had a lot of prepping to do before the big day. For WEEKS leading up to his birth I had to buy supplies from so many different stores, order a birthing kit, we had home visits with the midwives where we set up trays and equipment, I was cleaning constantly because I wanted him to come into a clean environment, I bought and blew up THIS BIRTHING POOL and it was honestly awesome!
Plus the cute little fishies made me happy! My to do list was a mile long and I slowly chipped away at it daily although it felt like I would never finish! It’s so great to have something to keep you so occupied at the end though, I can’t imagine how I would’ve survived if I hadn’t had so much to do. Plus nesting is SO REAL you guys. I donated close to 12 bags of clothes, accessories, shoes, and more to goodwill. It was glorious!
For about the last two weeks of my pregnancy I had a lot of "pre labor pains" meaning I had braxton hicks (practice contractions where your tummy tightens) contractions almost nonstop, I had regular contractions here and there fairly often, and I even lost my mucous plug an entire week before going into labor. That’s a sneaky one too because it regrows. Essentially my body was just practicing and preparing for the actual thing. All this prep stuff was SO not fun at the time. I was like OMG when am I actually just going to go into real labor and stop being teased!? I WANT TO HAVE THIS BABY! I was frustrated and ready for him to arrive!
Apparently all the shopping for nursery and birthing supplies ultimately paid off, and I had a busy day on Sunday October 15th - I went to an anniversary brunch with friends to celebrate our mutual wedding anniversaries, (if your local to Northern VA you have to check out Founding Farmers! They’re amazing!) then I went to Ikea with my sister in law and nephew Jack (who's only 5 months older than my babe btw!). Throughout the day I had the usual all day braxton hicks I had grown accustomed to and while we were at Ikea I was having some more real contractions but far apart and I had totally grown accustomed to those too, so I really didn’t think much of it at the time.
Anniversary brunch!
Jack hugging his cousin in my belly
Anyway I got home and it wasn't until around 10pm that I realized okay, these contractions are a bit more intense than any I've had in the past, and they are still coming pretty consistently. They were between 10-8mins apart at this point. From the get go I literally jut breathed through all of them using the hypnobirthing techniques I had practiced SO many times, and it was totally fine! I mean don't get me wrong, they were intense, but really not bad! Breath is just amazing! I was even able to sleep for an hour or so until they were a bit too intense to sleep through. I told my husband to call out of work at this point because I knew it was finally the real thing. YIPPIEE!!!
This picture was taken while I was in labor hours before I gave birth!
I can't even explain, I was so happy and excited but in a calm sort of way. I felt good! I was managing the contractions well, I was finally in labor and going to meet my baby, I was happy! I started doing the last bit of prepping and had my husband running around helping clean and prepare the space of course. Contractions progressed to about 4-3minutes apart, and I was vacuuming our room! Every time a contraction would hit I would promptly drop the vacuum, lean my upper body over the bed, BREATHE and SWAY my hips. Thats how I got through them. I also pooped multiple times throughout the late night/early morning, and eventually lost my mucous plug again but this time WITH the bloody show. Once I was done with the vacuuming, and things were looking clean I decided to take a break, bounce on my birthing ball, and really concentrate on my breathing and relaxation. Every time a contraction came I would lean over the bed and sway my hips on the ball and take BIG breaths. My husband brought up coconut oil popcorn for me, made me some labor-aide (coconut water, lemon juice, and Himalayan pink salt) per my instructions, and even got me some gluten free donut holes to munch on for the occasion. He was just running all over doing my bidding and being an amazing support. He was awesome! I had spoken to the midwife about 2 times on the phone at this point, and they (there are two midwives in the practice) were at another birth all night while I had been laboring at home.
I was HAVING a contraction in this photo! I wanted to get a picture of what my tummy looked like mid contraction
I told them about the vacuuming and that I was excited etc even though my contractions had been lasting a minute or more, and were 4-3 minutes apart for over an hour. Since I was still talking through the contractions they decided to wait a little while longer and finish up where they were before coming. Unfortunately because they were at a birth all night that night only one of them attended my birth along with a midwife assistant, but we made do and it worked out just fine!
Part of the reason I wanted a home birth was for the comfort and privacy aspect. I wanted to be in control of my experience and not feel judged or pressured by doctors or a hospital. I didn’t want to feel watched - I wanted the opposite. And that’s exactly what I got!
I forgot to mention I was SUPER anal about tracking my contractions like even before I was in labor. Because I would get contractions randomly all the time but I knew I needed to be patient and wait to legit be in labor before getting my hopes up. I tracked my contractions in the Ovia Pregnancy app. I mean I tracked every single one because I refused to be one of those people who "cries wolf" so to speak. I really did not want to call them, say I was in labor, and have them come all the way out for it to be a false alarm or too early. So I made sure to wait for the 4-1-1 rule to apply - contractions 4 mins apart, lasting at least 1 minute, for at least 1 hour before I contacted them with updates.
This are some screenshots I took mid labor. Things were groovy at this point! And I was doing fine!
By around 10:30am I had been on the steady contraction train for a long time and I was starting to get a bit tired (I mean didn’t really sleep much the night before) so I decided to take a bath. While I was in the bath my contractions slowed down to about consistent 6 minutes apart and I was honestly so disheartened to see the time decrease. I figured they were right and it was good that we waited to have them come... I was like damn, my labor is slowing down!
But when I got out of the bath everything changed.
I was NOT sure what had happened or WHAT had changed but the contractions felt different. Suddenly it was just SUPER intense PRESSURE. I was on my hand and knees on our bedroom floor at this point and had my husband use the rebozo and do some rebozo sifting for me when the contractions hit and it was insanely helpful. Contractions were still anywhere from 4mins to 2mins apart but I just couldn't understand why it had suddenly changed so drastically and why I was suddenly NOT handling them very well.
My husband called the midwife at this point because I was being stubborn and had no freaking idea if this warranted a call or not, I mean I figured we had time! He told them it was time for them to come like ASAP. Of course they were leaving the other birth, had an hour long drive ahead of them, they hadn’t eaten, slept, or showered, and with me being a first time mom I think they honestly assumed I wasn’t as far along as I seemed to be. So that's when I put some clothes back on and headed down to the living room to the birthing tub AKA my adorable blow up fishy pool.
I just have to take a second here and tell you how freaking awesome my husband was as a birthing partner. He was freaking amazing which I did not expect! My darling doula had surgery not long before I gave birth for a thyroid tumor (she’s fine btw!) and just like that a few weeks before birth my birth support plan went out the window! In hindsight that was probably for the best because I never FULLY knew how amazing my husband was until he HAD to be my birth partner! No doula meant my husband had to take the mantle as my primary birth support person. I was so worried about it before birth but he was honestly phenomenal, like seriously. I was surprised.
That sounds mean and don’t get me wrong, he’s a great guy - but he’s a little oblivious when it comes to birth related things as I think is to be expected. So imagine my surprise when he was a freaking ROCKSTAR of a human being.
OKAY sorry back to the story-
The tub had been blown up for weeks, but our stupid hose attachment for the faucet broke while Ernest was trying to attach it so this poor man had to go back and forth from the sink to the tub with a bucket in order to fill it up with warm water all while I was in some serious labor. On top of that every time I had a contraction I would DESPERATELY yell for him to "PLEASE COME HELP ME! PLEASE!!!“ as if I was dying (I mean, so dramatic makes me laugh now) and he would come hold my hands or let me brace, squeeze, and push against him during the contractions.
At this point I was NOT handling the contractions well at all. In case you hadn't picked up on that from what I just described above. I just didn't understand the pressure I was feeling, it was just so uncomfortable and I felt like I had lost control of the entire situation. I was in pain and Ernest was freaking out that the midwives weren't there yet. I was in the tub and despite the fact that the water should've helped, everything just felt terrible. Ernest was convinced something was wrong because I was in so much pain, he wanted to take me to the hospital but I of course said no, being the stubborn woman that I am. SO instead he called the midwives to get an ETA and they were about 15 minutes away.
When my midwife arrived she said that I was doing great! HAH she asked how I felt and I responded "I feel terrible, and this is awful." Just a few minutes after she arrived she had me get out of the pool so she could check baby's heartbeat and see how far along I was.
Turns out I was fully dilated and effaced and ready to push.
For reference, (as my doula later told me) women usually frantically call their midwives to come when they’re about 2 cm dilated - NOT 10 cm.
Um yeah…
At this point it was about 1pm and I was confused because I was told that I would feel an urge to push when the time came, but that never happened for me. All I felt was this terrible pressure I had been feeling for a few hours. My water still hadn't broken, and I got back in the tub and started pushing during the contractions. They also told Ernest to give me counter pressure on my back during the contractions which helped so much!
Although pushing was generally awful for me, it gave me something to do which I liked! At least that felt like progress! I literally just pushed like I was trying to take the biggest poop of my life, I never actually felt the urge to push, I just felt horrible pressure in my lower back AKA back labor. OH and PS I actually did NOT poop while pushing since I had cleared out system earlier in the day while I was in early labor! SO it is possible to have a poop free childbirth, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
I pushed in the tub for the vast majority of the time in multiple positions. All in all I pushed for 5 HOURS you guys because my freaking water would NOT break! I guess I ate a few TOO many dates while pregnant. Lesson learned, don't eat more than 6 a day or your amniotic sack will be way too strong and it will not break, and you will push for your entire life. After pushing for a few hours I was beyond exhausted, my voice was hoarse from all the insane animalistic sounds I had been making, and I was hungry. I moved and changed positions a lot in the pool taking my midwives guidance, and of course i was screaming a ton of profanities and being my delightful self amplified times 1000. At one point for instance, she suggested some kind of position change that I tried and she asked how that was to which I screamed "that feels fucking terrible!" and so we progressed forward in a similar fashion, and I mostly leaned over the tub while on my knees. But I did also do some sitting on my butt and pushing while hugging my knees against myself. I always NEEDED to be gripping or pushing against something for leverage - it was usually Ernest's hands. That’s helped a lot.
As a side note, the whole pushing for 5 hours thing doesn't happen too often for various reasons I don’t care to go into at this point because you don’t need to know all that.
After about 4 hours of pushing in the tub I made myself a starfish in the pool by propping up my feet on either end, laying my head back, and I had my arms splayed out as well. I. Was. So. Exhausted from pushing my brains out so hard for so long that I was literally falling asleep between contractions now.
Keep in mind I still hadn't even managed to break my water yet! That this was STRONG.
I then ate a beef stick, ate some Jackson's sweet potato chips in the pool, and then we moved out of the pool to pick things up again since I had gotten "too relaxed" while being in there, HAH!
One of the most frustrating things about my water not breaking is that I could FEEL the amniotic sack coming out me every time I pushed. So I thought it was his head every time but it was actually just the damn bag of water that would. not. break. I thought I was making so much more progress than I actually was until I realized it was the sack and not the head which frustrated and disappointed me so much because I was working so hard! After about 30 more minutes of pushing outside of the tub I was finally just like over it. So I asked if there was anything else we can do to move things along, and lord have mercy - with my next contraction my midwife ruptured my water for me using an amnio-hook even though I know she really did not want to, THANK GOD. And if you’re reading this - thank you Desiree!
The rush of relief I felt when my water broke was euphoric. I swear my water finally breaking and that pressure relieving felt better than after I actually pushed my child out. It was a pure blissful magical release!
And then came the REALLY fun part.... Pushing out my baby!
Pushing him out without the damn sack took maybe 20 minutes, but I was gassed you guys. I mean I was 100% exhausted from pushing with all my muscles and might and willpower for the past 4.5 hrs and I hadn't even gotten the baby out yet. And pushing him out was the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life.
How I did it? I have no freaking idea, I just DID. That’s kind of how parenthood is too - you just get shit done someway somehow. It’s beautiful CHOAS.
I never once considered having pain management or going to the hospital, but I thought many times that I couldn't do it. The moment that was the worst was after I got a portion of his head out but not the whole thing. I was sitting there on one knee, with my other leg propped up, leaning against my birthing pool and I genuinely 100% did not think I could do it anymore. I had nothing left. I was just done. I was literally SHAKING violently, my legs and muscles were depleted beyond comprehension, I was sobbing, exhausted doesn't begin to cover how I felt, and I honestly just didn't think it was possible. I didn’t think I was capable. I told them I didn't think I could, I REALLY did not believe I could at this point. But then another contraction came and I pushed with everything I had and everything I didn't have. Because I needed to do this, I had to get my baby here safely and nothing else mattered.
I have never experienced anything even moderately close to this in my life. I don't think anything could ever compare.
My husband was encouraging me, telling me I was the strongest person he knew and that I COULD do this, my midwife told me that she could call an ambulance if I wanted, but at this point I would just end up just having the baby on the way to the hospital since we was already partially OUT. They reminded me that I had made it this far and this was the end, I would get to meet my baby soon. They told me to reach down and feel his head which I did, and it kinda freaked me out because it was squishy... With the next contraction and one more bloody murder screaming, pushing so hard I almost passed out, push - and his head, the biggest and hardest part was finally out.... I could do this! I was doing it! On the next contraction I pushed with everything one more time and his shoulders along with the rest of his body came out. I mean holy shit! He was born at 6:58PM and I labored for a total of 21 hours. I looked back - my midwife was holding him tummy down along her arm and rubbing his back to get him to cry, and after the longest two seconds of my life, I heard his powerful cry for the first time and that was it, he fully owned my heart. And I finally had my baby in my arms. I can’t even think about that moment without tearing up - it was just insane.
Ernest sat on the floor behind me against the couch and I sat against him with Gabe on my tummy still attached via umbilical cord. We immediately put the little guy on me for skin to skin. We were all crying, midwife included, and just like that we met our son for the first time. I was officially his mama. He cried a lot those first 30 minutes being the stubborn little boy that we've grown accustomed to, but whenever Ernest or I would talk he would stop crying and look in our direction. Blinking up at us innocently, not sure what he had just been through or where he was now. It was so sweet and I just felt whole - like our lives were complete. They checked me for tearing and I had none beyond small "skid marks" as they call them that were ‘too small to even sew up if they wanted to’. During this time Gabe latched to nurse and while he was nursing I gently pushed a few times and out came my giant 1.5lb placenta.
We kept his placenta attached to him for two hours during which we moved upstairs to the bedroom, changed into dry clothes, and just marveled at this little human we created.
After 2 hours his cord was cut, they weighed and measured him and he was a perfect 8.8lbs and 20inches. Ernest picked up Indian food and eventually my midwife and her assistant left with instructions to watch for postpartum bleeding. She said if I fill a pad with blood in an hour then I’m bleeding too much.
Well I felt a lot coming out but I waited til an hour later I went to the bathroom to check my pad because I kept feeling gushes of blood coming out. When i took off my pants multiple blood clots the size of my fist literally fell out of my body onto the bathroom floor. So much blood! The clots honestly looked like organs, it was both gross and scary. We called the midwives and ultimately decided to go to the ER.
We packed everyone up and got to the ER at around 1am then were taken to Labor and Delivery ward. I felt fine considering what I had just been through but it was 100% good that we went because I was slowly bleeding out and it wasn’t stopping on it’s own. They did an ultrasound and ultimately performed a D&C (surgical procedure where they scrape out your uterus) because they believed I had retained placenta fragments in my uterus. I was pretty freaked out because the list of complications from a surgery like this could mean trouble conceiving in the future. Luckily everything went fine and the doctor said I should see no complications from the surgery in the future.
On top of that, weeks later my midwives requested the surgical report from the hospital and turns out there actually weren't pieces of placenta left in me, but my fundus (it works like a natural turnecit) was high, and for some unknown reason it wouldn’t fully clamp down so I wouldn't stop bleeding even during the surgery. So they placed a "bakri balloon" in me and about 24hrs later they removed that and we could go home!
There are of course more details, but I tried to find the line between too much information and just enough to give you an accurate picture of the whole thing!
I do have to say that after the fact I was pretty disappointed in myself that I didn't 'handle' the whole thing better when it came to pushing and once the pain really kicked into high gear. I REALLY wanted to have a peaceful birth but now months later that insane, primal experience makes all the sense in the world. I love my little boy and our journey more than words can say.
It's like I didn't know how much love I was capable of until this little human arrived and he tests me, pushes me, and challenges me far beyond any maximum I ever thought was previously possible.
Okay this was long - if you've read this far I just want to say thank you for hanging in there and I hope that I've successful not scared you away from natural childbirth but also not sugar coated it so you'll think it's a walk in the park. Because its hard. The whole thing is hard and amazing and wild!
Being pregnant is hard.
Giving birth is hard.
Being a mom is hard!
It is also WILD and AMAZING.
Believing for years that I would never have the opportunity to have a child was HARD. I saw babies everywhere and it hurt. That was a different kind of hard - to me it was a bit empty. If you're in that boat right now I just want to say that I am here for you, and if my story and experience hurts you at all then I understand. I pray that the time will come for each of you!
Even though this journey has pushed me beyond anything I thought possible, I would not trade it or my son for anything and I am so grateful that we were blessed with our little miracle nugget. We love him SO very MUCH and I thank God and the Universe for him daily.
Okay that's all from me for now. I love you all and don't forget I have a bunch of free tools available to you in my resources library below!
Okay not gonna lie, this was going to be a 14 week only post at first but then I didn't finish it before 15 weeks rolled around and now here I am today already at 16weeks and well... The rest is history! My bad ya'll!
Also random PSA: the picture for this post is a random photo. That is not my belly. I just felt like I needed to clarify that. Okay moving on...
SO despite my delay this is how I was feeling at the beginning of 14 weeks:
I can't even believe this day is FINALLY HERE!!! I made it through the first trimester YAAASSSS! I swear it has been the longest few months of my life. The crazy thing of course is that I still have so long to go... 26 weeks to be exact.
Despite the fact that I'm technically in the second trimester now my body doesn't seem to have a magical clock that says "hey, it's the second trimester, you're supposed to feel ahhhmaazziiinngggg now!" I mean the amount of times that I've heard about this whole second trimester bliss thing is incredible.... And now I just WAIT.
To be fair though, I feel pretty good today! I did have some caffeine this morning (SHH don't tell) and it helped with my productivity level big time. I wasn't a caffeine addict prior to getting pregnant but the whole fatigue thing in pregnancy is NO JOKE.
NOW today I'm sitting here having survived both week 14 & 15 and I'm moving on to week 16! It's honestly so friggin exciting! Every Wednesday I'm pretty happy though because it's another weekly milestone! I dunno why, but seriously every week that I continue to grow this baby feels like a really big deal. Like I never thought I'd make it to 14w and now I'm like YEAH part of me never thought I'd make it to 16w!
That's not to say that I'm sitting around sad and defeated because I don't think I can grow this baby - it's just the part of me that's still SO in disbelief about this whole pregnancy thing! I mean it's just bonkers!
Overall I have to say these past few weeks in my second trimester have been better. I still get nauseous at least once a day, usually every single friggin evening around 8pm. I also threw up again last week which was SO not fun. But since then I also got this cool thing called a Reliefband!
I wish I had it earlier in my pregnancy when I was a zombie with 24/7 nausea.
The way it works: it sits on a pressure point and sends little pulses to help you feel less nauseous. I gotta tell you it's surprisingly worked really well! That doesn't mean you'll suddenly not have heart burn or fatigue or anything else.... But it DOES help with making you not barf as much. Yippiee!!
Another advancement these few weeks has been my weight gain. I mean WOAH. I went from having lost in my first trimester to ultimately ending it at my pre pregnancy weight (so no weight gain overall) and since in the past three weeks I've packed on 6 freaking pounds!!!!!! I hear it all evens out or whatever but that's been freaky!
I did start really working out again outside of just teaching PiYo & ballet so that might have contributed to the gain? I mean my muscles have been really sore and that can make the number on the scale rise because of both water retention & the fact that your muscles weight more... If you're curious what workout I'm doing, I'm doing a mixture but I hope to commit to one program next week, I'm just having trouble deciding which one. Right now I'm obsessed with the active maternity workouts on BOD (Beachbody On Demand). I have a year of unlimited streaming of every Beachbody workout ever so it's kinda the greatest thing because I can do ANY program!
Also in case you didn't know, I'm not really an active coach anymore, haven't been in months in order to focus on my own program development etc. but I still 100% love & standby both the workouts and the products! Anyway SO not the point here.....
My belly has really popped more now, since like mid 15w and I'm finding it a little harder to hide than I was before. But I still just kinda feel as though I look bigger and not necessarily pregnant unless you knew my prior to pregnancy - then you know that this is NOT how I usually gain weight! Regardless I am feeling bigger but I know it's all part of the process. It just freaks me out a little!
I typically gain weight in my legs, thighs, butt area and a bit here and there on top. But man having a belly - even this small of one is strange to me I'm not gonna lie! I still haven't felt baby yet but I cannot WAIT until I do! That'll make this all seem more real. Or at least I think it will!
Also for those of you wondering the type of prenatal I'm taking, it's the Vitamin Code Raw Prenatal. I like it for 3 reasons:
1. You take 1 three times a day so the intensity is spread out. The first brand I took (Innate) made me feel super sick every time I took them.
2. It's food based. When you real the ingredients they're all foods you'll probably recognize, which I think is awesome!
3. It has FOLATE and not folic acid. Folate is the real food version our bodies can use whereas folic acid is a synthetic version of folate.
I'm not going to lie though, I'm almost out of this prenatal and I'm thinking of switching again BECAUSE it does have tomato in to which is a nightshade I try to avoid, and it does give e some solid acid reflux. But then again so does everything else. I'll let you know how I feel about the next brand I order, I already have it picked out I just need to order it later today!
I've been so busy guys! SO any moving pieces in our lives right now and so many things possibly in the works. My job is busy AF at the moment with 3 new locations opening up in two weeks, I'm coming to the end of the semester for teaching ballet & PiYo at the dance studio so everyone is a bit on edge for final performances etc. AND I'm also trying to find some side work that offers benefits so that I can get insurance.
OH OH BUT SUPER EXCITING!
I found an affordable place to do a gender ultrasound scan without insurance! Ernest's bday is on Friday and we're going first thing Saturday morning to find out the sex of this baby!!! We're planning to do a gender reveal in early June so keeping this secret is going to be near impossible, but I think it's a pretty great gift for my hubs! WE'RE SO EXCITED!
I haven't seen my baby since we confirmed the pregnancy at 6 weeks at the free clinic! So crazy... But with my husband being unemployed since January it just wasn't feasible. On that note we're also thinking about selling our house and possibly moving into a rental for a year or so. Which is yet another thing up in the air and on my plate currently. I mean holy wow guys We've got like 5 months to get our shit together before this baby gets here! So much to do and what feels like so little time!
Good thing is that as I mentioned my teaching schedule will be virtually nonexistent in a month and by then I'll hopefully have that other side job for both income & insurance purposes. But we'll see!
OH OH anddddd I started drinking Red Raspberry Leaf Tea!!! It helps to tone your uterus to make labor easier! It literally gives your uterus a workout inside your body making it stronger for delivery! Many women have seen a difference in their labor with it and I LOVED this blog post all about it by Mama Natural! I mean who doesn't want a strong ass uterus so you'll have an easier labor? Sign me up please!
So you're supposed to drink one cup a day starting in your second trimester, then up the dosage later in your third trimester. It's been hot outside and I've been obsessed with COLD drinks so I make my tea hot with not too much water and raw honey (to brew & melt the honey) and let it sit for 20min - 1hr. Then add a ton of ice cubes and stir it up for a DELICIOUS and refreshing daily drink! Speaking of Mama Natural I also signed up for her weekly pregnancy text updates which are awesome AND I bought her brand new book and it's AMAZING!!
Seriously if you're expecting then you need to get this ASAP! Every week has awesome natural tidbits along with so much more! And it's not JUST for the crazy crunchy like me, she's very inclusive while still providing the reader with nonconventional wisdom about pregnancy an childbirth. Def so worth it!!
Okay, now that I've rambled to no end let me show yah some pictures of my pregnancy so far!
6 Weeks
14 Weeks
16 Weeks
Holy belly pop at 16w today!!! Also you can kinda see the crazy breakouts on my upper arms here... It's really intense but I'm doing my best to clear it up! Oh and can you believe that when I found out I was preggers I was like damn I alreay have dis crazy bloated belly going on!! BAHAHA
And of course below you can find the Spark Notes version!!
How far along? 16 Weeks! Feels like a big milestone somehow!
Maternity clothes? Kinda not really! I can still wear my normal clothes but I'm sprinkling in some maternity shirts here and there and wearing my bigger normal stuff that I held onto for when I got pregnant. Plus I had to get new bigger bras & some cotton undies.
Stretch marks? Nope nope nope! I bought some magical 100% Raw Shea Butter & I'm obsessed so hopefully it'll help!
Symptoms: Evening nausea still, heart burn like woah, increased hunger, crazy breakouts on my arms & upper shoulder, and dry skin!
Best moment this week: Feeling so much better plus scheduling that gender ultrasound!
Miss Anything? UHM I miss my normal tastebuds & foodie tendencies. It' still not the same.
Movement: I hope to feel it soon!!!
Food cravings: Been on a month long lemonade kick! Still going strong! I'm also obsessed with this cold Raspberry Leaf Tea I've been making! (Only drink this tea in the second trimester & beyond!)
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing specific although I'm def more sensitive to trippy things on TV. I just have to look away haha
Gender: FINDING OUT ON SATURDAY!!!!!!
Labor Signs: Nope nope!
Belly Button in or out? Innnnn
Mood: Currently it's really good! I still get down and kind of depressed here and there because of these crazy hormones, but honestly so much better ya'll!
Wedding Rings on or off: On!
Looking forward to: So many things this week! Hubby's bday & his party, seeing this baby & finding out the gender, my sister in law being DUE to have her baby any minute now, my other friend Lauren having her baby, and gosh just so much!!!
Days till next appointment: UHM LIKE 4! If you count this "elective ultrasound" that's not with a doctor as an appointment anyway... They don't check or look at anything else so I still REALLY need to get insurance and actual monitoring!
Days left until due date: 168!!!! YEYYYY!!!! It's getting closer!
Weight Gain: 6lbs and counting!
OKAY I'M DONE! Wow turns out when you have to cover 3 weeks in one post it's kind of a lot! Sorry about that guys! But hey, I'm doing what I can with all the insanity over here so bear with me!
If you're in need or recipes & resources you know where to find em - just enter your email address below and you'll get free access to my resource library full of content just for you guys!
Have an amazing week!
I'm baaaaaaaaccccckkkkk
Are you wondering where I've been? Well I'll get to that. But I do want to first say that I'm so sorry for disappearing on ya'll - it was not my intention! Had I been capable of more I promise I would've done more. Let me explain:
This is one of those posts that I've thought about writing a million times over the course of the past 4 years, but I've gotta say it's weird to actually be here writing it. Many of you have followed my journey through the PCOS, the acne, the threat of infertility, and all the way through the healthiest and best part of my life where I competed in a bikini competition, started my professional ballet career back up, and of course deciding to build a business & use my experience & knowledge to help you find natural healing for acne & PCOS!
I have SO missed this blog and all of you over the past month and a half, I missed giving and helping & providing for you. But this was a break I really needed to take. If I'm being honest, I just had nothing to give you guys. I WANTED to, I really did. But I was 100% depleted and in survival mode.
I wasn't depleted because of anything other than this new job my body took on called PREGNANCY.
Yep that's right ya'll.... I'M PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!! 12 weeks and 5 days to be exact! WWWHHHHHHAAAAATTTTTTTTTT!? GAHHHHHH IT'S SO EXCITING! I'm so happy to finally have the energy to share this with you! I wanted to earlier, but I legitimately couldn't bring myself to because blogging takes a lot out of me. And again, I had nothing extra of myself to give.
Even just typing out that I'm pregnant makes me smile. I genuinely didn't think it would be possible for us to conceive a baby, let alone 100% naturally without any help or medical intervention. I mean... Do you understand what a huge deal this is for us!? I was told by doctors that I would need medical intervention. I was told PCOS had no cure. I was told this wasn't part of my destiny... But they were wrong. NATURAL HEALING WORKS YA'LL! This is further proof that the work I've been doing to help women heal their skin & hormones WORKS. What a HUGE BLESSING! I can't tell you how happy that fact alone makes me.
Because it means that it's possible for not just me - but for others too!
I have to be honest though, despite the happiness that getting pregnant has brought into our lives, pregnancy has not been fun or easy for me. In fact, I went from a super happy, productive, healthy woman to a zombie like shell version of myself.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
I want to back up a little and tell you all about how this little miracle baby came to be... Well sort of. I'll tell you how I found out I was preggers and how I shared that with my husband and all that jazz!
So for those of us with PCOS you'll know it's not abnormal to miss a cycle here and there. For me a lack of cycle was actually no indication that I was pregnant because it was already kinda irregular and never precise. Plus I ovulated at a random ass time in January (I know this based of cervical fluid changes- TMI I know) and not at all when my calendar predicted but I saw the signs, we gave it yet another try, and this one stuck! I'm not gonna lie, I was kinda over it. I was even starting to prep for another bikini competition because I didn't want to put my life on hold for something that I felt may never happen. I was discouraged and sick of taking my temperature every morning and logging everything into my app. Just goes to show that we need to learn to pay attention & trust our bodies more so than any other data points.
If you're on a journey to do this yourself def READ THIS BOOK: Taking Charge of Your Fertility
Back to how I found out...
I was having some major PMS symptoms, sore boobs for a full week (still wasn't alarmed, that's pretty normal for me) but then there were the week long nonstop cramps accompanied by my still sore boobs. I knew THAT was not normal. At least not for me. I barely cramp at all let alone for a whole week.
I was on a business trip at the time where I was just waiting for aunt flow to show up... But she didn't. So then I was just waiting to get home so I could take a pregnancy test. Keep in mind I had/have a huge stockpile of pregnancy tests at home because well, when you have an irregular cycle and you've been off the pill since 2013 plus trying to have a baby - you take a lot of tests. I have only EVER seen negatives. I can't tell you the many many many times I thought and hoped I was pregnant just to see yet another negative test. Which is what I expected this time also.
Until I saw that second line clear as day and finally - a positive pregnancy test!
I woke up at 5am as usual for my morning routine, and I knew I had to use my first pee of the day for the most accurate results. So I did. Then I watched the stick as the dye moved the way it always does and before I knew it....
TWO DISTINCT LINES. HOLY SH*T!
I immediately started crying big fat tears of joy. I was in the bathroom laughing and crying and also in disbelief all at the same time. I was shaking I was SO HAPPY. Thinking about that moment still gives me chills and makes me teary. I was pregnant. I am pregnant. I didn't think it was possible, but miracles do happen and turns out my body wasn't as broken as I thought!
I then walked into the bedroom all sniffly which woke up my husband (he is NOT an early riser so he usually doesn't even stir when I walk around in the early morning) and he asked me "is everything okay!? What's wrong?" he was so dazed and confused but I guess he noticed I was crying which is what woke him up.... All I said was "nothing's wrong.... But I got a positive pregnancy test." then I started crying and laughing again and he sat up in bed like WAIT WHAT!?
I showed him the test and he was just silently trying to wrap is mind around it all. He may have been a little overwhelmed... Good morning babe! HAHAH then he said "Is it right? Could it be a false positive?" to which I responded that while technically yes it's possible, it's very unlikely. False negatives happen much more often than false positives But regardless I tested again with different tests from different brands on different batches of pee that same day just to be sure.
We sat in bed next to each other silently for 2 hours, just soaking in our new reality. I have never felt closer to my husband than finding out that we had created a new life together. I cherish the memories when it was all so fresh and new. Before the pregnancy symptoms set in, and before we even knew how far along I was.
So of course I took a mirror selfie! I also gotta cherish the abs while I still got em!
This all took place back in early February believe it or not! Then the endless worry and terror set in. The OMG I have an 80% miscarriage rate because of PCOS and there are so many things that could go wrong! But wait don't stress because that's bad for the baby too!
Just so many emotions....
I don't have insurance due my husbands unemployment status since the end of 2016 and so came our next challenge - finding a free clinic. We found one and about two weeks or so later we got an ultrasound and saw our little squish's heartbeat! I was 6weeks 0days at the ultrasound meaning I found out right around 3-4 weeks! Due date is October 18th 2017!
And now I knew it was all really real! Symptoms had started but there was still so far to go.
This post is getting long though so let's do a spark notes version of what I've been going through so far... Details will just have to come in another post. I have always looked forward to pregnancy. Like really looked forward to it. I also hoped I would be one of those women who was good at pregnancy and felt awesome the whole time.
Turns out that shit ain't me.
I'm not going to sugar coat this... After those first few weeks until about midway through my 5th week I was in BLISS. Then dizziness, food aversions, 24/7 nausea, debilitating fatigue and just about everything else set in. I officially didn't feel like myself anymore.
Again, I'll go into detail on my whole first trimester in another post.... But let's simplify with a quick little checklist based on where I'm at right NOW on this crazy ride called pregnancy!! (thanks for the list of questions Dorsa!)
How far along? 12 weeks 5 days (almost 13 weeks!)
Maternity clothes? Meh not really. But my normal clothes are tight. They are just about all size small, extra small, or size 0-2... Sooo..... Yeah they won't last long. PLUS my sister in law is giving me hand-me-down maternity clothes so I have worn some for the comfort level!
Stretch marks? NOT YET.... Fingers crossed!
Symptoms: Evening nausea & puking... Plus energy is still low. Frequent migraines... And acid reflux plus burps. BLEH. But it's improvement over being in survival mode... So I'll take it!
Best moment this week: Finally sharing our news with the world!
Miss Anything? I miss NOT having acid reflux. And I miss feeling awesome everyday... I miss that a lot.
Movement: Not that I can feel but I'm sure baby is tumbling around in there!
Food cravings: None really. Been eating a lot of amazing salads though and it's been awesome! So I guess salads!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Eating is still kinda meh in general. But at least I can eat real food now without wanting to DIE!
Gender: Don't know yet!
Labor Signs: Nahhh
Belly Button in or out? It's IN!
Mood: Overall SO MUCH BETTER because my symptoms are better. Not 100% at all but better!
Wedding Rings on or off: On!
Looking forward to: Visiting my friend Stacy & her baby in MD tomorrow with my sister in law Johanna who is 35 weeks pregnant! OH and it's spring break from teaching PLUS I hit 13 weeks on Wednesday YAY!
Days till next appointment: Like a million.... Not really but honestly I have no clue. We're going with midwives and I haven't figured out the whole payment thing yet, so I have no future appointments scheduled at the moment... No insurance remember? SIGH.
Days left until due date: 191 days! Holy eff!
OKAY so that was fun! I plan to do weekly updates for ya'll on Wednesdays so you can look forward to those! Annnnndddd I'll be doing another post to share the rest of the adorable announcement pictures we took! It was really hard to choose... My bestie Anya took the pics and my amazing photographer friend Laurene edited them for us!
It feels good to be back! I hope to have both the energy & the ability to create more acne friendly recipes for you soon along with new content so you can live your best life with naturally clear skin! I have some new programs & projects in the pipeline as well so you have all of that coming your way soon!!
The whole 'all food is grossing me out' plus heightened sense of smell thing made cooking & recipe development impossible which is why you haven't seen anything new from me on that end recently... Here's to hoping this baby will allow me to be human-ish again soon!
Don't forget - you can always gain free access to my paleo acne resource library by entering your email address below! You'll find tons of tools to help you out on this journey to clear skin and happy hormones! Plus seriously, tons of way to just make your life easier!!!
Trust me, don't take your health for granted! You never know when you might cease to have full control over it!
Until next time my loves!!
I can distinctly remember multiple instances in my life when people told me to eat nuts and almonds to have healthy glowing skin. Keep in mind that I also had acne for what felt like my entire life and people were prone to giving me unsolicited advice. Seems everyone had SOME miracle cure to clear my skin - it just never worked for me.
I can't tell you the amount of time I spent thinking that I was somehow more so unlucky than others or that I was just 'different' because these things that worked to clear EVERYONE else's skin never worked for me.
What I didn't know at the time of course was that almost no one knew what they were talking about when it came to healing acne.
The amount of random topical creams and systems I have used in an attempt to clear my skin is actually insane. But I always just believed the problem was me. Not the product of course!
Nuts are a prime example of this.
At one point I was told to eat exactly 8 almonds a day and my acne would clear up. I did this diligently until I realized that it wasn't making any difference and I gave up. Plus usually once I started eating some almonds I wanted to eat ALL the almonds. Not to mention that at the time I didn't even read ingredients so who even knows what kind of gross oils those almonds were roasted in.
It's a common myth that nuts are somehow amazing for acne. Especially tree nuts like almonds are actually one of the MOST COMMON food sensitivities in the world. Knowing that, it makes you question if they're actually good for your skin at all. Personally my answer typically is: NO.
Let's talk about why nuts might be making your acne worse so that you can decide for yourself if it might be time to say goodbye to that gorgeous jar of almond butter you're currently dipping your apple in. I know it's hard. I'm a recovered nut butter addict myself. But trust me, your health and clear skin are totally worth it!
Have you heard of this nifty little thing called the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol or AIP? Well you see acne on it's own is not an autoimmune condition however, it does have some autoimmune tendencies just like PCOS does. This is a big part of why doing a Paleo Autoimmune Protocol can be so helpful if you have PCOS and or regular old acne. It really all come back to inflammation and....
If you read my post about the connection between your skin and your gut you know all too well how important it is to keep your gut happy in order to clear your skin. The fiber in nuts are not only hard to digest, but they're also very harsh on that gut lining that you're working to hard to heal. It goes without saying that for this reason alone nuts are not the best choice for you as a person who's trying to heal naturally. Don't work against yourself!
Even if you're one of those people who's like "I don't have any allergies, I can eat whatever!" **cough cough ME** you can still have food sensitivities and not be aware of it. Just because you don't swell up and float away like Aunt Marge (Harry Potter reference, DUH) after eating nuts doesn't mean your system isn't sensitive to them. I know it's sad because nuts are magical. But cut them out and you might see some major improvements really quickly!
Let's be real here for a second you guys.... Who has even opened a jar of {insert nut butter of choice} and EVER just eaten a teaspoon? I mean I have killed an entire jar of almond butter in less than 24 hours. Don't act surprised, I'm sure you've done similar damage before. Nuts are just a really slippery slope. Whether you're eating them in crunchy bite sized nut form or in nut butter form, it's hard to stop once you start. Many people turn to nuts as a 'healthy' snack but when does it turn from a healthy snack to an unhealthy addiction? Let me tell you - if the thought of cutting out nuts has you saying "but then what will I snack on?" then you might have a problem. Too much of these bad boys is a recipe for acne disaster.
Omega 3's shunned triplet Omega 6 is rearing it's ugly head. Did you know there were Omega 9's also? Anyway that's not the point here. Omega 6's on their own are not bad for you. HOWEVER, the reason we hear so much about Omega 3's is because our diets have a surplus of Omega 6's in them. From conventional meats, to industrial seed oils and nuts and seeds, Omega 6's are in just about every conventional food item you can get your hands on. Omega 3's however are harder to find. They're in in whole food sources like grass fed meats, wild caught seafood, eggs, and many other sources. Our body's goal is to have Omega 3's & Omega 6's BALANCED. This becomes a challenge for the average person because the SAD (Standard American Diet) includes almost no Omega 3 sources but it's rich with Omega 6 sources. Hence the imbalance and problems. Just know this, imbalances of Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratios = Inflammation. Inflammation = Acne. Enough said I think.
I'm not going to get all science-y on you here - but just know that too much Phytic Acid can cause mineral deficiencies in your body. It can also contribute to leaky gut and make your digestion worse by reducing the power of certain digestive enzymes. This doesn't mean you don't want ANY of this acid in your diet, but it does mean that an excess can lead to some pretty big problems when it comes to your skin!
So maybe when you started out on this Paleo journey you felt awesome and you ate nuts all the time. But you also noticed that your acne wasn't exactly getting better and you didn't know WHY. Often times many Paleo recipes use almond flour in place of wheat flour. So you're snacking on nuts in between meals, you're having baked paleo goods, and your also indulging in some nut butters here and there. This adds up to A LOT of friggin nuts! Many times you won't even realize it until you try to cut them out. Over time if you start feeling itchy in your throat after eating a nut, some heat in your cheeks or face, or even just some uneasiness or discomfort - these can ALL be signs of a newly developed sensitivity.
Now if you're already a health nut you can skip this one. But for many of us (this was me too) we don't really bother to read ingredients. This means you could be picking up a bag of nuts that are COVERED in industrial seed oils like canola oil, safflower oil, vegetable oil, and so many more gross ones. These oils alone with wreak HAVOC on your skin BIG TIME! If you're picking up a bag of raw nuts, then this doesn't apply of course - but seriously always read your ingredients of everything you're going to put in your body. Even meats. You'd be surprised what you might find!
I do want to say that nuts are by far NOT the worst thing in the world for you if you have acne. But it is work cutting them out for 30-90 days before you try small reintroductions. For me personally, I ate so many nuts for awhile that I developed a bit of an allergy especially to almonds. Then I did an AIP and continued to strictly cut out nuts for months because I just felt better without them in my diet.
I slowly started experimenting with adding them back in and these days I can let myself have some nuts here and there without experiencing a crazy breakout. But I've gotta say my body still does not love nuts.
And it's probably for the best.
In the end you have to experiment and decide for yourself what works for you. But I want to remind you that attachment to food is not the best thing. If you feel like you would be lost without nut butters it really might be time to reevaluate your relationship with them.
Have a conversation: It's not you, it's me. I'm sorry but we need to take a break for awhile.
Break up with your nut butter! You got this boo! Don't forget if you need help with clearing your skin that my free resource library is available below!
Have an amazing week and tell me below: what's your nut butter of choice and favorite way to eat it?? Mine is Almond Butter and I love eating it with honey!
Sources:
https://www.thepaleomom.com/the-whys-behind-the-autoimmune-protocol-nuts-and-seeds/
Ah yes, those beautiful ovaries lined with strings of pearls aka cysts. Aren't they just the best!? As most of your know I received my PCOS diagnosis back in 2014 although it wasn't until 2015 that I was ready to come clean about it.
One big reason I started getting healthy back in 2013 was because I didn't want to struggle with fertility issues. I wanted to be able to have healthy babies when the time came for hubby and I. Little did I know the giant shit storm I was about to enter into after I got off the pill!
But this blog post isn't just about me and it's not just about my story. I tell you this because I want you to know that you're not alone. Even more then that I want you to know that there are actual natural options out there that can help your body heal.
I still remember getting the call while I was at work "your ovaries look like they're lined with a string of pearls" the doctor said. "your options right now are to get back on the pill so you have regular periods, or you can take a progesterone pill quarterly to induce a period so you're at least having 4 periods a year. Then when you're ready to get pregnant we will treat you accordingly with fertility medication."
I MEAN.... None of those were viable options to me. None of them made me feel any better and I had genuinely never felt like such a failure of a woman. I sat in my cubicle, face full of acne, thinner than I had been in years, the healthiest I had probably ever been, and I just cried as quietly as possible.
I wallowed, I was depressed, I hated thinking of myself as "infertile".
I was already eating Paleo, I had already been working to heal myself naturally and be as healthy as possible, but there were some pieces missing. I did manage to clear my skin on my own, but my hormones and testosterone levels were another story. After not having a period for over a year I went to my naturopath and did a bunch of blood and DNA testing that was beyond helpful.
You see no two women with PCOS are exactly the same. But with that being said, there are still some universal truths when it comes to PCOS despite there being multiple types.
For instance women with PCOS can be overweight, but they can also be underweight. Women with PCOS can have acne, or they can have clear skin. Some women with PCOS have intense mood swings, with others are chronically depressed. Women with PCOS can have irregular periods, or no periods at all, and the list goes on and on.
But regardless there is a basic functionality that's missing in all women with PCOS - our ovaries aren't releasing eggs normally through ovulation, but instead they're creating cysts. This lead to androgen dominance because those cysts then pump male sec hormones like testosterone through your system. Needless to say, when a woman has dominance of male sec hormones, things start to get complicated.
I must say that despite all of the differentiation within women with PCOS, we can all still understand each other. We all know the struggle of feeling manly because of our excess male hormones, it is not a fun cross to bare as a woman who wants to feel sexy and feminine.
I mean I know I didn't want my boobs to disappear and instead to have terrible acne and more chin hair. Uh yeah, not my personal idea of sexy lady. But we manage and life goes on and we learn to accept our new identities.
The biggest things is the fact that having PCOS tells you something is off in your system. There is so much healing that our bodies are capable of yet all the resources out there make it sound impossible. I was BEYOND frustrated when I went about trying to heal my PCOS naturally on my own and that's why I'm here sharing this knowledge with you now!
The supplements below are not only ones I personally used to get my period back and feel like a woman again, but I have seen them transform my clients lives as well. I truly hope that wherever you are in your PCOS journey wether it be TTC (trying to conceive) trying to get a period back, or just trying to get back some kind of libido, and get a handle on your PCOS that there supplements will help you!
So here is my list of TOP supplements for PCOS! Everyone is different and no two women with PCOS are the same but nonetheless these should be able to help your body start to heal and function properly again!
The absolute #1 supplement I recommend for anyone with PCOS is Cenitol. If you're overweight with PCOS & trying to get back a cycle OR if you're UNDER weight and trying to get back a cycle, OR if you're TTC in any capacity this is the supplement you'll want to turn to. I started with 2 scoops per day along with my paleo diet (obvi) for 2 weeks then went down to 1 scoop. I actually gained 5 lbs (which I NEEDED to gain) without any dietary changes, and got my period back after not having it for over a year in those first two weeks of taking this! Now these fast results aren't typical - I was working to heal myself for over a year before I started taking this powder also so please do keep that in mind.
Back in the day myo-inositol was actually the go-to for treating PCOS. Doctors would actually recommend inositol before drugs like metaformin came on the scene. Nowadays doctors work with pharmaceutical companies and don't typically even mention things like inositol or cenitol anymore. It's unfortunate but that's just the world we live in today and doctors can't really be blamed for it.
Back to cenitol... The great thing about it is that depending on what YOUR body need cenitol will conform to it. It's a type of myo-inositol but it's far superior to your typical inositol powder. Seriously I know it's not cheap but your health is 100% worth it!
READ MORE ABOUT INOSITOL & PCOS HERE!
Okay so when you look up this supplement it says "female libido support". I've had so many clients be like uhmm... What's this HerSynergy thing? I'm not looking for a new libido, I just want my PCOS to be good and my hormones. The thing is, for women who have androgen dominance from PCOS it's honestly PRETTY hard to have a great libido.
This bad boy is going to not only make you feel like a sexy woman again, but really in the process it's going to help you with producing those lady hormones you want like progesterone & estrogen while reducing the effects of PCOS by helping to lower the male hormones. More lady hormones means a better balance in your body and an overall happier endocrine system and improved mood for yourself too. Sounds pretty good right?
Plus.... Just a little extra libido support never hurt anyone let's be honest! Many women with PCOS struggle with having a sex drive simply because our hormones are all out of wack plus we often feel unattractive because of the physical changes PCOS causes... Especially if you're TTC (Trying To Conceive) I know you'll take libido support any day! HerSynergy can help you there!*winky face*
READ MORE ABOUT HERSYNERGY'S KEY INGREDIENT & PCOS HERE!
This bad boy right here is LEGIT for PCOS.
Not only does NAC help lower your androgen levels (aka those pesky male hormones) but it also is going to improve menstural regularity, & ovulation rate. UHM hello that's essentially everything you could ever want and need from a supplement when it comes to PCOS. Considering the fact that NAC is an amino acid and very safe, you'll want to take about 3 600mg tablets each day.
It's also going to help with insulin sensitivity and pretty much in all these ways it aids in reducing pretty much every single PCOS symptom. How exciting is that!? If you want to find out more about how NAC affects PCOS you can hit the link below to read some supporting studies & articles!
In my opinion, wether you want a baby right now or not, if you have PCOS it is never too early to work towards getting everything with the hormones in your body under control. It's honestly just going to help you feel more complete. Sometimes we forget how POWERFUL our hormones are. But really they define almost everything about us from the way we look to our mood & personality.
Don't let your hormones run your life and get the best of you. The matter of the fact is that even when you have your hormones under control conception can still be a struggle with PCOS. And if you're not on the baby train then even having 28 day cycles can be something you only ever dream about.
But please keep in mind that SOME cycle is better than NONE. Always.
50 day cycles, 45 day cycles, 38 day cycles, they're all a part of daily life with PCOS so take whatever you can get. But keep the cycles going. Don't let things go dormant or turn to perscriptions that have a ton of terrible side effects.
The awesome thing is that you don't HAVE to artificially manipulate your hormones with drugs & you can manage this naturally!! I honestly think that's awesome! Not all things hormonal can be managed this way! It takes time but it's doable and that's what you need to remember.
If you pair the three supplements up there with a Paleo lifestyle & a well balanced exercise routine you're going to be set! It will take time as these natural measures do, but you will get there. Remember that your body WANTS to heal, you just have to provide what it needs and show it the right path so it stops getting lost.
How many of you with PCOS are on the pill right now and would love to get off of it and manage your hormones & acne naturally? Comment below, I want to hear from you! AND I want you to see that you are not alone! Don't be shy I promise I don't bite!
Ya'll are amazing, so don't forget it! And as always you can enter your email address below if you want access to my exclusive resources for naturally healing acne & PCOS for good!
Have a super amazing week!
Oh makeup, why do I have such a love hate relationship with you!? I mean for what feels like my entire life my one goal was to be ABLE to go makeup free.
You see, not coving my acne was never an option obviously. I mean it actually was. But I legit never ever saw it that way because if people saw my acne I would be unlovable obviously.
I never cared about the consequences of wearing makeup all the time. My priority was covering up my skin so I could show my face in public without being embarrassed. And I tell you what, even with the makeup I STILL felt everyone staring at my skin all the time.
I have literally always seen not wearing makeup and still being (really FEELING) pretty as the ultimate goal and privilege. That's why the second my skin got clear enough I stopped wearing foundation everyday. I did also have a pretty sweet tan at the time that helped reduce the redness because the scars are real.
Even these days the texture of my skin is far from perfect. There are some deep scars in the tissue of my skin, but I'm working on some PRETTY exciting stuff for you guy on that so we will talk more about scarring later. At least these days hyper-pigmentation is a thing of the past! I can't tell you how FREEING it is to stop wearing foundation as a choice.
Your skin is never going to look like a porcelain doll. It's never going to be 100% perfect because human skin just isn't that perfect and that's okay. You're human! You can still do the best for your skin and have clear, healthy, GLOWING skin from the inside out that makes you feel like you could conquer the world! The rest is all an illusion.
The good news is that you can still have beautiful skin that makes you feel confident and flawless with or without makeup!
This blog post isn't about you clearing your skin though - it's about makeup and especially makeup for acne prone skin!
Needless to say I have worn A LOT OF MAKEUP from Maybelline to Bare Minerals, to Clinique. And specifically I'm referring to foundation, concealer, mineral powders etc etc. I'll tell ya'll some of my favorite brands for your skin below but first let's talk about how you can go forward educated and be able to pick out safer makeup from a lineup in a pinch.
Hint: it's NOT easy!
The regulations in the makeup industry are practically non existInt especially here in the US. Did you know that there are only 11 ingredients banned for cosmetic use in America versus over 1,400 in the European Union.
HOW INSANE IS THAT!?
On top of the fact that the cosmetics industry is barely regulated, there are a ton of sneaky sneaky things that the industry does to trick you into thinking that you're buying a "healthier" alternative when it's actually still packed with hormone disrupting, pore clogging, toxic ingredients.
Well it can, and I think it's really freaking scary. The fact is, our skin is our largest organ and it's often faster access to your bloodstream even compared to taking supplements. Just think about the fact that a PATCH on your skin can prevent pregnancy, or help you quit smoking... Pretty crazy ya'll I mean seriously!
Let's just talk really quickly about the list of ingredients you should avoid at all costs. I got this list from the Beautycounter Website, they're leaders and pioneers in the world of trying to make cosmetics safer here in the US. They even went to DC in order to talk to some senators about getting new laws passed. They're doing big and important things in the world of cosmetics and safer skincare which is just part of why I trust them!
OKAY - now that you've hopefully at least glanced through that list here's a PDF of it:
Have you ever wondered what ingredients you should avoid when buying your cosmetics? Here's the perfect printable list from you straight from Beautycounter!
I'm going to ask you to print it and carry it with you in your purse. You'll see why you need it shortly. Let's get onto the bulk of this post that I know you've all been waiting for:
Incase you couldn't tell from that whole montage above, there are a ton of shitty ingredients in our cosmetics. This is beyond important because theres no need for you to be harming with your body & breaking yourself out more with your makeup when there are fantastic alternative out there that will keep your skin clear. But I also know how it goes, sometimes you run out and you're in a pinch and you just need some makeup.
This is why you've gotta learn what to look for when you're reading said ingredients. That's why I wanted you to carry that list above around with you! Plus remember the whole 'only 11 ingredients banned' thing. You HAVE to start reading the ingredients of what you're putting on your body ya'll! Just like you read food labels - read your cosmetics labels.
Companies change their "formulas" all the time so be wary and guard yourself against it!
SO this is important because once you've found a brand you know and trust it makes the whole process of buying non scary makeup so much easier. There are literally only a handful of brands I'm willing to order from and I have different brands that I like for different cosmetic things. As I mentioned above companies change the ingredients of their cosmetics all the time.
But if you're buying from a brand that you TRUST and know the standards of, you don't have to worry about any changes because you know their company standard. That is HUGE when it comes to buying your stuff. You need to be able to trust the company & know they have your best interest in mind, not just a bigger paycheck for using cheaper filler ingredients.
Trust is everything when it comes to this stuff since the laws & regulations are the poop.
Let's talk about Sally. Sally has had acne her whole life and wears foundation everyday. Sally always wears the same makeup because it gives her that redness coverage she desperately needs on a daily basis. Then Sally learns about how scary most makeup is and switches to a better brand that doesn't break her out as much.
Now her skin is clearer and shes wearing this healthier foundation. But then she sees a shiny NEW foundation from another brand that looks cool, and she tries it! Then she breaks out like crazy but thinks it's from that cupcake and slice of pizza she had last night and keeps using her shiny new foundation that everyone says is the best!
Moral of this story? The same products aren't going to work the same way for everyone. If you've already switched to a natural or healthier brand that doesn't break you out - don't keep searching for something better. Stick with what works for your skin and call it a day!
Yes, gluten free makeup is a thing, and yes you should be getting it. Soy free also and dairy free. The dairy one isn't a thing - but I think you get the point here!
Okie I cannot tell you how many times I day I am asked what kind of foundation I use, what my favorite safe makeup is, or what makeup I recommend to my clients. So I'm going to talk about it here a little bit and I want to be totally transparent.
There are really only a few brands that I can comfortably recommend and really only ONE that I can say with confidence does NOT break me out ever & my clients have had awesome success with across the board. Now I did become a 'consultant' for said company ONLY because I was legit so impressed with their products - and that company is Beautycounter.
Their products work more like conventional makeup products rather than a lot of the natural alternative that just don't really do much in the ways of coverage. I don't wear foundation often so when I do I want to look FLAWLESS!
Now I don't want you to suddenly think I'm just trying to sell you something or promote Beautycounter to just make some money because it's not about that. This blog is my business but at the end of the day my goal is to provide you with quality information that helps you feel empowered to clear your skin naturally. And I believe that this makeup can help you in doing so.
I not only wholeheartedly believe in what this company is all about, but I personally use their makeup and a few other products and I like them. And my clients like them. And that's that. That's why I became a consultant. If for some reason that makes you uncomfortable & you don't want to order with me as your 'consultant' and you'd rather a random person benefits from your purchase then that's okay too. You do you boo!
SO let's talk about these brands! I'm going to start with the most NATURAL option first!
This brand is legit you guys. Everything is beyond crunchy natural and amazing just how I like it! It's at a decent price point and I def trust this brand. However, I do have to say that personally I've never felt the desire to go THIS level of natural clean and crunchy with my makeup - because ACNE & SCARS. Plus the price point was just a bit too far out of my range back when I was looking for a great natural makeup option so I have personally not used this makeup before. Again I'm being as transparent here as possible guys!
I wouldn't hesitate to try this brand though if you're curious about it! They have a ton of adorable eyeshadow shades, blushes, & mineral foundations!
I used CarenMinerals for along ass time ya'll. Like seriously this was THE brand I recommended to people almost exclusively for years until I found something better! I still have some of their BB cream - but again I'm going to be honest with you. The coverage is not the best. And whenever I use it now (again randomly) it makes my skin a tad itchy. Keep in mind that when you use something daily you often don't notice the effects it has on you as easily. I did go through bouts of clear skin while using this makeup, but it did irritate my skin at least a little bit. Still I would say a great and fair option! I used the mineral foundations and the BB cream. The BB cream breaks me out so I use it as infrequently as possible.
I know I've already talked about them a lot at this point but I do want to mention that they aren't 100% natural. They follow strict guidelines and triple test every single product to make sure it's as pure as they say. I used their skin tint foundation for the first time when I competed in that bikini competition in Nashville and I was instantly hooked. The quality works just like conventional cosmetics and gave me insane coverage without breaking me out or using harsh chemicals. That literally like the best combination ever in my book. Because like I said before, if I'm wearing makeup, I want the coverage to be flawless and I don't want to breakout after the fact! I can't rave enough about the skin tint foundation & they have a ton of other amazing things like compressed powder, bronzers, blush, lipstick, eyeshadow, lipgloss, the list goes on and on!
Okay this became very long so that is it for me today ya'll. Tell me in the comments: what's the most important thing for you when it comes to your makeup? For me it's always been coverage! I've had many a day of CAKEY ass makeup but hey - you couldn't see any redness! #prioroties
I'd love to hear what matters to you most when you're looking at makeup!
And if you want MORE about makeup for acne prone skin - I dish all about it in my ebook & video program Clear Skin Secrets Revealed - so be sure to check that bad bot out by entering your email address below!
Love you guys, have an amazing week!
Since you've made it here to my blog I'm going to just assume that you've at least heard about the connection between your gut and your skin.
Now I don't want you to think that just because you possibly haven't heard of this that you're out of the loop. I mean I went almost my entire life not knowing a single thing about this so you are not alone! Before finding the information & research on my own in 2014 I had heard of leaky gut in relation to other things but none of it applied to me so I didn't pay much attention. #sorrynotsorry.
Had I paid attention sooner things would probably be different. But I'm just glad that through my experience with insane break outs and severe leaky gut I am now able to help you avoid the same mistakes I made and have an actual solution!
On that note, let's talk about this thing called leaky gut, and why you SHOULD care about it if you're someone who is currently riding the struggle bus with acne, occasional break outs, or really any sort of skin disorder.
Leaky gut is a popular term for Intestinal Permeability. Essentially it means that your gut lining (as in your stomach) has little gaps in the wall of cells that lines it. This cellular lining separates food in your tummy from everything outside of your tummy like your blood stream where food should not be. What this ultimately means is that when you eat food it's not all staying in your stomach because small particles are slipping through those cracks and escaping into your body where they SHOUD NOT BE.
Yikes.
It's like if Gandalf got drunk every time you ate and didn't show up to yell "YOU SHALL NOT PASS" and therefore the food particles that should've been stopped by him are instead leaving your gut and wreaking havoc.
None of that sounds like much fun right? Well it's not. Leaky Gut can trigger a whole catalyst of issues in your body including but def not limited to:
And there's more of course. But that's just a basic list.
I will tell you right now that no matter what you believe is causing your acne, or making it worse, wether it be hormonal issues, topical issues, dietary issues, whatever, the following is true no matter what:
IF YOU HAVE ACNE THEN YOU HAVE A LEAKY GUT.
Even if your gut isn't severely leaky, as in Gandalf is still showing up occasionally but takes long breaks where he gets drunk (obvi), it can still have a huge effect on your body.
Remember the whole catalyst thing? Even if your breakouts are in fact hormonal, that doesn't mean that the root source of that whole hormonal imbalance going on isn't at least partially a leaky gut. At the very least it doesn't hurt to make your gut happy by working to heal it!
Okay so now that you understand WHAT leaky gut is and WHY is matters to you, let's move onto talking a little about HOW this leaky gut thing happens.
To put it very simply, leaky gut is caused by gut damaging foods like anything processed, gluten, grains, dairy, sugar, soy, alcohol, legumes, corn, industrial seed oils, and pretty much everything else in between that's excluded on a Paleo diet. Another thing that causes leaky gut is prescription medications and especially oral antibiotics that wipe out all the good and bad bacteria in your system. Many of us are actually born with leaky guts because of our mothers diets, plus their antibiotic usage which can cause all sorts of issues starting from a young age. Paleo however, can reverse that damage and restore your body to health!
This is part of the reason why I honestly believe that natural healthcare and a generally Paleo lifestyle are the best. It's the reason that I trusted it to heal myself and the reason I use it for my clients daily.
On top of the, once you've put in enough time to really work on healing your gut, you will start to see it in your skin! In the process you'll also be reducing inflammation, reversing all the damage, and making your insides happy and non toxic again! Then in time you can even slowly either reintroduce certain foods you couldn't tolerate before, or at least be able to eat some on occasion without adverse side effects.
I mean isn't that exciting! We can do something about this!
These days I eat white right moderately often because I love it and my body does well with it. It's still gluten free and it doesn't break me out. That's the main indicator I pay attention to. If I eat something "different" or "off plan" I always pay REALLY close attention to how my tummy and skin respond to it.
Everyones body is different so it's important to learn how to listen to yours.
I also eat a ton of Goats Milk Yogurt which I talked more about in my Best Dip Ever post because it's loaded with probiotics and I can handle goats milk in pretty much any form (aka goats milk kefir, or cheese) without any adverse reactions. I've even seen huge benefits from adding the yogurt in!
It's a process my friends, but I've been on this healthy healing journey for years and I'm really happy to have made the progress I have, so that I can help you do it too! And YOU CAN DO IT!!!
Finally let's talk about what you came here for: the things you need to start doing right now to start healing your gut & clearing your skin from the INSIDE OUT once and for all! YAYYYY!
As they say: what you see on the outside is a reflection of what's happening on the inside. SO let's do this thing!
Probiotics are all the rage these days, in the world of digestion, but it's often taken for granted just how important they are for healing your skin. Eat as many probiotic rich, fermented foods as possible. Some great options are: Sauerkraut, Kombucha, Kimchi, Pickles and a ton more. check out my pinterest Fermented Foods Board for some fermenting inspo!
If you can tolerate it, also get in some goats milk kefir, goats milk yogurt, or any other kind of kefir like water kefir, coconut kefir etc! I buy mine at Whole Foods or Trader Joes.
Probiotics are the GOOD bacteria that we need in order to digest food & absorb nutrients. They help to replenish your poor leaky gut who is suffering from a bad bacterial toxic environment. I think of it as a toxic waste land and I need to help it out! Probiotics are a huge must for this! I prefer getting mine from food but if you want a supplement THIS with THIS are great options!
Okay. I want to say that I know ACV is all the rage in weight loss and this and that and whatever else right now. Okay, like I really do get that. But I want to tell you why it's essential for those of us with acne to get it into our bodies on a regular basis.
Remember that toxic wasteland I talked about? Well it needs a lot of help. Not only is ACV going to provide some stomach acid to make the whole digestive process easier on you, but it has a ton of amazing enzymes.
One thing these enzymes do is HELP out those probiotics you're consuming! It helps them not just pass through our system but actually FLOURISH in our guts so that we get the maximum benefits. I think of ACV as the exterminator friend that comes in and blasts all the toxic things out of our gut while supporting us AKA the good guys.
What a nice friend!! Click Here to read how I take my ACV shot every morning under the "Morning Tonic" section! And here's the best brand of ACV out there!
Now we're doing all these great things to support out toxic gut with probiotics and getting that daily dose of ACV, and things are getting SO much better! YAY! But that's not all folks! There's still more to be done here, but this is an easy one!
L-Glutamine is an amino acid that our body naturally produces and many people use for muscle recovery. In this case what it actually does is help to seal and heal those gaps in the cell lining of your gut that's making it leaky. Essentially L-Glutamine has gotten Gandalf into rehab and is making sure he becomes a permanent fixture at his station as a new man (scroll up if you don't get the reference here)!
Simply add 1/2tsp to a cup of water and drink it on an empty stomach. Less is more here, if you take too much you'll get constipated. You're welcome. If you're already taking a BCAA (Brand Chain Amino Acid Supplement) then carry on, just check the ingredients! Here are the brands I recommend: Dr. Axe (def the best option), Jarrow, or Scivation.
Yet another overly saturated supplement out there these day, but for good reason. Not only do these bad boys help seal and heal your leaky gut, but they also boost your natural production of stomach and and aid in digestion and regular eliminations! Plus they're high in protein and help your bones, joints, muscles, & skin keep their elasticity.
Uhm hello sing me up please!
You can get these from making Bone Broth! There are a ton of easy peasy bone broth recipes out there, just hit up Dr. Google. Personally I'm lazy about making bone broth every week so I'm all about adding these guys in supplement form to my teas, smoothies, yogurt, etc every single day. I use and love Vital Proteins brand for both the gelatin (for hot liquids) & the collagen (for cold liquids). I use the collagen far more often because I add em to my daily gut healing smoothie! But THIS is a great alternative if you want an all in one kinda deal!
I'm sure you saw this one coming as soon as I listed out all the foods that make your gut leaky in the first place. Here's the thing, it can seem daunting to "cut out" a ton of stuff and in time your attachment will subside and those foods will no longer be interesting to you. And hey one day you might be able to eat them again without your skin going crazy or feeling like crap about yourself or really a care in the world. Isn't that exciting!?
But for right now while you work on healing, these steps here are crucial.
You don't want the inside of you tummy to be a toxic wasteland. That's gross, and even worse, what's happening in there is showing up outside your body in the form of ACNE. No one wants acne. Try this switch with your diet strictly for 30-90 days. It can be a fun process! Look through the recipes here on my site, make some meal plans for yourself, plan out the next 30 days and get excited to start healing yourself!!!!
I'm so happy that you've made it this far and I really hope you'll start implementing these tips above like ASAP! Keep in mind that you can get a lot of the items above in store, but for those of you obsessed with Amazon like I am, these are convenient options for you!
I literally cannot wait for you to get started on all this & start seeing some amazing progress in your skin! GAHHHH IT'S SO EXCITING!
And one of my personal fav resources for all things Leaky Gut is Dr. Axe! He doesn't specialize in acne or paleo but he is the King of all things Leaky Gut! Def check him out for some more resources on the leaky gut aspect!
Thank you all as usual for being awesome and committed to healing yourself naturally!As I mentioned before you can look forward to even more blog posts like this one coming your way!
In the meantime don't forget to check out my free Resource Library & Clear Skin Secrets Revealed!
Happy New Year Everyone!!
I have another post in the works on my 2016 recap, review, whatever you have it. BUT as of right now I want to talk to you guys about getting healthy and fit in 2017!! Yippieeee!!!
Specifically I want to talk to you guys a little bit about where I'm at currently fitness wise, AAAANNDDDD obviously (based on the title) about this thing called a Diet Bet!
The idea behind a diet bet (it's a legit website and everything) is to put up or "bet" some money that goes into a pot. You sign up for a diet bet usually with someone you know or a group of people. The website takes care of the details on that aspect. By putting up money you're betting to lose a certain amount of pounds (lbs) by a certain date. If you succeed in losing said lbs by said date, you get a cut of the pot and so does everyone else in your group that succeeds!
Kind of a cool idea right?
Except that a number on the scale is NOT an indicator or either health, or fitness.
I mean, if you're already moderately thin and fit and you start working out intending to lose weight, often times you'll lose body fat and inches, but not necessarily any weight! Sometimes you might even gain weight. True story. Fat takes up a lot more space in your body than muscle does. I'm sure you've seen this picture before:
Right, so I think it goes without saying that you can lose fat and replace it with muscle and be smaller, but not necessarily WEIGH a much different amount.
Okay anyway.
Let's talk about MEEEE! (face palm)
So I think a lot of you know that I had been going with my husband to the gymmmm and it's been fun! I had kind of gotten off my at home workout game because I wasn't following a program (obviously my own fault) and even more so because I was ITCHING to use some heavier weights, a squat rack, and gym equipment!! I've been thinking about competing in 2017 which means even more that I need to get into the gym with some heavier weights and different ways to challenge my muscles.
So my husband got a gym membership at Planet Fitness (I talked quite a bit about that in my vlog) and I am now able to go with him as his guest fo free as often as I want to! Only problem is that my workout schedule became reliant on him. He was going super consistently though so it wasn't really a problem! Except for random scheduling issues that come up of course. But all in all once I started getting into my own groove at the gym I was feeling good!
Then we both got sick.
I worked out the first week while I was sick but then the second week into my cold Ernest got sick so we took the week off. Then the week after that was like an extension of a recovery week. Then scheduling conflicts AKA traveling & the last December holidays came up and we were not able to get our butts to the gym consistently AT ALL. I mean we still went here and there but as most of you know that doesn't do much in the ways of keeping you super fit.
Also am I the only one who gets embarrassed to workout in front of other people who aren't working out? Like I love working out in my living room or even in the gym because no one has to see me struggle & huff and puff and fail and if they do, then they're typically in the same position as me. For instance while staying in TX I was like man, I feel uncomfortable with being that person working out. And earlier in Summer 2016 while traveling I would go workout on the deck alone before everyone woke up so that people wouldn't see me. There's just SOMETHING awkward about working out while no one else is. I love working out with people, or alone. But I don't even know.... It's uncomfortable and I'm the idiot that sometimes uses that as an excuse (like I did in TX) to not workout at all. Oh well! Anyone else feel me on this?
Long story not so short, I've lightly worked out, taken walks, and done a bit of this and that here and there but dear lord without following a program and calendar I REALLY struggle with working out consistently or trusting myself with planning a workout for myself..
I think as most of you know, getting in a workout is really more of a mental game than a physical one and essentially I've been letting my lazy mind win.
On the PLUS side it's been great business wise. I've been feeling creative and putting ALL of my time into creating content for you guys! Exciting right? Except I can only go on without a concrete plan for so long. Which makes me really excited for what I'm starting TODAY.
I'm doing a two program hybrid that's going to allow me to both workout from home, AND get in those heavy pump sessions at the gym. Yippieeee! It's using the program Insanity Max 30 & Body Beast! It's sort f an every other day kinda thing, except I changed the design to include more lifting days than cardio (AKA Max 30) days. Today is day 1 so it's cardio challenge day!
Anyway it feel good to have a plan and calendar to follow again and I'm excited to move forward! If you want in on this madness just shoot me an email and I'll tell you how to get access to the program etc. There's actually an all access pass that Beachbody just came out with and it's AWESOME.
I just started browsing it tonight and I keep thinking that there must be something wrong because this deal is kind of too good. Like seriously.
It works like Netflix, except that it's for workouts. It's been around for a long time but before you only had access to programs you had previously purchased & a select few that were available to everyone. But now every program ever is available which is SO EXCITING!
I never purchased Body Beast or Insanity Max 30. But I can do both of them now because of this which just makes me super happy!
It's access to every Beachbody program that's EVER been released, PLUS access to every single new program that will be coming out this year in 2017 for $99. Like holy eff balls you guys that's insanely cheap and such a good deal. Way cheaper than any gym membership. 1 whole year for $99. I literally just can't even.
Okay sorry that wasn't the point of this post but I'm just excited!
Enough about me and my current fitness level, let me talk a little more about the Diet Bet and more importantly this very similar but IMO much better thing called a Health Bet! Oh and here's my current fitness level photos and will be my "before" photos since today is day 1:
Not my worst, but def not my best! OIE! Got some post holiday softness and I'm also pretty bloated at the moment from eating a little too much tuna salad today **insert eyes covered monkey emoji** for serious ya'll. I didn't gain any weight over the holidays because I ate well, in fact I lost weight thanks to my tea detox, but that bloat life today! Paleo Mayo makes me bloat but I love it and eat it anyway sometime because #treatyoself right? Plus it's healthy. My body just isn't the best with it. ANYWAY I'll probably look a lot less swollen tomorrow, But it's ALL good regardless! For reference I'm 5'7 & I weigh 131lbs. My shorts are an XS from Under Armor and the sports bra is a S from Victoria Secret. I'll take my measurements once I'm done with this post!
Okay I'm sorry! Back to the Health Bet! The basic concept is the similar to a Diet Bet, you're putting something on the line and betting on the fact that you're going to consistently workout (3x a week), and drink your nutrients at least 5 days a week with Shakeology! I LOVE that it's not about results and specifically NOT about a number on the scale or weight loss. It's about putting in effort and trying to get HEALTHY! I have literally seen people slack off on diet bets then crash diet the last few weeks just to try to make a few bucks. Then they gain the weight back. Not everyone does this, but I think you get the idea. I'd much rather look at other health factors!
With the Health Bet what you're investing by purchasing a workout program and Shakeology that you will use to participate. If you already have a program and shakeology then you're good to go! You're not actually adding any additional money to the pot, you're just buying the products that you're going to use for the next 30 days. There's already a pot of 2 Million Dollars (it can go up to 3 mil - $5 of each purchase goes into the pot) and you can have a piece of it, I'll tell you how!
Oh! How will I know that you're working out and drinking said nutrient dense shakes? Well you have to track them in the Health Bet challenge group on the Challenge Tracker app. It's a free app and private group designed specifically for this purpose!
So if you want to participate here are the cliff notes of how you do that:
QUALIFY: Log your Shakeology drinks and workouts by 11:59 p.m. PT on the last day of each contest week:
Week 1: January 9–January 15
Week 2: January 16–January 22
Week 3: January 23–January 29
Week 4: January 30–February 5
So I hope you'll join me in getting yo booty in gear this 2017! And IF you want to do the crazy hybrid calendar I'm doing also, I can totes share it with you! Yay let's do this thing and make some money in the process! Last time a few people in my group were successful and totally made some $$! I can't wait for that to be YOU this time around!
Until next timeeee my loves!!
As I sit here at my beautiful new laptop (SQUUUEEEEEEEE!!!!!Thanks Hubby!!!!!!) surrounded by tissues, tea mugs, notebooks, and blankets, I can't help but notice the genuine irony of this situation.
But it's this exact situation that inspired me to write this post. Because I don't want you getting sick, but when it happens, which it will inevitably will for everyone #sorrynotsorry I want you to have natural tools at your disposal that you can easily use to feel better. Or maybe not even get very sick in the first place! To be perfectly honest, a cold doesn't hold me back from much of anything. I've had some BAD colds that have knocked me on my ass, but luckily this time it's really not bad at all.
But I digress...
Let's talk about Natural Cold Remedies!!! And NO I'm not talking about taking freaking EMERGEN-C. I mean no offense to them, but there's so much sugar in those little packets!! Sugar is hella inflammatory and the exact OPPOSITE of what you want when you feel a cold coming on or you're in the midst of full blown sickness. Don't get me wrong, I once religiously used it as a "healthy" nutrient boost... Especially when I was sick it was my go to. But it's backwards and twisted logic to take a shot of sugar in order to feel better. The first ingredient is sugar ya'll in the form of fructose. *face palm*
For reference I happen to have a packet here in front of me from a box I bought YEARS ago before I wised up and read the ingredients... Be prepared to have your dreams shattered.
Emergen-c 'Tropical' Ingredients: Fructose, citric acid, natural tropical flavor and other natural flavors, malic acid, tapioca maltodextrin, silica, vegetable juice color, glycine, aspartic acid, tartaric acid, and cysteine hydrochloride.
I'm sorry, that got a little out of hand, but go eat an orange or something. Also there's actually not much evidence that shows Vitamin C being an effective cure or prevention for the common cold. Here's a study showing just that. I still don't think it hurts to load up on vitamin C... Just be wary of the source ya'll! It's easy enough to get from real whole foods!
I'm sorry this wasn't meant to become a rant about Vitamin C.... Onward to the actual tips to help you out in this matter!
Yes, it's true sleep is SOOOOO essentially when you're starting to feel sick! You know how your mom let you stay home when you were sick but it was an unspoken rule that you had to stay in bed and sleep? Well that was for good reason! While we sleep our body has the chance to recover and recuperate. It's not just about energy restoration here. You've gotta relax and take it easier when you're sick, or you're just going to be sick A LOT longer! Need a natural sleep aid? Try out this natural loose leaf tea: Teami 'Relax' Tea Coupon for 20% off: BALLERINA20 for December 2016 only, after that use code: HARMONY for 10% off - you're welcome
I don't know what kind of crazy person EVER said it was a good idea to get milkshakes, smoothies, & ice cream cones while you're sick - it's MADNESS. Those things might feel nice but they ultimately make you worse in the long run. Can we say extra congestion and inflammation anyone?
Hydrate as much as possible, and preferably with warm liquids that will help your body heal like teas and bone broth. Bone broth is crazy nutrient rich, again it goes back to when mom told us to eat chicken noodle soup when we were sick. Granted most of the canned stuff these days is nutrient poor but still a better option. Here are some of my fav bone broths:
TEA is the best while you're sick especially when you add LEMON!! I'm actually doing a tea detox right now so I'm drinking a whole crap ton of tea anyway but here are some of my favorite teas specifically for a cold:
Yep, nothing complicated about this one. Especially if you're running a fever it's really important to SWEAT it out as much as possible. This is also just part of why you must ALSO hydrate as much as possible. You're going to sweat out a lot of water hopefully. It's your body's way of detoxing and regulating internal temperature. So even if you're hot and uncomfortable stay bundled! Wear a hoodie, wear warm fuzzy socks, take your blanket with you everywhere. You get the idea!
Food IS medicine so let's first look at some food you'll want to eat to support your immune system while you're sick with a cold:
Okay now that we've talked a little about food, let's look at other natural medicine. I know it might be tempting to take nyquil or mucinex when you get a cold but if you catch it and start early enough with the natural remedies you can usually avoid it altogether! On that note, I'll tell you my personal fav cold "medicines".
One of my favorite ways to promote sweating naturally besides bundling is using STEAM as much as possible. So that means having a humidifier running at all times, taking long hot showers, and especially taking nice hot BATHS. You want to detox and also steam helps promote mucous release which is great because you want to get all those junk out of your body I love a bath with epsom salts, baking soda, and ACV personally but you can also buy some great sweat promoting bath blends like this one Chris Kresser recommends: Mustard Bath!
One last thing I'd like to mention is that if you're really sick please do go to the doctor. I'm insanely stubborn and almost never go to the doctor but that doesn't mean you shouldn't. You have to do what works for you and your body! I'm not a doctor or medical professional and nothing here should should be taken as medical advice or diagnosis. These tips are merely my own personal opinion & experiences based on research.
And on top of that, before you do anything crazy or make any changes please do consult a medical professional. Don't be like "but Harmony's blog said to just drink tea! I followed her advice and I don't know why I have a deadly illness now!" Mmmmkay? K!
That's it for my cold remedies this Friday evening! I now have to run to teach ballet until 9:30pm tonight so I should really get going! Yayyyy Friday. Man my life is exciting!
Have an amazing weekend everyone and stay safe from all the germs out there!!
