Bleh

Bleh.  Yup, that's the way I feel about it.  Just bleh.

By "it" I mean the gym.  When I get there, I love it.  But it's the getting there that's the problem.  Call this the down side to competition prep.  Some people stay steady in the gym, others get burned out and find themselves where I am...bleh.  And I am okay with that for now.

On the other hand, I have been making some other changes I am really happy about.  A while back I started really...I mean really...doing research about how toxic everyday products are.  We made the change with cleaning products months ago.  I largely clean with a combination of baking soda, Seventh Generation dish soap and essential oils, and I am realizing these work better than any harsh chemical cleaner ever could.  And they don't strip the surface of my bath tubs, sinks and counters.  Who wouldn't want that? 

So now we are on to personal care products.  If you really want an eye opener...check out the toxicity of your personal care products, check them out here: EGW Skin Deep

Which brings me to my thoughts about this.  At the State Fair this year, we stopped at a vendor who was selling raw Shea butter.  I have been wanting to try Shea butter forever, but haven't been impressed with the laundry list of ingredients in the lotions I have seen so far.  This is not a lotion, but actual raw Shea butter.  I figured I would try it out and it turns out that I love it.  Much better than any processed, scented, stock lotion I have ever used.  It's perfect for cold weather, as it acts as a natural barrier to keep moisture in.  Unlike stock lotion, it has no alcohol, so I don't need to do more than put it on when I get out of the shower in the morning.  As with anything, there are downsides.  I have had to adjust my morning routine where I put the Shea butter on after drying my hair, as it is thick on my skin and I shed like crazy when I dry my hair.  The combination left me with hair stuck all over the place by the time my hair was dry.  Also, as a result of the thickness, clothing can be a little sticky at first.  As a result, I have switched to using a combination of products.  On mornings when I am in a hurry and don't have time to let the Shea butter settle, I use JP's lotion - a brand called Nubian Heritage.  It's smooth and has natural scent, so it's not overwhelming. 

In addition to the body lotion, I wanted to change to a more natural hand lotion.  I saw a product at Whole Foods called "Just Wanna Melt".  It is a lotion bar that is in a small tin.  I was a sceptic at first, especially on the effort it would take to use it, but after having used it, I love it!  I only have to use it about twice per day (even on the coldest days), compared to the 20+ times I would use traditional hand lotion.  I would recommend this product hands down (lol!) over traditional hand lotion.  Here is the website: Just Wanna Melt

After changing lotions, we also felt compelled to address our use of stock deodorant.  So we switched to using stone (Thai stone, etc) deodorant sticks.  They are a great natural deodorizer and I find them extremely effective for this purpose.  On the other hand, they provide no anti-perspirant properties.  This is a problem in the winter, when the bulk of body heat stays at the core....resulting in increases perspiration from the arm pits.  Gross, but true.  I know everyone reading this knows exactly what I am talking about.  As a result, I did research, and it seems that there is really no natural alternative to aluminum and aluminum variations for anti-perspirant properties.  As a result, I have decided to take a balanced approach with this...as I am just not willing to smile and act like my wet pits are no big deal.  What I have decided to do is use the stone every day for deodorant properties, and utilize a special roll-on that contains concentrated aluminum 2x per week.  This will help control the perspiration while attempting to minimize the exposure to toxins as much as possible.  I am having to take a less is better than what it was approach on this one.

Another area I have decided to address is face care products, especially face wash, face lotions and eye cream.  I used up all of the old face wash I had, as well as my face lotion (which actually ran out at the same time for once in my life).  Once I was out, I started using a olive oil/Castor oil mix as a face wash.  Olive oil is a natural cleanser and easily removes make-up.  Castor oil is a natural astringent.  The instructions I found said to use a 50/50 mix for combination or normal skin, a higher mix of olive oil to Castor oil for dry skin and a higher mix of Castor oil to olive oil for oily skin.  I have combination skin, so I have been trying the 50/50 combination.  To say that I love it is an understatement!  I apply it to my face at night, rubbing it in for about 1-2 minutes.  I then run a face towel under hot water and apply it to my face for a few seconds, then start rubbing my face with the hot towel, washing it out and wiping my face until I have removed the oil.  It takes my make up off without having to work (even stubborn eye make up) and it leaves my skin feeling fresh.  The downside is that the skin around my eyes was getting dried out (which is already an issue during the winter, but worse once I started this).  As a result, I found a recipe for an all natural eye cream I made last night and will start using tonight, so I will have to report back after I have been trying it for a while.  I used to have to wash my face every night and every morning, putting lotion on my face after washing it and applying heavy duty eye cream every night.  I now just wash my face at night, utilize no lotion, and will start the homemade eye cream (which is made out of coconut oil and the oil from vitamin E soft gel capsules).

Finally, JP and I have cleaned out all "fake" scent items from our house, including candles.  We have been utilizing reed and electric diffusers with essential oils plus sage and a very specific brand of incense to add scents to our home.  In addition, JP has switch to a more environmentally-friendly hair gel and shave cream.  We have always used toxin-free, harder to find products for Jenna, and have continued with this with her. 

Just like the true understanding that, when maximizing whole foods and minimizing processed foods for nutrition, my body operates much better, I am finding that, when I utilize naturally-derived products, they work so much better.  In addition, just the fact that I have reduced the use of fake scents almost totally from my day-to-day life makes me so much more intolerant to them when I am exposed - not unlike when I start eating a lot of sugar or junk in my diet.  The process of making these changes helps me see and understand - through how my body reacts to them when not exposed for a while - that these truly are toxic to me.  Interesting concept.

So..although I am bleh about the gym (and honestly, about nutrition) right now, I am not bleh about everything.  Now I have more things to add to the Products I Love page!

Happy holidays to all!

Julie