Chemical Free! - Stress...

So I was at the dermatologist for my annual skin check - we go yearly to check for possible skin cancer spots.  If something were to ever show up I want to catch it as soon as possible!  We got to talking about what I could do for my atopic dermatitis, aka dry skin, aka dandruff.  Then she made a profound statement...

Background...
I have pretty much always had skin issues.  I remember as a young child vacationing in Three Lakes, WI and getting this awful, itchy rash all over my torso!  It was so uncomfortable and happened every year that we went up there, which was every year!  In college my skin issues shifted away from my torso and to the inside of my upper arms.  Wearing short sleeves in the warmer/water ski season was unsightly!  Then after having my first child the skin issues spread to my upper legs.  My thighs, bottom and inside of upper arms were a mess and wearing shorts and short sleeves in the warmer weather was embarrassing!  To top it off, my scalp started flaking and my hands would crack and bleed all winter!  Skin issues all year round... 

Believe me when I say that I have tried a lot of things.  Yes, the steroid creams work, but I need to stay on them all the time and you can't when you are pregnant or breastfeeding.  I have since also realized that it is not good to put all those synthetic chemicals on your body.

I've gone through allergy testing and have talked to a dietitian.  I am allergic to a lot of things, but I have also been able to eliminate many of those allergens from my environment.  The dietitian didn't think that my plant-based diet was triggering my skin issues.

So what gives???

My dermatologist agreed that your whole body and all your systems are linked.  So yes, food or allergens that our bodies come into contact with could trigger skin issues.  Leading an overall healthy life by eliminating chemicals from the environment, eating right, exercising regularly and sleeping an appropriate number of hours each night may still leave you with skin issues!  

STRESS may be a major underlying factor to all sorts of ailments!  Everyone's body processes stress differently.  I had never made that connection!  I kept thinking that I could change my diet enough and that would provide me with relief.  Of course that got me thinking - maybe I need to de-stress more!

Implementation...

Using more Stress Away Essential Oil topically and diffusing that and other calming essential oil blends (see graphic above) may help me lower my stress levels too.  I should probably start putting some Stress Away in my water as it can be used as a dietary supplement too!  Since exercise is key in helping to release stress, I also need to focus on getting myself back into shape and taking care of myself.

Instead of turning to topical steroids, I'm going to continue searching for more holistic approaches to managing my atopic dermatitis.  The diffuser will be running more frequently in the rooms where I spend large chunks of time and I'm planning on heading to the local gym!  If nothing else, I'll be healthier, I'll feel better about myself and will be a less stressed mom.  Now the thought of THAT makes me sooo happy!!!

Do you have a favorite stress buster?  If so, please share!

Interested in finding out how to get your hands on these Young Living Essential Oils?  Check out my Essential Oils and Monthly Promotions Pages!

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Let's Learn! - Stress Away Essential Oil!

Ahhh... Just the name itself seems to be relaxing.  And then the scent!  Close your eyes and take a deep breath in while inhaling Young Living's Stress Away Essential Oil.  Do that a few times and things don't seem so bad anymore!

I have done a brief post on Stress Away already - check that out HERE!  This post will go into more detail on the ingredients and other uses of Stress Away Essential Oil!  If you have it, roll some Stress Away on right now or take a minute to enjoy the aroma and then continue reading to learn more!

Stress Away Essential Oil is a proprietary blend created by Young Living.  It is comprised of six different essential oils.  These essential oils work together to encourage relaxation and reduce nervous tension.

Stress Away Essential Oil Blend:

Copaiba (Copaifera reticulata) - Enhances the affects of many other essential oils

Lime (Citrus aurantifolia) - Supports healthy immune system

Cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica) - Calms

Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) -  Calms and supports healthy skin

Ocotea (Ocotea quixos) - Purifying and digestive support

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) - Calms and soothes

Stress Away EO may be used aromatically, topically and as a dietary supplement.  As noted in previous posts, scents trigger the olfactory system and your body responds depending on the aroma.  So it is very beneficial to diffuse essential oils or just take some quick sniffs of them throughout the day.  And, as mentioned above, Stress Away smells glorious and that particular aroma can encourage relaxation and reduce nervous tension.  Topically, Stress Away can be applied to the wrists, behind the ears and to the back of the neck.  This way you don't have to carry your bottle of Stress Away around with you everywhere you go - i mean of course you need to keep it in your purse, diaper bag, computer bag, etc, but you don't need to walk around with a bottle in your hands all day if you are wearing it!  Lovely slight hints of Stress Away make it up to your nose from your wrists or neck area.  Stress Away EO, can even be incorporated into your daily wellness routine!  Add a drop or two to your water or fruit or veggie juice and drink throughout the day and especially after after exercising.  

I personally enjoy using Stress Away to help keep me sane while in public when I know things may get a bit chaotic.  It really does calm me.  I just don't use it enough!!!  Like I wrote about in Stress No More, family time in public is much more enjoyable when I apply Stress Away!  My sister has even used Stress Away to help calm her legs and arms at night to help combat possible restless leg symptoms.  

The 5 ml and 15 ml bottles of Stress Away EO do not need to be diluted with a carrier oil prior to use unless the person has extremely sensitive skin.  Because it does not have to be diluted, a YL roller fitment can be placed directly on the bottle and you can start rolling Stress Away on right away!  Or if you prefer, YL does also sell a Stress Away Roll On which comes in a 10 ml bottle with a roller fitment!  Whichever you decide upon, keep your empty bottles.  Then you can refill them a bit and stash them in the car, within each purse, in your bathroom, at work, etc. so you are never too far from Stress Away when things start to escalate...   

What is your favorite way to use Stress Away Essential Oil?  Or in what situations have you found Stress Away to be helpful?

Interested in finding out how to get your hands on these Young Living Essential Oils?  Check out my Essential Oils and Monthly Promotions Pages!

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

FOOD! - GREEN SMOOTHIE #1!

Let's keep this short and sweet.  I'm interested in eating healthy and following a mostly vegan diet.  I don't have a lot of time in the mornings as I'm typically rushing around getting children ready for school and preparing for my day - whether it's going to the office, volunteering in one of my children's classrooms or going to the grocery alone!  So - I like to make protein shakes and smoothies to get me through my mornings on the go!  Last Monday, I posted an easy chocolate protein smoothie.  Today, I'm posting A Berry Green Smoothie!

A Berry Green Smoothie

In a 24 oz blender cup add the following:

10 oz bag of frozen organic berries

1 handful of walnuts

1 large Kale leaf, lightly torn and without the stem

1/2 to 1 cup of Almond Milk

Blend until smooth and enjoy!

The addition of leafy greens (spinach, chard, kale, etc) makes a smoothie "green".  Although the smoothie isn't always green in color and you don't even taste the greens!  What a great way to get those very important green leafy vegetables without having to choke down another salad!

I use a lot of Almond Milk these days, but any non-dairy milk would be an acceptable substitute, as would plain old water.  If you aren't concerned about keeping this smoothie vegan, you can add your favorite yogurt or regular milk.  And if everything doesn't seem to blend well enough the first time through, add another 1/4 cup of liquid and blend again.

Have more time of your hands and like buying in bulk?  Purchase your berries separately, wash them and freeze them and add as desired.  I like finding the bags of frozen organic fruits on sale and stocking up - especially when berries are out of season.  Super quick and easy!  The frozen fruit creates a thicker smoothie.  Fresh fruit can be used too, but you may want to add ice and less liquid if a thicker consistency is preferred.  

Feel free to add other fruits, nuts, cocoa powder or protein powder to switch this up!  But overall, this is a solid base for an easy green smoothie.  Enjoy!

Nature! - "You Can't Eat Meat and Call Yourself an Environmentalist"

Wow...  That was the quote that really resonated with me when I watched "Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret".  I love the environment!  I am a Registered Landscape Architect with a minor in Natural Resources and Environmental Management who works for an Environmental Consulting Firm!  Landscape Architects are known to be "stewards of the land".  How had I NEVER realized that animal agriculture was so extremely detrimental to our planet???   For the past 10 years I have been trying to save the environment by using native plants on projects and managing stormwater!  Those are both great, but they aren't going to offset the effects of animal agriculture...

If you have not seen the documentary on Netflix, please watch it.  The Cowspiracy website even has a digital copy that you can download for about $5 if you do not have access to Netflix.   If nothing else, it will get you thinking a bit more about the food choices that you make on a daily basis.  Review these statistics and the related sources of information.

Infographic obtained from http://www.cowspiracy.com/infographic

My family is making changes because I believe that it is the right thing to do for our environment.  My children love being in nature and exploring and are fascinated by all the creatures on the land, in the water and in the air!  I want to help preserve and protect the environment for my children and future generations!

Think about it!

Let's Learn! - Purification Essential Oil!

After the holidays and Christmas/Winter Break, once all the decorations are put away, I'm sure many people are feeling like their house needs a deep cleaning - like it needs to be purified!  I know I've been working on cleaning mine!  I'm ready to start the year off with a clean house and a renewed focus on the health and wellness of my family and myself!

Enter Purification Essential Oil, a trademarked Young Living Essential Oil blend known for it's cleansing properties.  It has a distinct sweet, refreshing scent which deodorizes and neutralizes the air!  Purification EO is made up of six (6) different single essential oils.

Single Essential Oils in Purification EO
Citronella (Cymbopogon nardus) oil - respiratory system & bug/insect repellent
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) leaf oil- immune system & mental clarity
Lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) oil - immune system & purifying
Tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) leaf oil - immune system & cleansing
Lavandin (Lavandula hybrida) oil - cardiovascular system & calming
Myrtle (Myrtus communis) oil - respiratory system & uplifting

In our house, we use Purification EO regularly!  I use it on the wool balls in our dryer to give our laundry that amazing fresh and clean scent - no more chemical laden dryer sheets!  When the children sound like they are hacking up a lung, I diffuse Purification EO in their rooms.  If I feel a blemish coming on, or even after I mess with a blemish, I dab some Purification EO on the spot.  It feels better quickly and begins looking better sooner too.   And for some of those tough smells - burnt food, stale air and wet, dirty kids (or pets is we had them), I use an air freshener with about 10 drops of Purification EO, 2 oz of water and 2 oz of witch hazel, or I diffuse Purification EO.  Goodbye stinkiness!  I'm thankful that this essential oil blend is available in a 15 ml bottle, because the 5 ml bottle that came in my Premium Starter Kit was gone in a flash!

How do you like to use Purification EO?  

(I've heard it's great for stinky gym/sports bags & shoes too!  I'm sure I'll be using that trick as my two active boys grow up!  I can't even imagine what I'm in for!)

Interested in finding out how to get your hands on these Young Living Essential Oils?  Check out my Essential Oils and Monthly Promotions Pages!

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Food! - Protein Shake #1!

It is the first full week of 2016!  The holidays are over.  The weekend is over.  Time to get serious again about maintaining a more healthy and sustainable diet!  Now I'm not talking about signing up for some fad diet.  I'm talking about diet in general - the food put into one's body.  Looking for a good place to start?  Start here.  Each week in January I will be posting one protein shake or green smoothie recipe.  Shakes and smoothies can be complicated or simple.  I'll stick to simple for now.  No need to overwhelm you right away!

Protein Shakes and Green Smoothies are a great way to get a lot of the necessary vitamins and minerals that your body needs without having to make a huge meal.  They are pretty quick (especially with some planning ahead) and extremely portable!  I like to vary my shakes and smoothies so that I'm not drinking the same thing every day for a week.  After I spent some time exploring hundreds of recipes, I mainly stick to ones that I know I will like and that are not very complex, or I'll just throw some random fruits and greens together on the fly.  As a mother of three young children, who tries to keep up a blog, work a part-time job at an environmental consulting firm and work at sharing my love for Young Living Essential Oils, I don't have time for complex!!!

Since watching "Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret", I have been minimizing the amount of meat, eggs & dairy we consume.  I also wanted to make sure that I was still eating what my body needs, so I happened across two vegan protein mixes at Sam's Club (Naturade Vegan Smart and Purely Inspired 100% Plant-Based Protein).  I was finding that many Protein mixes had Whey in them, which is a dairy product and therefore I wanted to stay away from Whey.  I was also looking to stay away from Soy, as I get plenty of soy in other parts of my plant-based diet.  To my surprise, both of these Protein mixes are Vegan as well as Soy and Gluten Free!  I regularly mix one of these up in the morning for my breakfast, especially if I'm hustling out the door to get kids to school and me to work or an appointment.  

The recipe that I'm posting uses the Purely Inspired 100% Plant-Based Protein - chocolate!!!  Chocolate and good for you???  Get out!  Below I'll show you just how easy and quick it is to make a protein shake using this protein powder mix and I'll also mention a couple easy ways to add some variety to shakes using Purely Inspired Chocolate Protein.

Before you get started, it is important to have a blender that can blend/puree ice and other frozen fruits and veggies as well as fresh greens (spinach, kale, chard, etc).  After reading too many reviews, checking out the items in person and thinking of how the blender will fit my lifestyle, I finally settled on The Nutri Ninja - Ninja Blender Duo with Auto iQ.  It's pretty awesome and fast, especially when I use the appropriate amount of liquid!  Do your research!  There are a lot out there at all different price ranges too!

Chocolate Protein Nutritional Shake Recipe - Basic
Use a  16 oz blender bottle/cup/container
Fill about 1/3 to 1/2 with ice cubes
1 scoop of the Chocolate Protein Powder
Add about 8 oz of Water or your favorite Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk (I use a lot of Almond Milk).
Mix/Blend on Blender until smooth.
Enjoy!

The Ice makes it thicker and keeps it colder longer.

Add-In Options
1 Chopped Banana (frozen or fresh)
Or
1/2 of the flesh of one Avocado
OR
1/4 Cup of Walnuts
OR
1 large Shredded Kale Leaf (Now it's a Green Smoothie!)
OR
Any Combination of the Add-In Options
OR
All of the above!

(I apologize for the video with the huge watermark!  I'm still learning!  I guess my videos need to be quite a bit less than 6 minutes in order to have a nice seamless transition from my phone to blog!)

What is your favorite Protein Shake Mix and Recipe???  I'd love to try some new blends in 2016!