What Good Feb '23
Contents:
Life Update - 13 year parent celebration
What’s Good for the Mind - Self Efficacy
What’s Good for the Body - Heart Health
What’s Good for the Skin - Hydration
Nutrition Corner - Propolis the new superfood you need.
Movements for the Month - Something new I though I’d try, give you a mini workout to do at home. - to be added shortly!
Life Update: At the beginning of the month we celebrated our eldest son’s 13th Birthday. And while it was a great time to honor who he is as a person, his growth and development into an older human, it’s also a big reminder in our accomplishments as parents. We have been parents for 13 years and that in itself is no easy feat. his birthday allowed us the opportunity to look back over the 13 years of trials and tribulations being a parent, being responsible for this tiny human that is coming into his own. These years have been some of the best of times but also, some of the worst. Like, no one has made me feel more enraged, joyful, disgusted, amazed, terror stricken, prideful, exhausted, lost, hopeless, beaming with life and no one has made me feel the love and mercy of god like when I am praying for the guidance to be my best for them. They have lead me to feel in so many new ways. I am forever greatful for the lessons I have learned with them and for them.
The truth is, nothing has taught me more about myself than how I engage with my children. How I would prioritize their needs over my own, how I can love unconditionally, how I can hold boundaries even when I have them challenged every step of the way… maybe somethings I am still learning 😆. My children are teachers for me, they teach me that I need to prioritize ME time (how if I don’t fill my own love tank, I have nothing to pour onto them with), how to express myself in loving, non-judging, understandable way. They teach em how to let go of my adult programing and just have fun again, the super silly fun that I used to always enjoy. They taught me how to hold my values (heck what even are my values), how to express why they are important to me and also compromise when a new idea/belief emerges. I am who I am because they allow me to be better, because I want to be better for them. A sick motivation but one that works for me cuz we all have our own dream we are following. They continue to teach me new and exciting ways to love myself, how to have patience, how to let go and how to just be lost in a moment together. I look forward to many more lessons to come as they continue to be the people they are meant to be. I am so lucky that I get to watch the process unfold.
enough about that… now onto the goodness.
GFT Mind - Self Efficacy
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GFT Mind - Self Efficacy 〰️
You know that feeling when you are about to go into a place you have never been before? Will you know anyone? What will it be like? What will I need to do? That place where you tip toe out of your comfort zone into a space of unknown.
How you do this, how it feels for you is your Self-Efficacy. Well okay, to get technical, self-efficacy “is a person's belief in their ability to complete a task or achieve a goal. It encompasses a person's confidence in themselves to control their behavior, exert an influence over their environment, and stay motivated in the pursuit of their goal. People can have self-efficacy in different situations and domains, such as school, work, relationships, and other important areas[s].'“
To me, it’s like your internal compass and guider for motivation. Some people think they are born with high confidence but I’m calling bullshit because I’ve learned that confidence is acquired thought our lived experiences. For example, before my son was born I had never changed a diaper. I was going into motherhood with lots of well wishes of encouragement (Social Persuasion) but I was the first of my family/friends to have children, I did not have Social Modeling to gauge my own abilities. What gave me the courage to become a mother was all my Mastery Experiences. Growing up I had faced many diverse challenges and achieved a nice level of success in my work so though I had no mastery in diaper changing, because I had been successful in areas (goals/skills) I knew I could rise to this parenting occasion.
So wherever you are on your self-efficacy scale (here is a test you can take to see how you are), you have the ability to improve. You have the power to grow and become a better, more confident version of yourself. Wanna know how? Check out my post where I explore this topic in more detail and provide some tools to get your efficacy operating more efficiently.
GFT Body: Heart Health
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GFT Body: Heart Health 〰️
February is American Heart Month, a reminder to put some intention into your physical heart (cardiovascular) Health. But I like to expand your awareness to also consider your heart center heath. If you’re unfamiliar with what that is then I encourage you to explore my recent post about all heart health. If you rather just focus on cardiovascular health, I’ve got you 👊
One of the quickest and easiest ways to see how our heart health is performing is by monitoring our pulse. The biggest factor that tends to correlate with increased motility is having a low HRV.
From the Cleveland Clinic “In general, low heart rate variability (HRV) is considered a sign of current or future health problems because it shows yousr body is less resilient and struggles to handle changing situations. It's also more common in people who have higher resting heart rates [s].“
What is HVR - Basically it’s how quickly or slowly your heart returns to normal after a physical exertion or stress episode. It tells you how fast your body adapts and when it’s ready to take on another exertion. A higher HRV is usually evidence that your body can adapt to many kinds of changes. People with high heart rate variability are usually less stressed and happier [s].
To get technical HVR is determined by the time between heart beats, known as RR intervals. It is literally the variance in time between the beats of your heart.
So assessing your HVR is a great first step to see how your physical heart health is opperating.
How can you measure your HVR:
Typically this is done in a medial setting using an electrocardiogram machine (EKG), but today more and more tech is being created that can give you real time HVR readings. If you have an apple watch or portable tracking device there is likly am option to track the measurement. The best device I found was developed by Whoop.
Anyway for me, right now (I have an apple watch), my HVR weekly average is 43ms, monthly 45ms.
To find yours (if you have an apple iphone) open the Health app
Tap the Browse tab in the bottom right corner
Choose Heart > Heart Rate Variability
At the top, you can change the HRV data view by day, week, month, half-year, and year
So knowing your HVR is a great step into improving your health because you now have a baseline, a starting point.
If you’d like to improve HVR, I recommend checking out Whoops 10 THINGS YOU CAN DO to improve HVR
A couple are obvious like Exercising & Train Appropriately, staying hydrated, avoiding alcohol but others are a little more nuanced like Getting Good Nutrition at the Right Times (has to do with circadian rhythms), having Natural Light Exposure, keeping a gratitude journaling and exposure to cold tempatures. Good info to read regardless especially if you want o get your HVR in a zone to promote longevity.
GFT Skin - Hydration
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GFT Skin - Hydration 〰️
Nothing new, hydration is key if you want your skin to stay supple, radiant and age appropriate. During these colder months it is especially important to keep those skin cells full of that liquid gold. But how? We don’t feel like drinking cold water, what else can we do to get more hydration? Get hydration from the inside out.
What I find most effective and efficient (biggest bang for your buck).
Vitamin D3. I hope we all know how much this essential, fat-soluble micronutrient is to our health. It’s involved in nearly every body system and function, including immune support,m bone health, muscle function and much more [s]. And I’m sure you know that our skin is a mediator for the formation of VitD but did you know that skin issues are also a tell-tale sign of a VitD deficiency? You do now. Yup, when you are low in Vit D, your skin will get dry. Without adequate levels you wont have the signaling to promoting the formation of the skin barrier. Fun Fact- Vitamin D3 is synthesized in the skin lasts twice as long as vitamin D ingested from the diet [s]. If you are wanting to add this supplement, consider 4,000- 5,000 IU of vitamin D3/day. My supplement of choice is This One. I’ll add several drops to my morning MugHug.
One randomized controlled trial published in the journal Nutrients found a relationship between VitD insufficency and dry skin. Researchers discovered that participants with lower vitamin D levels also had lower average skin moisture. "Our finding suggests a relationship between serum vitamin D3 levels and hydration of the stratum corneum (surface layer of your skin)[s]."
Magnesium Supplementation. First, this mineral is soooo essential for our health. Critically important to our bodies for energy production and the metabolism of carbohydrates, amino acids and fats. But also for stimulating relaxation pathways in the brain which help us transition into deep restorative sleep. It also plays a role in normal muscle function, helping your body recover from exertion.
As a mineral, an anion, it acts as an electrolyte. assisting the flow of compounds into and out of cells. It works with other electrically charged minerals like sodium and potassium to support proper hydration. That's why you'll often find it included in electrolyte drink mixes. There is some debate whether adding magnesium to drink mixes actually help support hydration, my thought is this. Roughly 2/3 of western citizens are deficient in magnesium so adding more can only help the body. There are many different forms of magnesium…. I actually just finished a very extensive breakdown of each form, the benefits each one does and which are most effective for restoring your bodies total magnesium levels here. Personally I take Magnesium Breakthrough because it contains a combination of 7 most effective forms. I also consume it with supplement mixes which…. next topic
I flavor my water with either fruit or supplement drinks. Okay, if you need to drink more water, there is no easier way then to make the water yummy tasting and beneficial for your health. The ultimate win-win. My favorite drinks;
Fresh Lemon - aids in detoxification and water retention.
Arbonne Energy Fizz - currently using it as my prework out beverage of choice cuz i have those 6am classes. It offers some mental clarity too so, yeah I need that when I’m cuing form and sharing motivation much as I do.
Herbal Teas - This counts towards your total water consumption. And without the caffenated diuretic effects that are found in normal teas like black, green tea or coffee. I love to make combinations like peperment and lavendar or detox blends with stress relieving blends. My current go to CleanTox tea with Honey Lavender Stress Relief.
Immunity Blend - This is a combination of Chaga Adaptogens which benefit our immune system and a hydration blend that when combined taste just like iced tea. Steve created it and I have been loving ever since. I combine in a 32oz Yeti or water bottle 1 packet Chaga Mushroom Elixir and 1 packet TrueSport Hydration. Sometimes I’ll add a MindHealth for an even tastier sip.
Electrolyte Support - I’ve tried several different brands recently and while some may taste better than others, some perform better than others. What to look for is low sugar and a optimal balance of sodium and potassium . One’s that are worth a sip - Pink Joyful Hydration (I like the pineapple flavor) its 280mg sodium 200mg potassium. IQ Mix - this one also has 500mg sodium 380 potassium 750mg magnesium and 250mg lions mane extract for brain/cognition. But the absolute best one for our body is LMNT- their formulation has 1000mg sodium, 200mg potassium and 60mg magnesium.
Sleep with a humidifier next to your bed. Heating a house causes a lot of dry air. Dry air leads to runny noses and dry skin. By adding hydration to your air, your body can absorb the added moisture and allow your skin to be my hydrated naturally. Here’s a nice article that did an in-depth study on different humidifiers and which is best for your skin hydration, it was cool.
Eat foods rich in collagen and omega-3’s. Collagen to help our skin cells hold the water and allows for skin to grow/regenerate effectively. The best way is by drinking bone broth (which is naturally high in collagen protein and good fat. Plus its soothing to drink. Omega-3’s which are a wonderfully good fat not only for your skin but also your brain (which i covered in this blog post). These fats are a crucial part of your skin's lipid content and help improve its barrier function, which, when working properly, acts like a seal that keeps moisture intact and irritants out.
> Fun fact, eating eggs, citrus fruits and garlic can boost collagen synthesis in the body.
Use clean and effective skincare products. Lathering on moisturizers that only sit on the skins surface or that contain harmful endocrine disrupting factors is no way to nourish and support healthy glowing skin. For a complete breakdown of what you don’t want in your skincare, check out this past post or also this one where I dive deep. Currently I have added some new skincare products (serum and moisturizer), as well as I am still using my beloved Arbonne AgeWell, and my skin hasn’t been softer! Maybe its my added organ meat supplements, maybe its my mineral status returning to optimal levels or maybe its my skincare products… who know’s I’m loving it.
Nutrition Corner
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Nutrition Corner 〰️
Seems like I’ve shared a lot of nutrition already but this is something I’ve recently engulfed myself into and wow, its incredible I wish I knew more about it sooner.
Propolis. aka Bee Propolis. aka Bee Glue. Boy is this stuff incredible! Basically the bee’s make this stuff to help keep the hive clean and safe for their growing bee babies. It can mummify any intruder, it disinfects bee’s feet upon entering and it provides structure to the hive keeping it safe from environmental factors like heat, wind and rain.
But when humans consume it, Propolis has proven to have antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, anesthetic, and healing properties!! Propolis has been effectively used in treatment of dermatological, laryngological, and gynecological problems, autoimmune disease, neurodegenerative diseases, in wound healing, and in treatment of open wounds, burns and ulcers. So yeah, seems like basically anything and everything could be treated with propolis. MMMMM, maybe that’s why my skin has been so soft, I’ve been taking the propolis spray every day for 2 weeks now. #couldnthurt
I sure am thankful for the bee’s for making this wonderful gift for us to utilize. They are really fantastic creatures when you think about it. Making honey, pollinating our plants, giving us this miracle of healing… gotta do what we can to save these little loves.
Which brings me to a short little section
GFT Planet - Save the Bee's
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GFT Planet - Save the Bee's 〰️
I’m no bee expert but I am a planet lover. When I shop I choose foods and goods that promote a more ecology friendly environment. That’s means I choose foods that have not been grown with pesticides (which are harmful to bees). “Synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, and neonicotinoids are harmful to bees, wreaking havoc on their sensitive systems[s].”
That’s just one thing to do, The Bee Conservancy, a non-profit founded in 2009 in response to the news that bees across the globe were in crisis. Has a list of “10 Ways to Save the Bees” you can check out to help give some love to these little wonders. The Convervancy is working to protect all bees, securing environmental and food justice through education, research, habitat creation, and advocacy.
Some Fun Bee Facts:
Bees pollinate one-third of the food we eat.
Honeybees play a huge role in agriculture, contributing over $15 billion to the value of US crop production.
Compared to 1947, the U.S. honeybee population has declined by 60%.
There are 5 Primary Threats to Pollinators: Habitat Loss, Climate Change, Chemical Pesticides, Invasive Species, and Diseases and Parasites.
To find out more how you can help the Bee’s I encourage you to visit https://thebeeconservancy.org/