Sunday, December 4, 2011
New Health Changes
This post starts with a few things I learned in college: 1) your biggest digestive organ is not your stomach, it is your skin 2) there are more bacterial cells than skin cells on your body. These are both huge statements, if you really let them sink in. This means what you put on your body is really important to your health. In the US, the only products that are required by law to list all of their ingredients are food. If there is something harmful in lotions, soaps, shampoos, etc, you would never know. They may only list the happy, good ingredients and simply forget the bad ones. After all, they are doing you a favor by telling you some of the ingredients; they are not required to divulge them. It works to their benefit to mention and advertise the ingredients that you want and will help sell the product and then choose to not talk about the other ingredients.
Which brings me to my latest health change. I will soon be starting a new hygiene protocol. I decided to take it slow and observe results before I jump with both feet.
a) I will be starting a loofah scrub instead of soap 6 out of 7 days a week. I am taking a shower, however, I am not using soap. Soap may contain all sorts of oils and alcohols to help reduce/eliminate odor and kill bacteria. Remember most of the bacteria on your skin is good for you. Your skin bacteria are literally your first line of defense against invaders. If you kill them off with your soap, then bad bacteria can enter your body freely. Also, anything your body does not need for nutrients, it will then have to get rid of through feces, waste products, sweat, and oil (all of which are at least slightly annoying).
I'm not saying there is something dangerous in the average soap bar, I am only saying there is something unnecessary in soap and I do not know what it is! This method will eliminate any odd things in soap and allow nature to get rid of what it will and I will still smell so fresh and so clean!
I believe in a knowledgeable and empowered populous/status quo/people. I believe in all those in power, be they governments, or companies with lots of money, sharing with the public everything possible that the public could ever wonder or want to know. I believe in a populous that questions every detail about the status quo. An ever-changing, adapting, growing, improving status quo and population.
b) I will be eliminating all aluminum deodorants (though I only use Burt's Bees deodorant) and instead use a block of sea salt. It makes sense. Think back, to the olden times. We used to bathe in the ocean and rivers and lakes. We had no soap or deodorant (our bodies have not adapted to these new chemicals). Salt may in fact be good for cleaning. It apparently kills bacteria. On this I am torn. As I said before, I know there are many good, necessary bacteria, and I do not wish to kill them. This is an experiment. I will note the results and make a healthy decision from there. If I do nothing, I will never know. Maybe a few dead good bacteria is better than many poisoned skin cells and bacteria from deodorant.
c) When I do need soap, I will use tea tree soap.
d) Occassionally, when I do not smell, I may choose to go without a shower. We did not used to take daily showers. As long as I do not smell, no one will notice or care. Also, being able to take a shower is a luxury and many of us forget this. There are people all around the world who do not bathe often. In addition, we need to cut back on our water usage in order to have clean, healthy water for all eternity.
e) I will not use shampoo. Instead I will use apple cider vinegar and baking soda. Eventually, if I think it is wise, I may eliminate "shampooing" altogether. I will still wash my hair, just without the "soap." This all depends on the amount and odor of my hair without these soaps.
Apparently Apple Cider Vinegar is good against heartburn, and diabetes, and obesity! Does it work through my hair, too? According to webmd, vinegar has acetic acid, other acids, vitamins, mineral salts, and amino acids. While vinegar is a disinfectant, it doesn't kill as many germs as common cleaners. And while vinegar does seem to help with jelly fish stings -- an old folk remedy -- hot water works better. It has also been shown in studies to treat high cholesterol, blood pressure, heart health, cancer, weight loss. Apple cider vinegar should always be diluted with water or juice before swallowed. Pure apple cider vinegar could damage the tooth enamel and the tissues in your throat and mouth. I do not know what is in baking soda! I will look it up shortly.
Supplements are not regulated by the FDA!! They aren't routinely tested for effectiveness or even basic safety. A 2005 study found that some supplements listed ingredients which did not reflect the actual ingredients.
These are a lot of changes, so you ask, why in the world am I doing this. 1) Well it will save me money. I will be consuming less and less often. I will have less to buy. 2) It may be (I'm betting it will be) healthier for me. 3) It will be healthier for the earth. I know this is a fact because I know the harm soap and phosphates cause our water habitats. In short, too much phosphates and nitrates from soap, shampoo, fertilizers, dish-washing soap, clothes detergent, etc cause too much algae to grow and then cause fish to die. If you want more detail, let me know. But this is the concise explanation. If you did not already know, these are 3 of my favorite reasons to quit doing something.
What I have always done and will always do for my body and the earth's health. Obviously I already take quick, minimal water showers. Hardly ever!! use plastic bags at the grocery store. I try not to and I remember when I do. The few that make it to my house are always reused in some way. I may take them back to the grocers and use them to carry my purchases again. I may package and organize with them. I may pack a lunch in them. Then after being reused, they are recycled. I take them back to an amazing HEB (not Walmart b.c they won't do it!) and place them in a bin to be recycled by the plastic bag company. I do not wear makeup. On the special occasion when I do, I only use burt's bees. Think of your face, it is the most fragile skin anywhere on your body. It is also the skin closest to your vital organs: lungs, brain, heart, immune system, and nervous system. It is also very porous. We should only put good things on it. I am a vegetarian (see previous posts as to why and how). I make conscious choices throughout my life and about everything! I buy locally and organic when I can. I know what is under my kitchen sink. I eat lots of fruits and vegetables.
Let me know if you ever have any health suggestions that I should try. I love new healthy ideas!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Painted Clothes
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Model Motto
You may have noticed that my models are everyday girls, not drop-dead-gorgeous, fake, unhealthy models. There are many reasons for this.
I want to change the demographic and perspective of beauty. Every woman is inherently beautiful. We all need to remember our beauty that we were born with. We were born perfect, with all of the skills and talents that we would need in this life. In this regard, I feel that as a society, we need to respect our beauty and recognize it in all of its forms. A friend of mine reminded me the other day that women come in all shapes, forms, and sizes. You may fit into the same size pants, but you have an entirely different build. We are made diverse, to have variety in our beauty.
I want to make a statement that our society is perpetuating a lie. Our ideal model or idol is not realistic. She is too small, her curves too large, and she does not portray the majority of the audience. Often the models are not healthy and have taken large measures to maintain their unnatural figure. Also, they are covered in makeup and photo-shopped until they do not appear as they did before. This teaches our children to aim to be something that is not achievable; to desire something that is an extreme. It teaches a negative self-esteem, jealousy, disrespect for the beauty of your peers, self-hate, and comparing yourself to others (when you should compete only with yourself and your abilities). This lie will only continue unless we all make an effort to change our perspective and that of others.
A few examples: A friend of mine is a photographer for model portfolios and he only takes pictures for women who are a healthy size; a friend of mine who previously had a low self-esteem has changed her inner perspective and has auditioned to be a model; these are small examples of how we can change the world.
I see my friends as beautiful, and as a friend, it is part of my job to tell my friends they are beautiful and recognize their beauty. I have found that most of my friends would love to model my clothes for me. It is a boost of confidence, and feels pretty.
I usually create pieces that are fitted for the average size girl. The reason for this is obvious, I am aiming at the largest target audience. If I made tiny clothes, no one would fit into them, and I would require many more custom orders.
Imagine a world in which the children see themselves as beautiful. Imagine if we saw beauty as achievable and healthy. Imagine if we took care of our bodies: nurtured and loved them, exercised, relaxed, and ate to nourish our bodies. Imagine if we dressed ourselves as if we were beautiful and everyone sees us as such. Imagine if our children had high self-esteem. What if they loved themselves, just as they were? What if they were not jealous of others who might appear “more beautiful,” and instead were able to look past this prejudice and be friends and encourage each other? What if instead of insulting each other’s appearance, we raised each other up?
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Coastal Bend Fashion Showcase
If you are in the Coastal Bend Area, you should come out and see The Coastal Bend Fashion Showcase! It will feature 12 local boutiques; as opposed to chains. It will be a full runway! It is on January 23rd, at 12-6pm at the American Bank Center. The tickets are $10 at the door. You can buy them at any of the featured boutiques for $6 if bought early.
See
http://www.kulone.com/ALL/Event/1429234-1st-Annual-Coastal-Bend-Fashion-Showcase
See
http://www.kulone.com/ALL/Event/1429234-1st-Annual-Coastal-Bend-Fashion-Showcase
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