I have always had weakness for TV, but recently it had got out of hand. I had really gotten into a show on Netflix, and I seriously thought about it all the time. It was beginning to get in the way of my daily responsibilities including my parenting. Trinity my daughter was starting to think that television was a norm, and was starting to ask for the TV to be on all the time, even when she was doing something else. I knew that I shouldn't be watching so much TV, but it had truly become an addiction. God had started to speak to my heart about the matter through many different things, (including a movie). I wanted to stop, but I didn't
want to at the same time. Finally A teacher at my Church spoke on cutting things out of our lives that hinders us, I knew what I had to do. I gave it up. I asked for forgiveness from the hours and hours wasted in front of the TV, and said I wouldn't do it anymore. Amazingly God took care of the rest, I literally have not felt the need to watch any TV at all, and do you know what, I have gotten so much done! Not to mention I am eating better (and less) because I'm not feeling the need to eat in front of the TV. It is crazy how we can let our lives slip by so easily because we are living a fantasy through a show. I know that TV isn't every bodies weakness, for some it's the internet, others it's reading, etc, but anything that is keeping us from living our lives is an addiction.
On to my next topic, ALLERGIES! I don't know what's up, but I feel like I have them year round now, they just don't seem to go away! Itchy eyes, mucus in my throat, stuffy noise, all the time! I have been discovering somethings that have been helping me though, Lavender oil, Nettle Tea, and the Neti pot. First the lavender seems to help my eyes a lot. I rub a little bit under my eyes when they are agitated, and it really seems to help. I heard that for girls who wear mascara, if you put one drop of lavender in it, it can ease itchiness. I don't really wear make up so I haven't tried it out myself, but it makes sense. Here is my link to the Young Living website in case you want to get the oils too! Join My Young Living Essential Oil Team! I
started out with the Premium Starter Kit ($150) Which in my opinion is
by far the best thing to start with.
The Stinging Nettle if good too, it seemed to help lighten my mucus build up. (YUCK) Also the Neti Pot is one of my favorites, If you don't know what it is, I will post the video at the bottom that I did a while back. I hope you enjoyed this blog, share your feedback, and let me know if any of this is helpful. I post a blog every Monday, so make sure you start following me so you can read more!
So this week I had a gallbladder attack. You see I have a problem with gallbladder stones, it is genetic, my Father has the same problem. Mine started when I was pregnant with my daughter Trinity, I was half way through my second trimester when I had my first one, it was at night(all of mine have been at night) and I totally thought I was in early labor. That was the first of a couple of weeks worth of pain until I talked to my Midwife about it and she recognized it for what it was. So she told me the only thing I could do was change my diet because they don't like to do surgery when your pregnant, so went on a gallbladder diet. If you don't know what it is here is the basics of what you can and cannot eat.
Table: Gallbladder Diet
Foods to Eat
Foods to Avoid
Apple
Garlic
Alcohol
Grapefruit
Apricots
Grapes
Artificial Sweeteners
Gluten
Avocados
Guavas
Black Tea
High-Fat milk
Artichokes
Lemons
Cauliflower
Hydrogenated Oils
Beats
Melons
Cabbages
Legumes
Berries
Okra
Coffee
Onion
Broccoli
Papaya
Chili
Oranges
Carrots
Pears
Corn Nuts
Pork
Celery
Prunes
Chocolate Ice-cream
Sodas
Coconuts
Shallots
Eggs
Soft Drinks
Cucumbers
Sweet Potatoes
Fowl
White Flour
Currants
Swiss Chard
Dandelion Greens
Tomatoes
As you can see this shuts down a lot of my food options, and it wasn't easy, but I was willing to do it for my heath and the health of my child. It was super hard at first, but as I got into it my body started craving the foods I was eating. It liked what I was eating, and amazingly my Midwife said that my iron levels where higher than before even though I wasn't consuming any meat. I seemed to be getting enough protein, so it was all good. After I had Trinity my gallbladder issues seemed to disappear, but because I was already on a roll I continued to stay on my diet except for adding a little eggs and cheese. This lasted for months until we got low on money and I started eating the food that was available. I still wasn't eating poorly, it just wasn't gallbladder friendly. I didn't have a gallbladder attack since I was pregnant until the other day. How it happened was Noah (my better half) and I went to his Sister's surprise party, there was lots of food, but none of it was gallbladder safe. Well I was hungry so I ate a lot. The next day we were invited to go to Golden Corral, (which none of the food there can be considered healthy) but I though it would be okay since we hadn't gone in forever. After that we went to my In-laws and for dinner they had bought Chinese and Pizza, a family tradition, how could I say no to that? Well long story short I laid down for bed that night and started having a horrible couple hour long attack. Now I have to go back on my diet, and get whipped back into shape. Someone asked me why I didn't just get it removed so I wouldn't have to worry about it all the time, well I will tell you. I like to listen to my body. I don't always do a good job at it(hence having an attack in the first place) but if your body is telling you that it is not happy with your eating choices, why would you cut it out so that it can't tell you anymore? The gallbladder has a job filtering out all of the junk in your food, and giving you bile so you can digest, I need that. Instead of ignoring the problem I have chosen to face it head on and make it a life style. My body feels happier that way anyways. One thing I have learned recently as I study and learn about my oils is that the citrus Young living Essential oils are very good as easing the pain of gallstones. Here is my link to the Young Living website in case you want to get the oils too! Join My Young Living Essential Oil Team! I
started out with the Premium Starter Kit ($150) Which in my opinion is
by far the best thing to start with. I love their other products, but I
have been focusing more on their oils, for now.If you enjoy reading my blog I post every Monday.
So this past week has been little difficult for me, I have been tired every morning and wanting to clean everything at 9:00pm. My schedule has been messed up because the love of my life has been wanting to stay up and watch movies late into the night after the toddler is asleep, so it has completely messed up my sleeping cycle, and I am paying for it. I can feel my energy slipping away with my restless nights, aching muscles, and to make it worse it has been rainy and cloudy non-stop for over a week! YUCK!
It's not a very nice start to trying to lose the 13 pounds that I have gained over the last few months as my toddler tries to make up her mind if she wants to ween or not. Either way it has been an icky week, but thank God for second chances! I have found that instead of beating myself up for motivation, there is a better way of doing things. Forgive yourself. Seriously, there is no point in wallowing in self pity and guilt over eating poorly or being lazy when that is bad for your health and will just keep you down even longer! An other thing is to start back slowly, for example if it has been a week since working out don't just jump into it like before, take a couple days to ease into it. It's better on your body and it's better for you. Don't feel like you need to be all in or all out. That was a lesson that I was thankful to learn. I have also learned that Yerba Mate tea is an amazing energy boosting tea that well help get you on your feet. It has caffeine in it so it can take the place of coffee, and I find it much more efficient for keeping me going without a major crash. It's a wonderful tea because it gives you that boost while giving your body nutrition, that you don't get a lot of from coffee. I also don't feel the need for sugar or cream when I drink it, I like the mild flavor and I enjoy becoming familiar with it. It also can be used as a sex tonic if you have a problem in that department, so as you can now see it is a much better alternative to coffee. I have been skin brushing for a while now off and on, but on the mornings that it feels almost impossible to get your self out of bed, skin brush! It will get your blood flowing, and look at it as if you were brushing the foggy feeling off, it's great! Then there is one of my favorites, peppermint oil! It is so refreshing, all I have to do is defuse it or just breath it in out of the bottle. When I have a headache sometimes it can ease the pain by rubbing it on over the areas that hurt. I will post my link to the Young Living website in case you want to get the oils too! Join My Young Living Essential Oil Team! I
started out with the Premium Starter Kit ($150)
Which in my opinion is
by far the best thing to start with. I love their other products, but I
have been focusing more on their oils, for now.
I love being healthy, by eating right, exercising, drinking tea, using essential oils, skin brushing, oil pulling, using the neti pot, cloth diapering, etc! One thing that is not easy though is doing it EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Sometimes I get on a roll and I'm doing great, feeling fantastic, and looking forward to each new task! Then there are the other days, where I sleep in, don't feel liking eating healthy, don't want to work out, don't have the energy to chase my toddler around, much less skin brush or rebound. When I don't do it though, it sends me on a downward spiraling hill that is hard to get back up from, so how do we keep from going there in the first place? I think that it is different for everyone, but for me it just takes the right motivation. I am new too the world of Essential Oils, but I have found that it is the best motivation that I have found yet in this world when it comes to living healthy. Of course wanting to feel great and lose weight is a pretty good one too, but some days I could just care less about either one. Sometimes being kinda zombie like in front of the TV is what I think I want, but it isn't what I want or need for my long term over all health and well being. Plus I find when I feel that way, my time with God lacks a lot because my brain is so foggy I can't think about anything to pray about, let alone hear his voice. I have recently become an Independent Distributor of Young Living Essentials, and I am telling you, it's amazing! Now I am not saying that it has cured all of my problems, because it hasn't, but it sure is helping me stay more consistent. All I have to do is defuse my favorite oil too give me a boost, or rub some peace and calming on my neck too relax.On this blog I am going to be sharing my everyday experiences and testimonies with my essential oils, and with everything else that has to do with my crunchy side of life. I hope you will be joining me on this weekly adventure! I will be posting every Monday, and since this blog is more focused on essential oils, I will post my link to the Young Living website in case you want to get the oils too! Join My Young Living Essential Oil Team! I started out with the Premium Starter Kit ($150) Which in my opinion is by far the best thing to start with. I love their other products, but I have been focusing more on their oils, for now.
