feeling ever so boastful
this image was taken by my daughters friend Maddie, they did an in the woods shoot pretending to be wolves. this capture is obviously not one of the wolf shots, it’s totally my daughter
as beautiful as ever.
she is a BFA Acting Major.
LOVING her studies, loving her world as she discovers it.
she said I could share …
taken by maddie
Moms do it all don’t they?
They work, they cook, they clean, they juggle, they shuttle, they worry.
It shows up in stress which takes it’s toll on the body, and it’s now showing up more than ever before.
Moms are tired, maxed out, they can’t sleep, they are overweight.
Woman according to a 2008 survey by the American Pysycholigical Association, are more affected by stress than men. Unhealthy behaviors like comfort eating, poor food choices, smoking and inactivity now shows up in their physical health. Stressed woman are at risk for serious health concerns down the road
The stress response, also known as flight or flight is a very automatic function of the nervous system. It’s one thing to have it kick in and give you the ability to run like heck when you need it. Yet if the response becomes chronic it can really goof up our hormonal and physical chemistry. This can show up in your heart rate, your blood pressure and your blood sugar. It can actually effect major systems of the body like the immune system, the digestive system, and our reproductive and growth processes.
Normally the stress response is self regulating. Example: a child gets lost – we go into a full alert panic as we try to find him or her, yet once we find resolve ( and the child ) our bodies become calm again. Balance.
However nowadays everything has become full alert, the body never gets a chance to chill out – it never gets to recharge.
Which are the areas of the body that feel it most?
Digestion - when digestion shuts down it manifests itself physically; a stomach ache, diarrhea, or constipation – if you are stressed and shutting down digestion due to fight or flight responses you are creating a chronic concern. Our digestive system was not meant to be in constant stress. Woman experience Irritable Bowel Syndrome 3 times more than men
Immune Response – suppressed immunity occurs after repeated call to action. The immune system is a very complex balancing act, when it’s in full working order it’s pretty darn miraculous. Yet our full and rigorous lives have us increasing our immunity risk not only to infections but to more serious disorders. Auto-immune diseases are more prevalant in woman.
Cardiovascular Health - if you are constantly stressed you actually raise your heart rate altering your personal chemistry – this chronic acceleration increases risk for heart attack and stroke. Constant fight or flight response can cause an overproduction of cortisol and may have you feeling anxious and depressed
Nervous System - brain cells lose their ability to function and structure when stressed. This shows up in memory function. I thought my classic where is my car parked syndrome was a function of getting older!
Sleep Deprivation – chronic stress and anxiety contributes to sleepless nights, while normally this was thought to be a new mom syndrome, it is now is found in all stages of their lives – woman aren’t getting enough sleep more than ever before. Woman tend to have more insomnia than men. Sleep is what recharges the cortisol connection.
Obesity – the collection of central obesity or the accumulation of abdominal fat is seemingly a direct corrulation to the levels of cortisol in the body, this apple type body shape increases the risk of heart disease dramatically.
SIX Ways to Manage MOM Stress
Being a single mom of two has had it’s moments, however parenting by far has been the most rewarding thing I have ever done. Some of my very roughest times were managed simply by taking care of me first, being a better me – created me as a much better mom
ONE - Identify the stressors, we can not fix what we haven’t identified. Strive to find solutions. Be determined. Besides creating less stress, strident problem solving is a great example for our families
TWO – Schedule personal relaxation times – simply pausing several times a day to breathe, collect and organize your thoughts can recharge even the busiests of moms. Additionally actually scheduling something, anything outside the home regularly can provide just the right relief valve, don’t have the money? A walk with a friend is free. Just do it.
THREE – Eat right. We all know this. I have personally had success with being mindful, eating a variety of foods, and not buying the junk- if it’s around – I’ll eat it!
FOUR – When is bed time? We establish that routine for our kids perhaps it would benefit us as moms too. If our child doesn’t get their nap are they cranky? fatigued? Why would we think anything less for us as moms – go to bed!
FIVE – Movement stimulates all the systems of the body. 10 minutes each and every day is better than nothing. Start with 10 minutes of anything after a big glass of water each and every day and see what a difference that makes for you
SIX – Oh my goodness — Take your vitamins!! Nutritional gaps are inevitable, a really good multi-vitamin is a great start, yet often we need more. Not sure what you need ? I’d love to help.
Choose high quality nutritional supplements that can assist your stress free path.
Below are some specific and targeted solutions:
Let’s not forget that a sense of humor goes a long way too!
Below are a three chemicals typically found in main stream personal care products. I want none of these in the lotions potions I apply to my body. What alarms me most is the fact that kids and baby products are completely loaded with this stuff.
Let me know if having all three of these in one post is too much information OK ?
Last year I posted each one seperately.
When you make a cake from scratch the ingredients are sitting on your counter. You know what everything is, where it came from. When you make a cake from a box it might be easier. I mean you just open and pour. Gosh, add an egg and call it cake. But what are all those very long words listed on the box. Shouldn’t a cake just be ingredients and not chemicals?
Chemicals in personal care products can burn the skin, cause liver damage, be considered explosive, or pickle me. See more specific information below:
Phenol is an extremely caustic chemical that burns the skin. Absorption of phenol through the lungs or skin can cause: central nervous system damage, pneumonia, respiratory tract infection, heart-rate irregularities, skin irritation, kidney and liver damage, numbness, vomiting, and can be fatal
Phenol is a very common chemical and is regularly found in the following common products: air fresheners, aftershave, bronchial mists, chloroseptic throat spray, deodorants, feminine powders & sprays, hair spray, decongestants, mouthwash, aspirin, solvents, acne medications, antiseptics, calamine lotions, cleaning products, detergents, furniture polish, hair setting lotions, lice shampoo, polishes, cold capsules, all-purpose cleaners, aerosol disinfectants, anti-itching lotions , carnex , cosmetics, disinfectant cleaners, hand lotions, lip balms, sunscreen and lotions, insecticides, cough syrups, just to name a few…
above sourced from Toxic Household Chemical Facts And Statistics
Product label misrepresentation occurs every day. Here is another example. This was sent to me via an email last fall:
Seventh Generation, Method, and other leading personal care and cleaning brands may soon face lawsuits if they do not strike the word “organic” from their labels and marketing efforts by September 1, according to the Organic Consumers Association, which found a carcinogenic ingredient in many products.
The OCA analyzed over 100 organic cosmetic, personal care, and household cleaning products and found that almost 50% of them have detectable levels of 1,4-dioxane, an ingredient known to cause cancer in lab animals, . None of the manufacturers disclose this information on their labels, even though some had levels 1,000 times what is deemed acceptable.
Note: OCA is a non-profit consumer advocacy group, not a government agency.
What is 1,4 -dioxane anywho? It’s a surfactant and sudsing agent used in all kinds of products. It’s an ether. When it’s distilled and concentrated it becomes explosive. It’s known in addition to being carcinogenic, to irritate the eyes and respiratory tract, cause damage to the central nervous system, liver and kidneys, workers exposure to it – accidental and all – has resulted in death.
gee workers working with it die — lovely.
BEST part, ready for this?? 1,4-Dioxane, like any solvent, contaminates ground water supplies and is resistant to the naturally occurring biodegradation process!
How is this ingrediant even viable in a product labeled “GREEN” or something good for the environment?
Seventh Generation posts it’s response to the labeling issue here
It’s one thing to dispute labeling between organic and natural.
My issue with ANY of these companies is them having toxic ingrediants in their products at all.
At any level, safe levels of toxins means diddly squat to me.
Toxins are toxins. There should be no toxins.
I certainly can’t run around saying that Method or Seventh Generation products are toxic, but if an ingredient like 1,4-dioxane is in their stuff it makes me really happy that I don’t advocate or purchase anything by these two companies.
In my mind I also now question that these products are truly biodegradable.
Isn’t that part of the whole point of green in the first place?
I remember I use to buy a particular laundry powder that said it was phosphate free, I later heard it had safe levels of phosphates or negligable amounts and I thought how can a label say free of phosphates if it isn’t??
That’s just plain misleading.
Boy am I glad I use this laundry product line instead. You can too!
let it be forest green, green green flickr image credit
Formaldehyde is a highly toxic substance. It is a known cancer-causing agent. It damages the neurological connectors in the body. It is an irritant to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs and may cause: skin reactions, ear infections, headaches , depression, asthma, joint pain, dizziness, mental confusion, nausea, disorientation , phlebitis , fatigue, vomiting, sleep disturbances, laryngitis
One in five people are sensitive to formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is commonly found in: drugs, mouthwash, hairspray, cosmetics, cleaning products , perfumes , waxes, hair setting lotions, shampoo, air fresheners, fungicides, fingernail polish, floor polishes, dry cleaning solvents, toothpaste, laundry spray starch, Anti-perspirants, just to name a few…
Due to the increase in toxic buildup in our bodies, including the toxic buildup of formaldehyde, dead bodies are not decomposing as fast as they used to. Bodies now start to decompose within 7 to 10 days after death. During the Vietnam War, Vietnamese bodies started to decompose within 24 to 48 hours. However, Americans didn’t start to decompose for 4 to 5 days. Twice as much formaldehyde was needed to embalm a person 20 years ago compared to today.
How many of these names would you have recognized as formaldehyde? Formalin, Methanal, Methyl Aldehyde, Methylene Oxide, Oxymethylene, Bfv*, Fannoform*, Formol*, Fyde*, Karsan*, Methaldehyde, Formalith*, Methylene Glycol, Ivalon*, Oxomethane, Formalin 40, Formalin, Formic Aldehyde, Hoch, Paraform, Lysoform*, Morbocid, Trioxane, Polyoxmethylene,
* denotes trade name
Warning labels on containers refer only to toxic hazards from ingestion; however, only 10% of health problems from chemicals are caused by ingestion. 90% are caused by the inhalation of vapors and absorption of particles.
above sourced from Toxic Household Chemical Facts And Statistics
no more tears flickr image credi
Whats a MOM to do? You can choose personal care products that are NOT harmful to your children
Always Safe, Always Gentle, Always Healthy
Watch this delightful video to learn more
