Hey! I hope you’ve been having a happy fall so far! :)
First of all, I want to apologize for not posting in over a month! Really sorry about that! I’ve been SO sick this past month and had to make some HUGE changes in terms of my health. I wanted to share the little health journey that I’ve had with you. So, here it goes…
I’ll start by talking about my vegetarianism. I’ve been a lacto-ovo-vegetarian for 5-6 years now. I did go through a period where I was vegan for a few months, but didn’t feel well eating in that way. I’ve heard a lot of people do well being vegan, but my body didn’t like it so I went back to being a lacto-ovo. People always ask me why I’m a vegetarian. I always say it’s because of the gross factor; I get grossed out very easily and a dead animal on my plate doesn’t make me happy. I also feel really, really bad for the animals as well. :(
This past month, I caught an illness that only lasted for not quite one week. I got over that and was on my way back to feeling healthy again, when I got sick AGAIN! I did not leave my bedroom for 11 days!! It was sooo crazy! I’m the type whose always bouncing around doing a hundred things, so just sitting on my butt for that many days drove me absolutely insane! I finally felt well enough to leave the bedroom, but I was lethargic and felt like I was dragging. I mentally and physically didn’t feel like my normal self yet. Normally I’m always happy, bubbly, full of energy, and doing TONS of stuff!
My lethargic feeling persisted for a few days and it didn’t seem like it was ever going to go away. So, I ended up going to an amazing naturopath that my friends go to. She told me that I was anemic (or borderline anemic) and still had a virus inside me. She gave me powdered herbs to take that would knock the virus out of my system and then she gave me blood building herbs that would help with the anemia. I took my first dose of herbs and within a few hours I felt like a million bucks! It was just, WOW! Really cool stuff! I was so happy that I didn’t need to take an antibiotic. One was prescribed to me, but I just feel that putting something like that in your system isn’t good unless you really need to. Plus antibiotics come with a super sized side effect list! It’s scary stuff! Herbs have little to no side effects. I experienced not one side effect while taking the herbs. I’m so happy that I went the natural route!
So, I was told by the naturopath that I’m anemic (or borderline anemic) and other health practitioners have suspected that I was anemic before her. Anemia is basically when you have a deficiency of red blood cells or hemoglobin in your blood, which can result in making the body feel tired. I’ve experienced three fainting episodes within the last 20 months! Let’s just say that wasn’t fun! :P I think the anemia is what caused me to faint. My blood wasn’t as strong as it should have been, maybe because I wasn’t eating the right combination of vegetarian foods or maybe my body needed meat, I don’t know. But, I decided that I didn’t want to keep fainting, so I thought I’d introduce meat back into my diet. I’ve had meat on the brain lately and I know that my body needed it to be healthy and to counter the anemia. My friend Bella gave me the final nudge that I needed. After talking to her, I made my decision. It was a really tough decision to make, but I am no longer a vegetarian. I ate tuna yesterday and chicken today. It was really hard for me to do that but I know my body needed it. The tuna was easier to eat than the chicken. I didn’t feel as bad for the fish, but eating the chicken today…that was tough. Just because it’s a larger more intelligent animal I guess. But both the tuna and chicken I ate were humanely and sustainably raised, so that helped me get through it.
After eating my first dose of meat, I felt like I was back to my “Madison normal”! I had that spring in my step, my mood was super happy!, and I just felt SO good! My body definitely needed meat even though I didn’t want to eat it. So, the lesson I learned from this experience is…always listen to your body! Your body knows what’s best!
Note to vegetarian readers: I want any vegetarians reading this to know that I still totally support vegetarianism. :) It didn’t work out for me, but it works for a lot of people out there! Vegetarianism is great and I wish my body liked being vegetarian, but I knew I had to make that change.
I won’t be posting again until December because I’ll be prepping lots of holiday recipes, crafts, and more for all of you! ;)
Hey girls! :) Hope you’re all having an awesome Sunday.
I wanted to take a moment to share an interesting study tip with you. Since everyone is back to school, a lot of study action is going on as we prepare for tests. We’re all trying to cram in tons of information and sometimes it’s hard to remember it all.
You may not believe the study tip that I’m about to share with you. It’s pretty, well, wow! Drum roll please…
Lemon essential oil can amp up your test scores! That’s right. This essential oil is known to increase your memory and cognitive function. It’s also been proven to help with focus and concentration when studying. If you study while smelling lemon scent, you’ll most likely do better on those upcoming tests. Awesome, huh?!
Want to know the science behind this cool study trick? Researchers have found that memory power doubles when a past event is associated with a scent. I’m sure you’ve smelled a scent before that has brought back memories. Like when you smell pumpkin pie baking in the oven, you may be reminded of fall and past holidays.
Ready to try out this study trick? Here’s what you need to do:
- Smell lemon essential oil while you study for a test or during a class.
- Then, when you need to remember that information, smell that same lemon fragrance.
- Lemon essential oil is very strong and can cause burns if applied directly to skin undiluted. Eek, not good! :( So, I’d recommend adding a few drops of lemon oil to a spray bottle (filled with a little water) and shake it up. Then, spray a little bit of the diluted lemon oil on your sleeve or somewhere where you can easily smell it while in class or during a test.
- Another option, is simply putting a few drops of the essential oil on a tissue. Then, bring the tissue with and take a few whiffs during class.
- When you’re studying at home, try this out: Place a drop or two on a small unscented tea candle. Light the candle and let the lemon aroma burn into the air. Just be careful to keep your books and papers away from the flame!
If you’re interested in making lemon essential oil your new study buddy, you can find a bottle on Amazon for $6.43. Check it out here: http://www.amazon.com/Lemon-Essential-Undiluted-Therapeutic-Grade/dp/B005V4ZRNA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1379891400&sr=8-2&keywords=lemon+essential+oil
Photo Credit: www.flickr.com
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