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Category Archives: Women’s Health
Aromatherapy for Balancing Hormones, Part 2
Boy, am I long-winded. I am still trying to address a question from one of my readers, K.L., about how to use aromatherapy to balance hormones. Last time, I talked about all the different ways to apply essential oils – both topically and internally – and today, I want to talk a little bit about what I would suggest for her specific issue of balancing hormones. For the sake of convenience, let me re-paste her question: Do you…have any information on essential oils and hormones? Specifically, I am wanting to know the best way to use them. Topically? Internally? Strictly … Continue reading
Posted in Aromatherapy, Women's Health
Tagged aromatherapy, clary sage essential oil, essential oils, geranium essential oil, hormonal balance, hormonal balancing, hormone balance, marjoram essential oil, origanum majorana, Pelargonium graveolens, salvia sclarea, vitex, vitex essential oil
3 Comments
I’ve Committed the Cardinal Sin of Blogging…
…that is to say, I’ve stopped blogging for a while. 3 weeks, I think, to be exact. I don’t really have a good excuse. I’ve written before that I have a new job, and while that is true, and while it IS busy, I’ve also found myself preferring to play Sims Freeplay on my iPad than blog. I’m not sure why I like to waste time (and money) so much – perhaps it comes from the part of me that was never really allowed to have free time as a kid. Maybe I should take a look at that soon… … Continue reading
Sleepless at home…and on the road.
I am sitting in a hotel room in Houston, exhausted beyond reason. It is my first business trip in nearly eight years (excepting a quick jaunt to Vegas in 2008), and I had forgotten how tiring it can be to travel. Yes, after agonizing about it for quite a long time, I have decided to rejoin corporate America. The funny thing is, I had been sneakily looking forward to this trip, because I thought it would mean I could finally, FINALLY sleep through the night. You see, my nearly two-year-old daughter has regressed. Again. Our night-weaning saga began almost eight … Continue reading
Posted in Sleeping, Women's Health
Tagged exhaustion, inability to sleep, insomnia, night weaning, sleeplessness, tired mother, working mom
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Journey to Fertility, Round 2: Anyone got any ideas for how to make Maca Root taste better?
I’d dearly love to have a second child. Sometimes I wonder if that’s asking too much, since I have already been blessed with one wonderful, beautiful, miraculous daughter, and we didn’t think that was possible (a fertility specialist told me I had less than 2% chance of getting pregnant without help). In case you’re curious as to how I got pregnant the first time around, my natural conception story is here. Is it too bold of me to ask God to send me another soul to love? Well, bold or not, to have a second child is my heart’s deepest … Continue reading
My Favorite 3 Weeks of the Year…they’re also my least healthy.
Yesterday, April 26, kicked off three weeks of almost continuous celebration for my little family. Yesterday was my husband’s birthday, you see, and May 10 is our wedding anniversary, and May 15 is my birthday. It’s an especially big year for us, because it is our 10th wedding anniversary, and I am turning 40! OMG, I can’t believe I just said that out loud. I mean, on paper. I mean, where everyone can see. But now that we have a little one, we also have Mother’s Day in there to celebrate, and on May 19, I am a bridesmaid in a … Continue reading
Posted in Joyful Moments, Miscellaneous, Weight Loss
Tagged anniversary, birthday, bridal shower, cake, going out to dinner, healthy diet, overeating, wedding, weight loss
2 Comments
To the person who stole my yoga mat:
Congratulations! You are now the proud owner of one very gnarly, used, and sweated-upon yoga mat. Do you understand that that thing has been with me to HOT YOGA, where they turn the temperature up to 90 degrees, so we can all detox as we downward-dog? Do you realize that thing has seen the bottoms of my crusty feet and the insides of my clammy palms? In my senseless devotion to attempting every pose, even the upside-down ones, I’ve probably even drooled on it. Do you know that I’ve never cleaned it even ONCE since I started using it? I … Continue reading
Posted in Miscellaneous, Weight Loss
Tagged hot yoga, letter to thief, stolen, who would steal a yoga mat, yoga mat
3 Comments
Natural Remedies for UTIs (Bladder Infections)
Yesterday, I had to explain to a male co-worker why women get urinary tract infections (aka bladder infections or “UTIs”) more often than men. “Ahem,” I stuttered, “Not sure how to put this…especially in an open cubicle workspace…but it has to do with the – the – the differences in our, um, well, our anatomies.” “Oh,” he said. Then, “OH!” I could see the light bulb shining brightly over his head. “Okay, say no more.” I started chuckling a bit to myself, and then a light bulb came on over my head as well. It hit me that this would … Continue reading
Posted in Herbal Remedies, Herbs, Holistic Home Remedies, Women's Health
Tagged acute, arbutin, arctostaphylos, bearberry, berberine, bladder infection, blueberry, cranberry, encyclopedia natural medicine, Goldenseal, herbal remedies, home remedies, hydrastis canadensis, murray, natural remedies, pizzorno, prevent, urinary tract infection, uti, uva ursi
4 Comments
Hot Yoga: What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger. And Hopefully, Thinner.
Date: March 18, 2012 Time: 9:49am Weight: 150.2 pounds. But this might not be an entirely fair weigh-in, as I’d just woken up and had nothing to eat yet, so it might be considered “cheating.” It has been two weeks now since my first foray into hot yoga and my public vow to lose weight. I’ve gone to 6 hot yoga sessions now in total, and while I am able to attempt more poses (note: the key word is “attempt”), I still cannot stick my ankle behind my ears or do a headstand/handstand. However, I HAVE lost 2-3 pounds since … Continue reading
Posted in Weight Loss, Women's Health
Tagged bikram yoga, calorie counting, fatsecret.com, hot yoga, weigh-in, weight loss
6 Comments
I was a Hot Mess at Hot Yoga.
I had planned to wake up at 5:30am this past Friday to go to hot yoga, but my little one had alternate plans for me. Inexplicably, she woke up crying at midnight, and then did not stop until 3am. Needless to say, hot yoga was out the window for me that morning. It was the second time I had no-showed on my friend – the first time, it was due to an unlucky bout of food poisoning. But I did vow publicly to begin turning over a new leaf – one called “weight loss” – so I rescheduled to Monday … Continue reading
Posted in Weight Loss, Women's Health
Tagged exercise, hot yoga, weight loss, yoga for fitness
4 Comments
That’s it. I’m going to lose weight. No, really! I am.
Date: March 1, 2012 Time: 9:07 pm Weight: 154.8 pounds. And that’s AFTER a bout of food poisoning. How depressing. Oh wait, I am still wearing my heavy robe. Okay, let’s whip that off. Okay, now I’m 153.8 pounds. But still. I’m 5’4 on a GOOD day, so I really don’t need to be tipping the scales at almost 155 pounds. That is still 13 pounds heavier than when I first became pregnant with my little girl, and I already was no skinny Minnie, if you know what I’m saying. What I ate today: For breakfast? Nothing. Yup, breakfast … Continue reading
Posted in Self-Image, Weight Loss, Women's Health
Tagged holistic, lose pounds, optimal health, self image, weight loss
4 Comments
