Tomorrow's The Day

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Yep, today is the last day of February and with this day comes major preparation in this here home. You guys know what I've been talking about lately right?

JUICING!

and vegetarianism of course...

Now before I go down the path of a complete meatless diet, I am taking it slow. And I am going to start by squeezing the life out of some fresh fruits and veggies. My husband and I are convinced that changing our diets in this manner will really help us with our troubles with fatigue, restlessness, mood swings, melancholy - although sometimes I like my melancholy, acne, and who knows what else.

The reason that I am doing a juicing diet is because do you remember the spectacle that was my Master Cleanse fast? No? Check that post out here then. And because that nearly drove me nuts and the whole cold turkey thing usually doesn't work with me I've finally realized, nor my husband, I knew that I needed something that is really affective but not sooooo drastic that I lose my mind and then go on a potato chip binge when no one is looking!

So here's to our last meal today of goodies. Just kidding, we'll probably eat sensibly today anyway. But tomorrow should be interesting. Those of you that wanted to read about our juicing journey will be happy to know that a blog will be available to you. More on that tomorrow!

Have a great day all. Get out and smell the fresh air!

My best,

Song of the Week: "Mack the Knife" by Bobby Darin. So young. So talented. I love his voice in this song. Gotta dance.

A Cow and a Deer Walk Into a Bar

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If it was up to me, which one do you think would make it out first? I don't know...I guess it depends on how you fry it. I grew up in the NorthEast and I had hunter friends that used to give me venison and show me how to cook it up nice. So...I guess the cow would make it out first. Ewww what's wrong with me?

In all seriousness the older I get, the more clarity I have when it comes to my own body. The domain name on here is safebeauty.blogspot.com. Safe Beauty. I have read many an article linking our food to our bodies and the health or lack there of with regards to that. Did that make sense?

Okay, well I guess I'm just beating around the bush when it comes to what I want to say today. So I'll just let you in on my current struggle. Come close. Closer, because I want to whisper it just due to my sheer jitteriness of it all. Here it is:

I want to be a vegetarian.....

Yep. It's true. I'm going to be one step closer to moving to some endangered forest somewhere and chaining myself to a tree so the loggers can't cut it down for more precious lipstick or penicillin (okay I just sound like a real jerk if I was preventing penicillin from the human race) but I know that becoming a vegetarian would put such an outlandish label as "treehugger" right smack dab across my forehead.

But I am starting to really not be bothered by that label. The more I'm educating myself about becoming vegetarian through awesome online sites such as here and here, the more I am convinced that it is the right way of life. Of course I am wishing that I had done my homework years ago and then would have avoided a couple of physical issues I've dealt with over the years. And those of you that been here since the beginning hopefully are just smiling and thinking to yourselves "Oh Lynn, you silly girl, we knew you would end up here....giggle, giggle, snort, snort."

In the meantime before I take that plunge I am reading up on juicing. I want to attack that with a vengeance so my body won't know what hit it. My husband and I are kicking around an idea of starting a blog chronicling our Juicing struggles and triumphs for the month of March. What do you guys think? Would you peruse that? Join us with your own stories? Throw tomatoes that would subsequently be caught and then thrown into the juicer? Let us know because we might just accommodate!

My best,

*Deer photo courtesy Garden PA

*Cow photo courtesy Eco Friendly Daily

*While proofreading this to the Hubs he informed me that trees do not produce penicillin NOR lipstick. Why are these people chaining themselves to these trees again?

I'm So Tired

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Did You Know...

...The average human will spend 1/3 or their life sleeping, which equates to about 20 - 25 years over a 75 Year life span? - Hibermate.com

Lately, I've been a little off. Something has been missing. It's my sleep. It is gone when it matters most - at night. I stay up late, and when the morning rolls around I resent its arrival. I fight with every fiber of my being to stay in bed, but alas, all my responsibilities cannot be put off and I drudge off into the morning light.

My husband finally said "You know what you need? You need more calcium in your diet. Then you will be able to sleep better." Hearing the word diet made me think, because I figured that my insomnia was a result of my poor choices to stay up and peruse the web at all hours of the night. Who am I kidding? I'm sure that contributes as well.

So here I go tweaking my diet again. I went searching for more info. about what I can do in order to naturally get a good nights rest. Apparently, nothing is more important to maintain our beauty than sleep and proper diet. I can't keep up this pace with as little sleep as I'm getting, so here is what I dug up to aid me and you in naturally attaining a restful night and a rested morning.

About.com has an article on natural sleep aids that says:

• Try to limit your caffeine intake. I'm sure that drinking large amounts during the day while the sun is up is not suggested as well. And it should be a given that you don't drink it just before bed. It can lead to the jitters and a restless, tossing, turning mess. With my busy life I need some caffeine to get me going in the morning. Whether it's a cup o' Joe or some Green Tea - I'm a feind for the fein!

• Avoid sweets. It can mess with your blood sugar levels during the night, making them dip, or "crash", during your sleep cycle and disrupt your rest.

• Eat magnesium-rich foods which are a natural sedative. This can be found in foods such as legumes, seeds, dark leafy green vegetables, wheat bran, almonds, cashews, blackstrap molasses, brewers' yeast, and whole grains.

I read once that the actress Doris Days' mom used to give her a nightly drink of warm milk and butter to help her sleep. Which they attribute to her curvaceous figure.

Q: What helps lull you to sleep?

My best,

A Girls Gotta Eat...Series?

Since my last food post here, I have been eating alot of good things. Some not so good things as well have passed these here lips and hence this post. But I am definitely on track for a Master Cleanse this coming month of March for sure! And I might also get the hubby to hop on this healthy train too. (I think a man sees more of himself once he turns 30, and sees the places where change is necessary.)

When we decide which day we will start, we will definitely do a whole post on here on our progress, trials, pitfalls, rants, raves, and all around well-being while in the thick of it. Hopefully you will all leave comments and encourage us during it. Hint, hint...

Before any of that happens though, I need to tell you about this new series I'm starting. It's called A Girls Gotta Eat. I was inspired by my first food post and I have been purchasing healthier yummy foods whenever I want to eat the rowdy stuff. i.e. Doritos, Cheetos, Snickers, Extra Buttery Gobs 'O Goo Popcorn, etc.

Today I will tell you about this alternative to my dear Doritos. I swear they put some kind of opium in Doritos, because I go into this stupor and don't come out of it until I hit the bottom of the bag and can feel my lap! So here is my far superior alternative:

chip'ins

all natural popcorn chips

Here are the 7 bullets they have on the back of their bag:

• All Natural
• Whole Grain
• ZERO Trans Fat
• Gluten FREE - for all of you with food allergies
• No Cholesterol
• No Artificial Flavors
• No Preservatives

All of these reasons led me to grabbing it off the shelf at my local WalMart and consuming it almost solely by myself (and yes it's because I eat it huddled over the bag like a vulture and slitted eyes watching and swatting any tiny hands that may come near mamas food...I have troubles...) I got the hot buffalo wing variety because I have been in a BBQ kinda mood lately and it seems like nothing can satisfy it. Except for these of course. They are made by either a company called Popcon, Indiana or in a town called Popcorn, Indiana - I still have no clue.

Go out and get some for yourself and you will see why this made the A Girls Gotta Eat Series.

Oh and by the way, whatcha eatin' these days?

My best,

P.S. I wasn't given this for free. I was just hungry and bought it myself. Side note: am I going to have to say when I buy things too or just when things are given to me? Hmm....

Song of the Week: My kids have been singing this songs chorus for the last two days. The profoundness is so lost on them.... Peggy Sue "Watchman". Click on the video to the right or click here to be transported to YouTube. This video makes them look quite dirty, but they clean up nice in others I promise!

5 Awesome Body Facts...

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Those of you that are avid readers of this here blog know that especially in the beginning of my writing on here I would add little tid bits called Did You Know's. I still sometimes add them at the beginning of posts but now it's more sparingly than in the past. Mostly because I forget and sometimes, let's be honest, haven't we heard it all already?

No we haven't!

Which is why I have chosen to share this lovely list of 5 of the coolest, most interesting, and awesomely crazy facts about our body. Without further adieu...

foto courtesy 3D Science.com

1. I will be the first to admit that at times I can be a mumbler. I'm not as bad as Kramers' low talker girlfriend on that Seinfeld episode but I can at times sound like I'd rather die than modulate. But here is a tip if you are ever near one of my kind and can't catch a single word. Lean in with your right ear because it's the best of the two to follow the rapid rhythms of speech. The left ear is better at picking up music notes.

2. Suffering from heartburn late into the night? Sleeping on your left hand side will help. It makes your stomach lower than your esophagus and so gravity pulls the food down for you. Hooray!

3. When you are feeling nervous or jittery about something, blow on your thumb. It contains the vagus nerve, which controls heart rate, and that should help get your heart rate back to normal.

4. Suffering from brain freeze? Push your tongue flat against the roof of your mouth. The more pressure you apply to it, the faster your headache will subside.

5. Great memory aid. Have a test or presentation to cram for the night before? Then cram away! Most memory consolidation happens during sleep, so whatever you read right before bed will most likely be embedded as long-term memory. Sorry insomniacs...

So there you go. This is my Did You Know on steroids essentially. I'm super smart right? Noooot entirely. This gem of a list came straight from Mens Health - which I love cause the writing is always phenomenal. So check out the full list of do it yourself Health Remedies here...

My best,

Song of the Week: Young the Giant "My Body"...enjoy the guitar licks.

I Am What I Eat...

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Time for me to come clean and have an open and honest confession on this here blog for the world to see.

I am not perfect. I am a flawed woman. My flaws have steadily been creeping up on me and they are now banging on my front door refusing to be ignored.

I have eaten too much. Of the wrong things. For the past 2 weekends I have been to 2 - count them - 2 baby showers! And with that joy comes great food. And desserts. Usually in the shape of a bottle, a rattle or a teddy bear.

Yes, I have eaten to the point that I feel like I may very well wake up to this image staring back at me in my mirror in the morning:

foto courtesy motifake

If it can happen to Pizza, then it can happen to me...

I am pretty sure that it's time for a Master Cleanse to make an appearance up in this house. STAT!

My best,

Lesapea Musings...: Be Inspiration.

Click on this link because it just has to be shared. Sometimes we all can take our health and our loved ones' health for granted.

Lesapea Musings...: Be Inspiration.

My best,

The Healing Power of Lip Gloss

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Do you ever have one of those days where your dehydration just catches up with you?

I felt exactly like that yesterday. My body felt like one giant raisin. Along with my lips. When I wake up with the feeling like I'm the walking dead for at least most of the morning, I don't feel like doing much. "Just the bare minimum please!" "I'll phone it in, thank you very much..."

Until I put my beloved lip balm slash lip gloss combo on and then it's like...

Look at me now! It's a complete pick-me-up in a tube. My outlook on the day was better after that, I did laundry and power cleaned, exercised, ran errands, and picked everyone up that needed picking up on time and on schedule (in my head that sounded like shhhhedule). To attest that lip gloss has crazy healing powers, what did my husband say to me after he got into the car after work?

"How are you feeling?" - he could tell I was not at my best this morning...

"Great!"

"Really? Wow....(pause and a sideways stare at me for a few seconds and then...)

"You're wearing lip gloss aren't you....?"

TADA! I am healed...

Question to discuss: What lifts you up? Your morning coffee? Tea? Prada heels? Do tell...leave a comment for all inquiring minds.

My best,

The Cost of Healthy Living

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Did You Know...

...eating broccoli can interfere with certain medications? - SELFNutritionData

So the cost of healthy living is not cheap by any means! And it's also not fair. While researching for this post, I came across so many studies that proved it is cheaper to eat and basically live unhealthy than it is to consume good for you foods and purchase better for you products for our bodies.

Case in point:

The NYTimes ran an article on healthy living costs way back in 2007 and here are some of the stats back then from this study. (source: NY Times.com)

• Junk food costs less than fruits and vegetables, and are less likely to rise in price as a result of inflation.
• The highest rates of obesity are amongst people in lower-income groups. Most likely due to the fact that junk food lacks so many nutrients you have to overeat to feel satisfied.
• Junk food munchies cost an average (back then) $1.76 per 1,000 calories vs. a whopping $18.16 per 1,000 calories for low-energy but nutritious foods.
• A 2,000 calorie a day diet would cost $3.52/day if it was just junk food vs. $36.32/day if it were a healthy diet.

And these are all statistics from 4 years ago! We know the cost of food has skyrocketed since then, actually even some junk food prices have gone up a bit. Remember when a can of Pringles was 99¢? You'd be hard pressed to find one for that price these days.

So what does that tell us? It's even harder to afford eating poorly these days let alone eating healthy. Isn't that a terrible thing? I'd say so.

I know it is hard to sometimes fork over our hard earned money for something that is labeled organic and then feel it in the pocket at the register. But it is so worth it. Journalist Michael Pollan who was featured on Food Inc. (a movie that I heard was great but I still haven't seen due to my tendency to get outraged by the food industry and their lack of standards for the masses....see? I digress.), said on Oprah that "The less we spend on food, the more we spend on health care."

True story.

As of 2010, Americans were spending 20 cents on the dollar managing illness and diseases, and only 10 cents on the dollar for food. (source: the daily green) Yikes! So if we put our dollars more towards where the food goes in, that translates possibly in less Dr.'s visits. Healthy food, healthy bodies, healthy wallets!

Since I care about my fellow man and woman, here are a few links to some great online resources to help us navigate the Healthy and Organic produce world:

• Buying Organic for Beginners
• Back to Basics Nutrition Plan - and when I say the basics, this is no joke basics. Like, completely obliterate your pantry and start from scratch basics.
• Great Nutritional Guide

So when you are at the store and it's a choice between a $2.00 bag of these...

Or a $4.00 bunch of organic these....

Please choose wisely, because your life literally depends on it.

My best,