Breakfast & Heavy Metal - the best combo

No, I don't actually rock out with breakfast every morning.

In fact, I usually am GEEKING out over breakfast.  At my desk. Over spreadsheets and statistics and trends.  Just about the same thing, right?

What I'm really getting at here is how I incorporated the heavy metal detox regimen from the Medical Medium book into my daily life.  DELICIOUSLY, I might add!!!!!

If you haven't checked out the book, it's worth a look on their Facebook page or Amazon.  He writes about the healing power of foods (particularly fruits and veggies), especially for those who have tried everything else and still can't get well.  Whether you believe in Spirit or not, there are some amazing testimonials about how people can help themselves with what they eat!!!  Worst case - you're eating some great, fresh fruits and veggies!  Your Mom would be proud  :)

Without further ado, my breakfast each morning:

• In a NutriBullet (or any blender), fill with frozen fruit to the "Max" line
• Add your goodies
• Fill to cover fruit with coconut water (or other liquid)
• Blend and enjoy!

 For the heavy metal part, here's what the book suggests (and what I use):

• Atlantic Dulse (I put in a pinch)
• Barley Wheatgrass Juice Power (about 1tsp)
• Hawaiian Spirulina (about 1tsp)
• Cilantro (a sprig sometimes)
• Maine Wild Blueberries (1 cup)

 (don't judge - apparently I wrote the labels on these in the middle of some morning brain fog - that's why we have computers, right?!  I guess I really do need to show those heavy metals the door!!)

The book suggests using a lot more volume of the goodies, but I'm still working my way up.  

I also love to add coconut oil and cinnamon!  Yum!!  

My favorite thing is getting a taste of home (Maine) - Wyman's of Maine wild blueberries can be found in a lot of grocery stores all across the country!  

The other fruits that I choose are strategic based on the ailments and the fruit recommendations that the book makes that spoke to me.  Besides the blueberries, I try to get in papaya, raspberry, blackberry, and cranberry.  (In another post I'll share the down low on my strategy for incorporating may of his recommendations into my every day life!)

**** Helpful tip: I can't get out of my way in the mornings (hence my spelling mistakes and usual mismatched socks), so I put everything except the coconut water in the bullet the night before and stick it in the freezer.  Just add the liquid and do less than a minute on the blender and you're ready to rock (without those heavy metals!) 

One last thing: the Medical Medium author (Anthony William) has a cookbook coming out this fall!!!      I'm excited to check it out because some of the foods I'm trying to incorporate are tough to track down in recipes!   It's called: Medical Medium Life-Changing Foods: Save Yourself and the Ones You Love with the Hidden Healing Powers of Fruits &…

What is your FAVORITE thing to add to your morning smoothie?!  Comment below!!! 

Oil Pulling (it has nothing to do with your butt)

I can't be the only one who was a little confused by this one.

My first thought was "ewwwww - why are so many people posting about enemas now?!"  I'll chalk the assumption up to an interesting episode of the Kardashians where Kourt educated the guilty-pleasure-I-don't-usually-admit-to-watching audience on the benefits of putting oil where the sun don't shine.  It was ..... informative .... but pretty much guaranteed me scrolling past the Oil Pulling posts for a while.

BUT (pun intended) after one little search on Pinterest, I realized it was not, in fact, about putting the coconut oil "up there".  It goes in your mouth, where most of us would (probably) prefer.   Go on - now you've got my attention!

So I did some reading, and there are a TON of benefits that people have written about, like:

• Whitening of the teeth
• Removal of bad bacteria
• Detoxification 
• So much more - just Google it already!!

I decided to give it a shot, and now it's part of my morning routine!!!  (If you've read some of my other posts, you'll know I'm all about the detox!)

Good news: it's SUPER easy!  Here's the deal.... 

• Take a spoon full of coconut oil
• Put it in your mouth
• Chew until soft
• Swish for 5 minutes

See?!?!  EASY!!!!  

I like to add a drop or two of essential oils, too, to amp up the experience.  I like Orange oil for they yumminess and an extra whitening kick.  Peppermint and Thieves are also great options when I need that kind of support (or fresher breath after a night of a garlic-y meal --- I love me some garlic!!!!) 

True to form, I learned the hard way, so here are a couple watch-outs!  

• Start small, with just a teaspoon at a time.  I started with a heaping tablespoon, and almost choked!  Coconut oil all over the room would NOT have been fun to clean up (although Chunk would have cllllllll over helping - she LOVES the stuff!). 
• Do something else while you're swishing.  I just hop in the shower. 
• Have some kind of container handy for when it's time to spit it out.  I tried using a mug, but it wasn't the best choice for in the shower.  It WOULD be, though, if your side goal was to have a skating rink in there (insert eye roll here).  I picked up some mini ziplock baggies which work MUCH better. 
• DO NOT SWALLOW IT!!!!  I didn't actually do this one because I read a lot before hand, but think of what it's doing ....... it's getting all the crap out of your mouth area, and you do NOT want that junk in your body!  Spit and rinse, people!!!!!!!  
• I like cold pressed organic coconut oil, like Dr. Bronner's!  Look for organic (#1) and cold pressed (#2) as much as possible. 

Also, I've heard some conflicting opinions on this, but I don't just spit it down the drain.  Granted, it's a liquid at around 74 degrees, but I'm just picturing the disaster of 365 days/year of buildup somewhere.  But if you do decide to roll the dice, just let me know how that works out for ya!  

The results!  Like I said above, this one is now part of my daily routine!  I started it as soon as we got back from vacation in mid-August, and haven't looked back.  My mouth does feel cleaner and my teeth are looking whiter!!!  (I took before and after pictures, but they look super aggressive and scary unlike those performed by professional models, so I'll save you the terror.  Seriously - how do they show all their teeth while still smiling?  I guess that's why they hire professionals!)  My mouth just feels fresh and clean --- like I'm doing something great for myself right away every day!  

And one more word of caution before wrapping this one up: YOUR DOG WILL TRY TO STEAL IT FROM YOU!  Chunk gets coconut oil every morning and loves it - and she couldn't help herself this morning from stealing mine, too!  Well played, puppy, well played.......

Did you try it?  What did you think?!  Comment below!!!!

Hand Soap Without All the Crap

Hi all!

Raise your hand if you like clean hands but don't like all the unnecessary "stuff" in your hand soap.  (Me!! Me!!!! --- I see you raising 'em up!)

In my quest for getting toxins out of our home, this was a big one.  I wash my hands about 1 million times a day - and that's only a slight exaggeration.  And if I'm cooking??  Well, watch out!!  (I have some REAL kitchen cleanliness OCD when I'm doing food prep)

Since your skin is your largest organ, it makes sense to watch what you put on it, especially considering the transdermal effect where anything that goes ON gets IN within about 20 minutes.

That's good for the good stuff you put on, and really, really bad for the crappy stuff.




So, here are a few ideas for you that I've tried as I've progressively moved from "really bad" to "better for you" options!!

First, I ditched the highly fragranced / colorful soaps for clear soaps from the store with no dyes / paraben / etc.

Next I upped my game to The Honest Company hand soap.  They take it to the next level with the things they cut out!  They even scent their products with essential oils instead of the fake fragrances.

Over the past couple of weeks, I went "all in" for WELLth on this one, making my own!  Castile soap with essential oils!

I'm loving the customizable and so-cool blue glass bottle!   I'm also a huge fan of the flexibility to change the scent to whatever I want --- at the frequency (pun intended, fellow oil freaks!!!!) of my choosing!

This recipe gives just the right amount of suds!!!  The one downside is that it can be a little more watery than purchased soap at first pump.  It would, however, definitely be PERFECT for a foam dispenser! .... which is on my list as a next purchase!

It's a super flexible recipe, so test it out and make it your own!!!

Here's my favorite so far:

1. Grab your glass soap dispenser
2. Add about 1/2 inch of unscented castile soap
3. Fill to the 1 inch mark with water
4. Add 5-7 drops of your favorite Essential Oil
5. Gently rock and roll the bottle
6. ENJOY!!!!  You've made a "better for you" option!!!

Purification also works wonders and is so fresh and lemony and clean smelling!  Made this one in my second batch!!

Surprise, surprise, my favorite is using the oil blend called Joy.  It smells like roses and happiness *sigh.

If you haven't gotten in on the essential oil game yet, Dr. Bronner's makes castile soap scented with essential oils - pick it up at any major stores or Amazon!  You can also add a little bit of a carrier oil if you'd like a little more moisturizing action!

As with all EO use, be sure to get a glass container, especially when using citrus oils.



*** TIP!!!!!!  I usually make small batches of everything to start - if you're like me and excel at "Pinterest Fails", it will give you a little more margin of comfort to experiment and go for it!!!!!



What do YOU think?!  I want to hear from you!  Leave some comments below or shoot an email to me any time!

........ and of course, if you're interested in finding out more about how to incorporate Young Living Essential Oils into your daily routine, give me a shout and I'd be happy to help!

You're on Your Way to Well - Starting Small and Being Better Than Yesterday

One of the biggest things I've learned on my journey so far (and I can't imagine it ever changing) is this:

THERE IS NO "RIGHT" ANSWER!

The only thing that matters is that you're incrementally doing and feeling better than you were yesterday / last week / last month!!!!  And that's totally FREEING!

I've found that the experts all have different opinions about what to definitely do and what to definitely NOT do.  Pick and choose what feels right for you!  Try a few ideas - hold onto some, leave others behind.  

Here are a few wordy examples from my experiences.  Feel free to read or skim on by to the bottom - I'll mark it for ya    ;)

_________________________________________________________________________________


Take enemas, for example: Tox-Sick suggests regular coffee enemas.  Jillian Michaels says just say no to enemas.
      --- I am on the side of Jillian on this one, despite the reported health benefits  ---  enema = hard no for me!!  (But, hey - maybe you should try it!  You can skip the report back on this one, though, please! haha)  ...... so many poop jokes, so little time .....


Another example: Medical Medium suggests staying away from foods like eggs, gluten, dairy, etc.  Ayurveda talks about eating fruit as a stand alone (don't mix with other foods).  Tox-Sick and Jillian give a thumbs up (within moderation) to all of these foods in varying combinations (given they're organic / non-GMO, not processed, etc).
     --- For me, what I've experimented with is fruit alone (love it!), avoiding gluten and diary most of the time (it's helped me), but using Jillian's recipes at other times (delicious!).  And I am totally on board with eating organic / non-GMO / non-processed REAL food as much as I possibly can, which Tox-Sick, Jillian, Medical Medium, and just about everyone else that I've been reading lately suggests.  I'm a HUGE cheese lover, so cutting back was rough for me.  We seriously had a drawer in our fridge completely dedicated to cheese.  It broke my heart, but I believe it helped me.  BUT --- I am TOTALLY going to dig into a few fresh curds on our trip to Green Bay today, though - I mean, you can't go to the cheese mecca and NOT, am I right?!


Getting chemicals out of the home: When I go to the store, I like to get in and out and not mess around too much (hello, social anxiety!!).  So when trying to track down which chemical-I-can't-pronounce in my shampoo was better than the OTHER chemical-I-can't-pronounce in the OTHER shampoo, I start to get a little flustered and frustrated.  This is when I especially apply the "it's better than what I was doing last month" approach!!
    --- A tip I found for when I'm not feeling up for some research is to have a few go-to brands that I just grab and trust and not overthink.  The Honest Company is a big one for me!  Shower stuff, cleaners, laundry & dish detergents, fruit & veggie wash, sunscreen, bug spray, vitamins, make-up --- they have just about everything you need, with a lot of it available at stores like Target.  An added bonus is that with their online bundling I can save money AND not leave the house!  Winning!!!!   Burt's Bees is another that I like - shout out to the home state, Maine!  Young Living has cleaners, bath & shower products, and vitamins that I'm starting to try, too!  So excited!


_________________________________________________________________________________

Just start small.  Choose to replace one cleaner.  Choose to eat one meal that's prepared fresh.  Choose one organic item for your cart.  Choose to replace one processed snack with an apple.  

On your journey, always keep this in mind: PERFECT is not a thing.  It never will be!  Just be a little better than you were yesterday, and doing what works for you to feel better.

I repeat it to myself.   All. The. Time.   "Better than before".


..... So, take a deep breath, and jump on in - the water here is fine!  (and with less toxins than last week!!)



Questions or comments?  I'd love to hear from you!  Shout it out below or shoot an email to me at: healthywellthyandwise@gmail.com

Oh, My Goodness - My First Blog Post!

Hi all!

I am so, SO excited right now!  I've been thinking about starting a blog for a long time, and finally decided to take the big leap!

So, a little about me:

I'm a Chemical Engineer by trade,
A puppy-mom by heart,
A Mainer that became a Yooper by transplant,
A loving and hilarious wife by my patient husband's account (or it better be!),
World traveler by luck,
...... and a wellness researcher by passion!!!!

Which is where this blog comes in!  I've always had a natural curiosity towards nutrition, disease prevention, avoiding toxins, how the body works, losing weight... generally just how to FEEL BETTER.  This is coupled with an intense desire to find a way to help people, which I'm hoping this blog will do!

So the medical field seems like it would be a natural fit for me, right??  EXCEPT for the unfortunate fact that I'm a fainter.  Passer-outer. Health class was NOT my friend.  My path to "being a Doctor is totally off the table" officially started in 4th grade when my teacher had to drag me down the hallway to the nurse's office after a lecture on how the heart works. 

If we're being honest here - which I plan to be always (even if it's to the detriment of my own pride) - I've never felt very WELL.  This is the other factor for why I've always been so curious about this stuff.   Here's my story:

• When I was little, I'd feel weak a lot and tired sometimes - blood tests and other diagnostics never found anything 'wrong', so I just slept a lot and learned to deal with it.
• Once I got to college and away from Mom & Dad's healthy cooking and good choices, things got worse - I added IBS-type symptoms that left me curled up in a ball and dreading dinners away from home, and also severe nausea that came and went.  The nausea was so bad that when I was actually sick with the flu, I couldn't tell if it was my "normal" nausea or actual sickness until I threw up.  
• After a couple years out in the workforce after graduation, I read a book that led me to a vegetarian diet that made me feel SO GREAT!!  ........ that I eventually abandoned (I know, I know - stupid)
• A few years ago now I had a tumor removed from my leg (scary)
• Most recently I've just continued to feel tired all the time, have "brain fog" that even the most delicious caramel latte won't clear up, and weight that I am struggling to lose.

All the research I've done and things I've tried and books I've read lately all seem to be pointing in the same direction - there's a vicious cycle of toxins in our environment and fake foods that make up our diets, along with the ability of disease to convince you to keep feeding it. I'm tired of feeling terrible, and I'm going to ACTUALLY do something about it this time! 

My goal for this blog is to keep you laughing while sharing my journey and my experiences towards acquiring more and more wellness --- or getting "WELLthy" (man, do I love a clever play on words!!!!)  Hopefully there will be something you can take away that will help you, too!

Cheers to feeling better (& laughing through the journey!)
- Codi



Resources, Influences, & Future Topics:

| therapeutic massage | acupuncture | cleanses | natural cleaners | essential oils | young living EOs | natural makeup | honest company | jillian michaels | diy projects | pet health | qigong | medical medium | tox-sick by suzanne somers | heavy metal detox | reiki | elephant journal | oil pulling | eating organic | yoga | ayurveda | meditation | natural detoxifiers | relaxation | stress reduction | superpowers of fruits & veggies |


Let me know what you think or topics you'd like to hear about in the comments below!