I'm whittling away the time until I really have to get back to work. The project I'm currently working on involves writing descriptions of literally thousands of Italian tourist attractions. Do you know how many churches there are in Italy?? It's insane, but it keeps me busy and I am so grateful for the abundance of purpose, knowledge, and money I get out of it! No doubt I know more useless Italian trivia than you do. Go ahead. Challenge me.
Other than that, since breakfast I've been cleaning, arranging, basically controlling every little thing I can until whoever-the-hell-is-painting-the-nursery gets it done so I can start doing really productive things. I desperately want to work on the nursery, but I have to wait while Peter takes his sweet time deciding to paint. He primed the woodwork over a week ago. Hello, nesting here, kind of anxious and obnoxiously energetic. On a cheerier note, Mike just cleaned the toilet! Woo-hoo! He's such a good daddy.
It was strongly suggested to me at my last prenatal appointment to sign up for childbirth education classes. This reminded me that I'd like to try Hypnobirthing, the method of deep relaxation, breathing and meditation techniques designed to release all fear associated with childbirth. This often ensures an easier, sometimes painless birth experience. It involves a sort of self-hypnosis, but that just means a state of intense focus and awareness. I looked up local Hypnobirthing classes, but they are hella expensive, so I ordered a book off eBay for $7. I don't necessarily want to go to a regular childbirth class and be told what's going to happen. I want to experience what happens and respond instinctively and consciously in the moment. The main point is that I'm not scared of birth at all; I understand that this is one of the most natural things to happen to me, and my body will take care of it. On the other hand, the one fear that pops up when I say that is that I'm completely wrong and it will be a disaster. But then I remind myself that if that possibility should transpire, I will not be disappointed in myself for not having the "perfect birth." I will not fear what Mike or my mom or my midwife think if everything doesn't go according to "plan." My birth will happen however it is going to happen, and I will be eternally grateful for it. I repeat that to myself, and there is absolutely no more fear. Guidance is helpful, but I don't need to spend over $200 to be inundated with someone else's idea of my birth. I'm into preparing with meditation and visualization techniques that simply help me remain calm and let go.
What else, what else...oh, I'm trying out coconut oil as deodorant. I don't know if it was a coincidence, but yesterday as I was slathering myself post-shower I got some oil in the ol' pits, and I didn't stink the rest of the day or even this morning. So I slathered a bit more on today after my shower, and I'm excited to see how the experiment goes. I know virgin coco oil is antibacterial, so why wouldn't it work? Also, it's soothing to those freshly-shaved pits as opposed to harsh deodorants and antiperspirants. I am so glad to have unrefined coconut oil back in my life after living a futile existence with refined oil for a couple weeks. Now I use what's left of the refined to cook with and the virgin stuff on my skin and hair. I'll let you know how the deodorant test turns out!
Peace out and in.
Showing posts with label coconut oil. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coconut oil. Show all posts
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
And the fet(us) goes on...
So I'm getting into the home stretch here of my gestational period, and I figured you might be interested in what's going on!
I'll be 31 weeks on Monday, and I'm feeling pretty great. I've had an incredible amount of energy lately, my eating habits are surprisingly under control, and I'm getting surreal twinges of superexcitement at the thought of our little one's arrival. It seems like I've been pregnant forever, and it's hard to even imagine him actually being here, outside of me. I've had a couple disturbing dreams about him being born with acne and this really gross yarny-wire-curl across his forehead, oh and in one I gave birth to puppies, but other than that fear doesn't ever really pop up. I'm delightfully present.
As far as food goes, I have yet to have any "weird" cravings you always hear about. Maybe that comes later? Whatever I must have in any given moment is either fruit or vegetable: I've been purchasing cantaloupes for the last couple weeks--I never bought cantaloupe in my life! I never even liked it much! I've been blessed to have picked flawlessly ripe ones at the store though. Yay. If you're wondering how to pick a ripe cantaloupe (cuz I didn't), feel ones that are slightly soft and have a bit of a melon smell. It doesn't matter that the rind is still green, apparently. I made the wonderful decision to get hummus the other day too, which I've been practically drinking the last two days. I'd been wanting a pita roll with hummus and kalamata olives (à la Angeli's in New Orleans), but since I didn't want to buy pita and olives, I went with just the hummus. Joseph's Red Pepper hummus. Party size. Holla. Last night I threw down five huge romaine lettuce leaves, ripped into small pieces, and rolled em up with the hummus, a slice of celery, and sometimes a square of Monterey Jack cheese. OMG worthy. I'd finished off the last few bites of a slice of some crazy flavor cheesecake Allison had brought home for me the other night, but I was feeling kinda icky after it, and the fresh veggie snack alleviated the quease of the sugar and dairy immediately.
I have pretty much the same breakfast every morning (or afternoon): scrambled eggs w/ black pepper and Cajun seasoning on whole grain toast, spread with a layer of peanut butter, sour cream, salsa, and then topped with the eggs. Sometimes a leaf of lettuce. Mike thinks the peanut butter with all that is disgusting, but it's fucking delicious, and I get extra protein and omega-3s (my peanut butter has flaxseeds in it). I might eat a snack a couple hours later, but sometimes I have no appetite again until dinner. When that happens I tend to overdo it at dinner, and I easily get too full which has more severe consequences in pregnancy than it does normally. Now that my uterus is so far up in my belly, if my stomach expands too much it all squeezes together and presses on my lungs and my ribs, which is quite uncomfortable. It's difficult to sit down unless my back is totally straight because there's just no room for everything! And my breathing becomes impaired for an hour or so, which sucks. Overeating is more than just gas and underwear cutting off your circulation when you're pregnant!
But on another note, there's been absolutely no swelling, and really no apparent weight gain in any other part of my body but my belly! To me it's kind of weird looking, like I'm actually holding a basketball under my shirt. But for that I am thankful it will probably be rather easy to get the baby weight off when the time comes. Buuut, I do have two months left to go, and it's around this time that I should be gaining something like a pound a week. Fun.
And then there's the skin and hair. I slather myself with coconut oil every day after my shower, and it's effectively kept my skin from ripping (much). I have a couple unfortunate pink spots, but I am certain those showed up when I ran out of coconut oil for a week and had to use cocoa butter. They say cocoa butter is the anti-stretch mark savior, but I think it just totally screwed me. My hair feels great though! They say prenatal vitamins make your hair and nails really nice, but I wasn't noticing a damn difference until I started doing coconut oil treatments every other day. I comb a big dollop of coco oil into my hair and leave it in for an hour or so. Then I shampoo it out, no conditioner, and voilà, beautiful shiny hair. I've been doing it for about three weeks, and I'm noticing a vast improvement in the quality and texture. My hair was so damaged from way too much Hawaiian sun and generally not caring about it because I thought it was a lost cause. But I have a renewed sense of hope that I can not only have softer hair than ever before, but I can grow more of it too.
I've been keeping up with my exercises a few times a week. I sit typing over the computer all day with my writing, and it fucking kills my back. I desperately need a good professional massage, but until I can afford that, I just stretch it out. I still do Pilates leg exercises and a bit of gentle yoga to get things moving, not to mention all the neverending housework! Other than that I'm not hitting the gym or even powerwalking, but what I do feels good enough. No need to overdo it.
So I guess that's it for now. I'll give you more juicy details as things get more juicy. Love.
I'll be 31 weeks on Monday, and I'm feeling pretty great. I've had an incredible amount of energy lately, my eating habits are surprisingly under control, and I'm getting surreal twinges of superexcitement at the thought of our little one's arrival. It seems like I've been pregnant forever, and it's hard to even imagine him actually being here, outside of me. I've had a couple disturbing dreams about him being born with acne and this really gross yarny-wire-curl across his forehead, oh and in one I gave birth to puppies, but other than that fear doesn't ever really pop up. I'm delightfully present.
As far as food goes, I have yet to have any "weird" cravings you always hear about. Maybe that comes later? Whatever I must have in any given moment is either fruit or vegetable: I've been purchasing cantaloupes for the last couple weeks--I never bought cantaloupe in my life! I never even liked it much! I've been blessed to have picked flawlessly ripe ones at the store though. Yay. If you're wondering how to pick a ripe cantaloupe (cuz I didn't), feel ones that are slightly soft and have a bit of a melon smell. It doesn't matter that the rind is still green, apparently. I made the wonderful decision to get hummus the other day too, which I've been practically drinking the last two days. I'd been wanting a pita roll with hummus and kalamata olives (à la Angeli's in New Orleans), but since I didn't want to buy pita and olives, I went with just the hummus. Joseph's Red Pepper hummus. Party size. Holla. Last night I threw down five huge romaine lettuce leaves, ripped into small pieces, and rolled em up with the hummus, a slice of celery, and sometimes a square of Monterey Jack cheese. OMG worthy. I'd finished off the last few bites of a slice of some crazy flavor cheesecake Allison had brought home for me the other night, but I was feeling kinda icky after it, and the fresh veggie snack alleviated the quease of the sugar and dairy immediately.
I have pretty much the same breakfast every morning (or afternoon): scrambled eggs w/ black pepper and Cajun seasoning on whole grain toast, spread with a layer of peanut butter, sour cream, salsa, and then topped with the eggs. Sometimes a leaf of lettuce. Mike thinks the peanut butter with all that is disgusting, but it's fucking delicious, and I get extra protein and omega-3s (my peanut butter has flaxseeds in it). I might eat a snack a couple hours later, but sometimes I have no appetite again until dinner. When that happens I tend to overdo it at dinner, and I easily get too full which has more severe consequences in pregnancy than it does normally. Now that my uterus is so far up in my belly, if my stomach expands too much it all squeezes together and presses on my lungs and my ribs, which is quite uncomfortable. It's difficult to sit down unless my back is totally straight because there's just no room for everything! And my breathing becomes impaired for an hour or so, which sucks. Overeating is more than just gas and underwear cutting off your circulation when you're pregnant!
But on another note, there's been absolutely no swelling, and really no apparent weight gain in any other part of my body but my belly! To me it's kind of weird looking, like I'm actually holding a basketball under my shirt. But for that I am thankful it will probably be rather easy to get the baby weight off when the time comes. Buuut, I do have two months left to go, and it's around this time that I should be gaining something like a pound a week. Fun.
And then there's the skin and hair. I slather myself with coconut oil every day after my shower, and it's effectively kept my skin from ripping (much). I have a couple unfortunate pink spots, but I am certain those showed up when I ran out of coconut oil for a week and had to use cocoa butter. They say cocoa butter is the anti-stretch mark savior, but I think it just totally screwed me. My hair feels great though! They say prenatal vitamins make your hair and nails really nice, but I wasn't noticing a damn difference until I started doing coconut oil treatments every other day. I comb a big dollop of coco oil into my hair and leave it in for an hour or so. Then I shampoo it out, no conditioner, and voilà, beautiful shiny hair. I've been doing it for about three weeks, and I'm noticing a vast improvement in the quality and texture. My hair was so damaged from way too much Hawaiian sun and generally not caring about it because I thought it was a lost cause. But I have a renewed sense of hope that I can not only have softer hair than ever before, but I can grow more of it too.
I've been keeping up with my exercises a few times a week. I sit typing over the computer all day with my writing, and it fucking kills my back. I desperately need a good professional massage, but until I can afford that, I just stretch it out. I still do Pilates leg exercises and a bit of gentle yoga to get things moving, not to mention all the neverending housework! Other than that I'm not hitting the gym or even powerwalking, but what I do feels good enough. No need to overdo it.
So I guess that's it for now. I'll give you more juicy details as things get more juicy. Love.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
I Love Coconut Oil!
I have for quite some time, but it's only occurred to me now to write about it. I just love coconut oil. I really do. It is by far the choicest oil out there. Its multi-purpose demeanor and sweet, subtle scent make it irresistible for anyone approaching the bandwagon.
Science may falter a whole helluva lot, but not when it comes to this oil. Coconut oil is a saturated fat, which is not a bad thing like its name connotes! It was only in the 20th century when the whole "anti-saturated fat" movement began that coconut and other tropical oils became feared as "unhealthy," when indeed they were replaced with scientifically less healthy polyunsaturated fats, such as canola, soybean, safflower and corn oils. I guess western culture just loves their "un", "anti", "low," "zero," and "de" products, if for no other reason than psychologically. As a result of the pro-unsaturated fat diet, Americans have largely abandoned the intake of these healthy oils and butter, opting for margarine and grain oils. The chemical compounds of these replacement products are not broken down so easily and actually tend to become rancid in the body. This in turn creates congestion all over the body, i.e. heart disease, colon malfunction, high cholesterol, cancer, etc.
Coconut oil is making a comeback, however! The recognizable health benefits abound: it has antioxidant properties (reducing rancidity and the need for vitamin E), directly stimulates the thyroid (which keeps you lean and active, yum!), is antiviral, antimicrobial and antibacterial. And in this terrible cancer study I read about, conducted in 1987, a group of scientists chemically induced cancer in "the subjects"/aka animals. One group was fed corn oils and the other coconut oil. 32% of the corn group got the cancer whereas only 3% of the coconut group got it. What large protective qualities you have, Coconut Oil!
But besides all that science stuff, it just feels good. It is technically a "superfood," which according to superfood expert David Wolfe, contains several proverbial "tricks up its sleeve," instead of just one or two. I outlined several of them above, so don't you forget em! No but really, in the practical sense, I use coconut oil for all of my moisturizing needs. I leave it in the kitchen and the bathroom (or bedroom, depending on where I'm slathering myself). With a high smoking point it is perfect for cooking and baking. Every day my eggs have a slightly sweet tinge. And on the skin and hair? Divine! It is extremely good for them--not only is it a far better moisturizer than any cream you can buy in a bottle, you get all of that goodness without the harmful product chemicals! You don't have to smell like a vat of tangy shit! I use it every day and my skin is like buttah. Buttah! Pluuuuuus, ladiezzzz, if and when you are pregnant, I couldn't imagine a better stretch mark preventative. The fatty acids elasticize the skin. Ooh baby. P.S. just don't put it in a squirt bottle; it turns to a butter-like solid at 76 degrees.
I recommend picking up a jar of virgin coconut oil (raw, unprocessed) today. Or tomorrow. Well, tomorrow's Christmas, so maybe Saturday. It's slightly more expensive than those gross polyunsaturated fats (online is cheaper--only $20.99 for a 54-oz jar on Amazon!), but it is more than worth it. I wish I myself were selling coconut oil so I could profit from it, but I'm not, I just want to spread the joy coconut oil has brought to my life (and unknowingly to those around me bwahaha). Love!
Science may falter a whole helluva lot, but not when it comes to this oil. Coconut oil is a saturated fat, which is not a bad thing like its name connotes! It was only in the 20th century when the whole "anti-saturated fat" movement began that coconut and other tropical oils became feared as "unhealthy," when indeed they were replaced with scientifically less healthy polyunsaturated fats, such as canola, soybean, safflower and corn oils. I guess western culture just loves their "un", "anti", "low," "zero," and "de" products, if for no other reason than psychologically. As a result of the pro-unsaturated fat diet, Americans have largely abandoned the intake of these healthy oils and butter, opting for margarine and grain oils. The chemical compounds of these replacement products are not broken down so easily and actually tend to become rancid in the body. This in turn creates congestion all over the body, i.e. heart disease, colon malfunction, high cholesterol, cancer, etc.
Coconut oil is making a comeback, however! The recognizable health benefits abound: it has antioxidant properties (reducing rancidity and the need for vitamin E), directly stimulates the thyroid (which keeps you lean and active, yum!), is antiviral, antimicrobial and antibacterial. And in this terrible cancer study I read about, conducted in 1987, a group of scientists chemically induced cancer in "the subjects"/aka animals. One group was fed corn oils and the other coconut oil. 32% of the corn group got the cancer whereas only 3% of the coconut group got it. What large protective qualities you have, Coconut Oil!
But besides all that science stuff, it just feels good. It is technically a "superfood," which according to superfood expert David Wolfe, contains several proverbial "tricks up its sleeve," instead of just one or two. I outlined several of them above, so don't you forget em! No but really, in the practical sense, I use coconut oil for all of my moisturizing needs. I leave it in the kitchen and the bathroom (or bedroom, depending on where I'm slathering myself). With a high smoking point it is perfect for cooking and baking. Every day my eggs have a slightly sweet tinge. And on the skin and hair? Divine! It is extremely good for them--not only is it a far better moisturizer than any cream you can buy in a bottle, you get all of that goodness without the harmful product chemicals! You don't have to smell like a vat of tangy shit! I use it every day and my skin is like buttah. Buttah! Pluuuuuus, ladiezzzz, if and when you are pregnant, I couldn't imagine a better stretch mark preventative. The fatty acids elasticize the skin. Ooh baby. P.S. just don't put it in a squirt bottle; it turns to a butter-like solid at 76 degrees.
I recommend picking up a jar of virgin coconut oil (raw, unprocessed) today. Or tomorrow. Well, tomorrow's Christmas, so maybe Saturday. It's slightly more expensive than those gross polyunsaturated fats (online is cheaper--only $20.99 for a 54-oz jar on Amazon!), but it is more than worth it. I wish I myself were selling coconut oil so I could profit from it, but I'm not, I just want to spread the joy coconut oil has brought to my life (and unknowingly to those around me bwahaha). Love!
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