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Thanks for cruising by and becoming part of my personal revolution of self-love, health, and hilarity!

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Product Review- Wen

One of my best friends in the entire world got married last weekend.  She was probably the most beautiful bride I have ever seen.  Having done a lot of make up in my day, I have seen a lot of gorgeous brides- call me biased, but Tara took the (wedding) cake.

Part of the fun of the day was getting hair and make up done.  Our friend Deena did our hair and she and I got to talking about my "no pooing."  I have been using a mixture of baking soda and water on my hair since December.  It was working as far as keeping my hair clean, but I was starting to notice that my hair was getting dry and coarse.  Deena suggested Wen.  She works for QVC doing on-air make up and hair.  If she suggests a product, you bet your sweet ass I'm going to try it.  She is an amazing artist/stylist and knows her shit.  She suggested Wen because it is a cleansing conditioner- not a shampoo.  It is made from essential oils and has a couple of chemicals in it, but no sulfates, phalates, or other really yucky carcinogen style chemicals. 

Lilah and I made a pilgrimage to QVC where we bought a big ass bottle of Sweet Almond Mint.  I used it yesterday for the first time and was super happy.  The dryness went out of my hair almost instantaneously and it was so soft that I cannot keep my hands out of it.  My hair and I are about to get real sexual.  Today I used like a shampoo again, rinsed it, and then used it as a leave in conditioner.  My hair isn't weighed down and is softer than it has been in a long time.  I won't be weirded out if you want to touch it.  You know you want to. 


Seriously.  That infomercial don't lie.  Wen is fo' real. 

xoxo
J

Thursday, May 24, 2012

What Rx Means

I did two movements Rx so far this week that I have never done before.  I was finally able to get one Rx handstand push up with some great coaching from Darin, Tara D., Mike B., and Michelle K. and I did Rx ring dips in a WOD.  My dips took forever and weren't all perfect, but I did it.  I can do ring dips Rx. 

The meaning of this goes far beyond the ability to do functional movements.  At a time in my life where things are scary, changing, and constantly stressful, accomplishing these movements this week had significance beyond putting an Rx on the board.

It shows me I can get through things that are hard and I can do anything I put my mind to doing.  It means I can count on myself to do things that are out of my comfort zone and succeed.  And even if I whine through the process, I still have the strength and perseverance to get through shit that sucks.  And that means I can do this no matter what "this" may be. 

xoxo
J


Saturday, May 19, 2012

I am in love

With Lamb.

Seriously.  For a former vegan, I am picking the rudest thing to eat- baby animals.  WTF has happened here, people?

My newest food love happened purely by accident- as all good love affairs do.  When I was grocery shopping, I noticed they added grass fed lamb to the organic meat case at Wegmans.  I've had lamb before in restaurants and liked it, so I figured I would give it a go.

BEST DECISION EVER.

I grabbed ground lamb and made it into burgers and grilled those little lambies up (sorry vegan friends).  Delicious to the maxx my friends, to the maxx.  They have a snap texture, almost like sausage.  My crystal ball says there will be ground lamb stuffed peppers on the menu sometime this week.

Here is the recipe for the burgers:

1 lb ground lamb
1/2 tsp of the following spices:
coriander
cumin
salt
pepper

and 2 cloves of garlic, pressed 

As for eating meat, especially meat that is cute, I am transitioning really well.  I'm feeling good and I am noticing a lot of strength gains and am getting more toned.  I start a thirty day Paleo challenge on Monday.  I feel like I'm finally adjusting to eating meat and doing the Paleo thing and am ready to take on this challenge. I have been contemplating cutting out protein powders for awhile since it is a processed food and ditching them is part of this particular program. I started weaning myself off of foods that I tend to over indulge in like peanut butter and salty nuts.  I mean, who doesn't want to eat salty nuts all day long ;0)  Giving up alcohol for the next 30 days is going to be okay too.  After a few weekends in a row of partying and hang overs, I'm ready for a break.  Sorry vodka and sorry asshole behavior- you're out too.  So if any Crossfitters needs a designated driver for Night Gone Bad, I'm your girl ;0)

If anyone wants to try the 30 day challenge, here is the website:
 http://whole9life.com/category/whole-30/

xoxo
J


Friday, May 18, 2012

Impending Doom

I have thoroughly enjoyed the past three weeks off from school.  I have been able to spend time with my friends, focus on my kids, and focus on myself.  I honestly haven't been this relaxed since I started my doctorate.  Over the past couple of days, I have noticed myself feeling overwhelmed with the impending sense of doom that school is about to start again and my fun is over.  Back to seriousville, grindsville, and stressville.  BOOOOOOO.

I fantasize about quitting sometimes and just going back to doing the mom thing, but I am WAY too invested in myself and my future patients to give up now. 

Not to say I don't enjoy school- actually, I'm one of those sick nerds who loves it.  I love the learning.  I don't even mind the reading.  But I HATE that education is such an evaluative process.  Psychology is not like math.  It is subjective and every single person practicing, practices differently and with different talents and skills.  It really doesn't even seem logical to me that we are graded on it.  I wish I could just learn because I enjoy it and not be graded on it. I get really good grades and I work hard, but I get so wrapped up in the evaluations I am receiving that is sucks the joy out of learning. 

That, my friends, is bullshit.

This semester is going to be different for me. I going to work very hard to not see school as a chore anymore.  I want to see it for what it is:  my future in helping other people live their best lives.  I refuse to spend another semester feeling afraid of failure, worrying about what theoretical orientation will get me the best job, and dwelling on the debt I am accumulating.  I am going to concentrate on truly, and authentically enjoying this process. 

So if any of my you, my loves, see me retreating into a hole of fear, sadness, and/or stress, I am counting on you to bitch slap me and remind me to get my shit together and enjoy the process.

xoxo
J

Monday, May 14, 2012

Growing Grattitude

Today I am grateful for therapy.  I am currently working with an intuitive healer to help me overcome some physical issues and emotional trauma that I have been coping with since my car accident in 2004.  She is a nutritionist, a therapist, and is just overall a cool ass lady and I feel very blessed to be working with her.  While helping me deal with a lot of issues I have been having, a lot of crazy things have come up for me.

Having this happen made me very thankful that I chose to be a psychologist.  Patients tell me all the time how helpful therapy is, and until experiencing it for myself, I didn't understand.  My therapist had insights that I NEVER would have come up with on my own and rang so true. I always thought I was very open emotionally until I experienced therapy.    Talking to someone who was completely removed from my life opened up a whole world of emotional dumping for me that I was not totally conscious I was holding onto.  It was very cathartic. 

Through the process, I realized how hard I try to protect the people in my life from my emotions.  Not only is it taking away from myself, but it made me realize that I am very afraid to show "weakness."   I have been trying to be real with my emotions and less protective of others. I surround myself with very capable people and I believe they can handle it.  Over the past few weeks, I have allowed myself to be more emotionally vulnerable and cried and vented with friends when I normally would have tried to handle my issues on my own.  I have been honest about my wants and needs and am feeling way more connected to where I am headed in my life-even though it seems confusing and scary at times. 

So thank you for allowing me to talk to you about my experiences and being open to hearing about my experience in therapy. For all of my psych buddies who have not gotten into therapy like we have been told over and over to do- I would highly recommend taking the time to do it.  It is very, very helpful.

xoxo
J


Friday, May 11, 2012

For the Ladies- Period (get the hint dudes)

This blog is for the ladies.  Not hating on my male readers, but it is in your best interest that you stop reading now unless you want to read about female menstruation.

I was recently gifted a Diva Cup.  For those of you who don't know what the Diva Cup is, here is the website:

http://www.divacup.com/

Essentially, it's a silicone cup you shove up your vagina and it catches your period before it has a meet and greet with your pretty little panties.  It was Diva Cup meets Jane's vagina fate. I received the Diva Cup the day before I got my period.  So I took a deep breath and I decided to give it a go.  It was a little scary, I'm not going to lie, but I'm one brave bitch, so I went for it.  The first test was when I wore it for the squat workout this week.  I was terrified that I was going to squat it out (birth style) or it wouldn't work and sweat would not be the only thing on the floor after the WOD.  I'm not going to blog any more of the dirty details (I am happy to give them in person) but I am going to tell you I'm a convert.  The Diva Cup works.  It stays in place and you cannot feel it if inserted correctly.  I wore it overnight on my heaviest days and it worked as effectively, if not more so, than a tampon.  It is a money saver and an environment saver- double awesome. 

I've been looking for a natural alternative to pads and tampons for awhile.  I'm going to be honest, it freaks me out that you could get Toxic Shock Syndrome from tampons.  But some of the more natural, organic lady products are a little too high maintenance for me.  I do not want to launder bloody pads every day.  Seriously.  Gross. 


The only problem I could see in using one is if you are dealing with a "stall" situation, it might be difficult to clean your cup and reinsert.  Easy to navigate if you pack baby wipes in your purse or even use toilet paper.  If anyone has any questions, you know I am all about answering them honestly and descriptively hahahaha.  This is a product I would totally recommend. 

xoxo
J


Monday, May 7, 2012

Regionals

Over the weekend I took Molly and Lilah down to Maryland to watch Crossfit Inspire compete in the Crossfit Mid-Atlantic Regional Competition.  I took them for two reasons.  One was to give my husband a break and the other was so they could see the female athletes, especially the ones from our box. 

When it comes to raising two young girls, I want their perception of what is beautiful and what defines a woman to be vastly different than what society generally believes women should be.  I want them to be around women with muscles, women who can hang with the guys, women who are confident, women who are strong.   I want to expose the girls to a world where girls can do anything boys can do and where the boys are cool with it. 

I want Molly and Lilah to experience what Crossfit has shown me as far as body image, typical gender roles, how men and women interact, and how they treat each other.  I remember the first time one of the men at the gym told me that he looked at my numbers when he came in the afternoon and tried to beat them. A man was looking at my numbers as a goal.  As a woman, that was a big freaking deal.  I remember the first time one of the guys told me I was looking "jacked."  That was a compliment full of respect and admiration, not "your hot and I want to get in your pants." 

My girls are begging to do Crossfit kids.  I cannot wait for them to start.  Not only because it will make them strong and confident, but because it will continue to expose them to the way the Crossfit culture respects and treats women.  

xoxo
J

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

While making dinner...

My daughter Molly has the Learning Fair at her school this month.  She brought her board home and Lilah proceeded to scribble all over it while I was in the shower a couple of weeks ago.  As usual, my Maguiver mind was in full effect and I just told Molly that we would paint the whole thing black, put gold glitter all over it, and give it cheetah spots. She was satisfied with this- tantrum averted. 

Today I decided it was time to paint the board.  I stripped them out of their clothes and sent them outside with paint brushes and paint and told them to work on it while Nate and I made dinner.  While he and I were joining our creative forces to come up with the most amazing spice rubbed pork with apple chutney EVER, the girls "worked" on their project.

I was just putting the finishing touches on the salad when Lilah came in covered from the neck down in black paint.  Molly followed, a little less paint covered, but still a hot mess.  I was PISSED!  I whisked them both into the shower and they proceeded to inform me that they were, and I quote:

 "Pretending to be black people." 

Needless to say, I was no longer angry.  I am still laughing as I am writing this. This was WAY too funny not to blog.  Hopefully the girls got to experience their inner Beyonce tonight. 

I will post the recipe for our Paleo friendly dinner as soon as I figure out the measurements.  The girls requested to have it again tomorrow, so I will figure out the ratios then.  Hopefully they will be satisfied being white tomorrow night when I'm making it. 

xoxo
J