Five Weight Loss Promises to Myself

Today I am embarking on my postpartum weight loss journey.  I have weighed myself for the first time since giving birth, I've dusted off my workout gear, and I'm ready.  But!  Before I start this adventure, I'm setting boundaries.  Weight loss is an incredibly emotional journey, in addition to the physical transformation - A woman can ruin her self-esteem and create unrealistic goals for herself that will only set her up for failure... I won't do that to myself.  Below are my "Five Weight Loss Promises to Myself" - my boundaries for both my physical and emotional well-being:

I will love myself, no matter what.

Society sets women up for serious self-esteem issues and the levels of self-hate running through many woman because of their weight is disgusting.  I don't care how "chubby" I may be, I will love myself for who I am.  My weight loss is for health reasons, not to fit into a tiny bikini.  Yes, looking great in a pair of skinny jeans will be awesome, but that's not why I'm doing this.  I'm doing this to be in a position where I can keep up with my kids and live a long, healthy life.

This is a lifestyle change - not a diet.

I can't do diets.  They are restrictive and NOT fun.  If this is going to work, this is a change of my eating habits and lifestyle - this is permanent, not a fad, and it will be a slow process of figuring out what works, and cutting out what doesn't.  If I treat this as a diet, I'll likely end up miserable and need "cheat" days to keep it up - that's not the goal here.  This is changing my approach to eating and fitness in a way that is sustainable.

I will workout.

I was on workout restrictions starting at 9 weeks during my pregnancy, so it's been close to a YEAR since I tried any form of fitness routine.  This won't be easy to start up again, because I can tell that I've lost a lot of strength and endurance - But that's okay!  We all start somewhere.  I am committed to working out and slowly building to where I was before.

I accept that this won't happen overnight.

Expecting immediate results isn't realistic.  In fact, doing so will probably make me thoroughly disappointed.  It took me 10 months to gain these extra 30 pounds, and thinking that I'll get them all off in less time than that is just ridiculous.  I'm in this for the long haul and I will be patient with my body as it gets back to a healthy place.

I will not be victim to the scale.

I weighed myself today.  I will not return to that scale until next week.  Daily weigh-in's are crazy to me - I've done it before and it wasn't good for my emotional health.  Our bodies fluctuate so much and depending on daily numbers can make you a slave to your scale.  I won't do it.  Every Saturday - that's it.  No more.  Plus, there are so many other ways to track your progress - how your clothing fits, measuring, etc.

At the end of the day, any person's weight loss journey is intensely personal and we all have different limits.  These are my promises to myself - What are yours?

Family health & Air filters - Natural options?

I recently relocated to the Central Valley of California - it's been a lot of adjusting from the life of a coastal city with clean, moist air to a desert climate with dry, polluted air.  Because I have two small children (and a husband with severe allergies) I've been looking into ways to filter the air in our home to limit any potential allergy and respiratory issues.

One thing that we parents should keep in mind when considering our family's/children's respiratory health is the fact that indoor air is often up to 5 times more toxic than outdoor air - so if you live in an area with poor air quality, your indoor environment is probably not the safe haven you were hoping for.

What's in your air?

There's a lot of things you may not even know to worry about when it comes to indoor air quality - your family is breathing in A LOT of nasty stuff on a daily basis - Where you live, and even what you do for a living, can bring extra (or eliminate some) toxins.  Here's an idea of what you and your children are breathing:

• Carbon dioxide (CO₂)
• Artificial Fragrances
• Dust
• Toxic vapors
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
• Off-gas emissions from furniture, carpets, and paints
• Dust mites
• Microbial contaminants, fungi, molds, and bacteria
• Ozone

How can you filter your air?

So now that we know our indoor air is likely more toxic than the outdoor air and that our indoor air is filled with gross stuff, what can we do?

The easiest and most obvious solution is to buy some form of air filtration device(s) - the problem with these is often the cost.  A system that will filter your entire home can cost thousands of dollars, depending on how "fancy" you want to go.  If that's too much, you can get free-standing air filters.  Generally, for a medium to large room, you're looking at an investment of over $100 for one of these - and you'll need one for every room.  When you consider all of the rooms in your home, you're looking at a pretty high price tag here as well.

However, the cost is often worth it if you're able to manage it - in addition to filtering toxins out of the air, these filters with assist with dust and large particles present in the air of your home.

Natural Alternatives

Please, DON'T stop with air filters - you have more options! ...and these may surprise you!

In the late 1980's, NASA published their Clean Air Study, which included a list of plants - yes, I said plants - that naturally filter and clean air.  These plants, depending on which you purchase, can filter many VOC's out of your indoor air - including benzene, formaldehyde, ammonia, toluene, xylene, and trichloroethene.

What's even better is that these plants can been extremely cost effective - and, as someone who lacks a "green thumb," I was glad to see that a few are also extremely hardy plants that can survive with little care.

In each room of your house, have several house plants stationed to assist in filtering your air - if you have a large home, you'll need to pick up a few extra for the added space they are filtering, but in general, 2-3 plants per room is a good rule of thumb.  Some of these plants can cost less than $10 each, so this is a massive savings over air filtering devices.

One thing that should be noted: These plants do not filter dust and large particles - that's what air filtration systems and devices are for.  I've opted to combine plant based filtering AND air filters in my home to clean as much as possible.

What plants should you buy?  

The variety is impressive - succulents, ferns and palms, flowers, etc.  Depending on your skill at keeping house plants alive (my success rate is pretty low, unfortunately), here's a list of recommendations - you can see the complete list from NASA's Clean Air Study here.

Beginners - No Green Thumb Required
Snake Plant & English Ivy are two hardy and easy to care for plants that will assist in filtering air.  Snake Plant is my strongest recommendation, as it filters benzene, formaldehyde, toluene, xylene, and trichloroethene all by itself - it's a superstar air filter.  English Ivy is a champ at filtering formaldehyde, which is likely the biggest toxin present in most homes.  Both of these plants require minimal light and don't need to be watered often.

Intermediate - Need a little TLC
The Peace Lily and Lady Palm are two highly effective air filters, but each requires a bit of work to maintain.  Peace Lily's excel at absorbing acetone and benzene - but they are toxic to animals, so they would need to be under close observation if you have pets.  Lady Palms are wonderful to have because they suck up ammonia, which can damage the respiratory system - but, they take a long time to grow, so you need to be patient with this one.

 

Advanced - Green Thumbs Only

Where most air filtering plants are ferns or vines, the Chrysanthemum and Moth Orchid have beautiful blooms that make them among the most beautiful house plants you could add to your collection.  Chrysanthemum's are also one of the most efficient air filters - they tackle benzene, formaldehyde, ammonia, toluene, xylene, and trichloroethene.  Moth Orchid's are also effective at absorbing toluene and xylene - both common in homes.  However, because of the floral nature of these plants, they do require a lot of sun and more consistent watering that most.  You'll need to tend to these plants frequently to keep them thriving.

Breast Cancer: Metastatic Monday

Today's post is unique - that's because today a viral campaign is taking place online to raise awareness for the deadliest form of breast cancer, Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer.  The campaign, #MetsMonday, is one that I wholeheartedly support, so I wanted to share some important information to all of the moms (and dads) out there about this frightening form of cancer.

Breast Cancer in America

For additional statistics and more information on breast cancer in the United States, please go to BreastCancer.Org.

• About 1 in 8 U.S. women (about 12%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.  However, both women AND men can be diagnosed.
• In 2014, an estimated 232,670 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 62,570 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.
• About 2,360 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in men in 2014. A man’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is about 1 in 1,000.
• About 40,000 women in the U.S. were expected to die in 2014 from breast cancer, though death rates have been decreasing since 1989 — with larger decreases in women under 50. These decreases are thought to be the result of treatment advances, earlier detection through screening, and increased awareness.
• For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer, besides lung cancer.
• Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women. Just under 30% of cancers in women are breast cancers.
• Overall, African-American women are more likely to die of breast cancer.
• In 2014, there were more than 2.8 million women with a history of breast cancer in the U.S. This includes women currently being treated and women who have finished treatment.
• A woman’s risk of breast cancer approximately doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. About 15% of women who get breast cancer have a family member diagnosed with it.
• About 5-10% of breast cancers can be linked to gene mutations (abnormal changes) inherited from one’s mother or father. Mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are the most common. 
• Women with a BRCA1 mutation have a 55-65% risk of developing breast cancer before age 70, and often at a younger age that it typically develops. 
• For women with a BRCA2 mutation, this risk is 45%. An increased ovarian cancer risk is also associated with these genetic mutations. 
• In men, BRCA2 mutations are associated with a lifetime breast cancer risk of about 6%; BRCA1 mutations are a less frequent cause of breast cancer in men.
• About 85% of breast cancers occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer. These occur due to genetic mutations that happen as a result of the aging process and life in general, rather than inherited mutations.
• The most significant risk factors for breast cancer are gender (being a woman) and age (growing older).