Real Talk, Wellness

Raise your hand if you deal with anxiety! We all experience anxiety on some level at some point in our lives…and for some it’s more intense than others. I know from experience that it’s a real pain in the ass.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a really anxious person. I have not been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder however I have worked with a therapist to understand and improve my anxiety for years. I’ve employed various methods to cope with my anxiety (including therapy of course), medication, exercise, eating healthy, EFT, and EMDR. I’d been recommended to do breathing exercises, and practiced them in sessions, but never did so outside of the therapist’s office. Breathing exercises—sounds nice, but that’s not going to help me much, I’d think to myself. HOWEVER, it wasn’t until a couple of months ago that I decided to give it a whirl.  

Going into it, I was highly skeptical. Yeah, they worked and relaxed me practicing with my therapist, but what about when I reallllly need a dose of calm?

I’m not exaggerating when I say practicing breathwork has been one of the most transformative experiences I’ve ever had. When practiced, all the pent up tension in my body dissolves and am able to process my anxiety.

According to The American Institute of Stress, 20 to 30 minutes of belly breathing each day will reduce anxiety and stress.

The kind of breathwork that I want to focus on today is belly breathing because it is a method I’ve mastered and practice daily. There are many other methods out there and I plan to implement those, too.

Here’s how to do belly breathing:

Find a comfortable, quiet place to sit or lie down. For example, try sitting in a chair, sitting cross-legged, or lying on your back with a small pillow under your head and under your knees.

  • Place on hand on your upper chest and the other hand on your belly, below the ribcage.
  • Allow your belly to relax, without forcing it inward by squeezing or clenching your muscles.
  • Breathe in slowly through your nose. The air should move into your nose and downward so that you feel your stomach rise with your other hand and fall inward (toward your spine).
  • Exhale slowly through slightly pursed lips. Take note of the hand on your chest, which should remain relatively still.
  • The hand on your chest should continue to remain relatively still.

Peace, love & breathwork, xx,

Lynn

Beauty, Real Talk, Wellness

PUFA is a trending term right now in the wellness community because there is so much research and data on the negative health affects of ingesting them. So WTF is a PUFA? It stands for polyunsaturated fat. Not only are they shitty for your health when eaten, they’re also not great for your skin. Today I am doing a deep dive into why I am no longer using them during my morning and night time skincare routines.

Polyunsaturated oils come packaged as skincare usually as seed oils and they are often labeled ‘natural’, ‘organic’, ‘vegan’, etc. Which is isn’t a lie! The problem is that seed oils have the potential to experience oxidative stress when ingested and/or applied to the skin. Why? In simple terms, our bodies are warm, which makes for the perfect environment for oxidation with these unstable oils.

So, what does this mean? Unstable oils generate free radicals which can cause early aging.

An oxidized oil may moisturize your skin nicely, but within the long-term, its absorption (or consumption) may lead to cell and connective damage to the tissues, age stains, thyroid suppression along with other hormonal imbalance. {via}

Enough of the info…now on to the dirty list…

Here are the oils most used in skincare that are polyunsaturated:

  • Oils from nuts and seeds
  • Rosehip oil
  • Seabuckthorn oil
  • Almond oil
  • Flax seed oil
  • Sunflower oil
  • Chia seed oil
  • Passion fruit oil 
  • Grapeseed oil
  • Hemp seed oil

Reading labels is SO important whether it’s your food or your skincare. The oils that I personally love for skincare are:

♡ Biossance Squalane <– I just wrote a blog post about the best Squalane oil ever. It is 100% saturated and not comedogenic. It can be used on any skin type.

♡ Acure Marula Oil: Seals-in hydration and softens skin, offers antioxidant protection, has anti-inflammatory effects, has some antibacterial properties.

♡ Jojoba oil: I use jojoba oil every night to remove my makeup. It’s so hydrating and just feels so luxe on the skin.

Are there PUFA-free products you like? Please share!

xx, Lynn

Real Talk, Wellness

First & foremost, I’m not a doctor & I’m not trying to be. I’m just sharing my health journey & what works for me. Please do your own research, take what resonates, and leave what you don’t.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk liver. No, not raw or cooked liver. Because YUCCCCK. I’m talking about beef liver capsules.

Why? As I learned about the major benefits of organ meats, I was intrigued but could absolutely NOT stomach the idea of consuming actual liver or any other organ meat in it’s natural form. No way in hell. And that’s how I got to discovering liver supplements.

Beef live supports:

♡ Healthy Teeth, Gums, Skin & Hair

♡ Healthy Joints, Ligaments & Tendons

♡ Collagen Production

♡ Energy Metabolism

♡ Immune Function

♡ Heart, Brain & Liver Health 

I started taking 4 capsules per day with breakfast, and after about 4 weeks I started to notice positive changes: I had more energy, my posterior tibial tendonitis that I’d had for almost a year went away, my nails got stronger, and my hair is thicker and shinier than EVER.

I can’t make this shit up. I was pretty shocked that my muscular issue noted above went away after physical therapy, rest, and icing, only for none of those things to have a huge impact until I started taking the beef liver capsules.

Beef liver is totally a nutritional powerhouse. It contains a large amount of high-quality protein, which is an easily absorbed form of iron, all of the B vitamins (including B12 and folic acid), as well as vitamin A, many copper, zinc, chromium, phosphorous and selenium, and essential fatty acids.

I had to share Ancestral Supplements Beef Liver Supplements with you because I believe in them and the company and they’ve been such a fab addition to my diet and my life.

We will definitely continue the conversation on supplements, tinctures, etc. – I love this shit & I know a lot of you do too. Please share your rec’s below if you have them!

Hope you’re having a fabulous week!

xx, Lynn

Beauty

Out of all the beauty products out there, oils are the one thing I love the most. I put them everywhere: from the top of my head to help with psoriasis to my ass to my feet. I’m a real oil connoisseur.

Do you remember when oils were the enemy? At 15 years old, I remember slathering baby oil (I know, that one is not great) all over my face because even back then I had super dry skin. Facial oils have come a loooong way since then.

Today I want to share a new oil that I have been using and it’s quickly become my favorite: Squalane oil.

I was using a Squalane Oil that I really liked, but being the beauty guinea pig that I am, I wanted to explore others that are out there. And that led me down the rabbit hole of the different kinds of squalane oil. There are two different kinds: those derived from olives and those derived from sugarcane. I checked the one I had been using, and it’s derived from oilves.

Which one is better? Simply put, the squalane derived from sugarcane is ‘better’.

Olives contain a small amount of squalene, which gets more and more concentrated in the various steps of olive oil processing until it’s finally recovered from olive oil’s final production waste and turned into squalane. Sounds like a great way to re-purpose waste, right? Not quite. The problem with olive oil-derived squalane is that the multi-step olive oil processing—along with the environmental conditions under which the olives are grown—can create inconsistent quality. {via}

Sugarcane is a heartier crop than olives, and is more pure, higher quality and a better ingredient. It is easy to formulate with, readily biodegradable and has a very stable supply. {via}

After researching the best sugarcane-based squalane oils, I went with

Real Talk, Wellness

With the way the world is right now, wellness is at the top of a lot of people’s minds. I recorded a podcast to share how my wellness routine has evolved…like which wellness routines, products, and hacks I am sticking to on a daily basis.

Here are a couple of the things I talk about in the episode:

Getting outside everyday

When California first went under stay-at-home orders, I kind of felt frozen and didn’t get out much. As the months went on and my gym was closed, I begrudgingly started to run outside. At first, I hated it. SO MUCH. But now, it’s one of the best parts of my day. I found a couple of spots I love in my neighborhood; both open spaces that are so peaceful. Breathing in fresh air and being in nature has been so grounding for me. I usually start off by listening to a meditation and then I do my HIIT run for about 45 minutes.

It’s addicting in the best way.

Some of the benefits of being in nature on the daily:

♡ Can improve your short-term memory

♡ de-stresses

♡ Reduces inflammation

♡ helps eliminate fatigue

♡ Fights depression and anxiety

♡ Protects your vision

♡ Boosts your immune system

♡ Lowers blood pressure

{via}

Red light therapy

Red light therapy is also known as RLT, photobiomodulation (PBM), low level light therapy (LLLT), biostimulation, and photonic stimulation or light box therapy.

Red light therapy uses specific wavelengths of light to accomplish various outcomes.

Studies have shown that different wavelengths affect the body in different ways, and the most effective wavelengths of red light seem to be between 650-850 nm.

These specific wavelengths of red light create a biochemical affect in our cells that serves to increase mitochondrial function. This improves ATP (adenosine triphosphate) production in the body.

Why should that matter?

ATP is the source of energy for every cell in the body. Without it, we don’t function at all. Without enough of it, we don’t function well.

When your red light(s’s wavelengths range is between 650-850, the light penetrates about 8-10 millimeters into the skin which can positively affect all skin layers, blood vessels, lymphs, and hair follicles.

These are all evidence-based benefits:

♡ Beneficial for skin to reduce eczema, rosacea, and acne

♡ Stimulates slow healing wounds.

♡ Helps fade scars and stretch marks.

♡ Can prevent recurring cold sores, or herpes simplex.

♡ Red light activates the lymphatic system for potentially improved detoxification.

♡ It helps to repair sun damage.

♡ Helps with sleep.

Personally I have noticed that I am getting WAY better sleep and I feel more energized in the morning using red light bulbs. The only lights in our bedroom are red, so if the lights are on, they are red and we only use them at night and just allow the natural sunlight to provide light during the day.

Adrenal cocktail

What if I told you there is a cocktail that could make you feel better? Ok, it’s a MOCKTAIL, but it’s just as good. The adrenal cocktail provides energy while helping to offset stress and even infections.

It’s called the Adrenal Cocktail because it caters to your adrenals. The adrenal gland is located just above the kidneys and is vital for regulating different hormone levels including cortisol, aldosterone and adrenaline. These hormones control the body’s energy levels, including the ability to increase your blood pressure or heart rate to respond to stressful situations. When these hormones aren’t balanced, you can feel tired and stressed. {via}

Managing your hormone levels is so important and drinking this fabulous cocktail has so many benefits on top of managing stress. I tell you the full recipe on the podcast!

♡ LISTEN HERE for all the wellness tips ♡

xx, Lynn