Real Talk

Real Talk

As you are reading this blog post you are getting zapped. Hate to be a Debbie Downer here…but things will look up near the end of this post! I feel that this is such an important topic to discuss because EMF exposure can hurt your health but you can take action to defend exposure. 

I had no idea what EMFs were until 6 months ago when I dove into learning about 5G. There is SO MUCH INFORMATION available to us but I am going to give you the info in a digestible way. 

So…wtf are EMFs? 

EMFs (electromagnetic radiation or frequency), simply put, are invisible lines of energy that are put out by an electrical or wireless source. They can be beneficial, harmless or extremely dangerous to humans, depending on the source, level of radiation, and duration of exposure.

Don’t be fooled by low frequencies either. Both low and high frequencies can be dangerous. Low would be classified as appliances or electricity and high would be things like radio frequency (RDR or RF) from wireless devices.

Dangers of exposure

Most EMFs are harmful to our health. We are surrounded by man-made invisible radiation every single day. Well known culprits include public wifi, Bluetooth, radio, cell phones, computers, microwaves and cell phone towers (ahem, 5G).

On a cellular level, EMFs remove ions from our cells and interfere with the metabolism within those cells. Recent studies show direct links between EMF exposure and brain cancer, MS, neurological diseases and nutritional deficiencies such as Alzheimer’s, depression, schizophrenia, MS, and more. Electrical currents from A/C power outlets) create biological currents that affect our brain and nervous systems resulting in issues such as brain fog, fatigue, and low energy. Before learning about EMFs, I thought it was weird that when the microwave was running, I could feel little zaps in my head…now I know why. Some people are more sensitive than others but I have met other people who experience this as well. I’m pleased to tell you that I haven’t used my microwave in months and encourage you to do the same.

Symptoms of overexposure include, but are not limited to:

  • Headaches
  • Fatigue
  • Sleep issues
  • Weight gain
  • Digestive disorders
  • Immune disorders
  • Anxiety
  • Adrenal fatigue
  • Depression
  • Cancer
  • Brain fog
  • ADHD 

{sources listed at the bottom of this post}

…NO THANK YOU. 

EMF exposure does not act alone when it comes to these symptoms since they are almost always in cahoots with your body having too much involvement with GMOs, pollution, pesticides, toxic tap water, low air quality and processed foods. They are a silent but evil combination.

5 Ways to Protect Yourself

Enough of the bad news…now on to how to say ‘fuck no’ to EMFs. Fortunately, there are some amazing companies out there that have been making it their mission come up with products and services to shield and protect us from EMFs. Here is a list of everything I am using and doing to shield myself – use it as a guide if you’re looking for a place to start!

  1. BE AWARE of using your phone up to your ear/head, and really anywhere up to your body. Side note: did you ever hear advice NOT to put your phone in your sports bra/pockets while exercising? I did too, and some people say it’s a myth that the radiation causes issues, some don’t…however current science points to the fact that it DOES negatively affect our health. Always use airplane mode when you can and do not sleep next to your phone. You can hear your alarm from the kitchen – I promise! Take it from the gal who slept with her phone 2 feet away for years. Be mindful when you’re talking on the phone, too. Use headphones or put your phone on speaker instead of holding it to your head.
  2. Turn your wi-fi off at night. You can even put an outlet timer on and have it go off automatically.
  3. Make sure that you do not have a smart meter near your home. It’s actually illegal.
  4. Use a shield when using your laptop. I have been using the laptop shield from Defendershield for two months and absolutely love it. It’s comfortable to use on my lap and I don’t have to worry as much about nasty radiation near my lady parts.
  5. Use a phone case that shields EMFs and/or use a bag that defends you while your phone is inside. I’ve been wearing this fanny pack – yeah I said FANNY PACK (!!) while hiking and it’s so comfortable. No more sticking my phone in my pocket.
  6. Wear blue light blocking glasses while you’re working, at your computer, or using your phone. This pair has daytime and night-time lenses in 1. I use the yellow tint during the day and snap on the orange tinted lenses at night if I am laying in bed on my phone – ya know you do it too!

If you want to pick up any Defendershield products, they are offering All Gussied Up readers 20% off your order with code LYNN20.

Sources:

Real Talk, Wellness

I started following Brittany on Instagram a long time ago and was instantly drawn to her because she offers such tangible tricks and tips to live your best life – something I stand for and you know that if you’ve been following along here. Brittany is Nutritionist, biohacker, and podcaster. She helps her clients optimize their hormones, gut, and skin.

So I was very excited that she agreed to come on the All Gussied Up podcast to discuss it all from skin to the benefits of sunning to cold baths for your face and body.

In the episode, you’ll learn how she got into nutrition and biohacking, what the top biohacks are for optimal health, and she recommends a sunscreen that is a new favorite of mine.

With that, I invite you to listen to our conversation HERE.

♡♡♡

Real Talk, Wellness

Woah boy is this a big topic…one that I have wanted to write about for a long time.

WHY I QUIT VEGANISM.

If you’re vegan or if you’re not vegan, I hope that this post helps you in one way or another. I’ve compiled facts and resources for you if you’re inclined to dig deeper and do more research on this topic. More on that as we go.

2000 was the year that I stopped eating all red meat after my family and I drove by Harris Ranch on I-5 as we traveled to LA from Northern California. Seeing those cows packed into confinement made me so angry. I declared right then and there that I was done with red meat. Looking back, I totally get that this was Speciesism. 

But I stuck to my word and never touched red meat again…after one last In ‘n Out burger because they were my FAVORITE. Spoiler: I wish I knew better and did not stop because NOW I am grossed out by it and don’t have the desire to eat red meat. 

I continued with everything else though: poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy. Just no beef.

In 2014 I decided to go vegan for ethical reasons. I hate the idea of exploiting animals. By the beginning of 2016, my body was screaming at me to stop. I spent several months prior to quitting veganism trying to ignore my body’s cues. I experienced extremely dry skin, indigestion almost all of the time even after eating the ‘right’ combinations of foods and eating little to no ‘junk’, fatigue, and the list goes on. Side note: one of the junky foods I would eat a lot were Beast Burgers from Beyond Meat. Finally an option packed with protein! Until I came to learn that Beyond Meat products are packed with bad-for-you ingredients. Occasionally I’d cheat and eat fish. To my dismay, I would feel SO. MUCH. BETTER. My digestive issues resolved, and I felt satiated. The way that I felt started to really nag at me and I constantly weighed my options: feel good in my body but feel guilty AF about the impact of my choices. 

I lumped animal products into one evil category of factory farming. You know those horrifying videos of animals being abused. I have not watched one purposely and I never want to. But I do know what goes on at many factory farms. I saw it with my own eyes at the California State Fair with a dairy cow. What I was not aware of was a whole other world of meat, eggs, and dairy, grown by independent farmers who practice regenerative agriculture. “In short, regenerative agriculture is a system of farming principles and practices that seeks to rehabilitate and enhance the entire ecosystem of the farm by placing a heavy premium on soil health with attention also paid to water management, fertilizer use, and more. It is a method of farming that improves the resources it uses, rather than destroying or depleting them”. {via}

These farmers use techniques that enhance their environments and treat their animals humanely, allowing them to engage in their natural behaviors and eat the food they’re meant to eat. The additional benefit is that the meat, dairy, and eggs produced by these farmers are more nutritious than your run of the mill shitty factory farm. 

I chose my health and my body as my priority and having the education behind independent farmers and the benefits, I do not place any guilt on myself for consuming animal products now. I am very selective about where my meat and eggs come from – I still don’t consume dairy because it grosses me out and I am lactose intolerant. Tip: If you’re looking to forego grocery store meat, I highly recommend visiting your local Famer’s Market to support your local farmer(s).

Let’s get into the specifics of why and how eating meat is not something that you should feel guilty about – because this information helped me a lot. All of this information is via The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Paleo Leap. You can visit their site to read more about the biological benefits as well as environmental benefits, but here is a brief list:

♡ Meat contributes greatly to our overall health and contains many nutrients that cannot be obtained in any amount from plants:

  • Carnosine, a molecule found in meat sources, is an antioxidant that protects against degeneration.
  • Vitamin B12, found in meat, helps make DNA, prevents certain types of anemia, and contributes to the health of nerve cells.
  • Meat is a complete protein source with a higher biological value.
  • Meat is a good source of the difficult to get vitamin D, contains vitamins B1, B2, B6, and the minerals zinc, selenium, and iron.

Book recommendations:

♡ Nutrition and Physical Degeneration

♡ How to Heal Your Metabolism

♡ The Vegetarian Myth

♡ Nourishing Fats: Why We Need Animal Fats for Health and Happiness

There you have it. I hope this helped you if you’re vegan and feeling guilty about the thought of adding animal protein in to your diet, or if you’re just looking to make healthier choices in general. Because I wish I would’ve read something like this when I was struggling.

xo,

Lynn

Real Talk

If you follow me on Instagram, you might already know this, but if you don’t – my baby, Daisy passed away last week. Hence the radio silence over the last several weeks. 

This post is to get my thoughts out “on paper” and to hopefully help anyone who is struggling with the loss of an animal family member. Because so many just do not get it. If you’re not a cat or a dog person, no problem, but you’ll have to be to get this post. Tune out those people who say “oh, she/he was just a cat and you can get a new one” – ya know those people. Animals cannot be replaced. 

Daisy has been by my side for almost 12 years since I adopted her from a rescue organization – she had been found in a barn with her mom and siblings as a tiny kitten. I chose her out of her litter because she was such a sweet girl, and had the prettiest green eyes with a pop of eyeliner. 😉  She’s been through my college years, a marriage, a divorce, my second marriage, and SO much more. She sat in my lap purring day after day as I worked on this blog. She slept across my chest every night until she got too sick and weak to jump up on the bed – there were times I had nightmares about being strangled to wake up to Daisy’s weight over my neck – lol. When she did become too weak to jump up on the bed, I would lift her up so that we could snuggle at night. In the morning, she’d still come in to visit and try her hardest to jump up on my side of the bed. Instead, I’d pull her up to be with me so we continued to share bed snuggles until her very last day. She would chirp every single morning as my wake up call to feed her – sometimes as early as 5 AM, and always right in my face. If I didn’t listen, she’d gently love-bite my hand until I got out of bed to feed her breakfast. She was a mama’s girl through and through but she loved Jeff so much too. She LOVED it when he’d pick her up and toss her on the bed, for her to come running back and have him do it over and over and over again, chirping and meowing always asking for more.

Daisy was just as feisty as she was sweet. Those who knew her know this about her. She was always ready for a little sibling rivalry with her sister Nala, and if she didn’t like you, she’d let you know with a hiss and if she was REALLY pissed, a growl. She especially hated my mom and held a grudge on her for the entirety of her life…and I know it was because my mom was always the one to give her shots as she is in the veterinary field (since day one). Daisy got a lovely red tag on her carrier when she went to the vet because she was considered ‘fractious’ and let everyone know how much she hated to go to the vet. Once when she had to be sedated for a procedure, the doctor had to give her more and more doses of sedation because she was just so angry that she was being held down for a procedure and let them all know it. He told me once they were done, “Daisy is not a cheap date!”

It’s been five weeks since Daisy was diagnosed with cancer. I will detail some specifics here as again, I want to help others who might be going through this because it’s hard, sad, confusing, and heartbreaking. 

Since Daisy was a kitten, she was a high-maintenance girl. I remember when she threw up days after I’d adopted her at 12 weeks old and I wondered what was wrong with her when it continued on and off. Food changes and trips to the vet ensued over the course of her entire life, and the girl has had WAY more than 9 lives. At 2 years old, Daisy was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Disease which requires food modifications and sometimes medication. Throughout her life, she was a picky eater, making it extremely difficult to have her fed and nourished but I always managed to find something she liked that didn’t have an explosive combo with her stomach issue. She’d decide she wasn’t into certain foods on average once or twice per year, which always caused me stress and I recently learned that this is typical of cats who have IBD. 

In 2015 she stopped eating once again due to stress of having construction done in our home, and quickly lost weight, so to the vet we went to find out that she had Fatty Liver Disease, a reversible disease caused by a significant decrease in calories. She was on her deathbed and the vet told us she would have died had we not taken her in that night, but she recovered swiftly and put on weight. 

That was the last big scare until earlier this year. Daisy went to the emergency vet in January because her behavior quickly changed to find out that she had some kidney issues. Fast forward to April, and she was diagnosed with kidney disease, liver disease, and lymphoma. Daisy went through some shit but she was always tough as hell and she always came through. 

The test results were very confusing, even to some of the best veterinarians in the world at UC Davis. Her lymphoma was mostly made up of small cells (lymphocytes) which is typically classified as small cell lymphoma, a less aggressive form of lymphoma in cats, but she also had medium and large lymphocytes, which are classified as mixed and/or large cell lymphoma, which is more aggressive. Layer on kidney and liver disease and Daisy’s cocktail of illness was complicated. So complicated that a UC Davis faculty member spent his own money to “stage” the cancer and look at it more closely. 

As we waited for the specifics to come back on her cancer, Daisy began treatment with Prednisolone and weekly B12 injections given by my mom. Chemotherapy protocols are different depending on the kind of lymphoma the cat has, so we could not begin with Chemo until we had more answers. When we got the answer and set up a consultation to begin Chemo, Daisy started to breathe with effort, which is NEVER a good sign. We took her in to the vet to find out that she had fluid in her chest, around her lungs, which the vet drained. This is called pleural effusion. However with pleural effusion, even after draining (thoracentesis), it will come back within days or weeks. Daisy’s vet told us that the likely cause was that her cancer had metastasized to her lungs, making it very late to start Chemo. This also confirmed that Daisy’s cancer was super aggressive. And so our plan was to let her go when the fluid came back instead of repeating thoracentesis over and over and over again, likely everyday, putting Daisy at a huge risk for infection and an extra poor quality of life. Jeff and I snuggled her, gave her treats and so much love. And then Daisy’s respiratory rate went up 24 hours after she’d had the fluid drained. She began open-mouth breathing, which we had never seen from her before, and is a very negative indicator, so we took her right in to the vet to confirm what was going on. The fluid had come back in her chest and in her abdomen. We were so thankful that her vet confirmed that euthanasia was the best option – I NEEDED to hear it because I was willing to do anything to save her from the nasty cancer. Seriously, FUCK CANCER. 

I hemmed and hawed over whether I could be there for the euthanasia. I asked myself and beat myself with guilt if I wasn’t going to be there. But ultimately I decided NOT to be in the room. I went in and I said goodbye to her. I told her how much I love her, I thanked her for everything she taught me, and I put my forehead against the top of her head like she always loved to do with me when we snuggled. I told her not to be scared and I told her to come visit us afterward.  I did not want her to feel and see my hysterical sad energy during her last moments earthside. Instead, Jeff, the most amazing, calm human ever, stayed with her from beginning to end. She loved him dearly and it was perfect that he was with her, looking into her eyes and telling her how much each of us love her so dearly. 

Daisy is being cremated and I will have a diamond made from her ashes so that I can carry her with me everywhere that I go.

Daisy was and is the most special thing to me. I read somewhere that when a pet is ready to ‘go’, it’s because their mission in life has been completed – to teach us what we needed to learn. I believe that Daisy taught me so much about compassion. Caring for her and her health challenges throughout her life is something that I am grateful for. Also, stuff… it doesn’t matter. At all. Love is what matters. Her and I shared a unique bond that I will forever cherish. Thinking about the rainbow bridge is the saddest fucking thing though and I absolutely hate reading others’ similar stories – in fact I avoid it – so thank you for reading if you’ve made it to the end. 

If you’re going through something similar, please feel free to send me an email. I’m here for you<3

Xo
Lynn

Real Talk

Have you ever done a life edit? If not, I highly recommend doing one ASAP.

I am still working on my life edit, and MAN does it feel good. I feel like I’ve changed so much in just a matter of weeks after doing everything I go over in my new podcast episode – it’s a must listen if you’re wanting to get organized, get shit out of your life from stuff to emotions to people.

You guys, in 2 weeks, I cleaned out 60,000+ emails, unsubscribed from all that I didn’t want to receive any longer using unroll me, I am in the process of auditing all of my social media, cleaned out my closet, and a whole lot more.

In this episode, I cover mental, physical, and emotional ways to edit your life. Listen to it HERE.

This entire list is about picking up your life and putting all the shit DOWN. Never have I listened more to my inner voice and not to the competing voices outside after doing this.

An edited life is yours because it’s the one you are choosing to live.

Get 3 beauty and wellness tips straight to your inbox!