Archive of ‘Health’ category

These Days….

On October 12 of 2012 I   suffered a massive stroke at the age of twenty eight I personally  have found very little in the way of other young survivors except Nina from Boston who has a great quirky blog whom also had a stroke but at an even younger age of twenty six,check it out here—-—->POP! I plan on sharing my story of rehabilitation and fighting the good fight to regain what was lost,please feel free to share and/or contact me(lcotham@rocketmail.com with any questions or ideas/stories,Thanks for reading!!

Cheers!Picture 80

I don’t buy your beauty magazine.

I don’t generally review or recommend products because I think women get told enough about how to look better but not feel better… we need more feeling, less “self improvement” shoved down our throats…However these products are not necessarily to mask who you are or what you look like but enhance and be as natural as possible. After YEARS of being a sucker for packaging and hunting for the perfect foundation that looks and feels like I’m wearing nothing… the end result is this so far. If your anything like me and prefer as little make up as possible if any then this is for you.. I like to keep it simple. Minimal is the name of the game, and while I have procured a small arsenal of shadows and glosses these are the basics that will always stay put.

Love the skin your in:

I have recently boarded the wagon of Philosphy’s Purity Cleanser (works even better if you have a Clarisonic Mia !) I tend to have oil/acne prone skin so finding products that work for me is always a battle, I can’t even begin to think about the amount of money I have spent on products for my skin…. so to find something that keeps me balanced is a blessing!

I use this in conjunction with my mia and wash twice as well as a daily regimen of vitamins (fish oil is key) Vitamin B, Vitamin D (for those who are in low sunshine states..) a Multi and a general Hair,Skin,Nails Vitamin. If you can buy Whole Food Vitamins, they are less processed and absorb more efficiently into your body as oppose to just going right thru your system. In other words, you actually will feel and see the difference, its worth the damage on your wallet, you only get one body.

Also I recently discovered Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer (SPF 20 Oil Free) which is great and light weight and her translucent setting powder over that.. no need for heavy foundation. This evens out olive skin tones especially (I use nude) and feels good. I was previously using MAC’s Studio Sculpt but wanted less… less is more.

Eyes:

I keep it simple here too, eyeshadow when you go out but in a daily basis mascara and a simple eyeliner is perfect. Think pin-up girl eyes! I discovered MAC’s Penultimate Eyeliner (built in tapered tip for the easiest application ever!) and Benefit Cosmetics “They’re Real !” Mascera that has a pokey brush that separates and builds on what you already have, doesn’t clump up and look fake, one or two applications is all you need!

Don’t forget to fill in your brows as they really do frame your face and your eyes. I find a pencil works best. Any brand will do but Estee Lauder’s works well and stays on all day.

Lips:

I change this everyday, just depends on your mood.. here are some of my favorites though that I have found stay on/don’t dry you out and feel good !

Urban decay’s lipsticks are nice, this dark plum being my favorite.. not to mention the packaging is rad (be careful though because the top has a tendency to want to come off in your bag if not secure…)

Nars Chelsea Girls. Great for everyday, good consistency, and especially good if you are doing a dark eye or Mod Twiggy Eye look, then all people see are EYES !

ANY of the Korres Lip Butters, come in about 6 different colors, full of good natural ingredients, just pick your poison and your off!

I don’t care how chapped your lips are, use this for a couple days and its as if it never happened… I swear by this stuff.

Hands down the best your lips will feel ever ! Use this scrub in conjunction with the clear balm afterwards and prepare to be one smooth talker. Another lip scrub worth checking out is Sugar’s Brown Sugar Lip Scrub, you’ll want to eat it.

And just for fun…..

Any of Duwop’s Lip Venoms. They make you feel all tingly (a topical poison?? Ah well.. the things women do for beauty) and it just feels cool, doesn’t look too bad either, put on under or over your other lip products.

Smell???

Just for the hell of it, I’m wearing this until the bottle is drained of its smelly goodness. Maybe you’ll like it too… its not another flowery mess (like many girls parfumes are) Just simple, clean, basic. I also tend to like scents that are sexy, dark, woodsy. Almost like a Mens scent but if a man liked wearing dresses occasionally.

If you have any questions feel free to ask! Chances are if there is a method or skin care product for oily/acne prone skin your thinking of using/trying, I’ve done it, so just ask, I’ll probably be able to save you some serious $$cash$$ or at least point you in the right direction. Cheers! Stay you, stay beautiful, and please, quit buying Cosmo (if you are or are considering it)

Wax Attax

So when I first moved to the apple I discovered not only seamlessweb (you’ll never cook again, I swear) I also found livingsocial. Both are websites you order things from, one food, the other, services. Luckily I bulked up a little cart of things that you can use within a certain time frame (a year, 6 mos, etc) and now that I’m being even thriftier.. I may be on the budget of a pauper but I still live like a prince (in my mind ahaha). Today I used a couple of my vouchers/coupons to visit Saloni Threading Salon. I got a 30-minute facial, eyebrow threading, and a bikini wax.( by the by, what DO you tip someone who does bikini waxing?? I mean I don’t even like to touch feet really) It turns out this spa is one little cozy room with two private rooms for facials and waxing, they have been there 7 years! I enjoyed it and it was steeply discounted so no complaints. I included my journey along the way…

Saloni

When I first got off the subway into Union Square I nearly forgot, there is a HUGE farmers market! They do it weekly in the summer and fall, weather permitting. I love Union Square, there is a lot to do and see there. I ended up talking to a vendor about the Market and her products, Sheep’s milk cheeses, yogurt (yes you read it correctly) and meats. As it turns out sheep’s milk contains much more nutrients than goat’s milk OR cow’s milk! I was given samples to try and lets just say, I found a new favorite dairy animal. I bought lavender & honey cheese and some yogurt. The flavor of Sheep’s milk is mild and smooth( see also: delicious) I was not prepared to do any heavy shopping but I will be back. I mean, really, fresh beautiful local produce and products being sold street side right in Manhattan !? I love this city.

(Pssssst.. Link up here—-> Food Me!

I realize I seem to be taking a lot of carrot pictures, they are just so…. perfect looking! I like the color contrast. After the Market I wandered to… *drum roll* FORBIDDEN PLANET! Dun dun dun duuuun

Caption: I <3 Men in Uniform, I only date Super Heroes, Ladies Night

Afterwards I hopped over to Max Brenners.. this place I have walked by several times but never went in because it looks expensive and well.. it is.. I got something called a Golden Latte (various yummy juices) and a Nutella Crepe and it came to about $16.50.. yikes. I must say its a bit too sugary for me and I have had much better crepes in Astoria. So it was not worth the price, however the atmosphere is amazing and the products are creative.. Chocolate syringe anyone?

I’d recommend a visit, mostly because the sheer sight of it all and the shop is lovely even though my crepe was so so. I will be returning to buy some chocolate goodies one day I’m sure.. (they have a store inside the eatery aka “chocolate bar”)

After these places I went to Saloni and it was a much needed break. I had just worked an overnight shift and have been working a lot in general so it was nice that I had saved those vouchers from so long ago to use now! Of course afterwards I stumbled out into the bright street from the dim calm of Saloni and made one last stop at one of my favorite stores: Callalilai Union Square

It is a hit or miss store, even if you miss there is always something however, they have amazing bags on hand as well as belts at all times. Most if not all the shoes are tenderly made by the best, IN ITALY. They actually look like vintage shoes made in america by the way they are stamped and how the leather is sewn, however they are not, these shoes are newly made in Italy, where they still know how to make a good pair of shoes. They look vintage only because ours stopped looking that way because we manufacture/accept crap now! Today in particular was a big HIT, if I had reverted to my old ways I would have dropped at least a few hundred on some amazing pieces but instead I purchased one item, on sale. A unique dress that the lovely ladies here even steamed for me before they wrapped it up (they are quite helpful here) Needless to say in N.y. you don’t necessarily have to have money to enjoy the fancy things in life.  I felt very pampered today and boy did I need it ! Check out the shops blog and of course check out the shop if your ever in town ! The one in Union Square is in a beautiful antique shop, the atmosphere alone is wonderful. I hope everyone is having a great weekend! Back to work for me tomorrow, I have financial goals people. ha.

Ps… On my way home I stopped to browse at SITE, a great local store, I plan to do more extensive coverage of them in my community portion, until then check out the webSITE.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mQ4reLS8Lo&ob=av2e]

Enjoy.

Got Life Coach?

Today was THE day. Yes, the day I met up with Jennifer, a nutrionist that works with joulebody (the cleanse I did recently, i.e. see “juice”) and also independently for those people wanting to go the extra mile for their health. She told me most of her clients are already decently healthy but want to take it a step further which she found funny because you would think very unhealthy people would be seeking her out, right? She is a fountain of knowledge. She is slight of build with lovely long brown hair and a knack for yoga, she took me around Whole Foods for an hour answering all my questions and grocery shopping with me. I will post a link to her website a.s.a.p., in the meantime here is what I learned! (and bought) First though a few pictures of interesting finds along the way to Whole Foods Tribeca.

A very old world looking fountain I came across while cutting thru the park, gas lit lamps! It was a rainy day and for some reason I love fountains in the rain, it just makes them… idk.. more interesting.

I found this nice little coffee shop across the street from Whole Foods, ( I promptly hid and disposed of my empty starbucks cup… I was being lazy and sbux is everywhere, but I lust for independent flavors! ) it had comic-esque pieces all over the walls, candles on the tables and a dark cozy feel. I had a conversation with the barista about tribeca and fair trade vs. direct trade coffee… yes, I was that annoying person from Portlandia asking hippie type questions ahahhaa. Anyway they are direct trade because with fair trade one farmers superior product can get mixed in with their surrounding fellow farmers inferior products, creating a mix (i.e. fair trade) and degrading the quality of the product, or so I was told. So they use private direct trade suppliers. I ordered a macchiato, it came in a tiny cup with the most lovely latte art on top, made with care… and yes Starbucks version of a macchiato is WRONG. So onto the point…

I didn’t know what Jennifer looked like so I decided to search for another person that looked like they were waiting around and bingo, we spotted each other pretty quickly, ha, and so after introductions the adventure began. We started in the produce section where I was informed of the benefits of various fruits and vegetables and how we should eat seasonally (i.e. eat what is in season during that season… Wintertime examples: pear, dried fruits, etc. Summertime: strawberries, melons, etc) I asked her about mushrooms, because I stopped eating them as I was convinced it created fungus in your body somehow since it IS a fungus. She informed me that mushrooms actually help reduce all that junk that is holding onto the walls of your G.I. tract by having a “pulling out” effect. She recommended Shitake, but regular mushrooms (aka the white ones) are ok too. If you think about it, if your G.I. tract  lining is full of crud (red meat that stays behind, all those processed foods, etc) how can you readily absorb the nutrients your body needs? Also she pointed out the new rating system whole foods just adopted ( The Andi System) which measures just how nutritionally dense a food is, these are posted all around whole foods on little laminated posters. I also learned that you can sample anything in Whole Foods and return items simply because you don’t like them.. I don’t know of any grocery stores that have such an open policy, I love Whole Foods!

After the produce we covered raw foods and the bulk section (quinoa, whole grain brown rice and a bean like lentil makes a complete protien) and checked out the dairy/tofu/soy area (Do not eat soy, its too processed in the U.S., she recommended eating tofu or tempeh instead, the less processed your food is the better). If your looking for the benefits you recieve from milk turns out you can get the same ones from kale. Also if you must do yogurt do greek yogurt (this is my tip but I think she agreed)  I informed her I have a bit of a sweet tooth so we picked a raw vegan chocolate out (JUST as good and better than “regular” chocolate) and I picked out a tea, as it is a better alternative to coffee (yerba mate is for energy, still has caffeine in it but… much less damaging to you). I also picked up some basics that you should have for everyday use for baking and cooking. Coconut Oil is good for baking and frying (get the kind you can use for high heat otherwise you risk turning your healthy cooking product into a carcinogen if the heat is too high !!) I also purchased a variety of food additives such as: nutritional yeast (good for salads etc) which is found in your G.I. tract naturally, also sea salt mixed with sesame seeds (the sesame seed oil coats the sea salt making it less harsh on your body, you can put it on everything).

Jennifer grew up on a macrobiotic diet so she is very familiar with korean/asian foods (her favorite section in the grocery store!). You can’t go wrong with soba or udon noodles with mixed veggies and tamari soy sauce which you can also use on Kale. As well as seaweed for use as a salad or the sheets of seaweed (like you see on sushi rolls) she heats right up over the stove to crispy and eats; very high in vitamins and good for you.. obviously. As far as sweeteners go try agave or other raw unprocessed sugars as it is far less damaging to you than refined sugar. I bought some raw honey for my tea and I can’t wait to have it! I asked Jennifer about vitamins as well…. if you can have too much? what should you have? etc. She informed me everything in moderation (common sense people!) and daily you should absolutely have fish oil-1000 mg (New Chapter is a good brand) a probiotic (keep these refrigerated after you open the bottle) and a multi (whole food vitamins are best, read the label, also you will know by price as most cost anywhere from $40-$50 a bottle) As far as meats go Fish is great, tuna do once in a great while but definitely do WILD Fish not farm raised, salmon is good. I chose some lighter filets of white fish because I don’t care for salmon all that much. Fish is also easy to cook, you can bread it and/or put a little olive oil and lemon and wallah! Done. Before the shopping trip was over we returned to the produce section for lemons (for your water, squeeze about a half of a lemon into it and let your skin and stomach reap the benefits; aids in digestion) and avocados (people are afraid of its fat content however its NATURAL fat, don’t eat a ton but you need it too, so don’t be scared, just eat it! Its also very good).

Overall I highly enjoyed my time with Jennifer learning at Whole Foods even if I had to lug it all home on the train and in the rain. hahaha. When your deciding which diet is best for you just feel it out, don’t be afraid to experiment. No one diet is better than another, its all about you. Obviously the less you eat modified and processed foods the better it will be for your body, but you have to do what feels right. Vegan is for some not all, Vegetarian is for some not all, same with macrobiotic and meat… Just be aware of your options and explore your local markets/grocery stores! Also it doesn’t hurt to look up coaches or people who make a life advising others about nutrition, thats what they are there for. Jennifer specializes in holistic health (Wiki me!).

There are many different types of health guides you can find, I advise you find a health food store near you and usually if they don’t have someone on staff they will keep a list of local contacts you can get in touch with. Also if you just have a question on a product or something an employee can usually help you out rather well. After this trip I also think of Whole Foods differently, I used to only think the affluent could afford it on the regular, however with their large selection and in house organic brand (365) you can easily pick and choose specific items and then buy the bulk of your food from Trader Joes or a local fresh market. Its the best of both worlds. Nutritionally sound foods should not be so difficult to access, for most it is hard to afford (I’m single so its easy for just me) and also all the junk food (i.e. pretty much everything in your regular everyday grocery store) is cheaper than the good foods which only adds to the pandemic of obesity this country is experiencing. Bottom line: This system is whack and you have to do your research/get creative to eat well but its not hard! Promise! Not to mention the less junk you eat it gets easier to curb your cravings and soon you’ll actually want that carrot stick as a snack! (=

Cheers to your health dear reader.

P.S……………….

I saw a man saving this guy from the sidewalk in front of Whole Foods, he put him under a tree in the dirt, the dragon fly kept buzzing his wings around trying to dry them off, he was BIG 

Caption: “Spit that other brew crap out and go visit a real coffee shop.” – Kaffe 1668

!!UPDATE!! Here is Jennifers Website SO GOOD—> http://kasshealth.com/category/taste/

How it all Ve-gan.

Today I went out to eat with a lovely lady after work to an Upper East Side restaurant called Franchia. Its touted as a Vegan Cafe and it certainly is tasty and presented very well. Also much to many a persons surprise, I’m sure, very affordable, no sticker shock here. Both of us chose to get the Tea Party (I think it was called that) Tray which included a tea at the beginning and end (a whole pot, you choose the teas) an array of small plates and two mini desserts (I was given a red bean mochi and a mango creamy sherbet drizzled with rasberry sauce!) Here are some delicious photos. Note* I always take food pictures, I appreciate what I eat (=

This place had a call button ! … ya… it was small and located on one side of the table near the partition we were next to and guess what? When you press it a server magically appears! Ingenius! It just makes sense, as a server you don’t have to check unnecessarily on your table and as a patron you can ask for assistance when you want it… as they say in the guiness commercial.. BRILLIANT!

Lush Life

If your unfamiliar with Lush.. well.. get familiar! The products are amazing and smell great and aren’t full of preservatives or toxins. In fact when coming upon a Lush store you can smell it from across the street! Today I went to Lush in Herald Square and I thought I was heading the wrong direction -But- you know what helped me know I was on the right track??? The smell !! Its wonderful and not a smell derived from chemicals… I am on a new health kick inside and out so that includes skin care.. below is my haul and a Lush company statement.
A lovely lady that works there made me a flower out of the scarf I purchased and threw in some free samples. She has been using Lush a few years and does NOT look her age!
A list of the products I purchased:

  • Tea Tree Water Toner
  • Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub (one of their top sellers)
  • Flying Fox Shower Gel (smells amazing)
  • Coal Face Facial Cleanser
  • Grease Lightning Spot Treatment
  • Gorgeous Facial Moisturizer
  • Dirty Toothy Tabs (toothpaste on the go!)
  • Brazened Honey Face Mask (detoxifying mask and you must keep it in the fridge, yes its that fresh!)                                                                                         
                                    (Click to enlarge/see more clearly)
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Master Cleanse Hype

So I will be doing this cleanse from http://www.joulebody.com ….

I know there has been some recent hype over cleanses due to Beyonce? I had already known of the lemon+cayanne+maple syrup+water mix that has pretty solid results but I found myself unable to stick to it when I tried it years ago. Instead I’ve opted for this cleanse. They deliver it right to your door and it includes a private shopping tour of Whole Foods in Tribeca! I will be posting the tour at the end of the month along with my results so keep an eye out ! This cleanse is a mixture of juices, healthy meals and meal bars. I find it more reasonable than the Master Cleanse. Each day is planned for you and if you stick to it your results will be positive. I’m looking forward to it as this year I have begun a yoga, gym, better eating life style. *( a difficult feat for a junk food junkie) So heres to your health!

Cheers!

**Leah**

P.s. I passed my road test ! I will post my anxiety ridden experience in the scooter diaries soon along with my first ride story.

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