How to plant a garden for a happy life

Posted by admin on January 13, 2012 2 comments

I was sent this on email and it was so wise and beautiful I had to share.  I am not sure who originally said it, so apologies for not being able to attribute it to you.

Plant your garden

“life is too short for drama, laugh insanely, love truly and forgive quickly”

How To Plant Your Garden

First, you come to the garden alone, whilst the dew is still on the roses.

enjoy nature

FOR THE GARDEN OF YOUR DAILY LIVING ,

PLANT THREE ROWS OF PEAS :

1. Peace of mind
2. Peace of heart
3. Peace of soul

 

 

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH:

1. Squash gossip
2. Squash indifference
3. Squash grumbling
4. Squash selfishness
PLANT FOUR ROWS OF LETTUCE:
1. Lettuce be faithful
2. Lettuce be kind
3. Lettuce be patient
4. Lettuce really love one another

NO GARDEN IS WITHOUT TURNIPS:

1. Turnip for meetings
2. Turnip for service
3. Turnip to help one another

TO CONCLUDE OUR GARDEN WE MUST HAVE   THYME:

1. Thyme for each other
2. Thyme for family
3. Thyme for friends

WATER FREELY WITH PATIENCE AND CULTIVATE WITH LOVE.   THERE IS MUCH FRUIT IN YOUR GARDEN BECAUSE YOU REAP WHAT YOU  SOW.

Five things you must do to be more radiant in 2012

Posted by admin on January 6, 2012 No comment

Do this feel familiar?

Resolutions?  Good intentions? Gym membership? Eat less? Achieve more? Do this, do that- AGGHHH!

I find that resolutions often leave me feeling rubbish come February or the end of January when I have not achieved them.

Slowing down is my intention for 2012, spending time doing the peaceful things of life, not getting swept up with the craziness of the modern world.

These top five tips will help you create more radiance in your life.

 

  1. Get more sleep.  Go to bed earlier, turn your cell phone off at night, (buy a new nightie or pjyamas if the old one is tatty) but just make sure you get to bed.  Rest, rest and rest!
  2. Read ingredients.  Ask yourself, what am I really eating?  Don’t believe the claims on the box- grab my food questionable ingredients card & get savvy in 2012.
  3. Slow down.  Smell the roses metaphorically speaking.  Take time to be without the busy-ness of life.
  4. Wash less.  I’m not advocating you become a soap dodger but is washing your hair everyday really needed?  Less is more, the more you wash the more you’ll likely want to wash, oh and the more lotion you will need!  Adding epsom salts to your bath or turning the heat down on the shower helps your skin from getting too dry.
  5. Palm your eyes.  Stress and tension can make your face ‘look’ older wherein fact it is merely muscle tension.  Palming can greatly reduce the tension in your eyes and relax your face.
  6. one more idea- get my ebook which is packed full of great ways to remove toxins from your life allowing your radiance to shine through (ebook includes recipes, money saving tips, skin care recipes, product recommendations, basically my knowledge downloaded into a document!)

So in a nutshell these tips are what will could very well help your radiance this 2012.

What are your New Year Resolutions? Don’t be shy, I’d love to hear.

Weight gain: discover how to avoid the hidden pounds

Posted by admin on December 18, 2011 No comment

Weight is big business, making a lot of companies and individuals oodles of money through helping you to lose weight; pills, diet programmes, cook books and retreats.

Most information campaigns or television programmes say “Eat less and exercise more to lose weight” in part that is correct but when they use the word ‘eat’ I would use the words ‘absorb’.  You can’t just look at what you eat to get a picture on your weight, you have to look at your environment too.

What do I mean by absorb?

You come into contact with calories everywhere; even some teas now have candy cane in them, what happened to the good, old fashioned, Earl Grey or Yorkshire tea?  Anyway, these calories can be in your food, but usually they are ‘chemical calories’ (a term coined by Dr Paula Ballie-Hamilton in her book The Detox Diet) and later called ‘obesogens‘ by Bruce Blumberg.

These CHEMICAL CALORIES are the key in the obesity & weight issue but where are they hidden?

This list may horrify you, consider yourself forewarned:

  • Air fresheners: synthetic chemicals abound in these in home or office stinkers!
  • Cleaning products:  Often have many synthetic chemicals.
  • Perfumes and colognes: anytime you see ‘fragrance’ on a label, or ‘parfum‘, it can hide a mass of undisclosed ingredients many of which are synthetic chemicals, or chemical calories!
  • Washing liquids and dryer sheets- contain synthetic chemicals (unless you are choosing a genuinely eco-friendly brands) and traces of these are then in the fibres of your clothes, (you know how some powders make you itch and others don’t?).  You wear clothes next to your skin all day & night!  Clean washing doesn’t smell of flowers or meadows!
  • Sofa, furniture coverings and new electronics. That new computer ‘smell’ is often brominated fire retardant or PBDE- not something you want to breathe in or absorb.  Allow a new TV or computer to be plugged in for a week or two in a room with an open window before using it.
  • Skin care products and make up- you likely know by now, if you read my blog regularly, that skin care and make up can be a battle ground of toxins.  Yet did you know that these toxins can accumulate in your body and make you fat?  Perhaps another reason to detox your life in 2012?

There is now a film out called “Programmed to be Fat” by Dreamfilm (Canada) this is exciting stuff as the message is getting more mainstream rather than merely those on the fringe talking about it.

Be sure to Grab my newsletter to be the first to get my new e-book, special offers and more.

My Skincare Myths CD is $27, instant download and you will find 35 minutes of valuable information on what to look for in skincare and make up as well as safe, non-toxic product recommendations and discounts!

Do you avoid chemical calories, or is this all new to you?  Fret not! I used to use synthetic chemical skincare, until I realised it was not helping my skin or health.  Ask me how you can to, get in contact.

Now I don’t touch it, funny how times change, and you can to!  Ask me how I can help you do this in 2012.

Give the gift that won’t cost the earth or your vitality

Posted by admin on December 13, 2011 No comment

HOW much?

how much did I spend?

Americans spend $450 billion dollars each year on Christmas! [1]  That is a lot of money by any standards.  I was astounded how it could be that much but I suppose once you have a tree, oodles of food, endless decorations and vast quantities of presents for family and friends, then all adds up.

Yet are we missing the point?

What exactly is in all these presents being given to your loved ones?

There is no denying that presents are wonderful to receive but as scrooge-like as I may sound I have to say there are some presents I really would not want!

Much of what I have seen in the shops or catalogues seems more like needless plastic rubbish, toxins, pollutants and general wanton consumption.  I am not alone in this view either, David Suzuki also feels that our consumption is a serious issue for us and our planet.

Scented candles

The vast majority of scented candles are far from the pretty pictures on the box.  Most are paraffin candles with synthetic chemical fragrances, which bear in mind are being burnt in winter with no windows open!  I am not sure these are presents but maybe more closely related to hazards?

Paraffin candles tested by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) [2] emitted above excess cancer risk levels for formaldehyde, as well as dioxins, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and harmful particulates.  Do you really feel scented candles are a gift?

There are some fabulous alternatives; beeswax candles, that are the more traditional candle, which are naturally negative ion producing- they clean the air.  Beeswax candles smell good but without the toxin synthetic chemicals.

Perfumes & bath oils

I would not give a toxic perfume or bath oil as many in the mainstream shops are scented with parfum or fragrance.  This is a red flag on the toxin front, fragrance can be a hiding place for many hundreds of synthetic chemical substances that by law do not have to be listed on the label.  [3] The perfume industry says just listing ‘fragrance’, on the label, is to protect their secret formulas but I would rather have certified organic or organic essential oils in my bath, wouldn’t you?

Some other present ideas, for under $30!

What's in your make up bag?

Detox the make up bag – There are some great brands of non-toxic, synthetic chemical free lotions and potions, I have a list on my products page.

What is the big TOXIN fuss anyway?  Why do you need to watch what you use on your skin, learn more with my latest CD

Beeswax candles – they burn nicely, smell good and are toxin free.  Soy candles also work well but I’d avoid paraffin candles!

A day trip somewhere.  You likely have more ‘stuff’ than you want in your home, so what about a present that is an experience rather than something to put in a drawer or hide until you feel better about later giving it away?

Make your own balms – they are very easy; a little shea butter, a little coconut oil and some beeswax & essential oils.  If you can’t face making your own thankfully Kirstin from Be Clean Naturally has made a great belly balm that I use on my cuticles.

The gift of traditional health knowledge- A subscription to the Weston A Price Foundation, an organisation dedicated to sharing the voice of traditional health and real food.  For $40US or $50US if you live anywhere else in the world you’ll get four journals a year packed full of valuable information and research much of which might surprise you.

What presents are you giving this Christmas holidays and why?

References

[1] http://www.Adventconspiracy.org

[2] http://www.epa.gov/

[3] http://environmentaldefence.ca/campaigns/just-beautiful/glossary/fragrance

 

3 things to put you in a good mood today

Posted by admin on November 29, 2011 No comment

Ask yourself a powerful question

I am not unaware of the goings on of the economy and wider world but I have a feeling it was ever thus but as our ancestors did not have television and internet they only heard about it in a letter, which quite likely made life less overwhelming.

I am going to share three ways that can make your life better that do not cost money and as a bonus create more happiness in the world.

enjoy nature

Why not try these three things to put you in a good mood today:

  • Be grateful: gratitude is powerful and infectious.  Somehow if you are grateful for, say, your glass of water sitting next to you or the food in your fridge, the birds singing in the garden or the shoes on your feet, then you’ll find that you notice many other things to be grateful for.  It is infectious- in a good way!
  • Be in nature: being grounded in nature is what humans always lived in and around (before we built large towerblocks, concrete pavements/ sidewalks and mega motorways/ highways).  Our ancestors walked outside on grassland or soil and as a result were more connected to the earth than you generally are.  There is now considerable research showing that you thrive when grounded, as it were.  (If you live in the UK you can get earthing products from Equilibra)
  • So get out into nature, ideally in leather soled shoes or bare feet.  Hug a tree- it is really refreshing!
  • Be you: many magazines and television programmes give you all manner of ideas of how you can look like a celebrity, look younger or anything other than YOU today.  Why is this? I think this is destructive as you are you and are wonderfully made and it is far more positive to celebrate being you than constantly wanting to be someone else.  A friend says “would you be willing to put you back in the bag and get a new you out of the bag, bearing in mind that you may be someone else who is less fortunate than yourself?  The answer is always a no, so quit moaning!” Direct but an interesting point don’t you think?

I would also add that being grateful is a habit, and a negative default pattern is remarkably common but simply starting to be grateful for your lunch, comfy bed or sunshine for example, you’ll notice that there are many more things to be grateful for. 

Try it, what do you have to lose?

Will you be grateful?  The results may surprise you!  I’d love to hear how you get on.

Look out for my e-book which is packed with ways to cheaply and effectively improve your life.

©Actual Organics 2011

What you don’t know about food could make you fat

Posted by actualorganics on November 9, 2011 1 comment

What do all those ingredients on the label mean? 

Choosing to avoid packet food, some might consider unusual, odd, inconvenient or impossible maybe?

Here’s the thing food never used to come in a packet with nutrition labels, claims, use by dates, logos, grams of fat, additives, preservatives, colourings or flavours from duck feathers and hair!

The processed food industry has quite a few dirty little secrets, from adding in flavours, colours (which can drive the kids up the wall), to diet drinks actually being found in longitudinal studies to make people fatter.  A diet product that makes you fatter- sounds like a nightmare?

Bruce Bradley a former marketer for large American food companies for over 15 years said “Most claims and advertising by big food companies are meant to manipulate you, not educate you.  Read your labels and do your research.”  I would say Bruce has just about summed modern day food up!

Many in modern society eat convenience food that was unknown 100 years ago, yet those eating how humans have for centuries are considered unusual or noteworthy, and it appears to be getting increasingly challenging to find real food in some parts of North America, the food deserts where only invincible little cookies are available.

That is not to say cooking real food doesn’t take effort… it does!  Is it worth it?  I would say a resounding YES.  Although, whilst washing up this morning, having cooked pastured bacon and eggs for breakfast, I did think that a quick cereal muesli bar & a cup of coffee would have been so much easier!

Look out for my ebook which will have simple easy recipes that are genuinely natural. 

©ActualOrganics 2010-2011

What you may not know about pink products for cancer

Posted by admin on October 24, 2011 No comment

“Think pink” is big this time of year.

Fight breast cancer products are everywhere…

Gloves, lipstick, eye shadow, PVC rain coats, umbrellas, key rings, wrist bands, moisturiser, bath products and even mobile telephones but alarmingly the list goes on…

What's in your pink products?

The problem I have with the whole raising money this time of year is that many of the products actually have carcinogenic ingredients or are known to contribute to cancer.  This is referred to as #pinkwashing

Many of the breast cancer support lipsticks, nail polishes and creams contain parabens, synthetic perfumes and musks.  These synthetic chemical ingredients are not items that women need in their bodies, least of all women with breast cancer.

It seems quite hypercritical to have a support breast cancer product with toxins in?  Wouldn’t you agree?  I can’t help but wonder how much of the cost of your lipstick actually gets to support really finding a cure?

Three things you can do today:

  • Get some sleep; sleep in a darkened bedroom without a TV, cell phone or wifi.  If your curtains do not block out the light, then get a black out curtain and use cardboard- our favourite.  A darkened room will ensure that you get really good, high quality sleep.
  • Avoid toxins in your home; many cleaning products are toxic and yet you breathe them in and have them on your skin, when cleaning.  Opt for safe eco-friendly cleaners.
  • Be aware of how many soy products you consume, this is a relatively new addition to our diet, soy milk etc.  I do not eat or drink soy!

So when you are out shopping and asked to round up your bill to support breast cancer, or buy some pink item, have a think if you want to go pink.  Personally I’d say “no thank you.”

Do you think pink or are you against pinkwashing too?

Deodorant decoded: dangerous or not?

Posted by actualorganics on October 20, 2011 3 comments

Still wearing deodorant?

What are you rubbing under your arms each day?

A newspaper article in November 2009 stated that the average woman is exposed to, an astonishing, 515 synthetic chemicals each day!

Don’t panic!  It is refreshing to know that there are superb alternatives to synthetic chemical beauty products.

However there are certain toxic synthetic chemical ingredients in deodorants, such as aluminum, parabens, propylene glycol (weak antifreeze) and parfum that are vital to avoid, when it comes to daily application to the underarms.

Why avoid these synthetic chemicals?

The underarms are a sensitive area and if you are shaving regularly, your skin is actually somewhat broken so the synthetic chemicals you use on your skin is easily absorbed into your body.

Many regular deodorants have aluminium or aluminum depending whether you live in England and say it one way, or North America and say it another!

Still, the fact remains that aluminium is not necessary in a deodorant when such fabulous alternatives exist. My Editors choice page has many skin care products that are toxin free, and they work!

Aluminium has been linked to Alzheimer’s and there simply is no need for aluminium or parabens to be in a personal care product.

I can’t help but wonder if today the effects of exposure to metals are increased as our diets are less rich in magnesium?  Magnesium can assist the body with heavy metal detoxification.  That is a whole other blog post!

Bicarbonate of Soda – nature’s deodoriser

Buy Miessence deodorant online

Bicarbonate of soda is highly effective at making your smelly refrigerator smell fresh again and it works remarkably well cleaning the house too!  Yet, when combined with certified organic aloe vera gel and certified organic essential oils baking soda beautifully deodorises your underarms throughout the day.

I was amazed on starting using the Miessence deodorant as my underarms actually detoxed, for about a week, and I had been using a ‘natural’ deodorant! 

Sadly many natural or ‘aluminium-free’ deodorants still contain ingredients such as propylene glycol, dimethicone, triclosan and Tetrasodium EDTA! all of which I suggest you avoid putting on your skin.

An alternative is a bottle of Miessence deodorant which has certified organic ingredients: aloe vera, xantham gum, sodium bicarbonate and bitter orange fruit extract.

Four simple ingredients which work and for $9.95US or $10.95CA you know you have a deodorant that lasts for months & isn’t toxic.

Got to be a win-win, surely?

Grab our newsletter to keep ahead of what’s hot and what’s toxic in your beauty bag this winter.

Could illness be a result of excessive toxicity?

Posted by actualorganics on October 10, 2011 2 comments

Could illness be a result of excessive toxicity?

Invisible toxins can make you feel

What we eat & absorb matters

Yucky, overweight, spotty, sluggish, tired, sleepless, fatigued, achy, depressed, lethargic, itchy, constipated, and nauseated.  These are signs that can indicate the body is suffering from toxic overload.

Where and what are these toxins?

Synthetic Chemicals

in your shampoo, air fresheners, cosmetics, lotions, washing powder, moisturisers and perfumes

Environmental Toxins

in food (trans fats, pesticides, additives, hormones, heavy metals, GM crops like soy, canola and corn etc), water (fluoride, chlorine, arsenic) and environment (household paints, wi-fi, cell phones, cigarette smoke and plastics) to name a few!  There are literally thousands of synthetic chemicals in our lives today.

Acceptable Levels?

This superb trailer is for a movie “Acceptable Levels” out Spring 2012, that goes into more depth about how we got to having so many chemicals in our environment.

Remember just because it is on the shelf does not mean it is safe!

This however is not the whole story and there are many things YOU can do to lessen your toxic exposure and see great results by removing the main toxic culprits.

Do this today!

You can do something and now is the time, as the effects of toxicity is painfully visible in our children, teenagers and adult population, usually through ill-health and loss of vitality, the general malaise that afflicts so many.

Sound familiar?

Toxicity in the body can affect fertility, health of babies born, infant mortality rates, learning ability, childhood health, efficient functioning of the body and ability to live a full and vital life.  The increasingly common issues such as joint paint, fatigue, insomnia or constipation are not pleasant conditions yet many just accept them or reach for: a painkiller, coffee, sleeping pill or laxative but this need not be the case.

Wise choices in your daily life can assist the body to detoxify and that can lead to a full life with energy and vitality.

Renew IS possible

You can turn your life around!

I suffered from toxic overload and can recall that feeling of desperation when all doctors simply said “you have acne” or a “difficult gut” or “achy joints and you will just have to manage it.”

Fortunately I said NO to their words.  I chose to change the path I was on.  I decided to do something and so I started to evaluate my life and what I was exposed to.  I looked at what food I ate, what skin care I used and what was in my home environment.

I truly started to honour my body rather than neglect it.

I realised that “body toxic” was the problem and not my body, I just was not giving my body the nutrients, food and movement it needed to renew itself.

My body had simply had years of toxic exposure and the time had come to clean up the toxic waste!  It was not a simple process but it was worth it.  Oh YES!

There are positive things you can do that when done slowly can make a big difference, think that a few drops of water, multiplied over and over can become a river.

Grab our newsletter to get more tips straight into your inbox.

©ActualOrganics 2010

Seven ways to keep your house clean and your thighs trim

Posted by admin on October 7, 2011 5 comments

What you clean your house with can affect your thighs!

Toxins in our environment can get stored in our body fat, so it may not just be what you eat that affects your thighs.

What's in your cleaning products?

If you are using regular cleaning products they likely contain synthetic chemical ingredients.

These ingredients, if used in an industrial setting would require a mask, gloves and protective gear!  Yet, as regulations differ for the household products to industry you can buy them and use them in your home near your family.

Most cleaning products are used in an enclosed space, despite saying “use in a well ventilated room” on the bottle.  So you are breathing in toxins, this is especially true in winter when windows are not open as much.  Hence my always saying fling open a window even in the cold days.

A few sprays each week adds up!

These toxins can also be absorbed through your skin as well and what we use on our skin ends up in our blood stream.  Scientists believe that most people on the planet have 700 chemicals in our blood.[1]

In fact many toxins in your environment are thought to contribute to obesity, and Bruce Blumberg has coined the term obesogens!  Is it any wonder when so many synthetic chemicals are used in your daily lives.

Some of toxins you are exposed to on a daily basis are excreted relatively quickly, thankfully, such as triclosan. [2]  Yet, as Bruce Lourie and Rick Smith found in their superb, albeit alarming, book “Slow Death by Rubber Duck”, daily use of cleaning sprays, antibacterial soaps and other synthetic chemical products means that you have a constant exposure.

So what can you do?

  •  Leave conventional cleaning products on the shelf in the supermarket.  Just step away from the heavily marketed blue and orange liquids which often are expensive & contain synthetic chemicals.  I figure anything with a poison control number can’t be good to clean the house, or oven or shower?
  • Opt for baking soda and white vinegar.  The cleaning possibilities are endless and effective.  You can clean to a sparkling shine, sinks, baths, loos, taps, smelly tennis shoes and mirrors etc.  Be sure to grab my newsletter as I’m sending out a video on how to make baking soda cleaners!
  • Buy a genuine essential oil like lemongrass, lemon or lavender and add that to your cleaning if you particularly want a just cleaned house smell.  Add five drops to an egg cup of baking soda for a great loo/ toilet deodoriser!
  • Open the windows every day, even for ten minutes, to get the fresh air circulating.  Homes in winter often have more pollutants inside than outside!
  • Scrubbing floors, vigorously cleaning windows actually really helps detox your body, improving the skin and thighs!  The lymphatic system works when stimulated by exercise, so actually cleaning the house is a fabulous gym workout, assuming you are using safe cleaners that is!
  • Avoid store bought air fresheners, these contain many, many toxins.  If you  read the side of the spray can it says “do not use in an enclosed space”- scary huh?  Essential oils work better and have many benefits for mind and body.
  • Stubborn dirty oven or cooker hob?  Don’t waste your money opting for a toxic spray can.  Make a paste of baking soda, (you can buy it in the UK from Summer Naturals) a little vinegar and use a scrubbing pad or even the bag from oranges tied in knots (works well!).  Leave a layer of the baking soda paste on the dirt & grime.  Leave for 30 minutes.  Rinse off with soapy water and scrub off.  Your arms will enjoy the work out & you’ll have a clean oven or hob!

If making your own is too much choose Probiotic cleaning

A ‘how to make your own eco cleaner’ video was send out in my newsletter so be sure to subscribe!

Watch how to make a safe eco-friendly cleaner

Opting for safe household cleaners will see you not only save money but reduce your toxic body burden.

Here’s to toxin free living: helping you live a more radiant and healthy life!

 

 

 

References:

[1] http://www.chemicalbodyburden.org/whatisbb.htm

[2] http://slowdeathbyrubberduck.com/CAN/