Dry January

I decided to take a full month off of wines and ciders after hitting it hard during the holidays. Rene was kind enough to join me on the journey. It fits right into our Paleo habits, so why not? Well, 30 days are wrapping up and I’m not too parched. Since mealtime didn’t revolve around a glass of wine, we focused on cooking at home and we also supplemented the month with Whole 30 meals from Kitchfix 2-3 times per week. We have been eating delicious Kitchfix food for about 4 years and it’s cool Kitchfix does a specific Whole 30 meal plan to support all the New Years resolutions out there. I’m definitely thankful they are around!
The big question… will dry January lead to a wet February? Lots of celebration stuff going on in Feb, like the Cubs Spring Training opener, my birthday (hint, hint), Valentines Day, Cider Summit 2018, four potential Friday Happy Hours, you get the drift. So, we will see. But, more importantly, was it worth taking a month away from adult beverages? If you would have asked me a week ago, it may have been a different answer. Here is a snapshot of the month: Week 1 – no biggie. I had enough champagne at a New Years Day party to carry me easily into 2019. Quite frankly, I was done with it after that party! Week 2 – there are some cold Stem ciders in the refrigerator door. They look mighty refreshing, but I’m really just looking for something to drink besides water. Enjoying a Dr Gundry soda, kombucha or just a sparkling water is a fitting replacement. Week 3 – I wouldn’t mind a nice glass of red wine. We made a kick ass pot roast in the Instant Pot and a nice deep red California wine would pair very nicely with it. I’m not really missing it enough to give in to temptation. But, I am realizing that I really don’t feel much different. It has been 3 full weeks and I’m sleeping about the same, mental clarity is about the same, I have same sinus issues I’ve always had. I do feel extra tired and lethargic, so that sucks. Best case scenario is that I saved some money by not buying any bottles of wine this month. Week 4 – The first day was just a carry over from week 3. But… yesterday and today were bonkers! I was in the zone all day long, woke up early without an alarm, super productive, tons of energy, extra cheery mood that was borderline annoying, overall perfect days. Did the dry January magic just kick in at the last minute? Whatever it is, I like it and will see how long it lasts! Because of the last two days, I’m going to carry over a “dryish” practice into Feb. I’ll do some celebration and social imbibing, but will limit a lot more than before. Things I learned from the month… 1) I don’t need to have a glass of wine with dinner every night. That was just a bad habit I got into. I just needed to break the association between dinner and stemware. 2) I can still have fun without a bevie. I went to a Warren Zevon tribute concert and just drank sparkling water. It’s Zevon, so usually beverages are in order, but I still had a great time enjoying the music and felt pretty damn good the next day. 3) Give things like Whole 30 some time to see the true effects. I eat really clean anyway, so the food part didn’t make much difference. It took a full 30 days for me to see any benefit from the rest. So be patient, give it time and don’t give up!

Last Day of the Month Temptation

Charcoal is the New Black

I recently noticed the array of charcoal based and charcoal infused products on the market. When I saw a Proactiv commercial with a charcoal bristle cleansing brush over the weekend, I realized that charcoal has finally jumped the shark. Charcoal is gaining popularity lately for its deep cleaning and detoxification properties. In my own medicine cabinet, I have charcoal capsules, charcoal tooth powder, charcoal face mask goop, and even charcoal deodorant. Intrigued by the concept, I even tried a charcoal based kombucha. That particular yeasty, vinegar tinged, grayish elixir should only be consumed on a dare. Blah! Our water pitcher has a charcoal based filter and our air purifier has a charcoal pre-filter designed to remove odors from the air. The burning question (pun intended)… Does charcoal actually work? Well, aside from the charcoal kombucha, I’m definitely a fan.

I take the charcoal capsules on a regular basis for the mild detox effects. The charcoal traps toxins in your system and helps you get rid of them rather than absorb them into your body. Charcoal capsules are not a new concept. I was taking them 20 years ago to mitigate hangover effects from a long nights out coupled with cheap booze. It definitely works! The impurities in the alcohol bind to the charcoal bits and don’t have a chance to wreck your precious weekend with a brutal hangover. These days, I take charcoal capsules to detox all the big city car exhaust, brake dust and other crap in the air I’m breathing. I buy the Bulletproof brand capsules, which are made from coconut shells, but there are a lot of good ones out there. Just be sure to check that they are all natural without any other ingredients and not made by Kingsford for your Weber grill. Also, you want charcoal that is “activated”. By activated, it means that the charcoal has been processed at high heat, which makes it more porous and effective at trapping the nasties. You can actually break open the capsules to DIY a facial cleansing mask, add to your toothpaste, etc. I did that for awhile and then decided to just buy the dedicated products.

The Dental Duty charcoal tooth powder is a fun one. Yeah, I have “off-white” teeth, maybe a tinge yellow. I definitely don’t have the sparkling pearly whites that you see on tv. Rather than using toxic tooth whitening products, the charcoal tooth powder is a natural alternative. While brushing with the charcoal tooth power, your teeth look like they time warped from 17th century Great Britain. After you rinse out the dark gray slurry, your teeth are smooth, shiny and a tad more white. They continue to get brighter after several uses. I use the tooth powder a couple times a week after brushing with my regular toothpaste.

The Fine Vine charcoal face mask that I use is clay based, so it is more like a mud mask then the fancy clay masks you see people peeling off on commercials. The mask also works great. I use it about once a week. You put it on thick and wait 30 min for it to dry. It dries to a nice dark gray and tingles slightly. Warning: the face recognition on your phone will not work when you have the mask on. When you wash it off, your complexion will be noticeably brighter and will feel deep down clean. Smart phone facial recognition will also return to normal. I tend toward oily skin and this stuff works great to even me out and keep that complexion clear.

The last product for today is the Primally Pure charcoal deodorant. This stuff is amazing. I’ve been using Primally Pure deodorants for 2 years and they have always exceeded my expectations. The charcoal deodorant is new to their line up and is my new fave. Obviously, this is a daily use product, but I don’t have to worry about any errant pit odor with their products. Not even after a hot yoga class. All good!
Any interesting charcoal products you have used or would recommend trying? I’m game!

Fun fact: Old St Nick gives out coal to the bad kids and charcoal to the good kids 🙂

Charcoals

Feeling Joovvy

The Joovv is up and running!

Unboxing/ Set up

Very easy to set up… well packaged, super high quality machine.  I’m relieved that it doesn’t look like something I cobbled together in the basement.  From the photos online, I expected it to be silver, but it’s white.  White goes better with the walls anyway!  There was a little Joovv branded timer with a handy magnet on the back that I didn’t expect.  Bonus!  The set-up literally took 5 minutes with no tools needed.  You screw the stainless tension lines to the top threaded posts, connect a carabiner to the lines, slide the mounting peg over the top of the door and clip the pulley carabiner to that and clip the rope carabiner to the tension line carabiner.  Easy Peasy.  What’s the pulley for, you may ask?  Well, it is so you can use the Joovv at different heights to treat your whole body.  I may swap the black pulley rope for a white one just so it doesn’t look so out of place.  My eye goes right to the rope and it’s driving me crazy aesthetically.  Don’t worry, I’ll get over it 🙂 Also, with the pulley contraption in place, I’m starting to see the benefit of the larger Joovv Max and not having to adjust height. I still can’t get over the price difference between Joovv Original and Max, though.  For now, my power cable routing looks a little temporary and awkward, but I’ll eventually find a more permanent place for the Joovv and mount it to a wall with a more streamlined layout.  That is, if results come in as expected. 

1st Use

Holy F the Joovv is bright! Much, much brighter than I expected.  It has a nice warming effect on the body as well.  There are little fans that you can hear whirring inside the case to keep the machine cool. The digital timer they included with the Joovv works great and the display is easy to see.  I just did a 5 min treatment sans shirt… and pants.   I have some sinus congestion right now from all the crazy weather fluctuations. Maybe the Joovv will give some relief? Treatment results are supposed to come after 8-12 weeks of sessions, but fingers crossed to see positive results sooner.  Today was a test, only a test. 

1st Actual Use

Now I’ve had time to read through the Starter Guide.  Based on my goals, I did a full body treatment.  7 min front, 7 min back, 3 min each side.  I listened to a Ben Greenfield podcast to kill the time.  While Joovving, I was also thinking of different ways to multitask and get more benefit.  I did some alternate nostril breathing when my back was being treated, then box breathing when my frontal regions were in the light.  I may also incorporate an earthing mat to stand on during treatment.  I also took some “before” pics today so I can measure physical results.  I’ll keep those to myself unless there is some dramatic improvement.

Upcoming Joovv topics:

My Daily Regimen

Short Term Results

That’s all for now.  In the mean time, keep calm and Joovv on!

Joovv Hallway Glow

The Gong Show

This weekend we went to our 2nd gong bath.  It was at one of the studios we attend regularly, Tejas Yoga Studio in Chicago’s south loop.  For those not familiar with a gong bath, it is a meditative experience where you lie still on your mat (just like savasana) and listen to the sound of gongs.  Often times, there are other instruments/ sounds mixed in and at its high point, it is very loud.  It’s much more musical than you would think, almost like a concert.  You’re welcome to use any props to make your experience most comfortable as you are laying still for quite a while (this one was about an hour and fifteen minutes).

My first gong bath experience was also at Tejas with the same gong facilitator.  But, my two experiences were very different.  During the first one, I felt I was in a very meditative state – you know that feeling you get in a deep savasana where you are pretty much out of it?  At points I was sure I was levitating and, during peak moments, I saw waves of colors swirling over and around me.  I know this sounds a bit woo-woo, but just think of it like a weird, deep dream.  During the second one, this past weekend, I mainly felt anxious during it.  No colors, no floating off the floor.  I felt really nervous during the first part and I just couldn’t relax and concentrate on my breath.  After a while, frustration crept in and I was aware of any cough, sneeze, or movement from others nearby.  The time still went by quickly, but when it was over, I just thought “huh – that was weird” instead of feeling light and rested like I did with the first one.

Chuck and I recapped our experiences on the ride home and they were very similar.  We wondered why we both felt anxious with this one and blamed each other for putting off negative energy as the cause.  But, really, there are probably a variety of reasons.  Maybe a bunch of people in the room did have negative energy affecting it? It was a Friday night right after work.  Our position in the room?  Expectations from the first time? We did an hour of gentle yoga prior to the going bath that we didn’t do last time – maybe that contributed? Time of year? It is cold AF right now.  Political climate and our current “leader” maybe adds a new level of universal stress?

Chuck mentioned his experience to James (one of Teja’s owners) at yoga today to see how his experience compared with ours. James said he had to sit up at one point into a seated position because of the intensity of the gongs, but overall he had a positive experience.  I think that just like yoga, each person’s experience is going to be different based on you – with some level of influence from your environment (in this case, the immediate room that day).  Nonetheless, it’s a really unique and cool meditative experience to try – we’ll see what the next one brings!

 

#Joovvgoals

We just received our eagerly anticipated Joovv light yesterday!  As excited as I am to try it, my Joovv is still sitting in the box because I wanted to document my outrageous goals for this device before I get distracted and forget what they are.  Quick background… I spent over a week researching infrared saunas, then red light therapy. I watched endless videos and listened to the podcasts.  In the end, the Joovvv light came out on top for me.  From the online testimonials, people love it and seemingly can’t live without it.   The Joovv has the endorsement of some highly respected doctors, trainers, bloggers, bio-hackers and we had friends use Joovv lights at RUNGA 2017 in Panama.  It also has a 60 day return policy, so I’m going to put it through the paces for the next 60 days and see which of my goals are realized.  I chose the Joovv Original with the Combo red light and UV.  We do have a steam sauna in our condo building, so I thought the red light, UV and being able to add in the steam sauna to the mix would be really good for health and recovery.

Joovv Waiting to be Unboxed

So, why did I buy this and what am I hoping to achieve?

Chuck’s Joovv Goals

-Quicker muscle recovery

-Improved energy levels

-Hair regrowth (please!)

-Improved skin tone and complexion

-Getting rid of Excalibur once and for all (this will be explained at a later date)

-Improved eyesight (in my mid 40’s and near vision is getting further away. Maybe a reduction in “floaters” as a bonus)

-I’ll probably shine it on my balls “Ben Greenfield style” just to see what all the hype is about.  By “probably”, I meant definitely.

For what it’s worth, I paid full retail for the Joovv light and they have no idea that I’m blogging about the results. I’ll be adding to the following topics as they happen!

Unboxing/ Set up

1st Use Impressions

My Daily Regimen

How It is Going… Positives, Negatives?

Overall Results

Stay tuned!!

Introducing “The Weirds”

Wow wow wow! It is our 5 year anniversary or living a Paleo lifestyle. I’m happy to report that Paleo principles work and I truly feel better than I ever have.  I feel stronger, healthier and more alive than I did 10 years ago.  I even look younger now than I did in 10 yr old photos. It is so crazy the changes that clean eating and living can make.  Rene and I have come a long way in the past 5 years.  Things that are just a normal part of our daily routine, I would have scoffed at and poked fun at before.  When I look at fond Facebook memories from 6-10 years ago, I see a clueless ball of inflammation having an absolute blast eating deep fried Mac and cheese bites washed down by a flight of craft beer.  We originally started our Paleo journey when Rene was diagnosed with MS in 2013.  I am ecstatic to report that she has been largely symptom free and 100% prescription drug free ever since following the Wahls Protocol. For me, I have been extremely busy between real estate, photography and amateur bio-hacking.  So…. the blog has been dormant for far too long.  For the rest of 2018, we are making an effort to help others out with their health and wellness journeys.  We will be looking back over the past 5 years and writing about what has worked, what we have learned and what we can’t live without.  Also fun will be to explore the products and protocols that didn’t make it into our routines. 

Without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to “The Weirds”.  We will be delving into topics like dry skin brushing, PEMF therapy, muscle testing, organ meats, Bulletproof Coffee, detoxing your home, charcoal tooth powder, gong baths, earthing, sleep, meditation, podcasts/ resources, EMF testing, structured water, deodorant, squatty potty, skin care, cupping, traveling, cold therapy, myofacial release, toe spacers, bentonite clay, electro muscular stimulation, oil pulling, digital detox, red light therapy, water filtration, the Human Charger, meal prep tools, favorite foods/ snacks, supplements and tons of other stuff!

At Universal Studios CA with our Minion, of course.