LoveCraft Therapy Aromatherapy

 

Hello, all!

It has been a ridiculously long time since I posted! I must and will rectify this issue! I’ve had so many ups and downs since I last posted, especially when it comes to my weight/health, and there are plenty of posts to get into for that soon enough. In the meantime, I would like to share LoveCraft Therapy with you, my brand spanking new business!

What is it? Handmade aromatherapy products. At the moment I’m selling therapeutic blends and will eventually include body and hair products as well (body butter, body scrub, body and hair oils, etc) and everything will have essential oils in it, that’s the guarantee. I will also be selling on Etsy, very excited about that! For now I’m selling solely via PayPal.

So here is a list of what’s available along with the contact information.

Love, Light, & Aromatherapy!

xoxo

LoveCraft Therapy Therapeutic Blends

 

• Breathe Easy – Banish seasonal allergies
• Pain Aid – Relieve sore muscles, mild aches & inflammation
• Inner Light – For meditation and prayer
• Moon Dreams – Rest easy and sweetly
• Ataraxia – Calm anxiety and panic
• Head Case – Soothe headaches
• Sexi Minx – An aprhodisiac enhancer
• Blue Skies – Ease a heavy heart and dark thoughts
• *Crystal Clear – Encourage clarity and focus
• *Pure Minds – Clear negative energy and emotions
• *Happy Place – Settle into a state of simple relaxation

 

Each blend contains pure essential oils.

*Crystal Clear, Pure Minds & Happy Place available only in spray bottles.

Prices don’t include shipping fees. Custom blends available upon request.

Email: lovecraft.therapy@gmail.com or lvctherapy@gmail.com

 

5ml glass bottle with dropper – $13

10ml glass roller ball – $22

10ml glass spray bottle – $15

15ml glass bottle with dropper – $28

15ml glass spray bottle – $22

30ml glass bottle with dropper – $35

30ml glass spray bottle – $30

 

 

 

 

 

“Do Your Best” – What Does That Mean?

We’ve all heard this throughout our lives and I think the phrase doesn’t always get the credit it so richly deserves. Doing your best doesn’t mean you’re half-assing at a task and being sub-par, yet it also doesn’t mean you’re the picture of perfection with no stumbles along the way. Here’s a secret: the best you can do changes, sometimes daily even. Some days you can do way more than what you conquered yesterday and other times what you can do is a little less than that killer productive weekend from a while ago. This simple principle applies to all aspects of an adult life: work, school, family, love, and yeah, you guessed it, health! Doing your best should mean you give your best efforts, your all, that blood, sweat and tears. Even if this thing you want to accomplish and yes, be really great at, is not done superbly all the time, it’s fine. Don’t ask yourself “Did I do this flawlessly and not mess up even once?”. Instead ask, “Did I do everything I was humanly capable of doing today?” and be honest. If the answer is no then of course you can and should do better, that’s the whole point after all! But if the answer is yes, then you were at functioning at 100% capacity for that day, and you sir/madam, have officially done your best.

Magazines That Rock

I love magazines and that love has transferred over to health magazines, something I never imagined myself being into. I would strongly advise perusing some and finding what fits your particular health interests and goals. They are encouraging, motivating, thought provoking, and hell, they’re useful! I’m always seeking a way to gain information and inspiration, and the publishing world is a great source of guidance. And if you are a magazine-whore like I am but pay for issues individually every month, cut that out! It’s such a waste of money. You’re basically paying roughly $60 per year doing that when you could spend anywhere from $8 to $15 for a subscription for the same length of time. Trust me on this 🙂

Below are my personal favorites (Self, Shape, Women’s Health) because they not only focus on health, but include topics that I as a 27 yr old woman care about: beauty, career, relationships, etc. They never stray from the main focus of course – various exercises, recipes, healthier food swaps, workout gear and gadgets, personal healthcare and doctor visits, the list goes on. Also, I recently bought an issue of Fitness RX. It’s what I like to refer to as hard-core, it offers a scientific approach to health and fitness and there’s no fluff, mighty interesting and different from what I’m used to! No complaints though, I might just get a subscription for this one too.

Do you enjoy health and fitness magazines? Any favorites?

Baby Steps

Last week was rough. My mental health was in a terrible place with depression and anxiety overwhelming me and simultaneously triggering my binge eating disorder. I had to take a good look at where I currently am on my journey to being healthier and re-evaluate my thoughts/feelings on it.

I don’t have a patient bone in my body and I take giant leaps when doing things. This works fine when dealing with something that can be done with just a couple of these leaps and great speed, but when dealing with a situation that requires a steady pace and giving a little here and there consistently, it doesn’t work at all. I’ve spent a number of days now talking myself off a mental edge and reminding myself that baby steps with this process are crucial and not doing everything perfectly, especially right now, is OKAY. I’m not where I want to be and as much as that frustrates me it can’t rule over my progress. I’ve come a long way with how I eat and exercise, and even how I see myself.

Whatever your goals are for your health, they don’t have to be met 100% in a couple of weeks or even months. Exercise a few times a week instead of 7 times, have at least one super healthy meal per day, reduce soda and junk food, get up earlier and make a good breakfast, go for walks, etc. All these things, they gradually build up – 2 days of exercise turn into 5, one healthy meal turns into 3, the junk food almost disappears, so on and so forth. There’s no race to be won, especially when you’re trying to develop habits that will last a lifetime. I’m learning to be patient, stay consistent, not make huge changes I can’t stick to, relish every bit of progress and not give up. Small changes and small steps over time will turn into bigger changes and bigger results, guaranteed.

Black Bean Brownie Recipe

I’m always looking for healthy alternatives to not-so-healthy foods I love, like brownies. A few months ago I stumbled upon a recipe for Black Bean Brownies and altered it over time. I know, it sounds crazy, and you know what’s even crazier? They taste amazing! Moist and just like regular brownies. I wouldn’t lie to you 🙂 I have a general rule when it comes to food: If it doesn’t taste good, I don’t eat it. This really keeps me on track with eating healthy because I’m never dreading what’s on my plate, and I honestly don’t see how that would be beneficial to anyone. Anyway, I baked some to take to my wonderful chiropractor’s office today – by the way, if you live in Atlanta, the Dunwoody area in particular, you should check out Wilson Family Chiropractic, and yes I’m totally biased when it comes to them because there are phenomenal people working there 🙂 So, they loved my brownies and suggested I post the recipe online. Well here it is and it’s super simple!

 

Ingredients

• 1 can black beans (rinse and drain completely)
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil (use any oil of your choice)
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/2 Tbsp coffee powder
• 1 Tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 4 Tbsp honey or agave
• 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 2 Tsp natural sweetener (I’m a fan of Monk Fruit In The Raw sweetener)

Combine everything in a blender. Pour into greased baking pan and pop in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hr 30 mins – 2 hrs. Feel free to add nuts, chocolate chips, or dried fruit.

New Habits

I hope everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving and recovered! I’m proud to say I was back to my regular eating habits and the gym by 10/30 🙂 That’s such a huge change for me, a year ago I would have been stuffing myself with leftovers for days after.

Speaking of food, I’ve resolved to devote 3 days of the week to eating clean, and being as strict as possible with that. Clean eating and healthy eating are not the same, this is something I’ve come to learn recently with simple research and it drives me batshit crazy to see people on social media make posts about eating clean with things like Jif peanut butter, bacon wrapped steaks, cream pasta sauces, skinny cow chocolate, lean cuisine meals – the list goes on. Yes, some of these are healthy, but they’re not clean.

The simplest definition of clean food is: preservative free, chemical free, non-processed, all natural = fruit, vegetables, lean meats, sea food, whole grains. Packaged foods require a good look at the ingredients, the fewer things listed the better, and if you don’t recognize something or can’t pronounce it then you should probably leave it alone. Also, I think of what something is made from, ask yourself – for example – “What is coconut flour made from? Coconuts. A fruit” vs “What is white flour made from? White? What’s that?!”. I apply this to things like flour, oil, juice, etc.

There’s this popular misconception that you’ll somehow starve if you’re eating clean and that the list to what you can have is limited. Not true at all. You just need to put a little more thought and care into your meals. My lunch yesterday was smoked salmon, salad dressed with lemon juice and a touch of salt, boiled potatoes that were seasoned with delicious spices. Breakfast today was oatmeal with natural peanut butter and mixed berries, a poached egg, toast, and coffee. I snack on things like tortilla chips and salsa, fruit, and nuts. There is deprivation only if you let it happen. This is where research comes in, there are tons of articles and blogs that are devoted to giving food and recipe ideas. I make exceptions here and there but I also make sure they are slight and mostly healthy (i.e. flax milk and zero calorie & fat free liquid salted caramel sweetener for my coffee) with the notion that I’ll continue looking for clean alternatives.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the easiest thing in the world to do and it does take some getting used to and planning ahead. I’ve found that as long as I’m prepared and not panicking over what to eat, I’m perfectly fine. If you choose to commit to eating clean you’re only doing your body and health a major favor, and in my opinion that is nothing short of enjoyable.

 

Happy Turkey Day

I don’t know about you but I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving. A holiday that promotes being grateful, brings family together, and requires yummy food – enough said! I know a lot of health conscious people feel a little anxious about being around so much food and this is one of those times where you’re expected to stuff your face, talk about peer pressure 🙂 But, relax, it doesn’t have to be that serious. A few simple tips and we (yeah, I’m one of those people too) will get through this gut-busting day with ease.

• Log in some exercise before you get to chowing down. 30 mins to an hour is doable and you can feel better about the calories you’ll consume later.
• Eat a light breakfast. This way you won’t be tempted to munch on everything you see later and can make better decisions for what goes on your plate.
• Watch the appetizers and breads. These are loaded with major calories (like almost everything else at Thanksgiving dinner) but since they’re small people tend to eat mindlessly. Keep track of how many chips or rolls you have, and remember they’re not necessary, there’s a whole meal still waiting for you!
• Commit to going back to your regular eating/exercise schedule a day or two after Thanksgiving. The sooner you get back to your normal eating routine, the better off your health will be. Write it on your calender, have your best friend hold you accountable, etc.
• Go easy on leftovers. There’s no need to eat mac & cheese (a favorite of mine by the way) 3 times a day for the rest of the weekend.
• Watch your portions and eat slowly so your stomach can have a chance to realize you actually have food in your tummy so you don’t have to keep shoveling in more.
• Drink more water than you do anything else.
• Limit yourself to no more than 2 helpings of anything, period.
• Don’t. Feel. Guilty. I like to call this “drama” because all it does it create negative energy within yourself and this only puts you in a place of getting off track. So, it’s not worth it.

Be merry, eat well, and have a lovely Thanksgiving everyone! Xo

Your Weight-loss Journey On PMS

I feel the need to say that it’s okay to talk about things like periods when you’re over the age of 18. As long as one isn’t going into unnecessary details, it’s really not that serious so let’s get real and be grown-ups please 🙂 Also, for time reference I started this post a couple of days ago and only finished it after midnight on 11/25, so everything I’m talking about happened on the week of the 10th. Carry on!

Last week was rough. Using birth control can be incredibly annoying for me as all it takes for a disruption in my regular cycle is to forget to take it once or twice and bam! early period. I don’t know how common this is for other women, if you can relate, you have my complete sympathy sister-girl. What’s definitely common though is the dreaded experience of PMS. It becomes about 500 times more difficult to eat well and exercise during your period. PMS can be a combination of mental/emotional symptoms as well as physical ones which include cramps and fatigue. Recently I’ve been experiencing flu-like symptoms as well, and that fatigue is no joke! I had low to zero energy for anything, a shower even, let alone  a killer workout. I have lower back problems already so that combined with the cramps and I was done. My WORST food cravings come out during this time as well, specifically: chocolate (duh), soda, pizza, and fast food burger ‘n fries. Sigh. That’s all I want to eat all day for almost the entire week and it’s insane how strong the cravings are! And of course, the desire to do as little as possible, i.e. lie in bed and watch TV or sleep. Double sigh. I didn’t hit my 4 days of exercise weekly regimen but at least I got 2 done and controlled my eating for the most part. By the end of the week I had gained 3 lbs. I’ve learned not to take the scale too seriously when it comes to weighing myself during that time of the month. Most of it ends up being what I like to call “superficial” weight, as in, it goes away in a couple of days along with the bloating and water weight. Sure enough, 2 days later I was back to my regular weight, those  3 lbs literally disappeared with no extra effort on my part.

This week has gone by much better so I’m pleased, progress and not perfection, is what matters here. I’m appreciating how difficult last week was because it will happen again and I prefer knowing how to be prepared. I’m trying to develop a mind set that helps me make the best of minor setbacks (those too will happen) and simply look at them as lessons on what not to do next time as opposed to permanent failures. I’m still learning every week what works for me and what is a waste of time. Your body always follows your mind, weight loss requires mental strength – determination, perseverance, discipline – more than anything else. So it’s okay to fuck up along the way as long as you do better next time. I’ve accepted that as part of the journey and although it can be difficult not to beat myself up over missing a workout or eating badly it’s necessary not to and JUST DO BETTER, the rest of the drama doesn’t help.

Well, I’m facing another week of this madness because my period is on schedule (yeah, even when it comes early it comes again when it’s actually supposed to!) so wish me luck on utilizing everything I learned from earlier in the month. I’ve decided to incorporate 3 days of clean eating into my regular diet but I’m now considering trying it for this whole week, it might help me get through my PMS better, I don’t know. I’m always willing to try so we shall see.

If You Ask Me….

I’ve picked up a lot of helpful tips and advice during this weight loss journey and the best thing I can do (besides use them) is share them, so here you go!

• Eat a huge breakfast, it truly sets you up for the rest of the day. When I take in 400-500 calories in the morning I have an easy time sticking to eating small meals later on. When I skip breakfast or don’t eat something nourishing, I have a difficult time not grabbing every piece of food I see or smell. Eat foods that fill you up, are low in calories so you can have several things at once (i.e. toast, eggs, coffee, bacon, fruit, veggies vs one breakfast sandwich from a fast food restaurant) that leave you feeling satisfied. Always try to include veggies and lean protein.
• Drink water ALL DAY! Forget that 8 glasses per day rule, it doesn’t fit everyone. To know how much you need, it’s recommended that you drink half of your body weight in ounces. So, if you weight 180 lbs, then you should drink 90 oz of water. Besides the fact that water in general keeps you healthy, it helps you feel full.
• Load up on vegetables during meals to prevent yourself from feeling like you’re not eating enough. Also, eat them raw whenever possible. Veggies lose a good portion of their nutrients when cooked.
• Keep track of calories. My favorite app for this is LoseIt for Android. MyFitnessPal is another good one. Using an app helps me feel like I’m in control, and it works! When I stick to my calorie budget every day I lose 2 lbs every week.
• Research! Knowledge is power and the more you know about health/fitness the more you can help yourself. Blogs, articles and health magazines are a great way to keep yourself motivated and informed.
• Don’t deprive yourself of foods you enjoy, and don’t eat or drink anything you don’t like (with the exception of water, just drink it!)
• Train yourself to be disciplined when it comes to exercise and eating well, but don’t be so hard on yourself if you skip a workout or eat pizza. There’s always tomorrow and it’s your chance to make up for it. The more you stress about it the more you put yourself in a position to forget why you’re even doing this in the the first place and want to quit.
• Focus more on eating well vs hitting a gym. You can’t outwork a bad diet, period. If you eat horribly all week and exercise for 6 days straight you won’t get far, you probably won’t even lose any weight. But if you eat properly (nutritious and nourishing food and don’t consume more than 2000 calories per day) and not work out even once, you will get results, every single time. This isn’t to say that being active doesn’t matter, it absolutely does, but it’s not going to save you from eating like crap. Think of weight loss as 70% and 30% exercise.
• Figure out what inspires you to keep going. A short term goal, a long term one, your best friend who dropped crazy weight, absorb motivation from everywhere!
• Your mindset will make or break you. Understand you’re doing this because you love yourself and love your body. Eating well, exercising, being good to yourself – this is a positive lifestyle that benefits you, it’s not meant to harm or torture you. You’ll be surprised at how it affects your daily life and changes the way you think/feel too: healthy is happy.
• Make calories count. You’re going to eat, you need to eat, you should eat, so what you eat matters.
• If you’re someone with a busy schedule then try to meal prep. Put together meals enough for a couple of days so you don’t have to think about what you’re going to eat for lunch at work or for dinner after a long day, you just heat it up and you’re good to go.
• Experiment with different healthy dishes and cook more. This way you know exactly what you’re eating and what to expect. Not a fan of cooking? Check out recipes, get help from someone who does like to do it, start with simple dishes.
• Look at calories for everything! Whether you’re grocery shopping or going out to eat, pay attention.
• You don’t have to completely eliminate foods you love that aren’t good for you, just make them good for you by substituting! There are healthy alternatives to pretty much everything: waffles, pizza, fries, burgers, cheesy pasta, cake, cookies, pie, pancakes, ice cream – the list goes on. This is where health food blogs, recipes, magazines, etc come in handy.
• Stay as active as possible. Take the stairs, walk around while y0u’re on your phone, go for walks when the weather is pleasant.
• Find like minded people who are on a similar path, create a good support system (people online count!), and have patience.

Of course, these are just things that have worked for me, and what works for you could be very different. The point is to keep trying, keep learning, listen to your body, and stay committed.

Snack Attack!

Ode To The Classic Potato Chip, Baked Snack-O’s, Roasted Seaweed Snack, Chile Spiced Mango, Roasted Coconut Chips, Pitted Prunes.

I went shopping yesterday at Trader Joe’s aka the best grocery store ever! I got plenty of great stuff (I highly recommend their Pumpkin butter by the way) but wanted to focus on the snacks. As you can see, there’s a bit of variety with salty and sweet. I strongly believe in snacks, and sometimes I have days where I’m eating a little bit at a time every couple of hours so snack size items are ideal for this. Someone could look at my picks and say they’re not all completely healthy, and that’s a fair statement. Here’s what I say – I’m one of those everything-in-moderation people, and I don’t think I’m destroying my body by having a handful of potato chips every once in a while. Some people are devoted to eating clean 24/7 (you’re all AMAZING for that!) and others, like me, are not. I’ve put a lot of effort into being in a place where I can even have ten chips or one cookie at a time and call it a day! So, when choosing less than 100% natural or processed foods, look at the list of ingredients and macros. If there are 50 different ingredients, mostly of which you can’t pronounce (these chips have 3: potatoes, sunflower oil, salt), preservatives, a high calorie count, etc then please avoid. I encourage replacing crap with better food, always! If you’re someone who’s used to eating a lot of junk food just find healthier alternatives for the same thing – like these lower calorie, lower fat, and lower sodium onion rings here – and try not to eat more than one of the recommended serving at a time. My personal goal is to eventually do away with as many junk food items – highly greasy, sugary and caloric or not – as possible.  Snacks are not going anywhere, embrace them, choose the best ones for your body and lifestyle, and don’t use them as an excuse to eat like shit 🙂