Category: Fitness, Health, Happiness

  • How to Make Allergy Season a Little Less Miserable

    How to Make Allergy Season a Little Less Miserable

    It’s heeeere: allergy season. Pollen, pollen everywhere and all the sneezing and itchy red eyes (or in my case, pinkeye and clogged ears) that entails. Here are some ways to find allergy symptom relief without resorting to daily medication.

    Disclaimer: in this post I mention products I received for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.

    I never used to suffer from seasonal allergies!

    No, that was a surprise gift my body gave me in my late 30s that I never asked for, along with a slowing metabolism, a knee that audibly complains, and an inability to sleep more than five hours in a row. (It also gave me the puffy curls I craved back when perms were cool, now that sleekly straight hair is the thing. I digress.)

    I only realized I had allergies a few years ago, when Facebook started showing your posts from previous years on this day. Every year around the same time, I would mention that I’d been mildly sick for forever: sneezing constantly, swollen eyes and so forth. It never occurred to me that allergies were the culprit because, well, I didn’t think I had allergies.

    I’ve read that this year has been/will be particularly miserable for allergy sufferers, since we had a relatively mild winter. And I can confirm that’s already been the case for me:

    • my sinuses feel like the inside of a cement mixer
    • I mess up my eye makeup on the regular because I mindlessly rub away at my itchy eyes
    • I went for weeks only being able to hear out of one ear, and
    • sometimes when I wake up in the morning the inside of my eyelids are stuck to my eyeballs, making me momentarily panic that I have pinkeye (which I did have earlier this spring: it felt like I had sand in my eyes, and I looked like I was auditioning to be a Garbage Pail Kid. Did you even know you could get allergy related pinkeye? Because that was news to me).

    It’s gross and frankly rude.

    I don’t like to take allergy medicine (or any meds really) because they either make me feel spacey or tired or keyed up, although I did relent during the whole clogged ear/pinkeye business. But I do want to keep my symptoms at bay as much as possible to avoid going through that again.

    So it felt like Christmas when I opened a box of goodies from Similasan, as part of a blogger program with Moms Meet.

    Similasan started in Switzerland in 1980, grew popular across Europe and I think their natural remedies are pretty well known and established here in the US at this point— you’ve probably noticed them on the shelves at your pharmacy or grocery store. They provide temporary allergy symptom relief by stimulating your body’s defenses with natural active ingredients: for instance, the Similasan Allergy Eye Relief is formulated with Eyebright flowers and Sabadilla Lily, as opposed to using antihistamines or vasoconstrictors (these work by constricting your blood vessels, so they’re not recommended for frequent use. You can AND YOU BETTER BELIEVE I DO use Similasan Allergy Eye Relief as often as needed). 

    What that means is I’m able to go out in public without looking like angry Tom Ellis: 

    via GIPHY

    Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Tom Ellis and you should go watch all four seasons of Lucifer on Netflix immediately if you haven’t already. I just don’t need to look like I’m beaming hellfire through my eyeballs, it scares the children.

    My eyes feel much better, in that I don’t regularly notice how much my eyes are bugging me anymore, and I haven’t had to unpeel my eyelids from my eyeballs in weeks, and boy did I never predict that one day the simple act of not having to think about my eyeballs would bring me such bliss.

    Similasan allergy eye relief
    Meet your new best friend.

    You can print out a coupon for any Similasan product here; see who carries their products nearest you here. I’d suggest stocking up your medicine cabinet so you have what you need on hand when symptoms first strike!

    Now, obviously, the easiest way to avoid allergy symptoms entirely is to stay indoors with the ac and an air purifier running. But I’ve been anxiously waiting to feel that spring sunshine on my face after dealing with seasonal affective disorder all winter, so that’s just not going to happen.

    Here are some practical tips to help keep allergy misery at a minimum:

    • wear sunglasses and a hat when you spend time outside, and get changed when you get home
    • shower and shampoo at night so you’re not taking pollen to bed with you
    • if you line dry, throw your clothes in the dryer for at least a couple minutes to minimize pollen
    • wipe your dog down before giving pats, if he’s been outside
    • wash your bedsheets or at least your pillowcase frequently
    • check the pollen counts before leaving the house (pollen.com has an app, My Pollen Forecast is well-reviewed). If it’s a particularly pollen-laden day, be sure to pack your eye drops and nasal spray and opt for indoor workouts— I used to sneeze incessantly for HOURS whenever CrossFit had us run outside.

    Don’t forget that pets can suffer from seasonal allergies too! You’ll want to talk to your vet about the best methods for alleviating their symptoms. I know it’s time to give Karma a little something when she starts chewing on her grinch feet.

    Feel better and GET OUTSIDE!

  • Let’s Talk About Elderberry for Cold and Flu

    Let’s Talk About Elderberry for Cold and Flu

    We’re hurtling into that time of year: my youngest brought home a nasty head cold and generously shared with the rest of the family. Like everybody else, I’m looking for anything that will help boost immunity and keep us from getting sick and missing work or school. In this post, I’m discussing one option that was new to me: here’s the skinny of using elderberry for colds and flu. Elderberry fruits


    I received this product for free from Moms Meet to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided.


    Last week I got sick. I was a sentient ball of phlegm. I had a tiny fever. My throat was sore. I had an overall feeling of yuckiness.

    I’m still waking up at night thanks to a lingering cough, but aside from that, I shook that cold pretty quickly, as did my eldest (who caught it while visiting and brought it back to Philly, so many apologies to all his friends who also got it). My other two, who found themselves as an unintended control group, were actively sick wayyyyy longer; in fact, they kept insisting that I must have caught another, less severe cold. 

    It’s anecdotal evidence, not hard science, since we can’t quantify exactly how sick each of us was, but the only difference in how we treated the cold? Jake and I took an elderberry supplement that had been sent to me by Moms Meet as part of their blogger program. (Cass and Mav went with a more traditional treatment of Advil and/or Nyquil, and we all used eucalyptus oil in hot showers to help clear out the congestion.)

    What is elderberry?

    Elderberry in this context refers to the fruit of the elder (Sambucus) tree, and the extract is said to have a lot of beneficial properties, particularly when it comes to your immune system.

    Think of it this way: dark blue and deep purple fruits contain antioxidants called flavonoids— specifically the flavonoids referred to as anthocyanins— which fight the damage caused by free radicals. These are fruits that are hardy under less than ideal conditions, and they pass that hardiness on to you (the epitome of “you are what you eat”). The United States Department of Agriculture places the highest concentration of anthocyanins in black elderberries, nearly double the amount found in any other fruit. 

    What is elderberry good for?

    According to WebMD, there’s sufficient research to be able to say that elderberry reduces the severity and duration of the flu and the common cold, and also aids with constipation. There’s also a host of other ailments elderberry is rumored to help with that there isn’t enough research to support just yet, from heart disease to gingivitis to allergic reactions to chronic fatigue.

    How do you take elderberry?

    Do a quick search and you’ll find lots of recipes for DIY elderberry syrups. Use caution, though: the quality of your elderberries may vary, as will the dosage achieved. I discourage foraging because you don’t know what pesticides might have been used in the area and the plant does have some similar looking relatives. DO NOT use the leaves, stems, unripe fruit, or uncooked fruit, as this can cause unwanted side effects like vomiting or diarrhea. 

    Sambucol

    A safer option to DIY is a supplement, where there is some level of quality control when it comes to source material and consistency of dosage. The supplement we tried is called Sambucol, whose extract:

    • has twice the natural antioxidant capacity of blueberries and more than 50% the overall antioxidant capability of cranberries
    • is produced from whole black elderberries; it the equivalent of up to 1000 black elderberries in every 120ml bottle.

    As you can see from the photo above, Sambucol has a number of elderberry delivery systems, including a (delicious!) gummy immunity boosting, cold and flu preventative. There’s a version that’s adjusted for children as well as a sugar free option. I sent the lozenges to Philly with Jake, and he shook that cough much faster than I did.

    When to use caution with elderberry

    As with any medication or supplement, talk with your pediatrician before using elderberry with young children. In addition, elderberry can cause lessened efficacy of immunosuppressants (which makes perfect sense, when you think about it). 

    How to buy elderberry syrup and gummies

    If you’d like to give Sambucol elderberry supplements a try— and again, I can vouch that it really did seem to help with the severity and duration of my head cold— check with the store locator for where you can buy locally. You can also order directly from the website.

  • Review: Fuel Your Next Workout with Fuel For Fire Fruit + Protein Smoothies

    Review: Fuel Your Next Workout with Fuel For Fire Fruit + Protein Smoothies

    They don’t call protein the building blocks of the body for nothing. Here are my thoughts on the exercise portion of weight loss after regaining, plus an actually tasty way to get some pre- or post-workout whey protein (that’s 99.8% lactose free!) when you’re on the go.

    I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.

    My strength did not come from lifting weights.

    My strength came from lifting myself up when I was knocked down.

    -Bob Moore

    Alrighty, in my last post I talked about the holy trinity of weight loss— nutrition, energy expenditure and sleep— as I’m attempting to lose some weight I regained after I stopped exercising and my muscle turned to blub. I gave the Cliff Notes version of my first steps to get my nutrition back on point and how I’ve been using vegan protein powder to support that goal, and now I want to talk about protein and how it supports my goals of being STRONGER and more healthy overall.

    First, let me give you the Cliff’s Notes for my first steps trying to regain muscle.

    • Start slow. IT IS SO HARD. It’s so frustrating to not be able to do what I could when I was in competition shape or training for obstacle races. But if you go too hard, you get super sore and mentally defeated at best or you get hurt. Both of those mean taking time off and that does nothing to further your goals.
    • Go heavy. But not too heavy. What I mean is, don’t do things that aren’t too terribly taxing for long intervals, go for intensity or a heavier weight for shorter intervals. Light workouts for long periods don’t work on your body for long, and you’ll find yourself having to go longer and longer to get the same returns, which means plateaus and more mental defeatism.
    • Go bodyweight when you can. But give yourself grace. Bodyweight exercises are great, you can do them anywhere, and generally speaking you’re less likely to injure yourself than when you’ve got what you used to backsquat nagging at the back of your mind. That said, you’re doing this because you gained weight, remember? Bodyweight exercises are going to be harder because your heart and lungs aren’t as conditioned as they used to be, but also you’re moving more weight. Don’t be tempted to compare your performance now to then.
    • Be prepared for initial (seemingly) setbacks. As you rebuild muscle under the fat it’s going to push that fat out. You’re probably going to be drinking more water, too. You’re going to look puffy at first, and you’re probably going to GAIN a few pounds before you start losing. Remember though that the muscle is going to help you burn more calories; there’s a tipping point you have to reach. Focus on your overall fat-to-muscle body composition ratio and the long game and before long you’ll notice your clothes hanging differently on your frame.

    To put it simply, when you exercise you deliberately tax your muscles, causing miniscule tears. When you consume protein, ideally right around the time of your workout, it helps to repair those tears (they don’t call protein the building blocks of the body for nothing).

    It’s like the Japanese concept of Kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired by sealing the cracks with gold: it is more beautiful and unique for having been broken, which is what the art form is getting at (related to wabi-sabi, a belief in the beauty of imperfection), but it’s also stronger because those cracks have been reinforced, which is what I’m getting at.

    The problem is, I LOATHE eating too close to a workout, either before or after. The LAST thing I want is food or a protein shake, which is the gym rat’s general post-workout go-to (I also have a level of lactose intolerance). I can do a protein bar pre-workout if it’s not too dense, but their texture sometimes puts me off and many have a surprising amount of sugar. I used to eat a banana before a lot of CrossFit WODs, but I HATE BANANAS and I’d be tasting it the whole time, which always made that hour particularly grueling.

    BUT, there’s a “magic window” that’s the optimal time to get that protein in to best rebuild those muscle tears.

    So I was pretty intrigued when I got to try out Fuel For Fire as part of the Moms Meet blogger program. These are “real food” snacks, made from 100% real fruit puree and a quality whey protein isolate that is 99.8% lactose free.

    Lemme say that again. 

    100% real fruit puree and a quality whey protein isolate that is 99.8% lactose free.

    They are similar to the pouches that some kid applesauces and such come in for packing in lunches and on-the-go, which would make them an easy sell to help fill in gaps in kids’ nutrition. I’m, obviously, bummed about the disposable packaging; I’d love to hear about a recycling program. But for my purposes— occasional use for fueling up before or after an outside-my-house workout or a 5K— I’m willing to loosen my grip on that point.

    Fuel For Fire was founded six years ago by professional chef and six-time Ironman Triathlete Rob Gilfeather, admirable credentials for someone creating real food workout fuel. (I was also delighted to learn that he handmade over 25,000 packs at home with his twin daughters when launching.)

    Fuel For Fire Fruit + Protein Smoothie fast facts:

    • no gluten, soy, nuts, GMOs, fat, or added sugar
    • less than 125 calories
    • each pouch has more protein than one whole egg
    • nine essential amino acids in each pack
    • comes in Sweet Potato Apple, Banana Cocoa, Tropical, Strawberry Banana and Coffee
    • let’s say it one more time: 100% real fruit puree and a quality whey protein isolate that is 99.8% lactose free.

    They don’t need refrigeration and will keep up to a year in your gym bag, but apparently a lot of people like them chilled. I’m weird and don’t like most food or drinks cold, so I can’t speak to that.

    But how does it taste?

    Shockingly good, actually, given that two of the flavors involve banana (which I hate) and one is tropical (which is also a flavor I’d never choose for myself). I particularly like the Sweet Potato Apple, which isn’t shocking as I love sweet potato. The coffee flavor actually contains 65 mg of caffeine! The consistency is thicker than applesauce but not quite as thick as yogurt, I’d say. And I don’t have to give my usual disclaimer of I’ve tried dozens of protein powders and similar products and I sort of like the taste myself: I can barely taste the whey protein. They go down easy, even after a workout. They’re just good.

    Just don’t tell your kids, your partner or your dad they’re good for them, and they’ll eat them without complaining.

    You can buy Fuel For Fire Fruit + Protein Smoothies at fuelforfire.com, on Amazon, and at select retail stores (full list here). 

    Get 40% off and free shipping on any purchase on fuelforfire.com with the discount code SAVE40. Offer expires July 31, 2018!