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Showing posts from June 22, 2020

My 40th Birthday

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To be totally honest, I didn’t have high hopes for my 40th birthday celebration amid a global pandemic, but it was everything I wanted and more! It’s funny because this time last year, I had HUGE plans for my 40th. We talked about chartering a yacht and spending a long weekend on Block Island with friends. I know, right? Of course, this was super extravagant, financially and logistically, so, eventually, my 40th was “downgraded” to a fancy dinner party with my closest friends at our home, cooked by a professional Boston chef. Mal handled the reservation and menu, so everything was set to go for June 19th, and I seriously couldn’t wait! Once quarantine progressed into mid-May in Massachusetts, it didn’t seem right to have a group of friends in close proximity at our house for my 40th dinner party, so we ended up canceling. I was bummed, but looking at what was happening around us in the world, having a big celebration seem soooo unnecessarily. Turning 40 started to seem like just ano

A Conversation with Craig Patterson of MadLab | Salty Talk 013 | THRR

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Welcome to Salty Talk. This is a special edition of Healthy Rebellion Radio. Each week on Salty Talk Robb will do a deep dive into current health and performance news, mixed with an occasional Salty conversation with movers and shakers in the world of research, performance, health, and longevity. For the full the video presentation of this episode and to be a part of the conversation, join us in The Healthy Rebellion online community . WARNING: These episodes may get “salty” with the occasional expletive. Meet your new medicine cabinet. Beekeeper’s Naturals creates clean remedies… that actually work. Experience hive powered health with natural remedies that are always powerful, nontoxic, and backed by science. Using sustainably sourced ingredients from the beehive & beyond, Beekeeper’s Naturals holds their obsessively researched formulations to the highest quality standards (meaning you’ll never find refined sugars, pesticide residue, dyes, or dirty chemicals inside). From

The Health Benefits of Turmeric, and How to Get More of It

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It may not share cinnamon’s popularity, but turmeric is another spice with powerful culinary and medicinal qualities that deserves our attention. Turmeric, known officially as curcuma longa and historically as Indian saffron, is a rhizome (root) of the ginger family. Its horizontal root system is dug up, baked, and ground into a bright orange powder, which then goes into any number of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and Southeast Asian dishes. Pretty much every curry you come across anywhere, for example, includes a generous portion of turmeric. Common yellow mustard also includes turmeric, mostly as a food colorant. Recently, the health benefits of turmeric have come to light, and people are looking for more ways to get more turmeric into their diets. Turmeric imparts a unique flavor: slightly bitter and a bit spicy, with a mustard-like scent. Upon tasting a dab of turmeric powder by itself for the first time, one is reminded of curries and other Asian stews. It’s a bit of an “Aha!” m

Here Comes The Sun: Safer Sunscreen

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We’re home from the beach and I’ll be back tomorrow with a recap! Our sunscreen stash was stocked and ready, and I’m sharing the products we use and why we’re serious about using safer sunscreen.  We just got back from a week at Bald Head Island, and while it unfortunately rained the first four days, we had our full stash of sunscreen on standby. Despite more grey weather than we had anticipated, we actually used our sunscreen quite a lot. (As you probably know, it’s important to use SPF even on cloudy days!) How I switched to safer sunscreen I’ve shared about all of the other clean beauty essentials we use in our household, whether that’s Counterman products for Thomas, hand soap by the bathroom sink, or body wash for the kids. I honestly love the products and love them even more knowing they are not full of any questionable ingredients. Sunscreen was actually my gateway into Beautycounter You might recall that we went to the Florida Keys when Birch was about 6 months old.

40 for 40: I gave up wine for 40 days (gasp!)

As you may know, my 40th birthday recently passed. A big milestone and yet something pretty regular too. I had a great day with my family, eating some of my favorite foods and doing some of my favorite social-distance friendly activities. It was great and my family made me feel so incredibly loved.  Leading up to my birthday, I decided to give up alcohol for 40 days. I really wanted to look and feel good for my 40th birthday, and I knew that meant a little bit of sacrifice. So, adios vino! Not that I drink excessively, but alcohol has been something I’ve enjoyed regularly since starting college at 18 years old. I’ve given it up in the past, during my pregnancy and when I was very ill with an ulcerative colitis flare, but for the most part, an evening glass of wine or cocktails with the girls has always been something I’ve regularly enjoyed. And, being completely honest, the regularity and amount of alcohol increased significantly during COVID. Basically, it was time to make a change