Some personal reflections for spring so far on health & wellness

I've been somewhat quiet online lately. This is what healers do... We step away, go within, and...well, heal.

Things are running a little late in my Patreon community this month -- which is OK since I (at the time of this writing) have zero Patrons joining in. Good news is, it's only my second month on Patreon. So if you join today, you'll get last month's stuff plus all the stuff I am about to post!

I'm healing my body.

This body of mine has been doing some strange things and I'm not totally sure why except for the obvious like age, hormones, diet, and rest...all of which are a bit erratic.

I've said forever I could do health and wellness without a gym. I stand by that. I didn't join a "gym." I joined a bizarre and different new "studio," shall we say. It's called Hotworx here in Wichita and you do short workouts inside an infrared sauna.

I hated Bikram yoga. HATED it. So at first, I figured this was like that. But it's not! I am glad I tried it. The infrared heat makes exercise easier and this is what I feel I need. My knee is making noise now, I feel terribly inflexible and sedentary...

But I am busy! So I can go to Hotworx and do a 15-minute row in the infrared sauna and it burns around 700 calories. The whole process of getting ready to go work out, driving there, doing the damn thing, and driving home takes me an hour. It's good for time management. I am told Infrared heat is healing...

A word about using the word "calories."

I am NOT a fitness coach or instructor. I'm a life coach and a Reiki Master. I give a sh*t about counting calories. I wouldn't mind losing weight, but it's not my main focus. I want more energy, strength, and flexibility. Plus, I want to feel better. I want to move. I don't vibe with "gym" culture, diet culture, and all that triggering crapola.

I am here for accepting myself as I am and improving my health. I did take my measurements on my second day at Hotworkx so I can measure over time how my body changes -- if it changes. I like metrics and being able to measure what happens here. My blood pressure yesterday was 115/68, so I think I'm doing OK! (It was higher a year ago, MUCH higher).

So I am researching more into this. I am NOT a doctor or medical professional and this blog/website is not meant to diagnose or treat any disease.

Falling down the rabbit hole of health research

This new workout had me looking into infrared heat and saunas, then red light therapy...then I find Ari Whitten's writings and get his Kindle book, Red Light Therapy... Then I listen to his podcast with Dr. Trevor Cates...

Here is where I snapped awake!

She brought up a condition I've suffered with for years. NO doctor has been able to help. (I had Dr. Rodan as my dermatologist in my teen years in Fremont, California so you direct sales people back OFF; I have actually met her; I still have acne). Dr. Cates, “The Spa Dr.,” mentions that keratosis pilaris can be (again, this site isn't meant for curing or diagnosing anything) caused by a zinc deficiency! What?! NO ONE ever mentioned this to me before!

So fast forward to now...I am overhauling my diet, reading her book, and dosing up on supplements (again, I don't diagnose or treat anything, y'all, I'm a Reiki Master listening to the guidance of my higher self here). I've got zinc, vitamin A, essential fatty acids, probiotics, and vitamin D. Some of these I already had. But I had to really research and search online for a good zinc supplement. This is the one I selected.

In the process, I saw someone mention in a forum that an IUD can deplete the body of zinc...and I haven't found confirmation on that yet. I have an IUD but it's not made of copper, so I am wondering if that comment was only about copper IUDs? Does anyone know? Let me know in the comments if you do, or use the contact form if you want to be more private.

Switching to all-natural beauty and personal care products

I also found a cool, natural brand with great reviews, called Tree of Life Beauty on Amazon. I've ordered their retinol serum to try and get a handle on this acne. Now I am reading more of Dr. Cates' book and looking into organic skincare products with a pH of 5.5...

So here's a great example of congruency that I talk about often as a coach. Using myself as an example...

How in the hell can I join an exercise studio where I am working on healing through infrared heat and eliminating toxins...and still have a makeup bag, shower, bathroom, and a household full of chemicals?

I can't replace all the crapola overnight. But I am going to work on getting rid of all the harmful chemicals from my life. I'm a tad inspired by all the minimalism videos I've been watching on YouTube lately (more on that for another blog post).

I've touched on this very briefly on my Instagram feed too recently. I decided to work on cutting back on indoor air pollution as I discovered while traveling to Arizona in December that I need to wear a pollution mask to protect myself from PM2.5. I got rid of all my incense and candles for a TRULY smoke-free home. I purchased a sage spray, so I am no longer burning sage to cleanse the energy around me. (I love my spray! I featured it on Instagram).

      View this post on Instagram        

So here is the stuff! It’s made by @heritagestorenatural and it’s a sage spray. ⠀ ⠀ This is for those of us who don’t do fire. Or for whom the smell of sage is just too strong for. I actually love the smell of burning sage. I love the ritual. I’ve never been in a spiritual circle where we didn’t burn sage — especially in the Reiki community. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ The other day, my neighbor’s place burnt down. I mean dead ass burned down. I have trauma around fire 🔥 as I lost my cousin in a fire when I was 11. I’ve come to accept that I am still healing this wound — and that is ok. I keep finding myself and/around/affected by fires! Even as a reporter. If I see smoke, I drive the news vehicle toward it, not away. My soul needs the healing. ⠀ ⠀ But in my home, no fire. Also, sage smells like weed 🤣 I haven’t done drugs in 17 years. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ I also have respiratory trouble when there is high ozone and/or high particulate matter. I’ve begrudgingly been working slowly on indoor air pollution as well as wearing a mask on high pollution days. I got super sick in Arizona at Christmas, so I’m finally learning my lesson. ⠀ ⠀ The burning of things inside my home had to stop. For all of the above reasons. So I’m happy to use this sage spray! I used it on the recovery center, the radio station, and my home. I use it before I sit down to write and create coaching/Reiki content for you! ⠀ Much love & blessings!

A post shared by Heather Larson | Life Coach (@heatherlarson) on Apr 7, 2019 at 4:38pm PDT

This is where I am at now. Heading towards some kind of chemical-free health minimalism that I have yet to deeply define.

I will continue blogging about this journey for you! Maybe it will help someone else. KP sufferers unite & power to the people...not the overly-famous dermatologists...haha.

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In full disclosure -- this is NOT a paid blog post. I am blogging about my own experiences and spending my own money. I am not medically-trained, not a doctor or physician, and this blog/website and my social media accounts are not meant to diagnose or treat any disease.

I used my own money to purchase products mentioned above. Those products have affiliate links so I can earn if you follow/purchase from those links. I purchased all but the Sage Aura Spray from Amazon; that I purchased locally from Sprouts grocery store.

If you like my work, you can support it by making a purchase in the Destiny Architecture store, sharing this blog with others, booking a life coaching and/or Reiki session, joining my Patreon, or making an in-kind donation to my excessive dental care and personal care through Square at: $coachheather.

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