Ginger Garrett

Wondering when the next book will release? Here’s a quick peek:

Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther    Time to pre-order! http://www.amazon.com/Chosen-Diaries-Queen-Esther-Loves/dp/1434768015/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_5 

Chosen releases on March 1, although in my experience, books do ship early. This is the title that has been offered for sale for up to $90 as a used copy. The new editions will have a gorgeous cover and you’ll be able to order as many as you like. (Until we burn through that first printing, and then we’ll be back to waiting.)

In The Eyes of Eternity. The last book in the Chronicles of the Scribe series is finished! I start edits with the publisher’s editor soon. Look for the book to release near Christmas of this year. I’m taking you all back to Germany in the 1500’s for the witch hunts. Get ready!

Dark Hour sequel: Yep, everyone asks me about this. I get emails constantly about the fate of the Serpent Moon trilogy I began with NavPress. As you may know, NavPress wanted to move away from fiction and I did not finish the series. However, I am back to work on it starting next month! The release dates will begin after Christmas of this year. I’ll update this site with a firm date when I have it. Should be fun!

And one more addition to the schedule: if you loved Beauty Secrets of the Bible, plan to pick up a copy of the new devotional I am writing for Harvest House. We’re still fine-tuning the title, but it will be based on the same theme. The devotional will be available for purchase just after Christmas.

January is almost over. I was shocked at how fast 2009 flew by, and I have a feeling 2010 will be just as busy for all of us. Soak in the sun when it shines, rest while it rains, and dance when no one is watching!

This week on Atlanta’s favorite morning radio program, Kevin & Taylor In The Morning, I’m sharing some insider secrets from the beauty industry tthat will save all you recessionistas some big money. Here are my notes from the interview, and don’t forget to join me this Sunday at Atlanta’s premier consumer lifestyle expo, The Passion Drive Life show. For more info and tix, visit www.passiondrivenlife.com 

I’ll be there Sunday at 3pm and my live shows are filled with laughter, encouragement, and information you can’t get anywhere else. You’ll walk away from the Passion Driven Life event feeling refreshed and energized, ready to rediscover what you’re truly passionate about.

Secrets from the Salon:Want to stretch the time between salon visits and still keep your hair, nails and skin looking salon-fresh? You can save money and time with a few secrets from the pro’s: 

NAILS

• Always use a base coat formulated to increase adhesion of polish

• Clear top coat can be reapplied every other day and make sure you paint the front edge of your nail, not just the top

• Choose a color with shimmer or tiny glitter speckles: those have the longest adhesion

SKIN

• You can pick a good night cream and skip the eye cream. Eye creams are usually more expensive and you get less anyway.

• Studies aren’t usually done on cosmetics the same way they’re done for drugs, but one study was done of women who used multiple products: eye cream, moisturizing night cream, etc., and these women got the same good results even when they stopped using their eye cream.

• If you want to buy one of the more expensive creams but your budget won’t stretch that far, there is a company called Reviva Labs that uses very high end ingredients and has a very small price tag. You can visit my favorite website, www.iherb.com and type in the company name Reviva, and you’ll see creams that are formulated with many of the same ingredients of pricey department store brands—with a very small price tag. Most of them are under $20.

I don’t have any financial connection to this company or this website, but this is the best deal going for high end skin creams without a high price.  

HAIR

VINEGARVinegar, especially apple cider vinegar, has been a folklore legend for treating everything from heartburn to arthritis.  

Here’s what the science says:

• Studies show it lowers blood sugar and may slow down the rate your stomach empties your last meal. So…it can keep you feeling satisfied longer and keep your blood sugar from spiking after a meal with a lot of carbs.

But here’s the downside: it can be hard on your teeth and on your stomach and it tastes horrible. 

I interviewed Dr. Carol Johnston the scientist who pioneered the studies on vinegar and she told me any vinegar should have the same effect as apple cider vinegar. You can use a flavored vinegar, which tastes better, and get the same results. I’ve been using a blueberry flavored red wine vinegar for a couple of weeks and I’ve noticed what a lot of other people say: a couple of tablespoons in the afternoon does give extra energy and cuts down on the craving for sweets and munchies. 

Want a bit more science?

• In  the Harvard Nurses Study, women who used vinegar and oil dressings several times a week had a significantly lower risk of fatal heart disease

• In separate studies, women who consumed vinegar in the morning ate fewer calories throughout the day and reported feeling less hungry

• Red wine vinegars contain more antioxidants than apple cider vinegars

• Studies have shown that women who consume the most antioxidants will develop fewer wrinkles

But a few words of caution:

• Don’t buy vinegar pills: they don’t contain the active ingredient, acetic acid. You can consider using cinnamon instead, which does the same thing: it lowers blood sugar and may affect the rate at which your stomach will empty out.

• BUT: if you’re diabetic, you must talk to your doctor before you add anything into your regimen that will affect your blood sugar levels.

• If you want to use it, ask your dentist about switching to a toothpaste and mouthwash made to protect enamel.

• And, don’t use vinegar that is labeled as unpasteurized.

The Journal of Applied Physiology announced that one veggie juice can improve athletic performance more than “any other known means, including training.” The juice? Beet root juice. Sounds delicious, doesn’t it? Beet juice is included in V-8, so I’ll ask the company if this is the same as “beet root” juice. Beets are, technically, the root of the plant, right? This news deserves some digging, pardon the pun. I’d love to increase my athletic performance while I sip a cool drink and watch summer reruns.

Details on the study here:

http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Health-condition-categories/Energy-endurance/Beetroot-juice-may-boost-endurance-Study/?utm_source=Newsletter_Product&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BProduct

Also in the news: tumeric is being studied as a food additive for health benefits, green tea may be proven to help bone health, and (this is no surprise) supplements don’t always contain what they promise. Sometimes, they’re loaded with unhealthy, hidden ingredients.

If you take supplements, make sure both your doctor and pharmacist know. Get a recommendation from either as to which brand to choose. With so much money being made in supplements, and so little regulation from the FDA, you can put your health at risk if you don’t make smart choices.

More news later in the week!

The first ever bestselling diet book, Diet and Health With Key to the Calories, by Dr. Lulu Hunt Peters, was published in 1918. For those who didn’t want to lose weight using “sanitized tapeworms” this book offers some real gems. Here are a few of my favorites:

“Thin people have been proved to radiate fifty percent  more heat per pound than fat people”

“Mineral oil will make a fine mayonnaise dressing. It has little or no food value, so the constipated overweight individual may indulge freely.”

“Alcoholic drinks make the fat fatter and the thin thinner.”

“Do not drink much with your meals, unless the drink has food value by the addition of lots of cream or sugar, or both.”

“Every supposed pleasure in sin (eating) will furnish more than its equivalent in of pain (dieting) until belief in material life (chocolate creams) is destroyed.”

“The bitter truth is borne in upon me–no matter how hard I work–no matter how much I exercise, no matter what I suffer, I will always have to watch my weight, I will always have to count my calories.”

Oh, my. My book contains a personal note from the previous owner, who went on a diet in 1936. She began weighing 152 and got down to 147.  (The author claims to be at her fittest and lightest weighing 150.) It’s odd, then, that we hear how thin women of the past were. Sounds like these two women were the same weight as most average American women.

Ah, well. Off to write my own books and answer emails! Have a blessed week!

This week I’ve been on air on the Kevin & Taylor Morning show on 104.7 The Fish in Atlanta talking about the latest in holistic health & beauty from around the world. If you missed the interview or want more details, I’ve included them below. (The info on tumeric is extensive, so it has it’s very own post.  Check the recent posts section for it.)

Plus, scroll down for details on how you can win a supply of Vega Smoothie Infusion. This is a powdered greens supplement that mixes into regular fruit smoothies. It’s the product of choice for triathletes and anyone who wants to look and feel amazing–but doesn’t like the “fresh mowed grass clippings” taste of other greens powders. Trust me on this: Vega Smoothie Infusion is the best smoothie powder I’ve ever found. I know it helped speed my recovery from tendon surgery this year. And admit it: how often do you eat all your veggies? Think of this as tasty insurance.

Ready? Here we go….

The Secret That Science Can’t Quite Unlock Yet:

Diets tell us to manage our weight by controlling our choices, but science is showing us that that’s only half the equation. Science has begun to show that how we eat is just as important—if not more important—than what foods we actually choose.

Two studies confirm that eating too fast and not paying attention to hunger signals can triple your chances of being obese.

Plus, the fascinating news is that when we pause to really enjoy our food, there is a chemical signal that happens inside our mind and bodies. This signal:

• helps us eat less

• enjoy it more, and

• delays getting hungry again

• got hungrier again faster, and

• had a sense of not being satisfied afterward

So let’s review: eat slow, enjoy your meal and you’ll eat less, feel more full and avoid a nagging sense of not being satisfied. Eating less also translates into weight loss for many of us…

The Beauty Secret You Must *Think*

I’ve been spending a lot of time hanging out with other women this summer, chatting them up at the pool, at parties, at the beach…and every woman is saying the same thing: summertime is prime season for body blues.

Perfect bodies are everywhere and you can get an eyeful just going to the grocery store. (I come from

How can we get through summer without our body image getting burned?

There are a few thoughts you need to practice believing this summer:

• One, the Bible promuses us that everything about our appearance has been carefully designed in love
• We were each made for such a time as this
• Beauty is not about ourselves and what we need, but about God’s purpose in our lives

Worldly beauty about achieving perfection so we can earn love and acceptance. It’s about getting.

Godly beauty is acknowledging the truth that we are already loved and accepted. We’re here to serve others, to give to them instead of get from them.

We know we’re loved and accepted, but other women don’t. Our role as godly, beautiful women is to use every opportunity, whether it’s through our appearance, our speech, or our behavior to communicate love and acceptance to other women.

Remember the words of King Solomon, from Proverbs 14:1:
The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.

And now for the Vega: Sign up for my monthly newsletter (which I admit, I frequently miss sending out!) and I’ll draw two names this week out of the new registrants. Each will win a supply of Vega.

      An ancient beauty remedy from the Far East is making big news this month in a new study published in Phytomedicine magazine, as conducted by the Department of Functional Biomedicine at Ehime University in Japan. 

      Related to ginger, turmeric is what gives mustard its golden color and makes curries so tangy-tart. But turmeric is really an ancient beauty secret from the

      Turmeric has tradionally been used as a skin treatment and for digestive ailments. Now, turmeric is being studied with greater urgency as science has continually found that turmeric is a powerful and promising herb. Studies are focusing on turmeric’s ability to reduce inflammation (a key factor in many disease processes) as well as its seeming ability to selectively kill cancer cells and even prevent skin wrinkles from forming.

      Turmeric caught my eye this month when a new study broke showing turmeric prevented wrinkles in a study, and reduced skin damage from UVB rays. With the economy in the toilet, women aren’t spending as much on expensive wrinkle creams, and turmeric may give us another reason not to. The cheapest way to get rid of a wrinkle is to prevent one. Plus, turmeric may offer other incredible benefits to our health. It’s inexpensive, regarded as safe when taken in moderation, and easy to find.

Today most often it is sold as a supplement—it’s just the spice put inside little gelatin capsules. I buy mine at Wal-Mart.

 
Turmeric highlights:

• Some people with eczema recommend breaking open the capsules, emptying the powder and mixing it with a little something like olive oil to create a paste, then rubbing it on over the affected areas

• Studies also show it can lower inflammation, which for some people means may bring relief from pain of arthritis

• Turmeric  may help prevent wrinkles from forming and protect skin from UVB rays

• Powerful anti-inflammatory; a true ancient beauty secret

• Turmeric may help lower blood sugar—so if you have diabetes and are on medication, check with your doctor before using it. It might prove to be a great asset but you don’t want to interfere with other treatments and meds.

      Remember: More studies are needed to determine why it works, how it works, and how much is safe. If you’re interested in adding turmeric to your beauty & health regimen, check with your doctor and be sure to let your pharmacist know you’re taking it before getting any prescriptions filled. The more information your health professionals have about your lifestyle, the better they can care for you.

.

Find out more here:

General overview:

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/turmeric-000277.htm

New cancer study on turmeric:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19590964?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

Turmeric and skin health:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19577913?ordinalpos=4&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

 If you’re local to Atlanta, be sure to listen to Kevin & Taylor in the mornings on 104.7 The Fish. I’ll be a guest sometime this week and may start popping up more often, bringing you the secrets to real beauty and lasting health.

With summer in swing, a lot of us are looking for a way to boost energy and mood…minus the price tag of Starbucks or the side effects of drugs.

Recent studies confirm that adding two foods into your diet may do just that: powdered greens and maca root. Powdered green foods supplements include my favorite, Vega Smoothie Infusion, which is a blend of organic green foods such as kale and spinach. It tastes much better than other greens powders and mixes well in juice. It’s rich in vitamins, minerals and iron, and antioxidants. If you’re not getting your veggies every day, this is one way to fill the gap. As an added bonus, studies show that women who consume the most antixodants are also the women who stay younger looking than their peers. Preventing wrinkles isn’t just about remembering your sunscreen: it matters what you eat, too.

The second superfood, Maca  root, comes from Peru and is available as a pill or powder. Studies confirm that it appears to boost energy, well being, and reduce anxiety and depression, particularly in older women. Brendan Brazier, professional triathlete, swears by it for post workout recovery. You can buy both at

http://sequelnaturals.com 

If you try either, let me know how you like them. I am currently using both products while I keep up a crazy writing schedule over the summer. In addition to wrapping up the Scribe series, I am prepping Chosen for re-release, and writing a new teen romance. With three kids at home and four books in the works, you can see why I need the extra energy!

Enjoy the summer sun,

Ginger

Beauty is a feeling. We buy products to feel it. We dress to feel it. And the number one reason we don’t feel it is not because we bought the wrong thing or wore the wrong dress. It’s because we think the wrong thoughts.

When we see another woman, our first response is usually to compare ourselves to her.  We judge ourselves by her appearance. Often, we’re on the losing end of the equation. She might have better hair, longer legs, whiter teeth, or a thinner body. And we silently berate ourselves for falling short, again.

The danger in comparing ourselves to other women is a physical danger, not just an emotional hazard. If we do not have deep connections with other women, if we are not able to be authentic and resist the urge to compare, we’ll shorten our life span. As my friend Shelley Hendrix says, we become competitors instead of companions.

But if we ca live as companions, if we can stop comparing ourselves to our sisters, there are unexpected rewards. Harvard’s Nurses study proved that women with deep friendships with other women cut their risk of death from all causes over a nine year period by over fifty percent.

God designed women to need other women. Without each other, we wither. Without each other, we die too young. Staying connected literally feeds our cells and our spirits. So learning to break the comparison habit will not only make you feel beautiful, it can alter the course of your life. It can alter the course of the world.

The next time you see another woman, do not let yourself think, “Look what she has that I don’t!”

Instead, say to yourself, “What does she need that I have?”

Practice the art of lovingkindness to other women, even the women who seem to have gotten everything you need and want. Live in peace by letting go of comparisons. A woman at peace with herself, at peace with other women, is a powerful woman. She has a beauty that cannot be bought, a beauty that transcends appearances, a beauty that feeds her spirit, her friendships, and her future.

May you be that woman!

I’ve spent time over the holidays recharging my creative batteries and thinking about how I can use this blog to serve you, my readers. Any comments you may have, please email them to me!

I just turned in book two of the Chronicles of the Scribe series, and in this book I take you into the world of medieval healers. Surprisingly, many of the medieval healing secrets are quite effective even today. I’ll be posting some of these, but I wanted to share this one with you today:

If you suffer with digestive disorders or discomfort, try making a tea out of fennel seeds. You can crush them or add them whole using a metal tea strainer. I add mine into my usual green tea-pear flavor. Fennel has a sweet licorice smell.

Once used to freshen breath, it was also an official drug here in the US used to treat disgestive disorders. It acts as a gentle anti-spasmodic, which “quiets” down the digestive system and relieves bloat.

I’ll be working on trying some fennel teas available at the store, and writing a longer report for CALLED magazine.

Happy New Year!

Now that summer is over, and we’re off the beach and back indoors, women all over the country will start getting glycolic acid peels from their dermatologists.  Glycolic acid is naturally derived sugar acid. When applied to the skin, it dissolves the top layer of skin cells, causing a mild burn. As the skin regenerates, tiny wrinkles become less noticeable and new collagen is formed. Your pores will look smaller, and your face will have a baby-fresh glow. It’s a natural, safe alternative to more invasive treatments.

At your doctor, glycolic acid peels can cost around $250 or more each, and several are required. Usually a package of peels, done over a series of weeks, will run you around $1,500 or more.

But thanks to companies like AB Skincare, you can now purchase glycolic acid to use at home. These home treatments are less intense than a doctor-office peel, but they deliver great results when used consistently. You can find AB skincare at the link below, and you can find other brands at any beauty supply store near you.

But here are a few insider tips that you need to know before starting:

1. Don’t do a peel before heading outdoors for a long time. New skin is vunerable to sun damage. You’ve got to wear sunscreen, and a good mineral makeup for extra protection.

2. DO NOT use a glycolic acid peel if you have a cold sore. A doctor from Dr. 90210 shared this tip with me. The cold sore virus can spread all over your face when the skin is raw and vunerable. He says it is a real nightmare, so don’t try it. Get the sore healed completely first.

3. If using a full-strength peel, you must use a neutralizing solution afterwards. Glycolic acid will remain active until it is neutralized, and you can get a stronger, harsher burn if you don’t neutralize it properly.

4. Take it in stages. You will notice a healthier complexion right away, but the real results will build up over time. Give yourself time to see how your skin reacts over the next 3-5 days before using another peel.

5. Glycolic acid is best for fighting the signs of premature aging, and reversing sun damage. If acne is a problem, you may want to consider using salicylic acid instead, or a peel that has both combined. Salicylic acid is better at getting down into the pores and clearing them out.

AB Skincare can be found at:

WWW.ABSKINCARE.COM