Ginger Garrett

Some scientists believe obesity can be linked, in part, to the rise in chemicals in our environment. Many chemicals are endocrine disruptors, which means they interupt our body’s natural hormones and cycles. In the onslaught of so many chemical messengers hijacting our natural systems, obesity could theoretically be a side effect.

In Beauty Secrets of the Bible, I highlight just a few chemicals we smear on ourselves every day, with suspected links to cancer, birth defects, and other ailments. And in addition to the approximately 10,000 ingredients used in beauty products, we are exposed to thousands of chemicals in the environment as well. 

Scientists are only now beginning to understand the link between our toxic lifestyle and our weight. (Read an in depth study here: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/02/obesity_environment.html)

But did you know there is a safe, gorgeous, healthy way to combat chemicals in our environment? NASA knows all about it. They studied it and came to the conclusion that it really works. Now, more medical studies have confirmed the findings as well: plants remove toxins from our environment.

Simple, inexpensive, hard-to-kill plants we use for decor are actually hard at work removing serious chemicals like formaldehyde and benzene, pollution and pesticides. They are also known to promote relaxation, and in another study, the presence of plants was shown to increase creativity. 

Try keeping a plant at your bedside, and anywhere in your house or office where you spend time. If you have allergies, buy a small bag of aquarium gravel and layer it on top of the soil all around the base of the plant. This will prevent any allergens on the soil, such as mildew, from splashing up as you water the plant.

Courage is the willingness to feel pain.

A lot of us are trying new things right now: new ways of eating, new exercise routines, new promises and commitments. We need courage to press through the fear and the uncomfortable nature of change.

I’m right there with you: I signed up for my first triathlon. Although I’m a runner, and my best Christmas gift was the new Garmin GPS running watch, I’ve never swam without floaties. I’ve never ridden a bike that didn’t have a basket. So this is totally new and unsettling.

Fear is a major obstacle for many of us. I understand: I’ve had panic attacks and anxiety for years. I have worked hard to understand fear and its role in my life. I still don’t know a lot, perhaps, but this is what I do know: fear is an incomplete revelation.  It is a threat of loss, without any hope of redemption. And that’s just not realistic. Hope, love and redemption are always with us.

Only one thing can conquer fear, and that’s love. Nothing can stand before its power. So if you’re struggling today to press through the fear, how can you bring love into this dark place in your soul?

1. Invite friends to join you. When you desire their company and laughter more than you fear the activity, that’s love at work.

2. Practice receiving. Sit quietly at the end of the day and dwell on all the sights and sounds that reminded you of the great love in the world, and the love surrounding you right then. Let those images and memories soak deeply into your heart. The truth is, sometimes we’re too busy to allow ourselves to be loved. We push away a hug or compliment. We check caller ID and put off a friend who “just wants to talk.” Use your last waking moments to let love back in.

The more you open yourself to love, the more your heart closes to fear. Whatever you’re attempting today that makes you afraid, have the courage to feel the pain, invite others into join you, and soak up the certain knowledge that you are loved just as you are.

This soup is a standard at our house. It’s rich, delicious, and extremely good for you!  The potato adds a thick, velvety texture to the soup, making it taste like it’s loaded with calories. (Don’t stress about eating a white potato. There’s only one in there, and the carbs are well balanced by the big portion of broccoli .)

Here’s how you do it:

1. Microwave one large white potato until done. Let cool.

2. Peel and smash, add into a soup pot with 2 cans chicken broth.

3. Add in one 10-ounce package broccoli florets, thawed.  Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. (When I’m feeling wild, I use two packages of broccoli!)

4. Puree soup. (Use a hand blender, or pour into small batches into a large blender.)

5. Stir in 1 cup fat free half and half, plus 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg.

6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve!

(I like to serve with cheese on top, and a little bacon if I have it handy.)

I haven’t updated my news much at all this week. I’ve been knee deep in edits for the next novel. I had a dream one night that I was weeping for joy when it was done, and my husband heard me say, “It’s finished!”

Next week I’ll get back to my usual schedule of info, inspiration and reader emails. Have a great weekend!

In Beauty Secrets of the Bible, I talk about the disturbing connection between the chemicals in our beauty products and health risks. Although I interviewed the country’s leading dermatologists, scientists, and organic chemists for this book, I tread lightly on the topic because so much more research needs to be done before we can draw hard conclusions.

Yet today, in the British newspaper, The Daily Mail, there is a fascinating article about this very subject, and the mystery as to why bustlines seem to be increasing through the decades. Read the article here:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=509323&in_page_id=1879

Some of you may remember that here in the US, there was a case in the news recently about two young boys who developed prominent breasts, and doctors believed the condition was caused by a haircare line they were both using. The boys discontinued use of the products, and the condition resolved. 

So while more research needs to be done, we can all take a common sense approach to our beauty and our health. Go natural whenever possible. Buy products that make you feel good about yourself just as you are, not products that bully you to buy            by using shame and fear about your natural curves and wrinkles. Read labels. Ask questions. And cherish yourself just as you are. When you do, it gives other women the courage to accept themselves, too.

We can make a lasting difference in the world when we have the courage to love in the absence of perfection.

Why do we pick each other apart, especially about our appearance and weight? I’ve been musing on this a lot, since I was asked to address the issue of bullying among girls.
I think we can be ugly to each other, at any age, because we’re doing Girl Math. Girl Math is always subtraction. If another girl has something we want, we feel threatened, as if the goodies came out of our account. For example, when I was struggling with infertility, I hated the sight of pregnant women. I felt such intense envy and anger towards them! Finally, one day I had an epiphany. “She didn’t get pregnant using my eggs,” I realized. “So, even though she’s pregnant, it has absolutely no effect on my own chances of concieving this month.”

We all have this fear that someone else’s blessing is our loss. If someone else has a lot of money, there must be less for us. If someone else has a perfect body, ours is less so. If someone else is popular, and loved, we’re not.

The truth is, blessings should remind us of what is possible. We should get excited when we see another person succeed. God has an infinite supply of blessings. Someone else’s success won’t ever limit what God can, and will, do for us. Another person’s success reminds us to dream bigger.

When I began using this New Math, I realized another woman’s reality was my possibility. If she could get pregnant, I could, too. If she has an amazing body, even after three kids, then I can, too. If she got rich, I can, too. Other people’s success is a invitation to me now, not a threatening loss. I find myself gravitating towards the people I want to become more like, and we’re forming friendships that motivate, encourage, and enliven the world. 

Last summer, I couldn’t run three straight miles without stopping. I knew a superfit athlete with an amazing body. I wanted to be more like her. So, I was nice to her. I didn’t retreat into ugliness and resentment. I asked her to run with me once a week. Now, we’re dear friends. More women run with us. We invite new women every week. We ran a 10k race without stopping, and we’re doing a triathlon together soon. My desire, and her blessing, came together to create something new and wonderful in the world. We succeeded in using this New Math to make an addition into our accounts.

It’s Friday, so I’m doing reader emails! 

1. One reader wrote:  “I made {the} goats milk and oatmeal face scrub last week and I have been using it for a few days. You’re right….so creamy and so nice. It smells so good and it works really well. I even took a bath and put some it. I felt like a queen. My skin was so nice and smooth.”

That’s great! Especially in winter, when our skin is so dry, this scrub works wonders. You can find the recipe from the book on my downloads page. Check the Top Ten Secrets download.

2. Another reader asked, “Is it true there is lead contamination in mineral makeup?”

It seems there’s lead everywhere these days, right? Well, don’t worry about your mineral makeup just yet. The ingredient in question is bismuth, and while it is a byproduct of heavy metal refining, it’s not toxic. However, it does give a shiny look to mineral makeups, and a heavier feel to them, requiring a heavier hand in application…so many women don’t like it. Some women feel it irritates acne, too.

You can find brands that don’t contain bismuth: just check the label. One brand I use that always gives impeccable coverage without bismuth is Jane Iredale.  I finish it off with the creme blush from Suki Color, and my skin looks radiant but not overly made up.

What’s better than a rich bowl of tomato soup with a hint of summery basil and a sprinkle of cracked pepper? (Served with a toasted whole grain baguette and melted cheddar cheese, of course.)

This soup is unbelievably good for you, packed with healthy tomatoes, and low fat. However, it tastes like you spent all day on it, and it’s even better the next day.

Tomato Basil Soup

One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup fat free half-and-half

2 tablespoons basil paste*

4 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Puree tomatoes in food proccessor, and then place in cooking pot. Add all ingredients and heat until hot and butter has melted into soup.

Enjoy!

*Basil paste is sold in the produce aisle. Look for tubes of spices near the fresh spices. These tubes taste wonderful and last forever–a real money saver.

I’m training for my first triathlon. Ouch! Everything hurts, from my hamstrings to my ego. (Last night a group of schoolboys swam past me in rapid bursts, pausing only long enough to watch me gasp for air while clutching the side of the pool.)

So I am looking for the best, all natural, safest ways to help me body burn fat and build muscle. Two surprising studies were worth sharing with you:

In the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, scientists found that athletes who drank milk as a post-workout beverage burned TWICE as much fat as athletes who drank water, sports beverages, or other drinks. I’ve heard for a long time that chocolate milk is the best sports drink on the market, and I’ve been drinking it after my long weekend runs.

That’s a big shift for me, as in the past, I believed that if I didn’t eat after a workout, I burned more fat. That’s simply not true. Now I drink chocolate milk, and found that my muscles recover faster, leading to more workouts, and more fat burning. You can read more about the study here:

http://biosingularity.wordpress.com/2007/08/09/to-gain-muscle-and-lose-fat-drink-milk-study/

The second study which has proven invaluable to me regards interval training. That is, alternating a high-intensity burst of exercise with a lower-intensity one. It can be as simple as walking as fast as you can for 1 minute out of every 5. When you incorporate interval training, you can burn up to NINE times as much fat. (Study from American Fitness, July/August 1997: “Interval Training: Alternating Periods of High and Low Intenstity Exercise for Maximum Benefit”)

Another surprising benefit of interval training: if you suffer from anxiety you may find that high intensity training relieves anxiety better than a moderate workout. You can read more here: http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/news/20030716/high-intensity-exercise-best-for-anxiety

Have a beautiful day!

Ginger

I’ve had a lot of fun in interviews talking about how the ancient women painted their eyes and why. Minerals were often used, and several cultures used kohl, although their methods to create kohl were different.

This weekend, while doing some research, I ran across an actual recipe the ancient Egyptians used for making their kohl:

“Remove the inside of a lemon, fill it up with plumago and burnt copper. Place it on the fire until it becomes carbonized. Then pound it on a mortar with coral, sandalwood, pearls, ambrigris, the wing of a bat, and part of the body of a chameleon which has been previously burnt to a cinder and moistened with rose water while hot.”

(From Perfume, by William Kaufman, E.P. Dutton, 1975)

I guess even the sophisticated Egyptians were prone to believing in magical ingredients that promised greater beauty. (I can’t help but think of the women who fretted because they couldn’t afford roasted chameleon!)

But you–you know better, don’t you? The only beauty “magic” is a heart at peace. It softens even the toughest wrinkles and puts a twinkle in our eyes.

I’m wishing you peace today!