Author: books

How to Meal Plan: 5 Tips

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When I was cooking for two young, busy kids, I was the Master of the Master Plan, drawing up a list of dinners we’d make that week along with a shopping list of ingredients, then hitting the supermarket on Sunday so I’d be ready to go when Monday night came at me fast and furious. These days, with only two people at the table, both of whom have predictable schedules and appetites, we still shop for the week with meals in mind, but we can wing it a little more — we can make tofu at the last minute even if the original plan was to have chicken! Still, if the goal is to have a moment of reprieve at the end of every day, a moment to sit down to dinner in an intentional way, there are some basic strategies to help make that happen.

1. Keep the Rotation Tight If That’s Where You Are Right Now

First and most important: If you’d currently use term “whack-a-mole” to describe the way dinner gets decided in your house, just a reminder that it’s okay to plan on the same tight rotation of recipes week after week because they are easy and (crucial) because you know everyone will eat. Don’t waste energy on feeling like you have to be creative or innovative. Maybe that means eight straight Mondays of Bianca’s empanadas or broccoli quesadillas? Maybe every Tuesday it’s a store-bought rotisserie chicken or Annie’s Mac & Cheese! Only you know that one meal that everyone on your house eats and that you can pull together when your battery is running low. In summation: If they like it, if they eat it, it’s good. Later, when you are an empty nester missing the chaos, you can go ahead and experiment with one of those dozens of Kenji YouTube recipes you’ve bookmarked.

2. Pick the Right Recipes for the Right Days

Monday meals in my house are almost always in the category of Extra Simple. I learned pretty quickly that the key for making it through the week is to mentally pace myself. It does me no good to spend time and energy on some multi-pot casserole if it’s just going to remind me how much I dread the clean-up (and, more to the point, begging the kids to help with the clean-up). Likewise, at the other end of the week, I think of Thursday almost always as a Use it or Lose it Night, something that takes advantage of the odds and ends of a vegetable crisper or pantry — Vegetable Fried Rice, Frittatas, Chopped Salads.

3. Have a Well-Stocked Pantry

There’s a reason every cookbook has an opening section dedicated to staples and pantry ingredients to always have on hand. If you have a decent supply of oils (olive, vegetable, sesame), vinegars (red wine, rice, white wine, distilled), condiments (ketchup, mayonnaise, pickled things, Sriracha, hoisin, whole grain and Dijon mustards, tamarind sauce), and legumes and grains (brown and basmati rice, lentils, white, black, and pinto beans), meal planning gets a lot easier. Nothing will get you to throw your dinner-making hands up faster than having to stop everything and run to the store to pick up a jar of smoked paprika.

4. Be Your Own Sous Chef

I used to take a half hour on the weekend to make just one meal for the freezer: a batch of chili, veggie burgers, brothy beans. I called this Sunday Sous Cheffing, and it was so satisfying knowing that a dinner was already done for the week, I just had to pick the night I needed it the most. If it’s too hard to swing a complete meal, you can start simple with a salad dressing. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: If dressing is the only homemade moment on the dinner plate, dinner’s going to be a success.

5. Think General Vehicle, Not Specific Recipe

Before I was a Weekday Vegetarian, I’d build most of my dinners around an animal protein, and the formula was simple and traditional: meat + starch + vegetable. These days, I strategize dinner ideas mostly by vehicle. As in: I’m in the mood for a big salad tonight or I’m in the mood for tacos. Almost everything I make when I’m busy is in the form of a pizza, a grain bowl, a taco, pasta, salad or soup — all vehicles for dishes I know my family will like and that I can make without referring to a recipe. So, that’s where I start: Not “What should I have for dinner,” but “What kind of dinner am I in the mood for?” It’s subtle but game-changing.

P.S. A five-ingredient chicken dinner and secrets to stress-free family dinners.

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Was Your Heart Pill Approved on Fake Medical ‘Research’?

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Xarelto (rivaroxaban) is a blockbuster blood thinning medication that’s been prescribed more than 80 million times in the U.S. alone.¹ But the drug, which is manufactured by the Janssen Pharmaceuticals division of Johnson & Johnson, may have been approved based on manipulated data.

The research in question was published by researchers with Temple University in Philadelphia. In August 2022, The Journal of American College of Cardiology (JACC) retracted a paper² that concluded Xarelto “could have a healing effect on hearts.”³

In addition to the retracted research study, the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology and the Journal of Biological Chemistry are investigating five more papers by the Temple University team.⁴

The U.S. Office of Research Integrity (ORI), which oversees research integrity activities on behalf of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, including oversight of research misconduct inquiries and investigations,⁵ also requested in September 2020 that Temple University investigate the research.

As a result, Temple University is also looking into 15 papers published from 2008 to 2020, which received grant money from the U.S. National Institutes of Health.⁶

Is Fraudulent Data Behind Blockbuster Heart Drug Xarelto?

The JACC Journals Ethics Board voted to retract the Temple University study after a reader raised concerns about several Western blot images that were used. Western blotting is a technique used to detect the presence of a protein extracted from cells or tissue.⁷

The editorial board requested a response from the researchers, and they sent original images as a replacement. Initially, the journal published a correction in September 2020, but according to JACC:⁸

“The correction raised further concerns about the image data. After an external evaluation, the decision to retract the paper is based on concerns regarding the splicing and/or duplication of Western blot images … None of the apparent splices were indicated in the arrangement of the figures.”

The retraction, however, is only the beginning. Of the 15 Xarelto papers being investigated by Temple University, nine were supervised by Abdel Karim Sabri, a professor at the university’s Cardiovascular Research Center. Sabri’s colleagues, Steven Houser, a former president of the American Heart Association and senior associate dean of research at Temple, is an author of five of these studies, along with another four studies being investigated.

In 2021, Houser filed a lawsuit to stop Temple University’s inquiry and denied falsifying data or engaging in scientific misconduct. According to Reuters, Houser believes “Temple sought to discredit him and steal his discoveries.”⁹

A Temple spokesperson told Reuters that it’s still reviewing the allegations. However, the lack of standardization in misconduct reviews is glaring. Even though the research is subject to fraud investigations, Janssen Pharmaceuticals was reportedly unaware of the inquiries or the study retraction by the JACC.

Meanwhile, the journals that have published the research studies being reviewed for misconduct have not published any “expressions of concern,” which inform readers that there may be reason to doubt the results. Further, five of the studies have been published in American Heart Association (AHA) journals where Houser acts as a senior advisory editor. Reuters reported:¹⁰

“The AHA said it had not been notified by the U.S. agency or by Temple about their inquiry, and that it does not view itself as responsible for investigating further. The AHA said it had issued a correction of data on one paper at the authors’ request. The paper was the sole study under scrutiny that listed Houser as supervising researcher.”

NIH Funding Potentially Fraudulent Research

An analysis of NIH grants by Reuters revealed that Houser received close to $40 million in NIH funding while Sabri received nearly $10 million.¹¹ A separate Reuters investigation revealed in June 2022 that NIH spent at least $588 million on research into whether heart stem cells could regenerate human hearts.

In 2013, the government became aware of misconduct in the field; a leading researcher, Dr. Piero Anversa, was accused — and later found guilty — of fabrication of data and “deliberately misleading record-keeping.”¹² According to Reuters:¹³

“Yet federal money has continued to flow to test the proposition advanced by Anversa — that adult stem cells can regenerate or heal hearts. Over two decades, federal and private grants have streamed into research labs despite allegations of fraud and fabrication against Anversa and others in the field, Reuters found.

Meanwhile, no scientist has credibly established that Anversa’s regeneration hypothesis holds true in humans, according to researchers and a review of medical literature.

Since 2001, the U.S. National Institutes of Health spent at least $588 million on such heart research, Reuters found in an analysis of government data. More than $249 million, about 43% of the total, has been awarded since March 2013. By that time, the federal government had been informed of the fabrication allegations against Anversa, according to documents and interviews with sources familiar with the matter.”

Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, where Anversa’s lab was located, agreed to pay back $10 million to NIH, which is only about one-fourth of what the lab received for Anversa’s heart stem cell research.¹⁴ It’s unknown whether Temple will be required to return federal funding for the research retracted by the JACC.

Deadly Bleeding Episodes Lead to $775 Million Settlement

Xarelto is taken to thin the blood to prevent blood clots and strokes. However, it can trigger deadly bleeding, an adverse effect that consumers weren’t adequately warned about. The episodes were serious and common enough that, in 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Andexxa to act as an antidote to stop bleeding caused by Xarelto.¹⁵

About 25,000 lawsuits were filed against Johnson & Johnson and Bayer, which jointly sell Xarelto, claiming that the companies failed to warn patients about the drug’s potentially fatal bleeding risks. Although they did not admit liability, the companies agreed to pay $775 million to settle the lawsuits in 2019.

Further, in 2016, a blood testing device was recalled that was used in Xarelto’s ROCKET-AF clinical trial, which provided “the primary data to support the 2011 approval” of the drug. The device, which was later found to be faulty and capable of generating inaccurate results, was used in the Xarelto trial to monitor warfarin therapy in the control group.¹⁶

Although the FDA concluded that the trial results were not affected by the faulty monitoring device, the lawyers for the plaintiffs in the Xarelto lawsuits questioned whether the study’s results were skewed.¹⁷

Xarelto Linked to Greater Bleeding Risks

If you’re taking Xarelto, you should know that a nationwide population-based cohort study published in 2021 found that, compared to other direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), Xarelto was associated with higher rates of gastrointestinal bleeding.¹⁸

Specifically, compared to Eliquis (apixaban), manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb, Xarelto was 46% more likely to cause gastrointestinal bleeding. According to lead study author Dr. Arnar B. Ingason with the University of Iceland, Reykjavik:¹⁹

“We had this theory that rivaroxaban would have potentially higher risks of GI bleeding because it’s given as a once-daily dose, compared to the other two drugs, which are given twice daily. Theoretically, this should cause greater variance in drug plasma concentration, making these patients more susceptible to bleeding.”

A 2016 study found similar results, noting, “In a population-based study of patients receiving DOAC agents, we found apixaban had the most favorable GI safety profile and rivaroxaban [Xarelto] the least favorable profile.”²⁰

Dr. Neena S. Abraham, who led the 2016 study, told TCTMD, “I don’t think further investigation is needed on this topic. The data from the last four years overwhelmingly show that rivaroxaban is most likely to cause gastrointestinal bleeding. This finding is consistent among all age groups.”²¹

Natural Strategies for Blood Clot Prevention

Blood clotting has been described as the basic underlying pathological process that causes all heart disease. In almost everyone, the process of endothelial damage and blood clotting is an ongoing process, which means that problems only occur when the damage/blood clotting process occurs faster than the repair process, at which point you will end up with plaque buildup.

This thickens the arterial wall, forcing blood flow through a narrower gap. When a large blood clot forms on top of an existing plaque in this already narrowed area, you can end up with a heart attack or stroke.

In my interview with Dr. Malcolm Kendrick, a board-certified family physician and author of the book, “The Clot Thickens: The Enduring Mystery of Heart Disease,” he details solid strategies for lowering your thrombotic risk. Here’s a short-list of examples covered in far greater depth in the book, as well as some of my own recommendations that I bring up in the interview:

Avoid unnecessary use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, aspirin and naproxen — While they effectively inhibit inflammation, they can cause platelet aggregation by blocking COX-2. In other words, they activate your blood clotting system, making blood clots more likely.

Get plenty of sensible sun exposure — Sun exposure triggers NO that helps dilate your blood vessels, lowering your blood pressure. NO also protects your endothelium, and increases mitochondrial melatonin to improve cellular energy production.

Avoid seed oils and processed foods — Seed oils are a primary source of the omega-6 fat called linoleic acid (LA), which I believe may be far more harmful than sugar. Excessive intake is associated with most all chronic diseases, including high blood pressure, obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes.

LA gets embedded in your cell membranes, causing oxidative stress, and can remain there for up to seven years. Oxidative linoleic acid metabolites (OXLAMs) are what’s causing the primary damage, including endothelial damage.

Lower your insulin and blood sugar levels — Simple strategies to accomplish this include time-restricted eating, eating a diet high in healthy fats and low in refined carbohydrates, significantly restricting your LA intake and getting regular exercise.

Address chronic stress, which raises both blood sugar and blood pressure, promotes blood clotting and impairs your repair systems. Cortisol, a key stress hormone, reduces endothelial cell production.

Quit smoking.

Natural Alternatives to Blood Thinners

Xarelto, in particular, is often prescribed for people with certain types of atrial fibrillation (AFib). AFib is an abnormal, often rapid, heart rhythm that occurs when the atria, your heart’s upper chambers, beat out of sync with the ventricles, the heart’s lower chambers. It’s a common symptom in those with heart failure or heart disease but can also occur on its own.

Oxidative stress and increased ROS can play a role in the development of AFib. Conversely, scavenging of ROS and a reduction in oxidative stress have been shown to be an essential part of keeping the heart functioning normally.²² Toward this end, CoQ10 has been found to help improve AFib.²³ For older adults, ubiquinol, the reduced version of CoQ10, is more readily absorbed.

Another option for those looking to avoid Xarelto’s risks — as we await the findings of the broadening inquiries into potential research misconduct — is lumbrokinase, a complex fibrinolytic enzyme extracted from earthworms. As noted in the Institute for Progressive Medicine, this represents a potentially safer option for thinning your blood naturally:²⁴

“Generally, we are better off with blood that clots less easily … Individuals at high risk of forming clots, such as those with atrial fibrillation, are often treated with blood thinners like aspirin or stronger agents like Coumadin … All of these agents, however, present a significant risk of bleeding, and may themselves cause brain hemorrhage, urinary or gastrointestinal bleeding.

Lumbrokinase … reduces coagulation by lowering blood viscosity, lowering the activity of clotting factors including fibrinogen, and degrading fibrin, a critical factor in clot formation. It has a stronger effect on reducing blood viscosity than other enzyme preparations.”

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Watch Daniel Ryjov Demolish a 315-Pound Bench Press for 55 Reps

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Months removed from an unfortunate tear of his left triceps tendon in May 2022, Daniel Ryjov is back to doing what he best — notching impressive feats of upper-body strength.

On Oct. 10, 2022, Ryjov uploaded an Instagram video of himself completing a 143-kilogram (315-pound) bench press for an astonishing 55 reps during a training session. While unconfirmed, Ryjov implies the feat might be a potential reps World Record for the weight on his loaded barbell. The athlete performed softer lockouts of the majority of reps and wore a lifting belt, wrist wraps, and elbow wraps, which might have been a continued precaution for his injury.

Ryjov’s incredible comeback from his triceps injury aside, his jaw-dropping bench press AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible) display might be even more impressive when put into proper juxtaposed context.

For example, the National Football League (NFL) Scouting Combine record for the bench press is 51 reps from Justin Ernest. However, the weight for that record is 102 kilograms (225 pounds). Ryjov not only logged four more reps than Ernest, he did it with 40.8 kilograms (90 pounds) more on his barbell. Similarly, professional strongmen Brian Shaw and Robert Oberst tried their hands at the NFL Combine record for 225 pounds in July 2020. Shaw captured 44 reps, while Oberst had 42. Similarly, Ryjov has bested both of the elite athletes’ figures while pressing more weight.

This isn’t the first recent instance where Ryjov showed his upper-body strength and power were returning.

One week prior to this recent record, in early October 2022, the athlete scored 100 reps of a 225-pound bench press for a self-proclaimed World Record. (Note: It is unclear whose World Record he passed, though Larry Wheels did bench press 225 pounds for 70 reps in 2018).

In addition, he became the first known person to complete at least 100 reps of a 225-pound bench press. This stunning display followed Ryjov logging 90 reps with 225 pounds in mid-August 2022, where it seemed he was still focusing primarily on recovery from his injury rather than pushing himself to the limit.

Judging by his social media and the accomplishments he shares, it appears Ryjov has been exclusively focusing on augmenting his bench press for a little while. The athlete does have two powerlifting competitions to his name — earning first place at the 2016 Revolution Powerlifting Syndicate (RPS) InsurreXtion V and a first-place performance at the 2017 United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) SMG’s March Mayhem — but has not competed on a sanctioned lifting platform since.

At the time of this writing, Ryjov hasn’t hinted at the next bench-press barrier he’ll try to break through. Though, if he’s returning to a place of total health, Ryjov could indeed be a pioneer with another milestone soon enough.

Featured image: @danielryjov on Instagram

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What Is Cuffing Season?

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Winter is coming. Do you know what that means? Cuffing season is upon us. And if you happen to follow #cuffingseason, you’ll learn that September is “Drafting” and October is the “Tryout” phase.

It has nothing to do with sports. It’s all about dating during this time of year.

“Cuffing season is the search for someone to shack up with or exclusively date during the holidays and colder winter months,” says Samantha Burns, a psychotherapist and dating coach and author of Done with Dating: 7 Steps to Finding Your Person. “It’s a time when casual dating shifts to more exclusive, committed dating. It’s about enjoying the warmth of a cuddle buddy instead of venturing out into the cold to meet up with potential dating duds,” she says.

There isn’t hard scientific data on the dating trend, some outlets have attempted to quantify it. In one survey by the dating app Coffee Meets Bagel, about half of singles surveyed said they think more about dating during cuffing season, and 4 in 10 say they’re more likely to use dating apps during this time. One-fifth of survey respondents said they’d date someone in the winter to avoid being lonely, according to data analytics firm YouGov. (This survey focused on cuffing being a conscious short-term fling, but of course these relationships can last longer.)

While the term might sound lighthearted and fun, the drive to get cuffed is based on a deep, natural human need, says psychologist Lisa Marie Bobby, PhD, host of the Love, Happiness & Success podcast. “In the summer, people are flittering around like dragonflies. In the winter, at least in the Northern hemisphere, it’s cold and dark, and it can feel very lonely,” she says. “There’s this evolutionary pull to connect with other humans, which is often subconscious.”

Not to mention, no matter where you live, the holidays – with all their family events and parties – are looming. Simply seeing the decorations out in stores can prime you to seek connection, Bobby says. That’s especially true if you want to be able to shut down your always-critical aunt at the Thanksgiving table. (Yes! I have found someone!) And if one of your goals this year was to find a partner, now you’re on a deadline – and that might make you even more enthusiastic to get out there.

No matter what your motivation, it’s valid and useful. “Finding the right person requires a lot of energy and effort,” Bobby says. Cuffing season can give you that extra push you need.

How Long Can Cuffing Last?

Cuffing, while it may be seasonally motivated, isn’t always a temporary fling. For some, that’s the case: You want a person to be your plus one for the holidays. “The relationship could fizzle out come spring, but you could also genuinely fall in love and create a long-lasting relationship,” Burns says.

There’s also an opportunity to get to know people on a deeper level during this time of year. “It always takes a long time to really get to know someone,” Bobby says. “To connect and develop a relationship during a quieter time of year is to your advantage, since it can help you get to know someone on a more meaningful level.”

Ordering in just the two of you or cuddling on the couch, for instance, may set the stage for deeper conversations. At the very least, being one-on-one helps you determine if you really enjoy spending time with this person and if their goals and values are in line with yours. And if you bring them around the family for the holidays (or you go to theirs)? That’s another way to deepen that connection and get a sense on if this is a true fit or not. By the time spring comes around, you’ve had enough time to know if you’d like to continue.

Cuff Considerately

Whether winter is coming or it’s smack dab in the middle of summer, it’s important to keep a few things in mind for a healthy partnership.

Communicate: Don’t know your new partner’s intentions with the relationship? Burns urges you to open up the lines of communication to get on the same page. You may want a long-term commitment, but what if they want something casual? Hopefully, they’re open to answering questions about where you two stand, but if they dodge or shut down the convo, that’s your indication that they’re not taking things as seriously as you are, she says. It will be up to you to decide if you’re OK with that. Similarly, if you’re at relationship crossroads and don’t want to be with the person you’re cuffed with any longer, then it’s important to be clear and break up (no ghosting).

Open up: It’s not just The Bachelor franchise that has a trademark on getting vulnerable. In fact, if you are trying to find Your Person during cuffing season, Burns suggests having meaningful, vulnerable conversations during the first few dates. That includes big questions, such as having kids (and raising them!), what your political beliefs are, what you want out of life, and much more. This has a dual purpose: “This is how you can not only create deeper emotional intimacy and form connection,” Burns says, “but also make sure you’re not wasting your time with someone who will only be around for one season, or who doesn’t want the same things.”

Work on yourself: Before cuffing season kicks off, it’s a great time to do the inner work that can help foster attracting the right partner and building healthy relationships, Bobby says. “Getting clear about who you are and your values and gaining self-awareness about your patterns in relationships is personal growth work that can help you make good decisions.”

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Friday Faves 10.7 (+ a giveaway)

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Hi friends! Happy Friday! What’s going on this weekend? P has a soccer game, we’re meeting friends for dinner, and I’m making a baby meal for a friend with newborn twins. I hope you have a lovely weekend ahead! Read on for a lil giveaway at the end of this post, too. 🙂 Edited: giveaway has ended! Winners announced below.

This week was a good one. They all seem to go by so quickly lately that I need to remind myself to sloooowwww down. I feel like I’m going to blink and it’s going to be Valentine’s Day.

If you’re feeling like everything is happening earlier in the year and way too quickly, take some time to plan out things that purposefully make you slow down. I’m trying to do the same! Little things like Uno in the evening, walks as a family, reading a book (even though I’m surrounded by laundry to fold), and sitting together for meals makes a huge difference.

(Halloween decor is up! We didn’t go too wild but we have Jack and Sally in the window, our usual pumpkin displays, and our little Halloween table)

It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party! This is where I share some of my favorite finds from the week and around the web. I always love to hear about your faves, too, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below!

Friday Faves 10.7 (+ a giveaway)

Fashion + beauty:

Beautycounter holiday is heeeeere! SO much great stuff! If you’re shopping for holiday gifts, I would order soon because some of our top sets tend to sell out. It’s hard to get into the holiday shopping mindset – I’m still in a tank top over here! – but I’m also trying to get as much shopping done as early as possible.

Here are some of my favorite BC holiday picks:

Mini Beyond Gloss vault. LOVE these for stocking stuffers! I also break sets apart to give to Liv’s friends over the holidays. I feel much better giving the kiddos makeup with safer ingredients and love these for myself, too. They’re not sticky and have the perfect glossy shine.

Best in Clean Heroes. If you’ve been wanting to try Beautycounter, this is such a great intro to our bestsellers. You’re able to try out smaller sizes of our hero products at a bundled discount. This is another great one to break apart for stocking stuffers.

Multi Masker set. You can try out our extremely popular charcoal mask and our new AHA mask, which has bamboo exfoliants, a bouncy texture, and makes skin feel smooth and amazing. If you’re looking to up your mask game, this is it.

Good Scents Hand Cream Trio. This is one of my all-time fave holiday products! I like to stash these in my purse and the car for dry winter hands. They smell lovely, too.

Essentials Eye Palette. SO many gorgeous neutrals for fall, and they use responsibly-sourced mica for shimmer.

Read, watch, listen:

THIS VERSION of one of my all-time fave Broadway songs.

What has surprised me most about having preteens. (Loved this post because Liv is almost a tween – I can’t believe it- and I feel like it just keeps getting better and better.)

Traveling tips.

Are the carrots you’re chasing worth the sacrifice?

Definitely check out this week’s podcast episode with the Pilot!

Fitness, health, + good eats:

The best store-bought salad kits! So many of our faves on this list, like the Dill Pickle, Everything but the Bagel, and Trader Joe’s Vegan Ranch.

LOVE this essential oil! I found it at Whole Foods and have been diffusing it all week. It smells just as lovely as a fall candle and has great ingredients.

I’m so pumped so many of you are joining me on the detox journey starting on October 17! Read the details here and if you know you’re in, you can click here and use FITNESSISTA20 for 20% off. I did an IG live with the creator of the program, Dr. Stephen Cabral, and we chat about toxins, minimizing our exposure, and an info session about the detox with Q&A. Here’s the video!

It’s giveaway time! EquiLife is kindly gifting three of you a detox kit (valued at $99 each) to join in. If you end up winning and have already purchased, you’ll be refunded. (So if you know you’re in, don’t hesitate to order so you have everything ready to go!) I’ll pick the winners this Monday at noon PST and will email the winners, too.

GIVEAWAY HAS CLOSED! Congrats to the winners! Sara S., Tera, and @natalierwg

Happy Friday, lovely friends!

Gina

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random thoughts for a Monday morning

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Hi hi friends! How are you? How was the weekend? Ours was a good one. The weather was a dream – it felt like San Diego, plus it rained every day – and P had a soccer game. We smoked chicken for dinner, met up with friends, caught up on chores, and enjoyed relaxing as a fam. We sat on the back of the Pilot’s SUV and watched the girls run around in the rain for almost an hour.

Today’s post is a little all over the place. I didn’t take a ton of pics, but I have some random thoughts to share with ya and would love to hear what’s going on in your world, too.

Random thoughts for a Monday morning:

– We replanted for fall, and I’m so pumped for some new veggies in the garden. Usually I plant too much and certain plants crowd others, so I only did carrots, beets, and broccoli in the raised bed. In our flat garden bed, we have swiss chard, romaine, arugula, and butternut squash. I have no clue what I’m doing with the butternut squash, but I’ve found that it’s best to just plant whatever you want to learn how to plant, and you figure it out as you go.

(See those poor smashed onions in the bottom left corner? You just figure these things out along the way.)

– This thought crossed my mind during my last hot yoga class, and I was thinking about how much I enjoy hot power yoga. It feels like a hug from a workout, and while it’s still taxing and challenging, it’s simultaneously restorative and a huge treat. It made me remember the Bikram yoga days of yore, which were a start contrast in the yoga world.

I got scolded frequently.

The first time was for drinking water before Eagle pose (don’t you dare), and for little things, like not transitioning fast enough to the savasana portions, keeping my eyes on myself (I had to look around to figure out what I was doing!), laughing during the intense breathing section (once, a friend and I got the church giggles during class) and who knows what else. The incredibly steamy and sweaty rooms were always carpeted (disgusting), smelled like hamsters, and I loved it????? I loved it! SO weird haha.

Needless to say, I’m glad the Bikram phenomenon has come and gone, for various reasons.

– We tried a new-to-us restaurant in Tucson: the Parish. We’ve heard so many great things over the years but have never made it out there. We met up with friends for a lil double date, and it was SO good. They have twists on Southern food, so we shared popcorn, hushpuppies, and the best brussels sprouts for apps, and the entrees were things like fried chicken sandwich, gumbo, I had an extremely flavorful salmon salad, and meatloaf. The drinks were also an A+. We’ll definitely go back! Check it out if you’re a Tucson local looking for something to try out.

(Also three cheers for madre and nana taking the crew to the movies while we enjoyed a night out! They saw Lyle Lyle Crocodile and raved about it. I want to see it now, too!)

– Figured out the secret to paying attention to audiobooks: I listen to them at 1.1 or 1.2 speed. I love the idea of audiobooks, especially when I’m doing chores or taking a walk, but will often get distracted. Speeding it up makes all the difference! When I listen to them at regular speed now, they sound like they’re in slow motion. If you have any audiobook recs, please send them my way! Currently sucked into 11//22/63 and have about 27 hours left. 😉

– I tried cryotherapy for the first time at Icebox Tucson. They also have multiple types of skincare and facials, red light therapy, localized cryotherapy, and compression. I was very nervous for my first experience – let’s be real, I hate being cold – but have really been wanting to try it.

They gave me a cozy robe to wear into the ice chamber, along with socks, a headband to cover my ears, gloves, and a mask to keep my face warm. When you get inside, they play a song of your choice on the noise canceling headphones, and you remove the robe for the session. It was three minutes long and I was FREEZING. Frozen. My body was like WTF is happening to me.

I didn’t know what to do with my body, so instead of shivering, I flapped my arms like a bird, which seemed to help. Thanks to the music, the three minutes went by fairly quickly, and I felt great afterwards. I immediately felt a surge of energy which stayed with me throughout the day.

After the cryotherapy, I tried out the compression booties, which felt amazing. I can absolutely see myself adding this into my routine when I want a little energy boost, or when I’ve had a particularly hard workout. Hiking season is officially back, so I’m looking forward to some long hikes coming up, in addition to the usual teaching, yoga, Peloton, and strength training rotation.

– Speaking of energy, I’m really looking forward to the 7-day Dr. Cabral detox starting one week from today. So many of you have joined in and I can’t wait to do this as a community. If you’re interested in learning more, you can sign up here with the code FITNESSISTA20 for 20% off. You can check out the IG live I did last week with Dr. Cabral answering the top questions we’ve received, too.

If you know you’re in, I would definitely order by tomorrow to ensure you have everything you need!

So tell me friends:

anyone else with intense Bikram stories to share, or any other fitness misadventures?

Have you tried cryotherapy??

Hope you have a lovely morning and I’ll see ya soon.

Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today!
xo

Gina

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Psoriatic Disease: Why Some Symptoms Get Missed

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By David Chandler, as told to Kara Mayer Robinson

I’ve seen hiccups in the process of diagnosing psoriatic disease. I also know about it firsthand. I’m 62 years old, and I’ve had psoriasis since I was a teenager.

I first got it when I was 15. Not too long after that, when I was 17, I started to have pain in my lower back. I had years of appointments, doctor visits, and tests, but I didn’t discover that psoriatic disease had affected my joints until I was 30.

Once, when my psoriasis flared, I decided to see a dermatologist. They recognized I had joint inflammation and then referred me to a rheumatologist. It was then that I found out I had psoriatic disease involving my joints. So it took more than 10 years to get a proper diagnosis once I started to have symptoms.

My doctor didn’t connect my skin problems with the joint trouble I was having.

If you have psoriatic disease, the sooner you can get an accurate diagnosis, the better. In my case, the slow diagnosis meant I didn’t get the right treatment right away. That left me with joint changes and fused bones, mainly in my feet, back, and neck. Early diagnosis might have helped me avoid the disability that stemmed from that.

With psoriatic disease, it’s common for symptoms to be missed and diagnoses to take a long time. Symptoms often go unreported or overlooked for a variety of reasons.

I’ve learned that often comes from a lack of awareness about the link between the skin and joint involvement. You may think of skin lesions as an external disease and joint inflammation as an internal one. But actually, they’re both autoimmune disorders related to your immune system.

Why Psoriatic Disease Symptoms Get Missed

It’s common to misunderstand skin issues. You may think you have dandruff when it’s really scalp psoriasis. It’s also common not to report problems with your nails, which may be nail psoriasis. Your medical chart may reflect dry skin or eczema. If you see a new doctor, they might not think to ask about signs or symptoms of psoriatic disease.

You also may not think symptoms like joint pain, swelling, and fatigue have anything to do with your skin issues. That’s especially common with younger people, who are less likely to think that joint pain is something that can happen to them.

It’s best to let your doctor know about all symptoms you have.

Other Reasons Symptoms Get Missed

Symptoms of psoriatic disease also go unreported because they can often be vague. Test results or X-rays may not show anything. What you feel may not seem to change much over time. You might dismiss or doubt your symptoms because they’re not obvious or consistent.

Symptoms might also be intermittent — they may come and go. If you go to the doctor when things like joint pain or swelling aren’t happening, you may not think to tell your doctor about them.

What You Can Do

Report all symptoms to your doctor, regardless of whether you think they’re connected to your psoriasis. Make sure you consider symptoms you’ve had before, even if you don’t have them when you go to your appointment.

Think about your family history. Do any family members have conditions that might have gone misdiagnosed? Do they have symptoms that could relate to psoriatic disease?

Remember that psoriasis skin symptoms are a visual sign that something may be wrong with your immune system. So it’s possible you may have other issues, like joint pain and fatigue. If you’ve had these, talk to your doctor about the possibility of psoriatic disease.

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Prime Early Access sale – my top picks!

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Sharing the best of the best for the Prime Early Access sale! This is when you can get Black Friday-ish deals before the holidays and so many of my faves are discounted right now. *Affiliate links are included below that allow me to earn a small commission I use to keep this lil blog running. Thank you so much to those of you who shop my links – I appreciate it so much.

Hi friends! How are ya? I hope you’re having a wonderful morning so far. I’m headed to a juice date with a friend and running some last-minute errands before the crew is out of school for fall break! I CAN’T WAIT.

Today, I’m excited to share all of the good stuff from the Prime Early Access sale. This is when you can get Black Friday type deals early, before the holidays.

When I found out this sale event was on the way, I was pumped for two reasons:

1) I can order holiday gifts NOW. I feel like the holidays keep going by way too quickly, and it’s become my goal to have everything done and wrapped by the week after Thanksgiving. Aint got no time to be stressed about gifts when there are so many fun events to enjoy.

2) This is my chance to get things around the house we’ve been needing at a sweet discount. We desperately need a new vacuum, and if you’re in the market for electronics or home goods, this is the perfect chance to get it.

Big sales like this tend to be overwhelming, so I sorted through the spreadsheets of goods way in advance to find the best stuff for you!

Here are my top faves from the Prime Early Access sale, which runs through tomorrow.

Prime Early Access sale – my top picks!

My faves:

The makeup eraser. I’m obsessed with this thing, and it really does remove so much makeup! I love them so much, I travel with the mini versions.

The best milk frother. It’s so inexpensive and really makes a difference in your morning coffee.

This toiletry travel bag.

My favorite water bottle! I’ve used so many types and always come back to this one. It’s the water bottle the kids use and love, too.

This scalp massager for applying shampoo.

Love these fuzzy slippers!

This brow gel is a gold star.

This super cute lounge set.

Such a great deal on these claw clips.

The best detangling brush.

This is the waterpik I use every day!

For her:

A kindle paper white. I’ve been wanting one for myself, especially since I get distracted when I read on my phone or the iPad. It will be so nice to have something solely for books.

These lightweight joggers and perfect for hiking and life.

Amazing quality (49k + reviews) leggings and lots of colors.

This mock neck rib sweater would be so cute with a blazer and jeans.

This smocked mini dress. I might order this in cream now to wear with a jean jacket, and save for the spring/summer.

This leather belt bag looks so much more expensive than it is.

The super popular lip mask.

Gel polish set for at-home manis.

LOVE the shape of this tote bag (and under $30!)

A soft and cozy cropped fleece.

These pointed toe ankle boots.

A cropped athletic tank for yoga, barre or spin.

This plaid blazer! I’d pair it with a lacy cami and jeans or with a black mock neck mini dress and Chelsea boots.

Ordering a black and white bodysuit; the neckline is so flattering and these look great with jeans and sweaters.

Vitamin E oil. I use this on my face, and have used it for scars and healing in the past.

For him:

New athletic sneakers! These are ideal for cross training and weightlifting.

Lightweight athletic polo. (This is a good dad or uncle gift!)

AMAZING deal on these boxer briefs.

A crewneck sweater in a neutral color.

Our favorite noise canceling headphones. The Pilot and I each have a pair and I love them for air travel and work.

A wet/dry electric shaver.

A new watch.

Comfy fleece joggers.

For the kids:

Fire tablet – this is so good for travel!

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.

Number blocks.

A raptor dart blaster.

A Hape wood bike for toddlers. We bought Hape products when Liv was a baby and they were the highest quality baby toys; many of them lasted for P to use them too.

Pop Up Pirate game.

A Bluey board game.

A wooden activity cube. Another high-quality baby toy that will last.

Amazing price on these Calico Critters toys.

Marvel action figures (getting these for P for her birthday!).

Dr. Seuss cookbook for kid chefs.

A microscope for kids.

A science kit with over 15 easy experiments.

Picasso tiles.

For home:

A remote control oil diffuser! I’m going to get 2 or 3 of these since I’ve been focusing more on essential oils instead of candles.

A cordless lightweight stick vacuum.

A neutral rug for the living room.

A portable carpet and upholstery cleaner. I’m scarily excited about this thing lol.

An air fryer! If you’ve been fighting getting one of these – I did it, too – I highly recommend it. It’s the best for anything frozen or potato-related, and we use it multiple times a week.

An air purifier.

A humidifier. We use these during the winter months, especially for the kids.

The best stand mixer.

Stasher bags! I use these for travel and for kids’ snacks and lunches. They’re well-made and I’m glad we’re able to use less disposable practice with these.

I definitely want to check out this cookbook.

This is the blender we have and use almost every day. We use it for smoothies, soups, salsa, hummus, and dips.

Are you shopping the Prime Early Access sale? What’s on your radar?

I’ll update this post tomorrow morning with anything good I find at the last minute, too.

xoxo

Gina

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The Fitnessista podcast

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Hi friends! Hope you’re having a wonderful morning! I’ve got a new podcast episode up today and I’m chatting with Carlee Hayes, RDN, CD all about the top nutrition struggles she sees and what to do about it.

Carlee works with Nutrisense, and I’ve used their CGMs (continuous glucose monitors) a handful of times. I’ve learned so much about how my body responds to different types of food and habits; it’s been extremely helpful and insightful. This isn’t an affiliate link, but if you’d like to try Nutrisense, you can use GINA50 for $50 off.

Here’s what we talk about in today’s episode:

– Metabolic flexibility

– Common nutrition struggles and action steps

– Easy ways to balance your blood sugar and improve insulin sensitivity

– Her favorite wellness resources

and so.much.more!

Here’s a bit more about Carlee and her background:

Carlee is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) and the Senior Nutrition Manager for NutriSense, a company utilizing continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) to build personalized diet and lifestyle plans. NutriSense is on a mission to help anyone understand and reach their health potential, and Carlee is passionate about translating complex glucose data into actionable changes anyone can implement into their everyday lives.

You can connect with Nutrisense on IG here and Carlee can be found on LinkedIn.

Resources from this episode:

I love love love the meals from Sakara Life! Use this link and the code XOGINAH for 20% off their meal delivery and clean boutique items. This is something I do once a month as a lil treat to myself and the meals are always showstoppers.

Get 15% off Organifi with the code FITNESSISTA. I drink the green juice, red juice, gold, and Harmony! (Each day I might have something different, or have two different things. Everything I’ve tried is amazing.)

The weather is cooling down, and I’m still obsessed with my sauna blanket. It feels even BETTER when it’s chilly outside and you can use the code FITNESSISTA15 for 15% off! This is one of my favorite ways to relax and sweat it out. I find that it energizes me, helps with aches and pains, I sleep better on the days I use this, and it makes my skin glow. Link to check it out here. You can also use my discount for the PEMF Go Mat, which I use every day!

If any of my fellow health professional friends are looking for another way to help their clients, I highly recommend IHP. You can also use this information to heal yourself and then go one to heal others, which I think is a beautiful mission.

You can use my referral link here and the code FITNESSISTA for up to $250 off the Integrative Health Practitioner program. I just finished Level 1 and have started Level 2. I highly recommend it! You can check out my initial thoughts on IHP here!

Thank you so much for listening and for all of your support with the podcast! Please be sure to subscribe, and leave a rating or review if you enjoyed this episode. If you leave a rating, head to this page and you’ll get a little “thank you” gift from me to you.

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Finding Success When Managing Psoriatic Disease

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By David Rosmarin, MD, as told to Stephanie Watson

Treating psoriatic disease is very different from what it was 10 or 20 years ago.

We have a lot of great treatment options that are extremely effective. So we’re usually able to meet a vast majority of people’s goals.

When someone first comes to me with a diagnosis of psoriatic disease, I’m very interested to learn what their goals are. It’s important for them to communicate to me what they want to accomplish with their treatment, and how quickly they want to get there. That way, I can deliver the right treatment to them.

So I ask questions like:

How quickly do you need clear skin? Do they have a big event coming up? Do they want to be clear for a vacation? Whether they need to see a response in a month, or they aren’t interested in a quick fix will help guide the treatment we choose.

For example, if somebody wants a very rapid response, then we can use a medicine that suppresses the immune system, or a biologic that works quickly. When we do that, on average, people can see a 50% improvement in their skin within 2 weeks, and a 75% improvement within a month.

How clear do you want it? Do they want to have their legs clear so they can wear shorts in the summer? Do they want to get their scalp cleared so they don’t have to deal with flakes? Do they want to get rid of the itch?

We also talk about their nails if they’re a concern. That’s helpful to know upfront, because nails can take longer to clear than skin.

What is your treatment tolerance? Biologics are targeted treatments that have revolutionized how we help people with moderate to severe psoriasis. The ones we use to ease inflammation come as injections or infusions. So, are they fearful of needles? If so, it may be better for them to go on a treatment that involves an injection once every 3 months, rather than once a week. We also have other alternatives like oral medications, phototherapy, and topicals.

Overall, the side effects of biologics aren’t too bad. Infection is a little bit more likely, as is a reaction near the injection site. But compared to the first biologics we had, the newer ones work better with fewer injections, and they don’t hurt as much.

They’re safer, too. For example, newer biologics don’t raise your chances of cancer.

Still, it’s important for me to know a person’s concerns and their medical history before I prescribe them a drug.

Are your joints involved? I ask all of the people I treat if they have joint pain or stiffness. If they do, they might have psoriatic joint disease. That means I need to give them a plan that will treat both skin and joints. I may collaborate with a rheumatologist on their care.

Roadblocks to Relief

One of the biggest barriers we face in getting people the right treatment is insurance. Some of these medications can be quite expensive. Insurance plans may prefer that we start with a certain treatment. They want “treatment A” first, even though we want “treatment B.” Most times, that’s based on cost.

For example, for people who are insured through an employer plan, many pharmaceutical companies have programs in place to get them directly to the medicine they need. Other than a small copay, they’ll cover the entire cost of the medicine. For people of low income, foundations can help them afford their meds.

Weight can be another stopper to relief. Some people with psoriasis are overweight. Those who are heavier may have more severe disease. Sometimes, weight loss can help their treatment work better.

Be Honest

The more open you are about your disease and how it affects you, the more productive your doctor visits will be. Come to each appointment ready to share your concerns. That includes talking about sensitive subjects like how your psoriasis affects your genitals. It’s important to realize that these visits are confidential. You can’t get relief if you don’t tell your doctor about the problems you’re having.

If your disease is starting to get worse, don’t wait until your follow-up visit to tell your doctor. Let them know right away. You might want to send in photos to show what you’re going through.

If people have side effects from their medication, like coughing or shortness of breath, any recent infections, or anything they’re unsure of related to their medication, I always prefer that they call and ask. We can either reassure them or take steps to treat the problem.

For example, if your skin is getting worse right before you’re due for your next injection, your doctor might need to bump up the dose. If you’re no longer responding to your meds or you never reached your initial goal, your doctor might add a topical or switch you to a different medication. Some of these drugs can lose effectiveness over time.

Stick With Your Plan

We can’t cure psoriasis, we can only control it. It’s like having high blood pressure or high cholesterol. You need to stay on your regimen. If you go off your psoriasis medication, the disease will come back.

You don’t want to start and stop your medicine, because that will lead to poorer control of your disease. And it becomes more likely that the drug will stop working for you. It can be hard to think about staying on a medicine indefinitely, but these drugs are safe over the long term.

Psoriasis medications are very effective. Some of them improve the disease an average of 90% after 4 months, and 95% after a year. Some can even get people completely clear.

It’s great to be a physician treating these people, because I can make a big impact on their quality of life.

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