Man-oh-man, you guys love your Oakley shades! So many people entered the Sunglasses Shop giveaway for a free pair – thank you for the participation! Drumroll please, the grand prize winner is…
Karen M! Congrats and I will contact you for shipping info and your choice of shades (if different than the Dirty Dog Vendetta Fluro Pink 53215 Polarised you mentioned in the comments)! VERY cute choice BTW!
Sorry for being MIA yesterday, guys. Work was moi busy. But I did post a cool Tribesports core workout graphic on the blog’s Facebook page, so make sure you head over and check that out. Also, the Captain Jabbo winners may have been chosen, but remember the promo code is still good until 2/17!
I’m a spoiled blogger, I’ll admit it. In today’s post you’ll see my second pair of complimentary Oakley shades – yes, second. I received a pair of active wear sunglasses at the Fitness Magazine Meet & Tweet last May.
Thanks to all who entered my Tone It Up Beach Babe DVD giveaway! I enjoyed reading your comments about which workout you’d most want to try. Seems all of them are of interest! Out of 134 total entries, the lucky winner is…
…Loli! Congrats and I will contact you for shipping info!
Thank you to all who entered my giveaway for a Mohegan Sun $50 gift card to use during their Restaurant Week, 1/6-1/11! The lucky winner is…
Mohegan Sun is kicking off 2013 by having my favorite kind of event…a Restaurant Week, January 6th-11th! You’re probably only familiar with cities having Restaurant Week deals, not places. But Mohegan seriously IS a city in itself. In her recap of the Blogger Girls Weekend I attended in November, Julie of PB Fingers appropriately compared it to a cruise ship!
Hello all,
I wanted to explain what happened to the post and giveaway I did earlier about Ribbon Gift Cards. I honestly thought the product idea sounded cool and I linked to my friend’s page where one can purchase these gift cards, on a site called Amway.
A reader pointed out to me in the comments that Amway has been involved in class action lawsuits, FTC investigations, and more since as early as the 1970s. I looked more into it and while nothing has ever been proven and lawsuits have only been settled, I do not feel comfortable promoting a website like this on my blog. I certainly do not stand for any of the shady business practices Amway has been accused of, even if they are unproven at this time.
I’m so excited about all of the entries I received in the giveaway for two Anchor Bay Entertainment cardio dance workout DVDs! The winner is…
Kristy of Kristy’s Health Revolution!
Thank you to all who entered! I will be contacting Kristy to arrange delivery of her prize!
On Friday I promised you guys an update on the on-and-off nausea I’ve been experiencing for the past month, so I’m here to give you that today. Mostly, I want to focus on my first ever visit to a naturopathic physician. After finding out that the abdominal ultrasound I had done last Saturday morning showed no issues, I visited my regular doctor Thursday morning. She stated that she really think this is a stomach virus I caught that my body is taking a long time to shake, and told me that no doctor would order an endoscopy on me (the next step in testing) until at least a couple more weeks had passed with me having symptoms, especially since I have been “functioning” and it is considered a “procedure”. Yes, I’m functioning, but I have also been very physically and mentally uncomfortable!
Luckily I had my naturopathic physician appointment later that afternoon, so I left the doctor still feeling like I had options I was pursuing. I started out by giving the doctor (also the clinic director) my background, both my recent nausea issues and my mental/physical medical history. She was not very happy about the fact that my doctors had put me on Omeprazole (an antacid), nor did she approve of any other medications and probiotics I have been taking. It was a bit off-putting – she never told me to go off what my doctors had put me on, which I appreciated, but also made me feel like it’s possible that what I’m already taking has been hurting me. I still took it all with a grain of salt, though. I know that her way of approaching medicine is completely different from the traditional approach, which looks primarily for something functionally wrong.
Next, she had me lie down on her massage table (holy crap it was comfy!) and she felt all over my abdomen. Not just feeling – pushing! Really trying to get a handle on where exactly everything was. She pushed on an area up toward my chest, and it was hard for her to do so. She said that the reason for that was because my stomach was actually higher up than it should be – usually brought on by an acute incident, like straining to lift something. But sometimes, it can happen over time due to high anxiety – more likely in my case. Whatever the cause, she had me take a DEEP breath in and then breathe out very slowly. As I did so, she actually pushed REALLY hard down on that area toward my chest I mentioned before, to push my stomach back down where it “should” be. After this was complete, I took a deep breath in. I actually felt like my lungs had more room to expand! Perhaps it’s all or partially in my head. I acknowledge that. And she did not say that it was going to cure me. Quite the opposite – she said it probably wasn’t even the sole cause of my nausea, but a contributing factor, and that her “fix” also did not usually stay in place after just one session. Still, I felt pretty strange afterward – in a good way! Something definitely felt different.
I also left her office with a “prescription” for three things – a digestive enzyme, a probiotic (one of the few on the market she likes), and an herbal remedy called Pulsatilla (which is available at Whole Foods). It’s pretty fascinating that she picked Pulsatilla out for me, because as she described the kind of people it’s meant for, I kept nodding my head and saying, “Yup, that’s me.” She cited inner mental battles, too much rigidity, and love of white foods (gimme dem carbs). Pulsatilla comes from a flower found in meadows. The flower itself however is toxic when ingested in its pure flower form. There also isn’t much medical evidence about its efficacy – or even the safe levels of the dried form that are OK to take.
I am fine with taking digestive enzymes and a probiotic…many people take these without harm. However, I’m nervous about taking the Pulsatilla after reading up more about it online. I’m sure nothing that could really hurt me would be sold at Whole Foods, and I’m trying to keep an open mind, but I don’t really feel comfortable taking it (it comes in the form of a bead that is placed under the tongue). Therefore even though I purchased it, I’ve decided to hold off. And there’s another reason for that too.
Dare I say the last several days I’ve felt…completely normal? I don’t want to jinx myself. And on Friday, I still had a “nervous” stomach that felt nauseous in the morning and made some weird noises anytime I ate. But Saturday and Sunday, I felt fine. No weird noises, no nausea. Nothing that even made me feel like it might “come on” if I drank coffee or ate fibrous food.
Welcome back, my beautiful salad!
I am not saying that I feel better because of what the naturopathic physician did when she “moved” my stomach back to its rightful place. It could very well be the Omeprazole finally taking effect. Or maybe this is a virus that finally has gotten its ugly self out of my body, once and for all. Or maybe five minutes from hitting “Publish” on this post, I’ll feel nauseous again.
Black coffee – enjoyed while doing HW!
Frankly, I do not care. I had a really good weekend and I felt well. I’m going to keep taking the Omeprazole and also go see the naturopathic physician in a couple of weeks for a follow-up, and explain my hesitation about the Pulsatilla. If I don’t feel nauseous again, that’s awesome. If I do, I’ll keep trying to figure out what’s wrong. Now if you will excuse me, I am going to go be thankful for feeling well. 🙂
Have you ever visited a naturopathic physician?
Have you ever decided not to take medical advice, be it from a traditional or alternative doctor?
I’m honored to have a very special guest posting for me today – Amanda, the founder of Grow Soul Beautiful. I’m sure you know all about this site from her hugely popular Instagram #YogaADay challenge. I guest posted for her in the past and love doing little post exchanges like this. She even has a giveaway for you! Enjoy and take it away Amanda!
Somewhere along the way over the past 32 years, I turned into one of those people. The fitness freak that runs 9 marathons in 14 months. Don’t ask me how it happened- I certainly didn’t set out with such a fanatical goal. It was probably the culmination and the peak of my need to over-achieve. I’d already proved I could graduate tops in my engineering class. I’d already proved I could land a fabulous job and a handsome husband. I’d already proved I could travel the world, own a fancy house, and run the Houston marathon each January. And yet, somehow, I was still out to prove something to somebody every time I crossed the finish line after 26.2 miles.
It was near the end of this madness that it really started sinking in that life is about more than things I can achieve and prove to others. Despite all the impressive accomplishments and even a satisfying new PR time in the hellacious Vegas Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon, it wasn’t enough. I’d finally swung to the extreme of success by the world’s standards, only to find out I’d been measuring it wrong all all long. It was time for me to re-define success on my own terms.
I could whip out calculus formulas like nobody’s business, but couldn’t find an ounce of creativity inside. I could pound out all those miles of running, but I still hated my body and could barely touch my toes. I had the dream life on the outside, yet I was empty, scared, and hollow on the inside. Slowly, week by week, I started a journey of self-discovery and doing a lot of inside work instead of outside work. Journaling, coaching, vision boards, retreats and e-courses helped me find myself, re-define how I wanted success to look in my life, find ways to ignite my creativity, how to trust myself and my intuition, and most importantly, why self-love is the most important thing I could ever accomplish.
To say it’s been life-changing is an understatement. It’s not some giant shift I noticed one day, but it’s gradual slow, evolution of how I see myself and what healthy means to me. It’s more than fitting in my skinny jeans, running marathons, or even being successful by the world’s standard. Healthy is about body, soul, mind, and spirit. I now place as much importance on meditating as I do track workouts. I value stretching myself artistically as much as I do stretching my body during yoga. I avoid filling my heart and mind with bad thoughts and experiences as much as I avoid sticking toxic and unsavory things in my mouth. My health is now evaluated beyond the physical to include my emotional well-being, my spirituality, my sexuality, my relationships, my inner creative genius, and my thought life and connection to self.
Over the last year, the idea of Grow Soul Beautiful was borne out of my passion to share with others that health is more than exercise and self-love is more important than achievements. I wanted to encourage and inspire readers to spend just as much effort making their inside beautiful as they do their outside. My passions are yoga & photography- both incredible outlets to connect the mind+body, nurture the soul, and encourage us to be playful and creative. I strongly believe that we can share stories about ourselves and capture valuable memories through simple photos, and the power of photography, especially self-portraits, can nourish our creative juices.
I’m so excited to give away a set of Vision Quest Photo Assignment Cards with 36 prompts for Personal, Spiritual, and Artistic Growth to one lucky reader. Entries close tomorrow (10/26/12, Friday) at 11:59PM EST. To enter, you can do the following and leave a comment for each:
General Giveaway Rules: No Purchase Necessary. This giveaway is only open to residents of the continental United States. The email addresses that are collected for this giveaway will only be used for the purpose of contacting the winner and will never be given out to anyone nor sold. The winner will be randomly chosen and contacted via email. The winner will have 72 hours to respond. Please make sure you check your junk mail folder.
Thank you to Amanda for the beautiful post and inspiring message – and the lovely giveaway! Good luck to all who enter!
Like that rhyming title? You know you do.
I felt well again yesterday but today am back to feeling blah. So frustrating and I am beginning to think this is more than a stomach virus! I don’t think it’s typical for virus to flare down then back up so frequently. That makes me worried because I do not want to be dealing with something more chronic – I always think of poor Tina and her colitis and get freaked out! And the stress is certainly not good for my stomach so I’m trying to Leaf Negativity Behind and smile. After all my symptoms are not nearly as bad as what Tina went through and I am thankful that I was able to get into another doctor’s appointment this afternoon. My employer is nice enough to let me leave early without hesitation.
But leaving work early means I’m slammed (I’ve been slammed all week) and have little time to blog. Therefore no Fashion Friday 🙁 didn’t want to leave you hanging though so I do have a quick giveaway for you all from Wild Harvest, the top sponsor of the Healthy Living Summit in Boston this past summer!
Before HLS ’12 I received a box of Wild Harvest goodies to sample, and they are offering one lucky Cait Plus Ate winner the same box! It includes:
This giveaway will end Sunday evening at 11:59PM EST. One winner will be selected – continental US only please. Here’s how to enter (leave a separate comment for each please or multiple entries won’t count):
That’s four easy ways to enter – good luck to all who do so!
General Giveaway Rules: No Purchase Necessary. The email addresses that are collected for this giveaway will only be used for the purpose of contacting the winner and will never be given out to anyone nor sold. The winner will be randomly chosen and contacted via email. The winner will have 72 hours to respond. Only one winner per household. Please make sure you check your junk mail folder.
A big congrats to the winner of the Mikarose giveaway for a $50 gift certificate! The winner is….Paige!
Ooh la la is right! Congrats Paige – I have given your info to Mikarose!
Alright, so that’s it for this Fashion Friday. I know…what?! Well, I’m at BlogHer ’12 right now in NYC have an absolute BLAST. I still need to share my Baltimore adventures, J. Timothy’s meetup recap, Barcelona Patio Party review, and now THIS weekend with you guys. Man, am I too blessed to be stressed or what?! I’m off to write this week’s Oatmeal Toppings and then headed to my first blogucational session of the day, The Brand-Blogger Connection, with my friend Natasha. We are going to see Martha Stewart deliver the keynote speech at lunch today! Oh, and Kate Gosselin herself (yup, Kate Plus 8) is in the Expo Hall booth today from 11-1pm and 3-5pm, so needless to say I’ve made it the day’s goal to get a picture of Cait Plus Ate with Kate Plus 8. WISH ME LUCK!
Keep an eye on my Twitter and Instagram all weekend for my #BlogHer12 exploits! Some funny pics have already gone up….
At the Gorton’s Seafood booth…if you like it then you shoulda #PutAWheelOnIt?
I’m a 28 year old full-time working girl living in Boston (previously lived in Connecticut). I’m passionate about food/drink, restaurants, self-love, fitness, and the ever-present search for balance. I write about that journey on this blog – I hope you enjoy!
