Happy Wellness Wednesday, Garden Fam 🌱
We are kicking off our Natural Remedies Series talking about getting quality sleep.
Sleep is an important part of our health.
There is a reason that God set an example for us to REST.
He knows that our bodies function best when we give them time to reset!
Do you have a healthy sleep routine? Are you getting enough sleep each night? Is your sleep the best it can be?
Check out today's video to learn why sleep is so important for our health and to grab some natural remedies for improving your sleep and for fighting insomnia. You can also check the notes below for the deets!
I love you all so much!
Have a healthy & wholesome week 💖💤
Focus Scriptures
Genesis 2:3
Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it,
because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
Psalms 4:8
I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;
For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Video Notes
Overall Tips for Better Sleep
Aim to sleep 7-9 hours each night
Standardize your sleep time – Take it back to the school days!
Set a standard bedtime and wake up time
Stay away from screens before bed
Our bodies respond to blue light like it’s daylight
Try winding down screen-free before bed, ideally two hours, but at least 30 minutes
Read
Journal
Play a Game
Count sheep
Set a regular DND pattern on your phone, so notifications can’t interrupt your flow
Show example w/ phone screen
Setting bedtime
Setting DND schedule
Turn off the lights & Get comfy
Sleeping in a dark, quiet place is key
If your 7-9 hours falls during heavy daylight hours, blackout curtains may be good
Make sure your bed, pillows, and comforter are comfortable for you!
Set the atmosphere
Rain or thunderstorm sounds
White noise
Get some exercise during the day
Not recommended right before bed, but incorporating exercise in your day can increase sleep quality
Tips for Fighting Insomnia
What is insomnia?
Hard to fall asleep or stay asleep, or waking up super early and not being able to go back to sleep
Common Causes
Stress
Shift in schedule
Traveling
Work schedule
Not setting good habits for sleep
Ie. not doing the things mentioned above
Eating too much too close to bedtime
Fullness
Heartburn
Discomfort
Other medical conditions or medications
Caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol
Hormonal shifts
Menopause & menstrual cycles may shift hormones and affect sleep
Remedies
(in addition to incorporating the tips above)
Avoid or limit naps
Eat dinner earlier and only have a small snack before bed, if needed
Almonds or walnuts
Kiwi or bananas
Tart cherries
Supplements or essential oils
Lavender – to help you fall asleep
I recommend using an essential oil diffuser and setting the tone for sleep.
More essential oils for sleep
Melatonin
It’s a sleep hormone that is released to let our body know it’s time to sleep
Usually released in line with reduced light (ie. the nighttime)
Grab a melatonin supplement
They come in
Pills
Gummies
Powders
Topical Lotions
Try to stick with one brand as dosages and formulations may vary from brand to brand
Magnesium — something that should already be a part of our diets anyway
Helps to calm the mind and body
Regulates melatonin production
May find a melatonin product with magnesium
Nighttime Beverage
Warm milk & honey
Chamomile and/or lavender tea
Happy Wellness Wednesday, Garden Fam 🌸
I hope you are doing well & that your February is off to a wonderful start!
We’re starting a new series this month, but before we dive in, I wanted to lay the groundwork by telling some and reminding others to listen to your body. Our bodies are wired to send signals letting us know when things are good, when we need something, or when things are off. Have you been ignoring or silencing these signals? Have you not been intentional about recognizing and responding to these signals? Is this a concept you’ve never even heard of? If so, today’s video is for YOU! In this week's video, I do give you some homework as we prepare to begin our natural remedies series, but don't worry, it's not graded! lol. I'm sure you'll thank yourself later.
As always, have a healthy & wholesome week!
Love you bunches 🍇
Your Homework
Begin to be intentional about noticing when your body is speaking, such as when you're...
Hungry
Tired
In pain
In a good or bad mood
Feeling dehydrated
Make a mental note of the moments when you silence your body's cues
Such as ignoring your need to use the restroom or to grab a snack
Choose one area to begin addressing this week
For example, if you are tired, intentionally make time to rest
P.S.
Did you catch our Black History Month series last year? If not, I definitely suggest you go back and watch it. I shared why there are so many health disparities in the Black community, as well as some tips for preventing and managing heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
P.P.S.
We just wrapped up our Cleaner Living Series.
Go back and watch it if you missed any of those videos. They may very well [help you to] change your life! 😉
Happy Wellness Wednesday, Garden Fam 🌸
I'm back with Part III of our 'Cleaner Living' series!
If you haven't caught the other two posts, go check them out. This week, we're talking about one of my favorite things:
HAIR 💇🏾♀️
Black women’s natural hair has not always been accepted & praised in the ways it is today, nor have products and information always been so readily available to care for our natural hair. So it is understandable how we came to embrace products like chemical straighteners to make our hair more “manageable” for ourselves and “palatable” in professional and academic spaces. Thankfully, we are in a time where our hair is finally being embraced in its natural state and we have so many tools and resources at our fingertips. The stigma is being broken, and it is wonderful to see, but the ties to old ways of doing things are not easily broken. In today’s video, I share the science behind chemical straighteners (relaxers) and the risks of introducing our bodies to their harsh ingredients. My goal is to present you with the facts so that you can make well-informed decisions about your hair regimen that are in line with what is best for your health.
To learn more, watch the video and/or check out the information and resources below!
Here’s to giving up the creamy crack, embracing our natural hair, and living a cleaner life 💁🏾♀️
As always, have a healthy and wholesome week!
Love you bunches 🍇
Focus Scripture
Psalms 139:13-14
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
Video Notes
Getting Off the Creamy Crack: The Journey to Natural Hair Care
Learn to love your hair in its form
This IS the part where I tell you to love yourself as you are, including the process involved in taking care of you (and in this case, your hair!)
Psalms 139:13-14 NKJV
Enjoy and embrace the journey
If you’ve been getting relaxers forever, expect there to be some transition and adjustment along the way.
Make it enjoyable like an adventure of learning or relearning your hair.
Find style inspiration and follow natural hair channels on YouTube
Replenish your hair and your body with nutrients for health
For your hair
Protein treatments
Natural rinses and hair masks
Protective styles
Not good with hair? Find a good natural stylist near you, or even a good girlfriend!
For your body (and your hair, too)
Eat well – fruits, veggies, collagen, biotin, etc.
Check out our ‘Giving Your Body What It Needs’ series for more guidance
Don’t relapse!
Stick to it and don’t go back to the creamy crack! 😆
Review the Facts
How we temporarily or permanently change the curl patterns of our hair
Our hair is made of keratin proteins that are held together by two kinds of bonds
Disulphide bonds (stronger)
Hydrogen bonds (weaker)
Our curl patterns are based on the shape of our hair follicles
Protein bonds impact curl patterns once hair grows out of the follicles
Straightening our hair
Temporarily
Hydrogen bonds are affected by temporary heat straightening through methods like:
blow drying
flat ironing
curling
These bonds can be restored upon wetting the hair
Permanently
Disulphide bonds are broken when using permanent straightening methods like relaxers
These bonds are not restored upon wetting the hair again
Recent Lawsuits
There are a few links below detailing the lawsuits that have been filed against companies making chemical straighteners. Women are suing due to being diagnosed with:
endometrial carcinoma
Uterine cancer
Ovarian cancer
Uterine fibroids
Problematic Ingredients
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals
Our endocrine system is responsible for our hormones
EDCs affect this system and therefore impact hormone functioning
Phthalates are EDCs that are often found in relaxers
Phthalates are a group of chemicals used to make plastics more durable.
They also can be used to help materials dissolve.
Can also be found in vinyl flooring, lubricating oils, and personal-care products
Possible adverse and long-term effects
“Previous studies have found hair product use to be associated with a higher risk of hormone-sensitive cancers including breast and ovarian cancer…” – JNCI
“Exposure to excess estrogen and a hormonal imbalance of estrogen and progesterone have been identified as key risk factors for uterine cancer” – JNCI
Salon workers may experience the following due to repeated exposure:
Respiratory difficulties
Dermatitis
Other forms of skin irritation