Healthy Living – Page 4 – Naturally Lindsay

Unboxing: Goodebox December 2014

January 24, 2015 by Lindsay Ingalls Leave a Comment

I know I am a little late on the subscription box train but I just have really been getting into them lately. I love having the opportunity to try new products I have never heard of or products that I have been interested in but maybe would have never tried if they didn’t come in my box. This whole subscription box love really started when I decided to start focusing on myself and putting a little more time and energy into my skincare (or rather start having a skincare routine) and beauty routine. I am going to do a more in-depth post on this so if you have any questions please leave them in the comments.

Anyways on to Goodebox! Goodebox is a Portland based subscription box company that curates boxes filled with healthy beauty products, non-toxic cosmetics, natural cosmetics and personal care products with the occasional natural and organic health and wellness products. Their membership plan includes monthly, bi-monthly and multi-month subscription plans. The cost per box is $19/month and the cost can go as low as $17/month if you do a multi-month subscription. You fill out a personalized profile and then you receive your box filled with 4-6 trial sizes. But first you should probably decide if Goodebox is right for you –> see here.

I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to check the December and January Boxes (January unboxing to come). This Goodebox is the perfect fit for me because I am passionate about (trying) to clean up my beauty products and I am excited to receive not only makeup products but skincare and haircare products, supplements and other sustainable living goods. So as you can see a perfect fit for me.

Okay so let’s (finally) get on to the unboxing. I am going to share with you what I received in my box, the value of each item, what I thought of it and after sharing January’s box I’ll tell you my overall impression and whether I would purchase the box. So let’s get to it!

Au Naturale Organic Creme Eyeshadow in Palma – Trial Size -$3 Value

This sample also came with a promo code for 25% off and a free sample of the creme concealer that I was disappointedly was not able to take advantage of because code expired before I received my box. If you did order something from the Au Naturale and used the promo code you also received a free sample of their creme concealer. I have to say I love this eyeshadow and have been using it regularly. It goes on smooth, is pretty highly pigmented and build-able- oh and it’s 100% vegan and natural. I have to say the one thing I am disappointed about is that it didn’t come with the concealer sample because I know at least one other subscription box that had the same sample package from Au Naturale that included both.

Aila Nail polish in #LIKEABOSS – Full Size – $17 Value

If you have been following me on Instagram then you know how much I love this nail polish from Aila and BeauTeaBar.com. I have to say I just love the formula, the color and the name – – on that note Neil was like it’s not like you to #LIKEABOSS on Instagram and I had to explain to him it’s the name of this beautiful nail polish. I have to say I would love to own a few more colors from Aila; they make a really great nail polish.

Balanced Guru Scrub Me Crazy -Trial Size- $4.40 value

I have to say I am kind of sad to talk about this product from Balanced Guru. While it was a good sized sample and the company is a fantastic company I just didn’t love the smell of this body scrub. It wasn’t that it didn’t work but the smell was just not right for me. I can’t even explain it but one use left my skin feeling smooth (a good thing) but I was too turned off by the smell to use it again (whomp).

Ecojot Mini Notebook -Trial Size – $4.25 Value

This little notebook from Ecojot is so cute and I really love it. If you know me you know how much I LOVE notebooks so I was excited to find this in my box. However the thing is I think my love of notebooks has rubbed off on Edith and she decided that since it was just her size that she was going to take over the notebook.

SheaTerra Organics- Extreme Body Cre’me in Bourbon Vanilla -Trial Size – $2 value

I was as little unsure of this SheaTerra lotion at first because it is just so thick but once you take a little out and work it between your hands it starts to warm up and goes on to the skin super smooth. It is really hydrating and the smell is so good, not too sweet and not too overpowering but still really nice. I carry this around in the diaper bag with me so I always have some nourishing lotion on hand.

Total Value: $30.65

I would say that the total value is pretty good considering the box costs $19. The nail polish alone basically made this box worth it not only because it’s a full sized product retailing for $17 but because it is simple amazing. Overall I really liked everything in this box with the exception of the scrub. I actually am adding Au Naturale to my list of brands to check out when I am in need of new makeup products and Aila when I am in the mood for a new nail color.

What do you think of subscription boxes? Have you tried Goodebox? Do you think you’d like to?

I received this box from Goodebox as a sample in exchange for my honest review. No other compensation was provided.

Learning to Commit to Myself

December 15, 2014 by Lindsay Ingalls 7 Comments

Random photo for fun

I have a problem with following through with things. Not all things rather goals or challenges I set up for myself. I just can’t commit to myself .I don’t know what it is but when it comes to committing to myself I start a task and tend to lose steam about 25% of the way in and by the half way point I give up. At least I can say that I follow through 90% of the time (hey I’m only human) to commitments that I have to others.

I finally came to terms with this a few months ago and have been making an honest effort to follow through. The first challenge I had for myself was my DietBet* challenge. I did this because I wanted to get myself back on a healthy path. I knew I couldn’t lose the 4% body weight healthfully while nursing but I did know that I could get myself into a better place and I did it. I followed through and while I didn’t see a big drop in the numbers I did in the way clothes fit.

My second challenge to myself has been to participate in the #Elf4Health challenge this month. I love having the connection with other participants and my own elf and I have committed to giving daily updates on my Facebook page regarding each of the tasks. This has been such a great challenge to participate in and I’m so glad I opted in and have followed through. I have made more time for myself, focused more directly on my health and fitness and have made connections with others. This challenge is not over but with only a few days left I can say that I already know that this is a success.

My third challenge is one that I did because Neil decided he wanted to do a juice til 4 cleanse. Now I did not juice til 4 with him due to the negative side effects that a cleanse can have while nursing but I did agree to challenge myself to increase the amount of fruits and vegetables I ate and have no coffee, gluten, processed foods, or alcohol for four days with him. I did it! But even more notable is that HE DID IT! My husband spent the last 4 days doing a juice til 4 cleanse and I have never been so proud of him, okay maybe I have but still this is huge, if you know my husband you might know his will power to pass up free treats is low and he is notorious for being one of those “well I worked out so..” type do people and yet he did his. 100% committed did it. He feels great, isn’t craving the crap that he was and just overall is feeling like the restart button has been pushed. I feel better too and just like him cut the cravings for processed food and sweets.

What Have I Learned? Committing to myself feels good. I have been feeling successful and healthier both mentally and physically. That being said I am thinking that monthly challenges for myself might be a good thing to try. I have done this in the past and they have helped me out a lot but I also have learned that I do this better when I can do it with others. So that being said who wants to take on some monthly challenges with me? I am thinking starting January doing a monthly health or fitness challenge would be fun. I know that incentives help so I am thinking a giveaway at the end of each challenge for those who finish a challenge might be a fun addition. That being said who is interested and what kinds of challenges would you want to participate in?

*For full disclosure I made $0 off the entire game after deducting Neil’s entry into the game.

BODY AFTER BABY | Skin Care Products

October 2, 2014 by Lindsay Ingalls 2 Comments

mamamio

I have always been interested in skin care products and make up but I really have never taken anytime to learn more and try products. I basically only use a shampoo/body wash combo, conditioner, deodorant (sometimes- hey just being honest) and when my skin is really dried out I might use a lotion but usually I just end up using a sample when I’m out at a store. I also have a little bit of make up but rarely wear it.

I know from the list above it would seem that I don’t really care about taking care of my skin and hair or taking time to put myself together. The thing is I DO want to take better care of hair and skin and look more put together but I honestly haven’t wanted to spend the money to invest in it, especially when I feel like I don’t know where to start. That’s where Mamamio Skincare comes in; they generously sent me a variety of samples of their pregnancy/postpartum skincare products and I’m ready to take on the challenge of using them.

As part of my Body After Baby journey I really want to take back myself. I want to not only feel healthy but I want to look healthy and put together. I know that being a mom doesn’t mean I have to look like a slob and that doing a few simple things for myself every day like washing my face (yeah I’m terrible and only wash my face in the shower which is like 3-4 days per week), put on a little lotion and/or body oil and also put on a little bit of make up (don’t worry I’m not going to crazy I’m talking just a little foundation, blush, mascara and lip gloss) is going to make me feel better. I think it will also make me feel more productive during the day and motivated to keep taking care of myself.

Today was the first day I used any of the Mamamio Skincare products and after washing my face, putting on some of the Tummy Rub Oil and Goodbye Stretch Mark Lotion I am already feeling a little better and I haven’t even gotten dressed yet. I need to remind myself that I do have 5-10 minutes per day to do a few little things like this for myself. If I feel good then I can be more focused and productive during the day and that’s better for me, my children and my husband. So I am here to say that I am challenging myself to 30 days of using these products and I will report back at the end of the month about how I feel. Also just for fun I’ll be doing a little giveaway of a few Mamamio Skincare products over on Naturally Family; you can check out the giveaway items over on the NF Instagram account.

What are your favorite skincare products? What is your beauty routine like? Any tips?

BODY AFTER BABY | THE REAL PLAN

September 21, 2014 by Lindsay Ingalls 4 Comments

I call this “the real plan” because back in June when I wrote my postpartum weight loss plan those were all just ideas of what I would like to do. Now here we are 7+ weeks postpartum, have dealt with my postpartum realities and I’m ready to take on the task of refocusing on my health.

Photo from this weekend. 7weeks1day postpartum with Alder (baby #2).

I am currently 20 pounds away from my pre-baby #2 starting weight and I am 40 pounds away from my pre-baby #1 starting weight. Add in another 15 pounds that I had hanging on me before my pregnancy with Edith bringing the grand total to 65 pounds away from my happy weight (I’d say I’m about 80 pounds from my idea weight but that’s a whole other plan).

Right now I have three goals based on the above considerations. Goal 1: Lose 20 pounds. Goal 2: Lose 40 pounds. Goal 3: Lose 65 pounds. Now I’m not setting a timeline but I will say that I’d like to accomplish goal #3 by December 2016.

August before my pregnancy with Alder.

So let me start off by saying my first priority is nourishing my baby boy and taking care of myself. I am nursing and it’s going great and here are no plans to stop anytime soon so I needed to take that into consideration when I created this plan. So here it goes (based on my original postpartum weight loss plan) …

I plan to get back to running at around 9-12 weeks postpartum. Based on my original plan I said 9-12 weeks postpartum and I’m actually feeling pretty great. I have days that are better than others when it comes to healing ie. I still have some light spotting and soreness when I am overly active but have been cleared to start run/walk at 8 weeks postpartum That being said I am planning to start couch to 5k (or something similar) next weekend. I am terrified but also excited to get back at it. My plan is to slow (not like that will be hard) and just ease myself back into running.

I plan to incorporate 2 days of strength training into my workout routine and light cardio once I am cleared to get back to normal activity. I haven’t started strength training but my plan is to start this week. What I have been doing is lots of walking and just this weekend a little bit of hiking. Oh and running up and down three flights of stairs many times per day is getting my ass in shape. So that all being said I’m keeping up with the walking and will be incorporating in strength.

I also plan to get back in a yoga routine. This starts this week! I signed up for my first postpartum class for this Monday night and I can’t wait to get back in the studio. I am starting back slowly with some restorative yoga and let me tell you I just can’t wait. I am going to be doing one class weekly or bi-weekly until my punch pass runs out. I am also planning to do at least one at home sesh per week.

Keep my eating in check! Bah. This has seriously been the hardest. Nursing is no joke and my appetite is often off the charts. Combine that with a busy toddler, trying to keep house and limited time I haven’t been doing my best at eating well. I have been eating far too many sweets and not enough fruits and vegetables. The plan is to BUY more fruits and vegetables because if we have them in the house we will eat them. The second plan is to buy/make less desserts. The third and probably most important thing is to menu plan so that #1 and #2 can be successful.

Drink lots of water! When I was pregnant with Alder I had no problem downing (reusable) bottle after (reusable) bottle of water. For some reason postpartum I have been struggling with this despite always being thirsty. My goal is to drink, drink, drink and drinks some more water. Cut back on the coffee and up the water intake.

Buy myself postpartum clothes in whatever size I have to buy. This is easier said than done but I did it. I bought myself (with some gifted from my parents): three bottoms (one of which is already too big), six tops and two pairs of shoes because my feet also grew. I was also sent a few nursing tops for review. My follow-up to this plan is to continue to buy clothes in whatever size I am at the time aka as I lose weight. I have the next size down in a lot of clothes and as soon as I lose a little weight and my hips (hopefully) shrink a bit they will fit me and then after that I will have to buy all new clothes because I have nada.

Have Fun and Enjoy Life. Stop focusing solely on the number and focus on how I feel. I have two beautiful, healthy children and an amazing, supportive partner and they need met to happy and healthy and to enjoy life with them.

Favorites |My Back to School Haul

September 17, 2014 by Lindsay Ingalls 5 Comments

So I have been out of school for many years now and my kids have not yet started any sort of (in)formal education but I ended up going back to school shopping last week anyways. I seriously LOVE Autumn and the back to school season. As many of you already know I am ADDICTED to notebooks and love to write most everything by hand before I bringing it to my computer. It is something I have always done and I do my best work when I write it out first.

So while I didn’t need to go back to school shopping I did anyways and I did it after the back to school craze was over and everything was on major sale. Here is what I picked up:

Neil and I picked up a giant white board for our new office that I didn’t take a photo of it but I think you can picture a giant white board. Above you will find legal pads (for Neil) sticky notes, magnetic white board pens (no idea if our white board has a magnetic feature I mostly bought them because of the dry erase caps), and some arts and craft items for Edith (washable markers, water colors, gluex2, safety scissors and a pencil sharpener for her colored pencils). Oh and of course chocolate almonds for Edith because I promised I’d pick her up some; this kid is addicted to almonds especially dark chocolate ones.

Besides having lots of fun back to school supplies aka office and art supplies we have been snacking on so many tasty snacks. Above are a few that we have been enjoying which include old favorites like applesauce packets and Mamma Chia Squeeze and new favorites like Lentil Snaps and Made in Nature Fruit Fusion snack packs.

These Made in Nature Fruit Fusion dried fruit snack packs are so tasty and I can snack on them while nursing, grab them on the run for a snack or stick them in the diaper bag to have when we are out and about. I have only tried the tropical flavor (thank you to Made in Nature for sending me a sample to try) and I like it but I think the Antioxidant or Mediterranean flavors are more my taste just because I’m not into dried pineapple. I just saw on the Made in Nature site that they now have Organic Maple Madagascar Vanilla Toasted Coconut Chips <– don’t these sound insanely good? Who has tried them and are they as good as they sound? They are now added to my “must try” list.

My family (Alder excluded)is already a huge fan of Harvest Snap Peas but we were sent a box (thank you!) that also included the Snap Lentils and everyone is just crazy about them. We all could easily eat a bag in a day and well I have to admit I ate the entire back of Tomato Basil ones (sorry Neil and Edith). They are insanely good and while we could toss them on top of a salad we just like to stick our hands deep into the bag and dig right in. Who else has tried these? Seriously they are so good!

So these are some of our favorites from our latest Target, grocery and mail haul. If you like these types of post leave a comment below.

Question of the day: Do you enjoy the back to school season? What are your favorite parts? Also what are your favorite school supplies? I am all about these Piccadilly notebooks from Barnes and Noble that you find in the discounted books section that is usually right at the front near the check out. The covers are kind of terrible (as you can see in the photo back at the top of this post but they seriously have the best paper inside to write on. I’ll stop there before I write an entire sub-post on my undying love for these notebooks. I have been buying 2-3 quarterly for probably 8 years now. Seriously in love.

Lady Talk | My ParaGard IUD Experience

June 17, 2014 by Lindsay Ingalls 41 Comments

I have talked very briefly about my experience with the ParaGard IUD and I am finally sitting down to share a little bit more indepth! Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional this is just my personal experience please consult your care provider if you have concerns or questions regarding the ParaGard IUD.
Towards the end of my pregnancy with Edith we were exploring our birth control options and to be honest we were leaning towards going the snip snip route because me + hormonal birth control do not mix. Seriously my experience with hormonal birth control is a whole other story in itself and if you’d like me to share it just let me know! When it came time to discuss birth control with the midwives we said we were thinking of going snip route and she said well unless you are 110% sure you don’t want more children that maybe a better route would be the ParaGard IUD a non-hormonal birth control. This was the first time I had heard of the ParaGard and was very interested to learn more. When we got pregnant with Edith we had been loosely practicing the FAM method for about two years. However, I knew going back to the FAM method wasn’t something I wanted to do just because of the potential risk of getting pregnant again before we were ready and the fact that it’s hard to follow this method until your period has returned and as a breastfeeding mom who knows when that would occur. So it seemed that since hormonal birth control was out, FAM method wasn’t ideal and we were only 90% sure we were one and done that the ParaGard was the (only) way to go.

At eight weeks postpartum I had the ParaGard IUD inserted and had no immediate issues with it. Within a month of having the ParaGard I found myself back up to my pregnancy weight, after having lost 15 of the 25 pounds I put on. While I can say that nursing, diet and lifestyle may have also factored into weight gain I continue to be unable to lose any of the weight even when improving diet and lifestyle. At around six months postpartum my period returned and the first month was on the lighter side but come the second month I was experiencing a heavier flow which I attributed to a postpartum period. I also had incredibly painful cramping to the point of nausea. I figured it was just my body getting back into things and that eventually I would get back to “normal”. Well that just wasn’t the case at all. Every month I experienced the same heavy flow and extremely painful, nauseating cramps.

I really didn’t know what to do though because we just were not ready to even consider having baby #2 and we were not ready to rule it out either. I decided to do some further research on my “symptoms” and found that it is very common for women to have pain and increased bleeding during the first year of having the ParaGard IUD and it’s actually one of the top reasons women get it removed. I also read that things usually common down after a year of having the ParaGard IUD so I decided to wait it out and see if things changed after a year.

Well nothing changed and that’s when I finally said I’M DONE. I discussed things with Neil and while we were not ready to have #2 we both agreed that getting my IUD out was the best choice for me and my body. We had planned to go back to the FAM method and while we were not officially ready for #2 yet we were okay if it happened. I set up an appointment with a naturopathic doctor/midwife and went in to discuss my IUD and having it removed.

At my appointment we discussed my issues with the IUD and one thing she pointed out is that the copper in the ParaGard IUD is there to irritate the uterus and work as a spermicide and all this can cause inflammation in the body. Inflammation in the body can cause an increase in appetite and weight gain. This is when I went DUH! I know this but why didn’t I just put this all together? So while we were supposed to just have a conversation about the IUD and my issues with it my doctor said she could take it out right then if I wanted her to and without thinking twice I had her take it out. Well I should have made note of the fact that Neil and I had been intimate the days before because I ended up ovulating that night and since sperm can live up to 72 hours we ended up pregnant with baby #2 (this is just a side note for those who are thinking about getting their IUD removed).

So that all being said I will not be going back on the ParaGard IUD after baby #2 arrives instead Neil is going to take one for the team because we are two and DONE.

I thought I would also include some other people experiences with the ParaGard IUD: Friend #1: She also got the ParaGard IUD after her daughter was born and found it challenging to lose the baby weight until after about a year of having the IUD. She didn’t experience any other issues and is still currently using the ParaGard IUD.

Friend #2: While she never experienced any issues with the ParaGard IUD she did end up with a surprise pregnancy after about 12 months of using the ParaGard IUD. Now she is debating what to do next as she doesn’t plan to go back on the ParaGard after #2 is born (I mean why would you if you got pregnant on it the first time around!)

Naturally Family Facebook Friend: I have a Paragard and it’s been fantastic for me. I got it one year postpartum (used a diaphragm first year postpartum for protection). It was terribly painful to insert (maybe because I had a c section). The cramping was awful and periods were awful for the first 6 months…but since then, things have completely stabilized. Normal periods, normal cramping (about a days worth every cycle). No weight gain or skin issues. Love that it’s non hormonal. I’m sorry to hear your experience wasn’t a good one! I am interested in reading about it.

Naturally Family Facebook Friend: I had a horrible time with it and had it removed roughly 17 months after placement, thankfully your advice about abstaining the day before prevented us from an unexpected #2

What are you currently using for birth control and how is it working for you? For those of you who have tried the ParaGard IUD what has/was your experience like?

Healthy Challenge | (No) TV Challenge

May 28, 2014 by Lindsay Ingalls 2 Comments

I am behind. Or at least it feels that way.

Behind on blog posts, behind on housework, behind on getting ready for this baby, behind on my workouts…

Maybe it’s nesting or finally realizing that um we are going to have a baby sometime in the next 6-11 weeks. I just am feeling like I have so much to do and I haven’t been making time to do it. Yes, I haven’t been making the time. It’s not that there hasn’t been time but rather I have been doing other things with my time which lately has mostly been catching up on TV shows almost nightly and well doing nothing but sitting. While I am getting more and more tired out as I get deeper into this third trimester I also know that I could be a little more productive with my free time (aka time when Edith is sleeping).

How I currently feel about TV aka give me all the TV (after the tot goes to bed)

That all being said Neil is feeling the same way about his nights and weekends and so we have decided to make a change.

Edith (generally) is up from 6/6:30a-12p, naps 12-1:30/2p, and then heads to bed between 6:45-7:30p. During her naptime I often find myself lounging on the couch watching a show. Instead I know I need to use some of this time to get housework done, respond to emails and catch up on blogging or any other task. On days that I need a break instead of watching TV I should be reading or napping.

As for nights it’s so easy to just plop down on the couch and watch TV/browse Pinterest. Instead of doing that the goal is to do something productive including a quick 5 minute pickup around the house.

So this month Neil and I are challenging ourselves (and you) to do the following:

Sunday-Thursday: No TV before 9pm and max of one episode of a show.

Friday & Saturday: No TV before 7pm. No max.

I know this should be easy but when you are an exhausted pregnant lady with a toddler sometimes you just want to veg out on the couch. I know I will thank myself later (especially when #2 arrives) that I was more productive with my time.

How about you? Are you ready to take on the challenge?

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