Product Review: Gaia Adrenal Health Supplements

As someone who deals with varying levels of anxiety on a daily basis, I was VERY interested when I heard about this magical hormone balancing "adaptogenic" herb called "Ashwagandha". 

Mind you, I fully support the use of modern medicine for depression, anxiety and the like; while I have used medication in the past, I have the personal belief that the anxiety I deal with can be healed through holistic and functional medicine. I AM NOT A DOCTOR. Okay? Do your own research, ask questions and figure out what works for you--that's all I've done. 

That being said, after extensive research and shopping around, I found that these hippie pills have WORKED for me. 

I started out just taking Ashwagandha Root from Gaia. After getting through my first month of that, I hadn't noticed massive changes but I wanted to keep going and see if it just needed more time. 

After doing more research, I found their Adrenal Health Daily Support, which has a combination of a number of adaptogenic herbs that are supposed to help balance hormones and regulate moods. In addition, I started taking Adrenal Health Nightly Restore in the evenings to get the full range of herbs. 

Now, I am in my 4th month of consistently taking both the daily and nightly support pills and I feel GREAT! 

What do I mean by great? Let me break it down:

• No hormonal mood swings 

• No panic attacks

• Better, more sound sleep

• Steady levels of energy throughout the day

Now, I still have anxiety. These supplements are meant to support, not cure. But since in the past two months especially, I've been able to quickly recognize mood changes and though patterns and adjust accordingly. I also used to get horrible, horrible mood swings around my cycle; I have not had a single irrational breakdown since I started taking these. 

I cannot and will not guarantee that you will have the same results. However, if you too suffer from constant or even occasional anxiety, do your research!! Between your brain and your adrenals, anxiety is NOT just "in your head". It is a physiological response to stress and there are ways to improve how you respond to stress, both through mental therapies AND herbal supplementation (and modern medication if that is what works well for you and for your body). 

If you have any questions or have found something that works for you, I would LOVE to hear about it!! This is a huge area of interest for me and I'm happy to share and learn more as I continue down this path of functional, holistic healing. 

Product Review: Vital Proteins Collagen Supplements

I was 99.9% sure that collagen was a fad diet thing; like juice cleanses and cabbage diets and all that. But, after a lot of research and a few too many hours stalking some health trendsetters on instagram and pinterest, I realized that it has the potential to be a staple! You know, like avocados and kale. 

I went with Vital Protein because the site was really well laid out and it explained the health benefits and uses of collagen as a supplement. And, as every visual shopper today, I'm a sucker for a clean logo and pretty packaging. JUDGE ME. 

PASTURE-RAISED, GRASS-FED COLLAGEN PEPTIDES, 10 OZ CANISTERS

Taste: A+++++++++++ BECAUSE YOU CAN'T TASTE IT AT ALL!!! I was blown away by that. Things that say "unflavored" very rarely are. This mixes so easily with my water, I can sip it throughout the day and not even think about it. 

COLLAGEN BEAUTY GREENS, 10 OZ CANISTER

Taste: C. This jank is not tasty. The health benefits are amazing and I'm glad that I have it as an option, but it has that weird, chalky texture. Even in a shake with pineapple, apple and avocado and blended with a high speed blender...it left much to be desired. 

Health Benefits

Hippie Health: A few of my favorite things

So, for those of you that don’t know this about me, in addition to being an aspiring NINJA, I’m also a total hippie.

If I’m not punching or kicking something, I’m looking up recipes for vegan dishes and buddha bowls or researching meat-free nutrition plans for athletes like myself (side note: not a vegan, I love me some BBQ. But I’m all about that dairy-free, plant-based, whole foods life). You can find me wearing the quintessential tie-dye-flowy-hippie-clothes, coloring or drawing, and doing some yoga--because I’m also a certified yoga instructor.

Because why break only one stereotype WHEN YOU CAN BREAK THEM ALL?

Yoga is a big part of who I am; like fighting, I discovered it at a time in my life when I desperately needed a refuge. It gave me the sense of calm and direction that I was lacking during my college years. Not only that, it helped me address the years of body-hating I’d inflicted on myself, something 97% of women deal with every single day.

Yoga taught me to have compassion for myself and for others while helping me learn to love my body and respect myself. While it may seem counter intuitive, I think having a background in yoga has helped me tremendously as a fighter. Not just in terms of flexibility or athleticism, but also for mental fortitude and inner calm. 

And while I may be incredibly out of practice, I still roll my yoga mat out once a week to do my own flow. Because it’s all about balance--finding the balance between aggression and peace, between a killer workout and a mindful flow. And, it keeps me flexible. Which is kind of important for EVERY athlete. 

So, with that said, here’s a compilation of my favorite happy-hippie resources to keep you well-fed, centered, and flexible!

Websites:

• Greatist: I LOVE this site because they cater to every human; they have recipes for meat-eaters and vegans, workouts for hardcore athletes and for casual gym-goers, and plenty of inspiration and articles for everyone. I get about 90% of my recipe ideas from here.

• Meditation breathing: I use this site for five minutes twice a day to practice deep breathing. As a naturally high-energy, i.e. high-strung, person I have to practice relaxing because it is not my forte.

• Pinterest: Typical, I know. Women and pinterest (insert huge eyeroll here). But, as an information junky, it is the fastest way for me to find ANYTHING. I jump on pinterest for quotes that make me feel inspired, for information on what I can actually use apple cider vinegar for, or for a step-by-step guide on cooking salmon correctly for cooking-inept dummies like me. I heart pinterest.

Apps:

• Forks over Knives - $5 - This app is amazing because it has all plant-based recipes AND makes shopping SUPER convenient by preloading all of the ingredients and syncing them to your phone so you can keep track of everything you need, per recipe. Shout out to lazy, health-conscious shoppers like me!

• Daily Yoga - Free w/ Upgrade options - AWESOME app for beginners or seasoned yogis; it has yoga to destress, pre and post run stretches, and body-part specific yoga postures for tight hips and the like.

• CalorieCount - Free - Does this one need explaining? I mostly use this to count my macros, make sure I’m not eating too much sugar and am getting enough vitamins everyday.

Instagram:

• GRRRL Clothing - @grrrl_clothing - This brand is one of the sponsors for both Holly Holm and Rose Namajunas. As a female athlete, specifically a fighter, I love seeing the inspiring posts they flood my feed with.

• Jeannette Ogden - @shutthekaleup - Great, fun photos of delicious food (and a really freakin cute baby), because, it’s instagram. And sometimes it’s just about the pretty stuff :)

• Massy Arias - @massy.airas - A fitness account with tons of workouts, stretches, nutrition info and one of the coolest, most body-positive ladies on the planet.

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