Maple Holistics - Tea Tree Oil Shampoo

 Tea Tree Oil Shampoo

Maple Holistics sent me a free sample of their Tea Tree Oil Shampoo!

Sign up for a free sample here: MapleHolistics

I normally do not use normal shampoo because of the chemistry lab list of ingredients in them but this shampoo breaks the norm. While it does have a lot of ingredients, the ones it has are safe and beneficial. Jojoba oil is similar in composition to sebum. Argan oil has been shown to have beneficial effects on cosmetic and overall health.

The smell from this shampoo is exceptional. It lingered in the bathroom for 10minutes after using it. I would describe it as the smell of an herb garden in the spring.

I have a unique form of dandruff that has not been solved by other products. This post will be updated after a week of using this product to see if it helps.

*** Update as of 12/12/17
My Dandruff has improved significantly. I have enjoyed using this product and can suggest it as a natural remedy for dandruff. I will continue to use it for the next month and see how much it improves.

Tea Tree Oil

Argan Oil

Jojoba Oil
Image provided by: jojobanaturals.com

General Workout

Torso Rotations

Warm up with some torso rotations and your choice of one other exercise from here

Hip thrusts with a ball

Neutral arm shoulder press

Seated rows with a wide supinated grip 

4 Exercise superset!

• Perform 3 sets of all 4 exercises back to back in this order: 
1. Hip thrusts -  15 reps
2. Shoulder press - 10-12 reps
3. Wall sit - 30-45seconds
4. Seated row - 10-12 reps
   
   Choose a weight that is manageable for these reps

Wall sits

External rotator stretch

Finish with an external rotator stretch and your choice of 2 other stretches

The Great Nutrient Collapse

The Great Nutrient Collapse

With the climate change, changes in farming methods, and increased amount of processed foods, our population is in a nutrient deficit and calorie surplus. How can I combat this change in our food supply. With fruits and vegetables having less of what we need, I have personally turned to supplementation. 

The big three

Protein

As the article states, our foods are becoming higher in fats/carbs and deficient in protein. One easy way to increase protein intake during the day is to take a protein supplement. Many different types exist, including plant egg, or meat options for those with dairy intolerance.

Omega 3s

Omega 3 fats should exist in our beef, pork, and other meats, but due to breeding processes our foods are incredibly deficient in these healthy fats. Taking a fish supplement can be beneficial in restoring the omega 3-6-9 balance that our bodies need.

Micronutrients

While a multivitamin can be a good option here, an even better option is a power-packed green smoothie. "Greens" powders are becoming increasingly popular and are better than synthetic vitamins because they provide nutrients in the configuration that nature intended, rather than as an isolated individual vitamin/mineral.

Lower Body

Abductors

Lunges

Adductors

Hamstrings/glutes

• 4 Sets of Lunges
• 10-12 reps each leg
• 1 min rest between sets
• Weighted/light weight
• 3 sets glute bridges
• 10-12 reps each leg
• 1 min rest between sets
• Superset Abd/adductors
• 3 sets
• 15 reps each leg
• 1 min rest between supersets

Stretch

Upper Body

Assisted Pullups

Desk pushups

Shoulder Taps

Band Curls

Core Workout - Daily

• 20 reps of each for 3 sets
• Increase as you progress

2 Week Rotation - Beginner

Leg/core Day

Hip Closers

Hip Openers

6 inch leg raise

Side plank

Physioball Squats

• Pick a warmup from this site or do a basic 5min treadmill/bike
• 15 Hip openers 2 sets
• 15 hip closers 2 sets
• Circuit (repeat 3 times)
• 20 ball squats
• 30s side plank (if you can't hold the full time you can rest for 3s)
• 30s leg raise (if you can't hold the full time you can rest for 3s)
• 1 min rest

Upper Body

Bodyweight Shoulder Press

Physioball Chest Press

Seated Machine Row

DB Curl

• Superset 1 - Shoulder press/Machine row
• 3-4 sets
• 6-10 reps
• 30s-1min rest between supersets
• Superset 2 - Chest press/DB curl
• 3-4 sets
• 8-12 reps
• 30s-1min rest between supersets

 Core/Mobility

Hip Flexor

Gluteus Medius

Lowback/glutes

Cat/Camel

Plank

• Circuit (repeat 3 times)
• 20 reps cat/camel
• 30s plank
• Stretching
• 15-30s hold
• Lowback/glutes
• Gluteus Medius
• Hip flexor

Protein and Amino Acid Supplementation

Pulled from this research article: http://jn.nutrition.org/content/146/2/155.long

This is some heavy duty biochemistry but is extremely educational when fully comprehended. This article extracts truth from nearly all of the credible protein/amino acid supplementation research studies that have been conducted.

Improving your health without emptying your wallet

Eating healthy is so expensive😩!

But it doesn't have to be. Below is a quick guide on where, when, and how to buy healthy food cheaply.

Basic principals of the food industry:

• The government subsidizes low-quality food products such as wheat, corn, soy, and sugar.
• These are highly prevalent in our food supply and will usually be the cheapest option while also being the least healthy option
• More convenient=more expensive
• CVS/Riteaid/walgreens always charge insane amounts for their products because of convenience. The only time I shop here is for extremely reduced clearance items or in a pinch when I have no other options.
• Frozen and canned
• Some foods are ok to purchase frozen or canned and will save you money
• Others almost entirely lose their nutritional benefits after being canned/frozen
• Good
• Frozen vegetables
• Frozen meat/fish
• Frozen grain-based items
• canned beans (watch the salt)
• canned meat/fish (watch the salt)
• Less good
• frozen fruit
• canned fruit
• Go off of price/lb or price/oz or price/unit rather than total price.
• Sometimes the purported discount isn't as good as it seems.
• Find out where the clearance sections are and check them every once in a while
• New products are always coming out and frequently fail. Take advantage of the companies trying to dump their products and cut their losses.

Where:
Keep your eyes peeled for discount tags and always check the weekly circulars

1. Aldi 
1. Always a good choice if not the best
2. https://www.aldi.us/en/weekly-specials/our-weekly-ads/
2. Walmart
1. Deals are harder to find here but most of their prices are similar to Aldi for basic staples
3. Sam's Club
1. If you shop to feed a lot of people and avoid wasting food, this will be a great option for you.
4. Trader Joe's
1. If you avoid meat and prepackaged goods most of these prices are manageable, especially for the higher quality that you will get.
5. Shop-n-save/Kuhn's/Community Market
6. Whole Foods
1. Above Giant Eagle because the prices are marginally higher in most cases while providing much higher quality food.
7. Giant Eagle
1. They are extremely monopolized and have a large group of loyal customers. I am appalled at the prices every time I walk in here.

On a side note, Big Lots is a great spot for occasional clearance shopping for cheat day food (energy drinks, chips, sauce, crackers, etc)

When:

1. Buy seasonal fresh produce
1. Watermelon in the summer
2. Oranges in the winter
3. Google is a great resource to see what grows when
2. Stocking up in bulk during sales is a great way to save
1. Hams go on sale once a year and can be frozen for ~6 months
2. Bread will occasionally go on sale and can be frozen
3. Special holiday sales are a great time to stock up on non-perishables

How:

1. Don't be picky!
1. Try new fruits/vegetables you have never had before
2. Google recipes to cook them
2. Eat more fruits and vegetables
1. Our bodies don't need as many calories as we think
2. Fruits and vegetables fill us up without overloading on calories/salt/sugar
3. Cook more frequently
1. It can be difficult in our busy society but I imagine if you have read this far you might have some time for cooking 😉
4. Buy in bulk when possible
1. Companies are willing to drop the price on goods when you buy more of them because it increases their sales
2. Don't waste food and in the end you will be the one profiting

Supplements:

• Tracking sites like: http://www.fitnessdealnews.com/
• GNC clearance
• By the 5th of every month they reduce the price on supplements that expire soon
• Most will barely lose quality but be careful
• Vitamin shoppe clearance
• Vitamin world clearance

Mobility work

hip rocks

hip pull across (static or dynamic)

knee to chest (static or dynamic)

hip flexor static stretch

Home Workout - Difficulty: Beginner

• 3 supersets
• 15 crunches 
• Can be done with/without dumbbell/bands
• 10 lunges each leg
• Pick a weight that works for these rep ranges, the last set should be pretty tough

• 3 sets of ball squats
• 20 reps
• 3 sets of hip openers
• Keep the core tight during all 12 reps

Quick and Simple at home workout - Difficulty: Beginner

1. Set 1 (back to back)
1. 3-4 sets
• 15 Pushups
• Glutes and abs engaged
• 15 (for each leg) leg extensions
2. Set 2
1. 3-4 sets
• 15 each leg for adductors(left picture) and abductors (right picture)

Having fun

Full Body Hardcore Workout

• Cycle through consecutively
• As many reps/time as possible
• 3 total sets
• 30s-1min rest between sets