How to Trick Your Friends into Cleaning Your Bathroom

Harsh chemicals bombard our everyday lives.  We get so caught up in cleanliness that we forget about the nasty combinations of toxic fumes, formaldehyde, asbestos, petrochemicals and pesticides that we're putting onto our skin, clothing, and using when cleaning our homes.  In addition to being dangerous to our health, they are expensive.  We use our hard earned cash to voluntarily poison ourselves!  That's crazy town.

Sparkes Wellness and Motivated Nutrition say no more!

We're here to show you how to make a homemade bathroom cleaner using as little chemical as possible. 

It's cheap.   It's fast.  It will make your tub and shower clean!  (It made my tub smell like vanilla cake because of the milk and honey soap we used. Mmmm!)  AND, it's so novel, your friends will beg to help you!  (Rubs hands together with sinister smile).

Check out our homemade recipe below and watch as I get Sparkes Wellness to fall for cleaning my shower as I sneak off to eat lunch!

You will need: 

•  Mixing bowl, spoon, sponge
• 1 2/3 cups baking soda
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup liquid soap
• 2 Tbsp vinegar

***This recipe make a lot!  We cut it in 1/2 because I have a very tiny Brooklyn bathroom.  Depending on your space, you may want to do the same.  

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine baking soda, water, and liquid soap.  Mix well.

2. Add vinegar, watch it get frothy and mix again.

3. Apply to a sponge and scrub.

4. Convince your friend how fun this is so they scrub too!

5. Rinse

6. Back out of the room slowly as your friend cleans your bathroom.  ;)

Leave a comment if you have your own homemade cleaning recipe that you'd love to share. 


In healthy home happiness,

Joanie


www.motivatednutrition.net
joanie@motivatednutrition.net

*Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channels so you don't miss any of our "Spring Cleaning from the Inside Out" series!

Sparkes Wellness 

  Motivated Nutrition 

Detoxing with "Super Kale"

Spring is just around the corner!  Just like we take time to clear away the dust and stale winter air from our homes this time of year, it's important to do the same for our bodies.   Did you catch last week's episode on cleansing with "Lion's breath"?  For a good roar, check out Motivated Nutrition and Sparkes Wellness HERE.

Our bodies are smart and know how to clean themselves when we put delicious, nutritious foods into them.  My idea of a "detox" is to cut out everything that comes in a can, box or package, eating only foods that Mother Nature provides.  Spring is a time of rebirth, renewal and all things fresh and green.  This time of year, Mother Nature sprouts out a plethora of fibrous, nutritious, leafy greens for us to help clean out our bodies.  

One of my favorite leafy greens is kale.  This nutritional power house is loaded with vitamins A, C, and K.  It packs a punch of iron, calcium and a hearty dose of fiber and sulfur to boost our bodies natural detoxification enzymes. 

It's great sauteed, steamed or my personal favorite, baked into crispy kale chips!  This recipe is super fast, super easy and super awesome...just like super kale.  Speaking of super...don't Sparkes Wellness and I make a great team?*

 Kale Chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Wash kale
3. Dry thoroughly (you can use a salad spinner or a paper towel) Any dampness will result in soggy chips!
4. Remove stems
5. Tear into bite sized pieces
6. Spread kale across a baking tray
7. Coat evenly with olive oil
8. Sprinkle with sea salt
9. Bake in the oven for 12 min (or until crispy)
10. ENJOY! Mmmm

*Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channels so you don't miss any of our "Spring Cleaning from the Inside Out" series!

Sparkes Wellness 

Motivated Nutrition

Managing our Fears

Managing our Fears

Pre swim school- Determined and Olympic bound

Dara Torres, the oldest swimmer to ever place on the U.S. Olympic team was once quoted, “The water doesn't know how old you are.”

This past Saturday, I donned a too tight swim cap, along with my newly purchased Speedo, and dove into my first swim class at age 31.  OK, so I didn't exactly dive.  It was more like cautiously stepped down the ladder and eased myself into the pool. 

I know what you are thinking.  How did I never learn to swim?  Well, I don't particularly like water. (I take really fast showers).  I hate the feeling of wet hair.  My "learn to swim" option growing up was a disgusting, fish filled, mucky bottomed family pond- so I opted out.  I once wore "swimmies" to a birthday pool party at age 12 and got made fun of so badly that I vowed I would never go in the water again.  I can float and doggie paddle so I could never really drowned.

I decided it was time to push my humiliated 12 yr old self aside and face my fears by enrolling in swim school.  I was incredibly nervous Saturday morning and felt like I was off to my first day of school.  I can't remember the last time I felt those emotions.  There were about 19 other non-swimming adults who looked as terrified as I felt and we all laughed nervously as we learned to blow bubbles, float face down, glide and eventually work our way up to alternating arm strokes while holding onto a paddle board.  I couldn't believe how much we learned in such a short period of time.  I thought I would come home as a master bubble blower and nothing more.  I couldn't stop gushing about my accomplishments for the rest of the day.  "I put my face IN the water and glided the ENTIRE width of the pool!  I was swimming!"  An outside observer even commented on how fast I was.  I told him it was probably because I was wearing my new Speedo and was aiming for the 2016 Olympics.  I'll probably be ready to qualify after my 9 remaining lessons.

Facing our fears can add a new level of excitement to our lives.  When was the last time you stood head to head with something that terrified, shamed, or belittled you?  All too often, we set ourselves up to overcome and then retreat the moment "waters get rocky".  Sometimes all it takes is a little direction and knowing how to break our fear down into manageable steps so we don't throw ourselves head first into the pool. 

• Can you think of something that is both fearful and intriguing to you?  I've always been intrigued by other swimmers but was never able to consider myself as one.   
• Think about the steps you need to take in order to make it manageable.  Step one: find a swim class.  Step two: buy a swim suit.  Step three, blow bubbles.  
• Surround yourself with "experts" and supportive people.  I tried to learn to swim many unsuccessful times from friends.  Although they had good intentions, I realize now they serve as much better cheerleaders on the sidelines. 
• Celebrate!  Don't downplay your accomplishments.  What may seem minor to someone else is a hugely valid success for yourself.  "I swam the ENTIRE width of the pool with my face IN the water!"  Do you have any idea how impressive that is? 

Have you overcome any fears lately?  Do you have any fears you want to share?  What were/are the steps to make it more manageable?   Leave your comment below, tweet MtvdNutrition, or post on the Motivated Nutrition Facebook page! 

In Future Olympian Health,

Joanie   

Joanie Johnson, CHC

Motivated Nutrition

www.motivatednutrition.net

814-442-5311

The Princess and the Pea...and Other Nasty Things

The Princess, The Pea...and Other Nasty Things

Arctic Blast Bike Face

I've been sick this week.  I'm actually convinced that I'm not sick but I've (as my best friend stated it) "frozen my cilia" after riding my bike in the freezing cold without covering my face.  Bad move #1 this week.  NYC has been hit with an arctic blast and unfortunately, peddling is the quickest way for me to get from point A to point B when I'm training clients.  I noticed the heavy chest feeling at the end of last week and fought my hardest to keep the nastiness at bay.  My usual regime of greens, vitamins, zinc, tons of water, extra sleep and aromatherapy baths didn't do it this time.  Frozen cilia or not, whatever is going on in this bod, it's nasty.  (I've since adopted the amazingly attractive full face mask look above while riding).

Spending "sick" time in bed can be less than glorious.  After 2 days of fighting miserable boredom, I decided to "treat" my sorry self to a movie and some semi-sweet chocolate chips ( a personal weakness of mine) Bad move #'s 2, 3 AND 4. 

#2 Sugar temporarily suppresses the immune system cells responsible for attacking bacteria.  Consuming lots of sugar while sick is a terrible idea if you're trying to get better fast. 

#3 Eating in bed is disgusting.  The only thing you should do in bed is sleep...well, maybe not the ONLY thing, but that's for a different kind of blog post.  Remember the story of The Princess and the Pea?  Crumbs, peas, or chocolate chips in the bed are NEVER a good thing

...which leads me to bad move #4: Accidentally dropping chocolate in bed and then sitting on it for 4 hrs.  You can imagine my surprise when I stood up to find the bed, my back, my pants, t-shirt, pillow and yes even my computer was covered in melted chocolate.  I honestly thought for a brief moment I had an "accident".  My finance, Micah, happened to walk in at the exact moment of my discovery and had the same look of shock on his face.  I had to prove it was indeed chocolate by licking my t-shirt.  (Bad move #5?) 

 

Do you ever unhealthily "treat" yourself when you're not feeling well?  What's your guilty sick day pleasure? Leave your comment below, tweet MtvdNutrition, or post on the Motivated Nutrition Facebook page! 

In (less than optimal) health, :(

Joanie   

Joanie Johnson, CHC

Motivated Nutrition

www.motivatednutrition.net

814-442-5311

Bulk Up with Kitchen Porn

#HealthUpYourHome

Bulk Up with Kitchen Porn

August Pin-Up: Bulk Food

 

I can spend hours on my Pinterest page pinning kitchen organization "porn".  I'm not going to lie, the inside of my cabinets have labels on them  (Micah made me hide them off to the side because he was embarrassed.)  and I go crazy for little containers and drawer separators.  Not exactly the "porn" you had in mind?  

I recently scored these lovely glass containers and have been excitedly filling them with bulk item goodies like brown rice, quinoa, barley, lentils, sunflower seeds, nuts, dried fruits, and steel cut oats.  It's one way to ensure that I always have a staple on hand for dinner.  And they are pretty enough to leave out so they aren't taking up all my precious NYC cabinet space.  

I'm working on adding chalk board paint labels to all of them to help lesson the confusion for non-Joanie chef's in the kitchen.  :) 

Do you shop the bulk bins at your grocery store?  What's your favorite item?  What do you always have on hand? Leave your comment below, tweet  (#HealthUpYourHome), or post on the Motivated Nutrition Facebook page! 

In bulky health,

Joanie   

Joanie Johnson, CHC

Motivated Nutrition

www.motivatednutrition.net

814-442-5311

A Moment of Soapy Zen

#HealthUpYourHome

A Moment of Soapy Zen

Meditative laundry. A good book and my Toms!

 

There are few things I hate more than having to drag my stinky work-out clothes to the laundromat and eat up a precious 2 hrs of my week.  Our new apartment is inconveniently located a grueling 15min walk from the closest laundromat.  It's painful.  Last week's load was even worse because it contained all the extra moving day gems like bed linens, curtains, dust rags, and towels.  After lugging it down 4 flights of stairs, I had to bungee the load onto our hand truck to take it on it's 15min walk.  (All the while thinking to myself, "This is so not cool.")  

Yes, I know a civilized Brooklyn-ite would just use a pick up/ drop off service.  I've heard it from all my friends.  Someday, I hope to afford myself that luxury...or better yet have my own W/D!  

My solution to the madness was to make the dreaded process into a meditation.  I took a good book, decided to not check my phone and tried to zen myself out while my sports bras and yoga pants happily twirled in their suds.  

I noticed a woman using what looked to be homemade detergent and broke my no phone rule to google laundry soap recipes.  I'm dying to try!  It seems like a much better solution to the artificial fragrances and chemicals that are in my usual detergent.  

2 gallons Water (hot)

1 bar Soap (grated)

2 cups Baking soda 

• Melt grated soap in a saucepan with enough hot water to cover. 
• Cook on medium-low heat, stirring frequently until melted.
• In a large pail, pour 2 gallons hot water. Add melted mixture, stir well.Then add the baking soda, stir well again.
• Use 1/2 cup per full load, 1 cup per very soiled load.

Do you or anyone you know use natural/ homemade laundry soap?  Do they work?  I'm intrigues and excited.  (Dork alert!)   Leave your comment, tweet  (#HealthUpYourHome), or post on the Motivated Nutrition Facebook page! 

In naturally sudsy health,

Joanie   

Joanie Johnson, CHC

Motivated Nutrition

www.motivatednutrition.net

814-442-5311

Making a List. Don't Leave Home Without It!

#HealthUpYourHome

Making a List.  Don't Leave Home Without It!  

Don't even try to go shopping without this life saver!

 

So my August challenge Operation: #HealthUpYourHome is getting off to a shaky start.  It's what, Aug 14th already?!  We've been unpacking and navigating boxes for 2 weeks now.  The process is slow when you're busy and active.  I get home from teaching at night and all I want to do is eat, veg out and hit the hay.  

I FINALLY unpacked my home office boxes today and am realizing I'm desperate for some organizing solutions.  I don't even have a desk yet!  Don't make the mistake Micah and I did by going shopping and accidentally leaving the list at home.  We've been back to Ikea 5 times now to make returns and buy things we forgot.  (Eyeballing a book shelf and "thinking" it will fit is not a wise idea.) 

The same thing happens to me when I go grocery shopping.  If I don't have a list, I come home with bags of goodies I don't need and end up whining "there's nothing to eat!" all week long.  I've since started keeping my list on my phone since it's rare I forget that at home.  

Moral of the story?  

Whether it be groceries, home shopping, or school shopping, Always Make A List- don't go shopping without one.  It's ESSENTIAL!

Do you always use a list?   What's the craziest idem you've bought without one?  Comment here, Tweet with #HealthUpYourHome, or post it to the Motivated Nutrition facebook page.   

In list checking health,

Joanie   

Joanie Johnson, CHC

Motivated Nutrition

www.motivatednutrition.net

814-442-5311