21DSD - Days 16, 17, and 18 - External Health

It's back to work, my friends. The glorious long weekend has passed and it's back to that same old grind, though a bit more intense right now because we're rushing to meet deadlines. I mean, we're always doing that, but one of the upcoming deadlines is a BIG one. With the rushing around that I've been doing throughout the day, I haven't been eating so great. I'm still 21DSD-acceptable, but not balanced. Let me share with you what I have been eating.

Tuesday: Breakfast: 2 eggs and 2 strips bacon, Lunch: Garden vegetable soup, Dinner: Lamb Chop (see below)

Wednesday: Breakfast: N/A, Lunch: Almond butter, carrots, and celery, Dinner: Pistachios

Thursday: Breakfast: Chili with poached egg and avocado (see below), Lunch: Chicken breast and avocado, Dinner: Chicken breast

So where's the veggies? And seriously, on Wednesday I ate nuts, nuts, carrots, celery, nuts, nuts, and nuts? What was I thinking? Bad idea. My stomach was angry, and I've realized that nuts make my face break out. Boo. Sadly, this is what happens when I go out of town, get sunburned, and not want to move. Lesson learned.

My sunburn from this past weekend got me thinking about how I take care of myself internally (I've changed the way I eat to make myself feel better), but I'm obviously not taking good (enough) care of myself externally. Sunburns are bad! Sure, the burn fades into a tan and then I look "healthy," but how is increasing my risk for a melanoma healthy? Oh wait, it's not. But Vitamin D is good for me... or at least that's what Mark Sisson keeps telling me (he's got a few posts about it). From here on out, I'm going to try to be more conscious of the condition of my skin, and to try to reapply sunscreen more frequently. I'll wear larger hats and sunglasses to protect my face, shoulders, and eyes. And I'll look into sun shirts, that I can possibly manage to wear in the brutal Texas summer.

Anyways, it got me thinking about my skin in general. I already posted previously about how I've started using coconut oil for my face and hair. And as I was thinking about my skin care regime, I realized that I had started going for the more natural/organic face washes and lotions, without truly making that my intention. As I pondered this gradual change, I decided that it made sense. Here I am, eating all of the grass-fed, free-range, organic meat that I can find, and scouring through ingredients lists to find Paleo-friendly foods with the least amount of ingredients, why wouldn't I start doing the same thing for my skin and hair?

I also happened to read a post from Hayley of Food Lovers Kitchen (http://www.primalpalate.com/blog/bye-bye-rosacea-glowing-skin-for-the-bride-to-be/) about skin care for her upcoming wedding to co-blogger Bill. She shared her skin care regime and mentioned something called oil cleansing. I know what you're thinking... how do you wash your face with oil? Here's what you need for an evening skincare regime:

Cleansing oils: Castor oil, mixed with sunflower seed oil or grapeseed oil (~1:2 ratio of castor to sunflower/grapeseed)

Moisturizing oil: Coconut oil or jojoba oil

The recommended procedure: Start by rubbing the "cleansing" oils into your skin for a few minutes. Then hold a washcloth under hot water. Wring out the cloth and apply to your face, thus "steaming" your face (if you've ever gotten a facial, you've probably had this steaming method done). Once the cloth has cooled, wipe off the oil from your face. Repeat if desired. Finish off with a thin layer of the moisturizing oil. Sleep on it. In the morning, you can either just splash your face with water, or use a mixture of water and baking soda to lightly wash your face

Personally, I don't own castor oil, so I've just been using coconut oil. Which means that my evening skin care prep before bed goes a bit like this...

1) Rub coconut oil onto face and wipe over eyes as makeup remover.

2) Place a hot washcloth on face for ~30 seconds. Wipe away makeup.

3) Rub coconut oil onto face.

4) Place a hot washcloth on face for ~30 seconds. Wipe clean.

5) Rub coconut oil onto face.

So in one evening, I use coconut oil as an eye makeup remover, a face wash, and a moisturizer. You gotta love those multi-purpose tools, or oils, as the case may be. The next time I head to the store, I plan on picking up some castor oil. But I've been doing this for 5 nights now, and so far I like it. My face feels clean, and when I wake up, even if I didn't do step 5), my face is super soft. I'll keep you posted on how it goes after more than just a few days.

For more information, check out Liz Wolfe's post here: http://cavegirleats.com/2010/12/29/cleansing-redefined/

Or find even more detail with: http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/

And to finish off with food... here's how I prepared my lamb chops:

Lamb Chops

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Season lamp chops with salt and pepper.

3. Cook in oven for 9 minutes per side or until internal temp reaches 140 F (if you want it cooked medium).

4. Remove from heat and let rest for 8 minutes.