Healthy Eating || Bananas and Lowering Blood Pressure

Lately my blood pressure has been lower than usual, which isn't a bad thing at all in this case.  The systolic pressure normally ranges between 101 and 110 while the diastolic pressure between 65 and 80.  However, my two most recent tests were 91/60 and 93/57. I don't recall my blood pressure ever being this low ... at least not in recent years.

So, I thought to myself, "What have I been doing differently?"  And then it occurred to me, "Well, I've been eating a lot of bananas [in smoothies].  Could that be it?"  Then I went to the internet, did some digging, and learned that there are dozens of references to the high potassium in bananas helping to lower blood pressure.  Here are a couple of abstracts worth reading:

ROLE OF POTASSIUM IN REGULATING BLOOD PRESSURE
EFFECT OF BANANA ON COLD-STRESS INDUCED HYPERTENSION

MORE READS:
BLOOD PRESSURE CHART AND TIPS

DISCLAIMER: Please speak with your doctor before changing your diet.

2013 Plans for My Hair, Body, and Soul || Part I

(Left) Stretched puff in 2009. (Right) Braid-out on flat-ironed hair in mid-2012.

This year flew by sooo fast!  With a new year quickly approaching, it's that time (again) to map out some plans.  Here I go:

2013 HAIR PLANS:

Show more length.  I'm officially going the heat route because I want to enjoy my length more.  February will make it five years that I've been natural, and a huge majority of that time, my hair has looked shoulder-length (and sometimes, neck-length) because of major shrinkage.  I didn't have a problem with that, but I'm just ready to enjoy (and show) my length now.  From January through February, I will wear box braid extensions again.  Then from February through December, I plan to heat style monthly (or bi-monthly) and wear a mix of jumbo twists and braidout updos.  This will obviously impact the running of my usual 3in6 Challenge ... more on this later.

Maintenance over length.  Up until now, I've been focused on growing my hair to it's maximum length potential.  After grazing waist-length for some time, I believe that I'm approaching (or have reached) my terminal length.  Also, after almost five years of being natural, I've grown less obsessed with length.  That being said, I'm going into this heat routine knowing that length retention and heat usage may not mix well.  So, 2013 will be more about maintaining the length that I do have.  If I can also add to my length, that will be great, but it is not my priority.

Maintaining my kinks.  I want to make it clear that I am not going into this heat routine with the intention of changing my coil pattern.  I love my "kinks" and still want to wear them from time to time next year.  The challenge will be using heat without altering my pattern too much.  

To be continued ....

Do you have any hair plans or resolutions for the New Year?

Mixology || Baking Soda and Avocado Shampoo Recipe for Dry Hair

Looking for a simple, homemade natural shampoo that is cleansing but non-drying?  Check out this recipe:

Ingredients:
avocado
baking soda
distilled water

Directions:

1. Skin an avocado, remove the pit and mash it in a bowl;
2. Add 2 teaspoons of baking soda;
3. Add 1/4 cup of hot distilled water; and
4. Mix the ingredients into a paste and massage the homemade moisturizing shampoo into your hair and scalp.
5. (Optional) You may or may not want to follow up with an apple cider vinegar rinse for pH balance.

Remember to refrigerate the unused mixture. To customize this or any of the other recipes, add a few drops of essential oil for a pleasant scent. Popular oils include lavender, sandalwood, jasmine and rosemary.

For more moisturizing shampoos, check out Suite101: Shampoo Recipes for Dry Hair and Scalp.

Considering Heat Usage? Heat Training?

In this video, Longhairdontcare2011 illustrates her coil pattern change after years of "responsible" heat usage:

NOTE: Longhairdontcare2011 does not intentionally use heat to change her coil pattern.

HILARIOUS Hair Tutorial || Throw-It-On Method

It gets funnier and funnier as the video progresses ... :-)

Healthy Eating || Becoming a Tea Drinker

I've never been a tea drinker (and, I mean never), but in mid-October, I decided to get to work on some tea I purchased under hypnosis.  (Okay, maybe I wasn't under hypnosis, but I was under something I guess.)  The tea is actually really good quality and tastes exquisite relative to your average store-bought tea.  However, what I also like about it are the health benefits.  For me, the biggest one I am noticing within myself is the stress reduction.

Below is an excerpt of the article on WebMD.  Full article: TEA TYPES AND THEIR HEALTH BENEFITS

• Green tea: Made with steamed tea leaves, it has a high concentration of EGCG and has been widely studied. Green tea’s antioxidants may interfere with the growth of bladder, breast, lung, stomach, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers; prevent clogging of the arteries, burn fat, counteract oxidative stress on the brain, reduce risk of neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, reduce risk of stroke, and improve cholesterol levels.
• Black tea: Made with fermented tea leaves, black tea has the highest caffeine content and forms the basis for flavored teas like chai, along with some instant teas. Studies have shown that black tea may protect lungs from damage caused by exposure to cigarette smoke. It also may reduce the risk of stroke.
• White tea: Uncured and unfermented. One study showed that white tea has the most potent anticancer properties compared to more processed teas.
• Oolong tea: In an animal study, those given antioxidants from oolong tea were found to have lower bad cholesterol levels. One variety of oolong, Wuyi, is heavily marketed as a weight loss supplement, but science hasn’t backed the claims.
• Pu-erh tea: Made from fermented and aged leaves. Considered a black tea, its leaves are pressed into cakes. One animal study showed that animals given pu-erh had less weight gain and reduced LDL cholesterol.

Another article (excerpt below): TEA BENEFITS

Studies of humans, animals, and petri-dish experiments show that tea is high beneficial to our health. Research suggests that regular tea drinkers -- people who drink two cups or more a day -- have less heart disease and stroke, lower total and LDL cholesterol, and recover from heart attacks faster. There's also evidence that tea may help fight ovarian and breast cancers.

Tea also helps soothe stress and keep us relaxed. One British study found that people who drank black tea were able to de-stress faster than those who drank a fake tea substitute. The tea drinkers had lower levels of cortisol, a stress hormone.

1in3: Two Months Down!

Hi, ladies!  Yesterday, we started our final month of the 1in3 challenge!  (For challenge guidelines, read this post.)

So, how was November?  I'm still in box braids and fine with that!  I had planned to take them down this weekend, but life won't allow me.  Perhaps in mid December.  

The braid extensions are holding up pretty well.  (See box braid regimen description here.)  When I do take them down, I plan to switch to my usual twists for the remainder of the month.  Other than the external, I'm still going hard on my smoothies and have also incorporated teas (for relaxation and antioxidants).  (Check these posts for smoothie recipes and a later post about my new tea habit.)    

How was your November?  Any challenges/lessons?  What are you doing this month?

MOTIVATION FOR THE MONTH:  

Finish the journey strong.  Even if you've fallen, don't stay down ... Get back up, and finish it with all you've got! :o)