I signed up my son for gymnastics about a month ago and was sitting in the parents viewing area each Monday for 2 hours reading magazines. It was cool to have time to myself to catch up on information I need to know like, minimize your pores in 1 minute or less! or Blast Cellulite we show you how! All this is great info except like most articles I read they just make me feel frustrated. I know I won't actually do half the stuff I am supposed too. If I want to look better and feel better I really need to get up and move my butt more! The problem I was having is HOW MUCH more do I need to be moving around? I am pretty active, I workout each day, my job is active, but is that enough? A facebook friend recently mentioned the "body bugg" a little gadget that measures your calorie burn, steps, activity and lets you input calories in order to create a daily caloric deficit and lose weight or get healthier. I researched the pricey little guy and decided I would make the investment. I have been wearing this thing non-stop for about 2 weeks and am realizing that I am not nearly as active as I claim to be! My daily goal is to burn a total of 2770 Calories per day. (including breathing, sleeping etc) in order to lose 2lbs per week... For the first week I did ok because I was camping and hiking for three days out of the seven that I was monitoring. I returned to the real world and it was a different story! By day nine I would look down at the display and see I still had 600 calories to burn! (it was 6pm). Some nights I would be in the kitchen doing leg lifts while doing dishes just to get in an extra 50 calories.. This week I decided that the numbers don't lie.. If I want to reach my goals I have to really change the way I live day to day. So yesterday during the boys gymnastics, instead of catching up on gossip in my magazines I walked around beautiful downtown Asheville (2000steps, 230 calories burned, 22 minutes moderate activity! Score!) Counting the walk plus the activity I had already done I went to bed last night with a grand total of 3000 calories burned!! Woo Hoo bring on the chocolate!! What does this have to do with being green?? Well I'll tell ya, it is better for your health. Walking or Biking instead of driving is good for you and the planet, Cleaning the house (with natural cleaners of course) is good for your indoor air quality and your upper arms, yardwork is good for the soil, worms, bees and neighborhood plus it gives you killer abs! The benefits are endless! Even changing out an incandescent lightbulb for a more eco-friendly CFL is good for your health climbing ladders helps increase your balance and strengthens your core! Maybe instead of being an eco-consultant I will become a yoga instructor! Cheers!<!-- Kontera ContentLink(TM);-->
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I was living in Portland Oregon when I found out I was pregnant! Stop the world! Put down that Merlot!! I am what???? It was unplanned, it was shocking and at the same time it was the greatest moment of my life! I was instantly excited and terrified at the same time! To top it all off my old Italian worry gene kicked into overtime! I read every book the local library had on babies, pregnancy and what could go WRONG during pregnancy! Fear started working its magic on my brain! Then I picked up a book about all the toxins in a home from carpets to paint, even apples are deadly! Oh my gosh I am a bad parent and the fetus is only the size of a rasin! HELP! I was like that nutty lady in the movie Airplane when passengers took turns slapping the poor woman across the face saying "calm down, get ahold of yourself, everything is going to be alright!" The last part of the sentence is what got my attention! Everthing is going to be alright! Information is great but too much can make you crazy! I needed to get a grip and get the right information. I also had to come to terms with the fact that I was not going to be able to rip up the carpet in my rental house or tear off the asbestos siding. I could make a few small changes a little at a time and have faith that the rest would work itself out. At the time I was unaware of all the amazing eco-friendly products on the market for expecting families. I thought the stick turns color and off you go to registar for Winnie the Pooh crib sheets at Babies R' Us! Thankfully that isn't the case and there is so much available! If you are expecting a baby and are concerned about this stuff to watch this cool video take a deep breath and relax! Pick the top 5 areas of your babies world that must be Super Green, Super Natural or Super Organic and start from there, say maybe you want to use natural paint on the walls, a  air purifier in the nursery or a water filter or two and try some organic fruits, veggies and meats but go mainstream on condiments and crackers. The 80/20 rule applies quite nicely. Most of all relax, everyday there is more gear and gadgets arriving on the market to frazzle already information overloaded mamas and papas. Remember at the end of the day all that sweet little newbie needs is you! Have fun!

I know, I know lightbulbs? Ecomama that is boring! Well lightbulbs are kind of those boring little objects we all rely on each and everyday. We don't think much about them until they burn out. I give you permission to NOT think about them, until they do burn out and when they do consider a CFL. The above video really explained a lot about why incandecent are not the best way to go. Many of you are already on board with the new CFL's. If you are looking for the best that technology has to offer in lightbulbs I can save you the trouble of roaming around or Loews being ignored by the sales team. check my website www.grenirene.com/planethealthyasheville for some of the top recommended green products!

Today I drank an entire pot of Green Tea with 3 bags!! I ran out of Coffee. I love Green Tea and can easily drink an entire pot, I just don't often drink the whole pot at once! Many commecials and website devote lots of ad space selling you on the weight loss benefits of Green Tea the stuff is in gum, juice drinks even muffins! Does it work? Maybe, as long as you are not consuming a dozen Green tea and spice muffins a day! Anyway I was about to toss my tea bags into the compost heap outside my kitchen window and I thought "is there anything usefull I can do with green tea bags" Maybe I can pass on some really great ideas to my friends!

I happen to live in Asheville North Carolina a large population of the folks living here are "eco-aware" I consult many of them with tips and ideas on how to make small, tiny, itsy bitsy little changes in their lives in order to have a softer impact on the environment. Oh and tip number jumped out at me right away Yoga Mat Deodorizer! Here in Asheville there is a running joke that if you need job become a yoga instructor or a massage therapist! So here is what I found on Green Tea, DO NOT throw away your used tea bags use them to change the world!

Adapted from The Book of Green Tea, by Diana Rosen (Storey Books, 1998).

1. Yoga Mats. In the hot, humid areas of Thailand, Burma, and other Asian countries, people sleep on straw mats. This straw is cool and comfortable, but people do perspire. It is quite common in these areas for straw mats to be washed in tubs of water to which tea has been added. The tea works as a powerful deodorizer, leaves a fresh scent, and can even infuse the straw with a delicate sage color. You can use green tea to clean other washable surfaces, such as yoga mats and air mattresses.

2. Litter Boxes. Used green tea leaves are wonderful in kitty litter as an extra boost for diffusing odors, and they help deter fleas from both cats and dogs.

3. Pet Beds. Sprinkle dried used green tea leaves on your pet’s favorite pillow or bed. Great in doghouses or anywhere troublesome pet odors occur. If you can afford the extravagance, loose leaf gunpowder tea is great for dogs to roll around in. The crunching of the pellets releases a wonderful aroma, and helps to scratch wherever dogs have an itch. The pellets help give your dog a more pleasant smell.

4. Refrigerators. Place used green tea bags or leaves in a small bowl, uncovered, in your refrigerator to help absorb odors from onions and garlic for about three days. NO need to throw them out even then, just sprinkle the old leaves around your ferns, rosebushes, or other plants.

5. Kitchen Odors. Preparing fish? Cutting up garlic? Rid your hands of the fish or garlic oils by rubbing them with wet green tea leaves, an instant deodorizer. The leaves are also great for deodorizing the pan in which you cook fish or garlic.

I have a secret! Well I have a secret closet! I have plastic in this secret closet! It is time for the plastic to come out of the closet! It won't be hard either, each time I open said closet a tidal wave of tupperware, glad ware, spiderman plates, take out containers and unrecognizable lids attack! I use about a quarter of the items crammed in my secret closet. The others items are being held captive because I couldn't live with myself if I threw them away. I don't really know what to do with them! I stumbled upon the video just below this post. The video got me to work finding a way to liberate my collection of bisphenol A! Some of you may be thinking, "come on ecomama, get a grip! I thought that myself, then I decided to air on the side of caution like our mom's did in the 1970's when removing lead based paint was all the rage! The laws were changed and anyone who has ever bought a house knows to test for lead! If we stop buying this stuff the demand will go down and production of safer versions will proliferate!! Moms unite! So here is what you can do with the "bad" plastics with the number 7 or 3 http://www.plasticrecycling.com will actually buy scrap or damaged plastic. If that doesn't suit you I would load up a big box and ship it to the manufacturer with a note that you wish for them to recycle and write you back with an account of what they did with the plastic. If anyone else has some good suggestions please comment here! Cheers! Ecomama!

Feb 20th 2009

Its not easy being green?? REALLY? Its true it isn't. These days Green IS the new black. Here at Planet Healthy House you will be provided with a "guilt free" and easy way to "go green" at your own pace and with the greatest of ease! Its not all about baking soda and vinegar my future super greenines! Just have fun and do what you know. What I know is many companies are making it easier then ever to buy green cleaning products, even Clorox has joined the party. You do not need to spend all your hard earned money. Today I will tell you the number one household item to use for dusting. Grapeseed oil!! That all you need! Go to the store right now and buy the biggest bottle of Grapeseed oil you can find. While your at it get a big box of Kosher salt and if you are feeling really creative get a bottle of essential oil in ANY flavor you like. Any health food store will carry essential oils and there are lots of great websites too. I like Lavender or any citrus scent. But just get the Grapeseed oil for sure. Here is a list of what you can do with Grapeseed oil that will bring you one step closer to livin' Green!

1. Dab oil on a dust cloth and dust your whole house (except electronics or shower floors)

2. Clean the leaves of your houseplants

3. Use it to shine up your sink actually I will go into more detail on this in the next issue

4. Use it all over your body as a luxurious petroleum free body oil reuse an old mustard or ketchup bottle fill with oil and add 2-3 drops of your favorite essential oil.

5. Body Scrub- reuse old butter or sour cream tub fill half way with Kosher or Sea Salt (or brown sugar or granulated sugar) cover salt with Grapeseed oil and 4 drops essential oil, mix. Make a body scrub that will give the spa a run for its money! I like to put this mixture into small mason jars and give it as gifts!

Have fun with Grapeseed oil and come back to find out the best way to make your sink sparkle!!

Be sure to visit http://www.planethealthyhouse.com for more info