Holly Lebowitz Rossi: April 2009 Archives

My husband and I are preparing for a kitchen renovation, and we are eagerly in search of materials that won't hurt the planet or our health in order to give us a beautiful cooking and eating space.  For countertops, cabinets, and floors, that means minimizing our exposure to VOCs, often referred to as "offgassing."

Eco-friendly design literature talks about VOCs much like how eco-cosmetics experts talk about parabens--it's a ubiquitous concern.  For kitchens, the best materials (like IceStone countertops - recycled glass suspended in a concrete matrix....in yummy colors!) don't emit any at all.

But what are VOCs, anyway, and why should we be worried about them?  First, VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compound, so let's break that down:

Volatile: meaning a substance that vaporaizes or evaporates into the atmosphere under normal conditions.

Organic: meaning any chemical that contains carbon.

Compound: meaning a substance formed by the combination of two or more distinct chemicals.

So why are VOCs bad for indoor air quality and general health?  Click here for the EPA's literature on VOCs.  But if you'd rather have me translate:

The most common VOC is methane, which we know is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.  For the kitchen, though, the chief area of VOC concern is in the wood preservatives (chiefly formaldehyde) that are found in many wood floors and cabinets (not to mention cleaning solvents, but that's a post-design conversation....). When the VOCs vaporize into the atmosphere, they get into our bodies through our nose and mouth. And that can lead to asthmatic or allergic symptoms, as well as headaches and general immune system supression.

Other things that can emit VOCs in your home:

--some office equipment, including laser printers
--cigarette smoke (emits benzene, a known carcinogen. But you knew that, right?)
--carpets
--paints
--insulation 

So what's to be done?  Two things, really: ventilate your home to give those gasses somewhere to go other than your lungs, and choose low- or no-VOC materials whenever possible.  Here are some to get you started:

FreshAire Paint

Flor Carpet

IceStone Counters

GreenHome Guide's Cabinet Page

What do you know about VOCs?  What choices have you made to minimize them in your home?

(image via: http://www.idigitalemotion.com/tutorials/guest/stellar/sky.jpg)

Elizabeth Edwards' resilience has been tested many times, which is why her new book "Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Life's Adversities" is so smartly titled.  The loss of her son in 1996. The defeat in the 2000 presidential election. The diagnosis with breast cancer shortly after that.  The recurrence of the cancer during the 2004 presidential campaign.  The public revelation of her husband's affair. The lies. The pain. The anger.  This woman has been tested.

As have we all, in our own lives.  In honor of the conversation Edwards' book is starting (continuing), I thought I'd ask for your thoughts on resilience.  What role has it played in your life?  Who do you most admire for displaying it?  When have you surprised yourself with it?  Looking forward to your stories.

(image via: http://weblogs.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/politics/blog/2008/04/)

Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, "Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent." So as you start your day, ask yourself, am I giving self-defeating thoughts safe passage into my psyche?  Or, am I only giving affirming energy permission to dictate how I feel today?

Click here for more inspiring quotes by famous women.

Swine flu is spreading, and fears and concerns about its devastating potential is spreading even faster. Whenever I find myself living in "what if" instead of "what is," I find it helpful to measure my fears against facts to put things in perspective.

That's exactly what women's health expert Dr. Erika Schwartz did on her blog today.  She writes:

"A little perspective on the swine flu can help us learn not to react to the sensationalism associated with it:

1. In 2008- 37,313 people died in car crashes in the US.
2. More than 20,000 people die of the common flu in the US yearly in spite of flu immunization
3. There are approximately 15,000 murders in the US every year.
4. On the average 90 people die of lightening every year
5. Remember Anthrax? In 2001 we were all scared to death by it and 5 people actually died from the disease. I wonder how many died with heart attacks and strokes caused by the fear of Anthrax?

I am not being cavalier or trying to make light of a source of fear and confusion. I just want you to be smart and put things into perspective. Good attitude and good perspective are great tools for survival."

I really love how she puts that: "Good attitude and good perspective are great tools for survival."  Especially when there's more unknown than known about something like swine flu, keeping the information flow from spiraling into full-blown panic is, I think it's safe to say, half the battle.

How are you keeping the swine flu in perspective?
 

On a warm day--particularly a warm workday--the squirmy, tap-y, shift-y, knee-bounces start in.  In other words, it's hard to sit still. 

When this happens, part of me thinks, "great!"  Who wants to sit still when there are walks to take, spring cleaning to do, fresh air to breathe, and friends to visit.  Our bodies were made to move, after all, and spring warmth is a great time to celebrate that.

But too much of a good thing is, sometimes, too much, and spring giddiness can turn me into Jumpy McHyperton on a moment's notice.  So here are 5 tips on how to sit still. 

1. Focus on something.  I love the Wii Fit balance game called "Zen," where you have to sit perfectly still focusing on a candle, which will extinguish if you move or lose your focus and posture.  Finding a point to focus on--a pretty object on your desk, a flower, a photo of a loved one, a spot on the wall--can tell your brain "one thing at a time."  Let your eyes lock in on the object but then soften around it a little bit. 

2. Do a "body scan."  Starting with the crown of your head, scan your body--one inhale and exhale per part--and see if it is overactive, hyper, tired, or hurting.  Try to concentrate on relaxing and releasing it before you move on to the next part.

3. Exhale longer than you inhale.  Breathing out is literally a release--of toxins, of spent breath, of old energy.  If you inhale partially but exhale fully, you'll be oxygenating your blood and shooting out your jumpy "too-much" energy with each breath.  Try connecting your long exhales with a word, like "peace" or "rest" for even more intention.

4. Dance out the heebie jeebies.  It might just be that your body is trying to tell you, "MOVE!"  So if you can't sit still, give in to it for a few minutes of frenetic activity.  Do jumping jacks, dance around the room, or jog around the block.  Afterwards, see if your body is more in the mood to sit still and restore.

5. Try again tomorrow.  There might be a reason other than a warm day's vitamin D overdose that's making you jumpy.  You might not have gotten enough quality sleep or eaten whole, healthy foods, so your body just might be off.  Don't force a square peg into a round hole--give yourself permission to try again tomorrow.

Do you ever have a hard time sitting still?  How do you deal?

(image via: http://homepage.mac.com/lawrencedavid/cuteanimals/frog_jumping.html)

 

In some ways, a good morning is like a spring bud--it holds all the promise in the world, and you really don't know what it will look like until it unfurls into the leaf or flower you hope it will...

In memory of the inimitable Bea Arthur, who died this weekend at age 86, a video montage from The Golden Girls of her character, Dorothy Zbornak, uttering her signature "Whoa!" in all her beautifully sarcastic, dry, hilarious glory.  Are you...

The Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization are both urging basic flu-prevention practices as they try to stop the spread of swine flu. But given that cold and flu season is feeling so two months ago, I thought...

A new study presented last week at the American Association of Cancer Research found that people who eat grilled meat that is cooked to the point of being charred or burned on the outside are 60 percent more likely to...

I'm so excited that this week's Fresh Living Survey is from my yoga teacher, Liz Owen.  You might recognize her from the 4 fabulous yoga galleries she's published on Beliefnet:Restorative Yoga for Body & MindYoga Poses to Relieve Chronic PainYoga...

For some mid-day inspiration, check out this sneak peak video from an upcoming ABC primetime special ("Adventures of an Incurable Optimist" airs Tuesday, May 7) from actor Michael J. Fox, who has battled Parkinson's Disease since he was 29 years...

This week, I found myself having several conversations about a decidedly heavy, negative, upsetting topic.  I was talking to spiritually-oriented friend about it, and she advised me to take care to protect myself before and cleanse myself after these conversations.Say...

We all have dreams, big-picture life goals that we imagine will, someday, come true.  Sometimes, though, those dreams actually hold us back, keep us from moving ahead with our lives because all we're doing is dwelling on how they...

I don't know if it's the change of season, but I'm having some amazing technicolor dreams these days.  Last night, I dreamed I was in yoga class, and I was really struggling in bridge pose (something that I do struggle...

Louis L'Amour once said, "No school, no matter how excellent, can give you education. What you receive is like the outlines in a child's coloring book. You must fill in the colors yourself."  What an apt Earth Day thought: the...

Last night on "The Biggest Loser," the phrase "Are you kidding me?!" was uttered no fewer than 5 times--3 of those by Kristin, who after breaking the record for most weight lost by a woman on campus, was ultimately voted...

I just came across a lovely book called "Silver Linings: Meditations on Finding Joy and Beauty in Unexpected Places," in which author Mina Parker shares a lovely way to bring mindfulness back into your day.  She writes:"I was at...

Anyone who has a best friend knows that we just feel better, in ways both tangible and intangible, when we're around people who we love and who love us.  Well, it turns out that  researchers are starting to think that...

I really got some Earth Day inspiration from this video on "eco-equity," a call to transform the "pollution-based economy" of the last century into a "sustainable, green, and clean" economy that creates jobs--particularly in urban areas where low-income people want...

Stephen Hawking, the mathematician and physicist famous for his work on black holes, is reportedly hospitalized with a chest infection and is very seriously ill, according to the Associated Press.  Though I admit to understanding very little of his work,...

What makes you choose one particular brand of cosmetics over another?  Price?  Scent?  Ability to soften hair and clear skin?  Similarity to what your mother used?  There are so many reasons--and a growing one is, "Will not kill me."It's a...

I didn't get down to watch the Boston Marathon today, as I have in past years when friends have run or I was just hungry for a little vicarious "wow, that's amazing."  But there's something electric about the day, even...

"With the wind beneath your wings, do you need to flap?"  I love finding wisdom-tidbits in random places, and the makers of natural products from iced tea to hair care seem to especially love tucking such snippets into the...

It's a beautiful sunshine-y day, so let's celebrate Foodie Friday with a closer look at the first spring vegetable to come up in the garden - lettuce!  Lettuce is an extremely healthful food. It is almost 90 percent water, so...

In the spirit of fun, "just because" holidays that I wrote about when I spread the word about Feel Better Day, today is National High Five Day!Not shockingly, this holiday was started by college students, at the University of Virginia...

In response to the "Your Day, in a Word" post, you shared simple, singular statements about the emotions, hopes, and intentions you carry into your day.  I made a Wordle out of them, so good morning!  How are you today?...

This just in: French Elle magazine's April cover features European actresses and models without makeup AND without Photoshopping!  It's a refreshing departure from the magazine world's typical embrace of all things perfected, brushed, tinted, and hidden.  And it's something that...

How do you live fresh? We've put out the call for people to fill out our survey about what they do to lead healthier, more balanced lives. This week's is from the funny, fabulous, and insightful Therese Borchard, whose Beliefnet blog Beyond...

Have you ever had Dancing Deer cookies?  What?  No?!  What are you waiting for?  Tangerine-chocolate cookies have a lovely soft spot in the center of a crunchy treat.  Molasses-clove cookies are chewy every day and twice on Sundays. And the...

Apart from its financial connotation, the dictionary defines "tax" as "a burdensome or excessive demand; a strain."  So I think it's perfectly appropriate, now that our W2s and 1099s are safely sent off to Uncle Sam, to think of today,...

Who among us doesn't love to tuck into a plate of spaghetti slick with olive oil and fragrant with garlic, or studded with tomatoes and redolent with basil?  Ooh, those Mediterranean foods.  It may not be news to you that...

Our friend Dr. Norris, author of the Dr. Norris Chumley Satisfied Life blog, offers a visualization to do in your morning shower to start your day with both a clean body and a pure spirit:"Imagine that the stress from your...

Don't you love random "holidays?" Things like "Happy Hump Day" or "It's my half-birthday" are really just excuses to declare to the world, "I want to feel good today!"  But they do the trick, and I think we need more...

There are some fascinating health developments to report on this week.  Here are 3 to think about:Are electronic health records going too far, too fast? There are a proliferation of new tools designed to empower patients and give them--and their...

We've all heard the phrase, attributed to peace activist Anne Herbert, "Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty."  So here's a question: Have you done any lately?  Seen any?  I suspect that among you are many perpetrators...

A friend just sent me this amazingly simple, fun tone matrix, and I can't stop playing with it!  You start with a blank slate, and boxes light up as you click.  A "sound wave" travels across the box, and your...

Early spring is a great time to think about light.  Light is back after the long winter, it is finally warming to our bodies and the earth.  I caught this moment in my garden in the afternoon when the...

Wow, just wow.  Have you seen the news about the "Kyoto Box," a solar-powered oven made from nothing more than two cardboard boxes, black paint, aluminum foil, and the rays of the sun?  The box was just awarded first prize...

Who says the kids at MIT were only about quarks, electrons, and semiconductors?  Turns out that for the past 6 years, a popular club at the prestigious school has celebrated the science of chocolate!The Boston Globe has an article about...

Sometimes holistic spirituality and traditional religion cross paths, and today's "Blessing of the Sun" ritual that Jews will observe just before Passover begins is one of those moments.  In honor of this rare Jewish astrological phenomenon, we offer a guest...

Thanks to Fresh Living reader Mary Beth for sharing her inspiring morning routine: she wakes up around 4 a.m., starts the coffee, drinks a large bottle of room temperature water, feeds her cats, and enjoys a cup of hot coffee...

There are only two ingredients in traditional Passover matzah: wheat flour and water. So why should you pay extra for "organic" matzah when wheat is not on the "dirty dozen" foods it's most important to eat organic, and water is,...

As home remedies go, this might be the most widely known/practiced/recommended.  But why does gargling with warm, salty water help soothe a sore throat?  Since I'm doing this multiple times a day--and since I feel like it helps--I decided to...

I knew this day would come...the day I had to once again face the scritchy, gag-gy nightmare that is known to most people as a throat culture.  When I was a kid, throat cultures were screeching, Mom-bribing-with-candy-rewards, "We need more...

The sparkling Janice Taylor of the Our Lady of Weight Loss blog feels strongly that skipping breakfast is not a good idea. She further believes that dehydration can cause irritability and headaches. To solve both problems (feed two birds with...

Yesterday, I tried really hard to focus on the positive aspect of losing my voice and being consigned to silence while I recover my health.  But today, as I re-read the post I thought, "Can I take that back?"  Clearly...

It's National Poetry Month!  I'm not actually that big on poems in my everyday reading life, but there is one that comes to mind when someone asks me, "what's your favorite poem?"My junior year of high school, we studied the...

So here's my story: I'm sick again.  A sinus infection in January.  A 2+ week cold in March. And now, starting on April Fool's Day, a new virus that comes with laryngitis, a cough, and a fever.  I went to...

April is Autism Awareness Month, and the Beliefent blogosphere is buzzing with conversation about it.  Be sure to visit our dedicated Autism Awareness Month page to read blogger thoughts on everything from the connection between autism and astrology to questions...

Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh said, "Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy."Which comes first for you today - joy or the smile that projects your...

"You probably know that eating right, being physically active, and managing your weight are important ways to prevent and treat diabetes. But did you know that reducing stress can also help keep your blood sugar levels in check? When you're...

Last night, The Biggest Loser brought back contestant Nicole, who after being eliminated near the beginning of the season lost an amazing 87 pounds at home and earned a spot back on the ranch.But (spoiler alert if you DVR'd it!)...