Peaceful Sunday Morning

So all yesterday everything started to taste good again. I had a simple beef salad with a hummus, sesame oil, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar dressing. And it was delicious. I can't believe stores won't carry a sugar free salad dressing. Hello! What do people on south beach avoid like the plague. Anyways, even my frozen chicken nuggets tasted good, though I could only eat a few. I even tortured myself by walking through Walmart's snack aisle. Funny thing is, I had no cravings. I could imagine what it tasted like, but I didn't crave and yearn for it. Nice. Instead I crave for my salad with my hummus dressing.

So I took half cup of that concoction last night. I had an ok sleep, not as deep as my last two nights. I felt it, the allergies coming back. I felt myself feeling as if I recovered from a cold when I didn't have a cold. I spit out mucus. Took another half cup and though I didn't feel super energized to work out, I decided yesterdays break was enough. I am able to stretch and touch my knuckles to the floor. Nice. But I kind of notice my leg muscles feeling tired. I walk for 10 mins on the treadmill, run for 1. Start to sweat. Back in the days I could run 20 mins at 6.0mph. Now muscles feel tired. So I move on to the elliptical machine. Just two days ago I did 30-40 mins back to back. Today, not even 15. I felt my tongue get hot though. I have a good sweat, but not beet red.

I weighed myself, lost three pounds in 1 week. Ok, I hope this is not water weight. I have been sneaking in one or two bites sugars though I am not supposed to. Maybe I should have ate a couple before the work out.

Am I glowing like a few days ago? No, but my eye bag looks a little flatter not by much. But that allergy feeling is gone again. What I learned from Chinese medicine is that an over active heart, weakens the lungs, a weak pair of lungs is prone to allergies, that's why you should drink water or use kidney activating herbs to cool down the heart. Then everything regains balance. By accident I found that out to be true. Check out the diagram.

This is why not all herbs is suited for particular individuals. Definitely get a consultation from your acupuncturist before you go herb shopping.

Fu Ling

Morning, heart is beating fast. Nose is congested. Was it the herbs or my over fragranced room? Orange blossoms are taking over my apartment complex. It smells so sweet though. Anyways I get a case of itchy throat. Maybe I took too much.

I decide to go to a Chinese herb store to find some Fu Ling (poria). I researched it online and it said it helps with:

"1.Edema

2. Tumors: Fu ling compound was used on 70 different type of tumors. In some cases only fu ling was used, and in others fu ling was used with chemo therapy, or radiation therapy or surgery. It showed that fu ling can strengthen the body, improve body weight, improve appetite, lessen or prevent side effect of chemo therapy, protect bone marrow, improve liver and kidney functions, improve radiation therapy on nose and throat cancers. (2)

3. Infant diarrhea

4. Improve schizoid condition

5. Improve liver function

6. For baldness after giving birth:

Use 10 g of fu ling. Make into decoction. Twice a day. Externally apply bu gu zhi and han lian cao tincture. All of the eight patients healed in two months. Source: Chinese Dermatology Journal"

My book however summarized it and said taking once ounce per day can make the face glow like jade because it leaches out dampness, and gets rid of water retention in your skin. It says it helps the spleen push stagnant fluids. Basically I am using it to get rid of eye bags.

I grab a bag of Poria and the herbologist tells me it's the wrong one. Fu Ling is the long white flat kind mine was another kind of Poria, for a different function. Now how was I supposed to know that? I really recommend seeing your local Chinese herb carrier.

I asked her if there was a difference between Astraglus and Astragali, she said yes they look the same but are for totally different functions. Sheesh again! How was I supposed to know. I had a feeling it was the wrong herb. Anyways I'm confused about that particular root. There is also Astraglae.

Anyhow after much discussion, I think I will stick to her for all my herb needs, she seems to know what is going on and she speaks English. So I get from her new herbs to test. Basically I was looking for herbs to help with my dark circles. Chinese medicine states dark circles are the result of weak kidneys. So I ask her for some recommendations.

So I end up buying:

• Fu Lin (Poria)- to remove dampness, and water retention
• Ba Zhu (Actractlyodes)- increase spleen qi ( i was told I had weak spleen qi some time ago, and they wanted me to come back to check up at 150 a session...ermmm....i know i'm not sick....another conspiracy to make me sick and dependent.)
• Tu Si Zi (Dodder Seed)- tonify liver and kidney
• Suo Yang (Cynomorium Songaricum) - for women lacking in kidney yang. Doh! I just researched it online, for women who have decreased libido. That's not me!
• Shao Zu Yu (Cornus fruitus)- tonifies liver, yang kidney and yin kidney
• Shen Di Huang (Cooked Rehmannia) - tonifies kidney and kindey essence
• Shu Di Huang (Raw Rehmannia) - cools blood.

The herbalist told me not to get the wrong Di Huang. The raw one cools the blood and the cooked one helps with the kidneys. The cooked on you can use a good amount. The raw one, you should never use more than 2 patties.

Now whats all this kidney business? What I do know about your kidney is that it governs your sexual vitality. And we all have a finite amount of kidney essence. If we lose this at a rapid pace we age faster. This is why the people from western culture appears to age faster than say people from the eastern culture. Western men tend to use their's up more than Eastern men. Hence American men tend to age rapidly by 30, losing their hair, wrinkling, etc.

Soooo....DO NOT ABUSE YOUR KIDNEYS! They say practicing tantric sex (for men) where you hold in your "essence" will prevent you from losing your essence and aging too quickly. This only matters for the super vain men who want absolute energy and youth.

Anyways so I concoct another tea. This time I use:

• 1 large Fu Lin flake
• 1/8 cup Zhu (Actractlyodes)
• 1/8 cup Tu Si Zi (Dodder Seed)- tonify liver and kidney
• 1/2 patty of Suo Yang - Cynomorium Songaricum
  
• 1/8 cup Shao Zu Yu (Cornus fruitus)
• 2 patties of Shen Di Huang (Cooked Rehmannia)
  
• 10 oz water

I let this boil for 30 mins. Good lord it's sour, but strangely my allergies are gone. I don't have that internal heat business and that weird feeling in my throat is gone. Heart rate is back to normal. Cool beans. The top of my tongue though is still a little sore.

I'm a Man Magnet

Oh yah baby. Yesterday I decided to not to go to the gym. Took a break. I drank half cup of my tea concoction. Today, I said I must drink more. So I had two half cups in the morning, and my lazy ass makes it to work 15 minute early, energized. This has never happened in the 4 years I've worked there. I am focused and clear headed. I poured some coffee in my cup and dumped it because I didn't need it. I feel as if I am in total control of my cravings. A couple coworkers told me my face looked like it shrank as well as my arms. Well this morning I noticed I could see my rib cage.

I've been researching this Di Huang (Rehmannia) herb. It says

"1. Medium dosages strengthen the function of the heart. Large doses are toxic for the heart.
2. Increases blood pressure.
3. Small doses constrict the blood vessels and large doses dilate the blood vessel.
4. It possesses the characteristics of diuretics.
5. It decreases the blood sugar and inhibits carbohydrates being converted into blood sugar."

I think this is why I am losing inches (but not pounds) in only two heavy workout days. Ooooh so cool This stuff is only $3 a bag. Take that evil diet pill corporations! I bet you the FDA is going to try to outlaw this to control society to make them take lab created pills.

Anyways so one more half cup before I hit the gym. Today I go to the gym perfume, make up free. My goodness, the guys are checking me out. Usually they try to not stare at me too long because it Gold's gym is for serious beef cakes only. But I noticed a few really trying to stare at me. One tried to pretend he wasn't looking at me, but he did that back bend tilt your head when I walked away. Poor guy's gonna injure his back and neck because of me. Hahaha.

Then this other guy approached me. Talking chit chatting, then working out next to me, then trying to ask me out while the back bend guy looked at us. The male attention is kind of insane. I didn't use any perfume, pheromones, spells, nothing! Nice. Nothing beats having sexy muscles anyways. My belly could use some shrinkage still, but that is for another day.

Oh yah, as for my work outs I am progressing longer times on the cardio machines and more reps on the weight stuff. My body is transforming as we speak.