This post was inspired by a conversation with one of my besties Grace. We were talking about sleep and how we knew we probably weren't getting enough, but hello, no one is. That got me thinking... I've heard the 7-8 hour bit before. But what's actually going on as I sleep? How come I feel so "blegh" without sleep? Are my crappy sleep habits going to cause problems later on in life?
Alrighty, let's get right down to it. This is a personal story, y'know like one of those you tell about "a friend" but everyone knows you are just telling it about yourself. So yep, this one is MY story. If at this point you don't want to read anything related to me, my pelvic self exam, and what happened thereafter then here's your cue to head back over to your Twitter or FB feed.
As for you curious folk who are hanging around, let's get this story started.
Boobs, ta-tas, honka honkas, melons, titties. (Hm, see the common trend in nicknames for “private parts”?) I think boobs are great. There, I said it. I worked as a bra fitter at Victoria’s Secret for a couple years. Not only did I see many, many, many girls and women nearly topless, I tried my best to help solve their breast-related dilemmas. The youngest girls I ever fitted were 10 year old Asain twins with a helicopter parenting mother, and the oldest woman was a sassy Scottish 84 year old who fondly referred to her breasts as “hush puppies.”
From the time I became a teenager, I don't think a single week, maybe even day has gone by that I haven’t heard some type of negative body talk - either from myself or others. It’s common right? If I had a dollar for each of those times I could retire immediately… in the bahamas… with my personal hairstyilst, make up artist, and personal butler.
This weekend I was getting my nerd on at the American Physical Therapy Association's Mass Chapter annual conference. Phew that was a mouthful! Anyways, I attended 2 orthopedic courses which I thought would carry over well to my work. I had no idea that the runner's course would blow my mind and serve as inspiration for a post!
The oral contractive (OC) pills of today ain't yo' grandmamas birth control. Last week we went over the basics of birth control pills. If you missed that post, start by reading it here. This tinee tiny little pill has a <1% failure rate. That's a pretty awesome stat, which means that about 1 in 100 women will become pregnant when taking the pill.
This tiny little compact shaped container rocked the socks off of women in the 1960's. Finally there was a way to plan and decide when you wanted to have a baby. Now it seems to be regularly prescribed to every girl who gets her period. The pill, more formally known as oral contraception (OC), has come a long way since it was first developed. Here's the latest scoop.
Turn on the TV and I'm sure you'll see at least one ad for a female hygiene product. Something with gorgeous gal spinning around smiling or images of waterfalls to "make you fresher" and "rid yourself of odor". These ads imply that if we don't use the product then we are going to be dirty and smelly. Look at all these ads from the last few decades!
When it comes to fitness there are some pretty big lines drawn. You pick a camp and join their team. There's: Lifter (this is broken down further into powerlifter, bodybuilder), Crossfitter, Yoga Girl, and Runner/Cardio.
The big downside to choosing only one team is that you miss out on the benefits of crosstraining. In the short term this isn't always a bad thing- if you're getting ready for a powerlifting meet then doing hours of cardio isn't going to help you reach your goal. But from a long term health and fitness perspective you're going to predispose yourself to injury.
