Weekend inspiration: sitting on the floor, walking, and homemade deodorant

Weekend inspiration: sitting on the floor, walking, and homemade deodorant

• 2.13.2015

This is a very different kind of Weekend Inspiration post!

Sometimes I share ideas for cooking, crafting, sometimes visiting places around my area... this week, I'm excited about some minor lifestyle changes that have been making me feel so much better.

I think I'll have to take a "less is more" approach on some of these, since there's so much to say but I'm still learning so I'm not the right person to say it. May you find time to do some extracurricular reading this weekend and enjoy!

1. Sitting on the floor.

"Sitting is the new smoking," etc. etc. For some time now, at work I've used a standing desk with barstool for frequent changes in position, which has really helped my back, neck, and hip issues. And, I've always been good at stretching and yoga poses. But, I still get stiff and feel limited in my mobility on days when I don't get out for a long walk (so, most days) or am stuck seated in various places.

Recently, husband and I have been listening to every podcast interview we can find with Katy Bowman, biomechanical scientist and natural movement expert. (Seriously, click around her blog for tons of straightforward mechanical explanations for common modern issues such as foot pain, pelvic floor problems, "exercise" instead of movement...)

One big change Katy has made is living with less furniture. Sitting on the floor is something our bodies are meant to do, but some of us have lost the ability to do easily. Although we pay lots of money to go to yoga class and do it in 17 different positions for an hour a few times a week--why not just do it at home? The floor provides hard pressure like a foam roller or massage, and changing positions frequently keeps any particular muscle from getting stiff.

I've been sitting on the floor or standing at home all week! So here's what my living room looked like last weekend. We moved the coffee table out of the way (we do this often to foam roll in the living room), and I worked on taxes on the floor.

Katy has compared the couch to junk food. Yes, it feels good, but it has a short-term benefit and long-term cost. I've felt so much better after a day of standing at the kitchen counter and sitting on the kitchen floor (literally! I did that too, this week! Good lighting in here) rather than hunching over a laptop or book with my legs and hips in strict right angles.

Sometimes when listening to Katy's podcast I get confused by the cellular expression, mechanotransduction, super science-ey bits (and I rewind and re-listen a lot to the musculoskeletal stuff I can get if I really focus), but she's great with using metaphors to explain things and translate back to everyday life patterns. (One of the first episodes I heard her on was this one, with a lot about high heels.)

SO much to think about.

2. Walking. Long walks.

In that vein... husband and I have been taking walks in the parks near our house on Saturdays and Sundays, and man, is it nice to see the community, talk to each other without technology or other distractions, and move our bodies.

The weather is getting better, and the days getting slightly longer, so we're picking our fair weather habit back up and I can't wait till it's nice enough for a real hike somewhere and some longer time out in the fresh air.

This weekend: long walks!

3. New homemade deodorant recipes.

I've been using homemade deodorant for a couple years now, variations on my friend Carly's stick deodorant recipe. There are about 5,283 good-sounding recipes out there for homemade deodorant, so I was totally overwhelmed to make it at first. I didn't have most of the ingredients and I couldn't tell which recipe I'd like best. So I just went for it--ordered the new stuff and started mixing. (Like, I ordered these beeswax pellets--never would have thought I'd be shopping for something like these!)

Totally worth it. I love the way my homemade deodorants have smelled, and they work just as well as the conventional stuff (and better than store bought natural deodorants). However, there've been issues with my previous batches... one was too liquid at room temperature so I kept it in the fridge; two were kind of irritating and maybe too heavy on the baking soda for my skin.

But it's about time to make another batch, and I wanted to do my research more this time! Last week I went to the grand opening of a Pharmaca store in the Portland area, and nerded out over their line of essential oils. I haven't found many uses for essential oils, but I like them, and they are great for deodorants because many of them are antibacterial and antimicrobial (and they add a nice smell). So, I spent some time Googling "best antibacterial essential oils for deodorant" and getting so overwhelmed by the responses I eventually gave up and just picked a couple that smelled good.

Stick/solid deodorant recipes: Baking soda free or baking soda optional:

• Solid, uses probiotics and essential oils
• Solid, uses diatomaceous earth
• Two sensitive skin options (could add essential oils)
• Basic stick deodorant with tea tree and other essential oils (I might try without baking soda)
• Solid, essential oil options for men's and women's fragrances

I  mean, that is seriously just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many options.

I know I want to use my essential oils, beeswax pellets for solidity at room temperature, and shea butter for moisture/smoothness. And whichever other ingredients I need based on the recipe. (I have found that shea butter is the greatest moisturizer ever! It's not too greasy but so thick and creamy, and lasts longer than just coconut oil. It's very smooth and nice in deodorant, too!)

So this week I bought a small saucepan at Goodwill for $1.50 and this weekend, I plan to use it melting my ingredients together! Wish me luck!