Ask Chaviva Anything: What's Your Skin Regimen?

This question is very flattering, which makes me feel a bit awkward, but ...

Whenever you post a picture or a video of yourself, I'm always in awe of your skin. You don't seem to wear a lot of makeup, so I assume it's just really beautiful. Therefore - and I know it's completely OOT - would you mind sharing how you keep it that pretty?

The funny thing is, the past few weeks I've had terrible woes with my skin. My whole life, I've had pretty clear skin. When I was in high school I had one friend who struggled with acne who used to comment to how much she hated how clear and pimple-free my skin was. Luckily, I managed puberty without any acne problems. 

That being said, I struggle greatly with skin woes when I'm stressed, and the past few weeks I've been particularly stressed. I'll get two to three terribly obnoxious and irritating skin woes that last for weeks because I suck at handling acne since I never had to deal with it before. I also have a few spots on my face where I have "pock marks" leftover from painful chicken pox when I was a child. You probably don't see them in my pictures, and I think I probably notice them more than anyone does.

So how do I keep my skin clear? I really ... honestly I don't do anything. I drink a lot of water, eat a largely plant-based and gluten-free diet with very little dairy intake. I don't have any creams or moisturizers I use, mostly because I'm lazy. I buy them and then never use them. I don't spend a ton of time in the sun, either.

I feel like that makes me sound like a jerk. Ooo look at me and my mostly clear skin and I don't do anything for it! But I really do believe that diet has a lot to do with skin health. So take it as you will! 

The Motzei Shabbos Special

I ran this series a few times in the past, but after people were talking on message boards about how I was being needy and posting all the things I hoped people would buy for me, I figured I'd put the kabosh on it. Now that I live in Israel and the truth that these are just things I think that are awesome and not things I expect people to buy for me, I figure it's time to revive the series! So here we go on another round of The Motzei Shabbos Special!

Just Press Start
I'm a huge fangirl of Apple products, and when I spotted this iNecklace, I couldn't help but kvell. It also comes in cufflinks, so you and your fellow Apple sweetheart can make sure that you're properly fanning it up.

Oh Homer, Where Art Thou?
I was never a big donut eater growing up, despite my family's love of stopping at Krispy Kreme whenever we were in Omaha to pick up a freshly-baked batch of the heart-stopping glazed variety. I liked watching them processed through the machine, but they were too sweet -- even for me. When I discovered that there were some mass-produced gluten-free varieties, I gave them a go, but again the sweet factor just killed me. Thus enters Gluten-free Sugared Gingerbread Cake Donuts from The Urban Poser, which look like the perfect amount of donut with the perfect amount of sweet.

Jerusalem of Nosh
I've been watching as Serious Eats has been posting recipe after recipe of amazing nosh from the cookbook "Jerusalem." The book has gotten some negative reviews because it doesn't honor the kosher keepers, but the truth is the chefs who got together to write the book aren't of the Haredi variety (one is Palestinian, so, we can't hold him to kosher, folks). Mejadra is just but one recipe, and I have to say I am stoked to give it a go after having tried the Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Onion with Tahini and Za'atar, I am pretty sure it's going to kill. I guess I'll have to buy the cookbook now!

Get Up, Get Going

I have to say I'm intrigued and perplexed by the holistic UP bracelet by Jawbone. Apparently, it tracks your sleep and movement patterns and then an app (only on iTunes) on your phone displays the data, letting you add things like meals and mood. The app then provides you with insights to help you moving forward. I've seen other devices that do this, and I've also been skeptical, but this one seems like a no-brainer. The bracelet itself is $129.99, and I'm assuming the app is included. For me, this would be a wonder, as my sleeping habits are getting crazier and crazier by the day. 

Letters for Your Heart

If you're not a complete and utter devotee to xkcd.com (it's a web comic), then you're really missing out. Yes, there are weeks that the craft goes above and beyond my head, but most weeks it's genius if not romantic and heartfelt. So buy a print already. 

Campaign for a Cause

Last year at the 2011 ROI Summit, I had the pleasure of meeting the man behind NU Campaign, probably the coolest T-Shirt business on the planet. You see, there's a cause printed in graphically awesome ways on the front of the shirt, and then on the inside (of the shirt, yes) you get the explanation of the cause! The big push right now? The One for Israel T-Shirt!

Let's Get Visual! Visual!

I love infographics. They are all the rage, and if there's anything in the world that will get your message or cause or information out there, it's a really well-done infographic. Where do I find my favorites? I hit up Visual.ly, because it's sort of a clearling house for just about any infographic you could possibly imagine. Case in point? This one. 

Scrubbin' Bubbles I need one of these, hardcore style. Yes, it's a Shower Squid, and it will hold EVERYTHING you need in the shower, from your razor to that slippery bar of soap. Genius!

Come On Baby Light My Menorah I'm a huge sucker for chanukiyot (aka menorot to the rest of the world), so this time of year is like magic for me. I keep walking by amazing ones with boxes (the standard here in Jerusalem), but I have yet to buy one. I didn't bring mine with me because the one I prized was a heavy iron one, so I really have to find a long-term keeper for this Chanukah and all of those to come. Here are a couple I spotted online that are absolutely festive. 
Bronze Chair Menorah via UncommonGoods.com

Olive Branch Menorah by Michael Aram

Have something that you're raving about and want to share? Let me know!

Chaviva's PSA: GET HEALTHY! - PART 2

Shloms to my homes. That's my new lingo for "Shalom to my good blog readers." Get down with the Chavi lingo!

Anywho, I wanted to update everyone on my medical happenings, because I visited my sock-it-to-you doctor this morning. She was just as feisty as before, although luckily the test results came back, and she didn't have too much to be angry/worried/concerned about.

I'm happy to say that (almost) everything came back completely normal, if not excellent. My cholesterol and thyroid and blood count were great, with the doc commenting that she wished she had my cholesterol level. It also appears I need more Vitamin D, but she assured me that just about everyone in the U.S., especially in the Northeast in the winter, has low Vitamin D levels. The only downer was the results of the fasting/glucose test. Now, the results weren't horrible, but here's the deal. After you fast, they have you drink the gross soda, then make you sit for one hour, then another, testing your levels at both intervals. At the second hour, your level should be between 75 and 139 mg/dl. Mine, unfortunately, was at 141. This puts me on the very, very low end of "impaired glucose tolerance." To be a full-blown diabetic, those numbers would be greater than 200. So, let's just say I'm pleased that I'm only two mg/dl on the bad side of things. The doc said it isn't anything to be really worried about, that I'm not at death's door, but that I have one option: lose weight, eat better. So she's setting me up with an appointment with the "diabetes educator," whatever that is. My dad has diabetes, and I grew up with us going on and off the "diabetic diet" (picture mom scooping out green beans and everything else with measuring cups, super fun). The upside is I only have to see the educator once, and it's only to make sure I know what I'm doing and that I'm doing it right. Lose weight, eat right, and diabetes won't eat your body up and make you die from some horrible diabetes-related cause. My dad lost two aunts to diabetes-related complications, and countless other relatives on his side suffer from the craptastic glucose giant. I, however, will not be one of those people.

So that's what's new with my medical woes. I also had a EKG, for no apparent reason. I also might be visiting a cardiologist for a completely arbitrary and infrequent chest pain I've been getting since 9th grade social studies. It's funny how we can remember very specific moments in time like that. I was sitting next to Christina, or was it Russ? I stood up at the end of class at the bell, and for some reason, this really sharp pain struck the very center of my chest. It knocked the wind out of me and I plopped back down in my chair. I sat there for about 2 minutes, unable to move without feeling the horrible pain. I went to the doctor, thinking I was having some early-onset heart attack stuff, and the doctor just told me I probably pulled a muscle. Who'da thunk you could pull a muscle in your chest just by standing up? My current doctor doesn't buy it and because the pain persists once every three months or so at completely arbitrary points, she wants to make sure it isn't more serious. The EKG came back fine, so who knows.

Do I sound like a walking ball of disease and impending doom? I swear I'm not a hypochondriac. In fact, these are all things I've been dealing with for a long time; I'm just really stubborn and don't go to the doctor until they're all sort of bugging me at once. Then I sound like I'm one of those people who sits on WebMD researching all the various ailments they have. I'm not that person, I promise.

Anyway, let this be an even greater reminder to y'all to schedule appointments, get yourself checked out, and be as HEALTHY as YOU can be in 2010! Darn't! Or else. Don't make me come over there ...

Chaviva's PSA: GET HEALTHY!

I'm a big fan of full-disclosure of the most random things here on this blog, so I thought I'd share with you a really entertaining (and sort of unfortunate) X-Ray I received today of my knees! I've been dealing with a certain amount of knee pain over the past two years after injuring myself in late January 2008 (read about it in this post), and I have been stubbornly not trying to take care of it. Walking up stairs, my knee makes the  most hideous and mind-blowing crackling noise -- like bones rubbing against bones in every which way -- and the pain I experience is always on a very high level. When I was in Israel, it was really bad, and the day-to-day ranges from no pain (like today when I sit around all day) to tons of pain (lots of stairs and long distances). So, after visiting with my new General Doctor last week, and her slapping me upside the head with my health woes (sleep, TMJ, stomach woes, knees, etc), I was referred to about six different physicians. One of them? An ortho person. So today, I went, and I found out my knees look like this:

A normal Right Knee?

Yes, those are my kneecaps. And yes, they're sitting WAY off to the side. They're meant to sit in those little grooves, not off to the side, hanging out in their own little bubble of stupidity. But I'm sort of like the opposite of a bow-legged person, I'm a knob-kneed person. The way to treat this? Lots and lots and lots (and LOTS) of physical therapy. Then more visits to the Ortho, and more physical therapy. Hopefully, someday, my knees will re-migrate to their designated posts. Maybe if I migrate to Israel they'll migrate to their little cozy knee spots.

At any rate, this has been one ridiculous medical day. The X-Rays topped off the day that was started by spending three hours in a doctor's office having blood drawn. I managed to fill nine vials all together with blood. I even got to drink this disgustingly sweet Orange Soda (OU kosher!) and then sit in a waiting room and wait. It was thrilling, just thrilling. Come Monday, I should know whether I have a thyroid issue, diabetes, and a host of other medical problems. Let's hope they all come out negative.

The point? You guys -- all of you -- whether you're feeling healthy or not, need to get your health issues in order. I take after my mother with my phobia of doctors. Why? Because if you go to the doctor, they'll tell you what's wrong with you, and then you'll have to pay for it to be fixed, and deal with the life-long affects of having to change the way you live, medicate, and more. That's a lot to take. So better live in ignorance, right? NOT. You have to set up your life so you know what your kids can expect -- look at it that way. The more you know, the more they know, the more your grandkids know. The more everyone can prepare for hearth disease, cancer, diabetes, etc. So if you haven't been in for a physical, just go. Deal with it. Suck it up. Make yourself healthy. Make 2010 the Year of Healthy Living! Lose some weight, work out, eat more fresh and colorful foods, and feel better about yourself.

If Chaviva can do it -- begrudgingly as all hell -- so can you. To motivate you, take another look at my unfortunately jacked-up knee caps. Then call your physician and get your tuches on the move to health!