Jameela is a godsend. “Detox” diets are fucking bad you. Detoxing is nearly always bullshit, nutritionally.

Life isn’t about getting there the fastest. Life is full of beautiful and messy stops, bumps, and detours, and that’s part of what makes it interesting. 🐌✨

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Yep, I have allergic type reactions to these as well, usually hives and rashes but dizzy spells and fainting if I have prolonged consumption without noticing (hard to do)

Oh hey look, something that ISN’T TOTAL FUCKING BULLSHIT :D

Morning yoga with bunnies!

I think this is strangely the most helpful guide to this sequence I’ve seen. 

1. Fist: Make a fist around the epi-pen, don’t place your thumb/fingers over either end

2. Flick the blue cap off

3. Fire. Press down into the outer thigh (the big muscle in there), hold for 10 seconds before removing (the orange cap will cover the needle). Bare skin is best but the epi-pen will go through clothing. Avoid pockets and seams. 

- Ring an ambulance even if everything seems to be fine!

More info for those who have asked - 

💖 Take this, haterrrrs! 💖

Get fit! Fight fatshaming! Be fabulous! Have fun!

If you like this and want to support my art, you can get it on my Society6 as a print, shirt, phone case, and a couple of other fancy things.

(High-resolution of this available for my supporters on Patreon!)

I don’t know about you but I’m so sick of that omnipresent association of sports/fitness with weight loss as the ultimate goal.

(PS: I’m not sure how efficient punching people is for building muscle mass but I’m afraid she’s had a lot of opportunities so I guess four pounds is probably realistic?)

Finally a motivation video without fitness models, but with ordinary girls!

[Image: Self Care for Cold Weather]

So Apologies on the image, there were none that looked cold weathery without being christmasy? 

Self Care for Cold Weather.

-Wash, wash, wash your hands, lots and lots each day.

No seriously. Hand sanitizer is not a replacement for washing your hands, but it or baby wipes is better than nothing. Do so before and after you eat. After you go to the restroom, any time you are around folks with the sniffles. And just, lots. I used to work in a kid’s museum and we had this lotion that we’d rub on your hands and then put them under a black light- lemme tell you something, I used to take delight in the looks of horror on parent’s faces. Now it just kind of terrifies me too.

There’s a lot of germs and a lot of folks huddling inside and you don’t want to be sick.

-Cover up.

Scarfs, hats, mittens, gloves, hoodies. All my lovely folks who suffer from dissociation- take it from a friend- just because you don’t feel cold doesn’t mean your body isn’t taking a hit. Don’t go out in the snow in short sleeves, please.

-Lotion is your friend.

Our skin takes a huge hit during the cold season, be nice to your skin. Put lotion on in the morning and at night and maybe even through out the day.  Your skin will thank you, you won’t get as chapped/burned. Oil based (vs. water based) moisturizers are even better.

One thing you can do for your feet/hands is apply lotion and then put socks/mittens on and sleep like that.

-Check your lip balms for drying agents

Lotion is your friend- and so is lip balm. However a lot of lip balms contain drying agents whether it be menthol, eucalyptus or Salicylic acid. This will only have you reapplying soon after without really helping you out in the long run.

-Take Wet Things off Immediately

If you aren’t going  to be able to strip completely- this is why layers can be your friend (when say.. going to class or work). But staying in wet clothes a. doesn’t help you warm up and b. irritates the skin.

-If you’re so cold you’re shaking, stop layering up.

If you’re so cold that you’re shaking- your body has most likely dipped to the point that it isn’t creating it’s own heat anymore. layering only helps to keep heat in- not make it. You’ll need to do something to raise your body temp, whether it be an electric blanket, skin to skin contact with someone else, or a long warm(not hot!) shower. 

-Get the Nutrients You Can

Whether you do it by drinking (not chugging- don’t be that college student) orange juice, eating your fruits and veggies, or by taking vitamins- now is a time where you should probs be paying more attention to your vitamin intake. Help boost your immune system early and often through out the season. Now is a good time to be loading up on vegetable soups and the like.

-Pay Attention to your Emotions.

Seasonal Affective Disorder is a very real thing. And if this is a thing you think you might suffer from, it might be time to talk to your doctor. There are special lights that you can purchase for your home (though they are on the expensive side) that can be used to help.

And even for those of us without SAD, sometimes the winter weather can get us down. Make sure you’re taking time to still participate in self care- and not only self soothing, but processing and dealing with our feelings.

Take Care of yourselves, okay?

Cecil Baldwin talks openly about HIV for the first time. I love him, and I’m so incredibly proud of him. Honored to call him a friend, my fictional podcast boyfriend, and a stigma-ending badass.

Here’s my transcript:

Dylan Marron: Hey, I’m Dylan Marron, and I am here with actor and voice of the international hit podcast Welcome to Night Vale, Cecil Baldwin! Hi, Cecil.

Cecil Baldwin: Hi, Dylan. How’s it going?

DM: It’s good, how are you?

CB: I’m doing well.

DM: Um, so we play a kuh- notable* fictional queer couple on a podcast, and we’re friends in real life! [laughs] *[I can’t tell if Dylan is using some word I don’t get, or if he starts saying a word that starts with a kuh sound, like couple, and then changes into just saying “notable”]

CB: That’s true! 

DM: How do you navigate that balance between the two?

CB: Um, I - I *love* the fact that I get to perform with you, and are friends. Uh, I mean it is kinda funny, uh, playing your boyfriend on the show. When - especially when I know, y'know, you so well, and I know your husband so well.

DM: [laughs] It feels adulterous!

CB: It’s a little bit. [makes “little” gesture with fingers]

DM: So Cecil, um, you have never talked so publicly, on video, about your HIV status. What do you think the hesitation was about?

CB: Uh, I think ultimately the reason I wanted to talk to you about being HIV positive today, is that I find that we’re at this age, in 2016, where so many people in America and worldwide have HIV and are living with it, and are surviving it, and are - are making their lives work. I think that it’s important for, uh, people who are HIV positive, in the position to create a sounding-board, to let those other people know that we’re out there, and we’re a part of everyday life.

DM: When you first got diagnosed with HIV, what were you feeling? What did that feel like?

CB: I had *just* moved to New York, two months prior. And I was going in for my quarterly, you know, STD, uh, check-up, you know, just to kinda check in on my health. And I’d found out I was HIV positive. And it was - a surprise, a shock. Uh, and it was sadness, and it was, uh - there was a part of me that went into mourning. Because I didn’t know a lot about the disease. I didn’t know a lot about the treatments for the disease at the time. Um, I ended up writing letters to my parents, to a couple of close friends. Uh, and I went to a friend’s house, and, uh, we ate chocolate crepes, because chocolate always makes you feel better. And had a couple glasses of wine. And I remember talking to my friend, about - all I wanted to do was go home, and crawl under a blanket, and have my parents take care of me, because my life was over. And my friend kind of injected some real-life wisdom into that scenario, and said “You need to stay exactly where you are. You just moved to New York, you are in one of the *best* places in the world, with the *biggest* community of HIV positive people. You need to find your way into that community, because they’re there for you.”

DM: So, was there any particular moment, where a friend, a stranger - just kinda broke down the stigma, and made you feel very comfortable?

CB: Uh, I went to get a tattoo, here in New York, uh, from a friend of mine. And I’m filling out the questionnaire, um, and one of the questions is “are you HIV positive, AIDS,” you know, and you kinda have kinda to check yes/no. And it was the first time that my HIV status had been brought up in an everyday situation outside of the doctor’s office, outside of a conversation with friends or family. Um, and I got very nervous, and I got very anxious about it, because - I didn’t know how to react. Um, and so I called my friend over, the tattoo artist. And I said “Hey, uh - so I’m HIV positive, is that - a problem?” and I kinda lowered my voice so nobody else in the tattoo shop could hear me, cuz I was so nervous about it. And he just looked at me and said “my sister has it, it’s not a big deal.” And then walked away.

DM: Do you think there is still a stigma against HIV?

CB: Absolutely. You know, I feel this when I, have to say, go get a refill on my HIV medication and I’m outside of New York. And I go into a - a pharmacy somewhere in America, and the thought creeps up on me, of - is the person behind the desk judging me, is the person behind me judging me. We’ve cut through a lot of uh, the, you know, the sort of *big* myths. You can share a toilet with somebody [both laugh] and you won’t get AIDS. You can swim in a swimming pool, and you won’t get AIDS. Like, we’ve moved past that and now the stigma’s a little more insidious, and a little more underground. Which is part of the reason why visibility is so important.

DM: A lot of queer kids, growing up right now, did not live through the AIDS crisis. Do you think that understanding the history of the AIDS crisis is important to queer history?

CB: Uh, I think the best thing that young queer people can do, is to go back, and look at history. And look at the people who have forged that path, who have fought these battles, in the day when the battle really *needed* to be fought. Um, and not just see it as history, but see it as living history. Um, to recognize that a movement is just made out of individuals. And look for the individuals in that movement, and you’ll understand the movement.

DM:  When you first get that diagnosis, that you are HIV positive, it can feel um - deafening, and it can feel terrifying. What are the kind of resources that really helped you?

CB: Uh, I - two very good friends of mine, who are both HIV positive, sent me to a community health center here in New York called Callen-Lorde [http://callen-lorde.org] And this was - eye-opening, for me. Here was a health center entirely devoted to uh, the care, and the, uh empowering of - not just queer people, but everyone in the community. But it was through Callen-Lorde that I found myself with a doctor, with a dentist, with a pharmacy, with - uh, a therapist, who was willing to help me make this - transition in life. Um, and not only that, but because I was making very little money, they were able to provide me with all of that care, and figure out a way to make it manageable. These communities are out there, all over America. You just have to find them.

DM: Cool! Um, you just talked about HIV publicly for the first time! 

CB: Yeah!

DM: How do you feel?

CB: Uh, I feel good! I feel good.

DM: Thanks Cecil. I’m really proud of you.

CB: Thank you, Dylan.

Pro tip: If you know someone has issues with their immune system, tell them if you get sick. If you have plans, let them know you’re sick (yes, even if you’re “mostly over it”). If they choose to risk it, then at least it’s their choice, and they can take extra steps to avoid catching your bug.

If they ask to reschedule, or do go but refuse to touch you or get to close, don’t get angry. Don’t be offended. They’re literally just trying to look out for their health.

Even if it’s a scratchy throat, or you feel a little stuffed up, and you’re not “really sick”, still say something.

Friendly reminder to check your breasts while you’re just sitting there scrolling the internet, then reblog so your followers do the same. Two people I know were just diagnosed within the same week.

these are the things that need spread. not fucking ribbons and the words “breast cancer awareness.” we know it exists. just knowing it exists isn’t going to help much.

for everyone who has breasts or is rather busty in the chest area (because men can get it too and not everyone who has breasts is a woman)

Marxism and Mental Health

My argument is that, like poverty, mental health reform needs a collective, community wide approach not a greater focus on the actions of individuals.

The Fresh Stop Bus

www.thefreshstopbus.com

✨ The Fresh Stop Bus is a mobile farmer’s market that serves critical food desert neighborhoods across Central Florida. ✨

Central Florida (Orange County)

CLICK HERE for more black-owned businesses!

Epipens have more than quintupled in price since 2004

Epipens – self-injection sticks carried by people with deadly allergies, which have to be replaced twice a year – were developed by NASA at taxpayer expense, were patented by a government scientist who receives no royalties, require no marketing, and have gone from as little as $60 each to up to $606 in a few short years (during which time the company has switched to selling them exclusively in two-packs).

Mylan, who makes Epipens, and Pfizer, who markets them in the USA, have raised the prices monotonically since the middle of the last decade. Now, they’re so expensive that many public ambulance services have stopped packing them, parents are sending their kids out with expired Epipens, and many are opting for the much-less-effective strategy of carrying a syringe full of epinephrine, and hoping they’ll be able to inject themselves if they go into anaphylactic shock (one doctor who advises this compares having an Epipen to driving a Cadillac, something that not everyone can do. Other people drive to Canada, where Epipens are $94 for non-Canadians who pay a premium because they don’t have insurance-backed prescriptions.

Mylan and Pfizer have no explanation for their pricing, apart from saying that it “reflect[s] the multiple, important product features and the value the product provides.”

http://boingboing.net/2016/07/06/epipens-have-more-than-quintup.html

“The price reflects the value” MOTHERFUCKING AIR IS VALUABLE, BECAUSE IT’S NECESSARY. YOU’RE BASICALLY SAYING “it’s okay for me to gouge you because you have to let me to live”