The Constellation: PHYSICAL HEALTH 💪

Published: Thu, 02/01/18

Keeping up with your New Year's resolutions?

Whether it's your diet, workout routine, or skincare regimen, we all try our best to take care of our bodies. Sometimes keeping up with your physical health seems impossible.

What the heck is gluten?

Is yoga the key to living forever?

Do I have to spend $120 on an face cream in order to maintain a youthful glow?

It can get very confusing.

Although this newsletter won't provide you with an all-encompassing guide on healthcare, we sat down with Stardust advisory board member, Larissa Miller, whose experience as a massage therapist offers a unique insight into some aspects of physical health that you might never have even heard of!

We'll also discuss the health aspect of Stardust microgrant recipient, Joshua Potter, whose goal was not only to create a sustainable food source, but also to stress the importance of pesticide-free, locally-grown food.

Potter Farms: Eat Healthy, Be Healthy!

Growing up on the outskirts of a city,

I was blessed to live an agrarian lifestyle. Fresh fruit and vegetables - not to mention delicious jams and juices - were available to me year-round.

Initially, I was unaware how lucky I was to live with those who devoted their lives to farming. It wasn't until I moved to the city that I experienced the artificial - and generally inferior - taste of supermarket food. It made me appreciate the work of my grandparents even more. It made me wonder:

Whatever happened to growing herbs on the kitchen windowsill? Whatever happened to picking fruit off a tree in your backyard?

From my experience, organic food is tastier, but even more importantly, it truly is beneficial for the environment. The ecosystem is often disturbed by industrial agriculture and its farming techniques involving chemicals and waste disposal, so growing food in a natural way helps to increase balance. Currently, agriculture is dominated by large farms that use enormous amounts of chemical pesticides and fertilizers; it’s worrying to even imagine the number of harmful chemicals our produce is exposed to.

In addition, many people assume an urban lifestyle leaves no time or energy for growing your own food. Thankfully, people like Joshua Potter offer a helping hand to those who decide to change their dietary habits for the better.

Awarded a microgrant in Spring 2016 by the Stardust Startup Factory, Joshua Potter’s idea not only involves producing and selling his self-grown produce, but educating the community on pesticide-free farming and the benefits of growing your own food so that everyone can work towards a more community-focused lifestyle.

As Josh shares on Carteret Local Food Network, he enjoys teaching others about farming and growing food in a way that is both consumer and environmentally friendly. Joshua, and adept farmers like him, utilize specialized techniques to maintain an equilibrium in their gardens.

People like Josh remind us that it is, in fact, possible to subsist off of produce that isn’t covered in chemicals. So let’s take this first step towards a healthier life and invest in locally-grown, pesticide-free produce.

Let’s do it for ourselves; let’s do it for our planet!

-Barbara Walas

Read More About This Project →

Health Tips from Larissa Miller!

Know anything about Fascia or Sole Water? Yeah, me neither. Luckily, Stardust advisory board member, Larissa Miller, knows a thing or two about the intricate world of self-care.

After working in the public school systems of NYC and New Orleans, Larissa found herself utterly exhausted. She recounted that she suffered from adrenal fatigue: a sure sign of stress taking a physical toll on the body. From there, Larissa explored the practice of massage therapy which led her to Angus Moloney. She remembers becoming fast friends with Angus, and "geeking-out" whenever they had a chance to discuss science or technology.

After completing the program, Larissa founded her own massage therapy company, Dynamic Integrations Wellness. There, she employs several different massage techniques to achieve "optimal wellbeing," such as Spinal Reflex Therapy (SRT), Fascia Contouring, and even Hypnotherapy.

Fascia Contouring works to decompress the body. Fascia - the "fiber optic cable system" that runs throughout our bodies - is not to be disregarded, says Larissa. Fascia can store our trauma and experiences, and can lead to a physical feeling of congestion. As Larissa puts it, "we are our fascia!" She recommends taking hot soaks or even using a body roller known as the Fascia Blaster to try to unblock yourself.

She also stressed the importance of staying hydrated, and introduced to me the concept of Sole Water. Sole Water is the term for infusing your water with mineral-rich, unrefined salt - Larissa suggests Himalayan salt - to ensure your body retains the maximum amount of water. When the ions of the salt and water interact, it creates an electrical charge that the body can absorb better than regular water. The benefits of Sole Water are numerous. For more information - and for the precise recipe - click here.

Finally, Larissa would like this opportunity to convey the immense pride she feels to be a part of The Stardust Startup Factory. She has "endless energy" when it comes to Stardust because it is "creating the world community that [she] wants to live in."

-Nicolette LaPalme

Do you have a story related to sustainability, health, or learning? We'd love to feature our followers' knowledge in future issues!

nicolette@starduststartupfactory.org