In one of his articles Malcolm Gladwell cites Mark Alpert as prototypical Maven. And Mark Alpert defines being a Maven as following:
"A Maven is someone who wants to solve other people's problems, generally by solving his own"
I like to think of myself as a Paleo Maven. Or rather a junior Paleo Maven since I'm still learning for myself and have a local focus on Hong Kong.
The thing about Mavens is that they thrive through other Mavens. It's a symbiotic existence: Like a clown fish and an anemone.
This clown fish Maven found it's anemone in her fellow primal eaters Gordon Sanders and Susanne Willfinger-Leung. Thanks to Gordon I found the soap equivalent of a Swiss pocket knife; Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap. Due to it's natural ingredients like organic extra virgin coconut, olive, jojoba and hemp oils, together with pure essential oils the soap effectively cleans without being aggressive on the skin and mild enough for kids.
That is why it can be used as shampoo, shower gel, tooth paste, deodorant, mouth wash, disinfectant, mild detergent for sports clothes and yoga mat cleanser. You just have to dilute it accordingly. For an outdoor person like me who likes to pack light and focuses on essentials this is a great product. During my trail-running days I would finish a long gel fuelled run, my mouth still filled with artificial sugary vanilla raspberry taste. At that time I would have even considered rinsing my mouth with normal shower gel.
Also reeking less like sweat but more deodorized while taking the bus or MTR back home would also been a perk. Bronner's Magic Soap uses a wide range of different yummy smelling essential oils as fragrance. So I asked my Paleo aromatherapist friend Susanne which fragrance to pick.
"A Maven is someone who wants to solve other people's problems, generally by solving his own"
I like to think of myself as a Paleo Maven. Or rather a junior Paleo Maven since I'm still learning for myself and have a local focus on Hong Kong.
The thing about Mavens is that they thrive through other Mavens. It's a symbiotic existence: Like a clown fish and an anemone.
This clown fish Maven found it's anemone in her fellow primal eaters Gordon Sanders and Susanne Willfinger-Leung. Thanks to Gordon I found the soap equivalent of a Swiss pocket knife; Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap. Due to it's natural ingredients like organic extra virgin coconut, olive, jojoba and hemp oils, together with pure essential oils the soap effectively cleans without being aggressive on the skin and mild enough for kids.
That is why it can be used as shampoo, shower gel, tooth paste, deodorant, mouth wash, disinfectant, mild detergent for sports clothes and yoga mat cleanser. You just have to dilute it accordingly. For an outdoor person like me who likes to pack light and focuses on essentials this is a great product. During my trail-running days I would finish a long gel fuelled run, my mouth still filled with artificial sugary vanilla raspberry taste. At that time I would have even considered rinsing my mouth with normal shower gel.
Also reeking less like sweat but more deodorized while taking the bus or MTR back home would also been a perk. Bronner's Magic Soap uses a wide range of different yummy smelling essential oils as fragrance. So I asked my Paleo aromatherapist friend Susanne which fragrance to pick.
"Peppermint and citrus essential oils are among my top favourites for an instant feeling of refreshment and clarity. They are uplifting, stimulating and help you get ready for your day."
Being revitalized after a long run or intense workout sounds nice. It could also be used as morning pick me up in the shower.
Susanne explains me that peppermint is also great for relieving muscular cramps and spasms.
"With its stimulating and warming properties, it can counteract cold & flu symptoms and it is a great remedy for treating headaches or mental fatigue. Peppermint especially aids clarity of mind and clear thinking. If aching muscles, arthritis or rheumatism is a problem, this wonderful essential oil can also help with its analgesic (pain
relieving) and cooling properties."
I look up my standard online supplier iherb.com and see that they are offering Bronner's Magic Soap with peppermint and with citrus. "So what does citrus do?" I ask her. "Citrus essential oils like lemon, orange or grapefruit complement peppermint perfectly not only in smell, but also in properties." Susanne explains. "They share the characteristic of clearing the mind, lifting one’s spirit and relieving mental fatigue. Especially lemon helps with rheumatism and arthritis as it has the ability to counteract acidity in the body, getting rid of uric acid which causes pain and inflammation of the joints."
Apparently citrus essential oils also boosts the circulatory system, and gets you really started in the morning leaving your body refreshed and balanced.
Being revitalized after a long run or intense workout sounds nice. It could also be used as morning pick me up in the shower.
Susanne explains me that peppermint is also great for relieving muscular cramps and spasms.
"With its stimulating and warming properties, it can counteract cold & flu symptoms and it is a great remedy for treating headaches or mental fatigue. Peppermint especially aids clarity of mind and clear thinking. If aching muscles, arthritis or rheumatism is a problem, this wonderful essential oil can also help with its analgesic (pain
relieving) and cooling properties."
I look up my standard online supplier iherb.com and see that they are offering Bronner's Magic Soap with peppermint and with citrus. "So what does citrus do?" I ask her. "Citrus essential oils like lemon, orange or grapefruit complement peppermint perfectly not only in smell, but also in properties." Susanne explains. "They share the characteristic of clearing the mind, lifting one’s spirit and relieving mental fatigue. Especially lemon helps with rheumatism and arthritis as it has the ability to counteract acidity in the body, getting rid of uric acid which causes pain and inflammation of the joints."
Apparently citrus essential oils also boosts the circulatory system, and gets you really started in the morning leaving your body refreshed and balanced.
There you have it:
Peppermint and citrus are the athlete's essential oils.
As far as I know there are no shops in Hong Kong selling Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap. But I ordered a 1 litre bottle of peppermint and another 1 litre bottle of citrus from iherb.com.
I do love the refreshing smell. And sometimes I just blend them together in a small bottle for all the benefits Susanne told me about.
Stay fresh and stay clean!
Peppermint and citrus are the athlete's essential oils.
As far as I know there are no shops in Hong Kong selling Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap. But I ordered a 1 litre bottle of peppermint and another 1 litre bottle of citrus from iherb.com.
I do love the refreshing smell. And sometimes I just blend them together in a small bottle for all the benefits Susanne told me about.
Stay fresh and stay clean!
