Start Where You Are

Today I (re)started p90x. I've done it in the past, but never finished. I will complete it this time!

I don't have the resistance bands with the handles, I have ones without. I don't have a pull up bar and I trashed my old yoga mat...but I'm doing it anyway and will get those things in the next few weeks.

Why?

I learned a long time ago, that there is never a right time to start or make a change. If I wait, I'll be waiting forever based on some technicality. Some exercises I had to modify. Some I couldn't do many or any due to lack of the yoga mat (my bones hurt on the floor) or lack of strength. But I tried and pretty soon I'll get it.  Sometimes all you have to do is start.

Forgiveness Heals

I need to learn how to forgive...

I really do.

Juice Cleansing: Day 2 of 14

Howdy!

I'm on Day 2 of a 14 day juice cleanse.

I want to document daily as I did before, I find it keeps me motivated and on track. Right now, I'm super duper tired. Which isn't uncommon in the first days of a juice cleanse.  I did my normal 2.5 mile walk this morning which took a lot out of me. I sweated more than I ever did and I've been doing the same walk for over a month now.

As soon as I finish this post I'm taking a nap because I am struggling to keep my eyes open.
Me being tired is my body's way of healing and telling me to take it down, and I haven't listened yet! This juice cleanse I have a 1/2 gallon of Bolthouse Juice that is my fall back when I'm too tired to juice...it was lunch today.  So even though technically, it's a smoothie it won't affect my progress.

And speaking of progress, what I am working for this time? Not clear skin, because gee golly my skin looks darn good. I have a few breakouts, maybe 4. And the fact that I can count them is amazing, previously I had so many I couldn't count. And these 4 aren't monsters, one is actually super tiny.  I'm happy with my face and this is the first time I have ever said that in YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I'm working right now ease the inflammation in my body and to drop about 12 pounds. On the last cleanse I lost weight that I DID NOT GAIN BACK! I put that in caps because folks say oh you gain the weight back on a juice cleanse. Well, I didn't and I didn't even do it to loose weight.

This time I'm ready to reset my body once again and drop about 12 pounds.  So yeah, that's what I'm doing. Its day 2, 12 more to go!

Motivation

Love this outfit! Getting there...

Feeling Awesome and Skin Update

I'm feeling pretty darn amazing today. For not one particular reason I just feel like I need to give myself a pat on the back.  Sometimes we just don't give ourselves credit or love and encouragement. We're so busy doing an pushing forward that we don't take the opportunity to revel in our successes and even those things that we didn't succeed at but learned a valuable lesson.

Right now I'm on Day 4 of another juice cleanse. Though I've modified it and allowed myself almonds and I will eat lunch tomorrow (greens, veggies) but I plan on going like this for 2 weeks consistening of mainly fresh pressed juice. Right now I'm sipping on lunch which is mainly 2 apples, handful of spinach and a piece of ginger.

I had blogged about my skin before and just wanting to have a clear beautiful complexion, something which had alluded me for pretty much my entire post-childhood life. And though my skin isn't where I want it to be I am ELATED with my progress. Yes, I have a few breakouts but I think that is a side effect of the salicylic acid peel, which they say may happen. Which isn't unusual for anything that helps to treat acne...always the storm then the calm. But my face looks remarkable better. The breakouts on my jawline and cheeks...gone. I still have a ways to go but my skin's overall improvement has been marvelous.  I credit it with using steam to help open pores, my juice cleanse but also to getting a really amazing facial. 2 weeks after my skin was so nice! The lady who did my facial said my pores were clogged something super duper awful which was why I was breaking out. Now that could explain that why during the cleanse I was still breaking out, the stuff was coming out but it was blocked due to clogged pores.

My skin regime consists of using the following products:

• Cetaphil (not totally natural, but its a mild cleanser) - I won a big one from Allure during a contest and I'm glad I did.
• Yes To Tomato's - This is the Yes To! acne line. I use their core unclogging cleanser (contains salicylic acid, facial wipes, moisturizer and mask...I actually used up all the mask and moisturizer!)  I also have their acne gel cleanser that I have yet to open. I figured I start that once I run out of Cetaphil
• Grapeseed Oil - I use this as a moisturizer mainly at night after washing and toning
• ACV - GODSEND! this stuff is everything. I use it to mix my clay mask and also use it as a toner...a use equal parts ACV and water for my toner
• Clay - Yes, clay! This stuff is EXCELLENT at drawing out the impurities from the skin. Just mix with equal parts ACV and leave on face for 20-30 minutes, longer if you can stand it.
• Honey and Cinnamon - I mix these 2 together for a great mask that kills bacteria. Love this!

Products I want to get:

• Go Ginger Face Moisturizer - Ginger is anti-inflammatory which is why I always juice with it. I had a sample of this stuff before and it's awesome!
• TCA Peel -  I hear this is great, thou the process is a bit unsightly. I already ordered mine but I may not actually use it until next month. This will help with my scarring and dark marks. 

I really should do a blog post on how I cured my cystic acne naturally. I really think that my journey and struggle for years and years and finally finding a solution can help so many people with the same challenges. And it's not really just one solution, it's really changing a lot of things and realizing external and internal triggers.

I think I'll take a few pics of my skin now. I wish I had of taken them when my skin was acting crazy but it was just too much.  I think as time progresses the improvement from now to say a few months from now will be noticeable. I really hope that things continue so well. I knew that there was a better way to take care of my skin other than all these drugs.  Stay tuned for updates!!

xoxo

Tammy

Get Low, Get Low...

And yes, I'm planking too!

I'm currently on Day 9 and boy was it hard! It was harder than day 8 for some reason. I couldn't hold 1 minute straight. Hopefully by Day 11, I'll have the minute down.

Feel free to join me! Let's get these abs strong!

Squat it Like it's HOT!!

I've started the squat challenge. I think I messed up because I was not tracking my days very well. But I am currently on Day 7, which seems about right. Yes! I banged out 90 squats today! Super excited...I can tell I've gotten stronger already!

Care to join me?  Let's do this. Results in 30 days...who doesn't want a tighter bootay??

Life in Transistion

I'm back!

Well, almost...

The last few months has been a rollercoaster, lots of ups and downs and blogging just wasn't something that I felt lead to do. Yes, I thought about it but that's about it.

Lot's of change in my life from being engaged to being single. It's new...and I'm...managing.

I hope to get back to writing here much more often because no matter what happens life is to be lived to the fullest...I'm getting there.

Here's to my return!

Cheers!

xoxo

Juice Cleanse Finished

Yesterday was the last day of my 30 day juice cleanse! And I feel great! I broke the fast, as they say with prunes I soaked in water overnight. I had that for breakfast and a late dinner. I could only get down about eight prunes totally, I sipped on juice for lunch.  I still struggle with my water intake and getting enough. Some days I do great, others...not so much.

What's next?

For the next week I'll be doing a raw food diet. Nothing cooked. Only fruits, veggies and nuts to ease my system back into the groove of digesting food.

The hardest part may actually be creating a new lifestyle that includes foods that are good AND good for me. My next step is to do a liver/colon/kidney cleanse.  I hope to do a five to seven day juice cleanse again in March or April.

Mission Accomplished

I must say I am so proud of myself for staying the course and completing a goal. Especially this one, which was hard, but it was worth it.

Would I encourage others to try a juice cleanse? Yes, without a doubt!

Getting Spring Ready!

I love the winter. I feel like its the perfect time to "hibernate" and get spring ready. Meaning, ready to shed the coat and bare a little skin. As we all know coats are great for keeping warm and hiding those extra holiday pounds and I've found myself in previous years hanging on to the coat to hide the "results of the winter" once it was just too warm to wear one! Well, now I can't wait to show the results of winter by getting ready now.  Next week is the last week of my juice cleanse and will also mark my 100 day workout challenge. Every day, working out for at least 45 minutes a day. I am hoping to shape and tone to get ready for my first 5k and to rock some form fitting spring dresses!

Also, I'm making sure to take care of my skin from head to toe. I've been protective styling my hair since November. Meaning, I've kept it twisted and under a hat about 90 percent of the time to protect my hair from the cold and from rubbing on my coat collar.  The results have been amazing and my hair is full of life. I also attribute the results to the nutrients from my juice cleanse too.

I've been treating my skin with homemade cures such as honey and cinnamon face masks, homemade protein mask for my hair and DIY lip scrubs with great success.  I've also adopted using Nivea's Nighttime Renewal Hand cream almost every night for super soft hands. Also taking care of my cuticles with tend to crack and peel and my feet thanks to my handy PedEgg and foot bath.

What are you doing to get ready for spring?

Juice Cleanse: Day 23

It's day numero 23!! I'm still alive and well and feeling just fine.  I started adding celery back into my juice for the great benefits it offers despite the awful taste. It won't kill me! LOL. The only thing that is aching are my knees and mid back and times, which are issues I've been dealing with.  I'm hoping that as I continue this wellness journey those pains will disappear. Plus I think the planking challenge is working my entire middle out that may contribute to the back...I think.  It's not a bad pain at all, so its OK. Plus, I need to stretch more. I don't stretch. I have to do better.

Acne Update
Let's talk about my acne, shall we? After all, that is the reason I started this cleanse.  My acne breakouts and drying up...they are taking their sweet 'ole time but they are drying up.  My skin overall, looks a lot better. But I can't see past the breakouts, so once they're gone I'll do a blackflip (in my head of course!).  So the acne is still a work in progress, but progress is happening. Yay!  My skin on my entire body just feels so super smooth and wonderful, its' awesome. Like a newborn baby!

Rewarding Myself
I set milestones and a rewards system just to give myself something extra to look forward to.  I'm happy to announce that I've earned 4 rewards! yay! I owe myself a professional manicure, homemade pasta and homemade pasta sauce dinner for the family (my reward is having fun making it, even though I won't be eating it) and I get to purchase $40 of oils for myself! Super excited about that. I tried to pick rewards that I know I want and love, like making the pasta and buying oils, etc.. Basically my "rewards" are items on my "want list" so by achieving my goals I get what I want...winning!

A New Start
This cleanse is really just phase 1 of a whole new life.  This is kickstarting my 5k training, new eating habits, new thinking, a new everything.  I so far lost over 25 pounds as of day 20.  I say over 25 llbs because I didn't weigh until day 4 of the cleanse.

Cravings
None! I'm not addicted anymore. I'm not addicted to breads, cheese, pasta, chocolate, sugars. That need to feed on those things are gone. I can be around other people eating them and not have a care in the world. So awesome...that stuff is addictive.

Check out my other blog for my updates on my juice cleanse, I alternate postings back and forth between this blog and my other one.

Juice Cleanse: Day 19

No, I haven't been keeping a daily log of my juice cleanse, simply because there isn't much to tell. It's still an experience, but not as eventful as the first week thats for sure.

I picked up a share of produce from an organic collective. Got organic kale, oranges, cabbage, celery, carrots, lemons, etc... Since I am juicing nothing but organic going forward, that was a helpful kickstart.

My acne is still here, that's a bit depressing since I was hoping it when be gone by Day 20, which is tomorrow. Things seem to be drying/healing up, but they are still present which is a huge bummer. The key may be a colon/liver/kidney cleanse which I will start on next to flush out toxins that remain in my body.

I must say I am proud of myself for sticking with it. When I was on day 2, I didn't know if or how I'd make it to now. But I am grateful for sticking it out because the only way I could get to day 19, was if I successfully completed day 2.

My awareness is so keen. I am thinking so clear and fixing the things that I just didn't really want to to deal with and getting things in order as much as I can.

I realize that every other commercial pushes food in our faces. Laden with bad fats, oils and stuff we don't need. It is constant. I can't blame the media for how unhealthy some people are, but they are not innocent. I just don't think we are aware of the subliminal messages that we get to eat and eat and eat and eat stuff that really isn't that great for us. It's a cycle, and we as a society are stuck. It's only by doing this fast did I see the pattern that was there all along. To anyone that overeats, undereats, binge eats, eats for no reason and/or eats "bad" foods, ask yourself why. I think we will see that our external environment triggers internal levers that make us participate in unhealthy habits. I'm not a health guru by any means but 19 day of this cleanse has given me clarity that I just didn't have and clarity I think many people don't when we as stuck in the cycle of fast and processed foods.

I have, in effect drank more vegetables that I ate probably in the past six months...maybe close to the past year (sad but true) in just under 20 days.  True story. And this is stuff that my body needs to do its best. I've been in effect, starving myself all this time.  Never again. never again.

Right now I am looking forward to the next 11 day of this cleanse. Going to focus on detoxing the organs I mentioned above. I'll post about that as well. I know I need to drink more water even though it seems like I'm ALWAYS drinking it! I also started going to the sauna to help my skin detox, so I hope to keep this up as well.

I must say I feel fabulous, I really do.

xoxo

Swooning Over Zoya's Neely

 

I recently snagged 3 new polishes during Zoya's 3 free polish promo. I patiently waited for my polishes to arrive so when they did I couldn't wait to give them a try! Since I only have one set of hands and feet I am currently rocking Paz, a matte orange on my toes and my new love Neely, a blue-greenish hue on my fingers. Let's talk about Neely shall we?

I LOVE Neely. It is such a beautiful color and I realize the picture above doesn't do it justice. It dries to a wonderful shine (I have a L'oreal base coat on) and it is just a treat to look at. And since I am juice cleansing, I'll get my treats however I can.  I think this is my new favorite color, as a matter of fact it is! I love that this will work in the winter, spring and summer...so perfect.

30 Day Plank Challenge: Who's With Me?

Saw this floating around the 'net and have decided to give it a try. Today is day 1. I am going to plank for 20 seconds. I'm already on Day 14 of my juice cleanse, so why not add another challenge?

I know this has been floating around for some time, so I guess my now is my time. Wish me luck!

Juice Cleanse Day 9

I'm 9 days into my 30 day juice cleanse. I'm shocked at my willpower to not devour delicious foods that I cook for my family.  Although, the detox symptoms are hard such as my face breaking out even more and having a cold symptoms along with a sore throat and other things I won't gross you out with I am hoping that when I get to day 30 I'll look back and say it was worth it.

As I sit here drinking my lunch, which consists of spinach, apples, lemon and lime I am in awe of the body's amazing ability to heal and repair itself. Something which I feel is taken for granted. Also, because of poor diet, has been hindered to do its job fully.

Yesterday was hard, I can't say I had a cold, but I can say I had runny and stuffy nose, watery eyes, sore throat and all the "goodies" that come with it. I felt a sore throat coming the day before yesterday and I had watery eyes and a runny nose, but yesterday it all hit me like a ton of bricks. I was well enough to function normally, but definitely felt the cold. But today I am much much better. The fact that I've never had a 2 day cold (symptoms usually stick around for at least five days) makes me think it was also part of my body detoxing. The next sentence is gross, so read at your own discretion: I coughed up some nasty mucus and part of the cleanse is a detox in which the expelling of mucus is very common. I'd rather out than in, so I'm happy for it, even though its nasty!

Imagine having all this crap just sitting inside your body with no where to go and wrecking havoc on your insides! No wonder people are sick and tired all the time.  Even though I'll be over the moon for clear skin which I hope this cleanse will bring, I am thankful for all the other things happening inside my body that is good.

Next thing is to work on upping my water intake, though I can't imagine how to do that since I seem to always be drinking it! Also towards the end of next week, I'll start incorporating berries. I can't use the juicer for berries, so I'll use the blender and strain out any large chunks and fibers.  I purchased a pomegranate and kiwi, I am looking forward to trying those next week as well.

Well, I'm off to go finish my lunch! Looking forward to sharing more stories of my juicing adventure next week!

Healthy Resolution #1

Each day I'm on this juice cleanse starting today which is Day 6, I'll be making resolutions for a much healthier lifestyle.  I'm learning so much about food, health, fitness, etc... its crazy. There is a lot of conflicting information out there but one thing is a consistent message: processed foods are bad. They have too much salt, sugar and other stuff I can't even pronounce and the body doesn't need.

So here goes:

RESOLUTION #1:  

Significantly reduce intake of processed food. Buy whole foods and make as much as possible. This includes sauces, pasta, etc..

Sunrise Juice

I've been experimenting with various juicing recipes and coming up with whatever I think will work and taste pretty good.

I just made the below recipe for breakfast. It's super delicious! I hope you can try it and let me know what you think.

3 Large Oranges

2 Handfuls of Spinach

1/8 of Pineapple

1/4 Lime Juice

Ginger (about half a thumb size)

Makes about 12 ounces of juice.

Next time I make this I'll add a bit more spinach and a little kale too.

Enjoy!

Juice Cleanse: Day 5

This is exactly how I feel about my juice cleanse!

I meant to start Jan 2. But because of an unfortunate mishap, I suffered 2nd degree burns on my lap (spilled a hot bowl of water) and started later than I intended. It would have been easy to just say forget it, but I knew this is something I wanted to do as I was/am in bad need of detox and a body reset. In addition, I wanted to know what foods were causing me to breakout (diary!) and other things. On top of that I had just been tired of eating, tired of chewing I really didn't have a taste for anything so it really was a perfect time to get the party...cleansing...started.

So, I'm sure I could have had a much more defined plan. I'm sure I could have purchased the juicer in advance and did all these other things. But, really that was just a delay tactic. I just got started with the juices and veggies we had on hand and my blender (used a strainer to strain out some of the fibers). I purchased a juicer via Amazon, and it came in 3 days instead of the 9 they said it would.

Long story, short I'm glad I started even if I wasn't 100 percent perfectly prepped in advance.

This is Day 5 of my juice cleanse. This morning I had a pineapple, orange, spinach and ginger juice, about 12 ounces. It was pretty good. Next time, I'll cut back on the pineapple because it was quite sweet...even for me!

Also today is the first day I'll be cooking for the family...wish me luck in resisting the urge to taste! Last week  couldn't really even be around food that was cooking. I had to go upstairs, I really couldn't stand it, it smelled so good and was so tempting.  Last night my gf made fried chicken, her fried chicken is so delicious. It smelled good and looked good, but I didn't feel like I was going to loose it and scarf down 5 pieces. I drank my juice and my water and had some ginger tea before bed, that was that.

I must say this past  5 days has almost felt like 50 days, lol...but hopefully that will get better as I ease into this and it becomes easier for me to do.

I was shocked at the amount of energy I had this morning. I almost jumped out of bed. My knees, which have been "bad" since HS feel so much better. I feel like I won't make any definitive calls on how I feel/look until about halfway through the cleanse...just to be sure it's not all in my head!

So here I am on day 5, with 25 more days to go. OMG...that seems like a lot. I'll post updates here, possibly every other day or so.

I'm ff to drink some fruit infused water!

Delish Honey and Cinnamon Face Mask

Since I am on a juice cleanse. I masterfully contrived a way to get my sweet fix from someplace other than what I eat.

And...AHA! This is the perfect time for me to experiment with some awesome face and body scrubs and well as other concoctions to beautify. So far, I've done a vanilla and brown sugar lip scrub and a honey cinnamon face mask.

I'm sharing the recipe for the mask below and let me just say how much I LOVE this mask. I've been doing a honey lemon mask for quite sometime to help with darker marks from acne scarring on my face so I'm no stranger to the super benefits of honey. But cinnamon? Now, this was a new one too me.

Apparently, cinnamon has a host of benefits but specifically when it comes to acne its antioxidant and antibacterial. And we know one of the causes for acne is bacteria.

Honey and Cinnamon Face Mask

1. 2 TSBP Raw Honey
2. 1/2 TSP Cinnamon

Mix together and wet finger tips to apply so it goes on smoothly. Apply to face and neck, leave on for 30-45 minutes, wash off and you're done. The first time I made it I added a bit of olive oil so it went on much more smooth. Second time I just wet my finger tips, no olive oil needed.  I follow with my Apple Cider Vinegar toner.

This mask is super easy to make, smells delish and will leave your skin hydrated and glowing.

Juice Cleanse: Day 2

Today is officially day 2 of my 30 day cleanse.

I'm not going to sugar coat it. Yesterday was HARD. Partly my fault, but partly due to withdrawal. Plus standing in front of a sizzling bacon while I'm trying to juice spinach didn't particularly help either.

What was my fault was waiting to eat...well, drink until nearly 4pm! ugh! I was drinking water and tea, but no juice.

Around 8:30 ish, I went to bed. Physically it was tough I really felt like I was going through withdrawals.  I must make sure I get a good amount of calories today. I'm on my second glass of juice at is just after 11am.

I am sure its going to take a few days for me to get the gunk out of my system.  I'm hoping to start reaping the benefits in a few days, to make the "suffering" worthwhile!

Happy New Year

What a whirlwind past week!  Lot's of stuff going on. But don't worry new posts are coming soon including my DIY vanilla and brown sugar lip scrub recipe. It's delicious and makes your lips feel smooth like butta!!! LOL.

Today is Day 1 of my 30 day juice cleanse. More on that to come.

Hoping you're having a good one!

xoxo