Top 5 Summer Must-Haves for Frizzy Hair

I'm an extremely active person, I love working out and luckily I don't sweat very much, but running is a whole another ball game, it leaves my hair a wet sweaty mess. My hair texture is not meant to be washed more than once a week because shampooing more than that would be too drying as would the extra blowdry and flat ironing.  And dry shampoo is not for my hair texture either. Plus being a blonde it's very important for me to keep my hair healthy so I moisture my hair every single night. So I needed to find a way to get frizz free beautiful hair. Now on my running days (2-3x a week) I blast just my bang roots with the blow-dryer to dry out any sweat from my workout and put in a little defrizzer product. This only takes a minute verses if I were to wash my whole head that takes over an hour!

If you're avoiding working out because you're afraid your workout regimen will wreak havoc on your hair, be sure to wear a headband made of cotton while working out so that it will absorb the sweat and keep it away from your hairline so it won't become drier than normal. Here's my top products that I rotate between so I don't have to wear a hat all the time! lol The L'oreal and Shea Moisture products are under $10. Ouidad was the first salon in the country that catered to curly haired people so I made an appointment to check out the salon when I'm in California.





Vegan Shakeology


I'm so excited beachbody has tweaked the vegan shakes to have a smoother, creamier consistency and improved flavor. I thought it tasted great before, but now Chocolate Vegan has more cocoa for an intense chocolate flavor and Tropical Strawberry Vegan has succulent guava. They've also reduced their sugar and carbs! The reason I started drinking Shakeology two years ago, a whole year before I signed up as a coach, was because it was the best clean superfood rich protein shake on the market and I did my research. The vegan flavors are made from plant based protein (instead of whey) including oat, pea and rice proteins that has all 9 essential amino acids. The best part is it's a natural source of prebiotics and fiber.

Shakeology has been my daily dose of dense nutrition. I'm on home delivery which means I get a new box shipped to me every month because I drink it daily as my afternoon snack. It gives me energy for the afternoon, keeps my blood sugar level so I don't snack on something unhealthy plus gives me an extra protein boost in my day. I rotate between the different flavors every month. However it comes with a recipe calendar with 30 days of recipes of things to mix into your shakeology. So really every day I'm drinking a different flavor, it never gets old. I started a new job this year and I noticed that their fridge is a tad colder than any other I've used. So when I put my vegan chocolate shake in there in the morning, by afternoon it has a pudding consistency, doesn't do that with any other flavor. For me it's great because I basically get to eat chocolate pudding every afternoon! yay!

I even take it on vacation, pictured above was on the beach with me in Panama last year. I find that when I travel breakfast will be a buffet but most of it is unhealthy or just not stuff I want to eat, so I like knowing I have the option of something healthy as a backup to gorging on a ton of calories.

If you've been wanting to try Shakeology but don't want to commit to full bag try out the Sampler Pack which comes with four (whey) flavors:  Strawberry, Vanilla, Chocolate and Greenberry for only $20. Or click on the picture below for vegan chocolate.


My Summer Adventure book!

I just had the most awesome Memorial Day weekend! I went to a reggae wine festival, a yoga workshop to improve my chaturanga, spent some time by my pool and went on a 800 calorie run that led me through the Memorial Day parade. I've been drinking my favorite iced tea.

Last year I created a summer bucketlist so I decided to do the same for this summer. Here's all the adventures I want to get into this summer! So far already had my first bike ride of the season. I'm counting down to California!
Summer Bucketlist


Wean Green - Glass Food Storage Containers


























I was in the market for some new tupperware containers and my co-worker was telling me how glass containers are better. I'd heard this before that it's not good to reheat your food in plastic containers but just thought glass would be too heavy. I finally did some research into it and thought since I microwave my lunch everyday and take care about what kind of water bottle I use, I thought naturally I should switch to glass food containers.

The dimensions of the containers I bought are 4.5 inches by 2.6 inches and weigh less than 2 lbs! I was so worried about carrying glass in my purse but it's very small and light. It snaps close and does not leak. The best part is it can also go in the oven! Their website says you may reheat up to 300 degrees in the oven. So I finally have ramekins and have been making baked oatmeal in them. They're also dishwasher safe and microwavable. It's 5x stronger than regular glass. I store cut open avocado in it and it stays green days later in the fridge! In plastic containers my avocados would always turn brown.

If you're wondering what I ate for lunch here, it's one serving (measured) of spinach penne, with lentils, and broccoli. In a separate container I didn't microwave I had a little cheese and oil for sauce. 410 calories with 22g of protein and 12g fiber

Is your beach or pool bag ready to go?

Beach season is getting really close so I'm starting to prepare my beach bag in anticipation for my favorite time of the year! I'm stocking up on sunscreen because it does expire and needs to be repurchased yearly. I can't wait to put my toes in the sand and feel the cool ocean breeze! I love reading a good book while listening to the waves crash and am already saving interesting books to my kindle paperwhite.

Sephora is selling two awesome bags full of sample sizes of sun products in the Sun Safety Kit and the Summer Crushes bag with products from Shiseido, Murad, Tarte, Stila, Too Faced, BareMinerals, expensive sunblock, Bumble and bumble Surf Spray and St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mousse which I talked about in this post.



What to wear to a baseball game

I'm going to my first baseball game ever! I have been to the stadium once when Joel Osteen came to town and preached there. I bought this outfit from Ann Taylor, love the bright yellow and polka dots! When the shirt is unbuttoned a bit, it looks great as a casual outfit. And I'm also looking forward to getting a cauliflower sandwich at the stadium!

30 Day Plank Challenge


My Chiropractor told me to strengthen my core for over all body strength so I've been incorporating more pilates and ab workouts into my workouts. In my yoga class we always do one handed side planks and it got me thinking, maybe I should start doing more planks at home. If you'd ask me to participate in a 30 day plank challenge before I would have had zero interest! lol But I'm going to give this a try. I'm honestly not sure I can make it up to 5 minutes in one month, but it's worth a shot. I downloaded a free app to time me. I'm posting about it here on my blog to give me accountability to actually do it! lol


Trader Joe's Brown Rice & Quinoa Pasta

After reading Cameron Diaz's book I thought I'd follow her lead in cutting out white food (flour, sugar, potatoes) from my diet and was on the hunt for some quinoa pasta which she recommended. Quinoa is a complete protein having a balanced set of amino acids so it's a great alternative to rice, but even more awesome that they can make pasta out of it!

I went to my local grocery store but there were too many brands to choose from so I thought I should go home and first research which is the best brand. Then just by chance timing, I received Trader Joe's Flyer in the mail! They decided to develop their own quinoa pasta because they felt that other ones on the market didn't taste good and had very little quinoa in it.  Theirs is 20% organic quinoa flour and 80% organic brown rice flour.

This gluten free pasta cooks really fast! I normally know how much time I have to prepare my vegetables while I have pasta in water and while checking in on it was shocked it was already done! It seemed a little squishy to the fork but after I threw on my sauce I didn't notice any difference in taste from regular pasta.

The downside is that TJ's organic brown rice and quinoa fusilli pasta costs 3x more than their regular fusilli ($3 a bag versus $1). In the store I noticed that this pasta came in two colors the light brown you see above and a much darker brown. I emailed TJ's to ask about this variation and they told me some bags are made with tri-color quinoa.

Calorie wise it stacks up the same with their white and whole wheat fusilli pastas (overall calories, fiber and carbs) the only difference was it has 2g less of protein.


The Body Book by Cameron Diaz



I've always liked Cameron as a person because of her happy personality and through her writing in this book you can feel that cool down to earth persona as she gives you a pep talk on taking better care of your body. Make no mistake, this is not a diet book, it's a manual to encourage women to love their bodies since happiness comes from within. She wrote this book so that you will connect your mind with your body. Which is what I talked about in this post. Because as she says being healthy is not a gift, it's a habit. She asks that you trust yourself that you are worth the effort and to believe in yourself. She says that at the core of every successful person there is one common thing: discipline. Any person who is successful in any business is because they work their assess off for it. Discipline isn't about denying yourself, it's about giving to yourself. If you've read a zillion books in nutrition, know that having the knowledge and taking the action are two different things.

My First Chiropractor Visit


I've always had this small issue that when I do I minor twist I get a muscle spasm in my lower back that is extremely painful and debilitating but only lasts 5 seconds, nothing lasting after that so I've just ignored it for years. It's always the same movement in my bedroom to put the phone down, you'd think I'd learn by now. lol Lately it's picked up frequency so I mentioned this to a friend and she told me to see a chiropractor. Turns out my insurance covers it at a $10 co-pay so I thought why not!

Well I had no idea what to expect and was nervous. I heard that many chiropractors see all their patients together in one room, but luckily that wasn't the case with my doctor. I spent a good 45 min on my first visit with him discussing my over all health, my diet, my vitamins, my posture, everything. He checked my blood pressure but didn't take x-rays. He tested my strength by making me hold different positions against his resistance. Then he did some adjustments on me which made my body make a snapping noise which I'm not going to lie alarmed me but he said that was normal. He literally popped my back but it didn't hurt.

He told me I needed to come back for a series of 10 appointments which is typical with chiropractic medicine, it's not a one time visit like with a regular doctor. He fixed me on a good program to get rid of my muscle imbalance and recommended that I strengthen my core muscles. Honestly that's something I slack off on but now I realize it's really important to my overall body health. Having a healthy spine is a big part of being healthy so I'm going to do whatever I need to do on an ongoing basis to make sure I protect it to stay healthy. He said it's most likely a muscle imbalance pulling something out of alignment, so I'm hoping with regular appointments it will not continue to happen. He also put some tape on back which surprisingly feels warm, strengths the area and stays on through showering.

I found out that a chiropractor treats a range of things from allergy relief, back pain during pregnancy, reducing stress, migraines (yes chiropractors help with headaches), menstrual pain, helps children with ADHD, autism and other mood disorders. Apparently adjustments work to improve the function of the nervous system. So this allows the nervous system to function at it's optimal level, thus the nervous system is quicker and more efficient in balancing the body's chemistry which in turn eliminates mood disorders. Improved nerve function works to energize the body, allowing for higher function during the day and allowing us to think more clearly. And what interested me the most is that allows for a better and more restful sleep!

In short I learned that chiropractic care is not just for people in pain, but is good just to keep your nervous system and spine healthy.
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Happy Mother's Day!


My mother told me not to buy her a necklace this year since she has plenty. In the past I've made her an edible arrangement, only cost me $20 to make! This year I made her a Lime Peppermint Foot Soak because she has one of those portable foot spas that gives you a massage so I thought this would be a great addition to add to the water.

Funny story here, I bought her a bouquet of flowers yesterday and as I was walking home I just happened to see her waiting at a bus stop (totally random!) so I thought perfect I can hand her the flowers now instead of taking them home and keeping them in water. But then the bus pulled up! So I ran to the stop, got on the bus and gave her the flowers, she was so surprised! As I'm sure everyone else on the bus was too! lol

We're going to spend the day together today and in addition to the books I bought her (below) I'm going to give her the gift of helping her restore calm and order in her home. She always enjoys when I help her declutter her space and reorganize her closet. I know my mother always appreciates the gift of time.







What’s that smell?


Because everyone poops, I want to introduce you to Poo-Pourri.  It's a blend of essential oils that eliminates bathroom odors. The way it works is that you spritz the toilet bowl before you go. That creates a protective layer of essential oils that keeps odors buried under water.  The company says it's not dangerous for your septic system because it's made of natural compounds and it does't leave any residue in your bowl. I have to say it works better than using the traditional method of spraying afterwards. It comes in a variety of scents, I got the one that is a mix of Jasmine, Rose and Citrus Oils. You can find it at Ace Hardware.

 

Earth Day Deals

Some of my favorite stores offered deals so here is my haul.

I got some new spring nail colors from Zoya at half price! It's a toxic free polish. Pictured below are Lauren, Rue, Brigitte, Odette, a sparkle gloss top coat, and Tomoko which is a champagne silver color that is matte, textured, and with a sparkling metal finish. I was so excited when I got these I couldn't decide which color to wear so I wore an ombre of all the colors!


Mrs Meyers, my favorite green cleaning company had a free shipping sale so I stocked up on some of things I was low on.

While we're on the topic of Earth Day, there were teepees on the Mall a week ago to protest Keystone - the oil pipeline being built from TX to Canada, whose final phase has been put on hold by Obama a couple years ago.




Dr Sponge Review


I purchased a Konjac Sponge because I was really intrigued about it after hearing a lot of them on youtube and blogs so I thought I'd see if I could replace my clarisonic with it.

So you're probably asking what exactly is a Konjac sponge? They're made from the plant roots of the Konjac plant in Japan. It's a mineral rich potato plant that has been used as a beauty treatment for a long time. It's 100% natural, biodegradable and affordable. Various companies make them priced at $10. The  sponge comes infused with a second natural ingredient to help with all skin types and issues. I went with the sponge with added charcoal as it's supposed to be good for oily skin. So you can use cleanser with it if you want but you can also use it just on its own too.

When I first opened my package it was hard as a rock! Once you soak it in water it increases in size and becomes very soft. You then massage it all over your face in circular motions. Once you're done rinse it out and hang it out to dry. The only downside is when I use it in the shower I have to be very careful not to get any cleanser in my eyes. When I use it at the sink same thing with my nose.

If you're looking for an all natural exfoliator, try one for yourself! After I wrote this I was flipping through the May issue of Allure Magazine and saw on page 70 they wrote an article about konjac sponges! Here’s a picture of the plant and how it's made, all by hand.




Maxi Dresses



We all have a fashion trend we've never tried, for me it was maxi dresses until about two years ago when I bought my first maxi dress only because it had my favorite print of all time on it. I guess I erroneously thought that maxi dresses were just meant to be body cover-ups, but svelte celebs do wear them. I guess it's just that I'm a fan of wearing less clothing when it's hot and don't enjoy sweeping the ground with my dress, so I never got the comfy vibe from the maxi dress. However I do feel that every wardrobe should have at least one maxi dress. You can accessorize with statement necklaces to really make them stand out and fun sandals. They would be awesome addition for your summer beach vacation as well if it's made of a wrinkle free cool light fabric.

I was reading a lifestyle blog once where the author said she had an obsession with stripped shirts and you know what throughout her blog she was frequently wearing a striped shirt! I had never put much thought into it but realized I didn't own any striped shirts. So I bought one to fill the void, but then decided I didn't want to be a collector of them and refrain from buying anymore. lol I also don't tend to wear clothing with patterns on it. So I recently finally came to realize that my closet is made up primarily of solid colors! lol Likewise you can see my search of current maxi styles in stores reflects my personal taste - must be a bright color (no black) and must be a solid (minus the colorblock one). I saw a few dresses that didn't really have room for a necklace because of the neckline, I think such plain dresses need a necklace so any offending necklines were axed! I like how most of these dresses have a defined waste so the dress isn't hanging on you.

One month until summer, I guess I should start on a new summer bucket list.