Booty workout

Glutes....Booty....Bum....whatever you call it...we all want it to be lifted...perky...with zero cellulite!

It all starts in the kitchen. Eating healthy fruits and veggies..nutritious lean proteins...keep your foods clean. Eat often. Low calories but high nutrients! 

Cardio 3-4x a week.

And lift weights at least 2x a week. I lift 4-5x a week. 

Watch full booty workout here!

Valentines day cards done!

Read Here to see the other fun things we have been doing for Valentines Day!

30 Valentines day cards made for our friends!! 

Derm...

I have always gone to the dermatologist.

For as long as I can remember...first for acne...then for mole issues...again for acne...moles...sun damage...preventative aging skin....and now I take my 4 year old with me as well.

I find it very important for my daughter to know how important it is to protect your largest organ! She never goes outside without a hat, SPF, and sunglasses on...NEVER! 

I LOVE my Derm! 

I truly think that she is the best...most knowledgable...intelligent...doctor that I trust...educated....and not to mention with seriously flawless...unlined...perfect skin!

I listen to her and I have always followed every single thing she has told me. Everything!

So it makes me feel wonderful knowing that the advice she is giving me is the exact same advice that I write about on my blog.

The tried and true.

The things that work.

The products with the greatest track record.

The products that have been around for over 35 years and that work! 

SPF Buy elta SPF here

Retinol and or Retin a/ TRETINOIN Buy retinol here

Glycolic Buy Glycolic cleanser here

Vitamin C powder Buy philosophy powder here
BPO and salicylic for acne Buy topix cleanser here And Buy salicylic toner here

Simple and powerful!
Advice from me and my Derm...

Valentines Day

Being that Pipiri was born the day before Valentines day we go decorating crazy to celebrate her bday and Valentines day! 

Stay tuned....

This is just the beginning:) 

Here are some of the things we used today! Super fun and creative!

Saint Valentine

The Valentine Bears

Doilies

Heart punch

Another heart punch

Carbs! Yes I eat them!!

I hear Sooo many people talking about carbs so I just have to tell you what I think and what I eat.

Carbohydrates give you energy. Carbohydrates are not all "bad". Carbohydrates can and are very beneficial to you!

I love sweet potatoes and eat them daily. As well as fruit...bananas...blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries. While yes they have sugar it is naturally occurring sugars. Not added refined processed sugars. And yes these are all carbs!

What I stay away from are the so called "bad" carbs. White flour. White bread. White anything really. I don't eat any breads at all or crackers. I do eat Ezekial bread which is legume based...so it doesn't make your blood sugar spike and then bottom out. Making you feel shaky etc.

I also don't eat pasta. It just doesn't make me feel well. So I stay away from pastas. Perhaps a whole wheat pasta 1x a year but very rarely. 

And vegetables! I eat spinach, kale, arugula, watercress, broccoli, asparagus, peppers, carrots, onions...on and on...veggies are so great! Low cal...high nutritional value!! Eat up! And while yes they are carbs...they are just so healthy for you! 

For dinner I typically have mostly vegetables and a protein...such as fish or eggs. Yep the whole egg! 

So for those of you trying to lose a few pounds.,,yes you can eat carbs...just try to consume them in the morning and afternoon...tapering off thruout the day and having mainly veggies and protein at night. 

Oh and sorry people Wine is a carb! And yes it counts. 

So to sum up....eat fruit veggies and some whole grains. Leave the white flour and refined packaged foods alone. 

Stick with fresh whole fruits and veggies and you will be just fine.

The end! 

I said bye bye to many bad habits in 2014!!!!

Last year was a HUGE quit bad habits year!! HUGE!! 

CANDY/SUGAR

I wrote about my candy/sugar give up...read more about that....Here....Soo that one was huge for me. Now let me say that I do on occasion have a bite here and there of candy but I have not have one single jelly belly or York peppermint patty since giving it up mid way thru Lent last year!! Remember I lost 8 pounds doing so! 

PROPEL

I also gave up using Propel. I added propel to every single water I drank for over 12 years. I gave it up because of my wanting to stop all weird chemicals that I was consuming. And even though it was zero calories...it has some ingredients in it I can't pronounce so I quit it...cold turkey! I drink ALOT of water too....over 100 ounces daily! I said bye bye to propel around the same time as the candy...so very close to a year now.

Mexican food...chips and queso

I gave this up for several reasons. One is because I hate feeling awful the day after I eat it or actually a few hours after...the bloated groady horrible feeling. Two because I hate being up 4-5 pounds after one meal! I mean seriously this is ridiculous! The amount of salt that I must have been consuming made me blow up like crazy! Reason three food poisoning! My hubs and I both had gotten food poisoning  several times from Mexican food...so that's reason enough for me! Soo I completely quit all Mexican food after the last bout of food poisoning...around April. 

Coffee

Now let me start by saying that I have not given up coffe completely and I doubt I ever will. But I
have reduced the amount of coffee I have tremendously! Read more about that Here and Here...basically I used to fill the entire coffee filter up daily and would be jittery and feel terrible. So I quit this bad habit last year also. Now I add 3-4 teaspoons full of coffee only in the filter now and wow what a huge difference that has made. I am never jittery anymore! Bye bye heart palpitations! 

I love Waldorf toys!

When I first discovered Waldorf 3 years ago (read more about that Here).....it was however the beautiful toys that made me fall in love with this way of life...way of teaching...way to slow down...way to be in the moment.

I love the simplicity of the toys. 

I love that they are wooden.

I love that they are wool.

I love that they smell so wonderful.

I love how active it makes my child.

I love how the imagination it has created in her.

I love the natural element.

I love the dolls.

I love them all! 

Playstand Arch And Playstandslike these are found in Waldorf kindergartens all over the world. They are a childs fantasy world. They can be a store, a house, a puppet show, a doll bed....wherever a childs imagination takes them! They also have lovely shelves to house a few other items.  And a beautiful Night Sky Silkscape is placed over the  Playstand Arch and Playstands to make it a secret beautiful hideaway. They are not cheap..that's for sure...but with all Waldorf toys they are of amazing quality and will last a life time! 

This barn is one of my favorites! It's called Sam's Stable and it is so beautifully made....an heirloom piece! 

My 4 year old can shoot a bow and arrow like nobody's business! 

Over these last few years I have simplified our toys to only wooden and only naturally made...mostly. We do have a big wheel and a couple of other unnatural toys but 99% are Waldorf approved. 

If you haven't read Simplicity Parenting and you are interested in simplifying your life and your kids toys...I highly suggest reading it! 

Booty and hamstrings circuit

Great ways to build your glutes aka booty and hamstrings using minimal equipment.

Do each of these exercise to failure...meaning until you can't do anymore. 5 sets each.
Try not to stop at your regular 12-15.
You want to be fatigued.
It's a workout!

Squats are some of my very favorite exercises to do because of the areas they work....booty, hamstrings, great for calorie blasting...keeping your heart rate up.

Buy Gymnic ball here.

Watch video here!

Chest Circuit....minimal equipment needed

Nobody wants to have bra fat including me!

Doing chest exercises and this circuit can help rid you of that unwanted flab.
Of course along with a clean diet read more Here about what I eat....and cardio....read more Here about the cardio I do.

I love doing "boy style" push-ups!! Makes me feel super strong and fit!
If your a beginner try "girl style" first ....work your way up to boy push-ups.

Do this circuit 4x and do each exercise to failure meaning don't just set a limit of repetitions. Do each until you can't do another one.


To watch entire video of this circuit click Here.

Buy your own BOSU Balance Trainer

Buy a Gymnic ball

Buy  KB PowerBands

See how small steps can make a big impact with Fitbit

Keeping your neck in alignment is very important and actually my neck and head could have been a bit straighter...aka not looking down.

Reading to my little one

We love to read here!

My girl loves books just as much as i do!!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE books! 

I have written many times about how I have instilled the love of reading to my little 4 year old...

Here are a few posts I wrote about reading....
Here is a post on the books we are reading this school year
Charlottes web unit
Post on our summer reading challenge

Post on Captain No Beard books

This semester is no different. 

My homeschool curriculum is always based around literature. We do retellings, paintings, main lessons, poems, songs, plays, puppet shows, spelling, crafts, festivals....and we always have wonderful books included in each of these areas. 

I love to read to Pipiri ...it truly is something that I do everyday with her. Whether is snuggled up in the couch or at the kitchen table...she has books in her room tht she reads each morning before I get her for breakfast...she silently reads for basically an hour every morning.

We listen to books on tape in the car...and we frequent our library 2-3x a week (so excited our little community is getting a brand new library at the end of this month!!!)

We have also started a running book list of all of the books we read this year. So far we are up to 27. 

One of my New Years Resolutions is to read more adult books that I enjoy...being that I am typically reading kids books.

Here are the two I have read so far.

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness....still working on this one.

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry: A Novel...this is a fantastic read! Loved it!

Happy reading!   

Abs...no equipment needed

The real reason we all do ab exercises let's face it is to be ripped!

Yes I know there's all this talk about core strength etc...but I want a flat toned ripped 6 pack!

Do each of these exercises for one full minute. And do the full routine 3x. Your abs will thank you! 

Hello 6 pack! 

Watch full routine here.

Check out Affitnity fitness clothes! I love their tanks!

Don't forget to subscribe to my blog! 

Skin resolution #5 Stop Picking your face!

Ok this is a big one!

Before I became an aesthetician in 1999/2000....I was extremely guilty of this.

I picked. Poked. Dug. Scraped. Squeezed. I dug with tweezers. Needles. My fingers. I did it all.

Being that I struggled with acne since the age of 12....I was constantly in the mirror looking at my skin. 

I would shower and then examine. Pick. Squeeze. Pop. Scrap. Dig. Pull. Squeeze. And wreck absolute havoc on my face. I knew the next morning I would look like I had been hit in the face with a meat cleaver! Red...scabby...raw....scraped...swollen...awful.

No amount of makeup would ever cover the damage I had done to my skin.

In aesthetic school I learned the facts about what happens when you try to perform acne surgery at home. 

1. You are causing damage to your skin which can be permanent. Enlarging your pores permanently! Creating potential acne scars. Pits in your skin that can be irreversible. 

2. You are pressing and squeezing and increasing your chances of creating even more acne.

3. You are using dirty hands, fingernails, pins, needles, tweezers, hair pins etc. that are filthy and again creating more acne and damage to your skin.

4. The bacteria and "stuff" you are squeezing out of your face/skin can then cause you to have more acne by staying on your skin AND make the bumps you are squeezing have a longer and more difficult time healing. 

Ok so I hope all of that grossness makes you want to stop! 

Aestheticians... Have been trained in extractions and they know when to extract. When not to extract. How to extract without wrecking havoc on your skin. How to disinfect your skin. How to prevent more acne from occurring. 

This was what I did with ALL of my acne clients! 

Stop picking! Message me if you need acne help. 

I truly am an expert! 

Read more Here if you deal with the once a month acne.

Read more Here if you deal with adult acne.

Read This if you need an acne cleansing routine and you are fed up with stuff that doesn't work!

Read This and This if you don't know my acne story.

Makeup free unretouched photo.

Cardio when you have injuries

I love cardio and being that I have been a runner for 15 years...and have done some sort of cardio 3-5x a week for as long as I can remember it is REALLY hard for me to take time off!!

REALLY hard!

I love to run fast. 

I love doing sprints.

I love doing the step mill aka The Beast.

I love getting sweaty and feeling my heart pounding.

I love to do cardio! 

But my body is not loving the pounding right now.

Both of my hips have been giving me trouble for many years. Periformis syndrome.

And recently both knees are starting to "catch" while I am doing lunges, the beast, running, and squats.

So this week I've been taking it a bit easier...really paying super close attention to my form when lifting. Not lifting anything that seems to bother any of my injured areas. No running. No beast.

Watch my video chat about my injuries and cardio here.

So tonight I chose to do the Arc Trainer for 50 minutes...it felt great. Too great really. It's not super challenging which I normally like. It's pretty easy actually. But for now I'm ok with that. And it didn't hurt me at all. 

So my recommendation is if you are struggling with injuries...take it slow. 

Take some time off. 

Try something new that's a bit easier on your body. 

Yoga. Stretching. Hot yoga. Barre. Elliptical. Arc trainer. Lift upper body instead if lower. Walking. 

It's hard for me for sure but I know it's best for now. 

Shoulders and bis

A nice bicep and shoulder routine for you! 

Do 4 sets to failure...meaning don't stop at 12 or 15... Do as many reps as you can. 

Buy Resistance tube Here. These are so versatile! I use them almost daily! 

Buy Cap Barbell Dumbbell Set Here. Love this set.

Skin resolution #4 Use Retinol

For the cheapest and easiest way to get smoother...clear...healthy...and fine line free skin you must use tried and true RETINOL....or prescription form RETIN-A/TRETINOIN.

This is my favorite non script retinol  Skinceuticals Retinol   Or this one SkinCeuticals Retinol .

I recommend starting with the .05% for 6 months or so then switch to the 1%.

Then if you want to get a script of retin-a ask for the lowest strength..again use that for 6mths to a year and then switch to a higher strength.

I love the script Tazorac too but it is super serious and makes you peel for a week! So wait on this one. 

Retinols and Retin-a was first used as an acne treatment way back in the 1960s. What dermatologists found was that the skin was rejuvenating itself...creating more collagen...creating cellular turnover...thus making the skin more bright...even toned....clear...more youthful...think of a young childs skin...that is what retinols do. 

I have been using retinol/retin-a since my teens but only since going to aesthetics school (1999) and working in the skin business for many years did I really learn the correct way to use it.

I was using wayyyy to much which is what most people do and then they become too peely, too dry, and way too red and therefore stop using it altogether. 

After you cleanse your skin in the evening...read  Here To learn how to cleanse properly.


You should wait 10-15 minutes before applying your retinol. This helps your skin to not absorb it too quickly and thus becoming too irritated. 

Then apply a very small amount...the size of a medium size pea all over your face from your hairline to your chin. Another pea size amount on your neck and chest if you are wanting those areas to also be smooth and wrinkle free. 

If you are a super dry skin type person then mix your retinol with a moisturizer. If you are normal to oily this is not necessary. 

Yes you can use retin-a and retinols under your eye area and I do just this myself.

Use retin-a and retinols when starting out only 2-3x a week until your skin becomes accustomed to it. If you become to red, peely, or dry...back off and use less times during the week. 

In the winter months I use mine 2x a week summer and spring more often 4-5x. 

You MUST stay completely out of the sun and you MUST wear daily SPF! 

Now you will be on your way to more beautiful and healthy skin! 

Un retouched...no filters:) just me and all of my 41 years of living...with my perfect skinned 4 year old! 

Healthy Skin Resolution #3 stop sleeping in your makeup

Ok this one seems REALLY simple....cleanse your skin before you go to bed!! 

However I know wayyy to many friends and had wayyy too many clients tell me they did exactly this every night.

One of my favorite reasons I ever heard was from a lady who was in her 70s and had been married for over 40 years...she told me she never washes her face at night because her husband had NEVER seen her without makeup! NEVER! In 40 years!! I can't even imagine this!! 

I go without makeup a lot...when I'm at home..at night...some times when I work out...and always when I'm asleep. Always! 

The main reason is ...

A. I would have a million breakouts if I didn't cleanse at night 

B. Skin rejuvenates itself while you sleep

HELLO ...!!!!

It's called BEAUTY SLEEP for a reason! 

I typically shower in the evenings....because I workout so often....so a shower is a must for me. 

If it is not a typical workout day then I will cleanse my skin sink style. I find the shower is easier and way less messy.

Read Here  about the BEST way to cleanse your skin especially if you are dealing with acne!!

Here are few of my top favorite cleansers for all skin types....

Obagi gel cleanser

Cetaphil oily skin cleanser

Topix Benzoyl Peroxide cleanser

Glytone Glycolic cleanser