Going paraben, sulfate, phthlates free...

I have always been an ingredient detective!

I read this amazing comedogenic (acne causing) ingredient book Acne RX wayyyy back in college wayyy before the internet....and it was life changing for me. It truly paved the way to not only clearing my own acneic skin but also as a new career path. In fact, I still research ingredients to this day because of this book. I sort of a research junkie! I'm also this way with food...and working out! 

Recently I started to research the ingredients that honestly I had not really given a second thought too.

Parabens.

Phthalates.

Triclosan.

Quaterium 15.

Triethonolomine (TEA)

Lavender

Tea tree oil

And being that these ingredients can be very harmful .....from cancer causing, to antibiotic resistant, to damaging hormones.....

Sooooo......

I decided to get rid of them all.

Including...soaps, lotions, SPF, makeup, shampoo, conditioners...anything that had the unsafe ingredients!

I started with reading the back of all of my labels on everything that touches me skin.

And....let me also state that I am NOT one care about if something is "natural" or not...because from all of the years of studying ingredients "natural" doesn't necessarily mean better...."natural" doesn't mean it's not going to cause acne!!
Wow it was an undertaking!

Also being aware of ingredients that are acne causing...

And is still a work in progress....
Thankfully most of my products were safe!

Here are some of the new items I have added or replaced in my home.

For so long I have used cetaphil cleanser as my makeup remover...but it has parabens so I switched to
Neutrogena Naturals cleanser andNeutrogena Naturals Purifying Pore Scrub.I love this cleanser! It removes makeup so easily. And is reasonable priced. It's a bit hard to find in some stores. THE scrub is super gentle. I use it twice a week. 

I have also used Jergens natural glow forever!! But I was Sooo sad to find out it has some of groady ingredients in it! So I have made the switch to Fake Bake Sport Self-Tanning Lotion. And I have to say I am super pleased with the results. I use it just as I did the Jergens...as a daily moisturizer. 

As much as I love to kill germs...I don't want to make my body antibiotic resistant so I switched to this healthier hand sanitizer Babyganics and Everyone Hand Sanitizer Spray

And for bathing...this soap is my favorite! I tired several before finding this amazing body wash...Everyone Soap .

And if you have tired to find a safe lip gloss...lip balm....lip anything look no farther! I am in love with 

Bite Beauty Bb , Bite Beauty Lush Lip trio, and Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask.

I have horrible dry hands and was sad to find out that my hand lotion has parabens....working hands...but thrilled beyond belief to find Egyptian Magic All Purpose Skin Cream Facial Treatment, 4 Ounce....my hands are thanking me! 

 I have a few more products that I am looking for a replacement for but so far...I am loving my new healthier choices! 

I have been made fun of, have made fun of others, and have not stood up for what is right.....

This morning I read this entire chapter book to Pipiri. All 76 pages! And it was the best book I have ever read to her! And we have read a lot of books!! 

Read This post and This one...to learn more about how much we love reading in our home! 

Typically I read maybe 2 chapters per day when we have a lengthy chapter book we are working on.

But today I literally couldn't put it down. 

I absolutely had to know what was going to happen.

And I have never done this before with a kids books. Never! 

If you have not read The Hundred Dresses you must do so! 

If you have a daughter you must read it! 

Even though this book was written in the 1940's it is relavent today.

Basically the book is about being teased...being bullied...not standing up for what's right...

This book lead to so many wonderful discussions with Pipiri. 

We talked about times I had been teased.

How some people are not nice.

How she should always stand up for what's right.

How I wish I could go back in time and stand up for things I knew were right but that I didn't have the courage to do so.

How it took me a loooong time to get this courage. 

Times I wish I had stood up when people I knew were being made fun of. 

How my feelings had been hurt when I was younger and girls and boys called me "Olive Oil"..."Zit Face"...told me I was too skinny...flat chested...told me I looked like a zipper...told me they didn't like me...or that I was not their friend...

I told her I wish I had stood up for my friend when another child acted awful because she didn't like the Christmas gift my friend had given her....my sweet friend cried and cried...knowing that her gift was not accepted kindly. I told Pipiri I did nothing...and I wish that I had.

I told her I had been mean to girls...I had talked behind people's backs...I had done the wrong thing many times in my life. 

I told her that I had been the bully in my life. And that I deeply regret it and today I try to be a great friend to the people that I know. That I don't talk about them behind their backs and that I treat people respectfully. 

I told her that I (as an adult) have stood up for friends when others are speaking ugly about them. I have told them that the other person is my friend and that I don't appreciate them talking about them. 

I told her even today people can be mean. People have hurt my feelings. That I have been made fun of and that women today have made fun of the way I look or the clothes that I have worn.

When my husband got home today he too joined in our discussions.

He told her he too had been the bully, had been bullied, and had not stood up for friends when others made fun of them.

The discussions this book brought were unbelievable! 

Girls from 5 to 95 will enjoy this amazing book! (And actually Brad truly enjoyed the discussions with us...)

It is wonderfully written, thought provoking...and simply amazing! 

Buy The Hundred Dresses here! You won't regret it!!

Back shoulder circuit

Quick shoulder and back circuit.

Rows, shoulder press neutral grip, full lateral raises, and rear delts.

Do 3x sets of 20 each for beginners...5 sets of 20 for more advanced.

Watch full routine Here.

Gaining muscle over 40

It is super hard for women to gain muscle....

Women are so scared to lift heavy weights they are afraid they are going to "bulk up" or look like a professional body builder.

Im here to tell you it is impossible! 

I spoke about being skinny fat....Here. 

I have been lifting heavier weights for 11 years now.

I started out with only 97 pounds of lean body mass...my actually scale weight was around 118.

After 11 years I have only gained 6.5 pounds of muscle! 

And it took me 11 years to do so!! 

11 years!

Last summer my lean muscle mass was 102 pounds.

I just had my fat rechecked this week and it was 103.6! So as a 41 and a half year old woman I have gained 1.6 pounds of muscle in less than a year! That is huge! And I am so proud of it!

Since last May I have changed my workouts completely.  I wanted to see how much muscle I could gain at almost 41 years old. I was so tired of doing so much cardio. Tired of my hip hurting. Tired of feeling beat up. 

I used to do cardio 3-4x a week...50 minutes to an hour each session...and mainly I ran as my cardio...I since have almost completely stopped running. Maybe 1x a month. It took awhile to get over the runners high..mentally I just wasn't sure how I would feel after 16 years of being a runner. 

Now I do it 2-3 cardio session...at the very most. And it is never more than 50 minutes. 

I have been lifting 5-6x a week. Focusing on 3 body parts at a time...while I used to do a full body routine 2-3x a week.

For example..

Mondays legs

Tuesdays chest back abs

Wednesday cardio/plyo metrics

Thursday shoulders bis tris

Fridays legs/glutes

Saturday day off

Sunday long 6 m walk

I know to some these photos don't really show a huge change like some on the internet. But to me it is huge.

1.6 pounds of muscle gained is a ton for a woman! Especially a woman over the age of 40! 

I feel like I look better now...I'm not as skinny looking and I feel like I look more fit.

We don't wear shoes in our home...

Here is another one of the ways I keep my home clean.

I don't allow shoes in my home.

When I wrote my last post (read more about that Here) about keeping the groady germs out of our home it made me realize that this was another habit that developed after moving into our new home with our little NICU baby.

It all started when my husband and I were house hunting. One of the homes we looked at didn't allow shoes in their home. When we went for the house showing there were shoe booties sitting by the door for all "viewers" to put on. After we slipped them over our shoes we noticed how immaculate their carpeting was. It was white carpet but it was in prestine condition!

So after we came home with Pipiri we decided to start doing this in our home.

The way that works for us is that 99% of the time we come thru the garage so it's very simple. We leave our shoes in the garage by the door. 

When guests come to our home...typically they come thru the front door. There is a small chalkboard sign on the door. 

It says "Please leave shoes outside TKS!

Buy Chalkboard with Rope Hanger like I have. 

So any visitor that we have simple removes their shoes and leaves them outside the door. Easy breezy. 

Not only does this cut wayyy down on my cleaning. It also keeps our floors so much cleaner. I also have to vacuum way less. 

I use this mop...    Shark Professional Steam Pocket Mop  And I have owned this less expensive one in the past also...Shark Steam Pocket Mop  I use this vacuum...Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional Upright. I have owned every brand of vacuum and I like the Shark by far the best! Easy to empty and picks up everything! 

Plus think how gross the bottoms of your shoes are. 

They have been in public restrooms. 

The have walked on asphalt which has known carcinogenics 

The have walked in parks and other grassy areas where pesticides have been used.

The list goes on and on!

I don't want pesticides, cancer causing chemicals, or poop on my floors. Do you? 

I love that we started this when Pipiri was a newborn. She now knows exactly what to do. She takes her shoes off before coming in...I never ever have to remind her. 

It also has made me very mindful of other peoples homes. I now remove my shoes before going in. I believe it shows a sign of respect for other peoples houses ....they may have just spent the last few hours cleaning...so why would I want to put my dirty shoes on their floors. 

Happy cleanliness! 

The importance of teaching children to wash their hands

When I came home with my precious little girl straight out of the NICU I was terrified of germs.

Terrified of her getting sick. 

Terrified of someone passing a cold or the flu to my new perfect little angel.

My husband and I started that very day with our "Clean Hands Mission"!!!

We decided one thing that day...

As soon as someone comes into our home they are to wash their hands!

So for about an entire year we had every single person that came into our house wash their hands before they did anything else...

Now jump ahead 5 years...while we aren't quite as nutty about forcing our guests with a hand washing...we (Brad , me, and Pipiri) still every single time we come in our house from being out and about we wash our hands. So any germs that we may have come in contact with are not brought into our home.

I truly think that this habit has helped us as a family to hardly ever become sick. While yes we get colds on occasion we very rarely get anything worse than that.

It truly is a very easy habit to make. 

And I am so glad we have instilled the importance of this to Pipiri.

Here are a few hand soaps that our family uses...

We do not use triclosan, lavender, soy, phylates or BPA!

Seventh Generation Hand Wash
Kiss My Face Coconut Hand Soap
Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Liquid Hand Soap

Here are some of the hand sanitizers that have less scary ingredients...

Babyganics

Babyganics (smaller container ...great for car usage)

Burt's Bees

Birthday and Holiday gifts when your a minimalist

I am a wacko when it comes to toys and things that Pipiri plays with. I am sure I drive my friends and family nuts! 

When I discovered Waldorf several years ago one of the main aspects that drew me to it was the amazing play things! Read more about that Here and Here.

Wooden, natural, high quality, wool, and very few!! 

That's right minimal! 

Very few high quality toys!

No plastic, no polyester, nothing that blinks or makes noise, nothing techy, no video games, no movie or cartoon paraphernalia...so once I cleared out all of the junk there was no going back.

Sooo when it comes to birthdays, holidays, and any other times gifts are involved I try to my best to keep what comes into our home as simple and natural as possible. 

Thank you to our friends and family Pipiri's birthday gifts were amazing! So thoughtful and beautiful! 

Cholesterol levels......adding fat to your diet...does it raise them?

So last year I made a huge change in my diet by giving up candy!

Ohhh candy my old friend! My friend in my pockets...my friend that was always there for me....my sugary deliciousness....yummy! 

Yep but I gave it up last year mid lent GONE! 

Read more about that Here and Here. 

So when I went to my doctor last year I had my cholesterol levels taken as I have for many years. 

They were the following...

Total cholesterol 188

Triglycerides 66

HDL 79

LDL 96

While yes all within in the normal range (read more about normal range levels Here) ....I thought they actually would be lower...hmmmmm me an over achiever even with cholesterol....ummm YES!

So this year after major dietary changes...giving up candy and all sugary desserts, adding wayyyy more fat to my diet...eggs including the yolk, real butter, adding more healthy fish... tons and tons of spinach, water cress, collard greens, greens greens greens....adding Grapeseed oil and continuing with olive oil....sautéing veggies in both of these oils....

Today my cholesterol levels were the following...

Total 183

Triglycerides 38 (28 points lower)

HDL 90 (11 points higher) 

LDL 85 (11 points lower) 

Yay! Proof is in the numbers!! All much better than last year! 

I love reverse aging! I love lowering my cholesterol thru diet! Over achiever yes!! 

Anything is possible! 

I never ever want to have to take pills for something that I can control thru my diet and working out and living a health lifestyle! Never! 

If I can you can!! 

TRX circuit....20 minute workout

I love the TRX! It's such a great piece of equipment that you can even hang in your garage or home if you don't belong to a gym. 

Buy TRX here!

Watch full TRX video here!

Do these exercises 4x thru. Add jumping jacks, burpees, or jump rope between each set. 20 minute quick workout! 

Tricep workout

You all know I love to work triceps! Love love love!

I don't want my arms to wave when I wave my hand! Uggggg! 

Watch full tricep video here!

Shoot for 3 sets or more of each exercise. 15-20 reps each.

No stopping in between each set.

Can easily add jumping rope or jumping jacks in between each set. 

Keep heart rate up! 

10 minute workout...easy to add to your cardio days. 

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...