Work it Out Wednesday: Crunches

So this week I've begun doing crunches again. Ah, how fondly I remember being able to do 76 normal crunches, 76 reverse crunches and 76 side twist crunches in one session. That was 2 years ago, and not so impressive, but it was my personal best. I had worked up from doing 14 crunches a day every week. Then I added 14 side twist crunches the next week and so on. After several months I was able to go through 228 of the combined ab exercises before the burn became too great. And I was hoping to add more, but fell off the wagon. Well, I'm revving up the wagon again and will be doing 14 all this week. I'll wait until it gets easier and then add more, or more difficulty with the side twist crunches. I'm excited to get back to doing this and am hoping to stay encouraged with my workouts.

Want to try side twist (Russian twist) crunches?


Work out at your own risk and be safe! Even if you're not ready for strength training, choosing to get moving every day can make a big difference. Park at the end of the lot and enjoy the walk to the store, take the stairs. There a many small choices throughout your day that can be made to better your health!

Come back tomorrow for spa night, where we'll discuss the baking soda hair cleansing review, as well as a new Oil Cleansing Method review, following my progress using these natural beauty treatments.

Work It Out Wednesday: Not in the Mood

I'm very deflated this week.
Most of it is because we've been establishing an earlier nap time for Baby Boy and we all know how fun that can be. He's going through a huge growth spurt and the poor little guy was just tired out and not getting enough rest, so we adjusted his schedule to allow for more rest. Getting him there was Not. Fun. But now we're in the home stretch, thanks to The Baby Whisperer and it's downhill from here on out. But I'm still not caught up on sleep. I think I shall catnap today and really focus on healthy food choices today to make up for the lack of exercise.

In the hope of being frugal and healthy, I tried to experiment with my nearly over ripe tomatoes and cucumbers from my last farmer's market trip.
The result was marinaded cukes and tommy toes that could burn the chest hair off a leprechaun.

Yay! I found a use for my pretty thrift shop jar!

Memos to self:
-Dilute the vinegar and ease up on the mustard powder.
-Next time, get Hubby to taste it first instead of taking a foolishly huge chomp out of a cucumber and almost
spitting fire, giving Hubby leave to be amused (and wary of your homemade concoctions).

And those are words of wisdom from a lady who could hardly talk for nearly 20 minutes after that fatal taste.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, Beauties. Steer clear of the mustard powder!

Work it Out Wednesday: Bellydance

Another youtube gem I found and am using in my workouts. LOVE it! Doing the entire series really gets you sweating, too, which is always good.



Also, I am loving finding different ways to prepare raw veggies! I've been munching on this treat this week: Thai style cucumber carrot salad. Sweet, sour and a little spicy = delicious!

Here's the easy recipe I adjusted from what I found through a google search:

Thai Cucumber Carrot Salad

2 cucumbers, thinly sliced with a grater or peeler

3 carrots, thinly sliced with grater/peeler

2 tsp vinegar

2 Tbs fish sauce

1/2 tsp sugar

Red pepper flakes, to taste

-In small bowl, combine liquid ingredients. 

-Add sugar and dissolve.

-In large container, pour liquid mixture over carrots and cucumbers. Toss to combine.

-Add red pepper flakes according to preference. Toss and serve cold.

Have you made some healthy choices this week? Celebrate them and the fact that you made the decisions towards a healthier you. Every little bit counts.
Happy Wednesday, Beauties, go out and enjoy your beautiful life!

REVIEW: Oil Cleansing Method

 I love the Oil Cleansing Method! I think the pictures speak for themselves. Prepared to be frightened. Nah, it's not so bad, but the only way to prove it is to get up close and personal, right?

In all of these photos, I'm wearing my daily makeup which consists of eyeliner, mascara and filled in brows.

BEFORE taken 7/26/2008

When I look at these befores I see 

Uneven skin tone

Dark under eye circles (always had 'em and my biggest beauty problem)

Blemish on the left cheek

Blemishes around hairline

Clogged pores in nose, cheeks and chin

Reddish nostrils from broken capillaries under the skin (always had 'em)

BEFORE

The very first time I used OCM and every time thereafter, I felt whiteheads and blackheads slip out of my pores as I was massaging! I suddenly was aware of what felt like tiny grains of sand under my fingers during the cleansing. Nasty to think about, yes, but awesome as far as results.

The oil and massaging motion gently loosens and removes the hardened gunk in pores to leave skin clear and clean! And because the skin is no longer overproducing oil to compensate for being dried out by commercial cleansers, the pore clogging cycle is stopped and pores can soon shrink back to their natural size. 

AFTER taken 8/07/2010

When I see the afters (or look in the mirror now!) I notice:

More even skin tone all over

Fewer clogged pores in nose, cheeks and chin

Healing blemishes on hairline

No blemish on left cheek!

Lighter under eye circles

Nostril area doesn't seem as red

This one was taken with flash near a window. I was struck with how it looks like I have under eye concealer in this photo, but I wasn't wearing any.

No flash. Same window.

I really love this natural way of taking care of my skin! For me, the results speak for themselves and I will definitely continue with this.

Interested in the Oil Cleansing Method? Read the original post with instructions here. 

Can you tell I've lost a couple of pounds? Woohoo! Because I'm eating more fresh goodies like this:

Mmmmm! Finding out more about natural beauty treatments and seeing how good they are for me really has me interested in taking better care of myself, inside and out. Adding all the fresh produce to my intake of  kefir and kombucha tea is making me feel great! Once detox is over, I should have even more energy. I'm looking forward to it.

Start your journey to naturally clearer, healthier skin! If you try OCM please let me know how it worked for you! Baking soda hair washing review to be posted soon.