Tag Archives: inspiration

May2

May 2013 Photo A Day #CurlyAndFit Challenge by Lexi With The Curls!

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As most of you know, I’ve been on a fitness journey since February (2/18/13 to be exact). It started with a personal 28 Day Health & Fitness Challenge, where I committed to working out a minimum of 10 minutes every day for 28 days in a row.  Today was day 74. WOOT WOOT!! LOL! In that time, I also completed the 9 week C25K program and have continued running with plans to start the 6 week 10K program next week. I started my personal challenge weighing in at … 148.5 pounds *shudder.* At 5’1″, that was WAY over a healthy BMI. I was very uncomfortable in my own skin, was busting my “fat” clothes at the seam, was experiencing skin and hair issues, and was very unhappy with myself and how I let myself go.

As of today, I have lost 15.5 pounds and feel soooo much better as I’ve taken care of a lot of things that had gotten out of control. So, in order to continue to stay motivated and consistent so that I can drop the additional 13 pounds that I want to lose, I joined another Instagram Photo A Day Challenge!! This time, it’s a Fitness Challenge for May. And, I gotta say, I’m kinda psyched (hence, why I’m sharing ;) )!! I’ll continue my personal challenge to work out a minimum of 10 minutes a day, every day, but I’ll participate in the Photo Challenge concurrently. It’ll be nice to do this with others and to follow their progress as well! Plus, there are some pretty awesome prizes involved!!

Anywho, the challenge started yesterday. I just joined today, but am now up to date with my Day 1 and Day 2 photos! Check it out … ummm … but don’t look too closely at those body shots!!

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Ughh … You ever feel like you look so much heavier in pictures than you look in the mirror?!

Day 1: Starting Point + Goals

Starting Point: 133 lbs
Goals: 1. Lose another 5-8 lbs by the end of the month.
2. Continue to work out every day.
3. Continue running by starting 10K training.

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Day 2: Sweat 

So, if you’re interested in joining the challenge and want to learn more, head on over to LexiWiththeCurls.com and check out the details here. And, don’t forget check me out @Hairscapades on Instagram if you want to see daily updates!! Check out #CurlyAndFit to see ALL of the challenge photos to get inspired and motivated (if you need it ;) )!!

Let’s get it ladies! 

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So, you know I gotta ask … who else is with me?!?!

Oh, and if you’re joining, post your IG handle in the comments!
(Don’t forget, if your profile is private, we can’t see or comment on your photos!)

 

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Apr20

Dove Digs Beyond Skin Deep

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real-beauty-redone
Yeah. I know. I’ve been absentee for a while. But, I’ll be back soon with hair and fitness updates. However, the reason I’m popping on here really quickly is because I just had to share this powerful ad by Dove. We’ve heard it said time and time again that we as women are often our worst critics. This Dove experiment put that statement to the test.

Powerful, huh?

Click here to see more of the sketches.

Apr9

28 Day Fitness Challenge Round Two: Days 43-49

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sweaty

Still going strong!! Can’t believe I’ve worked out for 50 consecutive days now!! One more week and it’ll be 2 months!! When I started this 7 weeks ago, I wasn’t sure if I’d make it through the first 28 days. Now, on day 51, I feel like I can keep on going. Some days, all I get in is 10 minutes of Abs of Steel, but I feel like every minute counts. And, I could have easily been sleeping or sitting on the couch those 10 minutes, so it’s better than that.

In regard to weight loss, the scale actually went back up to 138 this week. I’m not overly concerned as it’s that time of the month … y’all know how it is. Also, although I ate very well during the day, I had a really irregular week as it related to dinner. Nothing I ate was bad in and of itself. But, I was eating randomly and too much … green smoothie, kale chips, pistachios and smoked oysters one night … green smoothie, kale chips, a sweet potato and pistachios the next … green smoothie, taylor ham and pistachios the following night … I told you … random. And, over the weekend wasn’t the best either … I didn’t eat too much in regard to quantity, but didn’t have the best options when I went out to lunch on Saturday (ended up w/a breaded chicken cutlet on a white roll … was hoping it was grilled … only ate half the bread, but still all that friend breading) and a birthday party on Sunday (2 slices of plain cheese pizza … it was after hot yoga and I was starving!). But, again, it wasn’t a lot in terms of quantity … just more calories than I would like and not much in the way of nutritional content.

Kale, banana, dates and vanilla extract green smoothie; first ever homemade kale chips (too salty, but did a second batch w/o salt and they were good)!

Kale, banana, dates and vanilla extract green smoothie; first ever homemade kale chips (too salty, but did a second batch w/o salt and they were good)!

Oh, and Sunday night, Wei and I went to our new favorite spot, The Loving Hut in Ledgewood, NJ. It’s an international chain (never would have guessed) specializing in vegan cuisine. Let me tell you, the food. is. DELICIOUS.

Clockwise: California Roll, Queen “Burger”; sweet potato fries and Pho. This pic was actually from our first visit, but we ordered the same things this past Sunday!

So yeah, I’ll probably wait until next Sunday or Monday to weigh in again and keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll be down a real pound or two to 135-136. Of course, I need to get my dinners back on track this week …  ’cuz Monday night was a repeat of the randomness.

Alright, here’s Days 43-49 in pictures!!

In regard to Day 46, you may have noticed that I posted my Day 1 and Day 2 results. Now, the thing is, treadmills that don’t allow you to enter you weight, height, sex and body fat percentage don’t accurately calculate calories burned for everyone. This is because treadmills that don’t allow personalization generally use the universal calibration for a 150 pound male (check out this article on LiveStrong.com: Do Treadmills Accurately Burn Calories? for more info). However, though I know the results for calories and carbs burned on my calculator are not accurate for me, the information is helpful as it provides a point of comparison from work-out to work-out.

C25K Week 7/Day 1 was yesterday morning!! This week is 25 minute runs for each workout! I’m so excited to be here as, when I started, didn’t know how’d I do it! But, every day, slow progression is the key to seeing results!!

Oh, and before I go!! I wanted to share a video on pre- and post work-out stretches to do to improve running speed and endurance!! It’s from Marshall’s!! You see, when I bought work-out clothes from them a couple of weeks ago, there were these “Get Fit” tags with QR codes to “unlock” YouTube videos! Well, I got the perfect video for me!!

I have found that doing the demonstrated stretches pre- and post work-out does make me feel more limber and the pre-run stretches definitely help warm me up. I can’t say that the stretches have improved my endurance or speed just yet. But, I’ve only been doing them for about a week now. So, I’ll give them more time for that. And, now that I think about it, I did do long run intervals at 5.5 when I was struggling at 5.2 a couple of weeks ago. So, maybe they are helping! If it can improve my speed to 5.3 for my 25 minute run at the end of this week, I’ll give these stretches some kudos ;) !

Lata Gatas!!

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Any runners out there? Do you have tips on stretches or techniques for a novice runner to use in order to improve running efficiency, form, gait, speed? Thanks in advance!!

Apr1

28 Day Fitness Challenge Round Two: Days 36-43

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So, I’m a little late with this and I’m keeping it short. I’m down 11.5 pounds as of this past Saturday and started week 6 of C25K this morning. Still working out daily and eating well mostly … though, I did indulge a little on Easter Day. However, though I enjoyed some mac and cheese, a little ham, and candied yams, I also filled half my plate with salad, had white meat turkey, passed on the bread and stuffing and practiced portion control. I didn’t stuff myself at all and I didn’t have seconds. Ummm … and I did have a little bit of dessert too *sheepish grin*. BUT, it was the lightest thing there and it was only about 3-4 spoonfuls. I resisted the sweet potato pie (oh how I love thee), coconut cake, pound cake and ice cream! Oh, and I started out the day with a green smoothie … learning of the day: NutriBullet does NOT do well with frozen greens :( . So, I bought a big bag of fresh kale after work today. Should have taken a pic … it’s GINORMOUS!!

Okay, yeah … short. Here’s day 36-43 in pics!! Oh, and captions ;) .

Day 43: C25K Week 6/Day 1 (5.5 mph run intervals). Abs are coming in ... still got a ways to go, but seeing real progress.

Day 43: C25K Week 6/Day 1 (5.5 mph run intervals). Abs are coming in … still got a ways to go, but seeing real progress.

I’ll be back in the next day or two with details of the hair above and to share a recap of the Wonder Curl launch party that I attended this weekend!! She debuted her two new products, a Cleansing Clay Mask and a Deep Conditioner that round-out her line of products!! Okay … if you just can’t wait, check out these recaps by A Hair Story and Radiant Brown Beauty, who both attended the event with me and are on top of it ;) !!

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Spring is in the air and summer can’t be too far away … right?  So, how you guys doing with your health and fitness goals? 
Feb23

Far From Perfect

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tangles_straightpieces_breakageTangles, straight pieces, breakage, OH MY!!

These are pics of my hair that I took this past week. I share this just to show that my hair is far from perfect. I have fine strands that tangle and break, especially in the back where the finest, curliest and kinkiest (meaning it has a torque in addition to a curl)  hair meets the straightest strands :/.

I wish I could say that I was one of those lucky ladies with thick, hardy strands, who only see full length shed hairs on the bathroom floor, sink and shower. I’m not. I see short, shed and broken strands whenever I detangle my hair, even when I try to be as slow, gentle and careful as possible.

However, even though my hair breaks (this piece in the front though?! I was like, “What the hizzay happened HERE?!?”), I am still able to retain decent length and my hair looks and feels healthy overall. So, just wanted to share that you can retain length, even with fine strands and a little breakage. So, don’t get discouraged, though I know it can be frustrating (been there … stay there sometimes), because everyone’s hair isn’t perfect … especially  not mine!! And, you know what? It doesn’t have to be to still be beautiful!! ;)

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#thatisall

 

Dec20

Mini-Hairscapader: Savannah’s HairStory

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Yeah!!!!!  We’re back with the hairstory of another cutie patootie!! Check out the details at the end of the post for how you can submit the hairstory of YOUR very own mini-Hairscapader!!

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image-2as told by Enjoli (mom)

What’s your child’s name and age? Tell us a little about her.
My daughter’s name is Savannah and she just turned two September 13th. She is a fun-loving, energetic baby and absolutely loves to sing and dance. Her favorite fruit is a banana. Probably because I call her Savannah Banana :-) . She’s in love with Elmo and thinks ABC’s and numbers ROCK!!!

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How do you care for her hair? What products do you use, how often do you wash/condition, what techniques do you use (i.e., how do you detangle), etc.?
I wash Savannah’s hair every week, usually on Saturdays. She just finished swim classes and they were on Saturday, so that is our usual washing day. I generally wash it while she is in the bathtub at the end of a bath. I use the Shea Moisture Curl Defining Shampoo on her hair and the Restorative Conditioner as a leave in. I detangle it on days that I wash it especially. Once the washing is done, I go through and moisturize her scalp with pure coconut oil. I also put some of the oil on her hair. I usually braid it up and allow it to air dry. She generally wears braids or plaits to bed, so that her hair not all over the place in the am. I detangle her hair with the conditioner on it.

Products that we currently use (even though I am always looking):
Shea Moisture Curl Defining Shampoo
Shea Moisture Curling Souffle
Shea Moisture Curling Milk
Shea Moisture Restorative Conditioner
The Shea Moisture Deep Penetrating Shampoo (If hair is really dirty)
Cantu Shea Butter Leave in conditioning cream

This past weekend, I used a bootleg version of Miss Jessie’s called Curl La La at my BFF’s and loved it. Her hair was soft, smelled great, and the curls lasted all day. So I am looking for that where I live now.

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Do the same products that work for you work for Savannah’s hair?
For the most part. We both have curly hair, although her hair is softer than mine. Her dad has curly hair and his dad before him as well.

What is a typical style? Do you employ protective styles? If so, how often?
It depends on time and her cooperation. LOL! I am learning to cornrow. I can get something in her head and it will be cute, but with her having the texture of hair that she does, it doesn’t usually last too long. If I’m in a rush, we generally settle for the high curly ponytail on top. Its a bit of a cop-out, but when we are pressed for time, it always comes through. LOL! Most recently I did a style that involved beads and she was ecstatic. Had been nervous because I felt like she was too young. If her hair has been twisted up, braided up, or in ponytails for a few days, then I will let her wear it loose in a little curly fro thingy for a few days as well to balance out the tension from the other style.

What challenges do you face with Savannah’s hair?
I just have no idea if I am doing it right! Her hair is so soft, in order to get it to do any styles, it usually involves some type of anchor or holder/rubber band. I try not to use them often. Her hair around her temple is a little thin and, at first, I thought it was falling out. Then I realized as a baby and younger infant, she had no hair there. So, I’ve since calmed down and realized that it is just her hair growing in. It’s different lengths in different areas and I’m not sure what to do about that.

I also get frustrated because, due to the softness of her hair, styles don’t last. If she does get braids, I may get 2 days out of them tops. Twists have to be done daily, banding doesn’t work, and the Bantu knot out didn’t work. I did include pics for you to see what I tried.

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Have you ever relaxed/texlaxed Savannah’s hair? Why or why not and, if you relaxed her hair, what prompted the decision to return to natural?
I will NEVER relax my daughter’s hair. If she gets a relaxer, it will be her decision and her choice and her job to keep it up. LOL!

How does Savannah feel about her natural hair?
She’s only 2. So who knows. I know that she likes it when I do something fancy with it. She stands in the mirror and says, “Ooooh Mommy. Nice!” She enjoys playing in it and pulling on her ponytails. Her hair has quite a bit of length on it, so I think that is more important than texture right now. Just being able to reach it to play with it. She enjoys playing in mine, which is nowhere near the same texture as hers. So I’m guessing she likes it.

Anything else that you’d like to add?
While I will never relax Savannah’s hair, I would never be one to judge anyone who does. We all make the decisions we think are best for our kids at the time. I just hope that no matter what our babies’ hair looks like, we are encouraging them and telling them how beautiful they are. My mother relaxed my hair when I was 6 and I didn’t really need it. It was just easier for her since my hair was so thick. I’ve gone back and forth my entire adult life and am currently sans the creamy crack. I have no problem with relaxers, but have just chosen not to dabble in them anymore for myself. It has not been easy; it has been hard with my own hair. But, in choosing to embrace my hair … embrace me … it is making it easier for me to do hers and it makes her feel good about her hair as it is.

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Can’t. Take. All. the. CUTENESS!!!! LOL!! Just adorable!!

Okay, okay. *Wooosah* My ovaries have calmed down.  Soooooo, do you have a mini-Hairscapader in your house? Wanna share his/her story?! Well then, get on it!! Answer the Mini-Hairscapader HairStory Questions here and e-mail your responses, along with 5-6 (or, you know, 10) pics, to me at hairscapades@gmail.com!! Hope to get your sweetie pie’s story soon!!

(p.s. To see more of these mini hairstories, check out the Mini-Hairscapader category under the HairStory tab!) 

Dec13

Call Me Silly?!?!

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laffy-taffyby Weusi

I have been called many names. Some were nicknames. Names like … Why, Way, Biscuit, Lil Bill, Knowledge Knot, Boss, Schoolboy, Usi and Shy. Some were titles. Some were aliases. No, I’m not telling you those (I was using an alias for a reason!). Sometimes it was people mispronouncing my actual name. Some were adjectives. Some I embraced and accepted. Some I shunned and/or rebelled against. There are a few that I’ve done both with. One of those words is: SILLY.

As one that came up in a house where I took pride in being smart, the idea of being silly was awkward. But, since I also come from a perspective of creativity (Kuumba) and self empowerment (kujichagulia), I have reinterpreted the idea of what some may call silly as my blessing to be able to easily access the youthful energy that rests within me. SO …

This morning I picked up an old Laffy Taffy wrapper. I found one that I had tucked away in my sock drawer. What? Yes … Sometimes I save them because I like to see if I was just excited to get some candy or if it’s really funny. So …

How do you get water in the watermelon?
Plant it in the spring!
David L. from Glencoe, IL

Chuckle-Chuckle … but that wasn’t even the good one …

Why was the boy covered in gift wrap?
His mom told him to “live in the present.”
Jerome B. Norfolk, VA

HaHaHa … that was funny to me!

Ok … not laugh out loud funny, but … I liked the joke.

I know you are saying, “What does Laffy Taffy have to do with the cost of Shea butter in Ghana?” … Well … I am glad that you asked …

Ok, call me sensitive, an over-thinker or whatever you want, but honestly, the joke spoke to something deeper in me. I liked the fact that a corny joke reminded me to stay in the moment and sparked the idea that if we stay in the moment, we are the gifts. I am not sure if this was the original intent for Jerome B from Norfolk, VA, but I thank him for it. It felt like this was a reminder that these vessels, called bodies, that hold our spirits are the presents that we share with the world … while simultaneously our bodies are a gift that the universe has shared with us.

NOW, with that said …

Be you. Love you. Enjoy who you are. And by that I mean the gift that is the all natural you. The you that has been blessed with the gift of creativity and the choice to make changes. To bun or braid. To stay natural or relax. To rock with a curl or straight. None of it really matter on the outside unless it is a reflection/expression of your true spirit self on the inside. The truly natural you. So … do you … and do what you do …

SHiNE

Thank you Laffy Taffy wisdom … aka … I think too much … aka sometimes I make it deeper than it really is.

Jul30

Transitioning Buddies

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by Sawah of Discovering Natural

When transitioning from relaxed to natural hair, you need all the support you can get to make the process an easier one. It is difficult enough figuring out how to handle your two textures. Sometimes, people that we think will be supportive of our decisions to go natural might let us down. We struggle with what to do to our hair. Many of us fail during the process and go back to the relaxer because we did not have the support we need.

This is why having a Transitioning Buddy early in the process can help make the process easier. As someone that plans to do a long term transition (2 or more years), I depend on my transitioning buddies to keep me in check. Yes, I do have more than one transitioning buddy. Pictured above is one of them.

Now, you might be wondering, none of my friends are natural … no one in my family is supportive of my decision … how am I going to get a transitioning buddy? Well, there are several online hair forums that have threads dedicated to Transitioning Buddies. CurlyNikki.com has a good support forum for Transitioning to Natural and there is a thread in there for Transitioning Buddies. This was where I found my online transitioning buddy, Uninibile. Check out her hair blog.

So, go online and get yourself a buddy! You can finally have someone to discuss natural hair information, rants and raves.

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Do you have a Transitioning Buddy?

 

Apr30

Jen Big Chops!!

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Remember Jen, transitioning marine and my blogging buddy from the CurlyNikki presents Kim Coles GOC?!?! Well, guess what?! She’s a transitioner no more!! Jen Big Chopped and she sent me the video, so that I could share her huge moment with all of you!!

WOOH-HOOH!!!! Congratulations Jen!! You did it!! That ‘fro is nice!!

*I’m giving those household shears the side eye though. lol*

Mar2

Inspiration: Sera25 aka Sera2544

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I was revisiting BGLH.com’s post on Bloggers with Great Length Retention and decided to visit the Fotki of Sera25. The pictures of her journey from TWA to hip bone length are A-MUUUUHH-zing*!!! The thickness of her hair, the lushness of her twists and her length remind me of Mwedzi. Alas, my hair will never be as dense or curly as theirs, but I can enjoy the hair porn!! Sit back and prepare to drool at and be inspired by this YouTube video of Sera’s hair journey.

via Sera2544

*If you get the reference, you get bonus points in my book;).