Daily Archives: March 16, 2012

Mar16

The Big 4-0

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*Sigh* You know, it’s been a stressful couple of weeks and my hair has pretty much been the last thing on my mind. I’ve just been so fatigued and feeling a bit overwhelmed by the demands of life. Nothing earth-shattering, just work, family, home and the blog. Nothing to complain about really as I don’t have the biggest demand of all: kids!! But, you know, complain I will;). Anyway, that’s why I haven’t posted as much in the last couple of weeks. I just haven’t been able to get my brain to function enough recently to write, edit and/or experiment with my hair and products too much. Plus, I’ve been feeling under the weather the last couple of days, so that really didn’t help the end of this week.

Anyway, I know that a big part of my lackluster mood and increased stress levels is that I’ve allowed my healthy eating habits and exercise regimen to fly out the window since the end of my 28 Day Project Scale Down. My body has been revolting against the massive amount of cheese and refined carbs in my diet, as well as the lack of activity, by dunning me with aches and pains. Exercising and eating well contributes to my overall sense of well-being, accomplishment and self-image. Plus, I just feel so much better, have more energy and am able to work with greater focus and efficiency.

That being said, it’s time to light that fire again. Forty is looking me dead in the eye and I plan to be Fit & Fabulous in my Forties;). In addition, I have a beach vacation and our second annual Rugged Maniac in July to motivate me. So, look out ladies, Project Scale Down is back in effect! I have 10 pounds to lose and I plan to start with another 28 Day Workout Challenge, exercising for at least 20 minutes a day and posting when I’m done on our Facebook page here (feel free to join in the fun!).

In regard to nutrition, I’m getting back on my normal regimen and think I may also try having a green smoothie for the first couple of weeks to boost my energy and nutrient levels. Think I’ll try the following Green Smoothie recipe I saw in the article, 5 Nutrients for Healthy Hair Growth in One Smoothie, on BGLH earlier this week.

via BlackGirlLongHair.com

1 cup of almond milk (Provides Protein, Potassium & Zinc minerals)
1 Organic Banana (Provides Vitamin A, B, C, E & Iron minerals)
1 Handful of Spinach (Provides Fiber, Protein and Cancer-fighting Antioxidants)
1 Handful of Kale (Provides Vitamin A, C, K, & Sulfur for Detoxification)
1 Tablespoon of Flax Seeds or Chia Seeds (Provides Omega-3 Fatty Acids)
1 Organic Pear (Provides Calcium & Fiber)
½ Cup of Ice

Sounds good and energizing to me! I hope! I feel like I can commit to a smoothie over juicing as the blending and clean-up are easier and quicker. We’ll see. Fortunately, Wei is feeling just as motivated as me, so I think that I’ll have a partner in crime ;).

So, that’s it. Just wanted to tell you guys what was up with my posting frequency as of late and give an update on the health and fitness front. Time to get it in!!

(p.s. But, I’m still having buttercream on the big day next week!! Frick! I can’t believe it! 40!! That ish warrants cake ;). *lol*)

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Mar16

Hairscapades Meet-Up: The Recap

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PICTURE HEAVY!!

I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned this about myself, but I’m suuuuuuch a procrastinator by nature. So, with that disclaimer, yeah, I have been meaning to do this post since the meet-up in DC on February 18th. And now, this is going to be a pretty short post (for me;) just to give you a quick run down of some of the fun and share even more pictures (find other pics here)!

So, what did we do? Glad you asked!

  • About 40 lovely young women convened at the Tap & Parlour on U Street in Washington, DC.

  • Everyone got a Sof’nFree Nothing But and Reviyve Blended Naturals Lemongrass soap sample at the door. Thanks to Shonda who volunteered at the last minute to be my helper, Michelle Howard Smith for the donation of the Revive soap!
  • We enjoyed fare from the restaurant (my turkey burger and sweet potato fries were delish … I was stuffing my mouth between meeting and greeting! LOL! ).
  • We had a “round table” discussion to share a little about our natural hairstories.
  • Two Sofn’Free Nothing But goodie bags stuffed with 4 full size products were awarded by raffle.
  • One “Hairscapades’ Favorites” prize was given away playing “How many items do you have in the ‘hair emergency kit’ in your purse?” I pulled out my bobby pins, scrunchies, flexi barrettes, headbands, jaw clips and scissors to see who had the most of these items. Miche’al killed it with nine, if I remember correctly!

Vatika oil, JBCO, HE HH & 2 boxes of Dulhan henna

  • Dr. Phoenyx Austin was our special guest and conducted a Q&A session that was very informative and a complete hit.

  • Dr. Phoenyx raffled a copy of her new book, “If You Love It, It Will Grow” and sold many more copies. (If you purchased the book, she’d LOVE it if you posted your review on Amazon.com!)
  • Finally, we wrapped up with a Product Swap Meet supplied with donations from under everyone’s sinks!!

It was a seriously good time!! I had so much fun meeting everyone and getting to meet so many of my friends in person:)!! Hopefully, we’ll be doing another one soon in New Jersey!! I just have to find a locale … don’t worry, I have a couple in mind;)!

If you want to see these pictures full size and others from the event, check out the albums on the Facebook Hairscapades page: Meet-Up Part I and Part II! And a special thanks to my photographers, Shonda, Michelle and Chloe (Part I) and Niah (Part II)!!