by Krystal K. aka KaliGirl1980

Hair
So I have been sticking to my old regimen for the most part (except I’ve really slacked on the henna). I am a Tightly Curly Method fanatic and I wear my hair in a TC Method WnG 90% of the time. I still straighten my hair once a month to check my progress. I’ve gotten back to where I was before the dreaded hair cut. The one thing that I have changed significantly is that I’m using a leave-in conditioner that works well with my hair for WnGs, rather than the traditional rinse-out conditioners. I’ve been using the generic brand version of Paul Mitchell’s The Conditioner thanks to MahoganyCurls on YouTube. I got the generic brand from Sally’s and I love it. I use that instead of rinse-out conditioner when doing the Tightly Curly Method.

I did a video on my slightly modified Tightly Curly Method that cuts the product application time in half for me:

What I really love about this natural hair journey is that I now prefer my hair in its natural state, rather than the stringy straight hair that I was wearing a year ago. I feel much freer and more confident in myself. My hair is really thriving in its natural state and starting to look full. At this length, a stretched WnG is starting to look different on me than it did a year ago. There is a lot to be said about experimenting with your hair at every stage of this process, because the styling techniques and methods really do look different as your hair gets longer.

Health and Fitness
Not much change right now. The summer heat really puts the brakes on my workouts, because it’s too hot after 10 am for me to work out. I don’t like the large evening crowds at the gym, so if I don’t get my workout in before work or before I start my day on the weekends, it just won’t happen. I think that maintaining is a good goal for this kind of heat. We’re regularly in the low 100’s out here. I’m swimming regularly and still running at least once a week. I have really committed to incorporating strength training into my workouts, so I’m not sure how much of my weight is muscle rather than fat.

As far as diet is concerned, I read a book called Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman and I really like what he has to say about us getting the majority of our nutrients from fruit and vegetables. He suggests eliminating all animal products, but I’m not going to do that. I like eggs and yogurt too much. But, they now only make up about 10% of my diet. I find that following his eating plan is simple in that he recommends a pound of raw fruit and veggies and a pound of cooked veggies each day, as well as limited beans and grains (including tubers like sweet potatoes). While the plan is easy to follow, it means that I have to make sure that I visit the grocery store more often than I like. Other than the frequent trips, I’m enjoying the experience. I’m experimenting with a variety of seasonings to keep things interesting and have started incorporating tofu into my dishes. I’ve really been pleased with my results.

♦

Want to see all of the Krystal’s updates? Just enter her name in the “Search” box on the upper right >>>>! The results will return all of her updates (and guest posts)!! See where it all began and how she’s progressed over the course of the challenge!