Sometimes things just happen all at once and make things finally click. People on Facebook don’t know how much you can influence someone by posting a picture or an idea. A special shout out goes to Ed Moore for posting about the Daniel-fast.com. It started me on my weight loss journey. Also, Shelli A. Gillis for your C25k updates. Since February 14th, I have lost 52.2 pounds. I have eliminated all dairy, eggs, beef, chicken and pork. Surprisingly I don’t miss it. Now, I’m not saying that I will never eat these things again. But, for now, I’m taking it one day at a time and one pound at a time. Thanks for all of your kind words and support.
Are you natural/transitioning and on a health & fitness journey? Want to be featured in a Fit and Natural Spotlight? Then e-mail me at hairscapades@gmail.com with all of the following:
A short summary of your journey, progress, workouts, diet, motivation, etc. (600 words or less)
Two-four before and after photos* (keep it clean please…I just can’t with the tooted booty shots/underwear)
A headshot
*Photos must be in JPEG, JPG, or PNG format, 200 KB or smaller, and named by your first name, then sequentially numbered (ex. Corinne1.jpg, Corinne2.jpg, Corinne3.jpg). Include dates for pics, when available.
I will post eligible stories in the order in which they are receied!!
Can’t wait to read your stories and be motivated and inspired just like I was by Corinne’s!!
My home gym has grown a LOT in the last month!! But, that’s a post for another day!
Since I learned that a lot of you aren’t following Hairscapades on other social outlets, I don’t feel like I’m rehashing old news by posting stuff I shared on IG and FB!! So thanks to those who completed the poll!!! It was really helpful!! *mwah*
That being said, I wanted to give you all an update on my personal 365 Days of Fitness Challenge. Although I haven’t updated on here in a while (I update daily on IG, FB, and Twitter), I continue to work out every day, mostly 30 minutes to an hour (but 10-12 minutes when time, energy, and/or location require it). As of this morning, I completed Day 162 (i.e. 23 weeks + 1 day).
On July 1st, I started the 12 Week At-Home Bodyweight workout from “Strong Curves: A Woman’s Guide to Building A Better Butt and Body.”This program provides 3 different weekly, full body/butt training workouts for the first 4 weeks, a second series of 3 workouts for weeks 5-8, and a third series of 3 workouts for weeks 9-12. The book includes several programs, including ones that can be done in the gym, workouts for beginners and advanced lifters, and lower body only workouts. It suggests incorporating High Intensity Interval (HIIT) sessions for the 3 alternating days a week.
I just started week 5 of the At-Home program yesterday. I do Strong Curves on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (workouts take about 1 hour with warm-up and cool down). The other days of the week, I do what I feel like. I try to incorporate kettlebell, abs of steel, running, and yoga into each week though, if possible.
This is what a typical week looks like for me.
Monday: Strong Curves Workout A
Tuesday: Kettlebell training with 20 lb bell and Lauren Brooks DVD (20-30 min.)
Wednesday: Strong Curves Workout B
Thursday: Treadmill (HIIT w/six-seven 1 min. sprint/1.5 min. walk intervals, 300 Cal Run/Walk, moderate run, and/or progressive incline walk) (30-35 min)
Friday: Strong Curves Workout C
Saturday: Treadmill (S/A)
Sunday: Hot Yoga (Vinyasa Flow) (75 min.)
As stated above though, if time, energy, or location don’t allow, I might only do 10-25 minutes on my non-Strong Curves days. This is usually Abs of Steel, my short kettlebell workout, or a stretching video (relaxing, flexibity, or power). I even recently did a 10 minute YouTube video workout using my phone when I was away from home for a family reunion (YouTube is an amazing resource for all kinds of workouts)!
And then there’s the improvisation to make up for exercises for which I don’t have the equipment at home.
(Chin-ups under a table and step-ups on a chair)
Now, I know what you’re thinking … “WELL?!?!?! With all of that, are you seeing results?” Why yes, yes I am!! Although my diet isn’t immaculate (I probably would be at my goal weight of 120 pounds [I’m 5’1″] by now if it were), I’m very happy to report that I weighed in at 123. 5 pounds this past weekend! That’s down 25 pounds from what I weighed when I started my 28 Day Health & Fitness Challenge in February!!!
7/27/13
And, I fit my size 4 skinny jeans!! WOOT WOOT!!
I know it probably doesn’t look like it, but the jeans on the left fit too! Just … very loosely! LOL!! In fact, I wore both pairs of jeans the same day. I wore the low-waist, stretchy, wide-leg jeans to work and changed to the high-waist, non-stretch, skinny jeans for dinner date night. It was a strategic maneuver to prevent myself from overeating!! I knew that I would feel it a lot more in those skinny jeans and would be discouraged from over-indulging due to the pain of the waistband cutting into my gut!! And it worked!! LOL!!
So yeah, I’m seeing progress, even in my most stubborn of areas ,my glutes and upper thighs! I’m not ready to share close-up and personal pictures yet (maybe I never will be?), but I am seeing improvements. And, at 41 years of age, I think that’s pretty darn good for 4 weeks!
And that’s where I’m at with my 365 Day Fitness Challenge. Oh!!!! And almost forgot! This Saturday, August 3rd, is my Warriors Dash!!! Oh. Em. Gee!! Wish me luck!!
Thanks for reading and for all of those on Instagram and Facebook who root me along, you ROCK!! Your words, likes, and ♥ encourage and motivate me every day!!!! And I hope that my posts do the same for you!!
So, how do you guys feel about a “regular” Health & Fitness Spotlight ? I came up with the idea a few months ago and there was a lot of interest, but never executed. I feel like it would be encouraging to see the health & fitness journeys of other readers.
Whaddaya think??
(BTW: Already have my first spotlight lined up … *hint, hint*)
As many of you may know, I started a personal fitness challenge back in February. I was the heaviest I had been in my life, wasn’t fitting the vast majority of my clothes, eating horribly, inactive, tired, and pretty miserable. So, I needed a major jump start to get back into a regular exercise routine, which always gets me on track with my diet, in order to lose the excess weight that had put me over a healthy BMI. But, I also knew I needed something to do something that would push me past that 2-3 mark where it’s easy to fall off the wagon again.
So, I set a goal for myself to exercise just 10 minutes a day for 28 consecutive days.
“10 minutes. That’s it?” That’s right. 10 measly minutes. I thought, “How can I make an excuse to not take 10 minutes in a 24 hour day to exercise?” So I knew that, with such a minimal commitment, I should be able to get back into a regular exercise routine. I also knew that, instead of trying to workout after work, when I was mentally and physically exhausted (i.e. full of excuses and unmotivated), I had to start working out in the morning. That way, I would capitalize on the motivation that was always there when I woke up (“Today is the day! I’m working out today!!”), but always inevitably waned over the course of the day (“I’m so tired. Tomorrow. I’ll start tomorrow.”).
And now …
Day 90: Abs of Steel and Kettlebell Scult and Tone
Day 91: Brazil Butt Lift
Day 92: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) treadmill
Day 93: Brazil Butt Lift-Bum Bum (am) and Abs of Steel (pm)
Day 94: HIIT treadmill
Day 95: Abs of Steel and Standing & Sitting Stretches
Day 96: HIIT treadmill
Day 97: Abs of Steel
Day 98: Brazil Butt Lift-High & Tight and treadmill walk
Day 99: HIIT treadmill
Day 100: Abs of Steel and Brazil Butt Lift-Bum Bum
Progress: Jan 2013 – May 2013
I T ‘ S 1 0 0 D A Y S L A T E R!!!
That’s right. As of today, I have worked out a minimum of 10 minutes every day for 100 days in a row. I incorporate a variety of exercises (e.g. running, walking, HIIT, kettlebell, stretching, abdominal work, hot yoga, calisthenics, aerobics) and exercise about 30 minutes most days of the week. And, I’ve lost 19.5 pounds, completed a 9 week C25K training program, competed in my first 5K, and achieved new poses in hot yoga. So, about a week or so ago, I decided I was going to keep going. “Why stop at 100 days?” I thought. I still have another 9.5 pounds that I want to lose to reach my goal weight of 120 and am signed up for the Warrior’s Dash (a 5K obstacle course) on August 3rd. But, more importantly, I have been on a roller coaster with exercise, diet and my weight for the last 10 years and I need to break the cycle. From the age of 19-30/31, I worked out consistently and maintained a weight between 120-130. However, over the subsequent 10 years, I got into this pattern of 6 months on, 6 months off, which progressed in the last couple of years to 6 months on, 1 year or more off and higher and higher numbers on the scale :(.
So, this 365 Days of Fitness Challenge is to break that cycle. It’s to TRULY get back on the path wellness and consistently taking care of myself. I’m not a young chickie anymore and this yo-yoing is detrimental to my health and I know it. This is about far more than how I look (though that’s definitely a big bonus ;). It’s about how I feel and the quality of life I want for me and Wei as we continue to grow older. I believe in moderation in most things. So, I’m trying to eat and exercise in a way that I can sustain in the long-term, rather than in a way that exhausts me, makes me dread working out or restricts what I eat so much that I ca’t indulge every now and again.
Oh yeah. I made these last week. Ate one. It was gooood.
That being said, this 365 Day Challenge is something that I am doing for myself. It is my own personal goal. It started one day, 10 minutes, at a time and it will continue that way. So, sorry … you’re going to be stuck with these health and fitness posts/updates for a while ;). And, I am not saying that anyone has to do this with me (though you are welcome to join me if you want ;)). But, if you have been looking for a way to “get back in the game,” why not set a goal for yourself, join a challenge, do something to hold yourself (or get others to hold you ;)) accountable?!? All it takes is a few minutes a day … one day at a time. You’ve got nothing to lose (except maybe some excess weight ;)) and everything to gain!!
Okay, sorry. Another fitness post. I know. Promise, there will be a hair one soon. But, I just had to share my progress!! So, hope that you don’t mind!! I’m down to about 130/131 pounds (varies when I step on the scale ;)) from my starting point of 148.5 back on 2/18/13!! And, my dedication and consistency (can’t even call it hard work as I’ve exercised a LOT harder in the past – 2 hours a day 5-6 days a week + 100% clean eating) are really paying off!!
Got off, got back on and it said 131.5. Go figure.
Now, I will say this, I lose weight on my upper body far more quickly than my lower body. So, the last 10 or so pounds that I want to lose is mostly on my lower half and I pulled out the big guns last week to help me lose it!
1. Pre-workout breakfast smoothie (see this article on the importance of fueling up before a work out).
I had not been eating before my morning workouts. I would just have a cup of coffee and hit the basement with my water bottle. I have always hated the feeling of a full stomach when working out and didn’t feel I had the time needed to allow a breakfast to digest properly before working out (30-60 minutes). However, given that I’d begun running for longer periods and wanted to improve my performance all around, I knew I needed to start fueling up. Enter the quick digesting, pre-workout breakfast green smoothie!! I knew I wanted oatmeal in my smoothie, so I did some research and cobbled together the following recipe from a few that I found online.
Pre-workout Breakfast Green Smoothie
1 c. fresh spinach, kale or collard greens (omega 3s/magnesium)
1/2 frozen banana (simple carb/potassium)
1/4 c. frozen strawberries (simple carb/potassium)
1/4 cup ground oatmeal (the NutriBullet mill does this in SECONDS!!) (complex carb/fiber/magnesium) 1 scoop Nectar Vanilla Bean Torte OR Strawberry Mousse protein Powder
3/4 c. unsweetened almond milk
1/4 c. water
They beat the Zaggora in my opinion as you don’t feel the sweat until you remove them. With Zaggora, the sweat drips out of the legs as you work out! Ewwwwww!!!
♦
4. Green Coffee Bean Extract (purchased a LivingSocial deal after watching a Dr. Oz segment on its effectiveness).
To see the Dr. Oz segment, click here. There are 5 clips total, but the last 4 are very short.
I know the first two things will work, as they are tried and true for me. But, the coffee bean extract is the unknown. I first learned about green coffee bean extract back in November and ordered some online. But, within seconds of placing my order, I realized that I may have been scammed. The source was an unauthorized Dr. Oz Facebook page and there were some forced internet pages, so I cancelled my order AND my credit card. Then, I did more research and found that green coffee bean extract is legit, that Dr. Oz doesn’t endorse any particular brand, but he does provide strict guidelines for buying an authentic product (part 5 of video series): 1. Must be pure (zero fillers, zero binders, zero artificial ingredients) √, 2. Must contain at least 45% chlorogenic acids √, 3. Must say Svetol® or GCA √. He also indicated that the capsules can range in size from 200 to 800 mg, which is fine. Anywho, the studies and his experiment showed that this product enables people to lose up to 2 pounds a week without changing anything in their diet or exercise routine!!
So, when I saw the LivingSocial deal for The Official GreenCoffeeBean Extract brand ($29 for a 3 month supply) and checked out the site to validate the “must haves,” I decided to try again. The pills arrived last Friday and I started taking them that very night. Since Saturday, I have taken them twice a day, 30 minutes before breakfast and dinner. The pills have less caffeine than 1/2 a cup of coffee and, so far, I haven’t experienced any jitters, sleeplessness or side effects. I’m hoping that with continued daily workouts and eating cleanly, I’ll see some great results over the next few weeks and will be able to show you some lean and mean legs too ;)! You know that I’ll keep you guys posted!!
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!!
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.
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 ;))!!
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)!
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!!
Day 43: C25k Week 6/Day 1. Did 3 run intervals at 5.5 mph w/last min. of last 2 intervals at 6.0 mph. Seeing progress.
Day 44: Abs of Steel (10 min) and LB Kettlebell Full Body Blast (13 min).
Day 45: C25K Week 6/Day 2 – Two 10 min. run intervals at 5.5 mph, but did last min. of each at 6.0 mph. Top is Day 1 results/Bottom is Day 2.
Day 46: Abs of Steel (10 min); Day 47: C25K c25k Week 6/Day 3 – 25 min. run at 5.2 mph!
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 ;)!
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!!
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 36: C25K Week 5/Day 1 (5.2 and 5.5 mph runs). Despite an allergy attack that caused some serious congestion, got it done.
Day 37: Decided not to take another sweaty face pic … plus, I only did Abs of Steel :).
Day 38: C25K Week 5/Day 2 (5.2 mph runs). Worked out late, but Sudafed had kicked in and I pushed through w/tissues at the ready!
Day 39: Abs of Steel & LB Kettlebell Full Body Blast (23 min total). Tried chia seeds for the first time! Added some blueberries to this before I ate it though!!
Day 40: C25K Week 5/Day 3 (5.2 mph run).
Days 41 and 42: self-explanatory ;).
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 ;)!!
My hair fell out of the bun. I can’t stand my hair down when I’m exercising.
Still going strong!! I’m very happy to have week three of my 28 Day Fitness Challenge under my belt. I’m down 6 pounds now, which is an average of 2 pounds a week. This is great for me as I usually don’t see the scale move much my first month of exercising and getting my diet back on track. I’m not feeling tired like I was the last time I did this challenge and I think that has a lot to do with morning work-outs … and getting in bed by 11 pm (sleep is sooo important). So I don’t foresee any problems taking it all the way to the end this time! Yea!!
And, here are Days 15-21 in pictures!!
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On a diet note … despite encountering these for $0.99 at the register of Panera on Friday night …
Red Velvet COOKIES?!?! Are you kidding me?!?!
I walked out with this, as planned …
Fuji Apple Chicken Salad. DELISH!!
A little trick I use to take the calorie count down on this salad is request the half-size salad portions of the nuts, cheese and dressing. By doing this, I shave 165 calories off of the salad, taking it from 550 to 385. All the flavor for 2/3 the calories!! WIN!! Oh, but I earned a free bakery treat the next time I go to Panera … so, I can’t make any promises that I won’t walk out with one of those cookies the next time …
And to wrap this up, on a hair note, I washed the mop and FINALLY did a two step henna/indigo this weekend!! I actually did a full head, full strength henna treatment, which I haven’t done in over a year. So happy to be done with that as my roots were looking CUH-RAZY!!
Sorry, no after pics yet. I set my hair in braids on Saturday night and released them late on Sunday to bun it. My wash day went down almost exactly the same as the last one, which I ran down here, except I did the henna/indigo treatment after shampooing/detangling and set my hair in braids instead of twists. Other than that, the steps and products were the same with one other exception that I think made a HUGE difference in my detangling session this weekend. It was a BREEZE and I was so ecstatic! I’ll be sharing what I did differently with you guys very soon in a post about detangling techniques. So, stay tuned for that ;)!!
Hair Clearly i’m not good at updating *lol*. So I did end up getting my hair trimmed by Tameeka of Jadded Tresses. Came out great and now I think I can appreciate the power of a good trim. I’ve been keeping my hair in updos once I realized that I had enough hair to do so *lol*. Between that and twist-outs, I’ve been going with the flow of this grow out challenge. I kept up the regimen for the most part.
The product junkie in me got to try out Wen and fell in love with it. The shedding minimized some, but was still ongoing. I believe I figured out why!!!! My town has hard water and I’m sure that’s the cause of all this mess. So, I will be purchasing the Aquasauna shower filter that Shelli posted last year. My edges thinned a little, so I have been using JBCO even more than usual.
Overall I almost got to my goal of being able to have my hair touch the tip of my nose. So I’m happy! I’m where I wanted to be at my one year Nappyversary. I do see the growth and have paid even more attention to what my hair likes and doesn’t like.
Left: March; Right: September
I’m also scaling down on the amount of the different products I keep buying and trying. ETA: But, Gina FINALLY got a CurlBox subscription this past Friday after trying for MONTHS! PJ Powers Activate!!
My greatest accomplishment … wait for it……I made a puff!!!!! *LOL* My girlfriend, Monet, and Shelli kept reassuring me that I had enough length to make one, but I wasn’t trying to hear it *lol*!! Whoooppwhooppp Praise God!
Reward!!! Lol! I’m prioritizing and buying the filter instead of my Huetiful steamer. I’ll just get that for myself for the holidays *lol*!
Health & Fitness Maintained my weight 🙂
Pray for me ladies! Smooches & God Bless!
♦
Want to see how far Gina’s come in a year? Check out her Big Chop Hairstory here!
And check out the rest of her GOC – The Sequel posts here:
Hair – A Week in Review Yeah … wash day got skipped this weekend. Had some priority stuff going on with family and needed to head down to south Jersey unexpectedly on Saturday morning. Then, after hot yoga on Sunday, was pretty whipped and just didn’t feel like pre-pooing and having to get into the shower a second time later in the day. So, twists it is!
As a recap, last week I wore braids Monday through Wednesday:
Then, I wore a braid-out on Thursday and Friday morning:
I was TIRED after the meet-up! *lol*
On Friday afternoon and Saturday, a pineappled braid-out turned into, what Nisus and Nuri of It’s Just Hair have coined, “The Buff” (check out their post, Birth of the Buff™, for details ;)).
Stuck in Turnpike traffic.
Then, on Sunday afternoon, after waking up from a two hour post-hot yoga nap, I decided to just twist it up! I didn’t use any product to twist. I just grabbed sections that were clumped together and next to each other, then twisted. Once I was done, I broke out some leftover diluted Aubrey Honeysuckle Rose conditioner from the fridge (I made it to moisturize my braids earlier the prior week). I thoroughly spritzed the twists, sealed the length with a JBCO/EVOO mix and lightly oiled my scalp with Wild Growth Hair Oil.
Because my hair was very stretched from the braids and I didn’t use a lot of product throughout the week, I felt comfortable skipping a wash weekend. If my hair was very tangled like it gets with a WnG or had a lot of product build-up, I probably would have made sure I washed my hair. At the very least, I would be washing it by Tuesday at the latest. But, because it feels decent, the plan is to wear these twists for a few days, then a twist-out maybe or I might just end up bunning it. Only time will tell ;).
Health & Fitness – Progress or “Slow and Steady Wins the Race” I had an okay week exercise-wise and a pretty good week as far as my diet goes. I did hot yoga last Sunday, the Cardio Max Week 3 work-out on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and hot yoga again this past Sunday. And … drumroll please … I’m down 5.5 pounds in 4 weeks!!! You may remember that, in my post Rock Bottom, I indicated that I was up to 135 pounds from 120. Well, sadly, I got on the scale a few days after that post and actually weighed in at 138.5 pounds :(. Can you say, “Disgusted?” Anywho, the scale has been going up and down, but it registered 133 pounds yesterday morning and I feel like that’ll stick. It’s not a huge amount to lose in 4 weeks, but I’m happy with it given that I’ve had a very moderate diet and exercise routine. Also, my personal experience has been that my first month of working out and eating right always involves very little scale movement, but tons of other tangible results … i.e. I feel better, I look better, my clothes fit better. So, I’m just going to try to stay focused on getting a little bit in most days of the week and eating decently. This will be week four of The Biggest Loser Cardio Max and I plan to get at least four days in with Bob and Jillian … but, I’ll shoot for five.
Random Stuff To wrap this up, just wanted to tell you guys a few things. I ordered and got gifted quite a few goodies last week that I’ll be sharing with you over the next couple of weeks! “Products, Clothes and Accessories, OH MY!!” *lol*
Given that I had so much new and unused stuff at home, I was able to resist my PJ urges when Wei and I hit the grocery store Sunday night and I saw this in the toiletries aisle at ShopRite!!
“Rose Mosqueta Oil? Eucalyptus Oil? Sweet Almond Oil? What the hizzay?!?! When did ShopRite get all of of this?!?!” I didn’t investigate too closely as I didn’t want to have an incident. So, I just snapped some quick picks to share with you ladies and kept it moving!! But seriously, my ShopRite is really stepping it up! Who knew??
Can you skip a wash day? If so, what enables you to do so and how do you manage your hair when you do? How many days can you stretch? What products, styles and/or techniques allow you to make it to your next wash day?
July 2009
July 24, 2013
Gorgeous and Inspiring!!
My home gym has grown a LOT in the last month!! But, that’s a post for another day!
(Chin-ups under a table and step-ups on a chair)
7/27/13
Oh yeah. I made these last week. Ate one. It was gooood.
My hair fell out of the bun. I can’t stand my hair
hairscapades 
