ingredients to avoid if you have a bun in the oven
Hello and welcome to skin tip Friday!!! Today’s skin tip is actually one of my older posts, but there is a good chance that a few readers missed this post because it got transferred over with a slew of other posts from my other blog. Does that make sense? Hope so. Anyway, if you missed it, here is the post on ingredients that you want to steer clear from if you are expecting a wee little one.
pregnant?
Ingredients to avoid if have a bun in the oven
The 4 major ingredients to stay away from include:
- salicylic acid (usually less than 2% is ok)
- glycolic acid (some doctors are ok with this ingredient, some are not- usually mild percentages are acceptable)
- retinoids (usually there’s no negotiating this one)
- benzoyl Peroxide
The other problem women run into when they have a bun in the oven, is pigmentation. This is dubbed as pregnancy mask, which manifests as brownish spots on the forehead, above the lip, cheeks, or all of the above.
Note: you don’t have to be pregnant to experience this delightful condition. It’s hormonally related, so often any flux in hormones can create it. It happens most often after a woman has gone on or off birth control, then goes out in the sun. The jury is still out as to why this happens, but it is linked to a surge in estrogen.
The usual treatment for this condition is a combination of AHA’s ( glycolic acid), hydroquinone, and retinol, and of course sunscreen (because the sun or any light brings it out). However, if you’re pregnant you can only use one of those ingredients and that is sunscreen.
Hydroquinone is a big no-no to use while pregnant, as is retinol, glycolic acid is possible based on your doctor’s insight.
So what does a gal do if she’s expecting and experiencing breakouts and pigmentation?
There are a few ingredients to work with:
- lactic acid- brightening, exfoliating, so it helps with pigmentation and acne
- licorice root- helps to stop the pigmentation from reaching the surface of the skin
- azelaic acid- (mild percentage) anti-bacterial, lightening and brightening. Great for acne and pigmentation.
- willow bark- this is what a natural version of salicylic is derived from. good for acne
- enzymes- bromelain (pineapple) papain (papaya)- these guys work like little pac-men to come in and eat the dead skin cells. great for brightening the complexion and helping to prevent acne.
- mushroom extract & arbutin- helps to stop pigmentation from reaching the surface.
- vitamin c- brightening, mildly exfoliating, and further protects the skin.
some products that contain these ingredients:
- Is clinical cleanser
- Is clinical white lightening serum
- Is clinical active serum- last I checked the entire IS clinical line is deemed safe for expecting mamas, but I would be nervous to use the Youth Complex by them during pregnancy. Before you buy check with your doctor.
other products:
- Image’s lightening serum -great for irritation, acne, and pigmentation)
- Image’s hydrating serum - great hydrator and gives your skin a good dose of vitamin c
- Image’s enzyme mask- use 1-2 times a week to help with pigmentation and acne
Here’s to a healthy and blemish-free pregnancy!
ugi
pink ugi
My Ugi arrived yesterday and I took it for a test run. For those of you that have no idea what I am speaking of, allow me to enlighten you, the Ugi is a somewhat, squishy weighted ball designed to be used in my many at-home workouts. Here is what Ugi has to say about Ugi:
Ugi is the ultimate 30-minute workout that combines strength, cardio and core training into the most fun, challenging, stylish way of becoming functionally fit.
Ugi is a workout that can go anywhere, and that makes people feel good about their bodies, energy and health.
Two years of research and development led to the Ugi ball itself, which has the squish of a beanbag, the bounce-back of a stress ball and the beauty of simple design.
And a lifetime of professional training experience went into creating the Ugi 5 day a week, 30-minute, total functional fitness program. The series of one-minute exercises are efficient enough to change your body completely — from warm up, cardio, strength conditioning, balance to cool down, and flexible enough to be done anywhere — from home, gym, beach to office.
Fifteen inches in diameter, weighted to meet individual fitness needs, the Ugi ball is so versatile that it works in the smallest of living rooms. And it’s so attractively designed, you don’t need to put it away when you’re done.
With Ugi you can:
- exercise almost anywhere
- create endless variations of the 30 minute workout
- put two days together to make a one-hour total body workout, three days a week
- cut the intervals down to 30 seconds to get a 15 minute workout
- mix it up endlessly
I purchased the Ugi kit, which comes with:
The 8lb Ugi
ugi
a DVD that offers 5- 30 minute workouts
ugi DVD
a very pretty stand-up chart that has all of the Ugi exercises displayed.
Ugi exercises
the most simple & concise nutrition plan
Ugi nutrition
My thoughts on Ugi.
- holy mother of Pete this is a hard workout
- I am sore today
- I love the strength training aspect
- I want more cardio w/ these workouts. However, I have only tried one, so my opinion might change
- I got the 8 lb Ugi ball and that seems to be the right weight for me. It was not impossible to use and I know I have room to get stronger with that weight.
- I love the simplicity & minimal equipment
- love the packaging!
- the Ugi workouts are hard to keep up with. There is literally NO lag time and it takes a few seconds to get set up, so part of the 30 minutes is spent trying to get in to position, this is frustrating.
- There is no audible instruction. This could be good because you can listen to your own music during the workouts with out missing out on audible clues. This is bad because it is difficult to know if you have the right form. However, the pretty stand up instruction manual gives more detail on proper form, but I am impatient and do not like to read each exercise before I start it.
- the Ugi nutrition is great and I am sure one would lose weight if they followed. However, I cannot follow specific guidelines. I am just not going to kid myself anymore.
Overall, I am thrilled to the gill with Ugi. I probably will not follow their fitness plan day by day, but I am excited to bring this tool in to my box of workouts. I still plan on using it with the Bodyrock TV workouts. However, I will also be using their workouts more than I thought I would, I will probably just bring in more cardio. I also love saying/ writing “Ugi.” If you are looking for a great, simple at-home workout, I would say Ugi is a superb option.
Side notes:
1. I was not paid for my review. I am fairly certain that Ugi has no idea that I exist, so these opinions are my own.
2. I am not a personal trainer or any other qualified professional in the exercise department, so before you embark on a new fitness routine, clear it with a being who is qualified.
While I uggied. Burt did this:
my little butterball
And with that, I am off.
Happy Thursday and don’t forget tomorrow is skin tip Friday!
Does anybody out there have an Ugi? If so, what are your thoughts?
kale, squash, chickpea & currant salad
I am mildly obsessed with this dish. I first made a version of this for Thanksgiving, which I followed Sarah’s poppy seed-crusted butternut squash with kale and pomegranates. When with the family last week, I made another version of it where I added avocado, roasted chickpeas & dried cranberries and took out the poppy seeds, shallots and pomegranates. Last night, I was craving the kale creation, yet again, so I made a third version: kale, squash chickpea & currant salad. This serves 2-4 depending on the eaters.
The goods:
- 1 small bunch of kale- I have used all three varieties of kale and all taste great
- 1 medium size butternut squash- cubed
- 1 can of chickpeas (drained)- go for Eden organics because their cans are BPA free, they do not add salt and they package in kombu, which reduces the bean’s undesirable bloating effect.
- 1/3c currants or any dried fruit of your liking. Honestly, I like the cranberries better than the currants
- 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 avocado
- 2T coconut oil (could use olive oil). 1T for roasting squash & 1T for roasting chickpeas.
- garlic powder (or 3-5 garlic cloves- minced) for roasting squash & chickpeas
- poppy seeds- optional
- sea salt
- rosemary- optional
- 2t maple syrup- for salad dressing
- 1T honey or dijon mustard- for salad dressing
- 1T olive oil- for salad dressing
- 1t apple cider vinegar – used for salad dressing
How to:
- pre heat oven to 400 for roasting squash & chickpeas
- wash, peel, & cube butternut squash
- drain chickpeas, rinse and dry.
- coat cubed squash with 1T coco oil. After covering squash in coco oil, apply a sprinkling of poppy seeds (if using), garlic powder (or diced garlic cloves), and sea salt. Massage squash with your hands to ensure an even coating of the seasoning.
- coat chickpeas with 1T coco oil. After covering chickpeas with coco oil, apply a sprinkling of rosemary (if using), garlic powder (or minced garlic cloves), and sea salt. Massage chickpeas with your hands to ensure an even coating of the seasoning.
- put both the squash and chickpeas on parchment lined baking sheets in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Keep an eye on the chickpeas as they love to burn. Squash is done when it is tender. Halfway through cooking stir the chickpeas and squash around to ensure a more even cook.
- While chickpeas & squash are cooking, wash, de-stem and tear kale in to smaller pieces. Cover kale in lemon juice from fresh squeezed lemon, dash of sea salt and avocado. Massage kale with these ingredients until evenly coated to get kale nice and wilt-y.
- Set kale aside and make dressing. Combine maple syrup, mustard, olive oil & a dash of sea salt in a bowl then whisk all ingredients together.
- After squash and chickpeas are done combine with kale, add currants then add dressing. Mix all ingredients together and devour.
roasted chickpeas
wilt-y kale
chickpeas, currants & kale
roasted squash
This dish is a perfect dish to get your veggies in and enjoy every second of it.
My Ugi just arrived. Oh boy!!
Happy Wednesday!
and we’re back…
I apologize for my absence. I did not mean to drop off the face of the blogging world so abruptly. I had fully planned on blogging my workouts on Saturday and wishing everybody a happy holiday, but it just didn’t happen. I was busy just enjoying my family, so last week’s workouts are just going to have to have to go undocumented. How will the world go on?
I do have something up my sleeve in the workout department though. I bought myself the gift of one rockin’ bod for Christmas. Well, at least I sincerely hope I did. For anybody who does not know about bodyrock TV, you might want to give it a gander. Basically Bodyrock is a bunch of videos on a blog/website that are 7-20 minutes long that kick your rear in the workout department.
photo from Bodyrock TV's website
The videos are free, but the equipment used in the videos are not, so that is where my Christmas present to myself comes in. I purchased the gym boss interval timer
the dip bar
the Ugi fitness at-home kit. I purchased this from Amazon with the sandbag below to get the best rates and free shipping.
and this sandbag from Amazon too
So far, only the Gymboss timer has yet to appear, but I should have the arsenal of other equipment by next week. I will update the blog on my thoughts on the equipment & workouts. At first, I had a REALLY hard time swallowing to cost of these products, but I have been on the prowl for an efficient workout that really works. Furthermore, I was almost willing to spend $156 monthly on an unlimited yoga package, so these products are definitely a more cost-effective option. no? So far, my at-home workouts have given me far superior results to my gym workouts. I am not saying the gym does not offer results, but, for me, I get sucked in to the cardio machines and over whelmed by the weights, so my muscles never get the challenge they so long for. When I workout at home, I am usually doing a variety of exercises that work several muscles while getting my heart rate up. Someday, I would like to get rid of my gym membership all together and have a home gym that meets all of my fitness needs. My recent presents to myself are getting me there, but I also NEED (yes, NEED) Pro Form’s Le Tour De France training bike, to get my cardio & interval training in. A girl can dream.
However, without this beast, my plan is to merge a variety of workouts throughout the week using the bodyrock workouts, long dog walks, 20-30min cardio sessions at the gym, Body by Bethenny Yoga DVD, Insanity DVDS, yoga classes, and, of course, my beloved Jillian Michael’s Banish Fat Boost Metabolism and whatever exercise TV clip that tickles my fancy.
If you have used the Le Tour De France bike and have thoughts on it- please let me know them!!
I hope all of you are enjoying the holidays and if you have any fitness goals for 2012, please share!
I am off to vacuum! Good times.
Happy Tuesday!
pimple producing ingredients
hellllllooooo and welcome to skin tip Friday. This post is rather brief because we are leaving to pick the husband up from the airport in a few minutes.
There are three ingredients that lurk in almost all mainstream make-up products that could be the reason your breakouts are hanging around despite your best efforts.
- lanolin (this is actually sheep sebum) and is found in many lip sticks & chap sticks. If lip zits are your nemesis, then you might want to give your chap stick a once over. Even the, so-called, natural brands put this ingredients in their products, so beware.
- Mineral oil. Mineral oil disguises itself under the two other names petroleum, petrolatum. Mineral oil essentially blocks your follicles off from oxygen and bacteria thrives when there is no oxygen. Bacteria equals zits, so you do the math. Furthermore, mineral dehydrates the skin. This is ironic, because mineral oil is the base of Vaseline (sounds like gasoline and it is) and Aquaphor, which most people use when their skin is feeling severely dry. Mineral oil and its alter egos are often in found in acne treating products, so do not think you are off the hook if your product reads ”noncomedogenic” Again, the irony…
- The last perpetrator to keep your peepers peeled for is: isopropyl myristate. This fella also dries out the skin and promotes bacteria growth. This lovely contributor is often found in foundations and lip sticks. You know the drill, even if you think he couldn’t possibly reside in your pricey department store lip stick, check again.
And with those nuggets of information, I am off to pick up my man piece. I hope all are gearing up to, or are already, enjoying their holiday festivities!
Happy skin tip Friday!
eggs and honey
just like peanut butter and jelly?
I wanted to switch breakfast up a bit and I wanted to see if I could get myself on the egg train, so I decided to try the sweet & salty approach.
In the mix:
- 1 egg & 1 egg white
- 1/2 cinnamon raisin ezekiel english muffin
- dash of kerry gold butter
- slice of grass-fed cheddar
- drizzle of honey
Ta Da
This breakfast was a nice change of pace. I swear the honey and eggs is not an odd duo.
On a different note, if you live in the Portland area or will be visiting Portland in the near future and you are on the prowl for one helluva a massage, then you HAVE to check out puraN pdx. Until January one, you have the stellar opportunity to get two massages for the price one.
Jess, the owner, is amazing! Jess knows the body like nobody I have ever met. She has been studying Eastern modalities and body mechanics far before it was the trendy thing to do and she practices EVERYTHING she preaches. You instantly want her to fix you and be her best friend.
Treat yourself during this stressful holiday season and give yourself some TLC. Do it!!
Happy Thursday!!
workouts and wrapping paper
I found this stuff in the depths of the madre's cabinet
I am really beginning to be a true, blue fan of in-home workouts.
Being at my parents’ house for the week and not having access to the gym, I decided to get creative with an at-home workout.
I stopped by bodyrock TV today to see if there was a home workout I could do. However, all of the workouts required equipment that I do not have, so I decided to make up my own workout.
I wish I could tell you exactly what I did, but I literally just did what came to my noggin’ at that point. I used moves from Jillian Michael’s Metabolism DVD and from the few Insanity DVDS I have done.
Basically I did:
- moutain climbers
- burpees
- jump squats
- frog squats
- jumping jacks
- running in place
- high knees
- butt kicks
- push-ups
- mummy kicks
I did at least two sets of each and the reps varied (honestly I didn’t count). I did this for 20 minutes and I was a sweaty beast and as I type this my fanny feels sore. Score.
I did this in the middle of santa's workshop- hence the wrapping paper and the very clever title of this post.
sweaty/ scary beast.
After my sweat sesh, I decided to pop in Body by Bethanny. I have been interested in this DVD, but never wanted to order it. When I arrived in Florida the mama and moi swung by Target to pick up some last minute gifts and I decided to pick this gem up for myself.
Body By Bethanny
This is a 40 minute yoga DVD with 10 minutes of strength training and a 5 minute booty blast at the end. I only did the Yoga portion today, but this is, by far, the best yoga DVD I have ever done. It was challenging, but slow enough to not feel lost and it wasn’t all yoga woo-woo-ey. I want to love yoga as much as the next gal, but I struggle. For whatever reason, this DVD spoke to me. It was honestly one of the few times, I felt very zen & energized after a yoga sesh. This is a rather ironic statement because this the least “zen” yoga DVD/class I have ever done. If you are new to yoga, then I highly recommend this DVD.
Get out there and move that fanny. You can get a good sweat session in as little as 20 minutes w/ no equipment or you could feel nice and stretchy in as little as 40 minutes w/ a $12.99 DVD or you could do both and feel pretty darn awesome. I am just sayin’..
And with that, Happy Wednesday!
old school eats and sunshine
I am currently sitting by my parents’ pool, taking in some Florida sun
not a bad place to be
It is amazing what a little sun and warm air will do for the noggin’
Breakfast this AM was a throwback to my Weight Watcher’s days. Seven or eight years ago I did Weight Watcher’s and I lost a decent amount of weight, but I literally ate the same thing every morning and it was not exactly healthy.
The magical breakfast:
2 packets Quaker’s low sugar oatmeal
1/2 banana
a flavored coffee with vanilla flavored creamer and about 8 packets of Splenda- nope that is not an exaggeration.
hello old friend
Somehow I got my dad to try this oatmeal back-in-the day and he liked it. When my dad finds a food he likes, he literally eats it for the rest of his life. I can always count on Cheerios, JIF peanut Butter, Smucker’s Jelly, white bread, vanilla ice cream, and M&M’s to be adorning my parents’ pantry shelves. It would appear that Quaker’s low sugar oatmeal has now joined that very exclusive club. For the past couple of years this Mr. low sugar has been on the shelf for every one of my visits home. Well done, Quaker.
Today’s breakfast looked a little like this:
1 packet of low sugar oatmeal made with 2/3c almond milk
1 scoop of Vitol Whey protein powder (brought from home)
1/2 banana
approx 1/2T natural peanut butter (bought at Target last night)
flavored coffee with vanilla soy milk flavored creamer (My mama accidentally got soy instead of coconut milk when she was oh-so kind in picking up a few groceries for me before my arrival). No splenda!
This breakfast was way too sweet, so I will not be bringing back my old friend. However, he has a very solid place in the Padre’s heart.
During my Weight Watcher’s year, and a few years after, I had a HUGE sweet tooth. I was consuming artificial sweetener by the truckload (obviously: see Splenda intake above). I started gradually transitioning to more whole foods and natural sweeteners, which over time replaced any, and all, artificial sweeteners from my life. I always wondered if my sweet tooth had really declined and after eating today’s breakfast, I am certain that it has. If I can give up artificial sweeteners anybody can. So if you are hooked on your Splenda, Diet Coke and Light-n-Fit yogurt and feel you will gain weight or simply cannot function without them, I am hear to tell you there is hope. I use to live on the three amigos above and I was petrified to give them up for fear of weight gain and upsetting a very temperamental sweet tooth. However, neither of my fears came to fruition and I no longer enjoy the taste of any of my three former friends.
I am off to enjoy some time with my madre and some Florida sun.
Happy Tuesday!
Comin’ at ya early
I am traveling to see the fam in Florida today. I am writing to you from PDX airport at the ripe hour of 5:30 AM. I am not sure if i slept at all last night. I was so stressed out that I would sleep through my alarm this morning my body decided it just wouldn’t sleep at all, so if this post seems like I am of my rocker, I kind of feel like I am. This is a long day of travel, so I wanted to make sure that I am armed with eats.
The arsenal:
Hard boiled eggs and apple
Sadly these guys did not find there way in to my bag this am. They sit in the fridge just waiting to be taken. Bummer
I did remember the trail mix. Phew
And the brubar
I just tried this bar for the first time and it is pretty dang tasty and look at how little ingredients in entails:
I also purchased:
My first starbuck’s beverage of the season. Unfortunately, I was boring and just got a soy latte. I know these are not even a little bit good for you, but it’s the season!
I also brought a packet of Justin’s almond butter. I think he will go nicely on my banana.
My flight is calling at me to get on it, and with that I am off.
Happy Monday!
workouts for the week of 12/11/11
I struggled this week. Lately, I have been really tired and my gym mo-jo has flown right out the damn window. Here’s hoping’ it comes back to me next week.
Sunday:
lazy day
Monday:
min dog walk
20 min on elliptical w/ arms
treadmill HIIT
1 min 1.0 incline @ 3.9
1 min 1.0 incline @ 6.0
1 min 1.0 incline @ 6.5
1 min 1.0 incline @ 7.0
1 min 1.0 incline @ 7.5
1 min 1.0 incline @ 8.0
1 min 2.0 incline @ 6.0
1 min 2.0 incline @ 6.8
1 min 2.0 incline @ 6.0
1 min 8.5 incline @ 6.0
1 min 2.0 incline @ 6.0
1 min 2.0 incline @ 7.0
1 min 9.0 incline @ 6.1
1 min 2.0 incline @ 6.0
5 min 15.0 incline @ 4.1
3 lower body exercises on weight machines.
5 min vinyasa stretch
Tuesday:
60 min dog walk
Wednesday:
40min dog walk
20min elliptical w/ arms
Treadmill HIIT:
1min 1.0 incl @ 3.9
1min 1.0 incl @ 6.0
1min 1.0 incl @ 6.5
1min 1.0 incl @ 7.0
1min 1.0 incl @ 7.5
1min 1.0 incl @ 8.0
1min 1.5 incl @ 6.0
1min 1.5 incl @ 6.5
1min 1.5 incl @ 7.0
1min 1.5 incl @ 7.5
1min 2.0 incl @ 6.0
1min 2.0 incl @ 6.8
1min 2.0 incl @ 6.0
1min 8.5 incl @ 6.0- held on to bars for some
1min 2.0 incl @ 6.0
1min 2.0 incl @ 5.9
1min 2.0 incl @ 3.9
5min on rowing machine
12min upper body exercises w/ free weights
5min vinyasa stretch
Thursday:
30 min dog walk
Friday:
25 min at-home yoga sculpt – this actually made me sore. Do not negate the power of the at-home workout
20 min dog walk
Saturday:
40min dog walk
20 min on elliptical w/ arms
20 min on the stationary bike on interval setting @ level 4
15 min walk on treadmill at 2.0 incline and 4.0 pace
And with that, I am off to eat brunch with my honey.
Happy Sunday!!
