get to know your bathroom
ever wonder what is lurking in your everyday beauty products?
- could your chap stick actually be drying your lips out?
- could lipstick being contributing to your lip zits?
- could your gritty exfoliant be contributing to your acne?
- could your sensitive skin cleanser actually be making your skin more sensitive?
- could your sunscreen be aging your skin rather than helping to prevent just the opposite?
- could your oil-free, non-comedogenic moisturizer be a contributor to your acne?
- could your natural products be not so natural?
- could your make-up contain carcinogens or be part of your all too consistant breakouts?
- could you be paying for advertising rather than the miracle anti-aging properties of the product?
The cosmetic industry is not regulated by the FDA (even if it were, I am not sure it would be a whole lot better), so the cosmetic industry is a marketing paradise. A lot big name companies spend oodles on advertising their products and little on the actual ingredients in the product. Ever wonder why that acne cleanser you purchased from Walgreen’s never quite got after your acne, but made your skin nice and dry? More times than not you are not getting exactly what you think you are getting with skin care.
Because this is a fairly large topic, I will give you a list of ingredients to be on the prowl for. I have covered this before in another post about what to look for in your make-up, but a refresher can never hurt.
these ingredients could be contributing to your breakouts:
- lanolin- sheep’s sebum. enough said. this is in oodles of chap sticks and a key player in lip zits.
- isoproply myristate- this is in oodles of lipsticks and lovely contributor to lip zits. he is also found in many hand lotions, but is known to cause cracks in the skin hmmm.
- petroleum- yep, this is the same stuff that fuels your cars and it is also in many chap sticks/balms intended to hydrate, but actually dries your lips out. hmmm
- mineral oil- derivative of petroleum. this is the main ingredient in a sensitive skin cleanser recommended by many dermatologists. however, this lovely fella actually aggravates acne via suffocating the skin. delightful.
- petrolatum- derivative of petroleum. offers the same benefits of mineral oil.
- apricot kernels- cause micro tears in the skin, which allows for nutrients to escape and bacteria to get in. these guys also promote the spreading of bacteria. if you have an orange tub of these, stop using this on your visage immediately. Use them on your hands and feet if you need to use this product up.
A carcinogen that is in oodles of make-up
- talc- found in powders because of its moisture wicking properties. However, it is closely related to asbestos…
my favorite make-up lines:
- Bare Minerals- the big name in mineral make-up. I like it for the ingredients in it, but I don’t love the thick coverage.
- Jane Iredale- a sophisticated mineral line that is a little bit more pricey, but the make-up quality closely matches more traditional make-up
- Color Science- a great mineral make-up line. their main focus in on sun protection and correcting via using different colors (i.e green cancels out red).
- MAC- has a few good products, but be careful because not all of their products are on “safe list”
- Image Skin Care- has a new line of foundations out that offer amazing coverage and the ingredient declaration is superb. However, I have never tried them, so I cannot fully endorse.
my favorite skin care lines are:
- Image skin care- I love this line through and through. I use to cherry pick between different skin care lines to complete my regime. After I discovered Image skin care, I only use their products and my skin has never looked better. They do not put any ingredients in the product if it does not need to be there. Their products work and they are priced extremely well. These are the only products I use and sell in my skin care practice. Shameless plug: if you are interested in ordering, please do contact skinspot. You will get a customized routine and specific instructions on how to use to ensure you get the best results out of your products.
- Glytone- I use to use their Mild Gel Wash and I loved it. This product line is formulated very well and priced just as well.
- IS Clinical- I use to use their serums. I adore their Super serum Advance +. However, this line is a little spend-y.
If you are interested in getting a more in-depth consult, contact skinspot. Get to know what you are really putting on your visage!
Happy Weekend!
a way for me to enjoy yoga and some eats
long time, no post. helllllllllo again!
My brain has been on over drive lately, so I wanted to start bringing some yoga into my life to simmer my overactive noggin’. Yoga always gets the shaft because I do not have the time to workout and have a yoga practice. I know some say yoga is a workout. They are probably right, but unless I am panting and dripping with sweat, I have a hard time considering it a workout. I love the high I get from a good cardio session, so I do not see myself giving that up. I tried going to yoga one day and doing cardio the next. This does not work for me. On the yoga days, I just wanted to take a nap throughout the class and the duration of the day. While, I love being that relaxed, I found myself strongly disliking the yoga class. I either wanted to be in bed or I was bummed that I was missing a workout. I was so busy stewing that I passed the “zen” boat right on by. However, I know there are oodles of benefits that yoga could offer my poor beaten down body and swirling mind, so I really do not want to eliminate it from my regime. So what’s a girl to do? I decided to do some serious time management and get my fanny to the gym for 30 minutes prior to a yoga class to do a HIIT (high intensity interval training) workout. These workouts have you working at your greatest effort in a short duration of time. I normally do these types of workouts, but I combine them with lolly gagging on the elliptical and throwing a few weights around. This time, I got to the gym, got ‘er done then raced off to yoga. Low-and-behold, I loved yoga’s guts during that practice. I did not want to take a nap and my noisy noggin’ took a “T.” I know I said that I do not have time for a workout and a yoga practice; however, adhering to a set class time and knowing that I only had a limited amount of time at the gym actually freed up more time in my schedule. Turns out, I actually do have time for a yoga practice and a workout. Does anybody else have this same yoga/ workout conundrum?
After yoga I came home and made this divine creation:
the green, hydrating monster:
- 9oz of coconut water- I am obsessed with this stuff. I cannot express the level of energy I get after drinking this
- 2.5 (or so) of raw spinach
- 1/2 frozen banana
- 2-4 ice cubes
This fella tastes like a milkshake. That might be a stretch, but it tastes a lot better than one would think blended spinach and a banana would taste. I also felt like a million bucks upon consuming. Side note: blending your greens is actually far more nutritious that simply chewing them. The blender essentially does all the chewing for you except at a higher level (especially if you chew as quickly as I do) so you get the maximum amount of nutrients and you eat greater quantities of it than you would in whole form. Win!
For dinner:
I had leftovers from the homemade pizza we made on Sunday. This is the first time we have ever done this, but I am thinking it might need to be a tradition because it was so easy, inexpensive and there was a good amount of leftovers.
not the prettiest...
Mr. Pizza was accompanied by a vat of steamed kale, pickled beets, evoo, sea salt and curry powder. If you have not tried curry powder on your salad, you must do so immediately. I stole this idea from Whole Foods and I do not regret it.
A kombucha was also consumed. Between my love affair with kombucha and coconut water, I am going to go broke.
And with that, I am off.
Happy Tuesday!
discover your sweetspot…
For the past six or seven years I have had my nose in one nutrition book or another. My love of nutrition, began as a quest to lose extra weight and achieve radiant skin; however, this love has turned into a full-on obsession with achieving ultimate health and wellness. In October, I decided to put a credential behind all of my years of research and experimentation, so I enrolled in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition to become a certified holistic health coach. This certification has lead to my latest chapter of my career, sweetspot: a spot four nourishment, vitality and weight loss.
In sports, sweet spot is often referred to the place where your are the most effective with the greatest amount of ease. In running, when you hit your “sweet spot” you feel like you could run for days and you are more than happy to do so. In tennis, it is that perfect spot on your racquet where the most amazing shots occur. In health and wellness, it is the spot where you are eating the foods that fuel your mind, body and spirit without the nagging feelings of guilt and deprivation. It is a spot where you find the most befitting amount and type of movement for your body. It is also a spot where the spirit gets to shine through. No two sweet spots are a like, so allow us to help you discover your sweetspot.
If you are itching to…
- lose that extra weight without feeling like you are being punished
- develop a healthy relationship with food
- determine the triggers behind your Oreo cookie binge
- understand ingredient declarations
- navigate a grocery store like a savvy, nutrition guru
- achieve the flawless complexion you never thought possible
- learn how to cook easy, healthy recipes that are easy on your wallet and your digestive system
- learn what foods fuel you and what foods deplete you
- learn how to love exercise- I swear its possible
- learn what makes you tick
then stop by www.sweetspotpdx.net to learn about the services offered to help you achieve attainable, enjoyable health & wellness.
I’ll leave you with this guy:
adore him
side note: if you are itching for skin tips (because Friday’s are usually reserved for them) do not forget to check out the look page on this blog.
Happy Friday!
blog, i miss you
lately my days have been cray-cray, so sir blog gets ignored. sorry, blog.
Here are a few things I am loving:
steel cut oats with sun butter & jelly
steel cut oats with p butter & apple
I haven’t done steel cut oats in quite some time because they take forever, but I read somewhere (I can’t remember where) to try doing them in a slow cooker the night before. I tried it last week and it works marvelously and it couldn’t be easier.
How to:
makes 4 hearty servings
- put 1C steel cut oats into slow cooker
- add 3 cups water (you could also do milk for a creamier version)
- add 1T ghee (optional- could also use butter)
- add 1T maple syrup (optional)
- add 1t vanilla (optional)
- add 1t cinnamon (optional)
- set slow cooker on low right before turning in
- upon waking- enjoy with toppings of desire
My only complaint with doing it this way, is it makes a lot. My hus does not enjoy oats, so this amount of oats requires reheating on everyday, but the first day. The re-heating just grossed me out because the oats get all clumpy. So when I do this I would do 1/4c oats to 1C water and just make one serving. This seems like a lot of equipment for such a small amount of oats. However, if you are feeding a family, this is a great method.
Moving on…
I discovered these gems:
These are sweet potato, kettled cooked chips. I have seen sweet potato flavored corn chips, but never sweet potato, potato chips. These are so darn good and they have such a teeny, tiny ingredient declaration. I am reading the book the Slow Down Diet, by Marc David and in it he mentions that if you are going to eat “junk” food, eat the best version of it. I do believe these count!
Up next….
I am back on the coconut water train. Lately, I have been spending a good amount of time in the sauna after a workout, so when I get home I have a thirst that water just can’t quite quench. I found Taste Nirvana’s coconut water that far exceeds the taste and quality of other coconut waters. I also love that they come in glass bottles. I feel superb after drinking this goodness. Side note: if you ever find yourself hung over, this stuff will blow Gatorade out of the water.
We close on our house in a few weeks and I am already starting to sleuth for decorating ideas. The bathroom on the first floor has a pedestal sink and I am just not a huge fan of those guys, so this is my dream sink of the moment (except a single version of it with different hardware). I love the idea of doing the outside fisherman’s light above the sink. J’adore!
I am also loving on the Burt da pug
he is giving me the stink eye because he is about to moved into his own bed
noshing on some kale. He eventually spit it back out. Not a fan.
And with that I am off to study and vacuum.
Happy Tuesday!
just breath…
lately I have felt like a wee bit of a crazy person. With starting my new business (sweetspot), managing my current business (skinspot), blogging, going to school, buying a house and just trying to keep up on day-to-day nonsense, some days I feel like my head might spin off. However, today was a nice reminder that I need to take a minute and just breath. This reminder came in the form of Abby White. Abby owns and operates Bliss Holistic Health and is one stellar blogger over at Eat, Drink and Be Aware. I had the pleasure of grabbing a bite to eat with Ms Abby today at Cloud Seven. Abby reminded me that I need to breath and not stress out over everything that is not getting done. Thanks Abby! We also got to geek out over food and IIN. I feel completely recharged and to think that I hesitated going because my to-do list was going to be abandoned for a whole hour. The horror.
My lunch was rather delightful as well:
curried lentil soup and side salad. I am obsessed with lentil soup lately.
followed by a ginger, molasses cookie from Lovejoy Bakers that was unreal. This might be the best cookie I have ever had. Somehow, I managed to save the other half for a later date. Potentially 5 minutes from now.
Breakfast this morning represented my scrambled noggin’. I literally could not figure out what I wanted. I was starving and wanted everything, so I had everything. I used up the last of the Greek yogurt and put it in a nearly empty almond butter jar, then added some Almande yogurt (I need to use this stuff up), 1/2 banana and some Heritage O’s Organic cereal. This was not my finest creation.
I am in a breakfast rut. This is a tragedy because breakfast is my fave meal of the day. I think I might try getting back on the steel cut oats bandwagon.
Off to meet with our home inspector. Yes, we got a home, but until we close I am not going to do my happy dance. However, I am so dang excited!!
a revolutionary gym and spring cleaning
Helllooooo. I have meant to post about this gym that I had the pleasure of touring last Monday. If you live in Portland, you MUST check out Aleda Fitness. Aleda is a new women’s gym that opened in NW Portland on my favorite street (Thurman) in the city. These facts alone are not what makes Aleda, it is, indeed, their approach to fitness. First and foremost, you will notice that there is something noticeably absent at Aleda; there are only three pieces of cardio equipment in the joint. And these are not your run-of-the-mill cardio beasts, they are all designed to ensure you stay ergonomically correct. This was the first indicator in Aleda’s approach to holistic fitness. They are also no weight machines in sight. There are; however, several kettle bells and TRX bands, as well as a wide open space, stairs and giant ropes. Please do not be fooled, this is not a cross fit gym. They use some cross fit moves, but only if they are the right moves for you. Furthermore, they endorse working out no more than four days a week. So here is a gym that does not require oodles of time with cardio equipment and weight machines and still boasts results?! How can such a thing be possible? It is more than possible and I have sneaking suspicion they are on the cutting edge of where fitness is heading. They are revolutionary because they study your body, then create a workout routine that addresses any physical ailments and weakness without straining or taxing the body, they understand the importance in rest in the muscle development process. Aleda also honors the detrimental effect of chronic cardio and a big box, one-workout-fits-all approach. This is just half of why Aleda is amazing. Aleda also realizes that the transformation process does not only reside in the physical body, but also in the mental clutter that so many of us have that inhibits our success. If you live in Portland and you are a lady looking to change your noggin’, physique and/or alleviate pain, Aleda is your diamond in the rough.
I also have the honor working with them for their spring cleaning workshop. Please see details here. If you live in Portland, I would LOVE to see you there!
From time to time, you might just see a blog post by yours truly on Aleda’s blog. Check out today’s post on how to work with a craving.
One last thing: health coaches in the news. I loved this article in the Wall Street Journal!
And with that, I am off to look at another house with the husband. We are trying to buy a house, but everybody else in Portland wants to buy one too, so say a prayer…
Happy Monday!
pleasurable weightloss?
Is such a thing possible? Last Friday I mentioned that I would be speaking about such a cray-cray idea and I am making good on that testament. A few weeks ago while perusing IIN’s graduates page, I stumbled upon The Jena Wellness Group. Jena’s website is called pleasurable weight loss and she is promoting just that.
I got the opportunity to speak with her last Thursday and she is one cool cat. Basically she is promoting pleasure as a weight loss tool. How can this be? Well most women deprive themselves of pleasure. This is a generalization, so be patient, but most ladies tend to over extend themselves, put others needs a head of their own and try to do it all. As a result, there is very little time left for a lady to do exactly what brings her ultimate delight, in fact most women do not even know what their ultimate delight would entail, so this lack of pleasure has a tendency to manifest in seeking pleasure via food. However, this pleasure in food is not to be mistaken with satisfaction/ enjoyment with food, it is more like I-am-so-frustrated-that-I-cannot-complete-x-task-so-I-will-eat-an-oreo-which-tastes-so-good-I-am-going-to-shove-another-7-in-my-mouth-whilest-standing-over-the-kitchen-sink-almost-choking-because-there-is-no-time-for-chewing-and-I-dread-going-back-to-task-x. Sound familiar? No? Maybe that’s just me. Or maybe, not…
I have to say that after speaking with Jena, which was only a week ago, and reading a few books which I will touch upon in a moment, my clothes are finally not shrinking anymore. I do not know if I have actually lost any weight because I am not big on the weighing of oneself, but I feel lighter and I have stopped taking my frustrations out on sir cookie. Imagine that. I have done nothing to alter my diet, nor am I following any “diet” protocol and my pants have stopped shrinking. Hmmmm….
For so many years, I have put all of my focus on what to eat. However, I am slowly discovering that “why” and “how” I eat plays more of a crucial role in my over all wellness. In fact, I have decided to take my health coaching practice in this direction because I feel passionately that we are not looking at the whole picture when we only look at nutrition and not overall nourishment. Don’t get me wrong, greens are still great, but there are other key components to vitality and weight loss.
Here are some great reads if you feel like exploring the “how” and “why” of weight loss:
Bethenny Frankel’s- Naturally Thin
Mark David’s The Slow Down Diet
Geneen Roth’s- Women Food and God
Julia Cameron’s- The Writing Diet
All really excellent reads that could rock your world and make your pants shrink! I am off to walk the pug and soak up what little sun we have left to get in ma dose of pleasure!
Have a pleasurable Thursday!!
IIN conference and other goodness
Howdy to all! This weekend I attended Institute for Integrative Nutrition’s mega conference in Long Beach, CA.
I believe IIN does two conferences a year to bring students together and get them all jazzed up about health and wellness. This was my first IIN conference, so I was unsure what to expect. It is safe to say my expectations were exceeded. This school is so much more than a slew of dietary theories. I cannot get over the sense of community and spirit you feel with being a part of this school. If you have any interest in health and wellness then I strongly suggest looking into this school. I really had no idea what I was getting into with IIN. I just new that I spent all of my free time reading and obsessing over nutrition, so maybe I should put a little credential behind the knowledge I have been soaking up for the past six years. Turns out, while the nutritional component of this school is informative and comprehensive it is the spiritual component that is really lighting a fire under my fanny, it would appear that my health coaching practice is starting to lean in this direction too. Stay tuned for the launch of my health coaching website, she is coming soon!
In addition to my IIN love affair, I also fell in love with chia seeds. A lot of love over here. I have always kept these Omega 3 bundles at arm’s length due to a preference for flax seeds and fish oil. However, I ran out of flax and I have a very full jar of chia seeds was staring at me, so I caved and added them to be overnight oat bran concoction. To my delight these gems offer a superb texture to ma overnight oats, so I am officially on the chia seeds bandwagon.
yesterday’s concoction:
- 3/4c 2% Greek yogurt
- 1T chia seeds
- 1.5T oat bran
- 1T water
- 1/4 pink lady apple
- 1 medjool date
- 10-15 drops of liquid stevia
today’s concoction:
- 3/4c 2% Greek Yogurt
- 1T chia seeds
- 1.5T oat bran
- 1T water
- 1T strawberry fruit spread
- 10-15 drops of liquid stevia
- topped with a small handful of Nature’s Path Heritage O’s cereal- side note: I really like this cereal. It has a pretty clean ingredient declaration. However, it is not gluten-free.
Other things that are tickling my fancy:
I got done washing these veggies yesterday and thought they looked so dang pretty, so I had to take a picture.
rainbow chard stems are just so pretty.
Burt and his beef stick.
Off to walk the above critter. Happy Tuesday!
pardon my neglect
I am dropping in to say that fullspot is not dead, he is just taking a nap. I have a few things up my sleeve that I have been working on this week that have taken my attention away from sir blog. I will be back next week and will resume regular blog posts. Phew. I know so many will now be sleeping soundly.
Here is a teaser about what is to come:
- pleasurable weight loss- say what?
- the introduction of my health coaching practice- roll out the red carpet.
- coverage of IIN’s Mega conference. I am attending this conference in Long Beach this weekend. look at some of the nutritional gurus that will be speaking!!
I am off to pack, walk da pug and workout before departing for Long Beach. I am so darn excited!!
I will leave you with a pug who has out grown his parka. Somebody has put on a little winter weight.
look at that neck roll
he hates my guts
And with that, I am off. Have a superb weekend!
