Do handstands! They're good for you.

As I said in a previous post I have been experimenting with yoga, and every time I finish a sequence I feel great! I have been trying to master forearm stands lately. Handstand/ headstands/ forearm stand are all great for your core and arms! They also help build your endurance. Aside from that, reversing your blood flow has some amazing benefits; it is easier on the heart to have blood flow right up to your head instead of having to push it up there. The blood flow to the head will flush your adrenal glands, and when this happens we have more positive thoughts which fights depression. They also provide fresh blood to the pituitary glands and hypothalamus. These two areas keep our bodies at homeostasis or in balance which improves our overall well-being. They are great for both physical and mental health!

 I have been trying to master these forearm stances. My form still definitely needs some work, but I have been making progress!

I start out just trying to bring my knees up. Once I gain my balance, I bring my legs up to straight.

After I find my balance with straight legs, I have been trying to bend them. The goal is to eventually have them touch my head, but I am clearly still far away from that.

If you are just starting you, you can use the wall to assist you or start in headstands. They are all great for you and will make you feel good.

Why Pilates?

Whether you are a runner, cyclists, swimmer, gymnast, or just an average person I believe that Pilates will have a positive influence on your fitness and individual goals. But why?

First off, I will give a definition of what Pilates actually is. I found this definition on dictionary.com but many other sites offer other great explanations of Pilates.

Definition: a method of physical and mental exercise involving stretches and breathing that focus on strengthening the abdominal core.

For the past 2 years, I have devoted much of my fitness routine to Pilates. Pilates truly does focus on the strength of your abdominal core, it keeps your body in balance. All of your strength starts at your core because your core is not only your abs but also your back, especially your lower back. With a strong core the rest of your body will be able to function efficiently because your posture will be improved and you will feel far less fatigued. 

The other thing about Pilates that many people may not be aware of is that is creates an after burn. With cardio, you are burning calories on the spot. With strength training, you will continuously burn calories throughout the day and in turn boost your metabolism. For this reason, I believe that an effective fitness program incorporates both cardio and strength training. 

I would like to challenge anyone reading this to devote 10 minutes a day to core strengthening. You can find 10 minute Pilates abs workouts on youtube for free, follow printable workouts online, or even use a fitness DVD. You will be happily impressed with the effectiveness of working your core for only 10 minutes a day and we all have 10 minutes to spare! You can do your core work while watching tv or take that time right when you wake up in the morning. Whenever it is, you will soon realize that it is worth it and hopefully discover the magic of Pilates :)

Lance Armstrong- Once a Hero

After watching the Oprah special with Lance Armstrong, I have to say I left with an interesting array of emotions. Being a former athlete and also just being who I am, there is no way I could ever justify doping or any form of cheating. I was pretty saddened by this entire story, but in taking a step back and thinking about that time in cycling I have to wonder how many others were doing it? Many other cyclists were caught doping and I have never been the type of person to say, "But everyone else did it..." but I do believe that Lance Armstrong was punished much more harshly then the rest.

I know that he represented a much greater cause and the fact that he was the top of the sport and ultimately turned many people onto cycling makes his doping much more of a disappointment then other cyclists who were caught. In no way am I defending him, but I do feel for him and feel that everyone else should have received the same sentence he did if fairness is the moral of the story.

At the end of the day, Lance Armstrong is a person. He has many deep rooted flaws but his fighting spirit definitely impacted many people and served as motivation for other athletes and cancer survivors to push on. While he was stripped of all of his medals and given a death sentence in the world of competing, no one can truly take away what he brought to the sport of cycling. I am sure the sport of cycling will never be the same and drug testing will only begin to intensify but I guess when the level of competition rises, the rules to too.

To those who were inspired by his story and feel let down, remember to keep your passion for whatever it is you do and inspire others along the way. Everyone has the potential to accomplish great things and this has become a lesson to the world. Even if he let down many, he also taught many through is demise. Hopefully there be a lot less people who attempt to cheat in what they do. Shortcuts in life will only take you so far, we have seen that many times!

Homemade Shampoo and Conditioner

Shampoo

From the beginning, I want to let you know that I did not come up with these recipes..I found them on a website I was reading through and I am passing the recipe along. Wish I could take credit for it!

You will need:
Green Tea (Best Brewed for about half an hour)

Castile Soap (You can use any scent, I got lavender and have heard that eucalyptus makes your head tingle a little because it is stronger so I recommend sticking to lavender or getting the non scented one) Castile soap is a natural soap made from other natural oils and is used to cleanse. This will be the part of your shampoo that truly washes and cleans your hair.

Olive Oil

Honey

You will need two empty shampoo bottles, I got these at the dollar store and just emptied out the shampoo in them.

From there mix 1 cup green tea, with one cup Castile soap, with 1 tbs Olive Oil, and 1 tsp honey. You can also add essential oils to add more of a scent to your shampoo. I added lavender oil to mine.

Shake up your concoction and you will have your shampoo! It will appear watery at first but when you wash your hair it will become very lathery and sudsy.

Conditioner

The conditioner is even simpler then the shampoo, here is what you will need:

Rosemary

Hot Water

Apple Cider Vinegar

One bag of any herbal tea of your choosing for additional scent

You them mix 2.5 cups hot water, .5 cup apple cider vinegar, your herbal tea bag, and .25 sprig of Rosemary (I just leave it in the bottle how it is). Again, you can add some essential oils to add to your conditioner, I added fresh orange oil and it smells great! With the conditioner, I would recommend using it only 2-3 times a week. You don't want to dry your hair out with too much apple cider vinegar but this mix keeps your hair shiny and smooth.

These will be your final products, shampoo on the left and conditioner on the right. As you can see the shampoo is a lot more bubbly and the conditioner feels more like a watery base. I would suggest using the shampoo sparingly, it really moisturizes your hair. I can't guarantee that this will work for everyone, as I have been updating, it is still an adjustment for me and I am training my hair to get used to it. I have found that it seems to grow quicker and feel much healthier each day. Good luck and please let me know if this works for you or if you have any other shampoo/conditioner suggestions!

  

Stir Fry

Danielle know's better than anyone I am the laziest cook in the world. I have a very simple stir fry recipe for those who like a little spice to their food. This stir fry contains:
-Mushrooms
-Celery
-Carrots
-Onions
-Red Pepper
-Water Chestnuts

All you have to do is chop up your veggies, put a little olive oil on a frying pan and warm them up! To flavor them up I added some soy sauce, and garlic chili paste.

You can put just about any vegetable in here that you like. Also, if I had shrimp I would have added that to the mix. Get creative with your stir fry!

Oil Free Kale Sandwich

For this recipe you will need:

Tomato
Avocado
Kale
Mushrooms
Brussels Sprouts (I know a lot of people cannot stomach these, personally I love them but honestly any vegetable of your choosing would be good in this)
Red Onion
Garlic
Siracha
Flat Wrap
Salt, Pepper, Cumin
Veggie Burger (or any type of meat or protein source you prefer)

Start off first by washing and straining your vegetables and then keep them to the side.

I recently learned in a documentary that you can sautee onions, garlic, and mushrooms and they actually don't need oil because they release their own juices when heated.

Add your veggies and your protein to the mixture, you can see how much room the veggies take up but they will shrink down. You can then add Siracha which also reduces the need for oil and then salt, pepper, and cumin to taste. As your food is simmering you can stir it around and then reduce heat.

Prepare your wrap, I added avocado and tomato to mine but you can what you'd like! Honestly, I am just obsessed with both.

You can see that the veggies have cooked down and look ready.

Add the veggies and your protein source to your wrap, then fold it and cut it.

If you have extra veggies, you can always eat them on the side of your Sandwich. All that is left to do is enjoy your meal :)

Hope you enjoy this! 

Homemade Facial System inspired by Mel :)

Lets start first with the facial system. I was out to breakfast with my friends Mel and Devon one morning over winter break. Devon gave us this amazing smelling olive oil and lavender bottle that she uses to steam and help her skin. Right after she gave us the bottles, Mel mentioned that she had been doing her own natural skin system. I asked Mel if I could share her system on here. Her skin looked amazing, it not only was clear but had a great glow and she told us how much she saves on money not having to purchase extremely overpriced products that dry out your skin. I got very excited when she told me all of this. To be quite honest, I have never had great luck with my skin and it felt like I had tried way to many products in the past only to yield unsuccessful results so I decided to give it a try:

1. The Cleanser:

Mel uses a Tea Tree Oil facial cleanser from Trader Joe's. I ended up making my own from a recipe I found on Pinterest. I used 2 parts Castor Oil (can be found at any health food store) to 8 parts olive oil, then added 2-3 drops of Tea Tree oil. I then added just a couple table spoons of water to dilute it a little and then shook it up.

The Castor Oil is a cleanser that improves skin. It contains nutrients like Vitamin E and other minerals to improve the health of skin. It was also about $6 for a bottle which wasn't too bad a price to pay. One warning with the Castor Oil is that it could lead to potential breakouts in certain skin types..I am not 100% sure how different people react to it..I honestly took a chance in using it and so far everything has been good.

I know Olive Oil sounds really scary and you would think it would make your face break out. Mel was telling us the thought of putting oil on her face was scary at first too then we learned the reasoning. By using store bought products, your face is dried out. The reason it gets oily is because it fears its natural oils being stripped away. By adding a natural oil to your face, your face will not keep producing more oil but it will eventually find a balance. The olive oil adds a little moisture to your cleanser so you don't end up with a patchy, dry face.

The tea tree oil is an antiseptic that fights acne and blemishes. My friend Devon introduced me to this wonder back in high school and it has many purposes. The great thing about it is you only need a few drops to get a great result.

I shake up the cleanser and leave it on for about a minute before washing it off with a washcloth.

2. The toner

Mel told me she uses a toner made of witch hazel. She uses 2/3 cup witch hazel with 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1 cup water, and 2 tbs alcohol (for people with acne). I just bought a witch hazel toner from Whole Foods because I was kind of being lazy but they both seem to work great. Mine was about $10 and next time I will probably make Mel's recipe to save more money.

3. The moisturizer

Grapeseed Oil. I never had heard of it before Mel but I love it! I even have my fiance using it now. Be prepared for your skin to feel a little oily from it, you only need a tiny amount but you can easily blot off the excess. I have found that my skin feels softer from it and it will last you forever because you hardly need any at all!

Hope this system helps and if you have other skin methods that work for you please share them, I know different people require different types of ways to upkeep their complexion. I will be posting the Shampoo Recipe hopefully in the next few days.