EEEWWWW what is that?? Is that my skin?

Skin!

Yeah so obviously jo-jo dieting didn’t help, but neither did giving birth to the 22 inch, 9.2 Pound baby that was the size of a three month old, and whose head circumference was 15 inches (thus she never dropped).  So, I am working on fixing this issue while I am losing weight. There are three things I am doing to help with my obsession of getting myself back in primo shape before we even think about having another one. (Also, I KNOW I AM NOT THE ONLY MOM THAT FEELS THIS WAY) 

ONE is Dry Brushing

This is something my German Oma always swore by! “Jennifer you should be doing this because it helps with tightening skin and circulation and cellulite” Obviously she was speaking German and it really did not resonate to a 12 year old. However the retired nurse was 100% right!

Get yourself a dry brush and start doing this IMMEDIATELY! I looked online and they ran for around 8-19 dollars, until I had the genius idea to check ROSS! They have everything random! Sure as shit, they had one left for 2.99$!!! AWESOME!

The way you dry brush is also important. You are gonna want to start at your ankles and in round circular motions work your way up. Be warned, it does not feel good, nor should it. You are rubbing off dead skin and circulating blood in your body. When has beauty every = no pain??  I hope this goes unsaid, but just in case, YOU HAVE TO BE DRY, the brush does not get wet!

Do this 2-3 times a day if you like….. shower afterwards.

Then do number TWO

Body scrub!

I made my own last night and I must tell you it was fantastic! My skin is super smooth and feels so much better. The Dry brushing helped for sure.

I made my scrub out of Coconut Oil because of its amazing benefits (to see them and its uses check out Gigi’s Beauty blog HERE) and EPSOM Salt.  Underneath is the link, but there are so many besides for health.

USE A SEPERATE DRY BRUSH!!

EPSOM SALT USES: BEAUTY

Exfoliate dead skin - In the shower or bath, mix a handful of Epsom salt with a tablespoon of bath or olive oil and rub all over your wet skin to exfoliate and soften. Rinse thoroughly.

Exfoliating face cleanser - To clean your face and exfoliate skin at the same time, mix a half-teaspoon of Epsom salt with your regular cleansing cream. Gently massage into skin and rinse with cold water.

Dislodge blackheads - Add a teaspoon of Epsom salt and 3 drops iodine into a half cup of boiling water. Apply this mixture to the blackheads with a cotton ball.

Remove foot odor - Mix a half cup of Epsom salt in warm water and soak your feet for 10 minutes to remove bad odor, sooth achy feet, and soften rough skin.

Remove hairspray - Combine 1 gallon of water, 1 cup of lemon juice, and 1 cup Epsom salt. Cover the mixture and let set for 24 hours. The next day, pour the mixture into your dry hair and leave on for 20 minutes before shampooing as normal.

Hair volumizer - Combine equal parts deep conditioner and Epsom salt and warm in a pan. Work the warm mixture through your hair and leave on for 20 minutes. Rinse thoroughly.

Helps muscles and nerves function properly

Studies show that Epsom salt can help regulate electrolytes in your body, ensuring proper functioning of the muscles, nerves and enzymes. Magnesium is also known to be critical in the proper use of calcium, which serves as a main conductor of the electric impulses in your body.

Eliminates toxins from the body

The sulfates in Epsom salt help flush toxins and heavy metals from the cells, easing muscle pain and helping the body to eliminate harmful substances. Your skin is a highly porous membrane and adding the right minerals to your bathwater triggers a process called reverse osmosis, which actually pulls salt out of your body, and harmful toxins along with it. For a detoxifying bath, at least once weekly add two cups of our Ultra Epsom Salt to the water in a bathtub and soak for 10 minutes.

More Info…..

How to make it?

Get an airtight container that you can keep in the shower, and that way its handy.

Take your Course Sea Salt and mix your Oil in at a 2:1 ratio.  For example I mixed 2 cups Salt with 1 cup of Coconut Oil. You can add some essential oils if you want to add a fragrance to it, but I just left mine plane. Good ones would be lavender, peppermint or even coconut if you like the beachy tan smell.

Scoop a little out and start massaging it into your skin like you did with the dry brush, be careful because the floor of your shower is going to be oily and you could slip! Which would not be pretty….. no! No one want to see that!

Then rinse in the shower! It is so moisturizing! You will  LOVE it!

Ok the THIRD is sure CHEESY!

But super awesome! It was also a ROSS find and a last minute idea! You have all been awake at like 2 A.M and seen the stupid adds for THESE:

Well I used it at the gym and HOLY CRAP! I was sweating like crazy and it seemed to do the trick! I know its all water and stuff, but why not heat up that zone while I am on the machines right?? I am going to keep using this bad boy! Hey for 6.99$ that’s 10$ less than spanks lol!

x.o.x.o jenn

Jenn's Favorite Things......

 Oprah has a "Favorite Things" list, so I figured I could as well! No you are not getting a car or a Humpback Whale..........

So I told myself I would give it a month of taking my thyroid pills and getting used to them first before trying anything crazy to help me loose weight. The month is up and I have some exciting things that I have been doing. 

First, I want to thank Instagram (even though my husband might say otherwise since I have been on there so much) for letting me stalk, follow and “research” some awesome ideas during that month hiatus. I have found so much inspiration through that site, along with Pinterest! (if you want to follow me   and the people I follow click on the links on the side)  She might not know it, but my friend Gigi’s advice all those years ago still resonates with me today and when I do my meal planning I think of her, because she gave me great food advise and told me that planning was the best thing to keep me in check. She also have me YUNS of work out advice that I will be implementing as well. The best part about her is that she is also a beauty blogger (besides the best hair/makeup/clothes stylist in the world) ! Read her Beauty blog HERE and her professional website HERE!

Secondly, here are some of the staple items I am using right now to help me lose weight, get in shape and stay on track!

•        I got myself one of these bad boys!

 I LOVE my 6 Pack Bag!! Do you see how much stuff fits in there??? I am trying to figure out how I can use this as a purse as well lol, so I am not lugging so much around to work. You can get your very own HERE! Look for coupon codes like on Retailmenot.com, because I found one there for 15% off, which saves you pretty much the shipping. 

•      Yes I take all of these pills a day!

   The breakdown will be from top left to bottom right….

•     Folic Acid –So many beniefits some are Muscular degeneration, helps prevent cervical cancer         and heart disease, helps with anemia, muscle pain, sleep problems etc.
•     Spirulina - (which is in a bag because it smells like fish pond water)- too many to list, google it lol 
•     CLA- some benefits are reduction of body fat, stomach fat loss, cancer, obesity, Increase                metabolic rate, especially helps people who are HypoThyroid
•     Calcium - I was low so I am taking more
•     More CLA
•     Gum….. for hunger lol
•     5000 iu’s of Vitamin D- so important for everything

•      Here is a sample of my meal planning!

 Its pretty simple for now, because I am working on the basics of eating clean.  Lean protein,  veggies and a carb 3 times a day. I also eat a QuestBar for breakfast! This is something else Gigi advised me on. I HATE breakfast and need to eat something to start my day, so I eat half of one in the morning and then have been eating the other half after working out. Seems to be doing pretty well! They are so good, especially in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.

• Joined the GYM!
•       So I have a new JOB!!!! Yay! I am going to be so much happier now, because not only is it 5 min from work, but the people are nice and the employee benefits are awesome.  They give you a stipend of 60$ a month on a gym membership! Awesome, Right? So Rob and I signed up at MountainSide Fitness and really the only out of pocket we will have is the kids drop off, which is peanuts. It has been so nice going to the gym and having ZERO excuse to workout. I forgot how good it feels just to at least do 30 min or cardio without a two year old running around like crazy!

• WATER!

      I HATE water, or having to drink it I should say. However, I have decided I have no other choice since it is part of losing weight and flushing out your system. I have a water retention problem that is pretty bad, and I know that ironically drinking more water helps get rid of the excess bloat. Yuck! But I will do it! That’s all I have to say about that! In the picture are two of my favorite things: Jillian Michaels and an electric Espresso Machine! I mean who DOESN’t have one!

       That is it for now! I am working on another post that has to do with skin care (the moms might like this one.... or anyone that is losing a lot of weight)

       x.o.x.o jenn

Finally an answer!

     

DAYS LEFT 455

       The craziest thing happened on the way to Rome….. just kidding. The craziest thing happened with me. So, I have had all of these problems since like forever and especially since Lena has been born. Heart problems, cant lose weight problems, fluid in brain problems, water retention problems etc. If you look them up in WebMD I am either pregnant or have Stage 4 Cancer. I am an episode of House, truly. My friends laugh about it! However for 2 years I have been going to different doctors and have been trying to figure out what is going on, they send me to more doctors, who all say “are you sure you don’t have a thyroid problem?”, then they test for it, and say “no, your levels are fine!”

        So finally long story short after having a neurologist, kidney specialist, cardiologist, countless blood draws and finally one of my doctors NP’s read my Thyroid number right and diagnosed me with hypothyroidism. Finally! Let me tell you, all of my symptoms, except for raging headaches have gone away literally the second day I took the medicine! I am so excited to feel normal, and I have been sleeping like a baby! I feel so good, and have so much energy. I started working out again and logging my food. Hopefully this will finally all create a more positive situation. Wish me luck!!

The Workout: 12 Common Exercises

488 Days left

So I saw this, I believe on Yahoo! the other day, and I was thinking about giving it a try. I just don't know if I will do it in the A.M or in the P.M before bed.  I figured that in the A.M it might give a little boost, but I really want to try and workout again, so I might do it at night, since it is not to crazy. Either way  I want to commit to 30 days of this little workout. 

The Workout: 12 Common Exercises

The following set of exercises to be done in about seven minutes with only 10 seconds of rest between each exercise. Each exercise should be done for about 30 seconds.

The 12 exercises should be done in the following order:

·         Jumping jacks
·         Wall sits
·         Push-ups
·         Abdominal crunches
·         Step-ups onto a chair
·         Squats
·         Triceps dips on a chair
·         Planks
·         High knees/running in place
·         Lunges
·         Push-ups and rotations
·         Side planks

Positivity all the Way around!

493 Days Left!

Sorry that I have been silent the last couple of days. Literally since I posted the “I give myself 500 days” comment, that same day Rob got some awesome news and I got some two days later. We (well I can’t) can’t really talk about it, because of certain reasons but, hopefully if I keep my fingers crossed there will be some major changes next month!

Another positive that happened today was that my old manager told me she could tell I was losing weight. I was super happy because I am super bloated and de not feel well. Trying to see the positives can be a hard thing to do, especially when you don’t always feel good about yourself. I did do a little self tanning for the first time in YEARS with tanning lotion (melanoma approved lol). So that makes me feel good. I like looking a little tan!

I am super tired, because Lena has decided that she is going to continue this phase of waking up in the middle of the night (waaayyyy less now since we got her the twin bed) and want us to cuddle with her. She is going to really hate me this weekend since I have 4 days off and we are doing the following: 1.Potty Training and 2. Sleeping in our own bed no matter what!

Hopefully it will go well! 

My Little Lena! 

500 Days - and an Update!

500 Days- that how many days I give myself to reach my Goal! It seemed like a good round number and about a year and a half. Which is kind of when we wanted to get pregnant again, or try. I might not blog everyday, but I will try and work on it everyday that’s for sure!

I know I have not blogged lately, and I do feel bad that I have not been writing lately. A lot has been going on in my life that I didn’t know if I wanted to share ore not. I walked a 5K with my friend Liz this weekend, and was telling her everything that was going on, and she suggested I share as a therapeutic situation as well as something to read and maybe learn from. So here it goes… again.

The last 4 months or so I have not been feeling well and in a real funk, have been working out regularly and eating very well. I was retaining 6-7 pounds of water weight on any given day, which was so uncomfortable and I could tell it was happening. My lips were swollen and I started having anxiety attacks with heart pain. It felt like a 5 year old was sitting on my chest and all I wanted to do was rip my clothes off. I would cry, yell (imagine your husband and daughter having to watch), I would have to leave places or rooms or anywhere I was and go somewhere I felt ok. I went to the doctor and he said I should take the anxiety meds, which ended up making me tired and not making the pain or swelling go away.  I went back, he then ordered a kidney check, or was it my neurologist that did….eh I cant remember, my Kidneys are great. (that’s a plus right?) Well mister Kidney Doctor said that he thinks it is my heart. Excuse me? yes. My heart, doesn't know what, but could be heart.  He thinks that because my heart rate is super low and normal blood pressure is 80/45 (they triple checked since I am over weight and joked they thought my heart and arm fell asleep), that I am retaining water , which is probably also around my heart and thus causing part of the attacks. Sweet! So then my doctor made a call to the cardiologist, who pretty much said the same things and scheduled another appointment for  a stress test and Echo-cardiogram and some other crap.  Ironically they said it is not my weight or eating habits, because I showed her my log and she saw my weight fluctuations, and was not happy. She said otherwise I am super healthy and hopefully it will just be a metabolic issue, and maybe upping my diuretic dosage I am already taking.  Fingers crossed x (those are two fingers)

People who really know me know I tend to over exaggerate or under exaggerate to deflect issues or what is really going on, but I can assure you I have been in pain. Just not saying anything, Rob has known, some people have been supportive some people have rolled their eyes, whatever. All I know is that I am 29 years old and I am scared and have a little girl to be around for. So I will try and use this as an outlet.

I am glad Liz talked me into it, especially after what happened. The 5k I mentioned…. Well we started running and .25 into it I started getting pain and burning in my heart and lungs and started having blood come up ¾ of the whole 5k. She is awesome because she walked it with me. It was amazing having her there as support and not feeling awkward and someone to talk to. I just kept spitting up or swallowing that crap, it was an amazing taste as you can imagine. It still hurts and I still don’t feel well, so I am glad I am going next week.

Sleepy Sleep

Man do I need it! I have not been sleeping at all lately and when I do, I have to get back up at 4 to work out, soooooooo I am so tired! You would think working out would make you more tired, but it does not!

I have a lot of stuff going on right now and have more stress on my plate than ever before and my mind races at night. I have been also super uncomfortable.  I don’t know if it is really watching what I am eating, work, finances or some health stuff, but it seems to be all triggering it. A friend gave me some Ambien, and I was super worried that I would eat the entire contents of the fridge, so I tried to dream about working out, because maybe I would sleep walk on the treadmill. Lol well it did not happen. Dang it.

The reason I like this ARTICLE, is because I might try some of these homeopathic options, minus the Chinese food, clearly. I am pretty sure eating Chinese food is the same as eating the entire fridge on Ambien, at least then I would not remember! Also, I am positive that Chinese food it the reason, or one of them, that i am in this situation in the first place. Check it out and let me know if you have tried any of these, because advice is def appreciated.

Aufwiedersehen!  

 

Bananas

A little sugar counters the effects of your orexin cells, says Dr. Winter. Try a banana before bed—it will give you just enough sugar to calm your orexin cells, plus magnesium and potassium to help to relax your muscles.

Passionfruit Tea

An Australian study found that when people drank a cup of either passionfruit or parsley tea, the passionfruit drinkers slept more soundly. Researchers believe chemicals called harman alkaloids—high levels of which are unique to the passionfruit flower—act on your nervous system to make you sleepy.

Hummus

While L-tryptophan—the amino acid that supposedly makes you crash after Thanksgiving dinner—does make you sleepy, there are better sources than turkey. Consider elk instead, says Christine J. Jones, sleep researcher at Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine. At 746 milligrams (mg) a portion, it far surpasses turkey (333 mg). Game meats not your thing? Sesame seeds (120 mg) and hummus (usually about 600 mg) are packed with L-tryptophan too.

Dates

L-tryprophan works best when combined with carbs. Carbs trigger your body to secrete insulin, which uses up other amino acids in your bloodstream first, leaving more L-tryptophan to sedate, says Dr. Winter. The best foods for the job? Carbs that raise your blood sugar levels fast, since slow-acting carbs don’t produce the same kind of insulin response. Go for a healthy handful of dates—they’re high in carbs and have a fair amount of L-tryptophan. Fruit and air-popped popcorn are other healthy fast-acting carbohydrates.

Chinese Food

GABA (gamma-Aminobutyric acid) is an inhibitory neurotransmitter in your body—in other words, it’s your brain’s brakes to calm the party down. It plays a role in regulating the excitability of neurons throughout your nervous system. The only problem: “It’s not found in food, so you can’t really eat GABA-rich products,” says Dr. Winter. Instead, you can eat foods high in glutamic acid—a precursor to GABA that turns into the neurotransmitter in your body. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the salt of glutamic acid, and it’s usually added to Chinese food.

While MSG sometimes gets a bad reputation because it makes food “addictively” good tasting, the FDA has declared it a safe food additive. MSG can be made simply enough by putting salt on a tomato, Dr. Winter says. Other natural options: raw seaweed/spirulina (6,648 mg glutamic acid), Chinese cabbage (6,232 mg), or low-fat cottage cheese (7,455 mg). Still, if you experience the symptoms often associated with MSG, you should avoid it.

Cherries

Recent research in the European Journal of Nutrition found that drinking an ounce of cherry juice twice a day—once in the morning and once at night—for a week helped people sleep an extra 25 minutes. Why? It’s laced with L-tryptophan, which can convert into serotonin, and eventually melatonin—the compound that influences your sleep cycle, says Jason Ellis, Ph.D., the director of the Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research. Increase the melatonin circulating in your body, and you’ll increase the chances of a good night’s sleep, too. Try an ounce of juice or a cup of cherries before bed. Since there are no foods high in melatonin, you want to look for foods that can produce it, says Dr. Winter. A few to keep in mind: milk, yogurt, oats, eggs, and peanuts.