Crazy legs

Okay so I did this workout last weekend and all I can say is ouch.....

It was rough.

I did 15 reps of each exercise (15 on each side when applicable) and did each pair of exercises twice before moving on.

I think next time I will do 15 reps of each exercise and then do the whole workout for two rounds.


So anyway, if you don't want to be able to walk for a few days, give this a try

Be sure to warm up with active stretches (anything that gets blood pumping and your muscles warm).
Then do stationary stretching to cool down.

Make Mascara Last Longer

I hate buying mascara.

I spend ten bucks on something so tiny!! And does anyone ever really notice if I am wearing it or not?

Then two months later it starts drying out and I feel the need to go buy more. What really bothers me is that there is still so much in the bottle that I haven't used! But it is dry and clumpy so all I can do is throw it out. Well it is time for that nonsense to stop.

There are several tricks to making your mascara last longer. The easiest by far is to add a few drops of contact solution to it and stir it up. This alone can add a month or more! It keeps it from getting dry and clumpy so you can actually use the entire bottle. When was the last time that happened?

Another trick is to never 'pump' the wand into the tube. This increases the amount of air that gets in and drys it out. Instead, twist the wand to get more mascara on it. This helps keep it moist longer.

Now if you are like me, with very sensitive eyes, the dryness of the mascara is not the only thing that bothers you. As the wand gets older it gets more dust and germs on it. After a couple months or so, even if it is not dried out, it makes my eyes itch so bad that I would have to throw it out if not for this tip. Boil the wand! I know, it sounds weird. But seriously, boil a bit of water and stick the wand in and clean off all of the old mascara on it. This removes enough germs and dirt for me to use it for another month at least.

Mascara is expensive, especially when you think about what you are getting (goop on your face.) But if you take care of it you could wind up only needing to buy it twice a year. You may think it is not worth the effort, but if someone was willing to pay you ten dollars to boil a small pot of water, would you? I would. So just think of it as paying yourself! =)

If you spend $10 on mascara every two months you would spend $60 a year. Or, by making it last longer you could spend only $20 or $30 a year. I don't know what your family's budget looks like, but that helps mine.

Mean Green

You may not think it based on all of the cakes I love to make so much, but I actually try very hard to be live a healthy lifestyle. And let's just be honest, no sugar canNOT be healthy. I just won't believe it.

So I do only enjoy it in small amounts and infrequently.

I recently watched a documentary called Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. In it, a man does nothing but drink juiced fruits and vegetables for 60 days. It was his last hope to get rid of his extra weight and a disease that had him on numerous prescriptions.

I was so shocked by his results that I tried my own juice fast.

You see, I was significantly overweight for most of my childhood. I never weighed myself but I know that in the eighth grade I wore a woman's size 18. That's too big for a Jr. High School student. But since high school I have done very well to maintain balance in my diet and engage in an active lifestyle. On my wedding day I wore a size eight dress.

But I do still have a few pounds here and there that have been EXTREMELY stubborn!! At one point in time I did a Daniel Fast for 30 days (fruits, veggies, and nuts ONLY) while running a mile at least three times a week and did not loose a pound. So I knew in order to shed these last few I would have to do something dramatic.

After watching this documentary, I decided to give it a try. I got me a juicer and a cart full of fruits and veggies. I stayed on it for 10 days and lost 10 pounds. (Praise the LORD!!)

Many people told me that this was unhealthy, but I have NEVER felt so good on a diet in my life. I had so much more energy and even saw improvement in many other areas that I didn't even think would be effected. I was never hungry. In fact I had to start making smaller juices because I had trouble finishing them!!

I went off of the fast and jumped back to my old eating habits. Not that I have terrible eating habits, but I do love meat and dairy products. And a weak spot for breads too. But I didn't gain anything back! In fact I have eaten normally for about a month now and no gain!!

I AM SOLD!!

Now I have a wedding to be in at the end of the week, so I thought I would start it up again for the next five days.



Here is my favorite.....

I call it Mean Green Juice.....

It is

2 Stalks of celery
1/2 a cucumber
2 bunches of Kale
1 or 2 apples (depending on size)
And sometimes a few green grapes or half a pear.


It is a lot better than it looks. The flavor of the fruit overpowers the veggies.


And seeing a lower number on the scale EVERY DAY makes it super easy to stick with.

Let me know what you think if you try it!!=)

*UPDATE*

Well I have juiced for the last four days. I have not been very strict about it. There were a couple birthday parties this week and a bridal shower and I live by the 'when in Rome' rule of dieting. When I am at these celebrations, I allow myself to indulge in small quantities of the yummies. So almost every day I had something a little extra: pizza, cake and punch, but in small quantities. I also have not been doing my regular exercises.

I still have lost four pounds. =)

If you are looking for a healthy way to loose weight, there is nothing that I would recommend more strongly. I have tried every weight lose scam under the sun. Nothing beats adding fruits and veggies (in large quantities) and cutting back on everything else. And since it is not realistic to think that I would gnaw on celery all day (love celery juice, hate celery), what better way to eat them than to drown out their flavor with some apples and grapes!!=)

I hope you give it a try and let me know how it works for you!!