My Pants Are Falling!

My pants are falling! I need a belt! I thought I was gaining weight because my schedule has been quite hectic - working more hours than usual, back at school this semester, started yoga classes again, some medical stuff - so I've been eating out the past couple of weeks. I haven't always made healthier choices (yes, I had sweet potato poutine yesterday *cough*), but I have nonetheless, cut back on a few of my more indulgent vices.  

I got on the scale today and realized I am down another 2 lbs this week, which makes a total of 15 lbs yay! I'm not condoning going out to eat greasy, cheesy fries like I did, but a little indulgence here and there isn't bad! Especially if you've improved other areas of intake. For example, I have cut back on my white breads, dairy products, chocolate (mmm mmmm), soda, and snack/greasy foods (which I  generally only crave when I'm PMSing).  I have also increased my fruit and vegetable intake, which is very helpful. I try to choose more fibrous fruits and veggies such as:

• Apples with skin - 2-4.4 g fiber 
• Raspberries - 1 cup has 8 g fiber
• Bananas -- 2-3 g fiber
• Spinach, sweet potato -- 2+ g each of fiber
• Green peas - 1 cup cooked have ~8 g fiber

As well, I've been eating more oatmeal - I choose the thick cut and steel cut oats, brown basmati rice, and multigrains. Find more high fiber foods here and here.

I never thought I would be able to give up certain foods, like breads/carbohydrates, and chocolate. I haven't actually given anything up - I've cut back, which for me is making a noticeable difference. 

What are your weaknesses when it comes to food? Are there groups of foods you think you will never be able to give up? (You will, mind over matter! ha! So hard to do, but with time, I'm finding it easier, or rather, I'm finding that I just don't have as many cravings as I used to. And when I do, I'm often able to control them more now with some semblance of discipline, where once there was none!)

Are You Stuck in the Past?

Stop!  There is nothing you can do that will change what has *already happened*. So stop wasting all that energy envisioning what you did wrong.. why did I do it? I should have done this instead... Forget it! When your mind leads you down that road of negative self talk, just tell it to STOP!  Stop obsessing about it.  It won't change anything.

 You know what will change things?  Admit that you are here, in the present. Live life today. Sure, you may have made mistakes  in the past, or wished you did things differently,  but knowing focusing on those negative aspects won't change anything, look forward and see where you can go and how you can change things today for a better tomorrow.  You owe yourself some happiness. Go get it! Live for today, plan for change. Enjoy tomorrow.

A Seven Week Much Needed Update!

it's been seven weeks since I started my blog and my Health, Wellness and Beauty journey. This is how long my hair has gotten, about 16" - can you imagine I'll be chopping off all those curls!? I only have 26 blog followers - my goal is 1000 lol I'm not sure I'll get there, but it's still nice to have heard from strangers and friends that my words are inspiring  I'm hoping that my writing continues to improve, since I haven't really written anything substantial in over a decade (other than lab reports and pedagogical papers). And, I'm down 12 lbs! Thirty-eight more pounds to go, though I am hoping that over the next eight months, I will be down a bit more, but we'll see. 

So, I would say it has been a good first two months so far, even though there have been lots of ups and downs. Oh, and I have about six people growing their hair and pledging for Cut for Cancer with me on our The Pink Curlers team!  Yay!

Other news... I feel bad that I haven't been keeping up to date on here - so many blogs to write, so little time! But I have had a busy month. Last week, as you may recall, I was babysitting my 5 1/2 year old energetic nephew. We had a great week together, but it started off with me having only two hours of sleep the two nights before going - I started having a lot of anxiety hoping I could take care of him, and that he would be okay in my care.  Then, after I picked him up from his day at summer camp, I was so excited to be spending time with him, that I dumped my purse, cell phone, car keys, house keys on the kitchen counter then went out on the back deck, closed the door behind me, and started the barbecue. Um, my nephew tried to get back in, the door locked on me when I closed it!!! AAAAACK! So yeah, it was a bit of a nightmare, but we prevailed, got into the house after a couple of hours and after spending a big chunk of my just received paycheque on a locksmith. *sigh* Anyway, more anxiety and I only slept 45 minutes that night. 

The rest of the week was nice with my nephew but exhausting. I enjoyed my time with him greatly! He is a remarkable young man and quite brilliant and lots of fun! 

After a few days of being back home, I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. I had my first heart attack scare. The results they did at the hospital showed there was no damage to my heart - thank goodness!, but I am to see a specialist in a couple of weeks for more testing. It is most likely something going on with my esophagus/digestive system. More proof of that - I now have gastroenteritis. So, yet another day I had lots of plans - work, have my nephew participate in my ALS ice bucket challenge, hang out with him, etc., which got thwarted by poor health.

What is causing this poor health? While my mom was sick I had stomach flu (gastroenteritis) five times. I'm sure it was always just a culmination of everything happening - the anxiety attacks of last week, lack of sleep, financial anxiety - I've registered for school this September - thoughts of once again being a poor student, even though this time I'll be working part time and attending uni part time, many depressing moments thinking about my mom recently, and who knows what else? Oh yeah, I'm pre-diabetic. So.. a lot on my plate!

How to deal with all this stress, sadness and anxiety?  I plan to try to be healthier, try to keep up with yoga more regularly, take moments to breathe deeply - you know our western civilization tends to be filled with shallow breathers? After this scare, it's like a real wake up call - time to get my shit together and just do better than I've been doing. No more damn excuses. I don't want to be diabetic and have to worry about losing my eyesight or a limb, or my glucose levels. I want to be healthy, relaxed and accomplished.

So friends, how do you destress? When was a time you had a medical scare? Or someone close to you? How did you react? What did you do? Did you overcome? How? Please share with us on how to move beyond this point of no control. I need to take control of my life again, and I know I'm not the only one. Let's band together and improve ourselves, even that little bit.

 

Off to spend a week with a precocious, energetic young man

I am heading up to beach country!  Not really to go to the beach, but to babysit my incredibly energetic five year old nephew for the week.  I'm already exhausted thinking about it! Ha! Plus, I've only had a few hours of sleep over the past couple of nights.  This is my first time spending more than a day with him.  I'm excited about it, because he is an incredibly precocious, scientific, fun, funny and the most *beautifullest* li'l boy you ever did see and I luuuuuuurvs him more than anything! <3  But I'm also nervous because I hope everything goes smoothly and that my energy level and back hold up for the week.  And that he stays whole and healthy. 

I'm debating on whether I'm going to take my laptop with me or not.  I've been addicted to gaming since my mom passed away.  I'm sure all that time spent at my computer making those redundant moves is making my back worse.  My brother has a computer in his office in the house, so I have access to that, but I want to try to stay away from it as much as possible. My nephew is going to be at camp during the day - he gets to go on fun trips with his class every day! ... if he wakes up in time and I get him to daycare before the bus leaves! Otherwise, my brother told me he will be very sad when his class isn't there when he arrives.  So, something else to be nervous about!  I know I should just take a deep breath and let it all unfold as it may.  

My nephew is fun but exhausting even after a couple of hours. I am hoping we make it to camp everyday then I have the days to myself. I'm taking up a sewing project (last year I used my mom's sewing machine to sew the first thing I've sewed in about two decades! My mom loved sewing! She made many of her own outfits which she got lots of compliments on, and some of mine as well!).  I sewed a little apron for my nephew because he started making roti's with my brother and well you know... atta (flour) was everywhere! Of course, after I gave it to him, he threw it across the room and said, "That's for babies!" I later figured out that he probably thought it was some sort of bib! hahaha! Now, I'm making him this incredibly cute Humpty Dumpty from a pattern I purchased on Etsy.  I've only started cutting it out... it will be interesting sewing! But I figure, in my down time (if there is any) at my bro's, I can finish cutting it out and pinning pieces together, ready to sew. I would like to give it to my nephew for his birthday in October - he's in his *stuffies* phase and takes his stuffed toys with him wherever he goes!

There is also a beach a few minutes away.  I may go hang out on my own there during the day... we'll see.. I'm not the most incredibly beachy or sun worshipping person, but I do love being in water!  I will try to stay off of the computer as much as possible and enjoy life like it was before the internet era came into our lives!  (Which was in the late 90's for me.) 

So please wish me luck!  I'll take any advice you have on entertaining, cooking for and keeping li'l ones healthy!  I am taking up my backyard croquette set, plus some kinetic sand for the rainy days.   Alright, I should continue to pack.  Maybe my journey will continue online while I'm up.  Let's see how it goes.  I am breezy, I am light, I am not stressing, I am fun, I am energetic, and I am a great aunt!

*exhales*

Our First Donated Ponytail!

It is only the 6th day of August and we've already received our first ponytail to go towards The Pink Curlers' Cut for Cancer!  We started this journey one month ago, and in this time we have six people who have volunteered for chopping off their hair for this great cause!

Yesterday, we had a new client, Jovana, at HBS Spa Life who mentioned she would love to help out and donate her hair to help make a wig for someone in need.  Here are Jovana's before and after pictures:

Jovana was beautiful before she chopped off her hair, but now she is beautiful and a whole new woman! Remember this blog entry about making self changes to brighten up 'blah' days? Well, regardless of the excuse for wanting change, change can be a positive thing and can put that extra little boost in our steps, the gleam in our eyes, and the love in our hearts.  Bravo Jovana for taking such a big step and helping out someone in need!

I am so thankful to all the wonderful people who I am encountering on my journey. Stay tuned to hear more positive stories about new beginnings, continued successes and positive energies making their way to us.

Early on we discussed that I wasn't sure about where I wanted to donate my hair, because my intention was to donate it to an organization that creates wigs for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. However, there are organizations like Angel Hair for Kids™ who provide wigs and hair systems at no cost to children who may be undergoing cancer treatments, have alopecia or even burns.  Different organizations have varying hair donation guidelines - generally they will accept 10 - 12" of virgin hair or unbleached hair. Here are the guidelines for donating to Angel Hair for Kids™.

atWell, there's some hair for thought for you, friends!  Enjoy this lovely evening! And remember ... what is beauty? It's what you make of it - feelings, senses, pleasures. It’s who we are, how we got here, and the possibilities of where we can go and who we can become.

See you next time! 

Slow down. Confront. Accept. Commit. Admit. Heal.

I had a surprise guest blogger today.  Contributing to A Journey to Health, Wellness & Beauty in today's post is Christina Rosa Costantino, Registered Massage Therapist of Alternative Healing Massage Therapy in Vaughan, Ontario.  Today, Christina had an experience with a client which inspired the following words about 'commitment, confrontation, admittance, and healing':

"Although there is exciting events and GREAT BIG NEWS I want to share with you with regard to Alternative Healing, I want to take this opportunity to share what I have learned today.  Being in practice for almost a year now, I have prided myself in providing effective, professional and relaxing treatments, but also made, and continue to make, a conscious effort to exhibit a certain level of professionalism. Doing so has allowed me to develop an excellent rapport with my clients, provide an exceptional environment for my practice, and provide the means for me to learn and grow as a therapist.

As a massage therapist I constantly remind my clients to respect my time as much as I respect their time, not only to keep my day running smoothly but also to provide a safe and effective treatment. As my practice grows and I get busier, I feel as if I am accelerating through life on high speed just to get ahead. There is nothing wrong with getting ahead except when we do so uncontrollably and forget the simple principal of ‘practice what you preach’. As much as I rely on my clients, they rely on me. Booking an appointment is a commitment and keeping that commitment is key - not only for their rehabilitation but for my business as well (certain circumstances or emergencies exempted). 

Today I was confronted about an appointment I had moved, with short notice, and it made me realize that I put my needs in front of my client's. Although my passion and skill are evident in every treatment I perform, that one mistake could have be the deciding factor on that client returning and excelling in her rehabilitation. I am the type of person to tastefully address an issue to the best of my ability and the first person to admit when I am wrong. After we addressed and successfully resolved the situation I asked why their concern was not brought to my attention at that very moment and their answer was, `Because I am not great with confrontation`. This means their pain, disappointment and anger was held in until that very point which is unhealthy and gut wrenching. And all on my account.  This conflict and their answer was my inspiration to dedicate this post to voice my opinion on commitment, confrontation, admittance, and healing.

In my opinion, confrontation and admittance is quite difficult to come to terms with, and ironically, they are two important aspects of healing. Unfortunately, we live in a society of intense scrutiny often making it difficult to voice our opinions and concerns. This society somehow enables a fear of judgement and disappointment; my question is why? You are no less of a person nor exhibiting weakness by doing so. All you are doing is hanging onto anger, possibly hate, resentment, or misunderstanding. Hanging onto all of those things can cause anxiety, depression, a physically slower healing process, lack of concentration and much more. Confrontation does not have to be done in a negative manner. It has the potential to be an empowering experience to learn from.

Even though my experience stemmed from my personal conflict in my massage therapy practice the moral is applicable in every day life. There is always a way to acknowledge and deal with an issue and it will never be easy, but once we realize we will not be liked by everyone, accepted by everyone, agreeable with everyone, and that we cannot change everyone, we can heal. Here’s to the hope that sharing my experience and opinion can pull you from your “high speed” chase of life and enable you to stop, assess, learn and make adjustments for the better. Healing isn’t solely based on a physical manipulation it starts from within and manifests into your own expression."

Lovely words of wisdom, Christina.  Thank you for sharing your experience with my readers.  I know it's time for me to slow down, invest more time in my yoga practice, focus on my breathing, and ponder being more proactive and assertive, and just learn to say it like it is.  Learn more about Christina and her massage therapy practice here and please feel free to share your insights on conflict and healing.  

Inspiration and Energies

Today I had the first person, who is almost a stranger to me, tell me that my blog inspired them! Yay! What an amazing feeling! I hoped that my experiences, my words, my thoughts/advice, etc., wouldn't just engage people and create dialogue, but that it would inspire people to move forward, take action, make goals, and accomplish the shit out of them! That's what I hoped and continue to hope for, that we can work together, be accountable to each other and become the amazing people we know we can become.

I'm so excited that I was able to inspire someone I didn't know to do this! I mean, sure, some of my real life and online friends are following and commenting on my blog, but we inspire each other all the time, but a stranger saying I inspired them... that's awesome! I hope I can motivate more people along the way 

Interestingly enough, I also had an awesome motivating conversation with one of my buddies today, and another incredible conversation with a new client I've never met before.  Energies.  Our energies attract who we need to, when we need to, to get what we need when we need it.  Life works in mysterious ways, my friends!  Keep on trekking, and put that positive energy out there and it will come back to you! <3 

Moving Forward

Remember what I said yesterday, or rather what I asked?  About why we do or do not do certain things?  Well today I say, fuck it!  Forget the why, just move forward and do what you're going to say you're going to do!  During a conversation with one of my buddies today, he said never mind with the why's, that's just going to mindfuck us.  Go forward.  Do it! Make a choice to change, make a choice to eat healthier, to go to the gym, go swimming, etc.

It reminded me of that course I mentioned in a previous blog, Thought Patterns (when I used the analogy of planting pretty, positive flowers in our weed infested minds).  In the course, we learned about a progressive type of therapy which does not spend endless hours delving into your past to try to figure out what happened in your childhood that fucked you up so much now.  Instead, they said, okay, this is where you are... let's not focus on where you've been, but let's decide where you want to go and set goals to get there.  They did a study on grade 12 students using this technique and almost all of the students soared through with flying colours!  I am going to dig up my notes from that course and post some inspiring stuff for you all!

So that's it.

Tomorrow I am going to wake up a whole new person!  Because I'm making the choice to be better, to be healthier, to be motivated, spiritual, and progressive.  I'm making the choice to go forward, to meet my goals and to get to where I want to be.  I hope that is one journey you will definitely choose to take with me!

Commitments overpowered by Cravings

Today I'm not just feeling like my diet hasn't been that great, but I'm finally admitting that I'm just not committed to it.  Why?!  Why can't I be healthy?  Many reasons, probably some I am unaware of.  When I consider it, I think today's junk food session was caused from exhaustion and starvation, and by 'starvation', I mean I had not eaten since noon (for over 5 hours which is really bad, because we know that we have to eat small meals every 2-3 hours, right?  I will write more about why soon, from a biological, cellular perspective).  I only slept 3-4ish hours last night. I find when I don't sleep much, I crave junk.

But let's get back to commitments. How many times have you started a new lifestyle change, but never wholly committed yourself to it, and gave up, or didn't follow through to the best of your ability?  How many failed diets have you gone through?  How many successful ones?  Let's hear successful stories!  However, without knowledge of the unsuccessful ones, how will we relate to failure?  Not all attempts can be successful, but what do you need to do to change that?  What will it take to really make a commitment to something, and stick to it until you reach your goal?  What do you need in order to make this happen?

If I ask myself these questions, my answer is... I don't know.  That's my homework.  Something to really think about, and while I do, I will be better.

Cravings and A Little Help From My Friend

Yesterday I was really craving coca cola. That's my one big craving for the past year. Well, chocolate also, but that's a given!  I've cut back my chocolate intake quite a bit since Christmas. I've cut back on pop also but sometimes I still get overwhelming cravings for it. I had such a craving yesterday and almost fulfilled it, but my coworker, Irena, talked me out of it!  And so far so good! It's nice to have people who've got your back. Thanks Irena :)

Malfunctioning Seeds in my Ears Proving Mind Over Matter

Good evening everybody!

Here is an update on how I am doing. I have gone to two sessions of aquafit (yes, I am the youngest person there, but those elderly ladies are lovely and incredibly helpful. I've already had two of them give me pointers on how to do the exercises!). I've also been going on dog walks with my dad and Sasha, his cute, furry companion (my dad would be totally lost without her. She has become quite attached to him since my mom passed away. The two of them just dote on each other all day long! It's very comforting <3 ).  Some days we walk around the track at one of the local parks, or we go for walks in the neighbourhood conservation area. It's quite lovely!

And yes, it has paid off! As of yesterday, I am down a total of 8 lbs (I decided to stick with pounds to make it easier.. for some reason, we tend to weigh ourselves in imperial instead of the metric we use daily. How odd... ) since I began my journey three weeks ago. Yay!  I was actually down a few more, but I swear these seeds in my ear are giving me more cravings instead of taking them away!! It's the first time I've ever had them in. My acupuncturist, Jessica, thought auriculotherapy (ear acupuncture) may help me, but honestly, I think I was doing better beating my cravings before they went in!

I have a theory about this. When I began my health journey, earlier this month, the first weekend I freaked out and ate everything ALL WEEKEND LONG! Seriously... does this happen to you? When you have decided to take on some sort of diet (I hate that word) or health regimen, lifestyle change (I love this phrase!), what's the first first first thing you do? Do you get all gung-ho into it? Does it take time to ease into? For me, I do the exact opposite of what I should be doing. I make excuses; I hmmm and huh about it. Knowing my body is going to be going through changes, i.e.: getting ready to cut back on the yummy foods I love - chocolate and breads, all kinds of breads! Plus, about to put it through pseudo-vigorous physical activity which goes against *my* norm, is like an excuse for me to go wild with food, any food! And to rest up before the big game!

I think these ear seeds are working in the same manner for me.  Jessica put these seeds in my ear - they are actually tiny needles bandaged to certain acupoints on my ear.  Your acupuncturist may also tape mustard seeds or seeds from the vaccaria plant to various acupoints depending upon what you're using them for - weight loss, quitting smoking, depression, etc.  The ones in my ear were supposed to help fend cravings, but instead... I ATE EVERYTHING!  haha! OOps :/ I started having cravings for things I haven't been craving so much anymore - like pop and chocolatey things. I don't think it was that the ear seeds weren't working, I think it was that my mind was more powerful and put me back in that phase, like I was getting ready to starve and needed to consume EVERYTHING!  It's like some sort of freak-panic mode. Perhaps it's stemmed from a fear of failing.  Maybe I think I can't lose weight, so I fight it.  Maybe I'm too comfortable in my own skin, that my mind is unwilling to allow myself change, no matter how positive that change may be. The sad thing is that I'm aware I'm doing it - overindulging, but I can't stop myself. I did that for two days then started getting back on track and today, am down the extra few pounds I put on.

What does this prove?  Other than I lack discipline, or I'm just freaky....?!  Our minds are such intricate engines.  They can make us believe all sorts of crap.  They can really mess us up and hold us back from greatness!  So what do we do about this?  Plant seeds!  I have that image in my mind... (screw the engine analogy, let's talk gardens!).. we may have many weeds in our minds which have grown because of negative experiences in our lives. Unfortunately, those weeds are here to stay, but they don't have to take over. Let's stop the weeds from growing before their overgrowth controls us. Let's start planting some flowers, some lovely, bright, colourful, positive-energy radiating flowers!  Let's start planting positive thoughts in our minds. From now on, before you go to sleep, I want you to write down three positive things that happened today, or that you did today.  It could be anything. Any three good, positive things about your day today.  I'll start.

1. I had a productive day at work and was able to tick a few things off my to-do list
2. My brother called to ask me to babysit my 5 year old nephew for 5 days while he goes away for work. It's going to be a tremendous amount of work because my nephew is exceptionally precocious and active active active! But... I get to hang out with the cutest kid for 5 days.. yay! 
3. I'm happy! I'm happy I have this opportunity to reach out to you and share my experiences with you, and I look forward to us continuing this relationship and continuing to share our experiences and learn from each other
4. I have to add in a fourth, just thinking of some of the people I've spoken with the past couple days. People love to share. I think we don't often appreciate the generosity of people who may be pseudo-strangers to us but who are willing to share their knowledge and experiences with us and just try to help us for the sake of helping! Kudos to you! 
5. *edit* I just remembered.... Christina, RMT of  Alternative Healing Massage Therapy is joining me in my Cut for Cancer!  That's two ponytails now!  I'm still working towards getting 6-10 in total... so remember.. if you want to join us... let me know! 

Wow. That felt great to make it a point to state that.  I really feel a little lighter from writing that down. That's one new seed I've planted :)  Now you try it and let me know how it works for you!

Good night dear friends.

PS: I heard that weed analogy years ago in a positive thoughts course I did. I hope it works for you!

Homemade Almond Milk with a side of a Polish Change

Good afternoon! 

Welcome to Friday :)

I came across an article on almond milk recently and it inspired today's post. I was going to share the article with you, but I found it too negative.  The gist of it was.... people are straying from dairy, the almond milk market is growing quickly, and we're spending way too much money on "almond milk" which is mostly just water with a tiny bit of almonds in it. Well my friends, that is almond milk! If you are trying to stay away from dairy and you enjoy the taste of almond milk but don't want to buy it, then why not make it?

My blog's first guest (yes, that's right, my blog will have guest appearances on it! I've spoken with several people in the health, wellness and beauty industries, asking them to be make guest appearances on my blog or be guest bloggers. Basically, I thought it would be awesome if we hear from people around the community who can share information with us via interviews, videos, etc.) is Nadia Capetola, hairstylist extraordinaire, owner of HBS Spa Life and long time friend. I thought of her and her organic, homemade almond milk when reading the article and asked her if she would share her recipe with us.

Now, we are all supposed to be working today... I mean.. we *are* all "working" today.... I was trying to get Nadia to sign papers while sitting at the manicure station across from her, and while Irena (another of HBS's awesome stylists!) paints her nails.  Yes, it's a fun job, I can't deny it! I asked her to give us her recipe and here it is:

• 1.5 L of water
• 1/4 cups of almonds 

Yep folks... that's it! 

Okay, wait, there's more... 

• In a blender, add almonds and water
• Blend. Blend. BLEND! 
• DO NOT STRAIN! 
• Drink! 

Or... Nadia recommends blanching the almonds first if you want a white almond milk texture, otherwise your milk may come out gritty. She says you can also add honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar if you want some added sweetness.

I asked Nadia how her favourite way to enjoy it was. She replied, "I froth it for my morning chai tea", and rarely do we ever see her without her chai! mmmm chai!

Other uses she recommends with organic, homemade almond milk: have it in cereal, or add cocoa for a yummy chocolate milk. One word she uses to describe homemade almond milk, "Refreshing!"

If you try to make your own almond milk, let me know how it goes!

Before I leave for the day, here are Nadia's nails: 

Enjoy your Friday! 

..And moments later.. a little bit of a gloomier entry

I checked in on my dad and Sasha (his companion, the cutest little Yorkie Pooh!) earlier. My dad was watching a video he made at an engagement party we threw for one of my cousins back in the day.  First of all, I was blonde and skinny in the vid! Zoinks! (Okay, "skinnier" not "skinny" haha!) Oh, the nineties!

Then my mom walked onto the screen and my dad and I both started bawling our eyes out :(

I miss my mommy :( 

Gloomy Summer Days Pick Me Up!

Today let's talk about nail polish! We've had overcast skies and some rain the past few days so I thought we'd discuss something light and colourful to brighten up our days. When you're in a rut and feeling blah, what do you do? Some of the big things I can think of are to go for a new look - maybe a new hair colour or a completely new hair style. But what about if you don't want to partake in something which may end up being quite dire for a passing mood, or you just don't have the time... then how about a polish change? Something with pizzazz and sparkle! Maybe you'll do all your nails a different colour? Hey, why not! I feel like now is the time that there are no rules with nail polish. Go crazy!

I chopped down my nails last week - they were getting way too long for my taste, so Nadia, owner of HBS Spa Life, painted my nails for me today. I was having a bit of a blah day and was feeling quite tired. She painted my nails and sent me home from work early! :D 

She used a base of Breezi blue, then topped it off with Monet glitter. She painted my accent nail Pixie Dust Vega (by the way, I call Pixie Dust polishes, "Glitter glue nail polish"! Seriously, it looks like someone just dumped glitter glue in the bottle! It's AWESOME!). What do you think? Funky and fun?! I'm happy with it! Next week we'll try one of Zoya's other summer colours. How about you pick the next combination of colours for me!? ;) Let me know what you've chosen. Here are some of Zoya's other summer colours: 

What type of nail polish do you use? Do you have a favourite? I was discussing polish colours with one of our clients. She wanted to purchase a new colour and couldn't remember if she owned that particular colour. She said *ALL* her colours always end up being pinks! Many of which are the same pink! Does this happen to you? I used to be like that as well. I used to be hung up on shades of reds and oranges, now I'm throwing caution to the wind and trying anything! Let loose, my friends... I dare you to try out some funky colour combinations and post your pics so I can see!

Before I sign off for the evening, I also wanted to discuss with you what goes into your polishes. Have you ever looked at the ingredient list? One thing about HBS Spa Life which I really like is that their product lines tend to stay away from harsh synthetics. For example, Zoya polishes do not use toxic ingredients like toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and DBP (dibutyl phthalate). Check your bottles to see what you're putting on your nails. If you do find any of these ingredients, try to find a local company to you that provides more natural lines like Zoya, or visit their website here to find a dealer near you. If you are in the GTA, then I hope you come in and visit me at HBS Spa Life to see which colours we have on our shelves!

See you soon!

Let us Delve into the Why’s, How’s and Wherefore’s...

Why am I writing this blog? Since my mom died of breast cancer last May, I had been pondering starting a blog to discuss all the emotions and stuff I was going through, but I didn’t really have the focus, nor did I think anyone would find it interesting. But then, a couple of weeks ago I got the idea for this blog. Well, initially I was thinking of writing about growing my hair to donate to help make a wig for a cancer patient (did you know it takes 6-10 ponytails to make one wig?!).  I’m currently working at a salon spa and I thought it would make for a fun way to connect with our clients on Facebook. After discussing the idea with a colleague, he suggested I also blog about my journey into getting healthy.  Now, I’m going to have to backtrack a bit…

I went back to school in 2006, became an anxious eater, and gained 35 kg (75 lbs) over a five year period. I lost 13 kg (30 lbs), but gained back 9 kg very quickly after my mom passed away.  Now I’m trying to get healthy for many reasons – the big one being to try to keep cancer at bay!  Being overweight or obese leads to increased risk for many cancers, including breast cancer.  Read more information about how female and male obesity can increase risk of various cancers here.  

Now I’m growing my hair and shrinking my waistline!  I’m a biology student, so I would like to think that I know something about good health! Remember grade 11 biology? Macromolecules! Yep, we’ve all learned how macromolecules (proteins, triglycerides [fats], carbohydrates [sugars] and nucleic acids) break down and affect our bodies at a cellular level. Perhaps through this blog I’ll remind you if you don’t remember!  Haha!  I am actually studying to be a biology and general science teacher, so hopefully I am able to share qualitative data with you on how to get healthy.  

Knowing how is completely different than doing, though!  Do you have this issue also? I’ve worked out in the past with several trainers, all specializing in different areas.  Between that and studying biology you would think it’s easy to stay in shape.  Well, it’s not! Especially if you’re an emotional/stress eater like me.  I hope that on the health and wellness side of this blog we can work together to tackle our overindulging/binging/emo eating demons. I find the important thing isn’t just knowing when and why we eat, but trying to stop the negative behaviour altogether.  Easier said than done, but let’s stick it out and we *will* do great things together!

Now that we’ve done the wherefore of the blog, let’s go on to the how. How? I’ll write stuff I hope you find it interesting and maybe you’ll be able to connect with me on some level and share stuff with me as well.  I’m hoping we can share ideas, feelings, comments, workouts, recipes, hairdos, skin care tips, motivational thoughts/posters, everything from inside out! Well, everything you feel comfortable with sharing! J

I plan to post excerpts from this blog on my work Facebook page as well.  The salon I work at, HBS Spa Life, is supporting me and sponsoring me through this.  I decided that the chop off date for my hair will be on my mom’s second anniversary, May 9^th, 2015.  On that date, I will be down a minimum of 23 kg (50 lbs).  I set up goals to try to lose weight as healthily as possible, so about 1-2 lbs per week.  To make this fun for my readers, through our Facebook page, my sponsor, HBS Spa Life, will be giving away a product or service every week I meet my goals!!! WOOT! Unfortunately, though, for the moment, we will only be able to give prizes on a local scale – GTA residents (Greater Toronto Area - or anyone who can come by to get their hair done!).  Hopefully, as time goes on, we can expand this area!  Also on that date, HBS is hosting a mega fundraiser with the help of the Canadian Cancer Society.  I’ll put up my Cut for Cancer webpage shortly. I hope you are all able to attend! If not in person, in spirit J

Okay… so that's some information about what you might expect over the next ten months. I sincerely do look forward to gouging out my insides to share with you! Heh, it may feel like that at times, but I’m committed to sharing my emotional and physical journey with you all and hopefully I will be able to create awareness about how we can live healthy lifestyles to try to prevent disease, what it actually takes to make a wig, and how we can become the truly beautiful people, inside and out, that we desire to be. Remember, beauty is a feeling, a sense, pleasures.  It’s who we are, how we got here, and the possibilities of where we can go and who we can become. 

See you soon! 

*Picture is of Canadian Cancer Society Daffodil month

A Preamble to my Life. .. I mean, this Health, Wellness & Beauty blog.

Is it awful if I start by saying I’m not too keen on the word beauty? When I hear it, the words that come to mind are: vacuous, vain, self-absorbed and makeup. Is my perception of the word meaningful? Of course not. Beauty can be anything - a raging sunset against red skies, wild white foaming waters, a smile, a touch, you, who you are, who I am and all that we’ve survived through. Beauty is not just outward appearances - it’s feelings, senses, pleasures. It’s who we are, how we got here, and the possibilities of where we can go and who we can become. 

I welcome you to take this journey with me. Together we will delve into a world of getting healthy, improving our well beings and finding our inner and outer beauties. Through this blog, I hope to engage you in discourse in all aspects of health, wellness and beauty. I will discuss why I have created this blog - I lost my mommy to breast cancer last year - and hope to raise awareness on getting healthy to try to keep cancer at bay, and well, just for the sake of having good overall physical and mental health.

I am currently growing my hair to donate to help make a wig for a cancer patient, and I’m on track to losing a bunch of weight. I hope that together we might teach, motivate, and share our stories. Let’s start exchanging stories, workouts, beauty regimens and healthy recipes. Let’s have fun! There’s no reason why we can’t be happy and have fun on the way to recovery to good health. 

See you soon! 

PS: After writing my introduction, beauty no longer seemed like a bad word! 

Here is a pic of me the day I decided to start this blog - July 4, 2014