It’s December 31, 2011 and it just happened to be my hair wash day. I am a traditionalist. Saturday was always the hair wash day in my household. Not only do I regularly wash my hair on Saturday, but I still use some of the same old hair care products and styling methods.
Instead of braided plats, I use two-strand twists.
One of my favorite old school traditions is Cholesterol Conditioner. Yesterday I purchased two 20 oz. jars (one with Olive Oil, one with Shea) at the beauty supply. I knew I had a trace amount left in an old container, but definitely not enough to do a deep heat pack conditioning.
I don’t do videos and I’m sorry for that. But I will do better at explaining exactly what I do to my hair. This morning I started my hair prep by spraying it with room temperature mixture of water and pure MSM. If you don’t have MSM, you should try it. I work the spray from roots to ends, loosening the twists before applying a generous amount of Olive Oil Cholesterol to each hair strand. I re-twist each section loosely and cover with a conditioning cap. I do own a hood dryer but I’d rather be doing something else besides sitting. And if I can avoid extreme heat on my hair, I do it.
Next, I rinse my hair in sections under warm water, finger detangling as I go before washing it with Whole Foods 365 Citrus Grapefruit Shampoo. I do not scratch my scalp. I reach through each section with my fingers and rub gently massaging. Pin the section and repeat to all sections. Rinse. Then apply its partner Conditioner. This is where the fun starts. I have been without a brush for about a month. And that is not recommended. I did decide, time to detangle. I used my Goody. It is strong and resilient to my hair. But I will make it point to purchase a brush for the next brush detangling scheduled for two weeks from today.
Detangle, ends first working up the hair shaft, gently. Do not rip through the hair. If you haven’t detangled in a while, expect to see a generous amount of strands. That’s ok. Hair sheds. And what doesn’t get brushed away daily will accumulate. The important thing is removing this so that it doesn’t tangle and cause undue breakage.
After, I resection my hair into seven parts, taking a wide tooth comb through each, and apply aloe vera gel, coating the hair root to tip. Next, apply Curly Kinks Coil Jam to smooth ends. I use Aloe Vera generously since I have a generous amount. Coil Jam is fabulous, but I only have a sample. Once I narrow down my go-to hair care product list, I will invest in more Curly Kinks products. Next, I take 10 pumps of Curly Kinks Satin Roots leave-in and smooth it over my hair. Then twist the section. Repeat.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
No Boil Ramen (Vegetable Lo Mein)
No-Boil Ramen Stir Fry
If you like lo-mein style noodles but hate sticky tacky gummy noodles that turn to near mush when cooked, then try this.
1 pkg dry ramen noodles
1 cup of onions sliced (preferably frozen)
1 T coconut oil
1 pkg of Stir Fry Vegetables
Place dry noodles in a cold water bath for 5-10 minutes. In a large sauce pot or non-stick skillet, caramelize the onions in oil, allowing them to steam cook first on high. As they brown reduce heat to medium, bring onions to the center of the pot to form a bed. Next, place dry noodles on a bed of the onions. Cover. Noodles will start to loosen in a few minutes. Keep checking onions. If the pot starts to dry, add a little water to keep steam and continue doing this to avoid burning.
When done, reduce heat to very low to warm. Cook vegetables, shrimp, fish, or tofu and combine with noodles.
Yummy!
Monday, December 19, 2011
deciding to push the envelope
Goal for 2012: Run the 10K.
Why? It is time to push it. For the past two months since the fall run season concluded, I knew that as scheduled, my training would come to an end; reduction in high intensity cardio would give way to an increase in muscle mass. I am testament that this is true. Not only did I eliminate the weekly 5k run, but I increased the intensity of the runs by raising the incline to 1.5 - 2 points.
As I posted previously, and as I look toward fitness goals for '12, the 10K has to be priority one when I enter the Spring Run Season. I have enjoyed the 5K training protocol. I love the 5K runs. But the training had become mundane, which was why I increased the intensity and fell off the weekly 5K train-run.
Yesterday, I decided to stretch the run out running intervals after 2 miles. I finished with a 4.25 run, with the last 2.25 miles with speed intervals. The goal in yesterday's training was to run an increased speed 2 mile run, but to also build speed and intensity. Typicially this isn't something I do simultaneously. I usually work on distance one day and sprints on the other run days in the week. I am not sure if this is something that I will make a part of my training, but I felt very good on the initial 2 miles and since it was the end of my days workout, I pushed.
The intervals were 1-1, high low, with 2-1 mixes, where 2 was the high. The goal here was to increase my lung capacity. This can't be achieved in one day. It has to be something that is incorporated into my fitness routine. I continue to cross train. But, I want the 10K. In order to get there, I want to feel like running a 10K is possible on any given day of the week. So at the same time, I will use the 5K marker for the speed now. In that regard, 3.2 miles will officially become the fast run. This will not happen over night. Remember, it is a part of the goal to 10K.
What fitness goal are you setting for the new year?
Why? It is time to push it. For the past two months since the fall run season concluded, I knew that as scheduled, my training would come to an end; reduction in high intensity cardio would give way to an increase in muscle mass. I am testament that this is true. Not only did I eliminate the weekly 5k run, but I increased the intensity of the runs by raising the incline to 1.5 - 2 points.
As I posted previously, and as I look toward fitness goals for '12, the 10K has to be priority one when I enter the Spring Run Season. I have enjoyed the 5K training protocol. I love the 5K runs. But the training had become mundane, which was why I increased the intensity and fell off the weekly 5K train-run.
Yesterday, I decided to stretch the run out running intervals after 2 miles. I finished with a 4.25 run, with the last 2.25 miles with speed intervals. The goal in yesterday's training was to run an increased speed 2 mile run, but to also build speed and intensity. Typicially this isn't something I do simultaneously. I usually work on distance one day and sprints on the other run days in the week. I am not sure if this is something that I will make a part of my training, but I felt very good on the initial 2 miles and since it was the end of my days workout, I pushed.
The intervals were 1-1, high low, with 2-1 mixes, where 2 was the high. The goal here was to increase my lung capacity. This can't be achieved in one day. It has to be something that is incorporated into my fitness routine. I continue to cross train. But, I want the 10K. In order to get there, I want to feel like running a 10K is possible on any given day of the week. So at the same time, I will use the 5K marker for the speed now. In that regard, 3.2 miles will officially become the fast run. This will not happen over night. Remember, it is a part of the goal to 10K.
What fitness goal are you setting for the new year?
Saturday, December 10, 2011
the scale doesn't tell the whole story
Have you been exercising? Eating small meals throughout the day? Increasing the intensity of your workouts? Waistline is decreasing? Scale number increasing?
Well, you are not alone. You'll want a membership in this group!
Take me for example…
I never ever want to gain weight, fat that is. However, I love the look of my muscles. If they are getting bigger, I can see them without flexing, well they are increasing also in mass. If you are weighing yourself on a scale that does not distinguish fat and water from muscle tissue, then how do you know you are making progress?
It can be a depressing thing.
This is not the first time, nor will it be the last time that I dispel these faulty claims of weight lost through the scale prayer. It just does not lead to healthy thoughts, and therefore leads to unhealthy habits, such as poor eating, and slacking on the workouts. Stress causes weight gain and not the kind you want. Storing fat is the body’s response to stress.
The reason dieters yo-yo (celebrities are famous for it)is due to the low levels of mass building exercises, starvation, and diet pills. When they slack off, weight creeps back. The metabolism has slowed. The first sight of it shows in the waistline.
The waistline tells the story.
If your waistline is increasing, since it is typically the largest storage system for fatty tissue, then you are officially gaining weight. Stop the obsession with the scale. Most people who pray to the scale, suffer unhealthy weight, and gain. If your waistline is decreasing, you are building muscle.
Watch and see.
I have noticed weight gain, muscle increasing. How? My waistline is reducing, despite the size of my gluteus increasing. Yes. All of those lunges and squats have served to increase the size of my buttocks. It appears even bigger than it likely is due to the reduction in my waistline. My clothes were appearing smaller, but now seem to snug around booty. Yes. Something is happening. Now this is not just an increase behind me, but all over. I have used this muscle, the larger one of the body, to illustrate my point.
Do I want to continue the bulk? Hmm...that's a tough question to answer. I would like a leaner look. How do I achieve that? Increase cardio sessions, decrease weight training. Specifically, I have selected to increase the cardio and decrease the number of sets I perform from four to three. In addition, I have dropped the low rep of 8 in the original 15,12, 10, 8 sequence. Losing the eight, I have most of my weight training on the higher (cardio and strength) end.
But like any change, I am monitoring for results. The scale doesn't tell all. The tape measure is my friend.
As for the butt/glute...Lunges and squats are my all-time favorite. I just can't seem to sacrifice them. However, I can increase the cardio that I perform pre and post training.
My best advice? Keep striving for a healthy body through clean eating and exercise. Ditch the scale, pick up the tape measure, and let the clothes and your eyes tell you the progress you are making. If you are planning to use the scale, do so only once every month or once a season. With measurable progress, this number can tell you could signal loss of body fat. This way, as the number increases on the scale, you will have a mental representation of the reduction of your body fat percentage.
Well, you are not alone. You'll want a membership in this group!
Take me for example…
I never ever want to gain weight, fat that is. However, I love the look of my muscles. If they are getting bigger, I can see them without flexing, well they are increasing also in mass. If you are weighing yourself on a scale that does not distinguish fat and water from muscle tissue, then how do you know you are making progress?
It can be a depressing thing.
This is not the first time, nor will it be the last time that I dispel these faulty claims of weight lost through the scale prayer. It just does not lead to healthy thoughts, and therefore leads to unhealthy habits, such as poor eating, and slacking on the workouts. Stress causes weight gain and not the kind you want. Storing fat is the body’s response to stress.
The reason dieters yo-yo (celebrities are famous for it)is due to the low levels of mass building exercises, starvation, and diet pills. When they slack off, weight creeps back. The metabolism has slowed. The first sight of it shows in the waistline.
The waistline tells the story.
If your waistline is increasing, since it is typically the largest storage system for fatty tissue, then you are officially gaining weight. Stop the obsession with the scale. Most people who pray to the scale, suffer unhealthy weight, and gain. If your waistline is decreasing, you are building muscle.
Watch and see.
I have noticed weight gain, muscle increasing. How? My waistline is reducing, despite the size of my gluteus increasing. Yes. All of those lunges and squats have served to increase the size of my buttocks. It appears even bigger than it likely is due to the reduction in my waistline. My clothes were appearing smaller, but now seem to snug around booty. Yes. Something is happening. Now this is not just an increase behind me, but all over. I have used this muscle, the larger one of the body, to illustrate my point.
Do I want to continue the bulk? Hmm...that's a tough question to answer. I would like a leaner look. How do I achieve that? Increase cardio sessions, decrease weight training. Specifically, I have selected to increase the cardio and decrease the number of sets I perform from four to three. In addition, I have dropped the low rep of 8 in the original 15,12, 10, 8 sequence. Losing the eight, I have most of my weight training on the higher (cardio and strength) end.
But like any change, I am monitoring for results. The scale doesn't tell all. The tape measure is my friend.
As for the butt/glute...Lunges and squats are my all-time favorite. I just can't seem to sacrifice them. However, I can increase the cardio that I perform pre and post training.
My best advice? Keep striving for a healthy body through clean eating and exercise. Ditch the scale, pick up the tape measure, and let the clothes and your eyes tell you the progress you are making. If you are planning to use the scale, do so only once every month or once a season. With measurable progress, this number can tell you could signal loss of body fat. This way, as the number increases on the scale, you will have a mental representation of the reduction of your body fat percentage.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Vegetarian Sweet n' Sour Chik'n
Sweet and Sour Vegetarian Chik'n, Vegetable Fried Rice, Vegetable Egg Rolls
MorningStar Farms Chik'n Strips
2 c cold cooked brown rice (day old/refrigerated)
Mixed Vegetables for Stir Fry (I always add sweet corn)
5 T Coconut Oil
Salt, Pepper
1 t fresh chopped garlic
1 c julienne rainbow peppers (red, yellow, green, and orange)
½ c pineapple chunks
1 T soy sauce
---
Sweet and Sour Sauce
1/3 c white or rice wine
4 T brown sugar
1 T ketchup
1 t soy sauce
2 T corn starch
4 t water
---
Tai Pei or any Vegetable egg rolls/deep fried or baked on a cookie sheet in oven.
Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
Fry brown rice in 2 T of coconut oil. Set aside. Brown vegetables in 1 T of coconut oil. Set aside. Brown chik'n strips in 2 T of coconut oil. Set aside. Combine vegetables and rice with salt, pepper, 1 T soy sauce, and garlic. Turn in saucepan, cover with lid and allow to simmer in the oven at 350 degrees.
Mix ingredients for sweet and sour sauce in a saucepot over medium heat. Stir until thickens. Add more more if necessary. When it bubbles, reduce heat.
Plate food, serve!
MorningStar Farms Chik'n Strips
2 c cold cooked brown rice (day old/refrigerated)
Mixed Vegetables for Stir Fry (I always add sweet corn)
5 T Coconut Oil
Salt, Pepper
1 t fresh chopped garlic
1 c julienne rainbow peppers (red, yellow, green, and orange)
½ c pineapple chunks
1 T soy sauce
---
Sweet and Sour Sauce
1/3 c white or rice wine
4 T brown sugar
1 T ketchup
1 t soy sauce
2 T corn starch
4 t water
---
Tai Pei or any Vegetable egg rolls/deep fried or baked on a cookie sheet in oven.
Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
Fry brown rice in 2 T of coconut oil. Set aside. Brown vegetables in 1 T of coconut oil. Set aside. Brown chik'n strips in 2 T of coconut oil. Set aside. Combine vegetables and rice with salt, pepper, 1 T soy sauce, and garlic. Turn in saucepan, cover with lid and allow to simmer in the oven at 350 degrees.
Mix ingredients for sweet and sour sauce in a saucepot over medium heat. Stir until thickens. Add more more if necessary. When it bubbles, reduce heat.
Plate food, serve!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)