Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

If you want your life to change, you have to change. That change could be as simple as a hair style.

That’s what happened to a client of Exquisite Hair Designs owner Sharon Antonucci. 

At the tender age of 19, Laura was stuck. She had tested out of high school and received her California High School Proficiency Exam (CHSPE) certificate because her anxiety was out of control. In addition, her relationship of 4 years was deteriorating, but Laura felt helpless to do anything about it.

Laura was born with the most beautiful natural blonde hair. People were envious of its luster and fullness. Yet, she desperately needed a change and was ready to do something drastic. Laura came to Sharon with a request: “Make my hair dark with red highlights.”

Sharon was surprised, but took on the challenge.

After this amazing and life changing transformation, something miraculous happened for Laura. 

Her inner warrior came out.

Suddenly, Laura had the courage to sign up for college and begin working towards her high school diploma. She also found the strength to end her 4-year relationship and rekindle a friendship she had been keeping at bay out of respect for her boyfriend.

“I have a better sense of self and have stopped trying to be someone others wanted me to be.”, Laura confessed. “I feel like I have a fire in my soul.”

Sharon Antonucci provides confidence in a tube of hair color. If you want things to change around you, change the image in the mirror.

I Love Myself

Last week, I went to a REAL Session hosted by Jennifer Moudy. This session brings women together to talk about current personal issues and learn some great strategies to get over road blocks. At the end of this session, Jennifer gave me some "homework".

I never liked homework.

However, this time I felt that it was important to take on this assignment. I knew it would be challenging because it's a topic I never think or talk about. Now that I reflect on it, it makes me sort of sad that I don't think about this ever... or often.

Write 10 things that you love about yourself.

To be honest, once I started writing, it didn't take me long to come up with ten things I loved about myself - and for that I am grateful it wasn't hard for me. It told me that despite all my challenges, my feelings about who I am as a person are positive. As a matter of fact, that's number 11 - I love how optimistic I am! Okay, here is the full list.

1. I love that I have overcome many adversities.
2. I love my capacity for loving and helping people.
3. I love what I can accomplish when I am inspired.
4. I love that I am an animal advocate.
5. I love my ability to connect people.
6. I love my ability to find opportunities for other people.
7. I love my ability to network despite my introverted personality.
8. I love that I'm teaching myself how to cook and eat healthier.
9. I love my hair.
10. I love how I can get along with almost anyone.

I really enjoyed this exercise and I think I will continue to write them down as they come to me. It's important that one love themselves because that is where the love for others grows. Reminds me of a song I used to sing:

"Birdhouse In Your Soul"
They Might Be Giants

I'm your only friend
I'm not your only friend
But I'm a little glowing friend
But really I'm not actually your friend
But I am

...and while you're at it
keep the nightlight on inside the
birdhouse in your soul

H2O Boost - Slice It Up!

How many times have you been told to drink more water? Doesn't eight 8 ounce. glasses of water sound like a lot? 1.9 liters sounds even worse to me. And just think about all those trips to the "oval office" because your bladder is screaming at you?

Well, guess what? You really should be drinking all that water because it provides major health benefits. Water flushes toxins out of vital organs and carries nutrients to your cells. It's about as important as breathing. However, water is pretty plain tasting compared to coffee, tea or soda. Let me remind you of a simple (and tasty) way for you to flavor your water AND introduce even MORE health benefits.

Here it is! Are you ready?

Add a slice of lemon, lime or orange. If you really want to get fancy, add some mint or basil. Yeah, I know. Simple, right? Just adding a slice of citrus to your water will increase your vitamin C intake and help you fight cancer by bringing your body into a more balanced alkaline state.

Lemons and the like are packed with other nutrients too, like B-complex vitamins, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and fiber. Here's a fun fact: they contain more potassium than apples or grapes! Shut the front door! 

I'm not saying you should stop taking whole food supplements, but it definitely can't hurt to add a little more to your vitamin intake throughout the day, every day, in a tasty way. Cheers!

Before The Plan

Seeing my eating habits now, you wouldn't even recognize my diet compared to what it was two months ago. Even my shopping habits are different. Believe it or not, I'm spending LESS on food because I'm cooking more and eating out less. Who ever said that eating healthier is more expensive is probably shopping at Whole Foods (or Whole Paycheck as many call it).

Before "The Plan", I would have a cup of coffee for breakfast and eat lunch at 11:30.  Lunch would consist of a sandwich, pretzels and maybe a few Oreo cookies. I would buy pizza at Porky's and call four slices dinner. My night time snack was a half a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Hey, it was from Trader Joe's so it must be kinda healthy, right?

Yeah, I had a wicked sweet tooth, but only second to my wicked salt addiction. I put salt on everything, and I mean EVERYTHING. Either granulated table salt or something like salted butter or soy sauce, it went on rice, popcorn, eggs, veggies, fruit... yes, even fruit, especially watermelon and cantaloupe. Salty foods like cheese and crackers pair really well with wine. Being a Sr. Wine Consultant with WineShop At Home made it easy for me to be around these types of foods consistently.

Looking back on what my daily food intake consisted of, it's tough not to be absolutely horrified, but it sure did explain why my "big pants" grew uncomfortably tight. Would you believe that I don't crave salt or sugar now? Would you believe I get excited about bell peppers and hummus as much as I used to get excited about pasta and garlic bread?

Before "The Plan", I was headed toward certain illness. I am so grateful that this plan came into my life and for the person who introduced me to it, I am forever indebted to her. It changed my life and for the better. If I could pay it forward, to do that for someone else, it would be a true blessing.

BEFORE "THE PLAN"

13 Is A Lucky Number

Many people associate the number 13 with something unlucky. For me, 13 is a great number.  It's the date that my lovely daughter was born. It's also the number of pounds I've lost on my 8-week summer slim down challenge. Next Wednesday will mark the final week in the Ignition phase. It would be great to end this challenge with a loss of 15 pounds, so that is my goal for the week. I'd like to get back to 155 lbs which is where I was before I ballooned up to 170 lbs. Then I will continue to my ultimate goal: 135 lbs. That will be only 20 lbs away and this plan makes it totally achievable!

Here are my results this week:

Weight:  157.7 lbs (-1.9 lbs)
Neck: 13.75 in (-.25 in)
Bust: 42.5 in (+.25 in)
Waist: 35 in (-.5 in.)
Hips: 41.75 in (-.25 in)
Thigh: 18.5 in (-.5 in)
Arm: 11.5 in ( - )

We measured something new tonight: body fat percentage. I came in at 30% which is "normal" for my age, but it's a few points away from "healthy". If you have too high of a percentage, it could mean you're a good candidate for heart disease, heart attacks and diabetes. I'm looking forward to seeing that percentage go down.

Antonio Meade from TNT Gourmet Treats came by to share some vegan treats with us too. They were delicious and Antonio was invited to another networking meeting to share his baking philosophy. Antonio and his treats were well received! If you're looking for a yummy, but healthy, alternative for a birthday cake or treats for a special occasion or holiday party, contact Antonio. He can custom bake anything you dream up! Yes, he's THAT good! We were very lucky that he came to our meeting tonight!

Almond Milk vs. Soy Milk

There's this big debate on which is better for you: Almond Milk or Soy.  In my Wellness Club, Almond Milk is the better choice according to our licensed nutritionists.  However, I didn't really understand why that was until recently.

I was at a friends house for dinner one night.  Their diet consists of very clean eating because the wife had gone through some major health issues and found out that she is allergic to gluten and her body has a difficult time processing certain foods.  It was a very educational night as I stood watching the husband cook dinner for his family and his guests.  All the while, I asked him questions about why he made the choices he made about their diet.  A lot of it was through trial and error and quite a bit of research.  They even go as far as preparing their own dressings and marinades and storing food in glass instead of plastic.

I brought up the Almond Milk vs. Soy question.  He said that the reason why soy was not good for you is because it contains estrogen and can really muck up a woman's menstrual cycle not to mention increase the risk of breast cancer.  I had not heard this before, so I did some research and this is what I found:

Soy can act like estrogen

Soy foods (such as tofu, tempeh, edamame, miso, many veggie burgers, and other products made with soy flour) contain isoflavones, which are chemically similar to estrogens. Two major types, genistein and daidzein, can act like estrogen in the body, although at a very small fraction of the potency of circulating free estrogen in women.  

Soy doesn't necessarily "contain" estrogen, but contain chemicals that are "similar to" and "act like" estrogen.  Regardless of these details, I have personally decided on using almond milk instead of soy based on the fact that soy does contain chemicals that could potentially be harmful to my body.  It's your choice, but I encourage you to do your due diligence and research it for yourself instead of following the "soy is better" herd blindly.

I recently got a smoothy at Jamba Juice and asked for a protein boost.  They asked me if I wanted soy or whey - so they give you the choice which is nice.  The debate rages on between Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts.  You be the judge, but judge wisely.  Your comments are welcome!

Who Do You Listen To?

I was reading a recipe recently and the author said she uses white rice instead of brown rice because it digests easier.  Then I read a cereal box that stated brown rice is better for your digestion.  Uhhhh... what?  It seemed contrary to one another until I asked a licensed nutritionist and the mystery was explained.

White rice is processed and goes through your digestive tract quicker. That's not necessarily better.  Brown rice is natural and it takes longer to digest. The benefit is that the slow digestion doesn't drive up your blood sugar as quickly. I've learned that controlling your blood sugar is a big part of the weight loss battle in addition to sustaining energy.

Here's another one: Muscle weighs more than fat.  I know you've heard this one before but it didn't make sense to me.  I mean, pound for pound, it would be the same right?  Right!  BUT, per square inch, muscle does weigh more.  It just doesn't take up as much ROOM as fat.  Muscle is more dense.

There are so many mixed messages out there in regards to health and wellness.  The industry is predicted to be the next trillion dollar industry! There are so many theories and gimmicks out there, so beware of who you listen to! Use your common sense. Anything that makes you lose weight without changing what you eat or exercising is probably not good for you.

The results of my plan this week weren't all that different from the week before. I still lost a little bit of weight but my measurements didn't really change. I'm going to focus more on my choices and when Aunt Flow leaves, I'm sure my bloating will decrease.  I have two more weeks to go on the Ignite phase and I am so happy to have lost over 10 pounds so far.  Still feeling good!!

Next week, my friend Antonio Meade from TNT Gourmet Treats will be bringing gluten-free treats to the Wellness Club meeting. I'll be missing Bunco for the first time in a long time, but this lifestyle change is very important to me.  It's working for me and it's working for my friends as well.  I love seeing the results! Let me know if you would like to join me for the meeting on Wednesday, September 10th at 6:30pm.