Definitely FTW (For the Win!) is Patricia Wexler’s at home microbrasion / resurfacing system. It came with the sampler pack I purchased for $65 (minus my $15 off coupon from Bath & Body Works) so essentially it was a great deal, AND a great product. My skin feels like a baby’s bottom AND it didn’t cost me any facial money!

Check out RetailMeNot.com for coupons to damn near anything online AND offline!

I’ve got a handful of products that I honestly feel will change your life, and I’ve decided to share them with you all, my readers! This is NOT going to be a promotional free giveaway from whoever wants to sell their product, this is going to be a custom made, from me to you, sponsored by me, fabulous prize giveaway.

I don’t know what the contest is going to consist of, but it will be something simple that everyone can easily participate in, and it will run a few weeks to give everyone a chance to submit. I’ve got prizes already lined up for you because they are products that I use on a weekly basis, and SWEAR by. Check it out:

MAKEUP
1. MAC lipglass in C-Thru
1. MAC PlushLash mascara in black
1. MAC eyeshadow in RicePaper
1. 212 Flat Definer Brush
Model in a Bottle
C.O. Bigelow “My Favorite Lip Balm”
Nordtrom Train Case

WELLNESS
Stevia Packets
Chinese herbal formula appetite control tea bags
Individually packed moisturizing hand wipes (antibac of course)

BODY
African Shea Butter & Black Soap
Whole Foods Sweet Almond Oil
Bath & Body Works Midnight Pomegranite Body Wash & Cream set
Exfoliating body towel
Eco-Chic green shopping bag

NAILS
Sally Hansen HD nail polish (color of your choice)
Seche Vite Fast Drying top coat
Burt’s Bees Cuticle oil
*Delivered in a Neiman Marcus white patent leather tote that I swear by to keep my nail stuff in.

HAIR
Alterna Hemp & Caviar travel packs (GREAT for the gym)
Moisture control hair towels
Velcro dry rollers

plus grab bags from all the gazillions sample packets that i always run into.

Ok so off the top of my head, those are the prize packages that I can think of so stay tuned for the rules & fun stuff! xoxo!!

If you haven’t joined us for the fantastic Yoga & Wine Groove on wednesday nights at Bodyworks Studio, trust me, you are missing out. Gretta’s heated poses will wash a complete newness into your entire body. Afterwards, we indulge in a small glass of wine and chit chat a bit about goals, aspirations, current events, and whatever else comes to mind. It’s a great little ‘me time’ that definitely lends to a great night’s sleep!

Tonight I’m going to bring a nice bottle of Chateau St. Jean 2007 Riesling California.

Tasting Notes – Crisp and lively Riesling is mouth-filling, lush and pleasingly sweet. The wine bursts with inviting aromas of peach, nectarine, apple blossom and a hint of minerality. The vibrant acidity accentuates the wonderful flavors of pear and melon. It should be a nice, refreshing introduction to some yum summertime wine!

If you missed Trina’s Sunrise Yoga at the Beach this last time around, it’s your lucky day because word on the street is that she is going to do it again. We met up at the studio and carpooled to the beach.

We had SUCH an amazing time!! Being a California native AND growing up in the area, I had never been to El Matador beach area, and it was simply perfect for yoga. The waves were crashing, the weather just a bit overcast and cooling, and the movement, completely hypnotic.

Both Trina and Gretta instructed the course, Gretta leading and doing poses for the intermediate to advanced practitioner, and Trina doing the modified poses for beginners. It was truly ideal for all levels! After our Hatha yoga routine, Gretta followed it with some light Pilates to really get our abs worked out, and ended with a deep meditation and visualization exercise, while we laid on our mats and listened to the waves crash on the rocks. Bliss!!!

After class was over and we came back to the present moment, Trina had some refuel snacks of gala apples, yummy yogurt and vanilla & strawberry granola bars and a cold bottle of water. We ate, relaxed, visited and took photos…a perfect, PERFECT Sunday afternoon!

We carpooled back to Bodyworks Studio, and I was super excited to go home, shower up and watch the Laker playoff game 7. Right before halftime, while still in my robe and freshly moisturized, I fell asleep into the deepest slumber I have EVER taken. DUDE. Through the WHOLE halftime show, the ENTIRE 2nd half AND the aftergame interviews and shows. I even slept through the Locker Room interviews, which has NEVER happened. I woke up with slobber all over my face and feeling completely brand new. I never really realized how powerful getting your body balanced can be! I can’t wait for the next one – I just hope it’s not on the morning of another important Laker game haha!!

For more information on the amazing classes & fitness field trips, be sure to visit
Body Works Fitness and Dance Studio

Click here for photos from BodyWorks’ Sunrise Yoga in Malibu.

So, since the Swine Flu has taken over our media outlets and the advice from our President is to wash our hands, make sure you keep it fabulous and stock up on the Bath and Body Works Antibacterial collection, so you can not only disinfect, but you can match your favorite scent as well. I saw them on sale at the retail location 4 for $10 this past weekend. Here is a printable coupon for $10 off any $30 purchase at Bath and Body Works retail location.

Ahhh yea, you know you like it!

If you have never had an at-home massage, trust me, you are totally missing out!!! Usually much cheaper, WAY more relaxing, and totally more convenient, I really don’t know why anyone would ever go to a spa for a regular massage after having one at home!

It has occurred to me though that some people may not know how to actually go about getting one, so I thought I would copy some of the info that Diana has provided on her Facebook page detailing her home visit and what you can expect of the appointment:

“Positive touch encourages growth, development and feeling of well-being. Vilchis Touch provides Professional and Therapeutic Touch. Before each Massage Session, it is required that you take a hot shower in order to enhance the benefits of the treatment, relax tensed areas, and create a clean surface for your pores.”

First time visit and what to expect:

Continue reading ‘Diana Vilchis : First Visit’

Ok people: Due to popular demand, I am sharing my super-good AM smoothie recipe. Here it is:

1 banana (75 approx)
1 scoop of BioChem raw protein powder (100 calories)
1 cup of Chocolate No Sugar added Almond Milk (45 calories)
1 tsp Maca powder (25 calories)
1/8 tsp of Blue Green Algae flakes
1 dash Nutmeg
1 dash Cinammon
1 tsp flax seed oil (10 calories)
1 cup crushed ice/water combo
1 pack stevia extract with tahitian ground vanilla bean (0 calories)
……………………….
255 total calories.
Put all items in a blender and go at it until you are happy with the consistency

Nutritional supplement benefits:
Fiber – for digestive health

Potassium – for sore muscles, regulating blood pressure and building protein strains.

Vitamin C – major antioxidant rich food, helps fight against infection, helps absorption of iron in food for the body.

Blue Green Algae – inhibits histamine, great for suppressing allergic reactions, fights against free radicals and other environmental pollutants, and since it has no cell walls is an easily digestive protein supplement. *

** PLEASE do be particular where you purchase your Blue Green Algae, I ONLY buy the organic flakes that are derived from natural oceanic sources available from Whole Foods. There are pyramid companies out there that are selling Blue Green Algae that are derived from toxic lakes and therefore the benefits will totally work against you. Remember, if you are going to be good to your body, let your mind make the better decisions on what you put into your body!

Almond Milk: lactose free, rich in vitamin E which is known to assist in detoxing the body and flushing as well as building protecting antioxidant elements.

BioChem Raw Protein Powder – 100% raw so all nutrients are easily digestible. Whey protein, which is a protein source with no added fat or lactose. 1 serving will provide 20 grams of protein. You can get it at Whole Foods or any health food store.

Maca – Miracle root powder from Peru. Said to increase libido, energy, stamina, regulate hormonal imbalances, aids in an overall feeling of wellbeing, mood elevator, reduces anxiety and stress, reduces anemia, helps heal wounds, increase circulation in the body, increases fertility, alleviates fatigue, increases sexual function, helps build muscle. YES, I am dead serious. This stuff is the BOMB and one of the best things you can give yourself. Better than those corny self hugs that you do after  yoga class.

Last night was my 2nd Pilates class at Bodyworks studio, and can you say good GOD?? I think if I do this for at least 4 months, I will start to notice a change in my body, since the first 4 minutes made a change in my lungs LOL!!! Here is a video of Gretta’s teaching style. Her voice is smooth, the music is chill, but the poses are ass-kicking. Nice combo, eh?

The 12 week fitness bootcamp/total body nutrition class is, sadly, coming to an end. Our last class is on Tuesday. We are getting measured, weighed in and then heading out to a local salsa club to celebrate the ending and get our salsa dance on! We have our last field trip today.

Our hike is going to be focused on trying to beat our time that we had last hike. Here’s hoping to being stronger/faster/healthier!

Salud!

Do you Splenda your day away? I used to. I also used to sugar-saturate my days away. All of that has changed now, and I feel SO much better. OMG…SO much better! I learned through lots of research that Splenda was actually causing me more damage than it was helping in my quest for a healthier lifestyle. Here is some of the super important stuff that I found out during my days in the dark, and actually brought about an enlightened lifestyle that has me diet coke-free, coffee- limited and sugar balanced life. AND feeling amazing:

A side effect of Splenda is that if you consume it, the chemical makeup actually blocks the effect of some prescription drugs, which could be really dangerous if you are on medication for chemotherapy, aids, hiv or blood thinning medications.  Another bad thing? it depletes your body of metabolism increasing enzymes and probiotics that your body needs.

All you have to do to get eductated on all the negative side effects that Splenda causes, along with other sugar subsitutes is to google splenda. there are thousands of case studies that will detail all of the outcomes. I wouldn’t put my health in the hands of the actual company that manufactures splenda.

There are lots of alternatives for the over-sugar filled lifestyle that we lead, the most effective one being to re-train yourself to not oversaturate your body with the toxins of overly sweet poisonous stuff. Natural and organic do taste better – you just have to develop your palate. During the process of reconditioning, you can use agave nectar or stevia extract to help you through for natural and SAFE ways to address your sweet tooth.

you can get agave online, or at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods or any other health oriented grocer.

Like Oprah says “Those who know better, do better”. Let’s get good, and teach one another the truth.

To put it simply, moisturizers really only act as a blocking mechanism to keep your hydrated skin, well, hydrated. When you apply your lotion, you are really layering on a thick barrier to keep whatever moisture is already in the skin layers, in.

So to get the best out of your moisturizer, make sure that you stay hydrated by drinking LOTS of water, and put on your moisturizer right after your shower, to lock in the most hydration as possible. As an added measure for extra dry skin (like I have these days) I apply a home made mixture of half and half when I am still damp. Here’s my recipe:

1 pump of Alba’s unscented extra emolient mositurizer
1 pump of SunSpa’s essential Aruvedic oil
rub together and massage into skin. Typically one pump of each will be enough for 1 limb/area, so I use a total of approximately 6 pump combos total. The reason why I prefer to get the unscented moisturizer is so that I am free to get different varieties of the essential oil blends without it being too perfumy. This way, I get a dual layer of blocking in my skin’s existing moisture, and don’t get as dry/tight/ashy as often.

for details on some of my favorite essential oils: Continue reading ‘Moisturizer Doesn’t Really Moisturize, You know.’

When I first saw ‘Pilates’ on the gym schedule, I thought it was pronounced ‘pie-lates’ but it’s not. It’s pronounced ‘pee-lah-tays’ just an fyi for those of you who are in the same boat I was. Ok onto my review:

I have a long relationship with Pilates. I’ve seen close and personal friends of mine transform their entire body with a strong comittment to Pilates, and so I have also decided to slowly incorporate the sessions into my life. When my BFF gave me her Windsor Pilates dvd set, I instantly fell in love with the 20 minute workout, which is what I used for the first few months. As I gained familiarity with the titles of movements, I realized a few things about myself. I have absolutely NO core strength, and if this was the case, then how was I ever going to actually go to a class and participate when I can’t even keep up with a video??

Three years later, I finally attended my first 2 Pilates class, and with two completely different structures. I have found that Windsor pilates is probably the best format of all three, instruction and pace wise. The Pilates class at the gym is more like a power-pilates-get-your-ass-in-gear-do-it-like-i-say-or-your-ass-is-grass format, while the pilates class at BodyWorks Studio is calm, relaxing, challenging, yet zen, but not much instruction on the moves.

Either way, I still think that Winsor Pilates is the best of the best, and am so glad that I have it in my life

And so my 20 year love affair with Victoria Secret’s scented BodySplash/spray has come to an abrupt ending. Starting off after a graduation gift from high school, and making it’s solid appearance during my college years, Victoria’s Secret spray had been a main staple in my life for a good solid 20 years and running…easily. After 35, though, I just felt like something wasn’t right anymore. Something just wasn’t clicking…and I couldn’t really figure it out. At first I thought that maybe it was the young-ish scents that were throwing me off…so I opted for more ‘sophisticated’ scents, like “Amber Romance” in lieu of “Love Spell’. After a couple of years of not really feeling right and consistent with Victoria’s Secret spray…I finally decided to really give it some thought.

I had been really having problems with dry skin and the lack of being able to moisturize effectively, even though I am eating right, drinking my water and taking my vitamins. Every time I went to get a massage, my therapist would suggest that I drink more water, because my skin was super dry. I would always leave wondering how I could possibly drink more water, as really, water is the only thing I drink. I don’t do sodas or juice or anything else, I don’t drink alcohol, and I exercise on a regular basis. I decided to start my investigation with my common denominators. Looking closer into the products that I use on a regular basis. After two decades of using VS’s body spray, I really never bothered to check the ingredients, because when I was 19, I just never cared. The first ingredient listed is Alcohol. The water. Then fragrance. WOW. I was shocked. How could I have been so blind?? Or so ignorant? The stuff that I had held so dear to my daily routine was what was harming me the most. I suppose this situation could be applied to many variables in every day life, but it just really sucks when it comes to light.

And so another chapter in my life closes, and change occurs. Positive, healthy change. Yesterday I deleted Victoria’s Secrets body everything from my beauty routine. Farewell, dear friend.

Everyone should incorporate aloe vera into their life, in my humble opinion. Sure, it’s a very dramatic looking organic, you can snap the spears open easily and reap the benefits of a healing gel, and it is virtually impossible to kill for those of you (me included) with a purple thumb…but have you ever considered actually consuming aloe vera? Incorporating 2-4 ounces of aloe into your daily diet can improve:
- Circulation
- Constipation
- Regulate blood sugars
- Detoxify the body; cleanse the colon
- Improve immune system with it’s antibacterial/anti fungal properties.

Still want more? How’s this:

“Aloe vera works to both reduce and stabilize the body mass index by stimulating the metabolic rate in our liver cells so that we burn more energy. The energy used for this comes from fat and carbohydrate stores in the body. Drinking aloe vera juice every day has been likened to doing multiple workouts throughout the week. Aloe has a high content of collagen protein. When you drink aloe vera juice every day, the body has to spend additional energy to assimilate its protein into your system. This extra expenditure of energy also supports weight loss and muscle development. Aloe vera reduces the amount of time food stays in your intestine, which means that less energy is absorbed from the food.” Taken from AmericanChronicle.com

I take it daily in a cranberry/aloe drink mix, usually after my workout. I also have a probiotic supplement that I take every morning that contains significant traces of aloe vera in it’s components, so I’m taking it twice a day. Other ways that you can consume aloe off the top of my head would be to throw some aloe suppliments in a smoothie, as a juice, or even as a daily supplement from your natural food store. If you’d like to know the details on the ArdysLife supplements that I personally take, drop me an email and I will send you the details. Or you can go to your local health food store.

While it’s not too great these days to sizzle in the sun for prolonged lengths of time without the adequate protection, a daily dose of sunshine and fresh air is good for the body & mind.  Check out this bit of info that I got from my VitaCost.com daily newsletter:

“Vitamin D is necessary for the maintenance of healthy phosphorous levels in the body and works with a number of other vitamins, minerals and hormones to promote bone mineralization. Vitamin D3, also known as cholecalciferol, is a form of vitamin D manufactured by the body when the skin is exposed to the UV rays of the sun. It may be necessary to add a vitamin D supplement to the diet due to inclement weather, aging, excessive use of alcohol, strict vegetarian (vegan) diets and overactive parathyroid glands.”