Manolo Blognik

I do a lot of things that Pinterest tells me to. Foolish? I will probably have some fails to share with you in the near future. We all know that coconut oil has many uses are it is fun to keep exploring to see what works for me. One use that popped up on my feed, was to use it as a face wash. 1. Rub coconut all over face. 2. Place a hot/warm cloth over the face for 10-15 seconds to open pores and allow more oil in. 3. Wash off excessive coconut oil. 4. Feel how clean and moisturized your face is! I no longer need to put moisturizer on after washing my face. To know why this works: Over Thrown Martha

I am not completely sold on this, I have used various brands from drug store to salon and I don’t notice a huge difference. That being said, I wouldn’t stop using it to find out what would happen if I were to switch. I know. Terrible review. But let me know your thoughts.

It is an urban myth, it doesn’t actually happen, does it? I always swear I am never going to get another professional manicure because I figure I can do a better job  and most of the time that is true. But I always seem to keep going back…you can’t have a pedi without a mani? It is inhumane. Even when I do it myself and am oh so careful and take my time, something always gets fucked up. Why oh why!?

Ootd's from this weekend. Dinner at Nome Drinks at Real Sports Bar

It has been over a year since I last discussed my PCOS. I kept seeing my naturopath and with her help I am basically symptom free. Before: Horrible PMS At 3pm my body would shut down Bad joints Bad sleeping habits Now: Take magnesium for joints Cut out as much carbohydrates, sugar & caffeine as possible Exercise way more Take iron, Inositol, B complex, vitamin D drops Better sleep, not perfect. I can work throughout the day and still have energy to go workout after work, which is incredible in itself since I would just go home and lay around until bedtime. Exercise has helped with PMS, I still feel it sometimes but it is usually only a few hours where I want to kill everyone and eat everything. I also think it has helped me sleep better. Seriously, AOR Magnesium Malmate is amazing for sore muscles and joints. I take 2 at dinner, making me less restless at night and feel little to no DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). My weight is stil

Seriously though, what was I thinking? I challenged my boyfriend to running 100k in the month of October. 5 days in an I am ready to give in the towel. I got the idea from someone on Instagram. They did it, why can’t I? I had all but stopped running because after the Sporting Life 10K (which ended up being very painful) I decided running wasn't for me. I thought I gave it my all and it never gave me much in return. Until the pounds started returning and creeping up… Now I have come to realize it is a necessary evil. Crossfit just isn't doing it for me, so I am going to supplement it with running. Why the crazy amount of KMs? I also have a cruise coming up that I would like to comfortably wear a bikini for. Wish me luck.

I think it's important to have support and surround yourself with like minded people when  making a lifestyle change. It's also a good idea to make it fun. Thus, I organized a paleo potluck at work! I made cabbage roll enchiladas and there was lemon grass chicken over cauliflower rice, zoodles, bacon wrapped pineapple and macaroons!

 Weeee I made it, a lot faster than I thought too! I still want it to be less brassy but this is what I got after only two trips to the hair stylist. From this:

I drank the Kool-Aid. I admit it. after downright refusing to full on “no, lets skip that and go to crossfit instead.”  I am addicted. However, I do not have any drastic before and after pictures to show you.  I actually gained and have remained the same. Annoying? Aggravating? Frustrating? Downright WTF? Yes. But, what makes me even more mad, is that I care. I love my body and really tried to get over caring about #’s. but the fact that I am not getting drastic, jaw-dropping results is a blow to the ego. I am lifting bigger weights, getting faster times and able to do things I never thought possible, so things are happening. I am coming to terms with it, that I will actually be this size for the rest of my life (have been since a teen). I feel amazing after completing a class and feel invincible. I look at the WOD as soon as it is posted, complain how hard it is going to be, question the sanity of the programmers, then secretly get really excited.

My mother was in town and of course we shopped almost every day. One of the items on our list was a dress for a wedding I was attending the following weekend. While trying on dresses my mother kept not-so-subtly kept mentioning these dresses would look SO much better if I had a tan. Thanks mom. I found a place near my house that was able to take me that week so I didn't have to meet people as my ghostly self. They told me to make sure I exfoliated thoroughly before I came in and not to put any lotions on my body. I went into a room and was asked to strip down either all the way or to my undies (no bra). Being a scared newbie I kept my undies on and lotioned my knees and elbows. The technician came in, I stepped into a little tent and she sprayed me up and down. It was over in what felt like 5 minutes. After she was done she told me to take a look, I went to the mirror and thought Oh, well that was a let down. Then she said look at your panty lines to compare. I was blown aw

I am going to do more research to find out! I went from a deep, vibrant red to blonde. My hairdresser almost had a stroke. By the grace of some god, it only took me one trip to the salon. Which NEVER happens. But they stripped my red and were able to put a dirty  blonde over that matched my roots. I am happy with the results, but waiting for my hair to be super healthy to go back and get either highlights or ombre. Before:  After: Soon:

I always swipe a coat of mascara on the back of my eyelashes (the wand is between my eyelid and lashes) and emphasize the curl. More coverage and curl!

I have been pretty proud of my steady weight-loss. It has not been a drastic change, just making better choices and exercising more. I am really please with the results, not only do I love the way I look, but I feel amazing too. As I previously posted, I struggle with PCOS, and one thing I found that reduced a lot of symptoms was exercise and no sugar. However, I have set some really high goals this year to take this great feeling to the next level. It seems that next level is within reach, I just can't grasp it fully, it is brushing my finger tips. So to make me accountable I am putting it out in the universe via this blog. I will grab that next level and pull myself up to it. 1. No more 3pm chocolates. 2. Exercise 5 days/week 3. Run the whole 10k on May 11 4. Only 3 meals out/week If that doesn't get me past the next 10lbs, I am doomed.

I was warned against all cleanses, but I thought this one would not be as bad because it you aren't starving yourself and was recommended by a naturopath. So, after the Christmas holidays I wanted to reset my body with the Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox Created by  a doctor from Calgary (thus the wild rose name), the program consists of take a bunch of  pills twice a day and these horrible tasting drops. For $45 you can grab this at basically any health food store, I got mine at Noah's. It is fairly easy and you are allowed to eat quite a bit. I may have found this easier than most because I eat a pretty plant based diet. I found a few good recipes on Pinterset that are wild rose approved. The first few days I spent some quality time with the bathroom, but after that I became fairly regular. Overall, I felt great during and after. Cravings weren't too too bad. There were a couple days my fellow detoxer had to slap my hand away from the chocolate.

Sigh. When being a leader in beauty & fashion has its disadvantages: Remember who had it first, girl. *Please note that I am joking.