DIY Face Scrubs

I'm all about finding ways to do things naturally instead of using already made products that are full of chemicals. There are some stores that sell organic or products made with natural ingredients but they can get pretty pricey  because they have to pay more to license and be able to sell their product even though there is less ingredients. That's just blows my mind! So I've experimented with a few things that I always have at home. They all work great but I do have a favourite. Here are my top 3:

1) Honey and cinnamon - I am a mason jar queen and for my scrubs I use the really small ones. Fill the jar with honey and add a few table spoons of cinnamon, then mix well until all blended together. Everyone has a different preference so I would rub a little on your hand to feel the grittiness on your skin. Some people might like more cinnamon, some might like less but the cinnamon is a great exfoliant, and the honey is a great moisturizer. 

2) Baking soda scrub - Fill a small jar with baking soda, combine enough distilled water and mix to make a paste and a few drops of grapefruit essential. You use distilled water because there are impurities in tap water and  your scrub will mold if not used right away. This is another great exfoliant. Your face will feel really smooth after this scrub.

3) Epsom salt scrub - Fill a small jar with epsom salt and enough almond oil to coat all the grains of epsom and add a few drops of grapefruit essential oil. This one is a little messier because it's not like a paste and you need to be in the tub or over a sink as piece of epsom salt will fall but this works good as well.

My favourite is the honey and cinnamon because I am hypothyroid and this one seems to moisturize my skin the best after the scrub. But the baking soda scrub is a close second because it is a really good exfoliant.  You can use other essential oils in your scrub as well.  I just find the grapefruit and citrus scents refreshing on my face. Try them out and see which one is your favourite. :)

Natural Eye Makeup Remover

The first thing that most women do before going to bed is to remove their makeup. I found out by accident that you can use coconut oil. It has so many uses. I keep a container of coconut oil in my kitchen and one in my bedroom. I also use it in my homemade lotions. But found out that it also works great as a eye makeup remover. What?! I put some on my face one day because my lotion container was in a different room. Rubbing it over my eyes and completely forgetting that my full clown face is on...aka makeup lol Well it was down my cheeks after one swipe. Enter thought bubble!! I actually put some on my eyelids and used a makeup cotton pad and wow. All gone! It makes sense because it's a fat but not something that I would normally think to remove my makeup. I've been using it for the past 2 months and even my eye lashes have grown, thickened and even naturally curl right now. That is huge for someone that is hypothyroid as we are constantly losing hair, including eye lashes and eye brows. I even noticed that because I use coconut oil in my lotions that my eye brow are also filling out because the hairs are growing as well.  I wish this was a planned experiment because I would of taken before and after pictures of my eye lashes and the increased length. But just try it yourself and you will see it in a few weeks. I use the solid coconut oil and just let it slightly melt in my fingers and then apply. A little goes a long way and is cheaper than buying the eye makeup remover at the store. I'm all about natural and saving money at the same time. :)

Ladies....Let's Talk Lifting

Ladies.....Let's talk about lifting. I know that when I first picked up a set of hand weights to add to my Jillian Michaels workout videos after I had my kids I only picked up 1 lbs and 3 lbs weights. I was really afraid to use them too much because I didn't want to end up looking like a man or a woman on steroids. But that is just a myth and everyone especially women over 30 should be lifting weights at least 3 times a week. Yep you heard right!

Throughout the years I have read this in my health books, blogs and even in podcast from top professional personal trainers and they all say the same thing. Lifting weights is the best workout you could add to your daily routine. You don't have to be lifting 100 lbs to make a difference. Start with 1 lb weights and keep increasing when you feel like is it getting too easy for you and you will see changes if you stick with it.

Here are the top reasons to pick up those weights:

1) You will lose body fat. Muscles burn more calories, which then speeds up metabolism and in turn you will lose fat.
2) You will gain strength without bulking up. You get toned and lean.
3) You decrease your risk of osteoporosis (biggy for those entering pre-menopause or menopause) Weight lifting helps maintain strong/dense bones.
4) You will improve your athletic performance/abilities.
5) You will be physically stronger.
6) Reduces risk of injury, back pain and arthritis. If your used to lifting things all the time, tasks like cleaning out the garage or moving boxes around will not cause injuries because your body is already used to it.
7) Reduces risk of diabetes because it improves the way you process sugar.
8) Reduces risk of heart disease because you will lower cholesterol, blood pressure etc...
9) It's never too late to start. You can begin at any age, there is no age limit to this!
10) Improves attitude and fights depression. You ever notice that after a workout even though you may feel tired, there is this high. Lifting weights will do the same and help regulate your hormones and how your body deals with stress and life's little bumps in the road.

You don't necessarily need to have weights to work your muscles either. Using your own body weight to train is cheap and easy. Your legs contain your biggest muscles in your body and best exercise for them is squats. That's one way to train them and it involves nothing but actually doing the work and sticking with it. But I have come up with a list below to show some of the best lifting and resistance exercises to help your body's main groups. Arms, abs and legs:

• squats
• lunges
• overhead press
• bent over row
• superman
• chest fly
• dumbell pullover
• bicep hammer curl
• basic ab crunch
• dead lift
• push up
• planks

You will see that most of these exercises involve using your body weight to strengthen and tone. The only thing you really need beyond that is hand weights. You could add a resistance band and a yoga ball if you find it uncomfortable sitting or laying on the floor for some moves. I did some web surfing to found some visual aids for some of the exercises you could do. You will see then you can do one move at a time or combine moves to workout out different muscle groups.

Always remember that eating healthy, getting enough sleep and drinking plenty of water are important as well. You will not get the results you want by just exercising. It all goes hand in hand. You can incorporate some cardio in between these workouts and remember to rotate muscle groups to give them a rest. You hear it all the time...."Today is leg day"  When is yours? :)

Benefits of Taking Magnesium

Being hypothyroid, I take magnesium to help relieve muscle stress, irregularity and to help me sleep at night. But magnesium has much more health benefits than this. Here are the top benefits of adding extra magnesium to your diet:

• helps increase energy
• calms nerves
• helps you fall asleep, helps with insomnia
• helps relieve constipation (common symptom from hypothyroidism)
• relieves muscles aches and spasms
• regulates calcium, potassium, sodium levels
• important for heart health
• prevents migraine headaches
• helps prevent osteoporosis

The recommended daily dose for women is around 300 mg and 400 mg for men. So if you are already eating high magnesium foods you probably won't need the supplements but I don't always eat the foods on the list below and the extra magnesium helps me out with my thyroid symptoms. 

Here is a list of foods that are high in magnesium. :

• spinach (1 cup - 157 mg)
• swiss chard (1 cup - 150 mg)
• black beans (1 cup - 120 mg)
• mung beans (1 cup - 97 mg
• almonds (1/4 cup - 97 mg
• cashews (1/4 cup - 91 mg)
• potatoes (1 large - 85 mg)
• pumpkin seeds (1/4 cup - 42 mg)
• avocado (1 raw - 39 mg
• bananas (1 whole - 37 mg)
• broccoli (1 cup - 32 mg)
• brussels sprouts (1 cup - 32 mg)

As you can see from the list it wouldn't take much to get your daily dose in from fresh food. But if interested in adding a supplement of magnesium to your daily diet, this is the one that I am currently using and bought this at my local Pure Nature store. 

Always make sure to consult your physician or do some research before taking any supplement. You wouldn't want it to interfere with any medication or other vitamins and supplements you are taking. Best bet is to eat it from your food. Nom nom nom! :)

30 Day Plank Challenge

If you want to start an exercise but don't know where to start here is a 30 day plank challenge for you with regular and modified plank poses. You start where you need to and work your way up. Don't worry if you need to modify, everyone starts somewhere. As long as you stick with it you will see results. You can start the 30 days modified and then when complete start another 30 days doing regular planks. :)

Here is the 30 day calendar to follow. Look at all the muscles that you are using by just holding yourself up. It doesn't look like much but you will definitely see results and feel stronger at the end of this challenge.

If your not quite there and need the modification you can go with image 1 which is a standing plank. Just make sure that you are doing it against something solid that will not move on you. If you feel like you could go a bit further but not a full plank go with image 2 modified plank. Then work your way up. Happy planking! :)

Optimal Times to Take Your Vitamins and Supplements

Many people like myself take vitamins and supplements to help give their bodies that extra needed boost it needs to keep up with everyday life. I take Vitamin C, D, Magnesium and Probiotics as those all help with thyroid disease. I found this chart on-line and shows the optimal times to take your vitamins and supplements.

                                               

Home Remedies for Headaches/Migraines

My son was recently diagnosed with migraines and has seen the doc and hospital more than I would like over the past week and a half to find out what he had and why this headache wouldn't let up for a week. Yes a whole week! I've recently tried a few home remedies and here are the top findings to help relieve headaches and migraines. It doesn't mean that they will work for everyone but I always try to do it natural before pulling out the pain meds from the cabinet. I found out the hard way to react quickly once there is a slight hint of a headache because you will quickly reach a "past the point of no return" and then you have to pull out the advil/tylenol/motrin or poison of your choice. lol Here is the list:

• apple cider vinegar
• ice pack
• peppermint oil
• cayenne pepper
• chamomile
• ginger

There are more home remedies than this that I have found but these are the ones that are most likely to be in your house most of the time and will not need a trip to the grocery store. For my son, what worked best was the peppermint oil on the temples, with a cold cloth and being in a dark room away from noise and distractions. Just relaxing like this for about 30 mins seemed to reset his body. We went to a pediatrician yesterday and don't know what his triggers are yet but I know that he will be going to bed earlier and will be limiting his screen time and not allowed electronics about 2 hours before bed. It's too much stimulation before bed. This is still a learning process for us but thought I would share in case others have children with frequent headaches. Try to eat as clean as possible, less processed foods and found that even red dyes in food like ketchup can be triggers for migraines as well. Hope this helps. :)