Thursday, August 23, 2012

Zits, Zits, Zits....

The universe has played a cruel joke on my when it decided to give me grey hair and acne at the same time.  Seriously???
The other morning I woke up with a pimple so huge that my husband said it deserved a name...so I called her Estrogeena.  Later that day, her sister Hormonia decided to join the party on my face.  So, YAY...at the age of 39, I get to walk around with gray hair, crows feet, and some big a$$ pimples on my chin. Awesome.

This morning I discovered this little gem on Pinterest.  Its a chart that tells you why you have acne in certain areas of your face!
In high school my problem area was 1 and 2...makes sense...I did eat a lot of junk food, but I think that the 36 oz can of aqua-net a day to acheive these rockin  4 inch high bangs probably had a lot to do with the forehead acne too:
These days the pimples like to hang out in zone 11...which makes TOTAL sense.  (Warning: TMI Alert).  According to the chart, chin pimples are hormonal and happen when you are ovulating.  And guess what?  I'm ovulating.  Interestingly enough, the side you are ovulating on is the side you get the pimple on.  And guess what again?  i only have one ovary...on that side...the side where I always get a chin pimple.  I thought this was pretty cool.

This year, in order to try to get better skin, I have been testing out new products.  I am currently using the skincare line from Beauty Society.  I have only been using the products for a little over a week now, but am already noticing a difference in the softness and firmness of my skin.  I'll let you all know if I notice a big difference as the weeks progress.   *Just so you know, I do not sell or get kickbacks from Beauty Society for posting this.  It's just a product that I am enjoying and thought you might like to know about it :)

Anyway, hope you find the pimple chart helpful!



Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Spin-gina Pain

Oh how I love my spin class.  A sweaty, tough cardio workout that also shapes your legs and butt like nothing else.  After class, my legs are sore jello, but as any woman can tell you, that's not all that was sore.  The spin-gina pain was so bad that I almost stopped going. It not only hurt during class, but my entire underwear area felt badly bruised for days after a spin class.  I didn't want to give up spinning, so I researched my options.  First I tried one of those gel filled seats, but it didn't work out very well for me:
These gel seats are nice and squishy, but I felt like maybe they were too squishy.  Since it was so super padded, it offered no support and I would sink my entire body into the seat instead of sitting up on my sit bones.  I keep it in my gym bag in case I forget my padded shorts, but otherwise, I don't use it anymore.

These padded bike shorts really work for me.

These bike shorts look good on no one!  They are tight and make you look (and feel) like you are wearing an adult diaper under spandex, but they WORK! The padding is placed in just the right places to make you more comfortable in the saddle.  Since the padding is not as thick as the seat cushion, I have better form because I can still feel the solid seat under me.

Having correct form on your bike helps immensely with that darn spin-gina pain.  Engaging your core and making sure your seat and handle bars are at the correct height help make you more comfortable.  Any good spin instructor will help you figure out what that is when you go to class.  Don't be afraid to ask for help if you are not sure about how high/low to adjust everything.
One last item that has helped me in spin class are a pair of shoes that clip into the pedals: 

Obviously, mine have never been outside.  The drivers here in San Antonio are morons and I refuse to be on the road with them.

These shoes force you to have good form.  They help create a nice circular motion that make me utilize my quads and my hamstrings. When I was just using regular shoes, I overused my quads and when they got tired, I would bounce in the saddle...which was a pain in the butt, for real! The stiff soles help keep my feet from hurting and the curve of the shoes force me to keep my knees in on the bike when a lot of times, people want their knees to fly out while riding. 
People seem to think you need to be a cycling pro to wear the shorts and the shoes...and I am FAR from being an expert.  I just do it because I think it's a fun way to get my cardio in. I bought the shoes and shorts because I believe paying the money for the right equipment, is better than paying the money to see a doctor when you are injured later.  Also, I'm cheap, so if my brain tries to make excuses for why I shouldn't go to spin class, I think about the money I invested in the shoes and the shorts and tell my brain to stop wasting my money.  
Thanks to my shorts, my shoes, good form, and a tight core, I don't have the pain I used to have from spin class.

If you have any questions about spinning (or preventing the hurt) feel free to ask and I will help to the best of my ability.  If I can't help you, I know a lot of people who can. Hope you give it a try.


Thursday, August 2, 2012

Black-Bean Scramble

I find typical breakfast food BORING and I like to try to mix it up.  Many times I eat non-breakfast things for breakfast.  I recently started making this black bean scramble for breakfast.  It's quick, easy, full of protein and I love it.  It's even easier if you have your veggies pre-cut.

Now, if you have been reading this blog, you know I don't really use measurements.  honestly, I'm just too lazy.  I just eyeball everything according to my appetite or how many people are eating.

Ingredients:
black-beans
green peppers
green onions
egg-whites
salsa

First I spray a bot of cooking spray in a pan  to heat the black beans and green peppers.
When those are heated through I add my liquid egg whites and chopped green onions:
When that's cooked, I plate it and top it with salsa.  I don't even know if salsa is considered "clean", but I don't even care.  I can't quit salsa!
Like I said.  Simple. Quick. Delicious!