Birchbox Premire Review

Come to Birchbox! 

Click to join!

Birchbox is a great thing to subscribe to if you're looking to try new samples for a wide range of body products. They have a mens' & a womens' box, and at $10-20 per box with usually 5 or 6 samples inside, it's a very inexpensive way to explore new things you may like & love, without having to worry about clunking down $$$ for a full size product you may not like at all.

A little blurb from their site:

"Birchbox is the leading discovery commerce platform. We are redefining the retail process by offering consumers a unique and personalized way to discover, learn about, and shop the best beauty, grooming, and lifestyle products on the market.
Headquartered in New York City, Birchbox launched in September 2010 and extended into men’s products in April 2012 with Birchbox Man.

The Birchbox

Each month, you'll receive a selection of samples that we’ve tried (and retried) ourselves. We source our samples from both well-known brands and emerging gems. The women’s subscription includes everything from skincare to makeup, as well as fun non-beauty extras. The men’s subscription delivers top-tier grooming products in addition to lifestyle accessories ranging from hip socks to tech accessories.

The Shop

When you are ready for more of the products you sampled, you can purchase full-size versions directly from the Birchbox Shop. We have a generous loyalty program that rewards you every time you shop, refer friends, and give feedback on your monthly samples. You can redeem Birchbox Points and save on any full-size or gift purchase."

Pretty self explanatory. Racking up points is easy & you turn those points in to get merchandise from their store, including great discounts on the current month's box brands.

*** Their customer service team is WONDERFUL! Any time I've had any issue, from moving & didn't receive a box,  or had an issue with a sample, their team was VERY helpful and pleasant to work with, and went above & beyond exceeding my expectations for general customer service (which from someone who worked at Nordstroms for several years is very high) and resolved the problem in a quick & efficient manner. Although they are an online company & do shipments, they treat you as if they were a small local boutique in your hometown that you visit every day. Highly recommend. ***

Here are a few of my favorite things I discovered on Birchbox:






I reordered this twice so far:

Miss Jessie's Creme de la Creme Conditioner

Definitely one of the besy BB/ CC creams I've ever tried, may want to stock up:

Coola Tinted Matte SPF 30 For Face

I normally am not too fond of perfume fragrances, but this pleasantly surprised me:

Harvey Prince Imperial Gardenia

I tested this right after I bleached my hair, so I know it's a great product:

Davines LOVE Curl Enhancing Conditioner

I put this sample in my gym bag & use it after I shower off from the gym before I start work - works great as a primer!

DDF Wrinkle Resist Plus Pore Minimizer

Here's my personal invite link to join Birchbox!
http://www.birchbox.com/invite/samanthamarie

Have a great week everyone! :)

~ Samantha Marie

Fitness Friday - My First Croc-pot Recipe

I am definitely no cook, but there comes a time when you finally have to break out the croc-pot & start experimenting. I figured you couldn't really go wrong with vegetables & soup, and when I entered it all into MyFitnessPal it came out to about 200 calories a serving, and the only fat was the 3 grams from my Parmesan cheese topping. With 12 grams of protein (all from vegetarian sources) and 8 grams of fiber, I figured I'd share this with you all.

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth (or vegetable broth)
• 4oz cut baby carrots
• 1/2 cup whole kernel corn
• 1/2 cup pinto beans
• 5oz baby red potatos
• 1oz (or 8) cherry tomatoes
• 1tbs crushed garlic
• 4tbs parmesean cheese
• Spices: ground pepper, basil, pinch of cayenne

Throw it all in the pot on low & let it be for a few hours! Make it over night or during the day when you're out working.
Also, if you're having tummy issues like I was & need to get down good food that won't bother your stomach, this is a great option. All these nutrients & fiber really help, and they are soft in the soup so they're easy to digest. :)

 

Enjoy! 

~ Samantha Marie

Eat Right for Your Tummy

Whether you're trying not to look or feel bloated, having digestive issues, or just want to do good for your stomach, here are some ideas for you to take home next time you hit the grocery store.

My top 10 favorites are:
- avocado
- berries
- garlic
- ginger
- kefir
- kombucha
- lemon
- nuts
- spinach
- teas

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Review - Barracuda from #VowVoxBox

It's with a semi-heavy heart that I post my first crappy review.

With the Influenster VowVoxBox I received a Sally Hansen "Complete Salon Manicure" nail polish in Barracuda. A pale blue shade, and I like blue very much so I decided to give it a go tonight for my work "Monday" tomorrow. That's pretty much where my excitement ended.

I have purchased & own several other Sally Hansen products which I like very much, one of which is the "Insta-Dry" nail polish that I wish I'd chosen to put on instead of this now & I own in at least 4 colors. Maybe I got a dud like a doughnut that came out like a doughnut hole without meaning to, but I feel pretty bad about the fact that most of the time I'm given free stuff to review on in hopes that my review will say something fabulous, but the first coat immediately came out like those water-colored pastel chalk polishes I'd get for a couple bucks at a retail chain store like Charlotte Russe or Wet Seal - aka a place that had nothing to do with makeup or beauty products.

If you want to give this to your 8 year old little sister or niece go ahead, but if you're over the age of 14, don't plan on showing this out in public - though I will be tomorrow since it's 11pm right now & I'm not about to wait for another polish to dry.

Sorry Vow VoxBox, but this should not the something blue on your big day.

Notable Health, Beauty & Fitness Articles of the Past Week

I subscribe to a lot of health, beauty & fitness related stuff of course, and I never have time to read all the articles that are sent to my inbox every day. I figure I'd start posting a few once a week for you all to enjoy & come up with your own conclusions.

Nothing you read on the internet should ever really be used in place of actual medical advice. A lot of medical standards are even constantly changing, and what may be true for one person may not work for another, etc. I encourage everyone to think for themselves, do your own research and make your best objective decision, while always keeping an open & flexible mind & approach to things.

Today I'll just start with Everyday Health and SparkPeople, since they both are used by such a wide variety of people:


13 Secrets to Portion Control

Your Ultimate BBQ Guide

7 Strength Training Excuses Busted

Choosing the Best Energy Bars

6 Ways to Keep Your Skin Looking Young

Hope you all enjoy & find something you can take from this week!

:)

~Samantha

Makeup Monday - Mary Kay VoxBox Review

About a month ago I received my first VoxBox from Influenster, which was the Mary Kay VoxBox. For those of you who don't know what Influenster is, it's kind of like Klout. If you don't know what that is either, they are basically sites which measure your social media influence, usually pertaining to topics that you are knowledgeable or active in. I score very highly in things like beauty, health, fitness and makeup. Once in awhile these things come with perks, and for Influenster you can qualify for a VoxBox - which is a little box of (usually, mostly) awesomeness. Companies for the most part would like you to use and review their products online using your own social media channels.
Come check me out! >>> Samantha Marie's Influenster 

And with that explanation, here is my Mary Kay VoxBox review:

This was my first experience using Mary Kay products. I have obviously heard of their name & knew of their great reputation, but I didn't really have an opinion on their products.

Primed face with Vapour Instant Skin Perfecter.
Mary Kay's large powder brush wasn't as soft to the skin as I normally like my brushes to be, but used it to apply Mineral Cheek Blush, Bronzing Powder & Translucent Powder. All 3 products went on smooth & held well, though I felt the blush was a bit on the orange-y side.
Decided to try Mango Tango lip gloss sans liner to see both how well it stayed & if it bled at all (stayed perfect.) The gloss & blush were a great match (again, if you're cool with the orange-y thing.)

I didn't get the cream eyeshadow in my VoxBox, so I used MAC Cosmetics Old Gold pigment on my lids. The Jet Black Gel Eyeliner came with its own brush, and while the gel itself went on smooth, the brush didn't really help its effort. If you're a novice with gel liners, you might find this brush difficult.
Finished up with Lash Love mascara - which I think would be great as a day-wear / to work mascara. Isn't too thick or clumpy, and defines well.

Likes: smooth gel liner & face powders
Passes: Brushes, except for the concealer brush which I used to apply the MAC pigment.

Ladies Who Lift - Chest & Back Day

Not just ladies who lift, but anyone who lifts.

Here's a Chest & Back Day Program - which I also personally do.

Reps times Sets (example: 3x12)
Remember: Reps for growing muscles & strenghth normally is 6-10 reps, & for resistance ["toning"] 12-15 reps. Sets can be 2-4. You ideally want to do each set to failure.?
Rest time in between: 30-60 secs

DB = dumbbell // BB = barbell 

Chest
Bench Press - Bar or DB 3 x 12
Cable Press or Seated Chest Press 3 x12
DB Chest Flys 3 x 12

Back
Lat Pull Downs 3 x 12
Assisted Pull Ups 3 x 12
Bent Over Row 3 x 12
Back Extension 3 x 12
Cable or Machine Row 3 x 12

BB Squats 3 x12
Deadlifts 3 x 12
Good Mornings 3 x 12

Top 10 Health, Beauty & Fitness Websites

 In no particular order, but let's get the obvious ones out of the way:

1. www.beauty.com

2. www.health.com

3. www.fitness.com


 And the site everyone & their mama should be on:

4. www.myfitnesspal.com


Don't even try to mention "beauty" and "site" in the same sentence without mentioning:

5. www.sephora.com


 A little clique-y, a little fad-y, but still worth-y:

6. www.everydayhealth.com

7. www.sparkpeople.com

8. www.beachbody.com


Do you even lift bro? But seriously, awesome site even if you're not trying to build &/or are female:

9. www.bodybuilding.com


And although not a topic site, but a site where you can get some of the best ideas of all the above:

10. www.pinterest.com

Your Personal San Francisco Tour Guide

Before I was sick for a few years, I wore many many hats (although I have begun to wear many more hats again.) My 5th job was probably the unofficial tour guide for a good majority of the electronic music producers that came through San Francisco around 10 years ago. I love this city. Even though I've lived here my whole life, I'm still excited going around doing "touristy" things, like Pier 39, Twin Peaks, the Cliffhouse, etc. Today, I got to show a couple more people around this awesome amazing place, so I figured I'd share a few touristy-photos from a local's perspective. :)

Lombard Street

Pier 39 - Where Normally There are Many More Sea Lions

Sushi Boat Sailing by

Tuna Tartare at Union Square

Geary Street

Japantown

Peace Plaza - Est. 2001

Gotta Love San Francisco Personality (Can you see the monkeys?)

Summertime Ready - Yoga & Pilates

The official first day of summer is just a few days away! I've been doing a lot of strength training the past few months which has been great, but I've been neglecting my core because that part used to be so easy for me. There are a million benefits to strength training (besides the obvious - being strong) but you DO have to remember to stretch a LOT more than you're probably used to. Or you end up like me the past couple days: Waddling around attempting to stretch out your hamstrings every chance you get & making excuses for your odd behavior.

Many people like yoga. That's great. I'm just slowly starting to get back into it since I pretty much disliked it most of my adult life. I think it spawned from the fact that when I was dancing professionally & had to take yoga, it was complicated & I felt awkward so I dismissed it. When I decided to give it another go & try a beginner class a few months ago I totally got what everyone raves about. It is now my favorite thing to do on a Monday night after a long day and also after a long strength training session.
>>>>> Click here for a short 14 minute beginner yoga workout. <<<<<

So if you like yoga, or thinking about trying it, go for it. Another alternative which I LOVE is Pilates - I've loved Pilates for a good 12 or 13 years now. It's great for anyone of any level or even those that have joint pain or issues. It's great on the back (I was in a few bad car accidents when I was young & my back has always bothered me) and is AWESOME for your core. You also work on stretching, flexibility and burn more calories than other similar type exercise. Really, no matter who you are or what your goals are, everyone can benefit from this type of workout.
>>>>> :Click here for a shourt 12 minute beginner Pilates workout.   <<<<<

Mari Winsor is a great Pilates instructor that has quite a few popular DVDs out if you would like to try something at home. If you can find 20 minutes at night before you go to sleep two or three times a week, you'd be off to a fabulous start. This is something I've been wanting to incorporate in my routine for awhile, and am planning a schedule to start myself next month. Check out:  Mari Winsor Pilates on Amazon

Anyone who knows me on any other social media site probably knows I'm a huge lover of Pinterest. Getting close to 4,000 pins, many of them are food, fitness and makeup related (well, I AM Natural Beauty and Body.) I figured I'd share a few from one of my boards to get some of you inspired.

 Have fun!

Samantha Marie

Makeup Monday! 5 Makeup Must-Haves

5 Great Awesome Amazing things that I must have at all times:


Too Faced Shadow Insurance: The best shadow primer

e.l.f. Black liquid eyeliner: It's only a freakin dollar but OMG use it every day for the perfect line

NARS Orgasm Lipgloss: A bit on the pricey side but SO worth it: A plumpy shine that lasts all night

Makeup Forever HD Powder Foundation: When it came out last year it replaced the 1 compact I must ALWAYS have in my purse

NYX Retractable Lipliners: So cheap, so smooth: Buy a bunch & stick them in places where you always can get a quick touch-up in

Forgive or Forget

It's the weekend (for most of you, some of us still have to work) and time to get happy! Being happy is healthy, and being healthy makes you happy, and then you feel good & look good & all that good stuff.

Forgiveness is a great thing to practice for your own health. Yes, go ahead & make forgiveness seem like a selfish act if you must. It will help you be happier in life, & in turn make you healthier. Holding grudges or any negativity never did anyone any good. 

Forgiving someone isn't saying that they are right. It's not saying that it did or didn't hurt you. Forgiveness is a gift you give to yourself and to the world. I must sound like it's all peaches & cream easy for me, but it's not. Maybe it usually is eventually, but I know just as much as you or the next person how much they can hurt sometimes and seem impossible to get over.

They don't have to be sorry. They don't even have to know if you forgave them or not. Again, as selfish as it may seem, forgiveness really isn't mostly about the other person. Not the ones that really matter anyway. The ones that matter are the ones that keep you up at night, the ones that make everything else that comes after in your life seem bitter, the ones that make you sick to think about, the ones that either you can't stop talking about, or the ones that you can't even tell anyone about.

Forgiving does not mean forgetting, although most of the time we wish it would. It would be great if we can, but we should at least start with the first step.

Try and forgive every single person in your life that you think you need to. I've tried this myself. I've been hurt many times that some still at this very moment make me nauseated to think about. I've forgiven people that have done things I don't even want to repeat. I feel better, moving forward & being happy. I feel like I've forgiven everyone in my life except one last person, and I feel like I'm working on it every day to do that. I wish I could have done it a long time ago, but I have to trust that it will happen in the future & that I will be free from that negative emotion. Sometimes we don't understand, and sometimes maybe we don't have to. Like I said, I'm working on it. :)



Samantha Marie

Sets, Reps & Weight - How Much?

 

Helloooooo Fitness Friday!

It's the perpetual question, "How much should I lift?"

More sets, or reps in a set, or higher weight, or higher sets?

Before we go any further, I want to declare to the universe, and particularly all the ladies out there: LADIES! YOU SHOULD BE LIFTING TOO! I'll get into the metabolism & looking great in tank tops another day. The term "Lifting" does not apply to just your upper body. You can train to lift when you're doing those squats for your booty!

Let's break it down into two groups: Those that want to focus on building muscle & strength, and those that want to focus on "toning" and endurance. 

If you want to focus on the first group, you're going to use higher weight and lower reps: Usually 5-8, but no more than 10 reps.

If you're in the latter group, you want to focus on lower weight, but higher reps, typically 12-15.

Theoretically you can have as many sets as you want, but 3 or 4 sets is normal for example purposes. 

I never had upper body strength as a dancer, and hated my wimpy arms. When I was able to be physically active again & started going to the gym, I wanted to do all the things I never did & work on getting the arms I always wanted. The past year, but more so the past six months, has been a wonderful journey for me in that aspect. About a week ago I decided I wanted to try flipping it & going for more endurance than strength for a bit.

Here's what a typical circuit might have looked like for me one lunchtime workout, when focusing on strength:

Chest Press / Incline Press: 8-10 Reps of 70lbs x 3 sets

Lat Pulldown: 10 Reps of 70lbs x 3 sets

Lateral Raise (Shoulder) 8-10 Reps of 30lbs x 3

If I were to do these tomorrow, my focus currently being on endurance, it may look like this:

Chest Press: 12-15 Reps of 50lbs x 3

Lat Pulldown: 12-15 Reps of 50lbs x3

Lateral Raise: 12-15 Reps of 20lbs x3

Generally, I like the rule of, "If you can get to 15 reps easily, the weight is too low."

Also, if all you can lift is 3-5lbs, that's fine too. A couple years ago my arms would get sore just lifting my laptop from my bed to my nightstand. We're all at different places in our lives, with different goals & different paths we must take to get there. The important thing is we try & we do what we can. 

If you are going for strength, you absolutely want to do each set to failure. If you find you're hitting 10 reps, or even 8, the weight is too low. Many people only do 4-6 reps when their work is focused on strength. Then there are the power lifters that go for a 1 rep max, but I'll leave that area of expertise to the pros.

Speaking of pros, I hope to have one of my pros on my blog within the next couple weeks! I don't want to jinx it so that's all I'll say for now.

Have a great weekend and get out there and LIFT! :) 

Samantha Marie

An Easy Guide to Intermittent Fasting

Before a few years ago my eating habits consisted of some sort of uber-caffeinated pseudo-injection of anything I convinced myself was okay, something posing as lunch but not really a meal, and a large dinner, probably with lots of cheese or cheese for dessert. And wine.

In January of 2012 I decided to try the eating six meals a day, or every 2-3 hours thing. Being such a drastic change required some planning for this experiment. I'd set an alarm on my phone to go off at specific times through the day and label them things like "Snack 200" or "Lunch 350" to guide what and how much I should eat. 

After the initial couple weeks of getting used to it, I discovered I liked the control over my hunger & desires that came with this pattern, and I didn't need an alarm anymore. Today I still eat rather similarly, with 5 meals blocked out through certain time frames during the day. 

A little over a year ago, I came across another eating pattern I wanted to try experimenting with too, called intermittent fasting, or IF. Intermittent fasting has been going on since the beginning of time in one way or another, naturally & mostly not planned. Back in Hunter-Gatherer days humans didn't have the luxury of planning appropriate meals scheduled evenly out as they'd like. Keep in mind WHAT they did eat though during this time if you do consider trying IF. They ate REAL food: lots of vegetables, fruit, meat, grains. These foods kept their bodies properly nourished during sporadic times of food consumption. If you think IF is going to be a positive experience while eating hot dogs & cupcakes, you're wrong, and your body will hate you. LOVE YOUR BODY! 

There are quite a few variations of Intermittent Fasting, but we'll just focus on four. They all pretty much have the common theme of eating fairly clean & healthy though. Many vegetables, lots of water, and a focus on protein is generally what you can expect. 

We have  

"Eat, Stop, Eat."

"The Warrior Fast"

And two versions of "5:2"

Eat, Stop, Eat is typically where you fast for a full 24 Hours two days out of the week. It is important to note these two fasting days should never be consecutive. 

The Warrior Fast is where you fast 20 hours of the day and eat all your nutrients within a 4 hour window. This fast is popular among bodybuilder types, and also goes into some detail about what you should eat (high protein) and when you should time your eating before or after workouts.

The 5:2 is also where you fast 2 days out of the week, but has a few variations to it. One version is a reduced calorie day on your two fasting days, typically 500 calories for females & 750 for males. Another version is 16:8, which similarly to the Warrior has you fasting 16 hours of the day and eating during an 8 hour window. Of course if you wanted, you could try 18:6 also, and/ or try combining the two where you eat your reduced calories during your small window - which I played around with infrequently for a few months. I couldn't get into the habitual pattern.

Please note again, in trying any of these fasts, you should never fast two consecutive days in a row. If you have any questions on what you should or shouldn't be doing with your diet in regards to fasting, please consult your doctor or registered dietician. 

My Favorite Cardio Machine & Workout

I'm a fan of the elliptical over other cardio machines for a few reasons. One being it's easier on your joints than the treadmill, and it doesn't bother my back as much as being on a bike. It's also very easy to adjust the incline & resistance, and most ellipticals have optional user stat settings. It's great for people of all levels.

Most of us have heard that interval training is more effective than going at a steady state. The past couple months I've been rotating between two simple methods that I wanted to share because they have been working great for me & some people have asked my opinion on cardio workouts. These two workouts are done the same for every level - just pick a level that's appropriate for you, 1-4. Most of us would be a 2 or 3. Pick level 1 if you have heart issues or are not accustomed to much cardio (brisk walking less than 30 minutes a day) or pick level 4 if you think you're hardcore. 

These numbers are in relation to the Precor Elliptical available in many gyms. 

Workout A: Easier:
Low, Medium, High, Medium, Low
Each for 1 minute. Repeat 5 times for a 25 minute workout.
Want it shorter? Just repeat 3 times for a 15 minute workout.
Cool down for 3 minutes.

Workout B: More challenging:
Low, Medium, High, Medium, High
1 minute each repeated 5 times. Same 3 minute cool down.

Level 1:

Low: 2 incline, 2 resistance. Medium: 3 incline, 3 resistance. High: 5 incline, 5 resistance.

Level 2:

Incline: 3, 6, 9 (up by 3s.) Resistance: 4, 7, 10 (up by 3s.)

Level 3: 

Incline: 4, 7, 10 (up by 3s.) Resistance: 5, 8, 11 (up by 3s)

Level 4:

Incline: 5, 9, 13 (up by 4s.) Resistance: 5, 10, 15 (up by 5s)

My Heart Rate Training Zone

Being someone that is somewhat still in recovery from heart issues (I am super healthy now, but it is something I still like to keep an eye on) I watch my heart rate constantly when I'm doing cardio, especially if I'm pushing myself on something like the elliptical more recently.

Knowing your Maximum Heart Rate is important for everyone, whether you have current or previous heart issues, or no issues at all. There's a fat burning zone, a cardio training zone, aerobic and anaerobic exercising. Right now, let's just go with something basic.

There are many ways to calculate your Maximum Heart Rate, but the most common is subtracting your age from 220. If you are 30 years old, your MHR would be 190. Ideally, cardio should be between 60-85% of your MHR. Your range may be higher or lower depending on your personal needs and goals.

When you do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) or any type of heart rate training, you usually want to give yourself proper time to recover before increasing your intensity again. When I do my current exercise with the elliptical, which I'll share in my next post, I want my heart rate to be in a certain range before I kick it up again. For me, I don't care for my MHR to be above 165 though it occasionally goes to 180, and ideally I don't like it to go below 145 when I'm in the middle of training. When I am recovering into a low setting, I want my heart rate to at least drop below 150 before I bring it up again. If it hasn't, I give myself one more minute of low recovery time before I increase to high intensity again. Your wants and needs of course may differ. 

Confessions of a Pasty White Girl

Technically I'm a mutt, but my skin seems to have faded away through the years. I used to joke that I was going to turn into Powder & become translucent. It probably didn't help that I lived most of my life in South San Francisco basically living in a cloud 360 days out of the year.

Next week I'm supposed to go to Great America. There were a couple times when I was younger (and naturally a lot darker) that I would burn on my shoulders from being out in the sunny amusement park all day. Being significantly lighter now, I thought it might be a good idea to "base tan." Yes, I admit, I have used tanning booths in the past, usually right before a vacation where I knew I was going to be showing legs that my dad used to call "fish bellies." He was the dark one in my family and my skin originally took after him, so when I started fading away I got some flack.

Fast forward to yesterday and I decided to check out a new tanning salon by my new home. Although I had some nice fancy-pants tanning lotion back at mi casa, I had just popped in to try this place so I used their sample lotion.

Everything after that happened so quickly...

New client discount. Stand up bed. Done this routine before. Put lotion on & get in.
I usually keep my eyes closed most of the time with the goggles on, and after a couple minutes I opened them & looked down.
"Hmm, that's a weird looking blotch on my leg. I wonder if that's the lotion, or maybe something beneath my skin from working out earlier?"
"Weird looking blotch on my arm too. Why are my shoulders feeling prickly? Is it getting hot already?" (Thinks for a few seconds; moves around.) "No, not hot yet, & it's only been a few minutes."
"This looks crazy, why does it feel like this? Should I see what this looks like in real light? No, I'm probably trippin..." (Thinks a few more seconds.) "I'll just get out real quick & look in the mirror & see it's nothing."

Gets out of booth.
Holy mother of god! What the hell is this lotion? The prickly feeling isn't going away! I'm a lobster! It was only a few minutes! Oh my god I have to put my clothes on! Need to get out of here now!

I couldn't even put my bodybugg back on cuz I didn't want anything touching me. I half-ran out of the salon with my head down semi-smiling saying thank you to the nice Asian lady that I'm sure had no clue what arsenal she had bestowed upon me. Envisioning my home 2 miles away - so close yet so far - I was lucky that the K train pulled right up to take me the first mile. My ass! I couldn't even sit down! Most of the time I walk the last mile because the 23 bus comes every 30 minutes (if it even comes at all) but thanks to the NextBus app I could see it was coming in 2 minutes. Fate or Karma or something must have felt sorry for me because I've never been able to get home that quick before. Those few minutes I spent looking up home remedies on Pinterest for allergic reactions & burns & anything related I could find.

Thank the Lord my roommate wasn't home because I started taking my clothes off the minute I walked in the door. I ran around my kitchen, bathroom and bedroom gathering things like green tea, Epsom salts, aloe vera gel, generic Benadryl and ice cubes. I had text messaged my boyfriend on the way home something resembling English related to skin reaction-tanning booth, and quickly followed up that text with, "I think need to borrow your bathtub."
"Lol really?"
"Yes. Can you pick me up please I'm packing right now."

I changed into the softest clothes I could find, which ended up being satin PJs and a microfiber bathrobe. Into a bag I threw the actual soft clothing I could change into when the situation became less dire. Although I had been tired all day due to it being my "early day" at work, I was running around like a chicken with her head cut off not knowing what to do.

(An hour later) my hands & wrists got the worst of it.

I put together the best Pinterest ideas I could find & threw everything I had into the bathtub, including vinegar and baking soda.
Two hours later, I was a 3 out of 10 on the uncomfortable scale, still in disbelief how it all happened so quickly.

The detox/ allergic reaction/ burn/ soothing/ green tea/ epsom salt/ vinegar/ baking soda/ aloe vera bath

Pasty white girl skin lesson: Never use the sample lotion from the cheapest tanning salon in town.
Also: My next home has to have a bathtub in it.

The First Fitness Friday! Workouts & Leg Day

It could have been Food Friday, but let's go with fitness. :)


In honor of the first Fitness Friday, let's pay homage to my favorite body part to work on, which coincidentally I also work them on Fridays: Legs!

I'm sure I will post many many many workouts and many many things about legs, but today let's keep it simple with two things:

1) I'm a HUGE fan of Pinterest. Not only do I get a bazillion ideas for everything on there, but it's also my go-to site when I wind down for the evening, or need to de-stress off Facebook for whatever reason for a few minutes. Somehow it is therapeutic in that way. One of my boards is a Fitness board, which currently has over 200 pins of workouts and other fitness inspiration. I'm going to be taking some things from there & eventually talk about them here, but for today, here's my link ~~~>  Samantha Marie's Natural Beauty and Body: Fitness on Pinterest

2) A simple, yet highly effective leg workout you can do anywhere. If you would like more of a challenge, increase length of time or reps, where applicable. You can do the whole thing in about 15 minutes, so no excuses! Legs have the biggest muscles in our body, so when you work them, you burn the most calories.

Warm up: 30 Jumping Jacks
Set: Approximately 4 minutes, Repeat 3-5 times
10 Lunges, each leg
20 Squats
30 Second Wall Hold
20 Donkey Kicks, Each Leg, both Back & Side (80 total)
30 Calf Raises

Increase by 10 seconds & 10 Reps for a more advanced workout

Easy Egg White Bite Recipe

Here's a very easy recipe that I started making last year & make almost every week now.

I make a batch before my work week & take them to work & keep them in the fridge. I eat 4-6 of them most days for a total of about 115 calories & approximately 20 grams of protein.

What you will need:
- Mini size cupcake or muffin pan (x24)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped veggies (I use spinach or zucchini, but you can use anything you want)
- Half of a large egg white carton, or a whole small one (about 2&1/2 cups of egg whites)
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1/4 cup of cheese (I started with mozzarella, then tried cheddar, now use Parmesan. You don't need to use as much to get big flavor.)
- Cooking spray
- Optional: Some people may like to sprinkle pepper, or put Tapatio or salsa on at the end

What to do:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Spray tin
- Sprinkle veggies in first, no more than 1/4 the way up
- Put tomatoes in second. This should fill about halfway.
- Pour egg whites in. They should go at least 3/4ths of the way up, but not all the way to the top.
- Sprinkle cheese on top
- Bake for 13-15 minutes
- Let cool in pan.

Can be eaten after removed from pan, or stored in Ziplock Storage or Tupperware for up to a week. Quick & easy filling snack. Lots of protein. Super low in fat (the small amount of cheese.) Low in carbs & contain some vitamins from the veggies! Each one is only about 20 calories, less than 1 gram each of fat & carbs, & about 3 grams of protein. That's why I eat 4-6 at a time guilt-free! :)

Hope you like!

Samantha Marie

The Amazing World of MyFitnessPal!

Alright. We use lots of different apps & social media sites. If there is one anything that I could say to anyone that it could probably better their life, it's MyFitnessPal: www.myfitnesspal.com

Me on the right, at the MyFitnessPal user panel May 2014

Technically I first registered for this app/site back in June 2010. At least that's what my profile says. I think I added it when I got my first smart phone (I'm a late bird with technology) and didn't really know how to use it. I also had installed the LoseIt! app back then too, which I did use for awhile. At first, they were more basic calorie-counting and food-tracking tools. This was around the time my health was declining and my weight was increasing & I was trying to figure out what was going on & what I could do about it, besides taking my prescriptions and "eating less"... God those words "eat less" just sound so dirty to me now!

Fast forward about 2&1/2 years where I was finally off meds & really getting into the swing of totally eating right for my body. Thanks to other people having New Years Resolutions, a few of my friends had posted they were going to be starting MyFitnessPal and wanted to cheer each other on. Heck yeah I wanted in on that. It's great when people want to do right for themselves, but it's SO much easier and fun (yes, fun!) when you have a partner to cheer you on. MyFitnessPal isn't just about weight loss, or counting calories, it's also a community, and people even go there when they need help GAINING weight. They have the hugest freakin database of food out of anyone in the health & fitness app land. Oh, that California Burger from Buckhorn Grill I got at the Metreon the other night? Totally has that in there, with all your macros and nutrients added up for you.

I'm a firm believer that you can fix almost any health issue through food & nutrition. Why? Because I fixed all my stuff that doctors couldn't figure out with me no matter how many pills they put me on. Yes, I am anecdotal, and my favorite Guinna pig, but you can be too! What do you have to lose besides um, getting healthy?

Logging your food in the beginning might suck. It might be tedious and you might feel like you don't want to bother with taking the 15 seconds to input what you had for lunch in order to make the rest of your life for as long as you live to be super fabulous. But let's say you were gonna give it a go for a week or two. At the end of the two weeks I'm sure it will be second nature to you. I mean, they not only have a website, BUT AN APP THAT YOU CAN USE ANYWHERE. What is really your excuse? You don't want to count calories or feel like you have to eat more or less? You don't have to. I myself have other goals, like making sure I'm getting enough fiber, and getting the proper ratio of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Finding and seeing patterns in all this is what is going to give YOU the CONTROL of making yourself live a better life. You are going to feel amazing!

This is not a one-size-fits-all. Everyone requires different things to survive. As much as I praise MyFitnessPal, I do have to caution to be wary of the boards, especially if you are not social media bred & savvy. The posters are not there for medical advice, and can be pretty lame (if I hear "you're not a special snowflake" or IPOARM and IIFYM much more in life my head may explode) but for the most part, you kinda can't lose.

Try it. Figure out what works for you. Let me know how it goes.


Samantha Marie

MyFitnessPal current user name: spamantha57 :)

Ten Facts About San Francisco, From Someone That's Lived Here for Three Decades

1) We wear raincoats in July and tank tops in September, and will complain when it's below 50 or above 90.

2) That thing that looks like a lighthouse? It's supposed to be a fire hose.

3) No one who lives here actually rides the cable cars.

4) It may only be 7x7 miles, but our micro-climate will have you changing clothes from the Wharf to the Mission to Sunset.

5) Hot dogs off the street at 3am are the most delicious things ever.
5b) So is the crepe truck.

6) There's a holiday pretty much every weekend, and we will figure out a parade/ street fair/ costume for it.

7) The best Italian food is not at The Stinking Rose.

8) Although Muni runs all night, each of us pray that Bart will run 24 hours.

9)We have mastered the art of parallel parking on the left side.

10) We are 100% content being broke living in the best city in the world.

Drink More Water!

Really, does anyone even know anyone who drinks too much water? People may drink a lot of soda, or a lot of beer, but rarely do you hear of a person drinking too much water.

How do we force ourselves to drink more water, and how do we make it interesting? We should be drinking the standard 8 cups, or if you're athletic or detoxing - 10 cups a day.

Different things work for different people, but my saviors are:
Tea
Sparkling Water
Lemon Juice & Stevia

During the two years I was fixing my heart naturally, I cut out all caffeine. I was the person who had 2 Redbulls, a Caramel Frappuchino, and a couple ephedra (when they were legal) a day & still be tired. Then again my life did move at 180 miles an hour...

I started introducing *some* caffeine into my system a little over a year ago: Yerba Mate & green tea mostly, a couple times a week. Last Christmas I had my first peppermint mocha in a few years & it was A-MA-ZING, but generally I like to limit my caffeinated drinks to no more then 2-3 mornings a week when I feel I need them. I don't do the $4.50 lattes across the street from my work, I get caffeinated at home for about $.30 a pop or less.
My 3 favorites are:
Yerba Mate Guayaki - Chocolate Flavored (try it with a splash of vanilla almond or soy milk)
Yogi Vanilla Spice Perfect Energy Tea
Trader Joe's Organic Green Tea (with lemon & honey)

So although they are caffeinated & shouldn't count as water, at least I get my first 8 ounces in on my way to work. 

I bought one of those 32oz water bottles to bring to work so if I drank the whole thing, I'd know I'd at least had 1/2 my water goal for the day. What I do is fill it up 1/3rd of the way with water, pour some lemon juice in it, add a touch of stevia and tilt it in my freezer overnight to bring to work the next day. In the morning I just fill the rest with water & add a little more lemon juice & stevia. BAM - delicious sugar-free, calorie free, fake crap free, guilt free refreshing goodness all day long. One of my trainers liked it so much he had me make a batch for him haha.

WATER - it's not just water.
As ridiculous it is to say - READ THE LABELS ON YOUR WATER. Especially if you get flavored water. Run FAR away from aspartame. It should really only say "water" and maybe "natural flavors" or something if that's what you're going for. I've seen regular water have 4 ingredients. Really...

I'm a huge fan of Trader Joe's (as I am with most things Trader Joe's) sparkling water. I get a few of the flavored 2 liter bottles each week & it's a great alternative to soda or juice. It's only $.99a bottle and I could drink it all day and night.

Last but not least, I am a huge fan of Sleepytime tea. My mom first started giving this to me when I was in junior high and had trouble sleeping. They have lots of flavors, but I always have Sleepytime Vanilla and Sleepytime Extra on hand. 

Having the tricks of tea on my way to work, a 32oz bottle at work, and tea before bed helps me hit at least 6 out of my 8 glasses for the day. The rest comes with exercise or effort. And maybe a couple more trips to the bathroom. :)


Drink up! 

Samantha Marie