Workout Playlist

It's been awhile since I've posted my current workout playlist, so I thought I'd share what I'm listening to in the gym now.

{Click to enlarge}

What's on your workout playlist right now?

xo,

Lynn

Protein Pancakes

I'm a pancake lover. Before I experimented with making protein pancakes, I could throw back five + pancakes in one sitting. Not so great since the traditional pancake is filled with sugar and oil.

Here's what you'll need to make protein pancakes:

-1 scoop whey protein powder (I use the vanilla flavor)

-1/2 teaspoon vanilla

-1/4 cup quick oats

-4 egg whites

-1 teaspoon cinnamon

-1 teaspoon flax seed

Whisk all of the ingredients together, spray a pan with non-stick spray and cook pancakes on each side for about 1 minute.

I like to drizzle a little Agave nectar or sugar free syrup on top. They're yummy, healthy, and very filling!

xo

Lynn

Eats From the Past Week

Grilled Polenta and Balsamic Mushrooms

Walnut Stuffed Salmon

I omitted the cheese from this recipe, and added roasted cauliflower with a tiny drizzle of grapeseed oil, garlic, and pepper. So good!

Eggplant Pomodoro

Whenever I'm craving pasta, I buy brown rice, gluten free spaghetti pasta. I will update soon with the brand I buy (it's not gross and mushy like some gluten free options are). I chopped up one eggplant, a box of about 50 grape tomatoes, and greek olives, then sauteed them with a little grapeseed oil for about 10 minutes. Add the sauteed veggies on top of the spaghetti, and sprinkle with some red pepper flakes. When I make this recipe, I usually make a 2:1 portion of veggies/pasta.

xo

Lynn

Health & Fitness

I have been thinking about adding nutrition and fitness posts to my blog for a long time now based on my experience and research. I have lost 55 pounds over the course of 2 years by eating clean and exercising regularly and am ready to share my experience here!

I was (and still am) not so confident about posting "before" photos of myself on the blog, but I feel as though my experience can help others (and seeing 'before and afters' are my favorite part of these kind of posts!)

Let's start at the beginning:

Throughout my childhood I was super skinny, and most of my adult life I've been a healthy, average size. I never had weight issues until I went on a medication that caused my metabolism to slow times (what seemed to be) a million. Over the course of three months, I gained 40 pounds. This weight gain lit a fire under my butt and I started upping my 1-2 day/week exercise schedule to 4-5 days per week of cardio, both on the elliptical machine or spin class. I lost a few pounds, but nothing significant.

June 2009

July 4, 2009

I ultimately decided that I needed to go off of the medication in August 2009 for several reasons. Once I did, the weight fell off. I was almost back to my pre-medication weight after about 4 months by keeping the same lifestyle of doing cardio 4-5 days/week and eating ok (I definitely didn't care as much about what I put in my body then as I do now).

I got engaged in September of 2009, and wanted to really start pushing myself to lose more weight and tone up for my wedding. I started going to group fitness classes using weights and I loved the results. My gym introduced Le Mills Body Pump classes in 2010, and that's when I really started to get more of a grip on my fitness goals. I went to Bodypump 2-3 days a week and did cardio on my own as well 1-2 days a week. The pounds fell off. On my wedding day, I had lost 60 pounds from my heaviest weight. Since then, I've gained 5 pounds of muscle.

Photo credit: lovingfit.com

About Bodypump: Bodypump is a one hour workout using weights the entire time, with no rest and high repetitions. You work your entire body during this workout: legs, glutes, biceps, triceps, back, abs, and chest.

Before I was introduced to weight lifting, I thought the way to lose weight was to log in endless hours on the treadmill/elliptical/bike, which I did for a long time with little results. I've learned that weight loss and fat loss are completely different. Aerobic exercise does burn fat, but it also burns muscle (read more about this topic here). Lifting weights not only encourages fat loss, but replaces the fat with muscle and increases metabolism 48 hours after weight lifting.

In addition to one-hour Bodypump classes 3-4 days a week, I do HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) 1-2 days per week for an hour if I'm being good! HIIT consists of 2:1 interval work, for example one minute of sprinting and 30 seconds of walking, repeated several times. HIIT increases your metabolism, and doesn't burn through muscle like consistent cardio does.

I do need to work on increasing HIIT, as I do get a little lazy sometimes!

As for my diet, I eat very clean, however I am not restrictive with my diet ALL the time. When I go out with friends = bring on the yummy appetizers and dessert! Since I am strict with my diet 90% of the time, having cheat days and occasionally eating whatever I want works for me. When I say "strict", I don't mean that I'm starving myself by any means. I mean that I do not regularly eat fried food, sugar, an excess of carbs, soda or red meat. My typical meal usually includes high protein and lots of vegetables.

This has become my lifestyle, and I have never felt healthier in my entire life. I still have goals I want to reach and am not "done", and never will be.

Finally, here I am today:

April 19, 2012

I am looking forward to sharing my favorite healthy recipes, workout tips, and updated running music lists etc with all of you!

xo

Lynn

Chemical Peels At Home: How To

Chemical peels have been around for a long time-ancient Romans used food acids aka Lactic Acid to peel their skin to reveal younger, brighter looking skin. Today there are so many different chemical peel options, and it can be overwhelming to figure out which is best for your skin.

Picking your poison: 

What kind of chemical peel is best for your skin?

-Lactic Acid: Lactic Acid is one of the safest peels available, and is great as a "first peel". It is safe to use on darker skin tones, and helps to hydrate dry skin. Additional benefits of using a Lactic acid peel are: treats sun damaged skin, improves the appearance of stretch marks, helps with hyperpigmentation, and improves the tone and texture of the skin.
-Glycolic Acid: A more aggressive peel that rejuvenates normal to oily skin, addressing acne, acne scarring, wrinkles, and fine lines.
-Salicylic Acid: Salicylic acid peels are great for oily skin, and are great for the treatment of blackheads.
-TCA: Excellent for acne, lines, wrinkles, sun damage, age spots and general scarring. This peel is deeper than the above three and is longer lasting.
-Jessner's: Great for treating cystic acne.

*Each of these peels can be purchased at varying strengths. I am not an expert on which percentage to choose depending on your experience with peels, but for reference I first purchased the Lactic Acid Peel (35%) and have moved onto the 70%. For first time users, it is very important to use a low percentage. Please check with your doctor and/or use discretion when choosing your strength.

I use the Lactic Acid Peel, and I use both the 35% and 70%. Since the Lactic Acid peel is beneficial to those with rosacea (which I have on my cheeks) and keratosis pilaris, I use the peel on my face and on my arms. The first time I used the 35% peel, my skin did peel, but it was't horrible; my skin just looked like it was extra dry for about three days.

How to use a peel at home:

Step 1: Gather your supplies. You will need a foundation brush (you can use almost any type of makeup brush, but I like to use a dense brush to apply the gel evenly over my face and arms), your gel peel, water, and baking soda. Baking soda neutralizes the peel on contact and stops it from penetrating the skin.
Step 2: Pour a dime sized amount of your peel gel onto your brush and apply evenly over your face (or body), avoiding the eye and mouth areas.
Step 3: Wait 5-10 minutes, then rinse with baking soda and water mixture. Do not leave the peel on overnight. I learned this the hard way!! It was not pretty.

After you use a peel, it is very important to heavily moisturize and to apply sunscreen as your skin will be extra sensitive in the days following the peel. I usually use the peel at night and do not use makeup within at least 12 hours afterwards to let my skin breathe and recover.

I hope this was helpful! I'd love to hear about your experiences with at home peels if you decide to try it!

Favorite Drugstore Products

Below are my favorite drugstore products, which are pretty much the only drugstore beauty products I use but absolutely swear by. I admit that I am a little bit of a designer brand snob. I am really interested to hear what your favorite drugstore products are, so please share yours with me!

Buy on Amazon

I use Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser for shaving, in place of shaving cream. After years of dealing with razor burn and ingrown hairs, I've finally gotten a system down for avoiding such problems. I've tried pretty much every shaving cream out there, from drugstore brands to fancy $50 products. Once I tried this cleanser, I never looked back! Some major factors that I believe make this product work with shaving are: it's fragrance free, non-comedogenic (most shaving creams are not), and it does not disturb the skin's natural pH balance. 

Buy at Walgreens

Again, I've used so many different types of razors and none have worked for me...until I tried the cheapest of them all: Bic's sensitive razors. The key with these are that they do not have that "moisturizing strip" that most razors have above the blade. I only use these one time, so they do tend to add up.

Buy at buy.com

While I use non-drugstore shampoos and conditioners regularly, this is the only clarifying shampoo I use. I've been using Suave's daily clarifying shampoo for about 10 years! I use it when my hair feels heavy and a regular shampoo won't get all the buildup out. I hate it when I wash my hair and then when I dry it, it looks and feels dirty! This shampoo fixes that problem and makes your hair feel squeaky clean.

Buy on Amazon

I just discovered these scunci evolution hair bands during a recent trip to Target. Love. They are "ouchless" and do an amazing job at holding your hair in place. I never have to fix a ponytail at the gym or a bun when I wear one of these, and I have very thick, long hair.

Buy at Walgreens

Without Aquaphor's Healing Ointment I don't know what I'd do! I'm pretty sure I suffer from Psoriasis on my scalp and forehead (going to the dermatologist this week to confirm) and nothing pacifies the dry skin on my forehead like this stuff. It definitely doesn't treat the problem, but it's a world of help. If I don't put it on before I go to bed, my skin is a peeling hot mess in the morning even with my daytime moisturizer. I definitely recommend this to anyone who has extremely dry skin, or just some dry patches. 

Buy on Amazon

I've been using the Demi 120 Ardell Lashes since high school and swear by them, over MAC lashes and other drugstore brands. Ardell lashes are very thin, so they're easy to apply and they look natural. 

Buy at Target

To apply the lashes, I use Duo eyelash adhesive. Trust me when I say your lashes will not go anywhere. I've really tested this stuff in crazy HIGH wind weather...it must have been a hilarious scene to watch this girl covering her eyes with one hand and weave with the other!

The Truth About Sunscreen

With summer rapidly approaching and a need for a new bottle of sunscreen, I went to research products and a rumor I've been hearing over the last several months about the safety of sunscreen. What I found out is horrifying and I think it is SO important that I share with everyone who reads my blog.

In simplified terms, most sunscreens on the market are harmful to your health for a couple reasons. First, most contain cancer causing chemicals. Secondly, sunscreen depletes the body of Vitamin D, which can slash all forms of cancer by 77%. One article I read states: "Scientific evidence shows quite clearly that sunscreen promotes cancer by blocking the body's absorption of ultraviolet radiation, which produces Vitamin D in the skin."

The carcinogenic products in sunscreen have never never been tested or approved by the FDA. As a side note, I took a pharmacology course recently and learned that many drugs are never tested by the FDA, but they pay the FDA to write them off. I believe that this is the truth regarding sunscreen products.

The chemicals that are proven to be harmful when absorbed into the skin include:

Benzophenone-3 or Oxybenzone: These are both free radical generators activated by ultraviolet light. Free radicals can initiate reactions and lead to melanoma and other skin cancers.

Triethanolamine (TEA): his ingredient may combine with nitrite (used as a preservative or may be present as an environmental contaminant) to cause formation of cancer-causing nitrosamines. Nitrites are not disclosed on cosmetic labels so there's no way of telling which products are contaminated with nitrosamines. Particularly disturbing is that up to 35 percent of TEA applied to the skin can enter the bloodstream.

Titanium Dioxide: has the ability to cause DNA damage in human cells and there is concern that it may be carcinogenic.

The Good:

Zinc Oxide: Zinc oxide is a mineral that provides complete UVB/UVA protection, has anti-inflammatory properties, and is considered a safe sunscreen ingredient. However, the regular form of zinc oxide leaves a strong white residue on the skin. To create a clear skin product rather than one that leaves a white residue, zinc oxide is now made in the form of nano-size particles. There is growing concern about the toxicity of nanoparticles, which has initiated a world-wide effort to study the skin absorption and phototoxicity of nanoparticles of preparations used in sunscreens and cosmetics.

From here, I felt helpless but found a few brands of sunscreen that did not contain the harmful products normally used in mainstream products; I ultimately chose to order a sunscreen from Kabana Skincare.

In addition to ordering sunscreen, I felt it was extremely important to buy some Vitamin D capsules as well.

To read more about sunscreen safety, click here or here
*Update: Check out EWG's website for more information and help with picking out the right sun care products for you.

Problem Skin Part I

For years I've struggled with super dry scalp (other details I will spare you) and have tried so many different products to fix the problem, I've gone to a dermatologist who told me to try something that did not work. So, I did some research of my own and discovered that I have Psoriasis. Thankfully only my scalp is affected, although I have super dry skin as well.
Here is a description of scalp Psoriasis:
Psoriasis is a noncontagious, genetic disease of the
immune system affecting the skin and/or the joints.
According to the National Institutes of Health, as
many as 7.5 million Americans have psoriasis. The
most common form, plaque psoriasis, results in raised,
red lesions covered by silvery white scale. Psoriasis can
be limited to a few lesions or can involve moderate to
large areas of skin.
Scalp psoriasis can be very mild, with slight, fine
scaling. It can also be very severe with thick, crusted
plaques covering the entire scalp. Psoriasis can extend
beyond the hairline onto the forehead, the back of the
neck and around the ears.

There are several products that are available to treat Psoriasis, below are the common ingredients:

Salycic Acid: Salicylic acid is approved by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), it softens
scale and makes it easier to remove. It can be used in
combination with tar or other products. Its popular
nickname is “sal acid,” and you will find it both in
over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription products,
mostly in over-the-counter shampoos and soaps.

Tar
Although tars have been classically used to treat psoriasis,
they offer an effective therapy option in treating dandruff as well.
Problems with staining, odor, and messiness in its application
make tar a second-line therapy for most patients.
Tar gelscontain coal tar extract, and they are generally less
messy and smelly than tar itself. Tar shampoos work through
antiproliferative and cytostatic effects, although definitive analy-
ses are difficult because of the large number of biologically
active components in coal tar products. Tar products disperse
scales, which reduce Malassezia (yeasts;high rate of cell turnover) colonization. I've tried Neutrogena's T-Gel which contains 2% Tar extract and it did not help much.

Zinc
It is thought that zinc pyrithione (ZPT) heals the scalp by nor-
malizing epithelial keratinization, sebum production, or both.
Some studies have also shown a significant reduction in the
numbers of yeast organisms after the application of zinc
pyrithione. (I used Pureology's Scalp Cure shampoo (which is 2% Zinc pyrithione) and conditioner for about a year and while I did see a bit of a difference, I still had extreme problems with Psoriasis of the scalp).

What I found while researching treatments was that it's very effective to use a shampoo that has a combination in high percentages of the above ingredients. In other words, drugstore products do not do the trick.
I ordered a shampoo called X-Seb T Plus online for $25, which contains 10% Coal Tar Extract and 3% Salycic Acid. LOVE IT. No more Psoriasis (however it needs to be used continually, otherwise it will return).
When I recived it in the mail, I was alarmed to see that the label said: "Warning: this product contains ingredients known to cause cancer."
...Back I went to doing research...
What I found is that a major concern of many people considering coal tar as a psoriasis therapy is cancer. While occupational exposure to coal tar (miners, asphalt workers, or chimneysweeps for example) may be responsible for some lung, skin, and scrotal cancers, no relationship between even high therapeutic dosages of coal tar for psoriasis and any form of cancer had been established. Some 25-year-long studies have found no increase in any form of cancer over what would be expected without coal tar. HOWEVER, coal tar IS a photosensitzer, which means it makes the skin more sensitive to sun. So if you are planning on using a product that contains coal tar, make sure you wear hair sunscreen or protect your scalp by wearing a hat.

I hope this has been helpful to some of you. Please let me know in the comments or e-mail if any of you have questions.I thought it would be a good thing to share since I spent hours digging for answers for this problem!

Cutting Out the Crap

Since my post in June about losing weight and toning up, I've lost about 20 lbs on a good day, 15 on a bad day. What I've done is cut my calories to about 1200-1500 per day and kept up with my work out routine. My problem now is not eating the right stuff. I know full well what I should be eating, but that doesn't always happen. For example, after my 6-10 PM class gets out (after a day of work) I race to the nearest fast food place instead of going home to cook myself a healthy meal. Who wants to do that at 11 PM? Not me. An article I found this morning served as my wake-up call on consuming fast food, specifically, my poison of choice, McDonalds. Take in this shocking fact: in the chicken nuggets and fries meal, there are 10 grams of trans fat used in the US; in Spain there are 3, and in Denmark 0.33. Yes, you read that correctly. US McDonalds restaurants use significantly more Trans fats than other countries. Being a former pre-med student, I know that consuming Trans fats increase your chances of Coronary Heart Disease and that the body is not able to fully metabolize/remove trans fat.
I've decided that enough is enough. It's time to focus on preparing healthy meals BEFORE my long day of work/school and sticking to it. Instead of letting my mixed green salad and other vegetables wilt in the fridge, I'm going to start using them. Hopefully I will finally start using my "meal planner" which I have failed at using in the past and my new Clean Food: A Seasonal Guide to Eating Close to the Source cookbook. I'll keep you updated on that along with healthy recipes that I like. Have any of you had similar issues? How do you make yourself successful at sticking to a healthy/clean diet? If any of you have recipe suggestions that you'd like to share, please send them my way!