Tag Archives: healthy-living

The FitExpo – Los Angeles

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I had a blast attending the Los Angeles FitExpo this past week, Feb. 7-8, 2015.  I was able to meet a lot of fun and exciting fitness experts who shared some of their top secrets to success.

I spent the first day, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015, improving my culinary skills.  I participated in cooking classes taught by celebrity chefs, athletes and fitness experts/models.  They took me step-by-step through some tasty and healthy recipes.  Their main focus was “how to include 50+ grams of protein in a meal.  It smelled delightful in this chef’s kitchen and the samples tasted outstanding.

Chef Patrick Stark 

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Chef Stark prepared a delicious Vegan Curried Vegetable meal that contained 50+ grams of protein.  His secret to adding 50+ grams of protein involved adding vanilla whey protein to his curry milk sauce  and pouring it over his veggies and brown rice.  This was a spicy and delightfully seasoned vegan/vegetarian meal.
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Dymatize Protein Athletes were hosting and preparing delicious 50+grams of protein meals as well.  They prepared a curry chicken meal and protein pancakes.

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What a delight to see handsome and fit men cooking in the kitchen ;).

I also received a ton of free samples to try out.  All were very good. One of my favs was Oxygen magazine.  The fitness models of Oxygen were handing out free issues (Score!).   I received lots of backpacks and T-shirts as well.

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On Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015, I had the pleasure of meeting the beautiful and oh so sweet Follow the Lita!  Lita is a Physical and Spiritual Motivator Ambassador/fitness expert/trainer/fitness model and my daily inspiration.  She is such a happy and friendly person.  She prepared Turkey Burger Patties.  She included olives and sun dried tomatoes.  I’ll have to try that with my TVP mix (texturized vegetable protein) the next time I make homemade veggie patties.

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I’m such a fan of Lita! Isn’t she gorgeous? Her figure is to die for as well.

I also attended an amazing presentation by Dr. Levi Harrison, M.D.  I cannot begin to tell you how much I learned from this man.  I will be dedicating an entire blog to review his book, “The Art of Fitness” and his DVD, “The Art of Fitness (Cardio Core Workout).  So look out for this blog post because the book and DVD are phenomenal!  He is a dynamic speaker, caring motivator and incredibly cute!

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I so enjoyed my time at the LA FitExpo.  I will be attending another in August 2015.  I’m so excited.

Peace and Love

 

Check out and follow my other social media:

Instagram:  http://www.instagram.com/pinkrunningkicks

Facebook Page:  http://www.facebook.com/pinkrunningkicks

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/copperlady2009

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Creative Bloggers Award

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Much love and gratitude to The Beautified Blogger for nominating me for the Creative Bloggers Award.  She always delivers a wealth of blog posts on beauty from retro chic to present fab!  I love her weekly nail polish choices which always deliver the most lush and glamorous colors!  She is such a sweet heart and her nails are always on fleek.

 

The Rules:

Nominate 20 other blogs and their links.

Thank and post the link of the blog that nominated you (very important).

Share 5 facts about yourself to your readers.

Notify all nominees via their social media/blogs.

Pass these rules on to them.

Five facts about me:

l.  I love blogging about health, fitness and beauty!

2.  My passport just arrived so I’m planning to travel the world.

3.  I love meeting people!

4.  I’m creating my Bucket List and will be blogging about it in the near future.

5.  I love to walk and jog along the beach it’s so relaxing!

I will be nominating several bloggers and posting soon!!!!!

 

Peace and Love,

Pink Running Kicks

 

Check out and follow my other social media:

Instagram:  http://www.instagram.com/pinkrunningkicks

Facebook Page:  http://www.facebook.com/pinkrunningkicks

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/copperlady2009

 

 

The DASH DIET Weight Loss Solution Book Review

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I just finished reading the book entitled, “The DASH DIET Weight Loss Solution” by Marla Heller, MS, RD  and I must say that I’m absolutely impressed.  The author, Martha Heller, a registered dietician in private practice and at a naval hospital outpatient nutrition clinic, provides a simple step-by-step 2 week plan for losing 10 lbs.  She ensures that you will not only reduce your weight, but improve your overall health.

 

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My interest was spurred to read this book after my mother challenged me to start adding book reviews to my blog.  I’m grateful for her suggestion because I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  Furthermore, my interest was sparked because the author stated, “You can lose 10 lbs in 2 weeks.”  She provided valuable research based findings on combating heart disease and diabetes as well.  The DASH DIET Weight Loss Solution will ultimately help reduce your weight, lower your blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels and reduce risks of developing diabetes or kidney stones.

As I paged through the 2 week plan and recipes that the author included, I realized that this was something that I could do successfully.  Mostly because it includes meals and snacks that I normally eat on a regular basis.  It doesn’t list those foods that I normally will not enjoy eating and leave me feeling like I’m starving.

There are 2 phases to the diet.  Phase 1 reboots your body and appetite.  You phase out starchy foods and concentrate on protein and veggies.  No fruit in this phase as well.  Phase 2 then slowly incorporates items back into your meal plan in a healthy and sustainable way.  The diet involves “preparing meals and snacks that are satisfying and actually help to curb hunger.”

Candidates for the DASH DIET Weight Loss Solution include the following:

  • individuals who carry excess weight around the middle
  • individuals diagnosed with high blood pressure (see your physician for assistance)
  • individuals diagnosed with diabetes (see your physician for assistance)
  • individuals who are sick and tired of yo-you dieting
  • individuals who desire to take preventive measures to reduce risks of developing high blood pressure and diabetes

So, forget about the junk food, refined grains and overeating.  These will just make you stay hungry, crave the unhealthy foods and keep excess weight on your body.

List of things to avoid:

  • refined grains
  • junk food
  • skipping meals

List of things to enjoy:

  • healthy fats (e.g. nuts) they help keep you sustained especially in the late afternoons right before dinner.
  • fruits and veggies
  • cooking new recipes
  • meal planning
  • meal prepping

I now enjoy grocery shopping, reading labels and of course my all time favorite thing to do, COOKING!

I enjoy planning my meals followed by meal preparation for the entire week.

I recommend that you download this book or purchase it at your local bookstore.  You won’t be disappointed!  I finished reading this book in 2 days so that’s an indication that you won’t be able to put it down once you pick it up.

Peace and Love

 

 

 

Falafel Salad

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I decided that I wanted to make something low calorie and satisfying for dinner tonight.

I chose to use my Falafel Mix that I purchased from Wholefoods.  I decided to bake the falafels rather than fry them.  Directions for preparing the falafels are on the side of the box.

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The salad turned out to be very tasty.  I made my own dressing for the salad.

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Falafel Dressing Recipe:

Ingredients:

3 tbs of Sour Cream or Yogurt

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp dill

1/2 lemon’s juice

3 small bell peppers (yellow, red or orange) diced

4 green onions diced

Combine all ingredients in a food processor.  I used my NutriBullet.

salt and pepper to taste

Peace and Love

Getting Fit and Fabulous!

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I’m so excited about my new purchases.  I decided to invest in the Fitbit and the Fitbit Aria to assist me on my health and fitness quest.  I’m really enjoying the Fitbit app as well, it’s very useful.

Fitbit Charge- Wireless Activity Wristband

It monitors how many steps you’ve taken, floors climbed, sleep quality and caller ID.

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Fitbit Aria- Wi-Fi Smart Scale

It records your weight and BMI and automatically uploads it into your Fitbit computer program.

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Fitness Goals:

l.  Drinking water daily!!!!!!!

2.  Continuing with my workouts (walking, jogging, cross-training, strength training)

3.  Using my Nike+ app

4.  Meal Preparations ( I will research this and include it in another blog)

5.  Dietbet (to be discussed in an upcoming blog)

Keeping Fabulous

I’m so fancy, you already know (singing this in my head as I write tonight)

I have the distinct pleasure of being born with sensitive skin.  As a result, I have to be extra careful with my cleansers and such. I can remember being so embarrassed my freshman year in college because the toothpaste that I was using left dark rings around the corners of my mouth.  One particular guy that I was so attracted to never seemed to mind the discoloration.  One day I talked to him about it and he said, “I just thought you were born that way” (car screeching noise).  I was so embarrassed from what I labeled as my “Toothpaste Burn”.  But, I digress.

So to ensure that my skin remains smooth and even toned I use the following:

Sensitive Skin Dove ( God’s gift)-  I never have any problems and I’ve been using it for years.

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Another favorite and just about the only body wash that I can use is Shea Moistures Organic Coconut Hibiscus Shea Butter Wash (Targets).  HeyFranHey (Youtube natural hair and all things natural blogger/vlogger) hipped me to this.  She used it to help her eczema flare ups.  It smells really good too!

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I went to Walmart today in search of a new facial cleanser, scrub and moisturizer.  I have not tried these products yet, so I will give them a try and update you on my success.

Simple Skin Care

I purchased the Simple foaming cleanser, facial scrub, facial toner, moisturizer, and eye make-up remover pads.  This brand was created by sensitive skin experts.

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I also picked up some Milani Fingernail polishes (31 Pink Beige and 08  Cupcake Icing)

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I finally found a Milani lipstick that I had been searching for the past couple of weeks.    Kendra (YouTube Beauty Guru -GlamTwinz334) talked about this being one of her favorite lipsticks.

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Well, I’m heading to bed for a much needed rest.

Peace and Love

Beverly Hills Adventures

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My exciting day started at about 9:00am in the morning.  I made an appointment to go to the Anastasia Beverly Hills Salon for an Eyebrow Shaping appt. and I decided to add in some fitness activity as well.

Sporting my Gel-Kayano 20 Asics today.  They are so comfortable for both walking and jogging.

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Since my brow appt. wasn’t until 11:00am, I decided to walk around Beverly Hills and sightsee.  I turned on my favorite Nike+ Running App to record my mileage.  I love this running app because you can see your activity over several months.   You can join or create walking/running challenges with your friends.  It plays your favorite playlist as you run as well.  There is a Coach feature that will create a program to train for a 5K, 10K, 13.1(half marathon) or 26.2 (marathon).  You receive motivation throughout your run from your friends or professional runners.  A+ for the Nike+ app.


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As I walked, I took a couple of pictures of some of the stores on my route.

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Finally made it to my destination after a vigorous walk.

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My appt. was with Courtney and she did an awesome job of giving me my first professional eyebrow shaping.

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My morning ended with a nice breakfast at the Roxbury Dr. Cafe.

Later on that day I decided to go by Walgreens Drugstore to see what new cosmetics were available.

I picked up a few of the new items from the Covergirl Queen Collection.

CC Creams in the colors:  Sheer Expresso and Golden Honey

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Queen Collection Colorlicious Gloss:  Copper Bliss, Lush Lavendar, Million Dollar Mocha

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Also decided to purchase the Babyskin Instant Pore Eraser

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Put it all together for a Sassy New Years look!

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Peace and Love

Let’s Get Acquainted- My Other Hobby

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Those who know me personally know that I enjoy purchasing makeup.  I love to buy the newest items that hit the makeup aisles or counters in any drugstore, Target or department store.  Why do I love makeup so much?  I really just love everything in the world of beauty.  If I had another career it may have been Makeup Artistry.  Here are a few of my most recent purchases and everyday must-haves.

I normally use the BB Kiss BB cream in medium.  It is lightweight, but gives full coverage.  As you can see I use this quite often it’s one of my favs.

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Since my skin can sometimes be oily I have to wear a mattifying base underneath the BB Cream.  I love this one that I picked up from Targets.

 

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I recently purchased several press powders from Nigel’s Beauty Emporium in Hollywood.  I’ve yet to try them, but I will let you know how they turn out in a future blog.

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I splurged on two eyeshadow palettes that I can’t  wait to experiment with them soon!

 

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New brushes that I picked up, pink of course.

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Keep those brushes clean to prevent breakouts.  Here are my current brush and beauty blender cleaners.  I already tried the brush cleaner and it’s amazing.  A little goes a long way.

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My everyday fragrances.  I love, love, love these two in combination.

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A few more facts about me…..

l.  My favorite color is pink (any shade)

2.  I love to workout outdoors (walking/running on the beach is my fav.)

3.  Favorite running shoes:  Asics and Nikes (pink has to be present somewhere on the shoes of course!)

4.  Favorite fruit:  Blueberries

5.  Favorite Music:  R & B

6.  Favorite Comedian:  Richard Pryor (who else?)

7.  Favorite Shows:  (Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder -Go Kerry and Viola)

8.  Favorite Meal:  Pescatarian or Vegetarian

9.  Favorite Thing to Do:  Watch YouTube Videos, Blog

10:  Next Major Purchase:  I need another camera because I’m using my iPhone for pics.  I won’t purchase one unless I consistently blog for the next two weeks though.

If you have any other questions please feel free to ask in comments below.

Peace and Love

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1st Day Of Winter Break

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Sooooooo! I had planned to do some semi exciting activities today. However, I ended up watching YouTube videos and Netflix movies pretty much all day.  Yep! I have started my vacation as a couch potato.  Some of the reasons for my lack of activity may be due to a sudden little bug that I seem to have caught since the light showers over the past week here in sunny California.  I have been trying to treat this little affliction with the following items, but I don’t think they are working very well.

 

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Speaking of You Tube videos.  I’ve been catching up on watching some of the Makeup Gurus on Youtube.  Some of my favorites are:

l.  GlamTwinz234

2.  C Key

3.  SunKissAlba

4.  ItsJudyTime

5.  MsLizHeart

6. BeautybyLee

I have many more which I may mention in another blog.  My latest task will be to master contouring.  I picked up a couple of contouring pallets this Christmas.

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It should be a lot of phone trying out new looks.  I’ll post the new makeup items that I haul in future blogs.  I have a huge haul from Nigel’s Emporium that I need to tell you about.  I will also start adding in My Bucketlist which I am creating.  One item is to complete a Makeup Artistry Workshop and receive my Pro Card.  I love makeup!!!!!!

I’ve completed some Christmas Shopping.  I sent my parents their gifts.  I will not post a pic because they may read the blog and spoil the surprise.  However, I’ve purchased a few new perfumes for myself.

 

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I’ve decided to cook everyday for the next 3 weeks of my Winter vacation.  I will have to grocery shop tomorrow.  But, first I need to make room in my refrigerator.  I will need to make room for fresh fruits and vegetables.  A more recent bit of news is that I am now a pescatarian.  I recently added seafood to my diet.  I think it helps me with balancing my meals a little better.  I will take pics of the new recipes that I will be preparing.  Pinterest is my new best friend.  I love to try the recipes that I see on there.

 

I do have a few YouTube Chefs that I follow religiously.

l.  Cooking with April

2.  Laura Vitale

3.  Divas Can Cook

 

My running routine needs severe help.  I was doing great over the summer.  As soon as my new job started my running ended (sob).  I will have to reinvent myself once again.

My plan is to blog everyday so see you tomorrow!

Peace and Love!

 

 

 

 

 

Long Beach, CA Excursions

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This past Saturday, August 3, 2013 started out with a very healthy breakfast.  I had to fuel up for my beach workout: Scambled eggs (easy), Ezekiel Bread Cinnamon and Raisin English Muffins, Almond Butter, Strawberry and Spinach Salad with Chia Seeds and Flax Seed.

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I walked for a total of 3 miles and attacked the stairs as usual.

The rest of the day involved shopping and browsing stores.

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Another great lunch in the afternoon.  I enjoyed this 1/2 green 1/2 oriental salad with the sweetest vinegarette.  Really yummy!

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Nothing beats a healthy snack:  Dried blueberries and unsalted roasted cashews

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I’m excited about changing up my workout a bit.  I’ll be running again in no time.  I can feel myself getting stronger with every workout.

How was your weekend?

Today’s Doctor Visit and My Awesome Weekend!

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Phew!! I went to the Orthopedic Surgeon today to get a diagnoses for my shoulder pain. The doctor tried to narrow it down to tendonitis in both shoulders, however, he is also requesting an additional neck MRI to see if there are further complications. He gave me 2 cortisone shots in both shoulders OUCH!!!!! I tried to relax after the visit by going to see a movie “Marvel Avengers”. Movie therapy usually relaxes me, but it didn’t seem to work. I’m home now and my right shoulder is aching like a toothache. I think this may mean another day off from work if I’m not better. Wow! I’m so glad when this subsides. I really want to be better by summer.

Now to my awesome weekend! I started it off on Friday night by picking up the nieces and coaching them through a vegan sprinkled donut recipe. Vegan donuts are a much healthier alternative to regular donuts. Great fun! A great math lesson also using estimation with measurements. My nieces are so smart. They said that they didn’t need my help LOL!

Vegan Sprinkle Donut:

On Saturday afternoon, I picked up the nieces and we went to Costco to meet the author of the vegan cookbook, Chloe’s Kitchen.

We told her all about our new vegan cooking adventures and visiting vegan restaurants. She was so nice and really down to earth.

The nieces and Chloe:

After meeting Chloe, we did some shopping for fruit and a pizza to snack on for lunch.

Yummy Watermelon:

Lunch:

We ended our glorious evening with watching DVDs and Netflix. I couldn’t ask for a better weekend.