Friendship, Fifties, Fitness and Feeling FABULOUS

Me and Fabulous Wendy!

As I near fifty, I celebrate the woman that I have become, and the friendships that I have cultivated through my journey of life.  Finding a true friend is a rare gift, and I dedicate this Blog to one of my dearest friends who celebrated her 58 year young birthday this month.  I will be calling this the fun, fit, fifty and fabulous write up, and why not feel fabulous…right?  Being a healthy person is not about a number, but how we treat ourselves every day, what we feed our bodies, how we move our bodies, and how we enjoy quality time with our self and others.  Birthdays are gifts that remind us of what a pleasure and privilege it is to wake up each day, have another day, and the opportunity to make it a GREAT one! 

In walks my friend Wendy…now she and I have had some really fun times together, some serious talk times, cry times, and kick butt fitness times. We share a sister bond of trust and vulnerability that allows us to be ourselves with each other…that is what I mean about a true friend.  And laugh…we both have that in common and we are far from frumpy… are you kidding me…fifty something does not mean that for us, exact opposite…we feel youthful, trendy, sexy, and enjoy being confident, fit women.  Here is what Wendy has to say about being 58 and fabulous:

Wendy, 58 and Fab

Being Fabulous at 58

What??!!??!! I’m 58?????? Almost hard to believe since I do not feel 58…or 48…or even 38 for that matter…I feel like I did when I was in my twenties…young, vibrant, healthy, fit, happy and full of life. Age is an attitude, not a number.  It is great genes (thanks mom and dad) combined with living life with a fresh attitude every day. To have a full heart that shines with love, faith, friendships, motherhood, fun, laughter (sometimes tears) and with a deep sense of power over my own happiness. Feeling tremendous at 58 is an understanding that I need to set good boundaries, to know when to be sweet and when to be strong. I strive to take life’s serious issues and deal with them boldly and with a productive spirit.  Working out, eating healthy, getting plenty of rest combined with a positive outlook is the key to feeling my very optimum.  And, laughing… till my belly aches, keeps the child in me alive!!!  I adore my husband of almost 30 years, my beautiful daughters and my wonderfully magnificent friends who breathe new life into me every day.  Finally, being fantastic at 50+ is having a strong love of the Lord who gives me courage, strength and confidence.

My Fabulous Friend

So, if someone comes up to me and asks me, “How old are you?” I think I’ll answer…do you want to know how old I am or how old do I feel? Because you see, the answer will be quite different…

  ”Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.” John Lennon

Blessings,

Wendy Wise

Thanks Wendy for being such a fabulous friend, and I celebrate you and your beautiful example of living a healthy life through body, mind and spirit…YOU ROCK!!!

My Ellie Outfit

FIT GEAR REVIEW

    I am so excited to share a new online Fitness Clothing Store. Ellie designs contacted me awhile back
to try out their new fitness clothes line, and I being such a fitness fashionista and not about frump, was happy to oblige and give my 5 cents worth on their product.

 First, let me say…WORTH THE WAIT! I wanted to sample, workout in, and wash the clothing prior to giving my feedback on the product. Also, I am a firm believer of not promoting things that I would not wear myself.  To be honest, I was a bit skeptical at first due to the length of time receiving the product as the company was working through the “kinks” that all new businesses do, but with that understanding, my patience was rewarded with a fabulous outfit.  Also, what comes to the forefront of importance to me is customer service, and all my questions/concerns were promptly answered, and I would give Elliea high rating in customer service.  I am a stickler for quality fitness attire being that my job revolves around fitness and also, it is my every day ware in the studio…so I am looking for great quality and functional wear that can take me through my day, and often into the evening.  I can honestly say, that I look forward to wearing more Ellie!

Heart breaker capris

Let me move on to the product. I ordered from the February collection: the After Dark Fitness Top and Heartbreaker Capri Bottoms.  True to size and the fit was just as described and appeared on the Ellie site.  The quality of the material was superior and provided the support I needed and I felt comfortable not having to wear a bra under the fitness top. In fact, I would even wear the top with a pair of jeans/shorts for out and about.  Excellent coverage and feel, not cutting in and feeling like I had to adjust the top or bottom from riding in places that are well…uncomfortable, and you know what I mean.  The moisture wicked away from my body and did not leave me feeling like I was setting in water soaked clothes and believe me… I sweat like no other during a hard workout.  The outfit stood up well to wash, no shrinkage, and I always drip dry all my fitness clothes, so did not put my product in the dryer.  The color remained vibrant and the quality of the stitching, and straps maintained their 
integrity. 

Feb Collection: After Dark Fitness Top

Love the Straps!

 









 My Shopping Selections
After Dark Fitness Top - Left
Heart Breaker Capri's - Right







I received no payment for providing this product review, other than the outfit to provide feedback.  I am happy to promote Ellie Designs after having the opportunity to sample the clothes line and have made the decision to become an Ellie Ambassador based on the quality product. What this means is that I can provide YOU with discounts for fabulous fitness outfits, and in turn I do receive a small commission for each person that signs up using my link.  If you have not given Elliea try, it is such a great deal for quality fitness clothes at a discount price.  I say it is about time for this concept to hit the fitness clothes scene, as I for one am on a budget, and it is nice to be able to buy quality clothes, look and feel good when I workout, and not feel guilty with my purchase.

Wishing everyone a very HAPPY EASTER from My Family to Yours!!!!

Happy Spring and Stay Healthy

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  If you are inspired, LIKE my entry, leave a comment and I look forward to responding! 

Stay Healthy~ Darla

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Treating Acne Without Side Effects

There are many acne treatments available either over the counter or by prescription. Potentially there is a risk of side effects from all of these.  The worst being those of  isotretinoin based products which include the risk of  birth defects, depression and suicide. Most worrying is recent reports that the side effects may continue after the treatment has stopped. However, many people could treat their acne without taking these risks.

Treating and Preventing Acne Holistically

Acne can be treated and prevented safely naturally.  A good starting point is a regular skincare routine using natural products manufactured with sensitive skin in mind. Although initially it would seem a good idea to use harsh face washes that strip the sebum from the skin, in reality this often results in the sebaceous gland overcompensating and generating even more sebum. By using gentle, natural skincare products we can clean the pores without upsetting the balance of sebum production. Many natural products also contain mild antibacterial ingredients that are an added bonus. A good skincare routine will include washing, toning and moisturising the skin on your face daily and then using a mask to draw out impurities once or twice a week.

Mild and Moderate Acne

Clinical studies show that blue light and red light, working at specific wavelengths, act together in clearing mild to moderate acne. The blue light has an antibacterial effect whilst the red light acts as an effective anti-inflammatory.*9 *10 This technology is now available for home use with the Beauty Skin light box. Used for just 15 minutes a day, the Beauty Skin offers a safe effective treatment for acne that has been shown to produce results in just 4 weeks.

Diet and Acne

Contrary to popular belief, there is evidence linking our diets to acne.  

There are people who refute the link, but they cite studies that have involved diets only maintained for seven days. Few acne treatments, conventional or otherwise, would be entirely successful in that short period of time. Indeed research*1 with people suffering from acne has shown that a diet needs to be maintained for six weeks before the body shows the required increase in vitamins levels to help acne.  

Further research shows the blood analysed from patients with severe acne has considerably worse levels of vitamins A and E than blood analysed from patients  with mild acne*3. This seems to suggest a clear link between deficiency in those vitamins and acne. Thus eating foods high in those nutrients would be beneficial. Minerals are also very important, research has shown both Zinc*5, and selenium*6 are beneficial in helping to reduce acne.

The best method of increasing intake of these vitamins and minerals is via a diet high in vegetables and fruit which lasts at least 6 weeks. A good way to ensure a high intake of these vitamins is to include combinations of freshly juiced  blackberries, kiwi fruit, watercress,  Swiss chard, cranberries, mango, apricots for vitamin E:

and broccoli, spinach, kale, carrots, Green lettuce, spinach, watercress, Apricots, peaches, mango, loquats, passion fruit, grapefruit  for vitamin A. Please note that it is possible to have too much vitamin A, see notice at the end of the article. Moderation is the key! 

If there is evidence concerning the foods we should be eating, what evidence is there concerning the foods we should avoid? There is evidence linking milk consumption and acne*2 so removing or at least reducing milk from your diet would be wise. There also seems to be evidence, although only empirical, that links refined carbohydrates, sugars and acne. Although scientists and doctors have yet to establish the exact nature of the link, it is believed be due to the body requiring more chromium to deal with the high blood sugar caused by these food types. This is based on studies that found people with unstable blood sugar levels suffered a high incidence of acne, but when chromium supplements were given the acne rapidly improved *7.

We do know and accept that there are some countries whose populations have diets consisting of fresh fruit, vegetables, lean meats and fish, and are generally free of acne*4.  We also know that when these people move to a country whose diet is high in processed foods, dairy and refined sugars, many begin to suffer from acne. Many people dismiss this as only empirical evidence but if you want to effectively treat acne the correlation would be an important point to note and incorporate into your daily diet. 

Conclusion

So acne can be treated, and more importantly prevented, naturally without risks of the side effects that many of the conventional drugs incur. A gentle skin care routine and a diet low in processed food and high in unprocessed food for at least 6 weeks should see a vast improvement in your acne and general skin condition. For more stubborn cases, or faster results, combine the routine with Beauty Skin treatments for the ultimate acne free skin care routine.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Vitamin A in doses of 25,000iu or higher can be extremely dangerous.. As a guide there is around 15,500IU/100g of Vitamin A in Kale and 16,812 IU/100g in carrots. Moderation is the key.

*1 D. LABADARIOS, J. CILLIERS, L. VISSER, M. E. VAN STUIJVENBERG, G. S. SHEPHARD, D. WIUM, R. WALKER (1987) 

Vitamin A in acne vulgaris 

Clinical and Experimental Dermatology 12 (6), 432-436. 

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2230.1987.tb01942.x

*2 Adebamowo CA, Spiegelman D, Berkey CS, Danby FW, Rockett HH, Colditz GA, Willett WC, Holmes MD.

Milk consumption and acne in adolescent girls.

Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA.

Dermatol Online J. 2006;12(4):25.

*3 Z. El-akawi, N. Abdel-Latif, K. Abdul-Razzak (2006) 

Does the plasma level of vitamins A and E affect acne condition? 

Clinical and Experimental Dermatology 31 (3), 430-434. 

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2230.2006.02106.x

* 4Cordain L, Lindeberg S, Hurtado M, et al: Acne vulgaris: a disease of

Western civilization. Arch Dermatol 138:1584-1590, 2002

*5 Michaelsson G, Juhlin L, Vahlquist A.

Effects of oral zinc and vitamin A in acne.

Arch Dermatol. 1977 Jan;113(1):31-6.

*6 Michaelsson G, Edqvist LE.

Erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity in acne vulgaris and the effect of selenium and vitamin E treatment.

Acta Derm Venereol. 1984;64(1):9-14.

*7 McCarty M.

High-chromium yeast for acne?

Med Hypotheses. 1984 Jul;14(3):307-10.

* 8 http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/

*9 P. Papageorgiou, A. Katsambas and A. Chu (2000). Phototherapy with blue (415nm) and red (660nm) light in the treatment of acne vulgaris. British Journal of Dermatology, 142: 5. Pp 973-978.

*10 M. Elman et al (2003). The effective treatment of acne vulgaris by a high-intensity, narrow band 405-420nm light source. Journal of Cosmetic & Laser Therapy; 5: 111-116.

Penis Enlargement

Men are you experience a desire for penis enlargement, yet think others will think you are homosexual. Penis enlargement gives sense of power not only with sex, but also with the fact that it sounds disingenuous. 

 Penis enlargement will give you feeling of strength, power, vitality, manhood.   

Penis size bound up with our view of sexual attractiveness and sexual competence. Our view of manliness is serious and although men know that penis size is variable and that sexual satisfaction is not about the larger the better, achieving larger penis is a real obsession for many men. 

Penis enlargement has become an easy target for dishonest marketing. 

Men of all ages and size are having relationships that are not working, as men believe they could fix the relationship if they had a larger more firm penis. As men and boys do not initiate conversation about penis size, they will look for ways for penis enlargement.  

Around one percent of Americans have BDD (body dysmorphic disorder,) obsession with an imagined imperfection in appearance. If a minor bodily irregularity is there, the person's anxiety is noticeably extreme. Penis size can bring this disorder on with men having an idea of being inadequate for a partner in life. 

Many men are looking for penis enlargement are considering surgical enhancement, penis enlargement pills, patches, even penis enlargement devices to find more satisfaction in looks. Men considering these types of enhancements have a normal size penis. Five to six inches in size is a normal size for a man, with having the idea that eight inches would enhance the appearance and sexual activities with their partner in life. 

Penis enlargement patches are with drugs that can absorb though the skin and help with the enlargement of the penis. Patches need to be replace every couple of days and can irritate the skin.  

Penis enlargement devices are worn under the clothing. Penis enlargement devices will stretch the penis to the size that is desire. With the device, it stretches the tissue in the penis. As the tissue heals the penis becomes longer and thicker.  

With the penis enlargement pill a man only has to worry about the pill and in a short time will start to notice the penis enlarging.  

Check out the different penis enlargement pills today and start with the treatment that you deserve. You and your partner will be happy you did.

Get your FREE Enlargement Info Kit Now!

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The Value of Time

Our New Puppy ~ Roxie

Hubby and I were reading our daily devotional about the meaning of time and really how that equates to love.  What really shouted loud for me was this fabulous share:

“Time is your most precious gift because you only have a set amount of it. You can make more money, but you can't make more time. When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you'll never get back. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time.  It is not enough to just say relationships are important; we must prove it by investing time in them. Words alone are worthless. "My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action." Relationships take time and effort, and the best way to spell love is "T-I-M-E.”

It is this kind of paragraph that stops me in my tracks and makes me appreciate the value of time even more.  I zero in on “you can make more money, but you can’t make more time”, and “Your time is your life”… aren’t these such  AH-HA statements to think about.  The reason I share such a personal blog today is that I want you to know, and I am sure you have heard this many times…it is not about having the best of everything, but making the BEST of everything you have.  I would have to say that this really attributes huge to my living a healthy lifestyle, and realizing that I am enough, my funds are enough, my car and home are enough, time I spend in the gym is enough, and all the things that I am blessed with are ENOUGH.  Knowing this allows me to relax, spend quality time with hubby, family and friend relationships, and to really let go of so much stress that can be created by the “Not Good Enough” mentality.   

It is also being comfortable in this/my skin, and not having to compare myself to others.  I am the type of person that can celebrate the success of my family and friends and not be down in the dumps if I am not at their financial status.  What kind of friend would I be if I secretly felt bitterness, jealousy, and other ugly negative mind games that spell out hypocrite and surely does not fit a healthy mind or life…I could not define myself as a friend that is for sure.

Time is so valuable that no amount of money or price tag can be placed on it, and that tells me just how important it is NOT TO WASTE IT.  It also tells me that I should be living the BEST life with my time, being the best I can be to myself and other important people in my life.  Quality time and all the good and meaningful things I do in that quality time is healthy.  Loving Darla daily through exercise and healthy foods is time well spent.  Let me go further and share that my job as a personal trainer/consultant/coach is so enjoyable because it is giving the gift of my time, never to get back, but given with genuine care and complete attention to each of my clients, and I feel really great about that.  Helping people with my time is healthy for them and healthy for me.  It is such a great team relationship that can truly be defined as quality time. 

I think the most important part about time is not wasting it…it is such a gift and privilege to be given each day to celebrate all that TODAY is and will be.  I think it would be a slap in God’s face to not appreciate the time given to me…I mean how can I waste such a gift as this.  If you gave me a present, I would not throw it on the ground and not appreciate it.  I look at life and time like that. How I spend my time makes for a healthy me, and realizing what that means, and how it makes me feels is pretty darn satisfying for this Stay Healthy Gal.

In Your Face MOTIVATIONS

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  If you are inspired, LIKE my entry, leave a comment and I look forward to responding! 

Stay Healthy~ Darla

Receive My Stay Healthy Nutrition Guide as a Free Gift and Thank you when you donate to Stay Healthy Fitness...