Welcome to week 21 of my Health & Weight Loss Journey! Here is a link to last weeks post if you'd like to check it out.
I forgot to weigh in Friday morning so I did this morning and I'm perplexed once again at the results.
Everytime I take time off from working out I lose weight. And, everytime I workout faithfully, I gain weight but the fat percentage stays the same. So, it's not like I am gaining muscle and losing fat. Maybe one of my readers who has some knowledge in this area can explain this to me. I just don't get it!
I worked out 6 out of 7 days this week. I did a mix of walking, my regular weight routine (posted below), and a workout DVD.
I also continue to use the Pedometer App (pictured above)
Here's what I did this week...
Here are my workouts for the week:
Day 1-10 minutes on stepper / weight routine
Day 2- 35 minute walk
Day 3- 32 minute walk / weight routine
Day 4- 43 minute walk
Day 5- 10 minutes on stepper / weight routine
Day 6- 20 minute walk / No More Trouble Zones DVD: 10 minute whole body / 10 minute stretch
Day 7- no workout
Weigh in :
Weight: gained 2 pounds!
Fat: no change
This is getting really frustrating- not seeing any results. I am tempted to drop everything and just do yoga. This happened to me in the past, where I gained weight while sweating my but off doing Turbo Jam everyday for months, only to gain weight and fat. I gave up and did yoga and started to lose weight right away. Maybe that's what my body wants. I'll have to try to incorporate more yoga back into my routine and see what happens. But, I don't want to give up lifting weights as I want to build muscle since we tend to lose that as we get older.
Let me know in the comments what you are doing to stay in shape!
Physicians Formula Argan Wear Ultra-Nourishing Argan Lip Oils
Ultra Nourishing Argan Lip Oil Review
Physician Formula's Argan Lip oils are made with 100% pure argan oil. They are hypoallergenic, fragrance free, gluten free, paraben free, and cruelty free.
Claims:
Conditions, hydrates, revives, replenish immediately and long term.
Transforming miracle boosts lips' natural colour, smooths texture, enhances lips' shape and volume for a healthy, more youthful looking pout.
Benefits:
100% Pure Argan Oil infused lip duo adds a hint of colour and shine while delivering deep hydration that nourishes and soothes lips
Ultra-conditioning lip oil instantly relieves dryness and helps to protect against drying from environmental conditions.
Ultra-luxurious coconut water flavoured formula melts into your lips, absorbing instantly, for a lightweight, non-sticky luminous shine.
My Experience:
First of all, I just love the packaging.
Even though they show a bit of colour in the photos, they really sheer out and are virtually clear on the lips. There are no shimmer or glitter particles whatsoever in either lip product, thank goodness!
I really like the formula, it's not sticky and not too slick either. I have tried other oil lip treatments that were very expensive and they just slid off my lips within 5 minutes. With these lip oils, I get at least a couple hours of wear. If I eat or drink, I do have to reapply.
There is no real scent or taste, just a hint of the scent of argan oil.
I really like the feel of these on my super dehydrated lips. It feels like a nice treat and quite comforting to my lips, almost like a barrier between my lips and the environment. These also make a great nighttime treatment for your lips if you apply them before bed.
I like the packaging of the lip oils. They're very hygienic and have a squeeze tube with a slanted, flexible, silicone tip as seen above. The packaging makes for easy application.
Physicians Formula Ultra Nourishing Argan Wear Kohl Kajal Eyeliner
Luxurious, intense and richly-pigmented kohl kajal eyeliner creates the most dramatic and exotic eye look.
Infused with 100% Pure Argan Oil, known as "liquid gold" for its ultra-nourishing & conditioning properties.
Ultra-creamy eyeliner glides-on effortlessly for dramatic definition and inner rim intensity.
24 Hour Wear
High-performance kohl formula is 100% waterproof for colour that won't budge or smudge, delivering seamless and glamorous definition for 24-hour wear.
My Experience:
I find that the liner is very pigmented and glides onto my waterline like a dream. I don't wear black liner in my waterline and haven't for years, but I put it to the test for this post. It wore all day with minimal wear. There was no transfer to my lower eyelids at the end of the day.
The liner even wore well on my upper lash line with no transfer to my upper eyelids, which are very hooded, so I was quite surprised. I wouldn't purchase this product for the upper lash line as it would become difficult to get a nice thin line, especially over time due to the shape of the pencil. I was able to apply it to my upper lash line using the side of the pencil, which surprised me.
Update: I seem to have mastered being able to apply this thick pencil along my upper lashline and get a nice straight thin line. It just took a few tries. I use the side of the pencil as I mentioned earlier and it's working out quite well for now.
I actually had a hard time removing all of the liner before bed. This is a good testament to the staying power of this liner. I cannot testify as to the 24-hour claims as I didn't wear it for 24 hours. I'm not sure who would wear their eyeliner for 24 hours, on purpose anyway... well, maybe if you're in Vegas!
If you are looking for long wearing, cruelty-free eyeliners for the upper lash line, I highly recommend Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Eyeliners that come in a 3 pack. They are as good as high-end, in my opinion, and better for use on the upper lash line.
Above: Kajal liner in the waterline and upper lash line (no mascara + untamed brows) lol.
Conclusion
Lip Duo: I'm really enjoying the lip products and think they are definitely worth the money. They feel great on my lips and seem to condition them as claimed. I find them better than similar high-end products. I find that my lips get used to balms and lip products so I have to rotate them. Only time will tell if that will happen with this product also, but I'm kind of expecting it eventually.
Kohl Kajal Eyeliner: I think the Kohl Kajal liner is excellent for someone who likes to wear black in their waterline. It glides onto the waterline like a dream and is very pigmented. I will use it for the upper lash line until it becomes too thick to use for that purpose.
Physician's Formula is pricier than most drugstore brands, but some of the products (including these) work as well as higher end brands. If you're also looking for products that are healthier for you and free of parabens, the extra cost may be worth it to you.
Physicians Formula is cruelty-free and dermatologist approved.
Have you tried these products? What are your thoughts?
I was bad again this week. Other than today, I didn't workout at all. This makes it 2 weeks in a row! I know I'm not the only one this happens to but I get rather disappointed with myself when I don't do at least some form of exercise.
This week, either I couldn't find the time or the energy. I think the summer heat isn't helping but I shouldn't let that stop me. I could always stay indoors and do some yoga. And, sometimes I just feel unmotivated! But, I want to be here to motivate YOU & ME!
At times I wonder why I even bother to workout when I'm not losing any weight or seeing any great muscle gains. And, then I realize... even if I don't see weight loss, there are just too many benefits to exercise to stop, even if I don't see any benefits right away.
So, even though I felt super lazy and tired from the heat today, I forced myself to go for a walk. I'm getting back on the workout wagon. .At least, those are my intentions.
As Nike says "Just Do It!"
I am continuing with the Pedometer App (pictured below) to track my steps.
Workouts for the week:
Today- 48 minutes / 1.99 miles
Weigh in:
Weight: down .5 lbs
Fat: up 1%
Next week I'm going to share with you the things that I find are essential for walking and hiking safely, so stay tuned for that.
So, I decided that this week I would do a test and not workout at all and see what happens.. okay okay, not really. I actually wasn't able to find either the time or the energy to workout at all this week... not even one day! But, the results on the scale were interesting considering I didn't workout at all! Normally the scale doesn't budge no matter how hard I workout and lift weights. Although the changes on the scale this week are minor, they are still changes and have me perplexed.. does my body prefer that I don't workout and lift weights?
Here is a link to last weeks post if you'd like to check it out.
Since I don't have any daily exercises to report, let's get straight to the results from this mornings weigh in.
Weight: down .5lbs Fat: down 1%
See you next week when hopefully I'll have much more to report.
One of Real Techniques latest products is this Brush Cleansing Palette. I've wanted it since it came out. It kept going out of stock when I was shopping online so I signed up for in stock notifications and stalked iHerb's website until it was back in stock and quickly placed an order for it.
I paid $14.99 USD + $2.33 shipping (but I ordered several other items at the same time so the shipping was negligible).
It claims that it cleans brushes 55% better with the palette and their gel cleanser vs. hand cleaning with water. Well, I have no way to measure that- but it sure does work well!
The cleansing palette came with 2 sample packs of their brush cleanser.
The palette is a nice size and measure approximately 6" x 3.5" x 1.5"
Info from iHerb's website:
Performance-grade silicone: Lightweight and ergonomically designed to fit comfortably over your hand
Exclusive multi-textured surfaces: Designed to gently work between the bristles for enhanced deep cleansing
Suggested Use
Small Brushes
Medium Brushes
Large Brushes
Step 1: Slip hand into the palette and squeeze a dime size amount of our brush cleansing gel onto the tool. Add warm water to the palette. Step 2: Swirl brush into the gel and water across the various surfaces until the brush is clean. Rinse bristles thoroughly, being careful to not fully immerse the base of the bristles. Squeeze out the excess water. Step 3: Rest your brushes across the surface of the tool to air dry, or use the panoramic case from our sets (sold separately) to dry brushes upside down.
Above, I have added the Real Techniques brush cleanser from the sample pack that came with it. It's clear and has a gel like consistency that is fairly thick compared to what I am used to. I normally use liquid Castile soap to clean my brushes which is much thinner and you need only a small amount.
Here, you can see the handy little strap that is built in for easy holding. It's very comfortable to hold.
You can see the size in comparison to my hand, it's quite large. I think it's a perfect size for cleaning all sorts of makeup brushes.
The instructions say to add the cleanser and water to the dish. I prefer to add the cleanser to the dish and then wet the brush under the tap and begin swirling the brush into the cleanser and palette. Just a personal preference.
As you can see above, it really gets all the dirt out of my makeup brush. This was after cleaning just one brush.
I rinse the palette after I clean each brush and add more cleanser for the next brush, and so on..
Squeaky clean brush after a nice bath in its new palette.
You can even use your palette to rest your brushes on top (as shown) and let them dry. But, as you can see it only holds 3 brushes here.
Here is the RT Brush Cleansing Palette in comparison to the little egg brush cleaner.
I really feel that I don't even need the little egg brush cleaner anymore. The RT palette works much better. It's much easier to use and does a better job at getting my brushes clean.
Here's a short video of the palette in action. I had to use one hand to hold the camera and the other to hold the brush so I was only able to demo with an eyeshadow brush for the video, but you'll get the point.
I'm so glad that I got this palette. I give it 5 stars! It makes cleaning my brushes so much easier and my brushes are much cleaner. It's really worth the price as it's not something I feel I'll ever have to replace.
Because it makes cleaning my brushes so much easier, I'm certain that I'll end up cleaning my brushes more often. I can hear my skin thanking me now! lol
I probably wont purchase the Real Techniques brush cleanser as I use castile soap. It's cheap, does a great job, and will last for a very long time (you only need a small amount).
Between the crazy summer heat this week and a migraine, it's been a bit of a struggle to workout this week. But, I did manage to get in a few workouts despite these challenges. Here is a link to last weeks post if you'd like to check it out.
I mixed it up this week and used my stepper, walked, and continued with my customized weight routine (chart below).
I also continue to use the pedometer app when I walk (pictured in the main photo).
I am still using 8lb weights for the above weight routine.
Here are my workouts for the week:
Day 1-
Day 2- Weight routine above
Day 3- 35-minute walk
Day 4-
Day 5- 30-minute stepper + weight routine above
Day 6-
Day 7-
Weigh in :
Weight: no change
Fat: no change
I only worked out 3 out of 5 days this week, but it's better than nothing considering the incredible heat during the week.
Again, we see no change in my weight or fat percentage.
I was trying to think if there is anything that I have changed since I gained approximately 10 pounds over the last 2 years. The only thing I could think of was that I used to eat nuts daily but I had stopped over the last couple of years. That could be the key as I know that nuts are supposed to help with weight loss, particularly almonds, but I kind of lost my taste for them. I will be trying to eat some nuts daily and see if it makes a difference. This will be an interesting test, and since I'm documenting everything, we will definitely be able to see if incorporating nuts back into my diet makes any difference.
Let me know in the comments what you are doing this summer to stay in shape.
Welcome to week 17 of my Health and Weight Loss Journey.
Workout wise, it was a pretty boring week. I just went for walks and did my personalized weight lifting routine. At least I did a lot better that last week (post linked here).
I continued to use the Pedometer App. which I am still loving!
It has been scorching hot and humid but I've been going for my walks again despite the heat.
I think it's good to sweat, it's an easy way to get rid of toxins.
What!?!?!
Baby Egret
One day, I saw something flying past me that looked VERY strange. It looked like a bird of some sort covered in fluff. I thought it's either got some disease or it's some very strange looking bird. In 40+ years, I have never seen a bird like this. I wasn't able to get a picture of it, but I googled it and found exactly what I saw. I wanted to share a picture of it, it's such a strange looking bird. It was a baby Egret. Never heard of them, but apparently they were almost extinct at one time.
