Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Burn 150 calories in 11 different ways!

Burning Calories – 150 at a Time

For a 150-pound person, doing these exercises will burn about 150 calories, a great start to getting into shape!

Walking a mile at a pace of 15 to 20 minutes per mile

Swimming laps for 20 minutes Bicycling for 30 minutes

Running a mile at a pace of 10 minutes per mile

Climbing stairs for 15 minutes

Raking leaves for 30 minutes

Playing basketball for 15 to 30 minutes

Playing volleyball for 45 to 60 minutes

Gardening for 30 to 45 minutes

Jumping rope for 15 minutes

Dancing for 30 minutes

Remember: The more intense the workout, the less time required to burn calories. Be sure to choose an activity that you enjoy, it's much harder to stick with an exercise routine if you’re not really wild about what you're doing.

And always use common sense: If you are feeling pain, dizziness, major discomfort, or unease while working out, call your doctor immediately.

Bad skin habits that cause pimples!

Clear, healthy, blemish-free skin is a dream for many and though you can’t do anything about your hormones, 2 main causes of acne, you can change your daily routine to improve your skin’s appearance. Break your skin care bad habits to prevent acne and enjoy the healthy glow of clear skin.

Acne, the term for what's commonly called pimples or zits, occurs when oil, bacteria, and dead skin cells clog hair follicles. People with oily skin may be more susceptible to pimples because of their acne prone skin, but breaking bad habits can still help them and everyone else to prevent acne.

Break These Acne-Causing Habits

Here are the top bad habits that can take a toll on your acne prone skin, resulting in pimples and blemishes:

Bad Habit No. 1: Washing your skin too often


Though it's important to keep your skin clean, washing it too often will only make acne worse. Instead, wash your face in the morning when you wake and at night before bed.

Bad Habit No. 2: Vigorously scrubbing your skin


Scrubbing your skin with a washcloth, loofah, or harsh exfoliant will cause significant irritation — and may worsen your acne-prone skin. To prevent acne, always wash with only lukewarm water and a gentle cleanser.

Bad Habit No. 3: Not cleaning sweaty skin


After you've had a tough workout or been outside in the hot sun, your skin may be covered with sweat. Don't let it dry on your skin, always bathe or wash your skin right after sweating.

Bad Habit No. 4: Picking at your skin and popping your pimples


While it may be irresistible to pick or pop pimples, these behaviors can cause increased redness from squeezing the pus deeper into the skin and sometimes even scarring. Instead, keep your hands off your face and let pimples go back down to size with the help of an anti-acne lotion or cream.

Bad Habit No. 5: Skipping the shampoo


If you've got oily hair, that oil can seep down onto your face and cause pimples. Make sure you wash your hair each day to keep excess oil off of your forehead, face, and back to help prevent acne.

Bad Habit No. 6: Getting hair products on your face


It's important to keep hair spray, gel, mousse, or other hair products off your face to prevent them from clogging up your pores. Cover your face when applying these products to keep them on your hair and off your skin.

Bad Habit No. 7: Eating greasy foods


While the food that you eat doesn't cause acne, greasy foods can make acne prone skin worse because of the excess oil and grease that can get on the skin from the food itself. So stick to a healthy diet without greasy, fried foods to spare your skin and your health.

Bad Habit No. 8: Using cosmetics that contain oil


If you've got acne-prone skin, the last thing you want to do is introduce even more oil. When you buy makeup and other skin products, look for oil-free options labeled with the terms "non-acnegenic" or "non-comedogenic" to help prevent acne.

Bad Habit No. 9: Stopping your acne treatment


If you're using prescription acne medications for your pimples, it's great news when your skin starts to clear up. But that doesn't mean you're free to stop using your medication. To keep a recurrent breakout at bay, finish all of your prescription acne medications as recommended by your doctor unless directed otherwise.

Replace your bad skin care habits and practices with good ones to help bring acne under control. With a few simple changes, your skin not your pimples will be glowing.

Monday, June 7, 2010

8 Toxic Personalities to Avoid

Although we like to think that the people in our lives are well adjusted, happy, healthy minded individuals, we sometimes realize that it just isn't so. Personally, I've had moments where I'll be skipping through my day, happy as i can be, thinking life is awesome and all of a sudden, I'll be blindsided by someone who manages to just mess up my day. Sometimes it is easy to write it off and other times, not so much.

Maybe you are a positive person, but when you are around a certain individual, you feel negative. Or, maybe you have an idealistic view of the world and when you are with certain people, you are made to feel silly, unrealistic or delusional. Or, maybe you pride yourself in being completely independent and in control of your life, but when you are around a certain family member, you go into a state of childhood.

Some of these situations, and yes, these people, can have a tremendously negative impact on our lives. And, although we are all human and have our issues some issues are quite toxic. They are toxic to our happiness. They are toxic to our mental outlook. They are toxic to our self-esteem. And they are toxic to our lives. They can suck the life out of us and even shorten our lifespan.

Here are the worst of the toxic personalities out there and how to spot them:

1. Manipulative Mary: These individuals are experts at manipulation. As a matter of fact, you may not even realize you have been manipulated until it is too late. These individuals figure out what your 'buttons' are, and push them to get what they want.

Why they are toxic: These people have a way of eating away at your belief system and self-esteem. They find ways to make you do things that you don't necessarily want to do and before you know it, you lose your sense of identity, your personal priorities and your ability to see the reality of the situation. The world all of a sudden becomes centered around their needs and their priorities.


2. Narcissistic Nancy: These people have an extreme sense of self-importance and believe that the world revolves around them. They are often not as sly as the Manipulative Marys of the world, but instead, tend to be a bit overt about getting their needs met. You often want to say to them "It isn't always about you."

•Why they are toxic: They are solely focused on their needs, leaving your needs in the dust. You are left disappointed and unfulfilled. Further, they zap your energy by getting you to focus so much on them, that you have nothing left for yourself.


3. Debbie Downers: These people can't appreciate the positive in life. If you tell them that it is a beautiful day, they will tell you about the impending dreary forecast. If you tell them you aced a mid-term, they'll tell you about how difficult the final is going to be.

•Why they are toxic: They take the joy out of everything. Your rosy outlook on life continues to get squashed with negativity. Before you know it, their negativity consumes you and you start looking at things with gray colored glasses yourself.


4. Judgmental Jims: When you see things as cute and quirky, they see things as strange and unattractive. If you find people's unique perspectives refreshing, they find them 'wrong'. If you like someone's eclectic taste, they find it 'disturbing' or 'bad'.

•Why they are toxic: Judgmental people are much like Debbie Downers. In a world where freedom rings, judgment is sooo over. If the world was a homogeneous place, life would be pretty boring. Spending a lot of time with these types can inadvertently convert you into a judgmental person as well.

5. Dream Killing Keiths: Every time you have an idea, these people tell you why you can't do it. As you achieve, they try to pull you down. As you dream, they are the first to tell you it is impossible.

•Why they are toxic: These people are stuck in what is instead of what could be. Further, these individuals eat away at your self-esteem and your belief in yourself. Progress and change can only occur from doing new things and innovating, dreaming the impossible and reaching for the stars.


6. Insincere Illissas: You never quite feel that these people are being sincere. You tell a funny story, they give you a polite laugh. You feel depressed and sad and they give you a 'there, there' type response. You tell them you are excited about something and you get a very ho-hum response.

•Why they are toxic: People who aren't sincere or genuine build relationships on superficial criteria. This breeds shallow, meaningless relationships. When you are really in need of a friend, they won't be there. When you really need constructive criticism, they would rather tell you that you are great the way you are. When you need support, they would rather see you fail or make a fool of yourself.


7. Disrespectful Dannys: These people will say or do things at the most inappropriate times and in the most inappropriate ways. In essence, they are more subtle, grown up bullies. Maybe this person is a friend who you confided in and uses your secret against you. Maybe it is a family member who puts their busy-body nose into your affairs when it is none of their business. Or maybe, it is a colleague who says demeaning things to you.

•Why they are toxic: These people have no sense of boundaries and don't respect your feelings or, for that matter, your privacy. These people will cause you to feel frustrated and disrespected.


8. Never Enough Nellies: You can never give enough to these people to make them happy. They take you for granted and have unrealistic expectations of you. They find ways to continually fault you and never take responsibility for anything themselves.

•Why they are toxic: You will spend so much time trying to please them, that you will end up losing yourself in the process. They will require all of your time and energy, leaving you worn out and your own needs sacrificed.


All of these personalities have several things in common. 1) the more these people get away with their behavior, the more they will continue. 2) Unfortunately, most of these people don't see that what they do is wrong and as a result, talking to them about it will fall on deaf ears, leaving you wondering if you are the crazy one. 3) Most of these people get worse with age, making their impact on you stronger with time.

Life is just too short to spend your time dealing with toxicity. If you can, avoid spending much time with people who are indicative of these behaviors and you'll feel a lot happier.

Boost your self esteem!

Almost everyone experiences low self-esteem at some point in life. But for some, especially those suffering with depression, chronic low self-esteem can be a symptom that spirals out of control, keeping you from enjoying life and accomplishing the things you want to do.

Low Self-Esteem: How Does It Happen?

A person can create his own low self-esteem cycle, or events that occur can bring it on. This happens when you judge yourself harshly, telling yourself that you are worthless. Also dealing with a stressful situation such as a disability or a loss of a job can make it hard to feel good about yourself. How others treat you, as well as how you get along with others, can also affect your self-esteem
It may not always be possible to control your inner thoughts. And you often have no control over the events that unfold in your life. But if you suffer from low self-esteem, there are things you can do to boost your self-image.

Low Self-Esteem: How to Fight It

Often, traditional treatments for depression, such as medication and psychotherapy, can help. Getting into a therapy or support group is the first thing people who are depressed should do to boost their self-esteem.


Besides following your doctor’s recommendations, here are other steps to consider that may improve low self-esteem:

Get some exercise!

Many recommend exercise for people who are dealing with low self-esteem as a symptom of depression. Making exercise a part of your regular routine can help you feel better emotionally and physically.


Eat a healthful diet!

Avoiding foods high in sugar, fat, or salt, and eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy products is an important part of taking good care of yourself. The healthier you feel, the better you will feel about yourself.


Make the time to participate in activities you enjoy!

Make time each day to do something you really like, such as listening to music, playing a musical instrument, or working on a craft project. Enjoyable activities can make you feel better, thereby improving your low self-esteem.


Be productive!

Completing everyday tasks like cleaning your kitchen, organizing your junk drawer, getting your laundry done, or paying your bills on time will give you a sense of accomplishment.


Stay connected socially!

Even though it can sometimes be difficult just to get out of bed when you are depressed, it can help to spend time with people who are good to you and who can make you feel good about yourself.


Practice good self-care!

Shower regularly, brush your teeth, dress in nice clothes, keep your hair trimmed, and do other things that make you more confident about your physical appearance. Feeling better about how you look on the outside will leave you feeling better inside. Depression can make it hard to find the energy and motivation to take care of yourself. But taking time to focus on you can improve your self-esteem and make you feel better all around

Sunday, June 6, 2010

20 Question Tag

1. Things you cannot leave the house without?
My purse which holds my necessities of course like my phone, keys, wallet, etc. Always need my purse.

2. Favorite brand of make up?
I like a lot of brands but my top would have to be MAC and NARS.

3. Favorite flower?
Roses

4. Favorite clothing store?
No way that i can only love one, wet seal, F21, charlotte russe, bebe, guess, and express.

5. Favorite perfume?
Yves Saint Laurent Cinema

6. Heels or flats?
Def heels!

7. Do you make good grades?
Yes i do, im in the A - B range :)

8. Favorite color?
Pink!

9. Do you drink energy drinks?
Nope, so sugary and ineffective

10. Do you drink juice?
No, i just stick to water.

11. Do you like swimming?
Love it!

12. Do you eat fries with a fork?
When i have to, yes.

13. Favorite moisturizer?
Clinique DDMG

14. Do you want to get married later on in life?
Yes! Im going to soon :)

15. Do you get mad easily?
At times, yes i can blow quickly

16. Are you into ghost hunting?
Hell no

17. Any phobias?
Spiders, creepy creatures, ghosts, demons, tight spaces, dark places

18. Do you bite your nails?
Nope

19. Have you ever had a near death experience?
Thank god no i haven't.......yet.

20. Do you drink coffee?
Like twice a year

Saturday, June 5, 2010

N.Y.C nailpolish in 108A Polyester Pink Creme

Bought this at Target for like $0.94 ! Gorgeous Barbie pink polish for summer/spring. Its more pink in real life. Perfect for a nice bronzy summery skintone.


Sorry for the not so perfect paint job, was watching a movie while doing these lol :)



MAC Haul!!!

Went to watch Get him to the greek yesterday which was right next to the mall so i decided to go to MAC real quick since i have been wanting a few things. Enjoy! And no i didnt get anything from the To the beach collection, i really dont think its all that.

The lipstick without the box was a b2m :)

Im proud to say that this is my first MAC brush!! As you saw everything else i have is Sigma which are my good brushes, Sonia Kashuk and a couple of others from either Target, Coastal Scents or unknown but work good lol. Anyways, this is the MAC 217, almost everyones favorite. I have been wanting this for a REALLY long time and finally decided to get it, after much research i felt that it was time. I have not used it yet but im very excited to :) Its one of their cheaper brushes too, it was $22.50.

This is my B2m lipstick in pink nouveau, i have also been wanting this gorgeous barbie pink for sometime now.

And this is the LE lipstick metal maven from the starflash collection. They had some in stock and im happy i got my hands on it. I have a lipgloss this same color but a bit more pigmented and im running low and i have no idea what the name of the gloss was so i saw this lipstick and was similar so i had to have it.

Finally got the MAC brush cleanser. I wanted the Sephora one but it was $6 for 2 oz. and $14 for like 4 or 5 oz. That seems stupid since all it does is clean whereas this MAC one is 7.9 oz. for $11 and it cleans, conditions, and has all these good things for your brushes so it was a no brainer, had to pick this one.

I read a lot abouit this cleanser and seen videos that people say that if you pour straight from the MAC bottle on to the napkin you will use a lot of product and go through the bottle faster, so its better to put it in a spray bottle where you use less product and have the bottle for longer and it still gets the same job done :)

Had to get my wipes, these are a staple product. I get the 45 pack because i feel like the 100 pack might get dry by the time i get to the last few wipes. And its summer and i dont like wearing foundation everyday, which means it will take even longer for them to finish and plus i only use these when im really lazy and dont feel like going to the sink.

I also picked up this prep + prime skin base which is basically a primer. I wanted to give it a go and see how it works. Will probably do an update later telling you if you should buy it or pass it.