The Skin-ny

     As I try  to stay true to my mission of spreading the word, I am trying to share more informational bits, more stories about YOU and less “me, me, me.”  It was great to see friends this past weekend, and in a couple of cases, a lot less of them.  Jeff is looking awesome down 40 pounds and having entered “one-derland.”  Shelli has tightened the reins on her carb and sugar intake and looks fantastic as a result!  It’s always great to see how dedication and comittment come together to bring us the results we are looking for.

Skimming thru last month’s issue of Whole Living magazine, I saw a blurb from Alexis Wolfer at the beautybean.com.  YOU GO ALEXIS!  She is busy spreading the word on all things health and beauty.  She suggests mixing a couple of tablespoons of cooked or canned pumpkin with the same amount of full-fat yogurt and one tablespoon of finely ground oats to make a gentle scrub for your face, which will also brighten your skin.   For more great tips and the latest on fashion and beauty from Alexis, find the link to her site on my link page.

While we may be putting pumpkin on our faces, veggies will promote great skin from the inside, out as well.  I am always amazed when people say they don’t like veggies.  That seems to be such a generalization and a mind-set.  There are way too many kinds of vegetables to not like ANY!  Roasted cut up chunks of squash will taste absolutely nothing like stir-fried bok choy.  Grilled portobello mushrooms will taste nothing like sauteed zucchini.  A baked sweet potato will taste nothing like steamed cauliflower.  You know what I am saying.  I truly believe those of us that say we don’t like vegetables, just haven’t given ourselves a chance with them.  Personally, growing up on canned vegetables and then using a lot of frozen ones when the kids were little, I never loved them either.  Wasn’t the poor vegetables, it was how they were prepared.   I strongly recommend some creativity with some fresh ones and you might just find out some of them are a whole lot better than you ever imagined.  I know I don’t have to tell you how good for you they are.  In fact, I challenge you to find ONE vegetable that is NOT a nutrient powerhouse and THAT is what our bodies and brains are always seeking.  When we feel hunger it is not our brains asking for calories, it is our brain asking for NUTRIENTS.  Think about it and make wise choices.  Veggies offer tons of nutrients for very small amounts of calories.

Finally, one of the most important things we can do to have great skin is to have great sleep!  Try this simple exercise designed to release tension and unblock chi.  Standing, rotate your torso right and left, letting your arms swing and flap gently against the body as you twist.  (Your right arm will be in front, your left in back while rotating to the left and vice-versa).  If you come to class tonight and I will show you what I mean.  It’s a movement that kids seem to enjoy and do naturally.  Why do we stop having fun like kids just because we become adults?  Let’s try to be mature enough to taste our veggies and still be youthful enough to let go and “play.”  This is a recipes that is good for us inside and out, helping us to love the skin we are in!

Thanks to all of you who let me know that you are stopping in for a read of peaceandfitness.  Remember that if you want to leave a comment, that’s why the comment “button,” is here!  You can chose your user name if you want to remain anonymous.  If you are a first time poster, it will always ask me for approval before it posts your comment.  Those of you that have private questions, comments or concerns can email me through my contact page.  It’s all good!