Like I said…no fruits or veggies go to waste!  We went grocery shopping yesterday and purchased fresh fruits and veggies, but before I could use them, I had to use up last week’s produce.  So this made-up juice recipe is the result (except for the mint which was purchased yesterday)…

Ingredients

3 organic oranges

1 lemon

2 small/medium organic carrots

3 sprigs fresh organic mint

several ribs of organic celery

The verdict:  This one is not for those who do not like celery!  It had a heavy celery taste, although the oranges and lemon helped to neutralize it a bit.  The kids still enjoyed it and hubby & I enjoyed the burst of energy that this juice provided.  It’s like we’re not fully awake until we’ve had our daily dose of juice!  I was hoping to taste more of the mint, but the celery taste overwhelmed any mint that was in the juice.

 I realize I never posted before pictures. I’m 5’9” and currently about 148 lbs, my measurements are 34c-27-38. My goal is not to lose any weight but to tone my body. I don’t even weigh myself because it’s not at all important to me, as long as my pants size doesn’t change I’m happy. My focus is on my butt and thighs. I’m a pear shape body type so that makes me bottom heavy. This week I did start to incorporate some arm work because I have flabby triceps.

Everyday at work I do 2 one-mile walks during my breaks. This week at home I worked with weight.

For my arms, I did 3 sets each of…
10 Bicep Curls
10 Shoulder Press
10 Bentover Lateral Raises
10 Tricep Kickbacks
10 Upright Rows

For my legs and core, I did…
20 squats
30 lunges
40 sec planks
50 sec wall sits
100 calf raises
Then I did it again in reverse.

I buy fresh organic fruits and vegetables once a week. Toward the end of the week, I’m left with whatever is left. This is when I start compromising and making up juice recipes. I’ve noticed that since I’ve been juicing…no fruits or vegetables go to waste. Before we would end up throwing away spoiled produce because we weren’t eating it fast enough…now everything gets used.

Ingredients
4 organic oranges (peeled)
1 lemon (peeled)
1 organic cucumber
1/2 – 3/4 inch piece of organic ginger root (skinned)
3 medium organic carrots

The verdict:  I definitely didn’t have to fight the kids on this one!  It was a sweet treat and they loved it.  I don’t get why juice companies feel the need to add additional sugar to orange juice…with the right oranges, it’s deliciously sweet on its own.  Normally I would have added spinach or kale, but I’m all out, so I modified it with a cucumber.  Oh and a quick note, I purchased non-organic lemons because I use a lot of lemons and the organic ones are way too expensive (at least where we live).  I’m able to buy a whole bag of lemons for the price of just a few organic ones.  However, when I find organic lemons at a reasonable price, I will use those instead!

I get a lot of questions about juicers.  I posted a link to the one that I currently use in yesterday’s post.  Eventually I want to purchase a heavier duty juicer since I use mine everyday.  Shopping around, I found the compact juicer below.  The reviews are good and the price is reasonable.  The one I want is much bigger, but I did purchase the compact version below for a family member as a birthday present.

I started juicing probably about a month ago.  I’ve always known the benefits of it and I wanted to make sure my children were getting in their daily amount of fruits and vegetables.  I just recently started posting the juice recipes that I’ve tried on my facebook page.  Coco suggested that I start posting them here since this blog is also about healthy living.  I agreed that it would make a great addition to what we’re already posting here on the site.  And yes, juicing has wonderful benefits for hair and skin!  I won’t go into all of the details on juicing, because there is so much information out (try a Google search and you’ll see what I mean).  If you’re interested in learning the benefits, considering “liking” this page on facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/VegetableJuicing

I’m going to keep these posts quick and simple.  Here’s today’s juice recipe:

Ingredients

3 gala apples

3/4 in ginger root

2 small lemons

handful of spinach

approximately 10 small – medium size carrots

The verdict:  Both of my children (5 year-old daughter and 11 year old son), loved this juice.  My husband also loved this one.  It was like a sweet lemonade with a rich orange color (from the carrots).  The taste of the ginger was not very strong.  This recipe is great way to sneak carrots into the diets of those who are not a big fan of carrots!

By the way, this is the juicer that I’m currently using…I’ll post a review later -

So, I decided to get more serious about working out again. I just completed my first week. Of course, I don’t notice any change yet but I’m starting to feel the difference already. I still do my normal two mile walk during my break at work. I’ve been doing that for a long time now. Now, I added an evening workout session to my routine.

This week I worked out to Kim Kardashian: Ultimate Butt Body Sculpt. This video gave me a great workout. I could really feel it in my butt and thighs which are my main problem areas. I get bored easy so I plan on doing something different every week so I won’t lose my motivation.

I also keep a fitness journal to help keep me accountable and focused.

The thing that keeps me the most motivated is following fitness blogs on tumblr. Those fitness blog remind me that there is no reason I should not have the body I want. I check them everyday and can’t wait to get work and exercise after seeing other people’s journeys.

Luckily for me, I’m already on the right track as far as healthy eating habits. Since I have endometriosis I’m already on a strict diet. Soy, wheat, dairy, and red meats have been out of my diet for a while now. This diet has forced me to eat more fruits, vegetables, and other fresh foods.

I’m not looking to lose any weight, I’m happy with where I am as far as weight is concerned. I’m just working on toning up. I’m proud of my progress so far and believe I will stick to it. There is no excuse not to be fit and healthy.

 I have always had the hardest time finding skinny jeans that fit me properly. Even though I’m kinda thin I have always had thick legs and thighs making it almost impossible to find skinny jeans that fit me throughout. I wear a size 7 pant but would buy my skinny jeans in a size 11 just so I wouldn’t have to cut myself out of them at the end of the day. This was until I discovered the Foxy Super Skinny Jeans by YMI at Dots. I absolutely love the skinny jeans there, they fit me perfectly and in my right size. Success!!

Product Description:

O.B.I is a company that creates hair care products with natural ingredients for people with natural hair. There is no mineral oil, parabens, sulfates, toxins, petroleum, colorants, phthalates, or gluten.

Neem & Tea Tree Shampoo Bar:

I washed my hair using the Neem & Tea Tree Shampoo Bar. I thought this product was real interesting. I have never seen shampoo in a bar. Since I’ve ever used a bar shampoo I didn’t know how to use it. I didn’t know if I was suppose to rub it on my hands and let it lather or was I suppose to rub it directly onto the hair. I tried both ways. I didn’t get much of a lather and I usually judge my shampoos by the way they lather; however, after I finished my scalp did feel clean so it did it’s job.

Curl Moisture Cream:

I applied the Curl Moisture Cream to my hair prior to detangling. This product is used to add moisture and to hydrate curls. I could see the definition of my curls come out when I applied this product to my hair. My hair also felt easier to detangle than usual.

Curl Enhancing Custard:

I used this product before styling. This product is used to make the curls pop or to smooth down the edges of the hair in any style. This product reminded me a lot of Cantu Shea Butter, which I love, except it is thicker. I think the thickness stops some shrinkage that usually occurs with natural hair. When I braided my hair and took it down for my braid out I noticed I kept some of my length. However, like Cantu Shea Butter I think it is a better stand alone product.

Curl Hydration Spray:

This product can be used daily to moisturize your hair and scalp, or to refresh your style. I sprayed this product on my hair before taking my braids for the braid-out. I gave my hair a great shine. I still use it everyday on my puff.

Product Review:

Overall, I loved the results of this braid out. There was added length and I had well defined curl over night. Usually when I do a braid out it takes a day or two for it to look as full as I like it and hide all the gaps but I had a full braid out on the first day using these products. These products can be purchased at: http://www.obinaturalhair.com/ or you could win all the products mentioned above by following the giveaway instructions below.

Giveaway Instructions:

1. You must be a subscriber to our YouTube channel, http://www.youtube.com/user/naturalnessdotcom.

2. Go to Youtube, rate, and comment on the video below by telling us what you think of the results.

3. Rate and comment on two other naturalnessdotcom videos.

You have until March 1, 2013 at 11:59 pm to enter. The winner will be announced March 2, 2013 on www.natural-ness.com and in the description box of the video below on YouTube.

This video shows how I used the products and the results:

Hello, LV here! It’s been a while since my last post and I’m sure you may be asking what the heck I mean by the title of this post.   I get a lot of people asking me about hair growth and what I did to get my hair to grow.  This question usually results in me with a blank face without a lot of advice.  Why?  Because, with all of the natural hair care advice and websites available out there, I didn’t think people would believe me if I told them my routine.  Second, I never really knew how to explain my hair growth.   However, I think I’ve finally come up with an answer…sometimes the key to hair growth may be to just leave it alone.  Leave it alone?  Let me break down my hair routine…

1. I wash my hair…wait for it…once a month.  Yes, you heard me…I wash my hair once a month.  Why?  Well I didn’t intend to vary my wash routine.  I’m a stay-at-home, home school mom of two children.  We participate in a lot of activities within our city.  Between soccer practice/ games, gymnastics, guitar practices/recitals, speech classes, drama classes, home school classes at various museums in town and field trips…my hair often takes a backseat.  Who has time to worry about hair?  Heck, I’m lucky to fit in a wash once a month, because even that’s pushing it.
2. After washing my hair, I braid it using just Coconut Oil.  I have other hair products, but Coconut Oil has become my staple allowing me to leave most of my other products behind.  I usually braid my hair into about 15 braids.  I use sponge rollers (with satin) to curl up the ends.
3. I allow these braids to stay in my hair for maybe a day or two, just to make sure the braided texture really sets in.  I then remove the braids for a braid-out.  My braid-outs last for about two weeks and I wear them for at least that long.
4. When my braid-out starts looking bad and/or feeling dry, I re-moisten my hair and re braid it.  Removing these braids results in another two week braid-out.
5. After the next two weeks of braid-outs, it’s time for a wash.  I use Apple Cidar Vinegar (mixed with water in a spray bottle) to give my scalp a pre-wash treatment.  I then wash my hair using a sulfate free shampoo.  I’m currently using Creme of Nature Professional Shampoo and Conditioner (orange bottle) , but I am not attached to any particular brand of shampoo.  While I am washing my hair, I detangle it using a cheap conditioner (usually Suave).  After my hair is shampooed and detangled…I braid it and the routine starts all over for me.

So, what can I conclude about my routine?  Well, I did a 2nd BC in 2009…three years later, my hair has grown longer than it has ever been in my life.  I contribute it to the lack of manipulation.  Washing my hair once a month means that I’m forced to detangle it less.  With the braid-outs, I’m also not combing my hair much.  I run a comb through my hair two times a month.  Ha!  Can you believe it?

Now, before anyone reading this decides to drastically change up their routine…I am not a hair care expert.  In fact, most hair care experts would probably frown at my routine and be amazed that I have any hair at all.  However, I had to do what fits my lifestyle.  Does my hair feel or smell dirty with a once a month wash…no, no more than it would if I wore it braided for a month. Would my routine work for others?  Maybe, maybe not, but I do believe that the less you manipulate your hair, the more chances you give it to grow.  But, I won’t say anything else…let me share some pictures showing my hair growth…

 My 2nd BC in August 2009

Here’s a stretched braid-out from a few days ago.  (I plan on sharing this stretching technique in a a video soon!)

This is my hair growth between August 2009 and December 2012 (3 years).  My hair has grown much longer after my 2nd BC than it did after 4 years after my first BC.  The only thing that has changed is that I’ve gotten lazy with styling and don’t experiment as much

I saw someone with hairstyle similar this on Tumblr so I decided to give it a try myself and I loved the results. I wore this hairdo in three different styles but there is a lot more that can be done with it.

Style #1 – As-is.

Style #2 – Sides clipped back with pompadour.

Style #3 – Sides clipped back with bangs.

This is my favorite two strand twist style to date. I’m sure I will be revisiting this style again in the future.

I am in love with this submission from the Gopher State! Please meet Keelii and the Curly Girls Around The World Crew!

Name:
Keelii

What state are you representing?
Minnesota

How long have you been natural?
fully natural 1 year! ( I transitioned)

What’s the natural scene like in your area?
Emerging! Minnesota’s natural hair curlmmunity is bursting at the
seams. More and more naturals are finding their way to each other
sparking meetups, symposiums, conferences and more!

Additional comments regarding your natural hair:
I love being natural! It’s so freeing!

Web, blog, youtube or fotki link:
curlygirlsaroundtheworld.blogspot.com

Would you like to “Rep Your State”?

If so, please fill out the form here:Natural-ness in the States. Don’t forget to send pictures! I will be glad to accept more than one entry from the same state. Let’s see what state will be represented the most!

States featured so far include Florida (4), California (2), Tennessee (2), Mississippi (4), North Carolina (1), Delaware (1), South Carolina (1) , Georgia (1), Texas (3), New Mexico (1), Missouri (1), Oklahoma (1), Ohio (1),  Louisiana (1), Minnesota (2) and Virginia (5).

Note: The number in parentheses next to each state represents the number of times that state has been featured.