Coconut Oil Hair Growth Treatment

Since my hair was tragically chopped off without warning in March =[ I’ve been looking high and low for ways to quickly grow my hair back out. For my blonde girls out there you know how hard it can be to get your hair to grow as we’re constantly damaging it with bleach, color, etc. Aside from consistently getting trims, which I completely hate, conditioning treatments are essential.

This coconut oil/egg conditioning treatment is amazing if you’re trying to grow your hair out or your hair is desperately needing some moisture. Coconut oil will condition your hair, smoothing out frizz and adding moisture to dry hair and the egg contains tons of protein and vitamin D to promote hair growth. =]

Whip up this quick conditioning treatment once a week and there will be significant  growth and smoothness to your beautiful locks.

YOU’LL NEED:

6 TABLESPOONS OF COCONUT OIL

3 EGGS

DIRECTIONS:

Whisk the coconut oil and eggs together until combined Massage into dry hair until completely covered and saturated. Cover your hair with a shower cap and leave it on for at least 30 minutes, but if you have more time – leave it on!

Rinse out with warm water, avoid shampooing if possible but if it’s more oily than you prefer rinse with a gentle shampoo.

I lost almost 9 inches off my hair in March – since I started using this treatment my hair is halfway back to it’s original length. Woot Woot! =D

8 Minutes To 6 Pack Abs

8 Minutes to 6 Pack Abs

That’s right! 8 Minutes – call me crazy but I swear by this ab workout. BTW...the photo of that handsome man up there is my Troy Boy =]. Do this at least 4x per week and you WILL see results!

Workout For: Men and Women

Body Parts: Abdominals and Obliques

Equipment: No Equipment Needed

This short but intense workout will sculpt and tone your abdominal and oblique muscles just in time for all those summer pool parties.

Since this is a short, high-intensity workout, you’ll easily be able to squeeze it into your days no matter how busy you get. I’d recommend doing the workout after a cardio session for faster results.

Aim towards doing this workout daily. The first few days are tough because you will be sore, but once you start seeing your washboard abs develop, you’ll have no problem doing this daily.

The Workout:

Push Throughs – 45 seconds

Single Leg Raises – 45 seconds

30 second rest

Push Throughs – 45 seconds

Vertical Leg Crunches – 45 seconds

30 second rest

Cross Arm Crunch – 45 seconds

Arm Reaching Sit Up – 45 seconds

PRINTABLE VERSION AVAILABLE HERE

This awesome workout originally came from passion4profession.net – follow along with the 8 Minute Ab Workout Video

Sexy V Lines Intense Abdominal Printable Workout

The trendy thing lately hasn’t been to be skinny, it’s to be fit and in shape. FINALLY, the majority of women are wanting to look healthy and have a killer body. Abdominals are one of the toughest areas to dial in and perfect so over the next couple weeks I’ll be focusing a lot on toning and sculpting our core muscles! =]

Unfortunately, our V-lines are located in our lower abdominal muscles and seem to be the toughest to target. But luckily abdominals are the only muscle group that you can train back to back without over training causing muscle deterioration.

Workout for: Men and Women

Body Parts: Abdominals, Lower Back

Equipment: No equipment or full gym

Included Exercises:

Side Planks – Hold for 1 minute – complete 2x each side

Front Planks  - Hold for 1 minute - complete 2x

Hanging Leg Raises  - complete 4 sets of 20 reps

Oblique Twist  - complete 4 sets of 20 reps

Basic Crunch – complete 4 sets of 30 reps

V-Ups  - Complete 4 sets of 20.

Complete this routine at least 4x per week. To see optimal results, it’s important to keep your body fat percentage down. 

PRINTABLE WORKOUT 

Stuffed Shells Recipe - A Real Meal, Real Quick

Stuffed Shells Recipe

I'm sure all of you can relate to the madness of weeknights. Ditch the take-out! This is a great go-to recipe for a quick and easy dinner without having to sacrifice taste and your health. The first thing you probly ask yourself when you hear healthy meal is "does it taste good?!". The answer is YES! My family loves it! Give it a whirl. =]

You'll Need:

1pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained

1 container (16 oz.) Fat Free Cottage Cheese

1 red pepper, chopped

1 egg white

1 env. (0.7 oz.) GOOD SEASONS Italian Dressing Mix

1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese; separated

20 jumbo pasta shells (for stuffing), cooked, cooled

1 jar (14 oz.) spaghetti sauce

Directions:

HEAT oven to 400°F

COMBINE first 5 ingredients. Stir in 1/2 cup mozzarella; spoon into shells.

SPREAD half the sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish. Place shells in dish; top with remaining sauce and mozzarella. Cover.

BAKE 40 min. or until heated through, uncovering after 30 min.

Homemade Granola

Homemade Granola        

I LOVE this recipe! Store bought Granola is SO expensive and not always the healthiest. =\ Now I know exactly what's in my granola! Add dried cranberries or raisins to zest it up a bit! 

You'll Need: 

4 cups of rolled oats

1 cup of vanilla protein powder

¾ cup of oat bran or wheat germ

1 cup of sliced almonds

1 tsp of salt

1/3 cup of brown sugar

1/8 cup of maple syrup

½ cup of honey

½ cup of coconut oil (or olive oil)

1 tbs of cinnamon

½ tsp of vanilla extract

Directions:

1.       Mix oats, protein powder, oat bran, almonds, salt and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl.

2.      Over low heat in a saucepan, stir maple syrup, honey, coconut oil (olive oil works too), cinnamon and vanilla extract.

3.      Once it reaches a low boil, pour over the dry ingredients and stir until completely mixed.

4.      Spread the mixture over a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.

5.      Allow to cool before breaking apart.

7 Ways To Boost Your Metabolism

1.        Eat Breakfast – Especially first thing in the morning. If you struggle with eating right when you wake up drink a protein shake. When you wake up your body is either already in starvation mode or on the verge. Eating a balanced meal or taking a protein shake will keep your body from deteriorating your muscle.

2.        Eat the Bulk of your Meals Earlier in the Day – Avoid eating dinner after 7.30 pmor no later than 3-4 hours before you go to bed. Not only will you sleep better but you’ll burn more of the calories you ate while you’re still up and moving around.

3.        Don’t Starve Yourself – Eat consistently throughout the day. This doesn’t mean snack on potato chips and candy all day. Have your regular 3 meals per day but squeeze in 3 healthy snacks per day, 1 between each meal. HERE is a list of great metabolism boosting snacks and HERE is a list of metabolism boosting foods.

4.        Exercise – First thing in the morning is definitely the best for metabolism boosting. Before you do anything else (other than a glass of water and going potty =]) It will cause your brain to wake up along with your muscles stimulating muscle building. HERE are some morning routines that are great for metabolism boosting.

5.        Add Weight Training – 2-3 times per week add weight training to your schedule. The more muscle mass you have the more calories you will burn. Don’t just focus on your legs or arms either, an overall balanced weight training will burn additional calories.

6.        WATER! – Studies have shown that people who drink at least a gallon of water per day have a higher metabolism. The metabolic process needs water for fuel to work effectively. Go get yourself a cute, refillable water bottle and see how many times you can fill it up each day.

7.        Take Vitamin B – B12 is essential for energy. I take a B Complex vitamin along with a B-12 vitamin daily to ensure I’m getting a sufficient amount. The B Complex will also make your hair and nails grow faster and healthier too!

Perfect Brows Tutorial

Look Polished Not Painted On

You'll need: 

Brow pencil - one shade lighter than your brows

Brow Powder - same shade as your brows

Angled Brush

Brow Comb

Clear Brow Gel

PREP:

Pluck and visible strays and brush brows downward.

1. Choose a brow pencil one shade lighter, lightly sketch from the top of the arch to the the tail - photo

2. Use a brow brush/comb to brush the hairs up (it will hide the line you just made) using the brow pencil you just used, sketch from the inner corner of your brow to the tail, connecting the to the top line. (Your top inner corners will be left bare for a more natural look)

3. Dip an angled brush into brow powder (color should match your brow hairs) in a sweeping motion across your entire brow. This step fills any gaps in a soft, natural looking way.

4. Grab your brow brush/comb again and brush in an up and out motion to remove any excess powder. Finish and set your brows with a clear brow gel. 

I love the Smashbox Brow Tech powder in Blonde. What's your favorite brow kit?