Getting Back To Health & Fitness

For a while I have been meaning to speak of my ongoing fitness journey. Every time I have gone to write it the post turns into this long rambled mess that loses its meaning. However, its a topic that I really feel passionate talking about. Since last year I have been on a up and down journey with my fitness and health. I had some great success by losing 20lbs. It almost feels mysterious as to how I did it now. Since that initial weight loss my progress slowed down a bit and I have plateaued. Other focuses/obligations popped into my life and distracted me from my healthy goals whenever I went back to make fitness and health goals I found it hard to latch back on. 

Fitness and health are long term goals, in fact I would say they are more life long goals. There are days where I feel very low due to depression or anxiety. I am very hard on myself. I do not tend to eat healthy or want to workout. I just want to lie down and exist. 

Which I think is an overlooked important step to health. 

I wrote breifly in another post " Five Ways to Have a Calmer Week" that its healthy to acknowledge whatever is causing stress or hurt in your life. Do not ignore it. During that time when I was writing that post I myself was feeling quite a bit of pressure and stress in the middle of the school semester. I wrote that post on a very late bus back home from school ( 2 hour journey). It felt cathartic to write that. You see health is not only taking care of the body, but its also taking care of the mind. Because they both affect each other, they are both connected. Your diet and activity will change based on your mental state whether you are feeling good or bad. But I think we tend to overlook rest. Resting the mind, trying to care for ourselves. Sometimes that requires a more purposeful type of rest. Where first we try and take our selves out of as many stressful situations as we can. We isolate and maybe we indulge ourselves with favorite tv programs or whatever helps you to get into a leisurely calm state. Then, we can work towards reflection and solutions towards further combatting that stress instead of pushing it back and onward. That pain will inevitably drag you down. We have to work on our mindsets as much as we try to work our bodies when trying to "get healthy". 

I do not have the healthiest mindset. Again, as I said earlier I am extremely hard on myself, I have a hard time giving myself a break. When my diet takes a dive I am very self critical and I also don't have the best self esteem. So while I am also on this physical fitness journey I am also on a mental fitness journey. 

In the past two weeks I have tried to make some bigger leaps in my fitness regime. I already see a nutritionalist who has helped me tremendously along the way from the very beginning. I have been recording my food which can be a massive pain and sometimes can be detrimental if I focus too much on just the calories, however it is really enlightening to see what I get up to in my diet on a daily basis and see what I can change. I also have been heading back to the gym to get some cardio in. But, if I don't feel like going to the gym I either take out my kettlebell ( which is a great tool by the way since you can kill/three birds with one stone = strength, full body and cardio) or I roll out my mat and hop onto Yoga With Adriene youtube channel . If you have not checked out her channel I would highly recommend that you give it a look. Even if yoga has been or seemed unappealing to you in the past I would highly encourage giving this channel a look at. Adrienne is an amazing teacher, has a calming voice and doesn't focus on making "perfect" or rigid yoga poses. Its all about the practice. Also, yoga is also a great workout for the mind, it has really helped me to focus on my breath and also put my mind at ease when I am feeling particularly stressed or worn out. Thirdly, walking is always great exercise and if its particularly beautiful out, the fresh air and surroundings can be good for the mind.  

Tools + Tea

Now you don't really need any tools to workout, just your body, mind and soul. However, tools can be nice and help you along the way. I have two products that I have been testing out recently. The first is a wearable, which is from the brand called Misfit. Its called the Misfit Shine. This is very much like the Fitbit if you are familiar with those, but if you're not its essentially an activity tracker and also a sleep tracker. All in this beautiful and minimal watch like design ( that comes in multiple colors! mine is in the color Champagne). My close friend has been testing one out for a couple months and has really enjoyed it so I decided to make the investment. I like it so far. The app is a little wonky on my Android phone. Apparently the app works better on Apple devices ( of course..) but, so far I am liking it. By tapping twice on the watch face with your fingertips it will tell you how much progress you have made towards your activity goal by little shining lights, then it will show you the time ( yes, it acts as a watch too which was a huge selling point for me. I like things with multiple functions).  You can then look at the full picture or analytics on the app ( and you can connect other apps to it as well like MyFitnessPal or LoseIt). Its pretty neat stuff. I will update you guys my further thoughts on it once I have spent some more time using it. 

Next, I decided I would try out this "teatox" brand called SkinnyMint. I came across them through late night Instagram scrolling. I have looked into a lot of similar "detox" tea brands and found a lot of negative reviews, and it just didn't sound too promising. However, this brand through some digging around seemed pretty promising to me and I decided: "why the heck not!" and placed an order for their full 28 day program. It comes with a Morning Tea and a Evening Tea ( which seemed simple enough for me, I steer away from programs that are like: " Drink five cups in the morning, a cup before every meal and then two before bed." that is just not sustainable for me). The morning tea is supposed to be fruity, ( which sounded quite appealing), energizing and also help to reduce the appetite. Whereas the evening tea is geared to cleanse the body, reduce bloating and assist digestion. They just arrived in the mail and I really like the taste of both of them. In fact I was quite scared of the Night Cleanse taste but it has a slight minty flavor which I have become very fond of. I will be sure to update you whether I see results or not! 

Mission/Vision Statement

Lastly I wanted to talk about my vision/mission statement. At the beginning of my fitness journey a year ago I was twenty pounds heavier and living a much more sedentary lifestyle. I made my first visit to the nutritionalist and she told me to write a sort of mission/vision statement. A piece of writing only for myself really of what I wanted to accomplish. What kind of results did I visually want to try and achieve. It was quite long and I even drew a illustration cartoon version of myself and what I wanted to work on. They were simple things like: " I wanted my clothes to fit looser on me" or feel more energetic, etc.. I believed even if I never really looked at that vision statement again ( which I probably should have more often than I did, we're are being realistic to real life here) that it was really cathartic putting everything down on paper. Now thinking back on it I have achieved a lot of what I initially set out to do. However, now I am a little older ( a little wiser) and my body has changed, my mind has changed. I have different circumstances laid in front of me and now I have different goals. My most recent visit to the nutritionalist gave me the guided inspiration and motivation to write a new Mission/Vision statement for myself. So that can be further motivation. The reason I am sharing this is because if you are on a fitness journey or a health journey I highly encourage to write down a vision statement. What would you like to achieve ( be reasonable with yourself there are some goals that might take a long time to achieve, they might even be a little unreasonable. But, its good to get that out onto the page as well.) You don't have to share it with anyone, its just for you and you only. I think its good to have physical visualization instead of trying to keep in all in your head. In a year or in a couple months if you are feeling down or unmotivated, take a look at that statement. See how much you have achieved or remind yourself peacefully ( not in a damaging " ugh I still haven't done that" sort of way but "oh maybe I will focus my sights on this goal for now" sort. I think its a good and motivating tool in itself. 

My journey is far from over, but I really wanted to talk about it with you all. Let me know if you want me to share anymore. I certainly can do that. ( I am no expert by any means..) but, I enjoy to write and speak about other things like this on the blog besides just makeup. ( Even though makeup is a huge passion of mine).  Please share your thoughts in the comments below. If you have any tips out there I am sure anyone who reads this post would also like to see any further tips I may not provide in the comments. ( Plus, I like to see them too!) I hope that some or a few of you might find this helpful and I really and dearly hope that you all are having a great week so far.

Namast'e 

- A 

Five Ways To Have A Calmer Week

I am not sure if I totally believe in the effects of Mercury being in retrograde but my life has been just a little on the crazy side lately. My house got broken into, ( one of my biggest fears realized, don't worry we are all okay). There has been crazy overlapping blizzards where I live, My friend and I have been running into interesting commuting issues on our way to our first two weeks school together and just to put icing on the cake I took a topple down the stairs and landed right on my spine the other night ( major "ow!") 

Besides the ache and possibly forming bruise on my lower back caused by falling. I am noticing the ache of stress. The ache it causes for the mind and also the body. The tension in the shoulders and neck, the nagging thoughts pushing you away from finding joy in the day to day, paranoia and emotion ruling your mind, teeth grinding, overeating or not eating enough, shorter tempers and shorter patience, inability to sleep, etc, etc, etc.. 
In short, stress is not good for the body or the mind. It happens, naturally to all of us. However, it is not healthy to let stress rule over you with an iron fist. 
It is not easy to rid of stress, often I find negative emotions need to run its course in order for us to move on which leads me to my first way of leading a calmer week. 

Acknowledge & Reflect On Why You Are Feeling Stressed 
It could be a giant homework or work assignment or a build up of little inconveniences in our day to day lives that make us feel stressed out. In our fast moving society we are expected to ignore these feelings and pretend to carry on normally which can lead to more stress and irritability. You may forget the reasons that lead you to feeling stressed but that does not mean that you are feeling better. Much like doctors make a prognosis based on symptoms, trace back in your own mind what exactly has made you feel stressed out or when did you start feeling the symptoms of stress? Acknowledge these feelings and reflect upon them. You can reflect privately in your mind or written down somewhere or verbally to a willing friend or family member. Bettering your self awareness often leads to a more positive outlook and opens up the mind towards new ideas and solutions that combat stress. 

The Breathing Technique 

Before I took my first flight by myself from Florida to Maine I was under high anxiety (i.e high stress) Was I mentally prepared to take this on? ( No way in hell) but in order to come home I had to. 
( Stressful situations happen, a lot of times it cannot be avoided). Before my departure, a relative of mine taught me how to breathe. Not just any breathing though because on a plane I find normal breathing quickly turns into hyperventilation. This is a practiced type of breathing called "square breathing". The first thing to note is that you cannot wait till the high stress occurs to start using this tool effectively. It is a practiced skill that should be done at home a bunch of times before actually doing it. Next, focus your breathing so that instead of breathing up where your chest is you are breathing so that you are "pooking" your stomach out for a count of a slow three, hold for a count of three, and then letting the breath out through your mouth for a count of three watching your stomach come back to rest. Before getting on the plane, I practiced this a bunch of times. Now, I will still pretty anxious sitting there on the plane before take off, but certainly during take off where my stress and anxiety is at its highest I closed my eyes and completed multiple sequences of the "square breathing technique" and felt that it helped enormously to calm me down and help get me through my high stress feelings. 

Aromatherapy 
I am not an expert of aromatherapy, but I do know that I enjoy nice smelling things and have found that a nice smell can create a more calming atmosphere in what might be a stressful situation or a stressful time. It has been proven that the scent of lavender has calming properties. I personally carry around a lavender oil roller ball from Aveda in my purse which I find helps me feel calmer. However, scent is very personal. You may find the scent of "fresh grass" or "cinnamon and clove" very calming. Candles are always highly recommended or even reed diffusers if you cannot have a burning flame where you live. Incense is also becoming rather popular as well. Another option is your favorite perfume, spray this onto clothing that is close to you like a sleeve or a scarf so that while commuting you can breathe in the pleasing scent and be transported, mentally, into a better place. 

Make Tea & Drink Tea 
I am sure if you have ever come across any articles giving advice about de-stressing you will have likely to have come across the tip of drinking tea. All different types of tea have their benefits. Black tea has been known to assist with lowering heart pressure, green tea with its antioxidant boost and also an aid to weight loss. However, aside from that. The act of making tea and drinking it is an ancient and sacred art. 
In ancient Japan, the Samurai would dedicate time in a tea house for a tea ceremony (cha no yu) the traditional Japanese tea ceremony was more than just sitting around drinking tea; it was a spiritual experience that embodied harmony, respect, purity and tranquility. It was discouraged that any speaking happened during these ceremonies and the only speaking permitted should only be about their surroundings and not of the outside world. I bring this up because the act of making tea today, although not as much of an intensive and rigid process as a traditional Japanese tea ceremony provides a time to reflect and meditate. To help silence racing thoughts and slow down mentally and physically. Not only will that help with stress but the delightful taste and warmth is also good for the mind and body. My personal favorite is English Breakfast with a pinch of sugar and Coffeemate Hazelnut creamer ( No, not the healthiest but this combination also helps curb the occasional sugar binge craving I experience when stressed out). If you hate tea I also recommend hot water with some lemon or even hot chocolate. I discourage coffee because I find this does not slow down your brain or body and can over stimulate and might extenuate the stressful or anxious feelings. 

Plan It Out 
A lot of stress stems from not feeling organized, letting life get out of hand one way or another. After acknowledging and reflecting there is a point where you are calm enough to start making changes or improvements towards feeling better. I highly recommend a planner (digital or on paper) where you can write everything out. There are things we want or need to accomplish in a week but sometimes stress can rule over us so much that we feel as though we cannot do them. Write them down anyways seeing it all there will most likely look less daunting than trying to keep everything in your head (trust me). Once its there you can decide to move things around in your schedule and be in control. Make sure to schedule some time for fun activities to break up the mundane work or school week. Also, try and keep your schedule reasonable do not over schedule yourself because you also need time to rest and take care of yourself. 

So I hope these tips help you. There are plenty of other things you can do to de-stress. You can try some Exercise or Yoga, watching a movie, having a good talk with a close friend and hugs, ( hugs always good medicine for stress). Its all up to the individual. 

How do you deal with stress? Let me know in the comments below!

I hope you all have a great week! See you soon.

- A 

J U N E// My Life In Photos #1

I thought I would mix it up today by sharing with you all a sequence of "moments" that happened in recent weeks. I thought it would be a nice change from beauty posts since I aim for this blog to be about beauty & lifestyle. 

May

 30th :

To start off I am sharing this snapshot of 

peony blossoms I had just picked up at Trader Joe's. They are just so pretty! Even when they are all closed up. 

31st:

After a long afternoon I curled up in bed for some good bonding time with Netflix. I decided that I would start watching Portlandia. Which is really a hilarious show that parodies the real life, Portland Oregon. If you were considering watching this show I would highly recommend giving it a go.

June 

2nd:

I had a bad craving for pizza. More specifically pizza from a local joint called Roma's located at Old Orchard Beach, ME. The owner is a very sweet and humble Italian man  (accent and all) serving authentic Italian pizza. Purely my opinion, but his pizza is probably the best I have ever eaten. I am still having daydreams about it even now.
 

Later on that night, I celebrated the first ice cream of the summer with my bestie. A soft serve twist cone which I happily devoured in the cool summer night.

4th: 


Just a " chilling out"a kind of afternoon. I was reading through my first Frankie Magazine ( May & April's issue) and found out you are given this adorable print! Now I just have to find a frame for it. Keep it peachy! 


6th:




I been very secretive to you all about my side passion for the Japanese fashion style, Lolita. It has been an interest of mine since I was in middle school  and now I am finally apart of a group of lovely girls who love it as well. 
It feels odd to talk about it here. Sometimes, I really do feel my interests and passions make me feel like two separate people entirely. Its hard to explain why I have so many reservations about sharing this side of me on the blog. I feel as though I have made myself an invisible barrier that only allows things that I think fit my blogger aesthetic onto here and filters out anything that does not fit. However, I am trying to get past that and show the true and honest me here. Because my biggest rule I try to uphold to myself is to always be yourself. Part of me is a lolita and I am not afraid to embrace that. Our lolita community went to a local tea house, and had a really nice time. I do love my tea..( I may have drank the whole entire pot.) 

9th: 
 



Summer provides the perfect time to go adventuring. With my two trusty companions alongside me we decided to "get lost" purposefully and go down lots of detour roads. We discovered beautiful mountainsides and little shacks that looked as if magical witches inhabited them. In the neighboring town I spotted an abandoned building that had this gorgeous wall covered in ivy leaves. I demanded a photo shoot. I am so excited about these portraits. I love the texture of the ivy leaves. It really screams "summer" to me because its so lush and green!  
I would encourage all of you to "get lost" take some detours over your traditional routes once in a while. Relish in adventure and take time to absorb it all in.Even if you deal with anxiety like I do a little adventure can be really beneficial. Don't let yourself miss out too many opportunities because, hey life is wonderful! specifically, if you are LIVING it to your fullest. 


That will wrap up this post for today~ I have at least two more posts coming up before I leave for my trip to California! ( yay!) I am a smidgen nervous about flying since I have not flown in so long! Plus it will be my first big trip I will be making without one of my parents or my older sister. (One of the scariest but liberating first experiences a twenty-something could have.) I have yet to pack and I leave the upcoming Monday. EEK! Better get crackin' on that shouldn't I? 

I hope you all enjoyed this little scope into my life and that you are all having a happy week. 

See you all next time! 
Twitter: @AllegraShortill 
Instagram: @morbidcupcakes
                         
                             - A 

March Favorites 2014

Hello my dears, it's that time again for my monthly favorites!

March seemed to fly by faster than February in my opinion and now we are going to be in April! wow! warm weather will be upon us in no time. Where I live I am just now noticing the first signs of greener looking grass and tiny little sprouts here and there. It's rather exciting!

Now, down to my favorites.

I don't have a ton of beauty favorites this month, only two are makeup related. 

 

  Milani Illuminating Face Powder in Amber Nectar

 A rather random impulse buy turned into a favorite this month. It's little rose pattern and pretty colors attracted my eye. When I gave it a try I really loved the instant warmth it gave. It's a trio of a highlight, bronzer and a peachy blush. It's really wonderful, plus a great introduction to Milani products in general. I mentioned this in my last post where I show my current daily makeup routine. X

Stila Single Eyeshadow -- Kitten

 Another product I mentioned in my makeup routine post. This eye-shadow is just amazing. Its a champagne with a tinge of rose gold. It looks amazing all over the lids and also on the brow bone for a bit of highlight. I just keep reaching for it. It's amazing!! 

Blender Cleanser Solid

This product was originally meant for the Beauty Blender sponge but I got it for my brushes. I know I am not the only one that just dreads the chore of cleaning makeup brushes it seems to take so long to wash all that gunk out. This "solid" bar of soap essentially makes cleaning brushes a breeze. It is sorcery! When my stippling brush is starting to look rather filthy I just swipe the brush around the soap,rinse with some water and WA LA! the brush looks bloody BRAND NEW! its remarkable. I highly recommend this product to be in your beauty arsenal. 

 

I suppose I should have counted skincare in the beauty favorites but I only have one skincare favorite this month;

  

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

Recently I discovered that instead of having oily combo skin I have more dry combo skin. Also due to some more drying products I have been using to treat my really bad skin demons. My skin was dying for some moisture so I decided to go with this based on a suggestion I got on instagram. I really like this product a lot. It is very soothing and almost has a light minty scent that cools down all angry face demons and keeps your face moisturized in the harsh wintry conditions. I think I want to try out more products from First Aid Beauty, if you have any suggestions leave them in the comments below! 

My next set of favorites are my random favorites for the month of March.

Bath&Body Works Raspberry Peach Macaron Candle

I really wish I had not caught the tail end of this line. I picked up the larger version of this candle and I became OBSESSED with its scent. When I used it up and went to get more they only had the mason jars of it left so I grabbed one and intend to hoard it and only smell it, not burn it. Unless they decide to bring this scent back which I was told that they most likely would not. :( But the scent of this candle is just heavenly: Sweet just like a macaron~

English Breakfast Tea

For the longest time my favorite at home tea was Bigelow's Caramel Chai and it still is. However, my grocery store decided it would be a grand idea to stop selling Caramel Chai in the store. In dismay I decided one day to  turn back to the traditional English Breakfast tea and I have really been enjoying it. It's hard to beat. I got that tea tin from a host family my sister and I were staying with when we last visited England. 

Ten Pound Kettlebell + Kettlebell Workouts 

Like many, one of my 2014 resolutions was to get healthy and fit and I have continued rather well on this goal. One thing I have been enjoying is the kettlebell. Its the perfect way to blend strength training in with some cardio workouts. That is one way to blast calories and get into shape. I was really impassioned to get on the kettlebell boat after reading this article from the FitSugar blog. X

 Rifle Paper Co Notebooks

Thanks to Instagram I have been exposed to beautiful designers such as the wife and husband team Anna and Nathan Bond that are Rifle Paper Co. After lusting over their beautiful designs I saw a pack of notebooks at Target. In no blink of an eye they were mine and I love them. Especially the green one because it is my favorite color. I love to jot down all my blog ideas and important lists they keep my jostled mind organized. 

And that is it folks! Tell me, what are your monthly favorites this month? 

See you next time! 

- A 

Out and About: Tea Time at Jacquelines~

Hello my dears! I hope all of you had a Happy Valentine's day.

As a happily single person I spent the day relaxing with my best friend and it was quite pleasant.

However, yesterday morning was more special than Valentines day because I got to go and have "Cream Tea" at one of my favorite places in the entire world.

Jacqueline's Tea Room

 Basically, this tea house is a romantic paradise.

There are girly touches everywhere and of course,

breathtaking tea finery.

Jacqueline, has created an extensive tea menu with simply delightful flavor combinations.

( My favorites: Garden of Eden White Tea, Mad Hatter Green Tea, Pumpkin Spice, Chai.)

She also has featured scones of the month. 

Two new flavors every month!

This time she offered us: Strawberry Cheesecake and Caramel scones and they were bloody delicious.

A day is truly magical when you fill yourself with scones and about three pots of tea!

I love coming here, not only for tea and delicious scones but the atmosphere is to die for. I could spend all day in there looking at everything..

( and consequently, wanting to buy everything because this tea room is also part gift shop. That's right, all sorts of beautiful tea ware, books, decor, stationary, soaps, candles and gift packages all at your fingertips to buy. It's quite dangerous.) 

So, if you are hankering for a beautiful tea service. Walk ins for "Cream tea" ( tea,scones with Devon creme and jam.)

Or a traditional " Afternoon Tea"( Unlimited tea selection, four course meal that includes: soup/sorbet, finger sandwiches, scones and dessert.) Come here! I recommend it highly!

Find out more:

Jaqueline's Tea Room

201 Main Street, Freeport Maine 04032 | 207.865.2123

        I hope all you dears are all having a lovely Sunday!

Do you like tea houses? Tell me your favorite!

I am also curious to know if you like tea what is your favorite kind of tea? 

Let me know!

- A