What I'm Loving...

It's been a while since I've done one of these posts and since I've been loving so many things lately, I thought it was appropriate to start again this week! Let me preface by saying this is not a sponsored post. It's just a smattering of some things I'm loving so much lately, that I just have to share with you =)

So lets start with my latest beauty savior. I have really crazy skin, lets just get that out of the way right now. And depending on my diet, it can go from bad to worse in a minute. If I eat ice cream or frozen yogurt, I get dermatitis with a side of sinus infection. I kid you not! If I eat too much sugar, I break out like a teenage girl. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have the face of a teenage girl, but the spots, eh not so much. Lately my skin has been crazy and I finally pinpointed that it's due to too much sugar in my diet. Whether it be from too many candy binges (yes, some of us health nuts eat candy from time to time) or foods that turn to sugar in the body. I'm looking at you white rice! So while my skin has calmed down, the weather flux and the breakout treatments have me dealing with some uneven skin. Enter Shea Terra's Cape Aloe.

I've had this gem for quite a bit. When I first bought it and tried it, it didn't seem to work for me. Maybe it was my skin at the time, or the manner in which I was using it. But things change I guess. And lately it's been my skins "knight in shining armor". I wash my face like usual and put it on at night and then in the morning before I apply my makeup. It gives a nice little dose of moisture and even helps keep my face a little more balanced (aka not an oily mess) during the day. Aloe also helps with blemishes as well. So it's a win win. Shea Terra is one of my fav natural beauty brands by the way. If you don't know them, you need to check them out! Moving on...

Another thing I'm crazy over right now is this amazing book that was released fairly recently by Juli Bauer of PaleOMG. I just bought her book a few days ago, and wow. Amazing!!! I mean, every single recipe looks SO good. Obviously if you're a vegetarian or vegan, this won't be appealing to you, since it is a Paleo cookbook. But if you're one of my meat-eating friends, then you will love! All the recipes are healthy, and look so flavorful. I have yet to make one from this book in particular, but I've made a couple recipes from Julie's blog and they turn out delicious. I can't wait to start meal planning. This book might actually make food shopping exciting again!

And last, but definitely not least..... I have been infatuated with Spotify lately. I've always been a music buff, having grown up with a Drummer Dad who was probably playing me Zeppelin in the womb. But Spotify has me enamored. I've been a subscriber for several months and I love it. I go running outside all the time and I like to have the option to listen to my curated playlists while being out in the woods with no wifi signal. But my favorite couple features are the Weekly Discovery playlist they send you every Monday, and also the suggested artists. I have found so many amazing bands this way. Definitely some that I might not have found otherwise. If you're on there, stop by my profile and check out a couple of my lists!

So that's my latest roundup of favorites. What are you loving lately? Have you tried any of the items above? what do you think?!

Christy
xoxo

Mizuno Wave Inspire 12 - A Review

Hey Babes! Recently I was given the opportunity to review a pair of sneakers by a company I'd been dying to try, and I'm so excited to finally share my review with you! I've become an Asics die-hard, but my current loves had started giving me some problems. Shin splints and muscle pain are no bueno during a several mile run. So when the opportunity to try Mizuno's new Wave Inspire 12 presented itself, of course I jumped at the chance.

I follow lots of marathon runners on Instagram, and aside from seeing my beloved Asics, I kept seeing many feet bearing the Mizuno symbols in slews of Marathon photos. My interest was piqued immediately. Over the summer to my dismay, I had tried and sent back many trainers - Brooks, Altra, and even another model of Asics. Nothing seemed to work and the shin splints would get worse and delay my running progress with each new pair I tried.I started to give up and figured that maybe I wasn't destined to be a runner after all.

Until I tried my Mizuno's. Upon receiving them, my first impression was that they were stylish and I would be able to wear them out and about as well. Trust me, as far as all my running woes, I would wear bags over my feet if it meant that my legs wouldn't hurt, so quality over style is definitely most important. But this was definitely a plus! I love the bright colors and they are made really well. No glue showing, no unraveling stitches and no gapes or tightness. They fit perfect.

But I have to say that when I ran in them for the first time, I did have a bit of a Cinderella moment. It was like I had finally found my perfect fit! In all honesty, it took a run or two for my feet to adjust. I believe that certain sneakers and how they are made can help to position your foot and ankle just so. And when you're in a new shoe that you aren't used to, it can take a bit of time. Even though I knew I had finally found the shoe for me, they did have a small adjustment period. But I was good by run two!

They offer the perfect amount of ankle stability without being too loose or too tight. The key for me was not tying them too tight, which I tend to do. I have higher arches in my feet and they give some structured support while being cushy and kind of even squishy, which I love! They are truly like running on little clouds. The only drawback that I had at all, is that I'm not solely a runner. I also come home and train as well. I did not like the feeling of the Mizuno's while doing Tabata, Plyo, etc. But that's fine because they are a running shoe and that's not what they're made for. And honestly, it's just personal preference. I thought I would love the squish factor while doing broad jumps across my floor, but I found they just didn't work in that arena.

It's any easy fix to do a quick change before doing my other training, though. And it's worth it to have such an amazing shoe to run in! I'm definitely a convert after running in them for a couple weeks. Me and my happy little feet highly recommend Mizuno!!!!

Christy
xoxo


DISCLAIMER: This post is sponsored by Mizuno Running. I did receive a small financial compensation, as well as product for review. All opinions are my own and have not been influenced in any way.

What I'm Loving - The FasciaBlaster Part 1

Happy Friday Babes! Whether you stumbled on my page from reading your blogroll, came here on a google search, or saw my latest pic on Instagram and just had to know what the little gizmo I posted was..... I'm about to let you in on one of the most amazing self-care secrets I have ever come across. Having gone to Holistic Nutrition School and being a fitness addict, it's no secret that I'm HUGE into self-care. Not that I don't love getting a massage here or a facial there, but I'm all for having the opportunity to do treatments in my own home and on my own terms - with some guidance from an expert of course ; )

A couple months ago I was perusing Facebook and I kept seeing these videos pop up on my feed. I don't normally love the whole sponsored post thing, but it can be great when you come across someone that you might not have seen otherwise. The video that popped up was by Ashley Black, and it was her demonstrating her FasciaBlaster. Fasciawhatta??? I know.... Unless you're in bodywork, physical therapy, or in the medical field, you might not know that term. Even knowing as much about health as I do, I sure didn't. And being the curious little health nerd that I am, I had to know.....  What exactly is Fascia? I clicked on the video and was immediately sucked in. I watched video after video and was just blown away in general and by Ashley overall. She's a pretty damn amazing human! Here are just a few of the benefits of the FasciaBlaster:


- Reduce the appearance of cellulite
- Restore your fascia
- Break down fat cells (spot reduction!!!)
- Improve muscle performance
- Reduce scar tissue
- Reduce pain & inflammation
- Accelerate muscle recovery & performance
- Improve circulation


Check out her video to learn more about her and Fascia...




So now that you know a little more about Fascia, you can probably see why someone like me - a person with a background in healthy living and a fitness freak that loves to work out 5-6 days a week, might be interested. I have struggled with various muscular injuries (which I now believe are indeed fascia related) and last year my skin started getting really dimply. Since working out on a pretty regimented training schedule for the last year, it has since decreased a bit. But I would love to remedy it, and most important, remain injury and pain free!

I was lucky enough to hear back from Ashley on Facebook after reaching out and we messaged back and forth a bit. She sent me videos and lots of information. Having used a foam roller for recovery, I found the video below pretty interesting...



So after chatting with Ashley, she was so generous to send me a FasciaBlaster to try out! I have used it twice since I've gotten it and did see a slight difference after the first use. I do have some bruising, but not as bad as I thought. This is normal by the way. All I can say is that I think I have a lot of Fascia that needs to be broken down!  I'm so excited to see where I am after a month of use. This will definitely become a part of my regular self-care routine. BBG Babes, you need this!!! Make sure you stop back next week to see my before pic and my first results after a few uses!

ps - Make sure to check out Ashley's Facebook page! She posts lots of excellent information and tons of amazing videos!

UPDATE: To see what I think about the FasciaBlaster over a year later, check out my latest post HERE 

Christy
xoxo


DISCLAIMER: I was not compensated for the above review financially in any way. I was, however, provided product for sample purposes to review as stated. This did not influence my review in any way. All opinions are my own.