Supernatural Botanicals

A pound of body fat equates to approximately 3500 calories. So if you have a calorie deficit of 500 calories (meaning that you burn 500 calories more than you eat each day) you would lose approximately one pound per week.

The average height and weight of an American woman is a height of 5’3″ and weight of 162 pounds.  Conversely, the average American model is 5’11″ and 117 pounds.

People magazine has their Sexiest Man Alive issue, and now they are letting the girls in on the action. They have named Jennifer Lopez as the World’s Most Beautiful Woman.  JLo says she feels at her best when she’s not wearing any makeup.  According to Jenny from the Block…”That’s when I’m my happiest,” she says. “Just being able to touch my face and rub my eyes and put my fingers in my hair and not having to worry about messing it up.  It’s so much better.”

What are your thoughts?  Is Ms. Lopez the most beautiful woman in the world in your eyes?

Hitting that hour-long cardio class today?  Read this recent study and you may just skip the class all together.

In a recent study, people who used kettlebells torched a whopping 400 calories in 20 minutes.

Kettlebells have made strength training fun and interesting with its new design, enabling the exerciser to perform a multitude of moves that were otherwise not possible with simple hand weights.

Entire classes, and even gyms, have been created based on the practice of kettlebell exercise.  Consider jazzing up your strength routine with kettlebells, and torch 400 calories in 20 minutes while you’re at it.

Has the Beauty Industry affected you?  Of course it has, the industry has its way with all of us.  The question is…how much has it affected you?  Do you consider the industry a help or a hindrance to your self image.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei6JvK0W60I

Shapewear is certainly enjoying its time in the spotlight these days.

Shapewear is a different name for a girdle, the same kind of undergarment your mom and grandma wore.  It’s the elastic garment that cinches in  your body girth to give you a skinnier appearance, albeit, “about to pop” and “I can’t breathe” appearance.

Somehow, women seem to be embracing the new-school girdle and seem to be okay with it, as evidenced by its multimillion dollar sales in the US last year…although I can’t think of one man who would be okay with this look, with one exception, (and that exception being Dr. Rey).

Wouldn’t getting into shape be far more rewarding than squeezing your back fat or thighs into an apparatus that literally almost squeezes the breath out of you?  Didn’t Rob Lowe’s character in St. Elmo’s Fire (as he openly laughed at Mare Winningham’s character for wearing a girdle) steer you clear of even the consideration of wearing a girdle, er, shapewear?

Does the thought of having to eventually take your dress off for your significant other, or even worse, God-forbid, emergency medical staff, make you want to hit the treadmill instead of face the wrath of public humiliation?

Or does it?  The upside, after all, is having an appearance that divulges no bulges or flaws.  And if we look good on the outside of the dress, is that good enough for us to strap ourselves into elastic apparatus’ to conceal the real story?

What are your thoughts?  Shapewear…Love it or lose it?

One of the most important elements  to great body is good nutrition.

Even if your kitchen skills aren’t as advanced as you’d like them to be, you can fake it until you make it.

Soups are simple to make.  If you can cut vegetables into bite-sized pieces, you are half way there.  Really, it’s that simple.

Start with a big pot of low sodium chicken broth.   Next, add lots of veggies, such as chickpeas, corn, tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, etc.   Cook in the chicken broth until veggies are fork-tender.  Add lots of freshly ground black pepper and even hot sauce if you like the heat.

Filling up on high volume, low fat foods will help melt away the pounds and make your body lean, strong and healthy.

Valentines Day weekend is not the time for your best jeans and shirt off the shoulder.  A Valentines Day date requires a dress, and a sexy one at that.  It’s time to show some skin and turn up the sexy.

Let yourself go and wear something skimpy, even if you are aren’t feeling that you are at your “skinniest self”.  Your date won’t care.  Your date likes exactly what you are bringing to the table, skinny or not.  This is a scientifically proven fact.  Go ahead, ask the guy next to you right now.  Men will like you in a sexy dress whether you are 10 pounds over your goal or not.  It’s all good to them.

After all, it’s not every day you can wear a red off-the-shoulder sexy dress, so take advantage and show your guy you know how to do Valentines Day right.  Attention to this detail will score you huge points.

Try this hot little date-night dress from Forever 21.

If you are serious not only about working out, but about being stylish while doing so, look no furhter…Spirit for Living  has got you covered. 

My friends over at Spirit for Living  was generous enough to send me one of their gorgeous classic boat neck shirts.  Being a huge Green fan, I was ultra-impressed that the shirt was made of natural soy and cotton blend.  The shirt is super-soft.  I love the way that the shirt just barely slips off one shoulder once in a while…a little dose of sexy without trying too hard.   

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 It’s a perfect shirt for working out, as it’s comfortable and not confining whatsoever, but it’s also a great shirt to wear with jeans or even a skirt.  We all love multi-functional pieces in our closet and need more of them. 

One look at Spirit for Living’s website and you’ll want every single item they offer.  My next piece will be the slim fit skirt.  It’s so pretty and flattering to the body….and it’s going to look great with my boat neck shirt.  Kudos to Spirit for Living’s founder, Jennifer Smith, for being a female entrepreneur with a consciousness about being Green and ultra-stylish.  Love that! 

Meditation.  It’s a beautiful thing.  Now hang on, don’t grab your latte and go running for the door just yet.

Meditation, perhaps to your surprise, is not only reserved for the deep-thinking, tree-hugging, granola-eating individuals of the world.  And those of us who practice meditation regularly, we have all been on that side of the fence at one point, too.  Many of us have thought it was too new-agey or down right flaky, that is, until we tried it.

Meditation can be simply sitting in a quiet room, concentrating on your breath slowly in and out, for no longer than a minute.  Yes, even one minute can bring great benefits to your life.  Consider the wonderful benefits below, then contemplate at least one minute of time just for yourself today.  After all, you’ll never know until you try..so dig right into the concept of taking a minute of  “me” time and start to notice how you feel.  Who knows, you just might have a craving for granola afterward!

Here are just a few of the hundreds of benefits meditation offers:

Physiological benefits:
1- It lowers oxygen consumption.
2- It decreases respiratory rate.
3- It increases blood flow and slows the heart rate.
4- Increases exercise tolerance.
5- Leads to a deeper level of physical relaxation.
6- Good for people with high blood pressure.
7- Reduces anxiety attacks by lowering the levels of blood lactate.
8- Decreases muscle tension
9- Helps in chronic diseases like allergies, arthritis etc.
10- Reduces Pre-menstrual Syndrome symptoms.

Psychological Benefits:

1- Builds self-confidence.
2- Increases serotonin level, influences mood and behavior
3- Resolve phobias & fears
4- Helps control own thoughts
5- Helps with focus & concentration
6- Increase creativity
7- Increased brain wave coherence
8- Improved learning ability and memory
9- Increased feelings of vitality and rejuvenation
10- Increased emotional stability

Spiritual Benefits:

1- Helps keep things in perspective
2- Provides peace of mind, happiness
3- Helps you discover your purpose
4- Increased self-actualization
5- Increased compassion
6- Growing wisdom
7- Deeper understanding of yourself and others
8- Brings body, mind, spirit in harmony
9- Deeper Level of spiritual relaxation
10- Increased acceptance of one’s self