Does Anyone Else Find Gyms Intimidating?

      Le Sigh, it's not that I am scared to work out but when I walk into a Crossfit gym filled with bars, weights, weird machines not found in other gyms and other people who clearly know how to use these items, I get a sense of "perhaps I should've worked out at home." BUT NO! I do know how to use the machines.

      I found kickboxing class a little scary because I was so concerned with keeping up with the others. But it is not a competition (only in my head) and you really get out what you put in. My last kickboxing class is sometime next week, I'm not that sad but working out with others really motivates you to keep moving. The voice in my head that tells me to keep pushing is going to have to be a little louder once class is over.

       Last week I went back to CrossFit and brought out my yoga mat at home. I lost some flexibility, the little stretching I do before working out is not enough for me. I started with this yoga video then went on to a stretching video.

Dead-lift old max 170 lbs brought it up to 180 but I'm back
at 170 now

       I finally went to the weight-room at my school. I haven't done CrossFit for so long now, I tried to go in and do what I normally did but I lost some strength. My favorite CrossFit exercise is called a dead-lift. That was the first thing I proceeded to do and went straight to my max; the bar didn't budge so I took it down some. It's all good because it motivates me to get back to where I was.

Can you see the definition?!

Typical look before heading out to the gym

       My goals include:

• Put on at least 10 more pounds of muscle
• Develop a killer bod (even more than it already is, I kid, lol)
• Increase my strength 
• Increase stamina and endurance

        I want to feel energized and far from lazy. Overall, I want to be healthy, with health everything else falls into place. The closer I get to my goals, the less intimidating the gym will be. Another goal is to participate in more runs/races. I am so excited for things to come this year, I see many random runs/races in my future.

HAPPY FRIDAY
Fitness Friday

What is your favorite workout/exercise?
What are your goals?

I wish peace and love to everyone xoxo

Just Donated Some Blood

     Within the last 12 months I have gone to donate blood three times and I succeeded twice! My first attempt was my senior year in high-school. I'm 2 for 2 when it comes to donating. Sometimes my iron is too low and they send me home. 

      There is something about donating blood when you don't have to. I really feel a sense of satisfaction when I do it. I honestly don't know why I didn't donate between age 18 and now. I know life happens and people get busy but I don't think that was it. I'm pretty sure I didn't care enough. I know, not nice. My best-friend got me into it, he said "do you want to save lives?" And I was like HECK YEA! He has been donating for years now. He also donates platelets. That takes longer than regular blood donations. 

        The worst part of donating blood is when they prick your finger to check you iron level, that's honestly the worst part. The whole donation process took about an hour. Read Red Cross material and then they ask you general questions while checking your pulse, blood pressure and iron. After that you answer questions on a computer about travel and possible exposure to contaminated blood.

Prep-work

        Once you pass the screening you lay down on a bed and decide which arm to sacrifice. My left arm had a better located vein, so left it was. They clean the area for an allotted amount of time. Don't look at the needle, especially if you don't like them. I detest getting shots from the doctors but this one is different, doesn't hurt but it's a weird feeling, can't really explain (remember you are saving lives). 

         I believe a pint is a standard donation and it can be done every 8 weeks as long as you are in good health. While the blood is being drawn out, you squeeze a stress ball every few seconds. My poor fingers, I'd say I squeezed the ball for 20 minutes. Once the blood donation is done, YOU GET SNACKS. Like in elementary school before they banned sweets. It's recommended you sit, eat and drink for 10-15 before going about your day. 

          I'm not a huge Red Cross fan because after my first donation, they began to call me like crazy. After weeks or months, I got a hold of them and told them to stop it. Red Cross I don't mind donating and a reminder is nice, but there is no need to call me 6 days a week. I'm actually witting a paper on the ethics of telemarketing, of course Red Cross isn't considered a telemarketer, I digress. 

Do you partake in any charities? Which ones? I am always up to learn!

Do you know your blood type?

Love and Peace everyone

Peace and love

New Hobby: Boxing/Kickboxing

I got the pink pair when I tired out the kickboxing class.

      Over Christmas in New York, I was handed down a free-standing punching bag. I've been wanting one and my boyfriend had an old one that he hasn't touched in years.

       Once I figured out where to put it, it took me almost a month to get the motivation to fill it up. When I did, I was in love! I searched the Internet for all sorts if information about boxing/MMA/kickboxing. I already had gloves and hand-wraps. When I was ready to start hitting the bag, it took me almost a half hour to wrap my hands, but it was worth it. I watched a few boxing videos to get my stance down and the punches. 

   
       I still wanted more, so off to Groupon I went. They always have great kickboxing choices. Of course I procrastinated and my guy ended getting me one. Super excited for my first kickboxing class!  

     
      It was an hour of non-stop movement and in the end I thought it was great. I went back again the next week even though the instructor suggested three times a week (of course). Their schedule, mine and the little snow storm made things a little harder to do three times a week. Plus I had a bag at home! 

         In between my classes I do Blogilates (Pilates), calisthenics, and I work with my bag. However, I do miss Crossfit, but I find it challenging to do without a little help. I got to (wo)man up though. 

I love the results Crossfit has given me but boy oh boy do I love kickboxing. I'm not on the strictest workout schedule but I now aim for three times a week 30 minutes to an hour. I used to do more but things change. 

           

         Also I have stayed away from fried food. Once a week I can eat something fried, but I don't miss it. I ate clean for about a week in January but I didn't like how I prepped my meals. They tasted so bland. So no more meal prepping for now. 

     Water. My water intake has not increased to where I want it. I can't even tell others to drink water because I slack in that area. Water is really the only beverage I have in the house. I either drink green tea and ginger infused water, hot chocolate, hot tea or just water water. As a matter of fact I'm going to go make some green tea and ginger infused water now. OH and smoothies, I know it's been cold out but I finally added spinach to my smoothies. Loves it! 

Peace and Love 

Wash Day (12 Days Post)

        So I eventually I began to enjoy my super flat ironed hair. I put my hair in my favorite super super super high bun, gosh I miss those. So after the wash, I learned a hair didn't fix my problems. Damaged hair is damaged hair. Guys I'm so over my hair, I don't get much joy blogging about it or tracking how it's doing. My nape is shot, it'll take a year to grow it all out blah blah blah (I decided to write this post a day later because I though I would have better feelings toward my hair, lawlz).

Yesterday I-

ORS Creamy Aloe Clarified---> KeraPro and AgeBeautiful Deep Conditioned--->Oil rinsed--->Aphogee

Keratin and Green Tea spray--->Lightly applied Lacio Lacio Protein leave-in---> T-shirt dried---> more oil

and leave-in (focusing on the back)--->detangled (took 30 minutes if that)--->Cool air tension method really  fast

This is with deep conditioner
overprocessed, heat damage
idk

         As I was washing my hair and detangling, I was happy about the cut, made things a little easier. I couldn't figure out how to put my big hair up at night. I don't was to bother the nape, so I put two twists in the back and bunned the rest of my hair, I clipped the two twists like a cross-wrap, shaking my head, I was tired. The back is so short but I knew more was cut back there.

This nasty habit of touching my damaged
hair. 

Why did you guys allow me to cut my hair!? I'm just kidding, it's no big deal,
(and I was told not to cut a number of times)
length check?  LOL, NO :)

         

         Okay so when was the last time I enjoyed writing about my hair?! Possibly Christmas and before that? Why did I start blogging? It was a way for people to keep up with me, I could easily track how my hair was doing and I had a lot of free time. With that being said, I'm going to take perhaps a month off, I will not pay my hair too much attention. Focusing on it makes it bigger than it is. I will, however, continue to check out everyone else's blogs, comment and post about things I'm doing. A month not about my hair? Sounds like a challenge.  

Peace & Love
3 and a half more weeks of my winter session!

Scarves! Scarves! Scares! How I Love Winter Scarves!

          I love winter scarves! I love thick scarves, long scarves, smooth scarves, colorful scarves but most of all I love my cheapie pashmina/silk/cashmere scarves. The ones I have are different mix of the three fabrics. 

      But what in the world is pashmina?Apparently, it's not recognized as a fabric in the U.S. But what I really wanted to know was, are they scarves bad for my hair? I know I can't base my answer on how soft and smooth they feel but what I do know is my winter coats are not something I want my hair to rub against. All but one scarf was labeled 70/30 or 50/50 pashmina or cashmere/silk allegedly (I say that because they were a steal in the streets of Manhattan years ago). 

Scarves that just say pashmina could possibly be a blend of a lot of other fabrics. The scarf on the far right is labeled that way, surprisingly it is the softest, however, I have never worn it out.

       My favorite Herringbone wool jacket is great to look at, it keeps me warm and fashionable (lol) but the material is pretty harsh on my hair, to me it's almost worse than cotton. 

        So the final touch before heading out in the cold are my winter scarves. Over the years as my hair got longer, I've shied away from thick wool/cotton scarves. I know they are oh so warm but I worried about how much my hair rubbed against them. 

       When I wear my hair down, I wrap my scarves around my shoulders like a shawl (those scarves can be described as shawls) and make sure my hair is rubbing against my coats. I don't even want my coat to touch he nape of my hair when I put it up, so I usually slip knot my scarf and tuck the ends in my coat (fancy, huh). I get plenty of compliments on the looks and the scarves but really I just want to protect my hair. Whether I flat ironed, did a braid out or twist out, I want to minimize rubbing against tough fabrics. The winter scarves are the closest I get to my sleeping scarf/bonnet/satin pillow case when I'm out for the day.

        

How do you protect your ends when you let your hair down for a night out?

Cut at The Salon ***Picture Update***

        I have been MIA, my apologies. I haven't been great at organizing my time they way I wanted. Still adjusting to some big changes in my life. Welllllllllllllllll last Wednesday, I made a trip to my stylists. I was so excited for this visit, I planned on walking out the salon with new hair and a serious cut. My stylist wasn't jumping for joy when I told her I wanted a touch-up because 95% of her clientele don't get chemically treated. Usually I avoid heat at the salons but this time I couldn't if I was going to take 4 inches off.

       I believe she uses Mazani for touch-ups. Anyways, while I was deep conditioning, my stylist was giving another a girl a big chop. It was amazing to witness,  I felt like I should cut more that 4 inches off my own hair. She came in with chin length thick hair and left with a TWA. It was cool to see.

just blow-drying

        After we rinsed the conditioner out, the dreaded blow drying began. It hurt my heart a little and the flat iron...hurt my heart a lot. After passing a section three times, I was at the edge of my seat. But Aku, calm down, you can go months without any direct heat. She used Kenra's heat protectant, a lot at that, so CALM DOWN AKU!  

          Okay okay, so even after the blowing I could see texture in the back, that back man, so resistant. My stylist noticed the damage and broken sections immediately. Initially I wanted to cut up to the damage but we talked it out and decided it would be a super cut and the rest of my hair is good. Sounds like a lot of my readers (I know you guys were right, I can be so dramatic sometimes). So I will slowly trim that section. Moisture moisture moisture is where I messed up, my demarcation line was not having it. The back middle looked like I never touched and it was declared that I have a 4b texture (not surprised).

          I had almost three inches of new growth over there. That is where my annoyance comes in, had all of my hair been like that then I could have cut it but that rest of my hair is pretty well-telaxed. She joked and said I had enough texture to still big chop. Which made me concerned for how my hair will be when it's not flat ironed. Right now I can run my fingers through it, no problem. It's almost scary because it doesn't feel like my hair. Do you remember those days, right after a touch-up, how flat your hair was? I HATE IT. That is why there are no pictures up until I wash and air dry. I hope my hair is not too relaxed...does that make sense? I know I still saw texture...

About 4 inches

         My ends look like straw in that picture, I think it was partly due to the camera. Anyways after a while of cutting I asked how much and she said 4 inches and I felt my heart pump faster. Why does hair make us crazy? or maybe it's just me. When it was all said and done i was swinging my hair and jumping around saying I want it shorter. No worries, she took control of the situation and told me to come back if I really wanted it shorter.It soon hit me that my braid outs and twist outs would be very short...Anyways no use crying over spilled milk. 

          So far I'm content with the cut but I can't wait to wash this flatness out! I am not pleased I failed at doing my hair myself and in turn damaging it. I really thought third time was a charm when I touched it up in November, but it was sort of too late. I don't know my next move, there is talks about stretching 16 weeks, I've done 12 and it was nothing unusual. This stretch lasted only 8 weeks. So after 16, maybe transition, not sure. All I know is I hate fresh salon relaxed hair. One thing, I wrap my hair for bed, I haven't been able to wrap my hair in forever. I look forward to rollersetting!

It used to go past my chest, I kid you not. The sides are longer
than the back. More damage control had to be done back there.

Peace & Love everyone

Aku

Overnight Deep Condition and Oil Rinse

Two nights ago I clarified my hair using ORS Creamy Aloe Shampoo. During my shower I towel wrapped my hair. When I was done I mixed my KeraPro, ORS Replenishing conditioner and AgeBeautiful together and carefully applied it to every inch of my hair. I focused on the back where breakage is still happening. 

This is deep conditioned saturated hair. 

Covered my hair with a shower cap and my new sleeping cap and went to bed(or pretended to go to bed). I loved how my hair felt when I washed it out 12 hours later. Rinse, rinse, rinse and squeeze out excess water and applied my oil mix from root to tip. 

The difference in the middle section compared
to my cooperative hair is mind blowing. 

Once I hoped out the shower, I towel dried very lightly (didn't want to lose the oil) and applied my Lacio Lacio protein leave-in. I t-shirt dried for an hour. Removed the t-shirt and added a little more leave-in. Separated my hair into three sections to try and keep my roots stretched. I didn't use a hair tie for the back because of how fragile it's been. I held it together with two plastic clips. After a while I pulled my blow dryer out to stretch out the roots at the back of my head even more. Cold air of course. I've taking a liking to this step. 

I've been thinking about cutting my hair, like a TWA, but I'm having so much trouble with the mini Afro in the back so what would I do if my whole head was an Afro. I digress. However, I am learning that keeping it stretched and moisturized is a must. 

I don't know what my next hair move is, but the longer I wait, the more the breakage continues. Perhaps the demarcation line can't hang and I need to relax it. I don't think I'll be doing my next relaxer, might have to hit up my old stylist. I'm afraid she'll say there's extensively damage or she could call me dramatic. After all it's just hair right?!

Deep conditioned on top and cold air tension method
 on the bottom

I really don't want a TWA. I'd much rather transition slowly, so perhaps no relaxer? My edges and nape are suffering, that's another post for a rainy hair. Idk if I was using the wrong brush or I over processed my hair but the damage is done. It's very easy to hide but I know it's there. But what about the hair that is thriving. The two front sections are seriously so nice, why should I punish them because other parts of my hair suck?

Also three nights before I washed my hair, I co-washed with Hello Hydration, it was a nice change. Did the same oil routine. I've been trying to incorporate LOC (liquid, oil, cream). I'm very much used to LCO but I like oil rinsing a lot. 

Four twists in the back and I'll probably keep
this loose bun in for two to three days. 

I did apply Organix Anti-breakage serum to the twists before I put them up. 

Hope everyone's New Year is off to great start!

Peace and Love 

Aku