Women's Health Workout Review: Drop Two Sizes

The May issue of Women's Health Magazine has a few reads that almost every woman would enjoy. ​Not only does this issue have a kick-butt workout via Keri Russell (star of the FX show The Americans and previously Felicity), but it also has an article by the new author of Drop Two Sizes, Rachel Crosgrove. Crosgrove's new book claims that we can loose more weight with shorter, higher intensity exercises.

This workout comes with an entire in-depth article talking about something many of us have been reading and implementing already- circuits, intervals, and thirty minute workouts. According to The Journal of Obesity, regular aerobic exercise has much greater limits for fat loss than we initially thought. If you are working out at the gym for hours on end and seeing little to no dips in the scale, Rachel recommends switching to some high intensity ​exercises that have been shown to increase fitness, lower insulin resistance, and increase fat loss.

Rachel Crosgrove recommends trying this "countdown" workout once to twice a week, replacing your usual cardio workout. Countdowns are a form of circuits where, instead of doing certain exercises for a determined amount of time, you do a determined number of reps, then, reduce the number of reps by one in each set. The last set of exercises should have one rep per set. Whoa, that was a lot of rep and set talk!

This countdown workout has five exercises and starts doing each exercise five times. Crosgrove says that the countdown method encourages proper form and a higher output of energy with every set. By doing the countdown, we are able to put more energy into every exercise to see better results. 

The Review

When I first saw this workout I thought it was too good to be true... Loose two dress sizes just seems to be a media ploy. I am still not convinced of the title, but am completely intrigued. The workout starts with a quick warm-up and is followed by five reps of each set and a 20-40 second cardio break between each set. All of the exercises are quite simple and almost all of them have been on the blog. There is nothing that seems too difficult about the workout, but I was dripping with sweat by the end, all the same. ​

The entire workout took me about fifteen minutes and burnt about 130 calories. That is pretty fantastic, especially for something with so little cardio! I was especially happy when I woke this morning to some sore inner thighs and other tiny leg muscles I did not know existed... This was much better than the burn I felt in my quads during the entire workout.

Overall, the workout is fantastic. Rachel Crosgrove has put together a great sequence that tricks you into working harder than you think. I am very excited to implement more "countdown" workouts into my fitness routine after this introduction. Hopefully, next week I will be able to review the super intense Keri Russell workout as well; it's what she did to get in shape for her role as a Russian spy! ​

Thrifty Girl: Save Money on Skincare

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Skincare can cost a pretty penny, especially if you are using the good stuff. A little secret that not-too-many people know about skincare is that after puberty, everyone can benefit from anti-aging creams. This is because our cellular reproduction and collagen and ellastin levels start to lower after ​puberty. Good anti-aging creams are the most expensive form of skincare on the market. So, what is a girl who loves her skin and her wallet to do? These quick tips will help keep your skin stay healthy and your budget stay in check!

Use the Good Stuff at Night

Our skin does all of its maintenance and regeneration during the night. ​Since night is the time when our skin is doing the most work, it makes sense to use your best products at then. Products with collagen and elastin will go to better use at night since that is when the collagen and elastin will be used.

Both collagen and elastin are proteins that are used in the generation of youthful skin. These two wonders are responsible for keeping skin wrinkle free and reproducing at a higher rate. If you have to choose between using your good stuff during the day or night, choose night. You will see faster results and reduce puffy skin, fine lines, and clogged pores.

Use a Toner

Using a toner may seem counter-intuitive since it is one more thing for our budgets to fit in, but, it will help reduce clogged pores and keep our face wash around for longer. To truly get a clean face, we should be washing it for at least five minutes. This is a large hunk of time and most everyone opts for the quicker thirty second wash. Toner comes in handy because it removes all of the dirt and gunk that our face wash may leave behind. Toners will also help calm the skin and reduce pore size. The best part is that most toners will last two months or more and also reduce the amount of face wash we use!

Use Retinal at Night

Retinal is a wonder product that is great for people fighting acne and for those fighting wrinkles. It is no wonder then than that this wonder product is also wonderfully expensive. Save your wallet a bit of pain and only use your retinal products at night. The reasons for this night procedure are two-fold. First off is the already discussed reason of our skin regenerating at night. It is best to use an expensive product when that product will get the most bang for your buck. ​

Secondly, UV rays decrease the efficacy of retinal almost completely. Most products that have retinal in them have a very small amount, by wearing it during the day, we are reducing it's potency to almost nothing. This is the greatest reason to only use retinal at night. Not only will the product last twice as long, but you will see twice the results with half the expense!

Use a Good Face Wash and Face Lotion

If you are going to splurge on any skincare products, splurge on the face wash and anti-aging lotion. These two products are the ones that will effect your skin the most and the two that will lead to healthier skin. A good face wash is vital. It may seem like more out of the gate, but you should only need a miniscule amount compared to the drug store brands that call for quite a bit more. Higher quality face washes will reduce clogged pores and are made to keep nutrients in your skin. Most should last anywhere from six weeks to three months depending on the size. 

Just like face wash, a good anti-wrinkle cream will go way further than the $10 dollar counterpart. It is the age-old saying, you get what you pay for. There are some great Prestige anti-wrinkle creams that will last six weeks and cost as little as $50. Use these at night only and you will be so much happier for the $50 investment that really helps your skin, over the $10 that does not live up to any expectations.

Following these quick tips should keep your budget in check and get higher results from our skincare regimen! We only have one chance with our skin, better to treat it right and not break the bank doing it. If you have a tight budget, spend what are are able to on a good lotion and face wash, then use it sparingly and only at night. The best of everything is what we usually want, but if that is not feasible, skimp on the toner. By following these simple rules, you could be spending as little as $25 a month on high quality, skin changing, anti-wrinkle skincare products. 

Workout Round-Up and Apps for Marathon Trainers

I have been using some new workout tools for that past week or two and wanted to give a "check-in" on how they are going and what results I am finding. ​First off, the Butt Challenge. Do it. The first night I did it, it took me four minutes and I actually laughed at how easy it was. The next morning I woke up and the laughing stopped. My buns were aching! I have already noticed improvements in the derriere department, and give a big part of the credit to this workout.

Secondly, I quickly brought up that I have been using the 10k Free app in a post last week. I am not scheduled for any races yet, but plan on running a half marathon in either October or November. A nice bit of time to get prepared! I am currently using the 10k Challenge app and love it, but am seriously considering moving to the Map My Run app since you can set the race day, map the runs, ​set the days of training per week, and get text reminders on running days!

I am currently training three days of the week and will keep that up for as long as I can figure. The 10K Free starts out pretty slow with intervals where you pick the pace. This could be really great for a person who does not run often, or runs very slow... Me. With intervals and an incline, I ran 2 miles per 30 minutes, three times that week. It was a fantastic workout that never got boring. Intervals are heaven. 10K brings you up slowly and will train you to run just over six miles in fourteen weeks. ​This is not too bad and will leave me almost the same amount of time to train for the rest of the miles involved in a half marathon. If you are interested in training and running with me and live in the Central Florida area, message me. If we have enough people, we will form a super fun, app driven running group! There are a few different race options, and if there is enough interest, I may put them up for a vote!

For now, I will continue to use the 10k Free and possibly put a training routine up in the next few weeks. ​

Meat Free Mondays: Flaxseed Dessert Recipes

Last week, we talked about the benefits of flaxseed and a few of their purposes. I thought it would be a great use of this week's Meat Free Mondays to go over a few fantastic flaxseed recipes, especially for desserts. Although desserts are not the most healthy thing on the food chart, having a few ways of making them a bit healthier never hurts.

Namely Marly's Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

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Goodness, cookie cakes are so good, and cookie bars are super fantastic. One of the aspects I love most about this cookie cake is that the only dairy component is the chocolate chips; everything else is vegan! The recipe does call for some ingredients not commonly found in one's pantry- like sorghum and brown rice flours, but most can be purchased at your local health food store. ​The cake is made in a 9x13 cake pan, so should be more than enough for 10-15 people.

Flaxseed Peanut Butter

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Peanut butter is not a dessert on it's own, but is used in so many desserts that it seemed just as fantastic a recipe as any other dessert. This peanut butter recipe is the simplest recipe I think I have had on the blog yet. As long as you have a food processor or good blender, some peanuts, flaxseed, and salt, you can have peanut butter- and in about three minutes too! I am so happy that I found this recipe while searching for healthier peanut butter options. Peanut butter is not too health (and by "not too" I mean not at all), so having a recipe that changes it up a bit is heavenly. Enjoy! ​

While you are checking out this peanut butter recipe, I highly recommend looking at some of the other goods at Made to Create. This girl knows her healthy food and has some fantastic recipes to go along with a healthy and active lifestyle. ​

Chocolate Bundt Cake

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Although I am not usually a fan of bundt cakes, I will make an exception for this one any day of the week. This bundt cake is a rendition of an Eating Well cake that was created by Barr Hogen. ​The cake serves about fifteen people and takes about two hours from start to finish. The recipe calls for some pretty interesting ingredients like prune puree, rice bran oil, and hazelnuts. The hazelnuts are what caught my attention off the bat. Hazelnuts are another hidden gem in the healthy foods community and, if you have ever cooked with hazelnuts before, you know how incredible they taste in almost any baked good. This cake is sure to be a success at any party, and with 1/3 a cup of flaxseed, you do not have to feel guilty eating it!

Here is one more recipe that did not make the dessert cut, but I just could not leave out. ​It is maple almond butter, can you blame me?