Health and Fitness

Toss Shushunova, Gym Masters 2011

I am a total health nut and fitness fanatic. I've been a vegetarian my whole life, grew up playing sports, was a gymnast for 15 years, and was on an acrobatic team for four years at my university during undergraduate school. I will mostly be posting about different work outs, healthy ways of taking care of yourself, etc. on this tab. I hope you find this helpful in some way.

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Yoga

If you are interested in yoga or are looking for a few new exercise videos to mix up your regular work outs, read my recent post on yoga by clicking here. Yoga will change your life and help you to feel more relaxed and focused. 

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Natural Facial Care Remedy

I guess I can count myself lucky. Though I have several break outs on my face, most are minor and are not that of a bothersome.  However, I tend to have dryer skin on my cheeks and lower part of face while having an oilier forehead that drives me crazy. I don't like to use face wash and can usually get by without using it but sometimes I like to do a deep clean on my face and feel nice, smooth skin. I've been trying new "natural" remedies and one that I really like is the lemon. You can use just lemon juice and apply with a cotton ball or just cut off a piece of lemon and rub it across your face. I usually do this once or twice a week. I apply, letting the juice and some of the pulp stay on my face til it dries, then I rinse with cool water. My face feels amazing afterwards! Sometimes I will put some honey on the slice of lemon before applying to face and this is another good natural exfoliate that is good for the skin as well. I was also reading an article where it says to make an oatmeal paste and add lemon and it basically does the same thing. I will have to try that sometime soon. If your skin is more sensitive or tends to be naturally dryer, try diluting the juice with water so it won't be as strong. Also, if you will be out in the sun it is not recommended to use the lemon juice on your skin before due to it making your skin more sensitive to the sun.

Why I love this lemon remedy so much:

• Clears up acne
• Helps skin to remain healthy and reduces wrinkles
• Helps to lighten and remove acne scars
• When used at night it can help to diminish blackheads and open pores

Caution: Don't squirt yourself in the eye! :)

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WATER

So I just wrote a blog post about water, which you can check out here. It has some pretty good information so totally go check it out if you want to know more details. Every once-in-awhile I do a lemon/zucchini water detox. It's super simple and super healthy. And, I know, you're probably thinking zucchini?! Trust me, the drink tastes so good, it's detoxing your body, and you are getting a nice intake of water all at the same time. Zucchini is a great way to get antioxidant vitamins that help to boost your immune system and support healthy aging. It gives you fiber, potassium  and protein as well.

The detox water is pretty simple to make. What you will need:

• Pitcher
• 2-3 fresh lemons
• 1 zucchini
• Water

What I usually do is get a gallon size pitcher and fill it up with water. Depending on how tart you want it, take 2-3 lemons. I usually cut the lemons in half and hand squeeze the lemons into the pitcher, then cut the lemons up into thick slices and put them in. Take the zucchini and slice it up and put them in the water as well. Let this sit for about 8-12 hours. I usually make it at night and let it sit til the next morning. After that, drink a cup of it about every hour and enjoy the detox :)

(If you're not a fan of zucchini, try switching it out for cucumber--works the same!)

Here are some more benefits of drinking water and adding lemon:

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ARMS

If you are wanting to find a good arm workout, this is an awesome one to do. It is not difficult, requires no equipment, and is super easy to do. And, it only takes less then 8 minutes of your day! I try to do this several times a week, plus several additional work outs that tone your arms. I may post those work outs later, but just wanted to share this one.