Skin Care

Any one else tried one of these wonderful little Olay Pro X Cleansing Systems?  I bought mine about 6 or 7 months ago and I LOVE it! I really wanted a Clarisonic system but they are so expensive. This seems to do about the same thing for a whole lot less money! I haven't owned a Clarisonic so in all fairness, I can't really make a comparison. I do love what this has done to my skin! It's really made a difference. My skin feels brighter and firmer and the pores on my nose look smaller!  I've noticed that at this time in my life that it is really important to exfoliate my skin!  If I don't, my skin becomes very dull looking (and old).  I've been really happy with the difference this has made!  (this is not a paid advertisement, I just wanted to share another great product that I use regularly with you).

Find Your Thing!

I LOVE this TV commercial! I think we can all see our self in her!  I think it's a good reminder that we may not love everything we try but if we continue to try new things then we have a good chance of finding something we love!  I'm always trying new forms of exercise in hope of finding something I'm passionate about! If you are passionate about something, you want to do it!

I did the gym thing for awhile and had to force myself to go, it's just not "my thing".  I tried hiking and loved it and I've been hiking 10 miles every Saturday morning since January 2011. 

I started walking a mile on my lunch hour and find that it really does break up my day and makes my afternoon more pleasant. When it's too hot or too cold or raining, I go to the mall that is close by and walk around there.

I tried mountain biking when I met my boyfriend and now I love that too! 

This week I joined a spin class that is held at my gym at work! I tried spinning years ago when I was totally out of shape and it was just too hard. I'm glad I gave it another chance because I loved it. Not only could I feel it in my legs but the next day my arms and abs were a little sore too! 

So, now my workouts will include Spinning on Monday and Wednesdays (45 minutes each day), Hiking 10 miles on Saturdays (about 4 hours),  walking 1 mile on my lunch hour 3 days a week (about 20 minutes) and an occasional bike ride. I also do arm exercises with resistance bands a few minutes each day while sitting at my desk at work. This is a great exercise if you sit in front of a computer all day!

Just how many calories am I burning?

I'm always wondering how many calories I'm burning!  While I'm working out my thoughts are getting a workout of their own....Did I burn off that bagel that I shouldn't have eaten for breakfast? What about that candy bar that I ate yesterday and regret today?  I also wonder what is better: running, biking or hiking?  Luckily, there are lots of calories-burned calculators on the internet! I get inspired just plugging in different activities and seeing just how many calories I can burn doing different activities!  Here is a link to one on the Glamour website.

That's me hiking with my hike leaders last Spring.  That was a tough hike! We burn over 1,000 calories in a 4 hour hike! You have to burn 3,500 calories to lose 1 pound!  Makes sense to me...eat less, exercise more!

Pore Elimination

I haven't tried this yet but it looks easy!  This guy has some really good make-up videos on YouTube!

Baby Oil

 

Back in the day when I was a teenager, Johnson's Baby Oil was the stuff we slathered on our skin before we went to the beach to tan.  Tan? Me? Well that was more like wishful thinking...I would always burn!  Now I can't even imagine putting this on for that purpose but I still use it almost every day! 

I use it to moisturize my skin now.  Every morning after my shower, while I'm still in the shower, before I dry my wet skin, I slather on Johnson's Baby Oil.  Then I just lightly pat dry my skin. It works great on the days I wear skirts because my legs look smooth and silky, with a little bit of shine! (warning though...be careful, the oil can make your shower floor slippery)

Love this stuff... and it's a good deal too!

25 Ways to Cut 500 Calories a Day - Health.com

Did you know that you can drop a pound a week just by cutting out 500 calories per day (based on a 150 lb woman).  That doesn't sound too hard...does it?   Here is a slide show I found with some great ways to cut 500 calories...  25 Ways to Cut 500 Calories a Day - Health.com

Another great way to cut calories is to add a can of pumpkin to a box of cake mix instead of the oil, eggs and water.  I've made them with both spice cake mix and chocolate.  You can't really taste the pumpkin in the chocolate muffins!

You can read about these muffins on my other blog (My Romantic Home). Just click on these links: Diet friendly Pumpkin Spice Muffins or Diet Friendly Chocolate Muffins.

I think I may make some of these this weekend and freeze them! Some mornings it's nice to treat yourself with a muffin with your coffee!

Track your food and excercise for best results!

 

I found I have the best results losing weight when I track my food and exercise!

  When I'm Weight Watchers I use the tracker they give you at the meetings.  When I'm not doing Weight Watcher, like right now,  I use LoseIt.com .  It allows you to either enter info online or use the app on your mobile phone!   

It's simple to use. You just set up your goals by entering your current weight and input how many pounds per week you want to lose (1/2 - 2 lbs), then it tells  you how many calories per day you can eat. You enter the food you eat throughout the day (There is a whole database full of food or if it's not there you can upload the info yourself.)  Another thing I love about this app is that it allows you to enter the exercise you've done that day and you can earn back some extra calories!

Another great feature is that when you set up your goals (I did this online, not on my cellphone), it tells you the date you will reach your goal!  

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the most amazing thing...It's FREE!

This is not a paid review of Lose it..just wanted to let you know about a great free resource for losing weight!

Fall Fashion I'm loving!

 

This year I really want to get a fur vest!  I love the look of jeans and simple pullover sweater, boots and a fur vest!  This one is a faux fur from Topshop.

Love this ruched and shirred shirt! The modern edge...it has a metal zipper up the back. From Ann Taylor.

This Fall I will be buying at least one pair of new boots!  I'm loving these and they come in black too! They are from DSW my favorite place to shop for shoes!  When I go in DSW, I head straight to the back of the store where the sale racks are...there are some fabulous deals there and it's so much fun to find the color coded dots that tell you what percentage the markdown is!

 

I love the elegance of this metallic leather trench coat!  Wow!  It's from Spiegel of places! 

Now, if I only had enough money to buy all these things! Oh well, it's fun to go window shopping!  A girl can dream...

Get out and have fun!!

I think one of the best things I've done for myself in the last year or so it so get out of the house more and do fun things with my friends!  Sometimes we have so much to do in our lives that the one thing that gets pushed to the back burner is fun, but fun is just as important to our health as eating well and exercising! It's good for the soul!

Last Friday a bunch of friends got together (my guy couldn't make it) and met at a local winery on a Friday night.  There is a live band with dancing (great exercise) and we each bring a favorite food to share with the group! It's really a fun and very inexpensive way to have fun on a Friday night! 

Life is what you make it....so make it fun!

Hollywood Glamour Hairstyles

I've noticed that I'm really drawn to Hollywood glamour hairstyles lately!  As much as I would  love to have the long hair I had in my 20s I think it just wouldn't look right on me now! I've noticed when my hair gets longer, it seems to "pull down" my face...that is the last thing I want at my age when gravity is already working against me!

I think these styles are classy and elegant! 

....and oh-so romantic!

Timeless really...

I think I may get out my hot rollers today and try to go with the "glam look" tonight!  If it turns out...I'll post a pic!  

What do you think...would you do a Hollywood-Glam style?

An interview!

 

 Tracey at Notes from A Cottage Industry has a great post up about being a woman over 50! She is such an amazing person and a true inspiration!  She looks fabulous over 50!!!  

She also interviewed me...I'm so honored!

Readers' Favorite Cooking Light Chicken Recipes | MyRecipes.com

Readers' favorite Cooking Light recipes!!  I want to try this Asian Glazed Chicken Thigh recipe soon!

Readers' Favorite Cooking Light Chicken Recipes | MyRecipes.com

Healthy Dining Finder

I just found a great website: Healthy Dining Finder.  It allows you to find healthy dining options in your area!  I was a little shocked when I put in my zip code and up popped Jack in the Box and McDonald's along with other options but once I clicked on them I realized that they tell you what the healthy options are at these places and they give you the nutritional value of each item.  This is great because sometimes I find myself eating somewhere that would not have been my first choice! Now I can at least make a healthy choice!

They need to have an iPhone app for this!  I would use that a lot!

A Product I LOVE

I recently started using Suzanne Somers' skin care products and I really like them! My favorite is this Peach Exfoliating Cleanser!  It smells so good!  The first time I used it, I was amazed at how my skin felt. It felt like I had just had a facial! My skin was smooth and felt very hydrated!  This is perfect for older skin because it exfoliates...you really want to get rid of those dead skin cells that are sitting on top of your skin and dulling your complexion!

It's always nice to find products that are natural and work!

Baked Kale Chips

 

 I know Kale Chips don't sound like they would taste very good but trust me on this one, they are really good! They sort of melt in your mouth as you eat them.

They are really easy to make...

Preheat the oven at 325. Rinse a big bunch of kale and dry it in a salad spinner. If you don't have a salad spinner you can dry it with paper towels.

 

Then you will cut the center vein out and discard it and cut the leaves into bite-size pieces. You can use a knife, kitchen shears or just tear it. I found tearing to be the fastest!

 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the kale in a single layer. You may have to do a couple batches if it doesn't all fit on the baking sheet.

 

Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over the kale and sprinkle with a little kosher salt or sea salt.

 

 Bake at 325 degrees for about 10 minutes...check it often after 10 minutes...you want it to be dry and just starting to brown on the tips but not burnt.  I think mine took about 13 minutes but it all depends on your oven.

They tastes best right out of the oven. I made the mistake of putting leftovers in a Tupperware dish and they went limp which made them really too hard to chew and they didn't taste as good. Next time I'm going to try storing them in a brown bag and see if that works better!

Give them a try! Kale is super healthy. It is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin and reasonably rich in calcium.

Hiking - A workout with a view!

Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail (you can see the sea covered with fog on the horizon)

Last January, when I decided this was going to be the year that I really got serious about working out, I joined a hiking group.  I went to www.meetup.com and found a hiking group in my area.  There are tons of hiking groups around here. It's the thing to do in California! I went to my first hike shortly after the new year and met another couple that runs their own hiking group and I've now been hiking with them almost every Saturday morning. 

I chose to move over to their group because they do long hikes...usually 8-13 miles at a faster pace than the other group!  It was really hard for me at first but after a couple months I could keep up with the more experienced hikers and it felt really good!  I went every Saturday morning and never missed one until about June! 

Due to scheduling conflicts, I haven't been hiking for the past 3 weeks but I was finally able to go last Saturday. Wow.....It was almost like starting all over again!  I did well until about the 8th mile...we still had 2 more miles to go at that point and it was mostly all up hill!  The thing with hiking...you don't have a choice, you have to keep going...we were out in the middle of nowhere!  I just wanted someone to carry me out of there at that point! haha! I made it though but am I ever sore!  I learned my lesson...I  need to keep up on my hiking! It is a great workout!

I've found that it's better to work out with a group or at least another person because if you are like me, you just don't push yourself on your own!

A Great Source for Healthy Recipes!

Have you been to MyRecipes.com?  I get an email every day from them with fabulous recipes, many of which are from Cooking Light magazine...like this Summer Corn and White Bean Soup recipe! 

I love that they have reviews so you can really see if it something worth making or not! They also have the Nutritional information for each recipe so you can see exactly how many calories, fiber and fat (my 3 top things I look for ) it has per serving.

I think I may have to try this soup recipe. It looks really good!

Workout Music

When I work out at the gym I like to take my iPhone so I can put in my ear buds and rock out to the music. Running on the treadmill is so much easier when you have upbeat  music to listen to!  Here is some of the tunes I have on my play list:

Wham: Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
George Michael - I want your sex
The Whispers - Rock Steady (which also happens to be one of my favorite songs to dance to)
Nickleback - Rockstar
Nickleback - This Afternoon
Nelly - Just a Dream
Madona - Material Girl
Lady Gaga - Telephone
Lady Gaga - Just Dance
Lady Gaga - BoysBoysBoys
Katy Perry - California Girls
Katy Perry - I Kissed a Girl
Enrique Iglesias - I Like It
Don Henley - All She Wants to Do is Dance
Daughtry - Life After You
Black Eyed Peas - Let's Get it Started
Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl (another favorite song to dance to)

Now I want to know what is on your workout play list because I need to add some new songs to mine!!  Please leave your favorites in the comments section below! 

Anti Aging Hair Products

There is a great article on the Good Housekeeping website about anti-aging hair products! They tested 73 products on 579 volunteers to come up with their list.

Some of the products are rather pricey....Pureology Nanoworks Shampoo & Conditioner ($53 each, salons).  I hate to pay more than $10 for shampoo or conditioner but I guess if it made an amazing difference I may splurge and then use it very frugally.

One of the biggest surprises was the permanent hair color category...Revlon ColorSilk With UV Defense ($3.69). I've never tried this product but I'm going to try it soon now!  I pay twice that much for my haircolor and it dries my hair out! I usually stay away from the lesser expensive hair colors because I believed they wouldn't be as good. I guess I was wrong!  I can't wait to give this a try.

You can check out all the anti-aging hair products that Good Housekeeping tested on their website: Good Housekeeping Best Anti-Aging Hair Products

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Thanks to Tracie Truran-Rouette for bringing this study to my attention!  If any of you see any beauty or fitness information that you would like me to share please email me at cindy95131@yahoo.com

Welcome!

On September 24, 2010 I turned 50 years old!  It was a great day! I embraced turning 50 and it has been an amazing year for me!

Just a year earlier it was a different story...turning 49 was very hard! I knew it was my last year in my 40s and it felt very depressing. I was overweight, tired, and didn't have very much self confidence. My forties were gone and there was no way to get them back! I felt so old and depressed!

It sometimes take getting to that low point to bring about change. I knew I had made bad choices by eating too many fattening foods and not getting enough exercise. I decided that I was the only person that could change me!

...and change I did! I started hiking, and working out at the gym. I joined Weight Watchers. Over the year I lost about 50 lbs. I'm a work in progress...I still need to lose some more weight and tone up but I'm enjoying the journey I'm on. With every pound I lose and every workout I do, I'm feeling better and better!

I posted photos of the new me on my other blog "My Romantic Home" and on Facebook and I received so many emails from other woman telling me that I had inspired them to lose weight which is why I decided to start this blog.

I am not a diet, fitness or beauty expert...by no means, but I am a woman in my 50s that is a little obsessed with all of that now. It's amazing how much can change in a year!

I hope that you join me on my journey through this blog! I plan to share healthy recipes, and beauty & exercise tips...I'm sure there will much more too! We can all inspire each other!

Here are some "Before" and "After" photos.  The "After" should be titled "Under Construction" because I still haven't reached my goal yet but I know I'm on my way!

BEFORE

After