Easy Detox Bath

Guys. I did this last night (I love detox baths for colds/sickness, but I've never done a regular one) and I absolutely loved it. 

I woke up this morning feeling refreshed and my skin felt so soft. I'm pretty sure I'm going to try and turn this into a regular thing, probably bi-weekly. 

Detox baths are good for releasing toxins and allowing your body to go into a sort of "reset."

What I used:

• Comfortably hot water (like, what hurts, then back it off. You want to SWEAT, so don't make it lukewarm.).
• 2 handfuls of Epsom Salt (eucalyptus and mint). When I say handfuls, I mean I needed to have the bag close to the water, because there was so much it didn't all fit. Most people say two cups, but it's bath time, not cooking. Your call though.
• Approximately 1/2 c. of baking soda. I say approximately, because like I said, it's bath time. Just make sure it's a decent amount!
• 2 peppermint tea bags and 1 green tea bag (which is why the water is brown/green. My friends didn't grasp onto this idea well.)
• Several drops of Bath and BodyWorks Aromatherapy eucalyptus tea bath and massage oil (stress relief. Green bottle, purple label.).

First things first, draw your bath. While the bath is filling, gather your ingredients and I brewed a cup of green tea, and found my Kindle. Once the water reaches the level you're comfortable with, add in the Epsom Salt, baking soda, oil and peppermint tea bags. Stir the bath to allow everything to mix together, and bob your tea bags so the water begins turning a tea color. Now hop in and enjoy! Once my tea was the strength I like, I threw in my green tea bag.

Your goal is to stay in for 40 minutes, but if you can't handle it, you can just stay for 20. Just remember, the longer the better! This bath will make you sweat. Be sure to drink your tea and stay hydrated, and have a glass of water once you get out.

I promise you, this was probably the most relaxing thing I've done in months. I slept so well last night, and woke up this morning feeling refreshed and like I had a clear mind. Not only that, but my skin felt amazing.

After the bath, I just got out, dried off and washed my face. I drank my water, read a little longer and then knocked out until about 9 am! 

What this bath will do is draw out toxins built up in your system, lower stress related levels, and balance out your pH. Epsom Salt alone has tons of benefits, namely it relaxes the body, relieves muscle cramps, relieves constipation and eliminates toxins from the body. If you would like to know why these things happen, you can shoot me an email, but I didn't think y'all would want a drawn-out science-y explanation. 

Baking soda has great cleansing properties, and exfoliate your skin, leaving it nice and soft! 

Peppermint tea has warming properties, which will cause you to sweat more, and help draw out the toxins. It also helps relax you. 

Green tea is known to be good for you in general, but in a bath it helps soften skin and detoxify. 

And lastly, the oil will help relax you and leave your skin feeling (and smelling!) great.

I hope you guys give this a shot, because it's definitely worth it. And even if you don't like it, you gave it a shot, and you'll smell great.

On a side note, I would just like to let y'all know that I hope to begin posting more! I've been doing a post a week, but I want to up it to biweekly, so keep an eye out! I hope you're finding my advice helpful.

I'd also like to give a quick update on myself. I've been making progress, and this is what I've got to say:

• Chest: 32 in. - same
• Waist: 26.5 in. - down an inch
• Hips: 35 in. - down 3 inches!
• And I recently calculated my body fat percentage which is an awesome 20.44%!

Hard work pays off guys. You can do this. I believe in you and your abilities. If you ever need to vent out your frustrations, I'm here.

Thanks for reading!

xo - Paige

Fruits: the Natural Frenemy?

I am a self-proclaimed fruit addict and I am proud. And because of this, I will continually defend fruit whenever people bash it. I've noticed a lot of controversy lately over how healthy fruit really is for you, and I just wanted to explain why I personally eat at least one piece every day.

First, I would like to say that according to MyPlate (the new food pyramid if you can't keep up with the ever-changing name of our national nutritional guidelines) states that we need to have 2-3 servings of fruit everyday. To see exactly how much fruit is recommended for you, you can visit this website.

As for myself, I eat a piece of fruit everyday, regardless. I love fruit and everything about it, from the way it tastes, looks and the benefits.
Fruits are loaded down with essential nutrients like potassium, folate/folic acid, and vitamin C, and they also have a lot of fiber, which is important for proper bowel functions, and can also reduce the risk of heart disease while lowering cholesterol levels. Not only that, but fruits can help prevent certain types of cancers, as well as reduce the risk of Type II Diabetes.
Fruit is also what is called a "nutrient-dense" food, meaning that the ratio of nutrients to calories is high. You want to (obviously) consume more foods like this, because it's essentially getting more bang for your buck. Fruits will also leave you feeling fuller longer, which is just an added benefit that will lower your caloric intake.

A major concern for people who consider fruit bad is the sugar content. People freak out, and compare fruits to soda and candy, whenever in reality, it isn't the same. The fructose that is in fruit is okay. I promise. The way that our bodies digest fruit is not the same as it would if you were to eat a candy bar. Fruit is digested slower, therefore the sugar is released slower, and your body can react accordingly and healthier to this sugar versus candy or soda.
I would also like to say that as far as sugar content goes, I need it! I don't mean I want to inhale a bunch of Kit-Kats and Coke though, but I do know that I've noticed for me personally, when I skip out on fruits, my body feels weird. I feel less alert and like I'm in a bit of a fog.
Our bodies need sugar. Just make sure it's the healthy kind.

No matter your feelings towards nature's little gems, let's be realistic here. Would you rather get your vitamin C from a pill or from an orange? Would you rather get fiber from Metamucil or an apple? Supplements do not equal natural, and if you're trying to truly be healthy, then keep the supplements minimum (which is a whole different post in itself). Fruits have great benefits that are unique to themselves, and are the way that nature gives us candy... how can we say no?

With that being said, I also want to add that fruit juices do not count as a serving of fruit (even if they claim to be 100% real fruit juice or have the serving of fruit in them). While these are okay in moderation, they have a lot of added sugar, which we are trying to avoid.

Now go make a fruit salad :)
xo - Paige

Teatox!

Works or hoax?
These teatoxes are taking over social media with plenty of promising results and transformation pictures. But do they really work?

I was lured in to the popular looking BooTea, and did some research. Here's what I found and have to say.

Teatoxes like BooTea and Fit Tea show awesome transformation pictures on their websites and social medias like this one:

(picture found here.)
But don't let these pictures and fancy descriptions of their products fool you. And this is why.

These people that are using them have probably not eaten healthy much in their lives. They probably hardly exercised. And when you purchase your tea, most come with a "complimentary" ($30 for tea? C'mon. You're paying for the eating plan as well) meal plan that they "suggest" you should follow and that you should incorporate exercise for best results. This, of course, is going to give dramatic results like the ones shown above, because it was probably a drastic change compared to their previous lifestyle.
But you don't need to spend a boat load of money on tea and eating plans to get these same results. Drinking regular green tea that you find at the grocery store (for only $2-3) will help give you the same jump start on results. Green tea has many benefits, including:

• increases metabolism.
• burns fat.
• balances your energy levels by regulating blood sugar (which can prevent diabetes!).
• loads of antioxidants.
• and reduces your bad cholesterol while raising the good!

By switching out your cokes for green tea, you will see a change in your weight. You're cutting out about 300 calories if you drink tea in place of two cokes.
Personally, I drink mine right when I wake up to cleanse and ready my digestion system and jump start my metabolism for the day and right before I go to bed to keep my metabolism going for a little longer once I knock out. And usually I try to sneak in one more in the middle of the day, just because I love it and like to mix it up from plain water.

You also don't need a fancy meal plan! There are plenty of websites with free clean eating meal plans. These are easy-to-follow beginner meal plans that are online and you can ease into. This one is an easy, 2 week plan, and you can find it here. All of the recipes can be found on this page, with her easy links to them. Or you can use this to clean up your diet yourself. I personally did it with a mix of both, so I wasn't so shell-shocked into the new clean-eating lifestyle. Cassey Ho, creator of Blogilates, also has a variety of meal plans ranging in length to help you out. You can find her beginner's Pilates calendar and meals plans here. You can also follow me on Pinterest where I have a "Clean Yums" board, and I post nothing but detox waters and clean eating recipes! Follow me, you won't regret it!

As for the exercising part, once again, Pinterest has tons of workouts, but you can also make up your own. Incorporating cardio and weight lifting, or following a YouTube workout instructor are great ways to get started. I found a pin with the 13 top YouTube fitness instructors. You can go to the website here, and find which instructor is best for you! Or you can download the PumpUp app, and it'll make you a customized workout for your goals and with the equipment you have available.
Just remember that it's important to incorporate cardio in order to burn fat. Other things are important, but that's really where you're going to get that fat to melt. Aim for 20-30 minutes of cardio 4 times a week, if not 6! Cardio is anything from running and walking to swimming and crossfit. Find what works for you and what you love to do and go with it!

I hope that this clears up why you don't need to buy a fancy tea plan, and saves you some money! If you have any other questions, just let me know and I'll get them answered.
xo - Paige

Eating Healthy at Home

For many of us foodies, we get into a groove. Displacing me from my schedule throws me off so bad, and whenever I get back home (college home), it takes me awhile to get back into it.
So I've come up with some problems and their solutions to help you with staying on track with your goals and not throwing your body out of whack!
1. My family doesn't eat at the same times I eat back at college.
In college, I eat at 9:30, 12:30, 3:30, and then around 6-6:30. Here at home, I can generally keep that schedule up until dinner. I don't usually eat past 7, and my family won't even start cooking dinner until then.
Solution: This isn't such a big deal. Just eat with your family, but keep portions small. Don't load up your plate, and stay up just a tad bit later to off-set that later dinner.
2. My family doesn't eat as clean as I do.
My family is a half-way eater. They don't eat unhealthy, but they aren't eating clean either. Loads of carbs, loads of red meat, and loads of preservatives. For me, this is a catastrophe and it makes me sad every time I eat. Okay, not really sad, but I do get upset that I'm not seeing more chicken and fresh veggies, etc.
Solution: Work on portion control. Watch what you're eating, and at least make your macros even out. You can do this by using a fitness journal that will calculate it for you (like My Fitness Pal). Also, don't be afraid to go out and pick up your own groceries. Grab some fruits and veggies, and offer to cook dinner once in awhile.
3. Getting back to my old schedule will be tough.
It will be. It's a hard thing to do, moving from a loose schedule to a more rigorous one.
Solution: Don't give up! You've done it once before, so don't let one bump mess up your life. Get back into the groove. Make yourself cook the yummy and healthy things you enjoyed before, but don't forget that it's okay to indulge if you must. If your brain is begging for that cookie and you've drank a glass of water, and you've tried to get away, don't feel bad. Just give in and let it happen and it'll be fine. Getting back on track will take some time, but you can do it.
4. I don't have my workout equipment here.
No equipment? No problem! You don't need to have equipment to have a successful workout.
Solution: Don't be scared to do some body weight exercises. There's hundreds upon hundreds of pins on Pinterest of easy body weight workouts, or you can download the PumpUp App, which will come up with a customized workout for you and what you have. For cardio, you can always jog around the block.
Being at home can be relaxing and amazing, but also a little stressful. Don't worry about it! Relax and enjoy what's going on. Watch portions, get plenty of sleep and drink your water and green tea.

Enjoy your break!
xo - Paige

Welcome!

Hey guys!
I am so excited that you're stopping by and taking an interest in your health. I've been working really hard over the past year to avoid the dreaded Freshman 15, but to also improve the way I ate.
That being said, here's a little bit about me.
I am a 19 year old college student. I live in Texas, and have always lived an active lifestyle. In high school, I played tennis, lifted weights, cheered and danced. Now that I'm in college I have to find time myself for staying active.
I am 5'6" and currently weigh 127 lbs. My measurements are:

• Chest: 32 inches
• Waist: 27.5 inches
• Hips: 38 inches (I love my squats!)

The point of this blog is to document my journey that has currently been in motion for a little under a year now, and hopefully help you reach your goals! I will post workout regimens, recipes, motivational things and grocery lists (on a college budget!*). I will also be doing reviews over what I have found to be most helpful (or not so helpful).

I will disclaim right now that I am not a licensed dietitian or nutritionist. These things that I post about are things that have helped me and that I love and that work for me. There are no promises that these are what is best for you and your body. Always discuss a doctor if something feels off, and always, always, always, always listen to your body and what it's telling you. Look at all the formatting I used. You should always listen to what it's trying to signal, because it knows better than you what it needs.

Please do not hesitate to contact me, because I will do my absolute best to help you. If you every have any questions on any post, I'd be happy to explain!

Thanks, and I'M SO EXCITED YOU'VE JOINED THIS RIDE! :)

xo - Paige

*I say on a college budget... I spend my money on food more than on parties, going out, etc. My health is greater than damaging my body every weekend, so I have a bit more to spend.