SHINE: Fit It In Fitness

With a schedule that is getting busier and busier, I am finding lots of fun ways to work in some exercise. Workout bands are definitely part of that. I have two different bands hooked to the footbed of the bed and a yoga mat on the floor there.. Across the room I have dumbbells and a yoga ball.

The Man bought me two workout bands for my office and I bought an extra yoga mat to take there too. I joined the gym in our office building so if I decide to do the yoga class there I have everything I need at work. I'm keeping workout clothes and shoes in the car so if I have a chance to hit the gym anytime I have what I need there.

I bought a real gym bag that will carry a yoga mat, shoes, clothes and even has an insulated drink holder in the side. I will tell you that not having cable, I find I'm spending much longer than expected on the treadmills at the gym because I can watch HGTV on and on and one. If a new show starts I have to keep going until I see the reveal. HGTV is having a great impact on the appearance of my tush. Haha.

Going to the gym away from Los Angeles is much easier. Less crowded, quicker in and out, shorter drive, easier traffic. I had hit the gym branch near home or in the building at the office. Just having more open space and less of a crowd in the gym makes the entire experience so much more pleasant.

Living in the foothills now it takes only walking out the door to take a hike. We're looking at a house with a nice pool in the backyard and even though we didn't want a pool, we found half the houses here seem to have pools. We have looked at a lot of houses with pools because of the house and in spite of the pools. But we've changed our tune a bit and now I'm getting excited about the possibility to doing pool workouts in my own backyard if things work out as we hope. I have pinned a ton of pool workouts on one of my Pinterest boards.

One of the reasons we moved was to have a calmer lifestyle and being able to fit in workouts that work for me was definitely one of the lifestyle changes we wanted leaving the big city. I got here, got settled in the new job, got to know the new neighborhood, and now I'm really excited to be finding my way to a more active, healthy lifestyle, even though I'm working a lot of hours every week. Finding ways to help my body feel energetic and healthy is definitely a vital part of being able to SHINE - and it is my year to shine -- my mantra/goal for 2015.

Are you finding new ways of working out that you are really enjoying right now? Anything you've just found that's changing how you feel about your body? What are you doing that's helping you shine?

Sending happy wishes.

Good Deals On Great Face Care Products

When I moved a few months ago, my skin went through a bit of a crisis, transitioning from a very warm, humid, coastal climate to a dry, high desert environment. Even though I tried to drink massive amounts of water to help my body adapt, that definitely was not enough.

I was putting lotion on my legs five or six times a day and my skin would really hurt by the end of the day because it was so dry. I felt like my facial skin aged ten years over a few weeks. It was wrinkly and sallow looking. When I would go back to California my skin would look peachy, dewy and bright.

Boy was that discouraging as I was trying to get settled in my our new environment, work and home. Buying high quality skin moisturizing products started getting expensive very quickly when I was using them multiple times a day.

Within my first few months I came upon some great resources that helped turned my dry skin to shiny, dewy and bright. I have to note that part of the change was my body just adjusting to the new climate. I still get noticeably thirsty much more than I did in California and my skin is still drier, but I have definitely adapted some.

Here is my happy, secret resource for some of the best skin care products around. TJMaxx and Marshalls carry some of the best skin care products on the market in their body care departments. I have been trying a variety of products and I can usually pick them up for between $5-10! Such great deals. There is a wide range of products there and they can get expensive but I'm talking about paying $50-ish for products that retail for well over $100.

It's really important to read the labels. I look for products with hyluronic acid, Here's some info on why it's good for you. I also like to look for products with collagen. I like to have an eye cream, age defying product and a good nightime moisturizer. I have also tried a skin brightener which definitely does give morning skin a little pick-me-up.

Having great looking skin feels like a constantly moving target to me. Weather and seasonal changes will affect it. Hormonal shifts will affect it throughout the month. Stress will have an impact. But I love having a variety of products, that are very affordable to keep on hand, to care for my skin in the way it needs each day.

Layering products is the secret solution for me to maintain healthy looking skin. For the first few weeks I layered all my products and it helped get things stabilized. As my skin adapted my mixed and matched what I felt I needed each day. With summer, and sweating more I lightened up on product and tried more to keep my skin clean so that bacteria from the sweat didn't cause breakouts.

I feel like I've taken years off my skin the past couple of months and I've done it in a way that is not breaking the bank. I buy a few of one product if I find one that I like, when I see them in stock. Of course the merchandise at TJMaxx and Marshalls is always changing so you can't always guarantee you'll keep finding a product you like. But that hasn't been a problem for me, it's pretty easy to find something similar.

This is also a great way to experiment to find something you want to commit to long-term without spending a fortune. Then you can look for it in other retail environments or online if it becomes no longer available at these two stores. I'm happy my skin is looking better and that I'm feeling fresher and younger looking in my skin. Here are a few other posts that are all about having healthy, young-looking skin.

Humidity For Sleep, Breathing And Beauty
Homemade Eye Cream
My Dry Skin Remedy (Don't use petroleum products)
Have A Mini-Spa Day
Frownies Facial Pads (Old Hollywood's wrinkle reducing secret)
Sleep: The Miracle Cure

Sending you happiest of wishes!