Smoothie with Kale!

Sometimes I find myself craving something sweet, or even wanting to eat/drink something although I already had my lunch 2 hours ago. I strongly try to avoid any unnecessary sweets, so finally, after googling for quite a few ideas, I ran into a smoothie recipe. It is by one of my favorite youtubers, "Blogilates"; some of you may be familiar with her. Anyways, it is so simple to make, is healthy, and most of all, it tastes great! There is no need to worry about it being a green smoothie (after all, some of us do drink the Naked smoothie, 'Green Machine' too!) To be honest, I was a little skeptical when kale was one of the ingredients.

I can eat it like any other salad, it tastes like lettuce, but slightly bitter. This might be a good alternative for those who can't stand eating kale. This highly raved vegetable is rich in antioxidants, vitamins A & K, helps lower cholesterol, and risks of cancer. The vitamin C from lemon and kale combine together to form carnitine, a chemical substance that is important for energy production, hence making this metabolism boosting smoothie.

Ingredients:

1 banana

1-1.5 cup kale

1/2 cup almond milk

Juice from 1 small lemon

1/2 cup non-fat plain greek yogurt

Handful of ice

1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper

Method:

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend away! This made about 1 1/2 cup of smoothie for me. You definitely feel full, and this is 232 calories...I don't recommend drinking this all at the same time. Yes, this is healthy, but even healthy foods should be eaten in moderation. Overall, I loved the smoothie, and I did feel energized, and I'm going to make some more!

Here's the link to the blogilates video if anyone wants to check it out:

LED Light Eyelashes!

After the previous blog on caring for eyelashes, I shall leave you to check out these LED eyelashes. Created by Soomi Park, Korean multimedia artist and designer...they look beautiful, and almost remind me of those rhinestone studded falsies!

What could you possibly use them for? I'm thinking reading a book at night for now.

Falling Lashes?

Credits: monthlyfavorites.com

Lashes are beautiful, delicate features of the face that define your eyes, and in some cases, they define the shape as well. It is important to have a 'soft hand' for them. Think about it, almost everyday they are squished between the lash curler (I agree that most of them come with a rubber pad, but you can't curl them without the pressure), not to mention the cool trick of heating the curler before curling the lashes...after that they get slathered on with the foreign chemical, mascara, 1-2-3 or 4 coats of it; and sometimes it's waterproof. Thereon, the mascara stays coated for about 12 hours on an average woman. Depending on how the day was, it may or may not be removed until the next morning, or the removal may become a struggle if it's a waterproof mascara. Isn't this ritual a fair reason for your eyelashes to shed? Imagine what it would be like in a parallel universe...hmmm...painted arching human stickers...? Yeah, not pretty at all.

Olive oil is one of the best natural remedies to cure for falling, or even weak eyelashes. Keep in mind that is normal to lose 2 or 3 lashes every other day. It is rich in vitamin E, which is one of the essential nutrients for healthy hair. Find a spare mascara wand, or you can buy some, like the Face Secrets disposable mascara wands at a Sally Beauty store. Do not reuse an old mascara tube to fill with olive oil! Get a clean, hygienic vial, narrow-tipped bottle like that of a hair dye applicator, or some other small container to store the olive oil. If you feel like you have too much in the container, don't worry...I'll be writing about plenty of ways to benefit from olive oil :)

Dip your mascara wand in the oil, making sure to press the bristles along the edge to squeeze out the excess, then apply it to your lashes as you would apply mascara (oh and using castor oil works wonders too!). Be careful not to let it get in your eyes otherwise it will irritate your eyes. I highly recommend this regimen at night/bedtime since it's the best time for cell renewal and repair. The more consistently you follow this, the better. You will notice that your lashes look healthier just after a week. I found that they looked longer as well.

For those who have to have a little something, ditch the mascara for tightlining, just for a change. Trust me, this creates an illusion of a darker, fuller lash line. It's basically applying the eyeliner (I prefer a pencil or cake liner for this), along the upper waterline. In case you need more tips about it, here's a link to one of my all-time beauty gurus, Michelle Phan, on how to tightline your eyes http://michellephan.com/blog/post/how-to-tightline-your-eyes-for-fuller-looking-lashes.

Apart from that, give your lashes a chance to breathe. There's nothing bad about it, worse comes to worst, people will see your wonderful natural beauty! Love the skin you live in, avoid hiding behind makeup everyday and appreciate your beauty.
And for those of you who have severe problems with shedding lashes, I would recommend seeking medical attention.

Just for Giggles

Having a bad day? Here's something to cheer you up! I'm sure a lot of you might be familiar with this guy...I can't seem to get enough of Andrew's youtube videos (channel LAHWF), they always crack me up and brighten my day. I suppose it's a fun thing to do when you're bored, harmless social pranks can't go too wrong now, can they? I was just watching this video where he goes around telling people corny jokes. His expressions are priceless!

Self-Reflection - How Am I Doing?

Ever found yourself sitting at peace, thinking about the daily happenings in your life? I just had that moment myself, better known as “self-reflection”.  It is a great practice to have if it comes to you instinctively at some point during the day, but for others who miss breakfasts or hit the road straight from your bed everyday…you need to reorganize to make time for it.

Self-reflection is exactly as you read it; it is a reflection of yourself, where you stand in life, your intuitions, ambitions, short/long-term goals, ongoing activities, etc. This is a perfectly healthy practice to analyze your system by examining your life from a bystander’s perspective and recalculate your steps accordingly. Take out 15-20mins from your daily regime everyday for self-reflection, making sure that you can be at a quiet place by yourself.

For me, the best time for this is just before bedtime (as long as you don’t fall asleep during this, you should be fine!) You don’t want to be tired and ready to crash as it requires focus. I like to think about my day from the morning, recapping what I did during the day, where I went, and the people I interacted with, thinking of ways I could've made better connections with them. If I have work then I think about the tasks I carried out, ways that I could improve certain actions for next time, and following onto the things I plan to do the next day. If you have children, or significant others, you could be organizing ideas for them during this time. Life has its ups and downs and there may be times when you feel dismayed by some of your experiences, perhaps there are some that you would rather not think of; I recommend going through those situations during the self-reflection. You don't have to think from the first person's perspective and create an unnecessary debate in your head, but think about them, and the possibilities to fit the puzzle. 

You should end with a positive note, such as steps for improvement that you can take, or even by reflecting on your achievements of the day. Trust me, when you get back to your activities, you will feel relaxed and much more in control of your life. It’s these small moments that have the potential to make you efficient by making the right moves.

Now it’s your turn, did you take some time out for self-reflection? How was it? :)

Breaking the Morning Blues

Ever woke up feeling like you just got beat up in a boxing match last night? We’ve all been there, complaining or agitated to be awake so early, and looking at the early birds around us in awe, as if they’re the 8^th wonder of the world. 

Reality is that nature runs its course during the day, when the sun comes out. Majority of work places operate in the daytime, animals wake up at the dawn and sleep at night; even our body clock (the Circadian Rhythm) follows this trend, which is part of the reason one might lack energy or get sick from pulling off an all-nighter.Why don’t we reverse the system by sleeping during the day and staying up all night? Well, history has contributed to some extent from the times when there was no electricity or sufficient light, like in the Stone Age, where the primary source of light to do any work was the sun.

Proper diet and sleep (yep, you’ve heard those before!) are some of the major factors to consider if you want to wake up fresh.

Drink plenty of water; 8 glasses a day is the recommended amount but target for about 10-12 a day. When you have a target higher than your goal, you’re more likely to achieve it. Avoid junk foods as much as possible, and make it a point to skip eating late at night. Often times, when you eat sodium rich food and drink water right before bed, the salt attracts water and together they cause the body to swell up or make your face puffy. I have found these practices to be very useful. Also, the more vegetables and fruits you consume daily, the more impurities will be eliminated, leaving you rejuvenated.

Make sure to get 6-8 hours of sleep. Oversleeping tends to add a lethargic effect so watch out for that! You want to aim for sufficient sleep, but not overdosing it. In some cases, trial and error helps to figure out how many hours of sleep you require. 7 hours of sleep is perfect for me to be functional and active throughout the day. I have always been a night owl until I started working with most shifts beginning at 9am. I have to be on my feet all day, chatting with customers and making sure the merchandise looks appealing. After first week of working I realized that I can’t survive without at least 6 hours of shut eye (8 hours is always the preference ofcourse). I found myself less talkative with customers, inactive during the shifts, ready to drop near the end, and crashing in bed as soon as I reached home. Getting 5 hours of sleep and dragging myself to work was not an option, as I normally managed to do for my early morning classes. The alertness I need at work is twice as much as in school. Therefore, I made it a point to be in bed by midnight, pushing it to 1 am only in case of special events.

I also ended up downloading and experimenting with a few sleep apps, and found SleepyTime to be very helpful. Whenever you want to wake up, it’ll list a few times when you can sleep in order to wake up at the desired time. This app lists the times based on the average person’s body clock, so that even if you had 5 hours of sleep, you’ll wake up fresh. I found it for my Android phone, I'm sure there must be a similar one for iOS too.

Set goals for the day. You can do this right before bedtime, or earlier during the day. When you're ambitious, you're bound to wake up because you subconsciously become more determined. I had one of my finals at 8am, which is a strong goal and mandatory to achieve, and pulling off an all-nighter till this time would be a disaster. By then I knew my limits from previous experiences; if I slept at 3am or later, I would wake up at noon. Therefore, I slept by 10 pm and voila! I was up when my alarm went off at 6 in the morning. I love the feeling of running important errands of the day and finding that it's still 12pm    

The beautiful morning sight. And let's not forget that early morning has its own charm, a unique beauty that can only be captured at sunrise. The night sky displaced by a glorious molten strip of sun across the horizon as it rises. You can't beat the freshness in the morning air that comes from the silent night, when all activity has been dismissed and everything is still. My blog name is also inspired by early morning. Once I was out in the garden at dawn and came across a delicate vine embellished with numerous dew drops like jewels. It was one of the most memorable moments for me.

The Morning Dew: Kettlebell Workouts - Are They Just a Fad?

The Morning Dew: Kettlebell Workouts - Are They Just a Fad?: Kettlebells have been trending for quite a while now, although they still haven't made it to households as common exercise equipments li...

Kettlebell Workouts - Are They Just a Fad?

Kettlebells have been trending for quite a while now, although they still haven't made it to households as common exercise equipments like dumbbells. They are being popularly used in boot camp or weight training classes. The lightest one I saw weighed 5 lbs. Those who prefer working out with 1 to 3 lb weights are probably better off using dumbbells because they offer a greater range of weights to choose from. Typically made of cast-iron, they offer a total body workout.

One of the common exercises with the kettlebell involves squatting down with the kettlebell handle held in both hands, then thrusting up your body in a strong, fluid motion, bringing your arms straight out in front of you, letting the kettlebell swing outward while grasping onto it with control. This works out the arms as well as trapezoid muscles (the ones along the lower back of the neck, which give a beautiful shape to your neck when toned); the glutes are used every time you squat, the core is largely engaged to keep the posture upright and provide balance when moving with the weight. Repetition of this exercise, even 10 times, will definitely create a cardio workout. The video here demonstrates the exercise (at 0:54)



The same exercise can be done with dumbbells too, but it may not be as high-impact as with a kettlebell. The swinging motion provokes the whole body to become responsive to distribute the weight evenly on your body. Dumbbells only have a short handle which doesn't provide as much of a momentum as the kettlebell's handle. Therefore, I think that even though kettlebells are a fad, they have a great utility, providing a greater total body workout as opposed to the classic dumbbells.    

Anyone using kettlebells to workout?

#kettlebells #workout