Busy Momma Crock Pot and Fitness Challenge

Up at 6, workout, work an 8 hour day, then home to try to figure out what to have for dinner...does that sound about right?  It's easier now that my son can drive himself back and forth to wrestling practices and school but before he had his license I had to add mom's taxi into the mix. :)

This is a typical day for most mom's that I know, and don't forget the ALL day wrestling tournaments on Saturdays, plus grocery shopping and any other errands you may have.

It's hard to find the time for a 30 minute workout no less figuring out what to make for your family for dinner and then make sure it is NOT only quick but healthy! Yup I deal with this every day!  Do you?

Now, I want you to dust off your crock pot.  You know the one I mean...you got it years ago for a gift, thought wow, what a fantastic appliance and then stored it in your pantry.  Well...did you dust it off?

I want to invite you to join me for a 5 day FREE group called Busy Momma Crock Pot and Fitness.  This group starts February 5th.  AND NO you don't HAVE to be a momma!

In this group I will share some great healthy recipes for you to try...share a mini workout to help with your muffin top ;) AND give you some support and accountability.  How does that sound?

Post I'm In! below if you would like to join.

And as always, please like, comment and share to keep the love going!  <3

 Cleaning tips, Recipes, Fitness Tips and More at DarLean Fitness

Does Working Out Damage My Hair?

Let's face it, working out on a regular basis is great for your health and definitely helps tone your body, but what does it do to your hair?  It's not that working out actually hurts your hair, but the habits that you do because of it may not be the best for your beautiful locks.

You may think that after you workout you need to shampoo the sweat out of your hair. I always have, sometimes to the point of taking two showers a day! But shampooing daily can actually strip your hair of it's natural oils, leaving it a dry, hot mess.  Ugh!  Instead of shampooing after each workout, shampoo every two to three days.  If you really can't wait then grab a bottle of dry shampoo.  This will help absorb the sweat and any odor plus give your hair some nice texture.

Shampooing is not the only thing that may be drying out your hair.  If you workout outside, then your hair is coming in contact with the element which can also dehydrate your hair.  Spend a little extra time in the shower to use  good moisturizing conditioner after you shampoo.  On the days when you use dry shampoo, use a little oil on the ends of your strands to lock in the moisture and to help keep your hair shiny and smooth.

Did you know that the length of your hair is important if you lead an active lifestyle?  If your hair is too long, then your ends act like a sponge and soak up the pollution in the air.  Yuck.  The result can be frizzy or stringy ends.  Not the sexiest look out there. Right?  For really active women, the recommended length is right about your collar.  This is a flattering look for most and it keeps your ends looking neat.  Just a thought.  I may think about cutting my hair soon.

When I workout, I usually try to pull my hair back in a tight pony tail.  I hate it when my hair keeps falling in my face. BUT...I have recently found out that tight ponytails can cause my hair to break and can even pull out my hair at the roots, this makes it look like you have a receding hairline!  Oh my!!  To prevent this just keep your pony's loose or maybe go for a loo
se braid  or even a messy bun.

I actually found out this information when I was researching about dying my hair after I work out.  I wasn't sure if I should because of the sweat in my hair.  I was afraid that it would affect the dye some how and it wouldn't come out right.  To my surprise I found that it is better for me not to wash my hair as often as I do, which is daily, time to make a change I guess.  I also found that I need to loosen my hair when working out and possibly get my haircut.

All in all it has been quite a learning experience for me today.  BUT...I did get my hair dyed and I am loving the new color, now I wonder if I would love a new do as well.  Who knows.

**21 Day Fix Approved** Chia Pudding Parfait

Last night I decided to finally take the chia seeds out of the cupboard and try a recipe that I had found on the team beachbody website.  Chia Pudding Parfait.  I wasn't sure if I was going to like this one.  But I figured if I didn't I would chalk it up as a lesson learned and never buy chia seeds again. Every time I think of chia seeds, I remember the Ch ch ch chia commercial.  lol

Let me know what you think of it and if you have any other chia recipes.  I would definitely like to try some more. :)

This recipe was easy to make and very yummy!

Chia Pudding Parfait
The recipe calls for either Kumquats or oranges but I decided to use mango instead. :)

Yield: 4 servings, ½ cup each

Ingredients:
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
2 tsp. raw honey
½ cup chia seeds
½ cup low-fat granola
20 kumquats, thinly sliced (or orange sections) (reserve some for garnish) ( I used Mango instead. )  Or you could use any kind of fruit that you wanted to use.  My niece thought it would taste good with sliced bananas.)

Preparation:
1. Combine almond milk, honey, and chia seeds in a medium bowl; mix well.

2. Cover bowl; refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight, mixing after 2 hours.
3. Before serving, layer chia seed mixture with granola and kumquats in parfait glasses.

If you are following the 21 Day Fix containers it is:
1 1/2 yellow 1/2 orange 1/2 purple

Are You Getting Enough Water? Time to Make a Water Bomb

The one thing that I struggle with is drinking all of the water that I should each day.  Oh my goodness.  It seems like if I'm not drinking than I am in the bathroom.  This gets really hard with working a full time job.  My boss wouldn't really like it if I was asking for a restroom break every 30 minutes. lol

So, how do I make sure to drink all of my water each day? Well, let's start with how much water I should be drinking.  It is recommended to drink 1/2 of your body weight in ounces each day.  For me that would be 178 divided by 2 = 89,  That is at least 89 ounces of water!  Yup a lot!

The water in your tea or coffee doesn't count either!  I needed a way to keep track of my water every day so I decided to create a water bomb.  Ok now before you ask what in the world is that?, let me explain.

If you carry a water bomb around with you wherever you go, then you never have to worry about not having water with you.  It gives you a rough estimate about how much and how often you should be drinking.  One gallon is 128 ounces!  So if your drinking a water bomb each day, then you have your water intake pretty much covered.

The benefits to your skin, your mood, not getting dehydrated and getting headaches and the help with weight loss makes this idea  one that I decided I definitely needed to do!

So let's get your water bomb on.  Hydrate yourself each day.  To make the jug just take a tape measure and remember that every inch equals 2 hours!
 
Got it?  Great, now let's get your Hydrate on!  :)
                               

Transform Yourself with Hammer and Chisel...Week 2 Progress

Beginning of week 3...the scale went up 2.4 lbs which could have been very depressing with all of the hard work I have been doing.  I did let a few thing creep back into my eating, so I need to take those out again.  I ate about 90% clean all week. 

This is why I stress the importance of not going by what the scale says and taking your measurements.  If I went just by the scale, I would end up getting upset about the weight gain and probably go eat my emotions.  But because I took measurements I can see why the scale went up,  but look at the rest it ALL went down.  

This week...

I lost 3% of my body fat!

I lost 4.60 lbs of fat!

I gained 7 lbs of muscle!

I lost 5.5 inches!

Total results since I started on January 4th...

I lost 6% of my body fat! 

The scale says ...

I lost 5.6 lbs.

Measurements say...

I lost 12.79 lbs of fat!

I gained 7.19 lbs of muscle!

I lost 16 inches!

So ladies (and gents) don't let that scale define your success! 

Message me or follow me on facebook to start your own health and fitness journey.  I run private online health and wellness accountability groups and we would love to have you. :)