Spruce Your Nest: health

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Melt it down to liquid form over an open flame and enjoy!

The lists of things this miracle drug can do are never ending:

Inrease metabolism

Reverse signs of Alzheimers

Reduce Wrinkles

Help infections internally and externally

Heal burns and rashes

and the list goes on...

So what is this miracle drug you ask?

Coconut Oil!!

If you read my recent post about trying to get my health back, this is one thing I have added to my routine.

I have been one known to jump in and try something and make my whole family try it as well (apple cider vinegar shots for one example) only to find out it did absolutely nothing for me, except make my husband never trust my suggestions again ;)

So this time I haven't forced anyone into trying it, which I am sure they appreciate, and I have waited 2 months before reporting back my results.

I have been taking 1 Tb of Coconut Oil before breakfast and 1 Tb before dinner and have noticed that it definitely seems to curb my appetite and gives me a full sensation sooner than with my meal alone. I have had days where I have forgotten to take it and when I look back at my meals I can see I definitely eat more without it.

I also feel less tired throughout the day, which is a definite plus for me!

You can use it in your cooking as well...in place of butter or other oils. When it is cooked it doesn't taste like coconut hardly at all! I even used it when making scrambled eggs (don't tell my husband) and they tasted great!

It has almost no tasted when taking it by the spoonful once you heat it up. Please beware that your spoon will be extremely hot!

One caution about taking it orally is that I never take it without food. I take it about 5 minutes before I eat. If I took it without food, I know I would get an upset stomach. I also worked my way up to 2 tablespoons a day so that my body was used to it. You can take as many as 4 tablespoons a day.

I have also been using it on my face as lotion. It seemed crazy to me at first I mean it is oil after all!! I first started only using it at night and then I ran out of my regular face lotion so I used it one morning and I was so nervous, especially because I have oily skin to begin with. To my suprise, my face was only oily for a few minutes. I now use it every morning! After my shower I put a small amount in my hand and rub it in my skin. I follow with my bronzer and my normal makeup. It gives me a nice glow, without seeming greasy.

It has helped reduce those pesky wrinkles on my forehead and those crows feet on my eyes. I still definitely have my wrinkles, but they used to be way more pronounced!

I promise this is the only time that you will see me without makeup ;) I wanted to make sure you saw the real thing, this is about 2 minutes after applying the Coconut Oil.

I have been using Nature's Way Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil.

There are a million different brands to choose from. The most important thing is to make sure that it is Virgin or Extra Virgin and that it is Cold Pressed. I also wanted to find organic since I knew I was going to be using it on my skin. The only reason I chose this brand is that it was at our local Fred Meyer for 50% off! It was normally around $28. It is about 1/2 full and I have been using it daily for 2 months. You definitely get your money's worth.

Anyone else use Coconut in their daily diet?

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

So today is my 8 year anniversary with my sweet and patient husband! It is hard to believe that it's been 8 years, especially because we started out as friends at 5 years old...

Sorry for the poor quality, but what do you expect from a McDonald's birthday party 25 years ago?

To celebrate our anniversary, his Birthday, my Birthday in January and the next four Christmas' we are going on a spontaneous trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico!

I am so excited, I can't even begin to tell you! We are going with a few other couples and this will be our first trip with no kids!

So you are probably wondering what on earth this has to do with me having a goal...I only have 2 months to get in phenomenal shape! Okay, phenomenal shape may be out of the question...but a healthy weight and healthy lifestyle change would be a great start.

I am so disappointed with myself because I worked out like crazy after having my second child and was in the best shape of my life and then the last two years I have slowly gotten back to where I started from. One of the main reasons could be that I have a major addition to CANDY! Anything sour or sweet will be gone at my house in about 5 seconds!

It is no joke, I am seriously drooling over that picture right now!

So I am telling you all today in hopes that you will help hold me accountable to my new path to health.

Here is my current plan:

1. I am tracking my calories on Slim Kicker. I am not a good dieter, I do so much better allowing myself to still eat what I want, but control my portions and calories throughout the day.

2. I got a gym membership to a gym that is about .2 seconds from my work and have started going on my lunch break I am so sorry to all my co-workers who have to be around me when I return.

3. I started doing my Insanity workout again. I cannot commit to 6 days a week of insanity, but I am hoping to at least do 3.

My ultimate goal is that when September rolls around that I will be laying by this pool without a care in the world, even if I haven't lost the weight, but I really hope by spilling my plans to you all that I will be laying there with a sense of accomplishment.