Ladies, Take Care of Your Lady Lumps!

It's almost that time of the year, Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October). For a lot of people, the only time you get educated or involved in becoming proactive in the prevention of Breast Cancer is during this month. It's hard to escape right? All the pink ribbons everywhere, the town walks raising money for Breast Cancer Research--and the occasional story told about someone who lost a loved one to the viscous disease. Being completely honest, I myself haven't been the most concerned with doing the mammogram tests (they hurt!) or doing a self breast exam in the shower following one of those cards that you hang on your shower head. In fact, I have been pretty bad when it comes to things like this, and for this I am truly disappointed in myself. I am going to attempt to redeem myself, however, by getting checked this month and being consistent with eating healthy, something I have been doing a lot lately thank goodness :)

As I mentioned above, eating healthy is key when trying to protect your body from ANY disease, Breast Cancer included. Now I am not stating that if you eat 100% Organic healthy foods, you are 100% safe from this disease, but it's certainly a start and a good one at that.

Eating healthy is simpler than you think--don't get discouraged by the common misconception that you have to eat tons of vegetables and fruits ONLY.

Breastcancer.org states that:

"Diet is thought to be partly responsible for about 30% to 40% of all cancers. Some foods can make your body the healthiest it can be, boost your immune system, and help keep your risk for breast cancer as low as possible. Research has shown that getting the nutrients you need from a variety of foods, especially fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, can make you feel your best and give your body the energy it needs. Eating food grown without pesticides may protect against unhealthy cell changes associated with pesticide use in animal studies."

 

 You can start by doing a few simple things to up your "health factor" as far as diet:

1. Opt for skim or low fat milk as opposed to whole milk
2. Be sure if consuming meat to trim all of the excess fat and avoid processed meats as much as possible!
3. Bake or Broil foods instead of frying.
4. Only buy healthy snacks, you will only be able to eat what's on hand, remember that! :)
5. Whenever possible- BUY ORGANIC! (I know this may be more $, but remember its a small investment for your health!)

Breastcancer.org states again on the note of eating organic that:

"There's a real concern that chemicals used to grow food may cause health problems, including an increase in breast cancer risk. To reduce your exposure to pesticides, you might want to buy organically grown food or organically produced dairy products."

 Eating organic can be super yummy and fun--don't think any different ladies and gents! Below is a link for an AMAZING Banana Split Parfait using organic products--its SUPER SIMPLE too! This and more recipes can be found on the Breast Cancer Org. Website at : www.breastcancer.org .

Banana Split Parfait Recipe: http://www.breastcancer.org/risk/organic_living/recipes/banana_parfait.jsp

I would like to end on a bright note and say that early detection saves lives every single day. Don't put something so important on the back burner. I hope that you take the opportunity at least once this coming October month to do something proactive to help prevent yourself from becoming a victim to Breast Cancer, even if it is just eating healthier :)

Wishing you all healthy "bubbies" ,

xox


Follow @AlyseaP

Fall Season Meets Beauty Routine

 With the fall weather approaching, there are a few key things to keep in mind when it comes to skin care. 

1. The cooler air and the heat you may be forced to blast in your car as the nights get rather brisk, are two things that can severely dry out your skin! Be sure to alter how much you moisturize to compensate for this, no one likes dry crackly skin.

2. Remember to also maintain using SPF in your skincare somewhere.  Just because you don't see or feel the sun, doesn't mean its harmful rays don't exist!

3. What did you all do this summer? Probably something that consisted of loads of sunscreen from sunbathing and makeup for those fun warm nights out on weekends right? Well now is the time, as the weather is changing and those warm nights are coming to an end, to exfoliate your skin and do a nice deep cleanse. You want to make sure you dig deep down in your pores to remove any excess residue left behind from this warm humid summer season.

That all being said, there are a few fun ways to incorporate one of my favorite sights to see in the fall, Pumpkins, into your daily beauty routine! :)

 

Vitamins A & C are collagen building and Zinc is a great helper to fight off those blemishes, and guess what?! these things are all found in pumpkins! 

Here is a QUICK and super EASY recipe for a killer pumpkin treat for your lovely skin : 

1. Firstly, you want to carve out the seeds from your pumpkin.  

2. Slice your pumpkin into smaller pieces and peel the skin off.

3. Place these pumpkin pieces into a steamer or colander (whatever you have on hand), and steam over some boiling hot water for about 45-50 mins (pretty much until tender, which you can make sure of with your fork!)

4. After the pumpkin pieces are nice and tender, puree them in your food processor. 

5. Let this puree mix cool off, after all we don't want to place something super hot on our faces! haha 

-2 Tsp. of the cooled pumpkin puree

-1/2 tsp honey (I use organic honey because remember this is going to be absorbed into your skin!)

-1/4 tsp milk

-1/2 tsp. brown sugar (this adds to make a wonderful exfoliant!)

* if you have oily skin, leave out the brown sugar and use 1/4 tsp. apple cider vinegar, it works wonders ;)

Leave this mask on for 10-15 mins, rinse off, pat dry with towel and you are on your way to better looking skin, in just 15 mins! :)

Another quick treat for your skin, that is so delicious sounding you may want to eat it! : 

1. In a food processor or blender, combine 2 cups canned pumpkin, 4 tablespoons low-fat vanilla yogurt, 4 tablespoons honey, and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.
2. Slather this on your entire face, leaving your eyes out as always (they are super delicate!).
3. Leave this on for 10 minutes and then proceed to rinse as normal and pat dry.


A Great body exfoliant:

1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Combine all of the above ingredients and while in the shower, take a moist washcloth and proceed to scoop a table spoon at a time and scrub this all over your body starting by your feet and stopping at your neck.  (we use the other scrub above for the face :)
2. Be sure to work this into your skin in circular motions.
3. Rinse this off with warm water and I guarantee your skin looks and feels amazing!

While doing research and testing these scrubs and masks out myself, I found that pumpkin really works wonders on the skin, no it's not only good for making jack-o-lanterns and  making your front steps look pretty.  I always love finding ways to use all natural ingredients in my beauty regimen because what you put in and on your body is what you get out of it. If you want radiant healthy skin, eat healthy and use healthy beauty products right? :)

Hope you all have a wonderful start to the fall season, and to any of my readers who are still enjoying wonderful weather for the next couple of months, I envy you! haha

Pumpkin Patches and Beautiful Faces,

xox

Maintaining Healthy Skin is Easier Than You Think!

When it comes to my skin, I definitely don't mess around with how I care for it, and neither should you. One's skin is the body's largest organ, and for that reason should be maintained just as we would our heart, lungs etc. As a young teen I never really suffered from acne or breakouts, they would happen to me yes, but more on a here and there basis. For this reason, I never was really faced with starting any specific routine to keep my skin looking its best. It wasn't until I entered college that I found myself a freshmen, studying all the time, stressed out, and eating greasy food from the cafeteria at all hours simply out of convenience! I definitely noticed a change in my skin, and I knew that this was the time to really step it up as far as maintaining clear, healthy skin. It is rather simple to do naturally. Sure there are fancy scrubs etc that one can do, and if you feel that you absolutely have to do those, than by all means do them, but really when it comes down to it, its all about what you eat, how active you are and how clean your face is.

Below are a few of my tips to maintaining clear, healthy skin:

1.

You want to ALWAYS protect your skin from the suns harmful rays. As your skin sits unprotected under the searing sun, picture your skin becoming aged leather, drying out and becoming supremely chapped and distressed. There is no turning aged leather back to fresh leather, and this goes the same for your skin, care for it from the beginning and have no worries later on in life. I always recommend wearing a sun hat if you are going to be out in the sun for a prolonged amount of time ex: garden work, pool lounging etc. Along with avoiding the harmful rays of the sun comes wearing an SPF that is going to protect from UVA AND UVB rays. I would say an SPF 30-40 is pretty sufficient!


2.

Drink lots of water, I cannot stress this enough! The more water you drink the more hydrated  your skin gets and this allows for more elasticity. You skin reacts negatively to anything greasy or fatty in foods, what the water will do is flush the body of these toxins and allow more room for vitamins to take root and be sucked up! :)


3.

 

Eat foods loaded with antioxidants! Foods like these above contain a lot of antioxidant power that helps to repair damaged skin cells and regain skins elasticity. The suns rays as well as other pollutants to the skin release what are called free radicals. These free radicals break down healthy skin cells and even collagen, which helps out skin be so flexible/elastic. These foods as well as others rich in antioxidants pretty much counteract these free radicals, how great to be able to do something so naturally!! I LOVE snacking on raspberries or blueberries, they are easy to pack for a quick snack and they will help keep your skin looking great as well! :)

4.

Removing your makeup before going to bed is another must. Imagine having to sleep with a plastic bag taped to your face for 24 hours a day, feeling a bit claustrophobic yet? Well, that's how your skin feels! Just like your lungs, your skin needs air flow, and wearing makeup can often hinder this, especially when left on through the night when your skin is trying to regenerate itself. I myself use organic makeup remover wipes as I find that they leave my skin looking and feeling super refreshed without clogging my pores even more with nonsensical oils. I recommend Yes to Blueberries (did I just mention blueberries?! a food rich in antioxidants?? YES I did!!)

5.

Moisturizing your skin is another super important step in keeping that glowing look to your skin. When applying moisturizer think of it as quenching your skins thirst. There are times that after being outdoors in the sun or even just in very hot weather, my skin becomes so dry and chapped feeling, it almost burns a little because its so dry and tight. Skin creams help to fix this problem and create a layer of protection for your skin as well!

6.

I previously did an entire blog on my favorite face scrub to exfoliate with, I will link it below. Exfoliating is something that I do once a week to my ENTIRE body down to my little toes :) I think it is so important if you don't ever want to have dull worn out looking skin. Exfoliating removes dead skin cells and gives you a fresh start, also, in my opinion, stimulating healthy skin cell growth :) For more on exfoliating check out my other blog post here !

Everything listed above can and should be considered for your entire body, the skin is so large, even the skin between out toes shouldn't be left out when trying to maintain! haha Keep in mind that the first impression you make on someone is appearance and this is where healthy, glowing, youthful looking skin comes into play, after all, who wants leathery, dried, over sun exposed, over worked, crying out for health skin anyway?! NOT ME! :)


To Healthy Skin Always,

xox

Don't forget to follow me on twitter @Alyseap

A Healthy Alternative!

I am going to try and do this once in a while for those of you who sometimes just don't see how you can substitute delicious foods for healthier ones without really sacrificing flavor. I know I am definitely one of these people, but slowly I am coming around to the realization that you don't have to sacrifice 100% of the great taste of the foods you love, just because you are making them healthier.

Today's Meal will be an alternative of your typical spaghetti with tomato sauce. The tomato sauce in itself doesn't have to be incredibly bad for you. Take for example a simple sauce that consists of tomato sauce, garlic, olive oil and onions. Tomatoes contain an antioxidant called lycopene, it is also found in ketchup. Antioxidants are great for our body, the problem I find with very tomato-y sauces is that they taste too acidic, to solve this I often take a PINCH of a sweetener, its not killing you, but it does usually handle the acidity problem. All in all you can truly add some other spices as well such as basil, parsley etc, these are great for you too!

Now when it comes to the actual pasta, this is the part where it can get carb filled. Sure you can opt for the whole wheat pasta, but in all actuality, this isn't a whole lot better than the regular pasta! I would like to introduce to you, or remind you if you already know of this, to spaghetti squash. This vegetable is an awesome alternative to regular spaghetti and is pretty delicious too might I add :) Here are a few simple steps to make this dish happen for you!

1. When you purchase a spaghetti squash (yes its called that), be sure that it looks good all the way around, no bruising etc. It should also be a nice yellow color. Like bananas, if it is green, it is probably not quite done yet :)

2. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

3. Wash the squash as you would any other vegetable and dry it completely.

4. Slice the squash in half long ways and scoop out any of the pulp that is inside the little pocket, this can be done with a spoon easily :) This always reminds me of taking the seeds and pulp out of a pumpkin before you carve it haha What an imagination I have!

5. Once you have completely removed all the stuff inside and it looks clean and ready to go, drizzle a little olive oil over the cut side of the squash and sprinkle some salt and pepper as well to your liking.

6. Place the squash cut side down onto an oven safe dish and let that baby cook! This can take anywhere between 35-40 mins give or take a few minutes depending on how big of a squash you are dealing with.

7. When the squash is tender enough where you can stick a fork into it easily, then it is done. Now you want to flip the squash back over so you are seeing where you originally "gutted" it and with a fork, scrape out the inside of the squash. This is the actual squash that you are going to eat! It should look rather stringy just like spaghetti :)

8. Serve this with your favorite sauce of some salt and pepper and Parmesan cheese, whatever you like!

There you have it, a healthier alternative to your everyday spaghetti dish, without sacrificing the flavor.

xox

National Women's Health Week

Sunday, May 8th, starts the beginning of Women's Health Week. Being a woman myself, I take a strong interest in participating in this special week of  tasks.  The Office of Women's Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services started the Woman Challenge in 2001 as a part of National Women's Health Week to encourage women across the country to get active. I'm sure we all know that eating right and getting the right amount of exercise can lead to a longer healthy life where we feel so much better about ourselves. The problem us women have is finding the time to make this all happen. Planning out healthy meals for ourselves is hard enough (I often find that in order to really stick to eating healthy, planning ahead is a must), let alone when we have a family to care for as well. On top of that add a full day of work, school for those like myself who don't have children to care for yet, and then you're telling me I need to find time to exercise a certain amount too?! Sounds like mission impossible right? WRONG!

Eating healthy foods takes time to get used to. Instead of that bag of chips, you may opt to snack on celery or fruit. Instead of greasy bacon and eggs for breakfast, you may opt for oatmeal with cinnamon. These are things that take getting used to, but can certainly be done. Don't beat yourself up for not being able to do it cold turkey, IT'S OK to take your time with this, I for one definitely do. Another great tip would be to make sure that when skimming the grocery circular, skip the snack section completely. The minute you lay your eyes on those chips and cookies, you will see how fast they make their way to your shopping list. Remember, you can only eat what you buy, so purchase with the health of your body in mind and you will find yourself on the road to a healthier you who feels so much better about yourself :)

High blood pressure is also known as the silent killer. There may be no signs at all of having high blood pressure and this can be extremely dangerous. Your blood pressure indicates the pressure of blood against the wall of your arteries.  High blood pressure, untreated, can lead to severe damage to the heart, brain, kidneys and even your eyes! As a women, be sure to request a blood pressure reading during your routine check ups, it can save your life!

To maintain a healthy heart and ultimately a healthy you, proper exercise is a must. You can have the highest cholesterol in the world and be a size 0.  The US Department of Health and Women's Services states that women should get at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate physical activity, 1 hour and 15 mins of vigorous physical activity, or a combination of both, each week. Do you think your daily exercise adds up? I find that as a girl, could just be me, but I find that I get so much more dedicated when I have a walking partner (Yes walking counts too! haha). I often ask my boyfriend to come with me, and when he is unable to, I will grab my dog. When I do my jogs around the park, I find that I do many more laps with a companion at my side haha So there is no excuse ladies, the weather is just about warming up here in the US and that means spending more time outdoors (or indoors if you have the equipment) should become more of a priority.  Grab the stroller (if you have a child), a friend, or a pet and get to it!

Women's Health should indeed exist everyday, but this coming week in May is just a designated week where the government attempts to raise awareness about maintaining a healthy lifestyle as a woman, I feel super special that they care about us this much haha During this week, there are events in your area that allow you to check your blood pressure for free, meet other women who are trying to get on the path to a healthier life just like you, and there are different activities to promote staying healthy. Hey, who knows maybe you will meet your running/walking partner at one of these events! :)

It is a privilege to be a woman in my eyes, yes child birth hurts, we have those few days a month where we are "out of commission", we have the hardest job in the world, raising our children, but being a woman is the most rewarding thing ever. Women are overcoming new obstacles every day making us that much stronger,  and I'm proud to be one!

For more incredible information on Women's Health Week Check out the links below! :

Events in your area: click here
The Women's Challenge 2011: click here
National Women's Health Website: click here

Happy & Healthy Women are the most beautiful ones :) <3 xox

May is Melanoma Awareness Month!

May is Melanoma awareness month, and what perfect timing since the sun is starting to shine just a little brighter these days in my part of the world. I can't stress enough how important is is to protect your skin as it is even more vulnerable than you may think. I am taking this opportunity now to give you some tips to keep your skin in tip top condition so that you avoid being overly susceptible to something deadly like Melanoma. Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer and it begins with skin cells called Melanocytes, which are responsible for producing Melanin (which is what makes our skin darker).  When we are exposed to UV rays via the sun or a tanning booth etc, the Melanocytes begin to increase the rate at which they are producing Melanin. Being exposed to an unhealthy amount of sun (especially unprotected!) can cause these cells to begin to grow abnormally and can ultimately lead to them becoming cancerous.

This may seem like a lot of information to take in, but I tried my best to break it down in laymen terms so that you feel well educated and not "talked at". I spend my summers at the pool almost everyday, and as a young teen, I never bothered myself with being aware of protecting myself beyond an SPF 8, this is something I regret. It is understandable to want that golden glow during the summer warm months, and this can indeed me accomplished, just at a slower pace and with much more protection for your darling skin. I did another blog post on harmful sunscreens vs. safe ones, so if you are interested in reading that, I will link to the blog post below.

There are a few ways to detect if you are already showing signs of Melanoma, and if you fit any of these I would definitely make an appointment to get a check up at your doctor soon. You are also at a higher risk if you have a family member who has had skin cancer before.  Better to be safe than sorry!  In women, melanoma often develops on the lower legs as well as between the shoulders and hips. Whereas in men, melanomas are often found between the shoulders and hips, or the head and neck area.  Don't let this fool you though, rest assured, Melanoma can start ANYWHERE on the body, these are just key areas I would check daily after exposure to UV rays.

Melanoma.com suggests also visiting a doctor is any of the following are noticeable on your skin:

• If you notice any of the following on your skin, see your doctor as soon as possible:
• A growth that increases in size and looks pearly, translucent, tan, brown, black, red, pink, or multicolored
• A mole that changes in color or in texture, takes on an uneven shape, gets larger, or is bigger than a pencil eraser
• A spot or growth that continues to itch, hurt, crust, scab, fade, or bleed
• An open sore that lasts for more than 4 weeks, or heals and then reopens
• A scaly or crusty bump that is dry, rough, and pointed (sticks out like a horn) and may sometimes cause a pricking or tender feeling in the skin

Now how to protect yourself:

Avoid, if possible, direct exposure to sunlight during the hours of 11 am and 3 pm, as these are the times when the suns harmful rays are most hitting the Earth's surface. Wear a hat to protect your face and wear other forms of clothing protection where possible, I know it's normally super hot with the sun, but find ways to compromise, after all it is for your skin. ALWAYS protect yourself with sunscreen, even on cloudy overcast days, there is still a high risk believe it or not. Make sure your sunscreen provides a broad spectrum of protection and includes protection against UVA and UVB rays. Remember that water reflects off of water, snow etc, so if you are playing in a pool, your risk still exists. Another thing to remember for small children is that they are at the highest risk of all, be sure to have them wear a "sun shirt" while in the pool, and lather them up with sunscreen. Also remember that sunscreen, after exposed to water (ocean, pool etc) needs to be reapplied every few hours, regardless if it says waterproof, do it anyway!


The best way to be proactive in maintaining healthy, cancer-free skin is to get educated, knowledge is power, and I hope I have done this for you all today.

Links: 

Previous Sunscreen Blog
Melanoma Self Examination
Melanoma Website



Sending HEALTHY sun your way,

Alysea

Yes 2 Carrots Celebrates Earth Week by Passing on Savings to YOU!

 
I am new to the Yes 2 Carrots line, however let me say, I'm positive my most recent purchase will not be my last. Yes 2 Carrots is a company that "combines high-quality organic fruits and vegetables with a special mineral elixir derived from the Dead Sea to nourish and hydrate naturally". That being said, why wouldn't I trust putting this on my face, the part of my body that is seen daily?! There are four different "Yes 2" brands at the moment. They include: Yes 2 Carrots, Yes 2 Blueberries, Yes 2 Cucumbers and Yes 2 Tomatoes. (There is also a Yes 2 Baby Carrots for your little ones)

I purchased the Brightening Facial Towelettes this past weekend for about $7.50 as an alternative to my favorite Neutrogena Night Calming Face wipes. The Blueberry line is supposed to fight the signs of aging, and I know, at only almost 24, I don't really have signs of aging per say yet, BUT I LOVE blueberries, so I opted for these anyway :) They are supposed to improve skins firmness and diminish fine lines etc. Although I haven't noticed any of that...yet, I am definitely loving this product. It comes in a convenient pack of 30 moist towelettes. They are scented like fresh blueberries, now don't confuse this with that blueberry candle that you come across in the mall, I mean FRESH blueberries, so that's kind of more of a subtle scent, which I love.  You definitely feel like you are putting something natural on your face as you wipe away light makeup and dirt and oil from your face. I love that it doesn't leave an oily residue afterwards, like some other face towelettes do. The only drawback I can find is that it is not going to completely remove a full face of makeup. It will however do the job for some light makeup and I love the feeling of a fresh face afterward, which this definitely gives! All in all I would definitely recommend these if you are looking for an all natural way to cleanse your face via moist towelette :) These are also offered in Cucumber.

What's The Hype About? :

• 99% Natural
• Biodegradable & FSC Certified
• Dermatologically & Opthalmologically Tested
• Oil-free, non-comedoenic, hypoallergenic

 Let's get onto the savings: 

This week is Earth week, and that being said, of course an Earth Friendly company is going to reward those who also want to go a more organic route :) This week, on the Yes 2 Carrots website, which you can access by clicking here, fill up your bag with all the 99% Natural goodies you want, (may I recommend the lip products, love them!) and Enter EARTH at checkout to receive 25% off all of the products sitewide :)

To learn more about what the Yes 2 Carrots Company is doing for our environment AND our children, check out what they're up to by clicking here !

Enjoy this savings and stay smiling :)

xox

80% of Women Wear the Wrong Bra Size! Are You One of Them??

 Did you know that 8/10 women are wearing what they "think" is the right bra size, but its actually not? I am a victim of this myself, so if this targets you, don't worry you're not alone! It is very easy to think a bra fits if it keeps your ladies in there securely, but there is way more to it than just keeping them in there. Not wearing the correct bra size can be very harmful and painful in the long run. Some of the negative things that can come from wearing a bra that is either too big or small on you are:

1. Back pain
2. Abrasions on your shoulder area from straps that are too tightly adjusted to compensate for heaviness
3. Headaches
4. Tingling in your arms and or neck
5. Breast pain and trouble catching your breath.

These things may seem a bit extreme, but if something doesn't fit, it just doesn't fit and these things an ALL happen if not treated properly. The same way women get "muffin top" with pants that have a waist that isn't adjusted to fit properly, women can get "muffin breast". This is when the cups of your bra are too tight around your breast and cause a bulge, sadly I see this VERY often and I think to myself, "doesn't that women feel any type of pain?!". 

The CBS Interactive Business Network published an article a few years back stating a few signs that you are not wearing your proper size bra. They listed :

1. Spillage -If your breasts spill over the top or sides of your bra, increase the band and/or cup size.
2. Puckering -If cups wrinkle or pucker, choose a smaller size.
3. Riding up- A bra should fit snugly. If it creeps up in the back, trade it in for one with a tighter band.
4. Jutting- The under-wire isn't flush against your rib cage; it should be.
5. Grooves- If straps dig into your flesh, try a style with wider straps or a different cup size -- either bigger or smaller.

Now that you are probably thinking, "wow one or all of those apply to me", let's show you how to FIX it!

You don't have to rush into your nearest bra store to get measured, although after measuring yourself, you may find yourself there buying a whole new size haha It is an easy few step process that you can do right in your own home. There are many different techniques to doing this, I however, have found that this is the easiest one that works for me. All you need is a tape measure that can easily wrap around your body (or even use a string!).

1. You can throw on a comfy bra, nothing with rhinestones or lace ladies lol something comfy and one that doesn't give you an absurd amount of fake cleavage. I often don't even use a bra, but one of those workout camis or a sports bra for this step as I feel it gives me the closest to truth measurement.

2. Next you want to measure around your entire back. For this I take the measuring tape and wrap it around my rib cage directly under my breasts and all the way around my back. Write down those measurements and add 5 in. You now have your chest size.

3. Now to measure your cup size, wrap the measuring tape around your back again, but this time meeting in the front at the fullest part of your breast, which is often the middle. Write down those measurements.

4. Here's the fun part, I'm sure at this point you have noticed the difference in the cup and chest measurements. The larger the difference, obviously the larger your bra size is going to be. Subtract the two measurements and with that number you are going to do a little matching with the chart I give you below.

If you have gone: 

up to 1/2 inch = AA
1/2 to 1 inch = A
1 inch to 2 inches = B
2 to 3 inches = C
3 to 4 inches = D
4 to 5 inches = DD/E

continue in this pattern if you exceed a DD/E.

I really hope this helped you all, wearing the wrong size bra is not only uncomfortable but totally UNNECESSARY! Be proactive in always maintaining your health as a woman, a strong minded, healthy woman is something we should all strive for :)

xox

Easter Treats with a Twist!

 
Working with children and having a nephew are two very important reasons I thought it was necessary to look into changing the way I present Easter to them this year. Normally with my duckies from work, I will buy them an Easter related children's book (thank goodness they love to read), and for my nephew I just get him toys or Easter games, nothing extravagant, as I don't want them getting used to associating gifts and junk food with Easter (a very special religious holiday on its own). This year, although I know I am going to have to deal with the fact that my grandmother is going to have her annual Easter egg hunt in our house with eggs that are filled with money and chocolate lol, I am going to attempt to do something different for my nephew and the kids at work. I don't want to deprive them completely from their "treats", but I am going to do the best I can to knock out most of the toxins and "garbage" that comes with most candy.

I found this website through some online research that is called the Nature Candy Store. You can access it by clicking here. This website is pretty much a Candy Junkie's Heaven, they have everything from natural cotton candy to natural gummy snacks and caramel. My nephew will still get to rip open his Easter basket and have his candy, but will instead be eating something all natural, leaving my mind and his little growing body at ease haha 

Some of what they have on the website include :

This Large Easter Egg filled with Natural Treats is $19.95 and got a raving review on the website! They also offer one that has all Vegan Candy.  For more info Click here!

Another alternative to filling their Easter baskets with mounds of candy, organic or not, would be throwing in reading books pertaining to Easter, activity pads, an Easter related children's DVD etc. This is another way to put the emphasis off of the whole candy aspect, and still share Easter related things with your loved ones!

Also, its important to remember that your child, or those children you will be sharing Easter with this year won't remember if the candy was "good" for them or not, or even how much candy they got BUT their little bodies will, and you will be doing them a favor down the line by making a smart healthy decision today.

I thought it was so handy that this website, as well as others out there I'm sure, give parents, and caregivers in general, options that assist in maintaining a healthy balanced diet, but that also allow the child to still indulge a little. Nothing screams hyper more than a giant chocolate Easter Bunny. The less the additives the better!

*You can also buy these natural candies separately and create your own little Easter basket, use your imagination! xox

Is Your Sunscreen Really Protecting You?

As the warmer weather is approaching, and I say this merely because I'm hoping it will be soon enough! haha--everyone will be vacationing, Spring Break for colleges etc. While packing for vacation, I'm going to go ahead and safely assume that you all pack an SPF/Sunscreen. It's almost unheard of to just bake out on the beach with nothing but baby oil and iodine on, and yes I've actually seen people do this and I feel like handing them a tombstone while I'm at it, seriously are you asking for skin cancer people?! Ugh, anywho--I'm not going to fib you guys, I certainly am one of those people who uses an SPF 8 tanning oil while laying out, I like a nice golden tan, what can I say? As I am getting older, and more aware of the health risks that something so beautiful like the sun can cause, I am becoming more and more uneasy about the things my skin may be going through that may just not be visible now, but could most definitely turn into something medically dangerous later.

During some research I did recently, I came across an astonishing amount of the same outcomes of various experiments. Now, normally I wouldn't believe things like this because sometimes they are just independent studies and they have no real consistent evidence, however this is something that I scarily found nothing but consistency in, and I thought it my absolute job to share this info with you all!

In an article dated just May of last year, I learned that :

"Almost half of the 500 most popular sunscreen products may actually increase the speed at which malignant cells develop and spread skin cancer because they contain vitamin A or its derivatives, according to an evaluation of those products released today." Source : here 

Reading this really really scared me, had what I've been using all along to "protect" myself from skin cancer and harmful rays, actually been contributing to it? It is one thing to prevent sunburn, and that is what these sunscreens will do, but I am definitely more concerned with possibly contracting Melanoma or something even worse from this kind of thing. I continued on to learn that Vitamin A, found in nearly every sunscreen and marketed as it providing "anti aging effects",  has photo-carcinogenic qualities. This pretty much means that when the skin is exposed to direct sunlight, this can increase the possibility of developing cancerous tumors on the skin!

Needless to say, I will only be purchasing organic sunscreens this year for my summer vacations. There's is a website where you can see a list of some safe sunscreens and whatnot. You guys can check that out here.

Hope you can all take this matter seriously, and be preventative about your health! Happy Vacationing! xox