According to Elizabeth Somer, if you have dry, lackluster hair (yes, sometimes I do), you might be missing vital minerals in your diet. You may need: folic acid, iron, protein, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, vitamin C, water.
What to do about it? For iron and folic acid, eat a spinach, caesar, or lentil salad; for vitamin C, eat fruit; for iron, protein, B-6 and B-12, eat a chicken or roast beef sandwich. And as always, drink lots of water!
I'm not sure what besides this product being liquid makes it a "smoothie." Then again, what is a smoothie, anyways? Eh, in any case, these drinks, at 80 calories per 7oz bottle are little more than drinkable yogurt. No frozen bits which make me think "smoothie," but it still has a smoothie kind of feel. Yes it is tasty and instead of aspartame, it uses Splenda. There's 5g of protein in the whole thing which is 10% of your daily consumption (based on a 2000 calorie diet of course)--not too shabby for 7oz of liquid yogurt. Too bad there's only about three swallows in the whole thing.
Step one:
Wear a sports bra instead of a regular one. Will immediately take 4-5 inches off your bust-line, making your upper body appear slimmer and sleeker.
To avoid the uni-boob look, pick a sports bra with light support or one with two separate "areas" (they're not really cups) for your breasts.
Non-racer back bras work best.
...and they are heavenly!
Apparently, my 2nd pair of New Balance 715 (in men's sizes...NBs seem smallish to me) have bruised my toenail on my right foot and while this is not the first time this has happened (apparently, this is a common condition called "runner's toe." Hardcore, baby!) I don't think I have to suffer through this when there are other, bigger shoes available. So yesterday I bought my first pair of Sauconys at First Foot or Shoe Greatness or whatever it's called in Old Orchard Mall.
I tried out the shoes last night and holy cow, what a difference in changing brands. While I enjoy the NBs, the Saucony's fit my feet snug in the middle and oddly, enough kind of feel like foot massage to walk in. It feels like there are all these little air bubbles in the soles, and when you walk you really feel the cusioning. This might seem trivial, also, but they are a nice shape and even though they are men's shoes, they look kind of "ladylike," if that's possible.
Saucony: thumbs up!
I hate the rationale behind sizes. And what I hate even more than that is that the rationale behind sizes matters to me.
BUT, this is cool. Article: A Better Fit
Clothing manufacturers are taking note of a couple of important size trends. We're a multicultural society, and Asian and Hispanic women in particular tend to have smaller frames. At the same time, the average American woman is getting taller and heavier – 5-foot-5 and 159 pounds is now average. A third of all women are pear-shaped, meaning their hips are bigger than their bust.
Apparenly, some manufacturers (including Gap) are making clothes for "real" bodies, to reflect the statement above. It's about damn time!
This article also introduced me to the term "vanity sizing" or "The practice of placing a smaller size label on a larger size garment" (wordspy.com). This article did a pretty good job of explaining what's wrong with vanity sizing which is that while it's nice to fit into a size 8 one day when you are really a 12, if you go to another store and buy a 12 it really messes with your confidence. (Oh you know what I'm talking about: "Did I gain 10 lbs in a week!!? I guess I can never eat again, alas.") While great for some manufacturers (their sales go up because people like to buy smaller sizes) this is not so great for girls who are concerned about their body images. Boooo vanity sizing! Boo frivolous preoccupation with size!
I am running out of my supply of Canadian issue Boss Woman (well..you are what you smell like!) and while I liked it, I am in the mood for something a little kickier. Something still feminine, but with more of an edge, but not musky. (YUCK! My most UNfavorite scent is Patchouli...*cough gag*). So I think after trying sampling MAC's new fragrance line, Hugo Deep Red, and Chanel Chance, I've decided to go with Deep Red. I just love it. It's got vanilla undertones but isn't sweet. It really smells good on.
The MAC line is cool because all three of the new fragrances have a vanilla base--one is spicy, one is sweet, one is floral, etc. But they wear off quickly and it just doesn't smell like me. I think gals who enjoy wearing grommets in their belts would probably like these.
Chanel Chance smells like it needs to go on a woman with maturity, not me. But it's still nice.