Look great naked (Part 2): 6 Must-know’s for great skin

So now you know that I great skin wasn’t something I was born with. I wish! Lol

You also know from Part 1 that breakouts on certain parts of your face potentially indicate that the corresponding organs in your body are not functioning at its best. Kindda’ scary, since it was true in my case.

Y’know how there are different formulas, products and schools of thought when it comes to good skin? Sadly, I’ve learnt that there’s not one that applies to all; since each individual is different, so if you’re looking for a permanent fix for your skin – good luck! You’ll have to keep searching and experimenting until you find one that’s right for you; and if your skin is anything like mine, it won’t be a simple journey. Lol

http://www.wisegeek.org/what-are-some-ways-to-prevent-pimples.ht

So I’ve tried different skincare products, ranging from cheap to expensive. I’ve also tried different types of “diets”, supplements, mineral makeup options, bla bla bla.

What’s the verdict? 

After different detox, health and lifestyle adjustment experiments since my last surgery in 2010, this is what I’ve learnt:

1) The “inside out” theory 

www.shopanatomical.co

Good skin comes from inside out. Since our skin is a mirror of our internal health, you’ll need to make sure your body is clean so that it reflects just that on your skin.

Refer to the face map and get a full medical check. If there’s something wrong, you’ll want to know before it’s too late.

2) Habits – water 

While there's no substitute for water, the rules to great skin are the same as having a great body. You’ll need to adopt the right habits.

In my second installment of the “How to get a beach ready body in 28 days” series, I shared my daily routine with you, together with the answer to these common questions:

• How much water should a person drink? (simple calculation formula based on your weight)
• How does drinking 1 liter of water upon waking up in the morning make a difference?
• Don’t like drinking water? Do what I do! :-D Read more here.

 

3) Habits - sleep

Did you know that the best time to be asleep (not go to sleep, meaning you’ll need to head to bed earlier than that) is from 10pm to 2am? During that time (also known as the “regenerative sleep” period), our blood circulation is concentrated on the liver; and this is when the liver neutralizes and breaks down the toxins accumulated in our body throughout the day.

The bad news it that if you’re not asleep from 10pm to 2pm, your liver cannot do its job; so technically:

• If you’re asleep by 10pm, you’ll have 4 full hours to detoxify your body
• If you’re asleep by 11am, you have 3 hours; and so on (you get the idea)
• Sleep after 2pm and you’ll miss the boat. Keep doing this and you’ll live to regret the compounded effects. No joke.

I was sharing this with #babybaby and he asked a rather interesting question:

“How does your body know what time it is, especially in different time zones around the world?”

Interestingly enough, our brain plays host to an internal clock that regulates our sleep, and it’s called the pineal gland. The pineal gland receives information about the sun through our eyes via the optic nerve. As the sun sets, the pineal gland is able to sense the change in light transmitted through your eyes and it begins to secrete a hormone – melatonin – to prepare our body for sleep. [Quoted from Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary]

4) Habits - stress management 

From acne, eczema, hives, rosacea, psoriasis, alopecia (hair loss), vitiligo (depigmented white spots on the skin), etc. studies have shown that in many ways, our mind and skin are intimately intertwined.

Go ahead and Google "psychodermatology”.

Take acne, for example. When you are tense, your body releases stress hormones including cortisol, which may increase the skin's oil production, making you prone to pimples. [Quoted from Dr. Karen Mallin]

Spend some time in discovering an effective stress management technique that works for you (read more here) and incorporate that in your daily routine. I’ve found prayer/meditation to be very effective, not to mention free.

5) Food 

Our body is designed to heal and repair itself. Nevertheless we need to feed it with the right raw materials so that it can do its job effectively and efficiently. There’s a long list of vitamins, minerals and nutrients that our human body requires on a daily basis…

http://www.besthealthmag.ca/vitamins

…but fact is, is this even realistic?

Tell me, how could anyone possibly commit to eating (let alone afford in terms of $ and waistline) 5 cups of spinach, 5-4 ounces of salmon, 2.5 whole avocados, 1 cup of strawberries, 5 ounces of cheddar cheese, 10 cups of broccoli and Brussels sprouts, 1.5 ounces of cashew nuts, 24 spears of asparagus, 1 cup of black beans, 2 medium baked potatoes, 3 ounces of beef, half a cup of red peppers, 3 cups of yoghurt, quarter ounce of cooked liver, 4 cups of brown rice, 1.5 cups of pineapple, and a list of 20 to 30 other foods EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Crazy. Some people are able to do it, but that's another story. 

Unfortunately, due to the 21st century lifestyle, cost and convenience, it would be impossible to give our body all it needs on a daily basis. Nevertheless, we can still do our best with a relatively balanced diet, while making up for the gaps with natural supplement. They key is to go natural (we’ll discuss on how to choose a natural supplement that’s right for you in another post). 

http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_eating_diet.htm

You may also want to consider taking note of your food colours too. Yep.

www.eswalls.com

“The more colors you have in your diet a day, the more kind of phytonutrients you’re getting, because each color is something specific. So blueberries are very specific for brains and skin, and citrus fruits are really good for the ears. And astaxanthin is really good for eyes and skin. So it’s important to get all those different colors in during the day — I call it your color IQ. So ask yourself how high can your color IQ be today? If you know you had 10 different colors in your fruits and vegetables, you’re doing well. ”

— Rebecca Adams

6) Skincare products

First, you need to know that most skincare products only help “mask” or provide superficial relief to the problem. Very few are capable of solving the actual problem.

Go back to the “inside out” theory (item #1 above) and sort your body out, but in the meantime, try and opt for products that have the least content of toxic ingredients (look at the whole list here).

Secondly, as much as you may be tempted to, don’t pile too much on your skin. Keep it simple.

• Morning: Cleanse, tone and sun protection (sun block)
• Night: Remove makeup, cleanse, tone and moisturize 

A few people (including #babybaby) have questioned my use of sunblock, even when I’m indoors. Well, thanks to Hallie Levine Sklar, here are 6 common sun myths that you should know about this beauty must-have: 

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/10/living/guide-to-sun-safety/

• Myth #1: A suntan's fine, as long as you don't burn.
• Myth #2: A beach umbrella blocks the sun.
• Myth #3: Sun can't penetrate through windows.
• Myth #4: Too much sunscreen causes vitamin D deficiency.
• Myth #5: If it's cool or cloudy outside, you don't need sunscreen.
• Myth #6: Eighty percent of sun damage occurs before the age of 18.

[Read the full article at http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/10/living/guide-to-sun-safety/]

Finally, I don’t believe on spending ridiculous amounts of $$$ on skincare. In the many years of experimenting, I’ve spent anywhere between RM8 to RM400 on a cleanser, and to be honest I didn’t notice a difference between the regular cleansers and the premium ones (other than the fact that the latter caused a bigger damage to my pocket). Nevertheless, like everything, there are exceptions, and if you’ve found an expensive one that works for you (and you can afford it), by all means keep to it.

timemanagementninja.com

Take time to experiment with different products (keeping a journal will help you keep track) and find a combination that works for you. Mine costs no more than an average of RM50 (~USD16) a month so I can’t say that I’m not happy. *laugh*

Remember, no amount/cost of skincare products can give you the lasting effects of good skin if you don’t sort your body out first!

Hope this helps! :-D Mwah!

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Look great naked (Part 1): Face mapping & how to DIY kefir at home

No, I don’t mean the taking-off-your-clothes kind of naked. Lol

I’m talking about stripping-your-skin-of-all-the-makeup kind of naked.

As a woman, I’m so used to that comforting coat of "paint" on my face, that I sometimes feel so strangely naked without makeup. 

http://www.homezweethome.info/2011_08_01_archive.htm

I remember the days where I couldn’t bear to think about leaving home without makeup. Saying it was because of the work I used to do (TV hosting, commercial/print shoots etc) would be a lame excuse. *laugh* Truth is, I didn’t have the best skin, and that made me feel really inferior. Somehow, masking my bad skin with makeup gave me the confidence boost I so badly needed.

Then in the eventful year of 2010, I decided to go through a detox. I don’t remember breaking out so badly and continuously in my entire life! Not even during puberty. *laugh*

While Wall St. saw a list of mega-mergers that same year, I was experiencing the phenomenon on my face! It was so bad that I would have a ‘merger’ of 3-4 septic pimples on my chin and cheeks; so much so that a guy standing in line behind me at the airport immigration actually asked:

Baru kena accident ka? 

So malu.

Anyway, to cut the long story short, I eventually discovered that our face mirrors of our internal health.

http://myflpbiz.com/esuite/home/balanstherapie/Story.htm

"Our skin can reflect what's going on inside our body," says dermatologist Anne Chapas, M.D., of Union Square Laser Dermatology in New York City. "As part of the immune system, the skin defends against environmental factors. But when your body is fighting an ailment, it can get overwhelmed and things like acne and redness can show up." [http://www.today.com/id/45361636/ns/today-today_health/t/check-mirror-sickness-shows-your-face/#.UzVGMtwuxG4]

So I decided to do a medical check up and guess what the doctor discovered?

Stones in my kidneys, problems with my liver, colon, stomach… the whole works.

Some of you may remember the surgery I underwent to remove a cancerous ovarian cyst later that year.

I didn’t know I was sooooooo sick inside my body. Clocking in 3-4 hours of daily sleep for the last decade prior to that didn’t help, but fact was, I was oblivious to my health. I took for-granted the fact that being young (at that time) meant I didn’t have to jaga my body as much. I mean, after all, I didn’t feel like there was anything wrong with my body. I obviously got it all wrong.

And, I suffered the consequences. Boo-hoo.

But ever since, I’ve been more aware and diligent about what I eat, how much water I drink, how much sleep I clock in, how much exercise I get, how positive I am, etc. Yes, the combination of ALL that makes the difference, and I notice it very significantly in my skin.

I’ll talk about my skincare regime in my next beauty blog post, but for now, I’d like to share a new personal discovery on a natural drink that was first scientifically researched over 100 years ago by Nobel Prize winner, Elie Metchnikoff .

Okay, compared to that, I’m a bit lambat la, but better late than never; and I’d love to dedicate this post to my supermum who never fails to impress me with her natural home remedies.

Mum was the one who introduced me to this simple yet powerful source of probiotics called kefir [pronounced “kuh-feer”], a.k.a. the “magic/miracle milk”.

Basically, our immune system is like the gatekeeper to good health, and probiotics help fortify these gates against diseases.

Ooooo~ Sounds so canggih right? Lol

Anyway, kefir helps to regulate our immune system and can potentially be our colon’s best friend.

It’s a yoghurt-like drink/food; although many times stronger with more enzymes and friendly bacteria as compared to yoghurt.

Who can benefit from kefir:

• Babies (kefir is an excellent and nutritious food for babies)
• People experiencing digestive disorders, constipation and flatulence (kefir has a cleansing effect on the whole body)
• People on antibiotics
• Patients suffering from AIDS, chronic fatigue syndrome, herpes, and cancer (kefir is the strongest natural antibiotics without the side effects and contributes to a healthy immune system)
• Patients suffering from sleep disorders, depression and ADHD (kefir is said to have a tranquilizing effect on the nervous system)
• People with unhealthy food cravings
• People who want to shave unwanted weight faster (kefir helps utilize carbohydrates, fats and proteins for cell growth, maintenance and energy; speeds up the your body’s metabolism)
• People with allergies and skin problems (kefir has antifungal properties to promote healing of various dermatological issues)

Besides regulating cholesterol/blood sugar levels and having the capabilities of stopping the growth of cancer cells, the benefits of kefir are endless. Make an effort to find out more about it, but in the meantime, here’s what mum taught me – How to DIY homemade kefir in my kitchen :-D:

1)   First, you will need a live “starter” which is also called kefir “grains”.

These active grains contain the bacteria/yeast mixture clumped together with casein (milk proteins) and complex sugars. They look like pieces of coral or small clumps of cauliflower and range from the size of a grain of wheat to that of a hazelnut.

Picture from Wikipedia

Kefir grains are naturally occurring in nature and they cannot be made. I got my kefir grains from mum, but I believe you can also buy them in local health shops and online.

Once you have the grains, you can keep reproducing them forever.

2) Place the kefir grains into a glass jar and pour fresh milk into it; then cover with a cloth (it needs to breathe to reproduce)

3) Leave at room temperature (away from direct sun) for 24-48 hours to allow the fermentation to take place 

4) After 24-48 hours, use a wooden spoon and give it a good mix; then use a plastic strainer to strain the contents of the glass jar.

Technically, we should avoid using anything “metal” because it reacts with kefir, but since I don’t have a plastic strainer and wooden spoon at hand, I’m using these for illustration purposes.

5) Transfer the remaining grains from the strainer back into the glass jar and repeat process #2, #3, #4 and #5 for your next batch.

You can share your grains with your family/friends like how mum passed me some of hers to get mine started.

6) You can drink the strained kefir as it is (it’s a sour and a somewhat “smoked” version of plain yoghurt) or mix it with your favourite fruits/flavours.

I like mine with a teaspoon of Ribena and black cherry jam. Yum!

[If you’re lactose intolerant, you can try the non-milk version – water kefir.]

Hope that helps! I’ll share my simple formula to healthy skin in my next health and beauty post, so stay tuned; but in the meantime, big Panda hugs from #babybaby and I! Mwah!!!!

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READ NEXT: DIARY OF A WIFE

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How to get a beach-ready body in 28-days (Week 4)

This blog post is a follow up from:
1) How to get a beach-ready body in 28-days (Intro) 
2) How to get a beach-ready body in 28-days (Week 1)
3) How to get a beach-ready body in 28-days (Week 2), and
4) How to get a beach-ready body in 28-days (Week 3)

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So over the last 4 weeks, you’ve discovered that:

1. I don’t know how to swim 
2. I’m aquaphobic (and now you know why. Lol)
3. I’m not a big fan of the sun, sand and sea.
4. I’ve never been disciplined enough to stay on a diet program. Ever
5. The fundamentals of owning a beach-ready body in 28-days lies in the simple THEF formula
6. Consistency is the best policy for this lil’ mission of ours ;-)
7. Super-cikgu made all the difference with #2 above.

You probably also know now, that I’m currently enjoying the luxury of having a “plus one day” within the GMT-10 time zone (18 hours behind Malaysia, 23 hours behind Auckland); at the very birthplace of President Barack Obama. *grin*

Named “The Sandwich Islands” in 1778 by James Cook, Hawaii is the only state in US that is composed entirely of islands. Right now, I’m writing this blog post from the capital of Hawaii – Honolulu. *big-grin*

I’ll share more about this trip to Hawaii in my next blog post, but for now and in conclusion to my 4-week series on “How to get a beach-ready body in 28-days”, I thought I’d share my journey of overcoming item #2 above – my very apparent phobia of water (I know it’s really silly, but even big bathtubs and shallow pools scare me). 

http://www.newyorkinjurycasesblog.com/

Nevertheless, before we get into all that, here’s an update on my progress with the 4-week program:

In terms of measurements, I managed to cut off 2.5cm of my waist, 0.8cm off my arms and 1.8cm off my thighs; need I mention that I feel firmer, not to mention more toned now? Hehe. I know it may not sound like much but it’s between a 3% to 4% difference within the month with:

1. No crash dieting, and
2. No crazy exercise routines (well, at least nothing I can't maintain for the next 1 year at least)

In fact, the 15 to 25-minute workout that I commit to isn’t even dependent on any exercise equipment, which is perfect amidst the travelling; so I must say that I’m quite pleased with the progress. Happy-happy Panda~ *pat-on-the-back*

Of course I have Super-cikgu as well as my ever-so-supportive #babybaby and encouraging family to thank. #blessed.

In keeping up with the current momentum, I’m even thinking of continuing my swimming lessons with Super-cikgu when I get back to Malaysia. For one, it’s great exercise; but above all, I am determined to get over my phobia of water. Completely.

Sure, I had 3 lessons last month before leaving Kuala Lumpur, but that's definitely not enough to help me overcome my fears. Nevertheless, despite the lack of time for more swimming lessons in KL, this maiden trip to Hawaii has given me an opportunity to embrace my fear of the water by: 

1. Swimming in the sea (I have never dared to do this by choice. Ever.)
2. Swimming in a 30-feet deep pond to get under the very chilly Waimea Falls (I could never imagine myself doing something as crazy as this. Lol)

If you asked me, I’d probably describe the Hawaiian sea as beautiful and ummm… very blue. That, to me, also means that it’s very deep.  Most people would add the word “inviting” to that list of adjectives, but for an aquaphobic like me, it just stops at those first two.

So in my first attempt to overcome my fear of water, I took the plunge with my very supportive family this trip…

1) The sea

Although I’m not a big fan of the sun, sand and sea (as mentioned in item #3 above), I am more than happy to opt for that as opposed to actually stepping IN to the water, let alone submerging my entire body in the sea (at my own will, mind you). This trip, I did all 3. Yeah. As I stepped onto the sand, my heart was beating so fast; and when I entered the salty sea-water water, I almost died. Lol

Thankfully because the water was so clear, I could see the bottom of the sandy sea. So, that was comforting, and it definitely made all the difference.

However, as much as I tried to keep my mouth closed throughout the whole process, I did somehow manage to catch some sea water on my tongue and without thinking, I accidentally said something REALLY stupid out loud,

“It’s so salty”

only to realize that I wasn't alone. OMG. So embarrassing. Lol. My brain must’ve shutdown the minute I stepped into the water. *laugh*

Anyway, to cut the long story short, I basically survived the sea. So the next challenge was...

2) The waterfall 

To be honest, I never considered going in. I thought – ok, just dip my feet in, take some pictures and enjoy the view – how bad could it be right? Well, to begin with, the water was really chilly, so THAT didn’t help. 

Secondly, the water in the pond looked really dark. I mean how would you know what’s in that pond to start off with????!!! There could be some really creepy, slimy, scaly creatures lurking beneath those dark waters. Or maybe some pretty nasty fishes with sharp teeth too. Gosh, I didn't even want to think about it. So freaky!!!!

Seriously.

However, for some strange reason, when I was asked for the second time if I wanted to go in, I said okay; and the rest is history. Looking back, I reckon I may have just mentally blacked-out in pure shock at that time. 

I must say that the walk towards to the border of the pond was one of the most nerve-wrecking moments of my life. The lifeguard on duty offered me a life jacket and kickboard, so that really helped; but if I’m at all honest, with every step into the cold chilly waters of the pond, I wanted to just turn back and say

“maybe not this time”.

My heart was pounding so fast and every part of me just wanted to retreat to safety soooo badly. PLUS, the fact that I had no clue where the 30 feet drop was, didn't help one bit(that suspense almost killed me before the water did lol~). I was shivering (can’t decide whether it was because it was so cold or because I was just plain scared) and as it got to waist deep, I told my chicken self

“DON’T THINK, JUST SWIM TOWARDS THE WATERFALL AND SWIM BACK ASAP. GO!”

 

So that’s what happened. I think for the next 3 minutes or so, my brain must’ve just blacked out. Before I knew it, I was back at waist-level-deep waters and slowly made my way back to the comfort of my towel. I did it.

I don’t think I’ll ever do it again, but I grateful that I can eventually conclude this trip to Hawaii with no regrets.

I can’t say that I’m not aquaphobic anymore, but I’m glad I took the first step; and I’ll keep trying until I overcome it, so God help me. Lol

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How to get a beach-ready body in 28-days (Week 2)

This blog post is a follow up from:
1) "How to get a beach-ready body in 28-days (Intro)", and 
2) How to get a beach-ready body in 28-days (Week 1)

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So how did Week 1 go for you? *big-grin*

I have to admit, not the best week for me, but I managed to lose 1.1% of body fat and gain 0.2kg on lean mass. Yay! And I have proof!!! Mwahaha~

Okay, I know what you’re thinking. That’s not much of a difference, right? But hey, it’s only been 1 week on the program, give me some credit la. I keep telling myself – consistency, consistency; focus on consistency.

Oh and guess what?! 

If you remember, in my first post of this series – How to get a beach-ready body in 28-days (Intro) – I mentioned a few things that you probably didn’t know about me…

Point #1 in that post – I don’t know how to swim. 

Well, I decided to take Adib’s advice and take up swimming lessons... and I start this week! :-D

Not sure how this will go (my phobia of water is still very apparent), but it will be worth the try. Please pray for me ya! Haha.

So back to our to-do list for a beach-ready body (tick if you've done accordingly this week) – THEF:

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1) Tracking

• Keep track of weight/inches, food and water intake (if you’re tracking your sleep too that’s great!)
• Keep bikini in sight to stay motivated

2)Habit

• 1 litre of water in the morning, before breakfast
• Another 1 to 2 litres of water during the rest of the day (depending on how much you need. Learn how to calculate here)
• No skipping breakfast
• Sufficient sleep
• Consistent morning routine

3) Exercise

• 11-minute cardio (see cardio program here) followed by…
•  Top-to-toe stretching and..
• Toning exercise 10 reps each, with a 30-second rest interval between each exercise  

4) Food

• Balanced diet, eat more protein and no skipping meals (our body burns more calories digesting proteins than it does digesting carbohydrates, so technically, we’ll be burning fat while eating proteins)
• Daily supplement (learn how to choose one that’s right for you here)
• Weight loss snacks 

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This week, we are going to turn it up a notch:

1) Beef up our cardio from 11 minutes to 14 minutes.

Oh I soooo feel like eating a piece of steak now.  Focus, Panda, focus. Okay, back to beefing up our cardio. We’re going to add on an additional 3 minutes of the following to our existing plan (cardio plan here):

• 2 minutes – Exertion/Intensity level 5
• 1 minute – Recovery/Intensity level 1

Don’t undermine this additional 3 minutes. If you’ve been doing last week’s suggested cardio workout, you’ll know it’s not as easy as it looks.  

2) Keep doing the same toning exercises; except that we’re going to spend 15 minutes doing this every day this week (instead of alternate days).

I’d suggest doing it in the mornings before you hop into the shower – get it out of the way, at the start of the day.

Simple? :-D

Consistency, consistency; focus on consistency.

Have fun working out this week ladies. Meantime, here’s a little motivation to keep you going. 

www.dailymail.co.uk

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How to get a beach-ready body in 28-days (Intro)

Although I did spend a fair amount of my childhood days on an island and posses a huge fascination for yachts/big boats, here are few things you probably didn’t know about me:

1) I don’t know how to swim
2) I’m not a big fan of the sun, sand and sea.
3) I’ve never been disciplined enough to stay on a diet program. Ever

So what’s with this blog post, right? Lol

Where do I begin.

I’ll admit that the urgency of this 28-day challenge sparked from the sudden realization that I would need to be wearing a bikini/swimsuit-of-sorts at least ONCE during an upcoming trip (which so happens to be a beach-centered one). Lol

ipserverone

And if I have to be caught in a bikini/swimsuit-of-sorts, be it once or for the entire duration of the trip, I WANT to be able to look, at the very least, decent.

Okay, I have another confession to make. I put on at least 4 kilograms over the past few years, and have been on a, shall I say, “gym-holiday”, for the longest time. *sheepish-grin*

Yes, I used to be one of the most active people around doing at least 500 stomach crunches a day, working out at gym at least 3 times a week, running 100 metres at a 12.9-second personal best and the list goes on. But that was a loooooooong time ago. Long, long, looooong time ago. I don’t even want to think about it. So depressing. Lol

Sure, I’ve been on a crazy work schedule and the blues (not to mention bodily pace) of the big three-‘o’ (“3”-“0”) has taken its toll on me but that’s no excuse.

So back to the title of this blog post - How to get a beach-ready body in 28-days.

Before I go any further with this, here are a few disclaimers:

1) This is NOT a proven or certified program.

It is merely a self-tailored plan based on a few practices and habits that have worked for me over the past 1.5 decades.
 

2) The objective of this program is NOT to lose body weight.

In fact, I may gain a few pounds in the process of converting fat into muscle. Don’t be scared though, because the great thing about having muscles in our body is that it helps to burn more calories. The more muscles you have, the more calories you naturally burn each day. Keyword – naturally. Oooo, wouldn’t you like that?! :-D

Nevertheless, don’t get me wrong because we’re not on a mission to look like body-builders. In the next 28 days, my personal objective with this is to conclude the program looking my best, feeling my best and being healthy; at a pace that is sustainable of course.

yoga.bodyxbeauty.co

3) Healing crisis

Depending on how much toxins you have in your body or how unhealthy you are, 1 out of 3 things may happen to you during the next 28 days:

1: You won’t feel too much of an adverse difference – if you fall into this category than good on you, you’re relatively healthy.

http://stuffpoint.com

2: You’ll feel better, more alert, you'll have more energy and you may be able to experience better quality sleep – if this is you, then great, you’re also relatively healthy.

http://www.energizer.com

3: You feel as though you’ve just been hit by a truck, or shall I say in Malaysian terms, lorry. Lol – In this case, brilliant! You’re getting the most out of the program.

www.moderntraining.com

This is very common with most detox programs since your body will try to flush out all the toxins from your body. The more toxins you have in your body the more severe your healing crisis. You may feel worse and therefore conclude that a particular program is not working for you but these reactions are instead signs that it IS working; and that your body is going through the process of cleansing itself of impurities, toxins and imbalances. This healing crisis is more apparent in adults compared to children (for obvious reasons). You can Google “Herxheimer Reaction” to understand this better.

If you’re looking for an extreme diet or workout plan, you’ve come to the wrong place;

because if we’re going to do this, let’s do it right with results that last. We’re definitely blessed to have the wide resources of “the internet” at our disposal so this will be an interesting journey indeed. Hehe.

www.people.com

YES, you’ll feel like giving up at some point or other, but remember, you’re too sexy for weakness!

NO, you won’t transform into the body of Elle Macpherson, Heidi Klum, Brooklyn Decker or any other perfect-bodied babe in 28 days (seriously, what were you thinking?!); but you will at the very least, look and feel more confident with yourself.

YES, the positive side effect from this 28-day challenge may include better looking skin, but that’s not our main agenda. That's... shall I say, a bonus.

So ladies, are you ready?

Let’s get started.

Here’s the fun part. 

For today, the exercise you'll need to be doing is a walk around the mall. Yup, it's time to go shopping and here’s your shopping list (trust me ladies, this is a good investment not to mention the perfect reason for some retail therapy :-D):

1)    A new bikini/swimsuit-of-sorts

2)    Tape measure, weighing scale (if you don’t already own one)

3)    1-litre water bottle (if you like your drink cold/warm, buy one accordingly)

4)    Exercise mat

5)    Your staple breakfast for this week: yoghurt, muesli/muesli bar, milk, eggs, fruits (choose your favourite)

Once you’ve done your shopping, come back to this blog for the next step forward. See you soon and happy shopping ladies! Mwah!

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