Moving It

So like a lot of people, I have a hard time finding the motivation to work out consistently.  Whenever I start a new thing, I'm pumped about it- like, I'm a runner!  This is my life now!  I'm gonna be the kind of person who needs a good jog when they're stressed!- but it tends to peter out when laziness prevails. I've noticed that the "this is my new life" mentality when I try something different is something that's pervasive in almost all areas for me.  I tried smoking hookah for the first time the other night and I liked it, so automatically I was mentally like oh shit, I have to get a hookah now, I'm gonna smoke it while I watch tv at home and some of my friends are gonna think it's kind of weird but it's just my thing, whatever...but then like so much hookah smoke, the dream dissipated when we were done and I realized I wasn't all that interested.

I started working on running a couple of months ago with eventually doing a 5K in mind, so I've been using a Couch to 5K app on my phone (this one) to gradually work my way up.  It's taking waaay longer than the 8 weeks it suggests, because of my inconsistency as far as gym visits and general physical weakness.  I have a love-hate relationship with it- in the beginning it was muuuuurder, but somehow I got myself to keep working at it and feeling progress was encouraging and even a little addictive.  But now I've been unable to run for longer intervals of time without feeling like I'm legit dying, like going to throw up and die and then faint after I'm dead, so I'm frustrated and finding excuses not to try.  Plus I found out you can't wear headphones during a 5K- are you fucking kidding me?  No distraction from my heaving breath, no Beyonce and picturing myself dancing with my friends, just focusing on how apeshit my butt is bouncing right now?  I might be out of the 5K thing.  And without that to motivate me, I'm not sure I see myself keeping up running- trying not to mentally throw in the towel, but real talk.

So what do you guys do?  I'm not necessarily looking to lose weight but being active makes me feel good- at least afterward, and if I can find something that I don't hate while I'm doing it, mazel.  My brother and his girlfriend got me a Blu Ray player that's hooked up to Netflix, Amazon, Hulu Plus and YouTube so I'm especially curious about any videos that you work out along to online, yoga in particular.  But there is something about being at the gym that keeps me from stopping 5 minutes in because I'm bored or it's too hard so if you have any suggestions that are more oriented in that direction,  routines, classes you like, etc, I'd love to hear them too.  Help me balance out all the cheese I eat!

xojane!

A couple weeks ago I submitted a few things I wrote to a website I really like, and it turns out that the feeling was mutual!  I signed a writer's agreement and the whole shabang earlier this week but I wasn't sure when the article would be going up, so I got a little thrill when I was scrolling around on my phone between clients today and me and my scrubby pajama top showed up.  It's really been fun so far interacting with people in the comments and I feel really good about the whole thing. I'll have another post popping up there in the future as well and I plan to keep submitting things if they come to me so hopefully I'll be around there every once in a while, spreading knowledge and seeking validation (let's be real, I'm not writing this shit in my diary for a reason.)  You can check it out here if you like.

Wishes Do Come True

So, there was this one time I had an admirer who lived in my apartment building.  He slipped a Cinderella card under my door and we lived happily ever after.

NOT, he totally weirded me out and I spent a bunch of nights double checking my locks and yanking back my shower curtain afraid to find him there.  You can here me elaborate on this story as well as some of my online dating history (I'm a lucky lady) by listening to this week's episode of Will and Bobby Know Everything!  Click here to check out my dulcet tones.

Hey Whoa Is It Coming Down Out There?? Getting Rid of Winter Flakes

I just realized I have some important, seasonal knowledge to drop!  So many people deal with itchy scalp issues around this time of year and because of the flakes, they assume that it's dandruff and reach for the Head and Shoulders or other such products.  However, dandruff and dry scalp are two totally different things, and treating one when you actually have the other can exacerbate the problem.

Here's the deal: in my experience, far fewer people actually have dandruff than those who think they do.  It's totally understandable because the most recognizable symptoms are so similar- itchiness and flaking.  The vast majority actually just have a dry scalp, which is exactly what it sounds like.  Dandruff is actually a fungal condition and rather than small, white flakes, yellowish clumps of tissue form on the scalp.  If you're not sure which you're experiencing, don't hesitate to ask your hairdresser- seriously, I understand why you might be embarrassed but it's so not a big deal.  Everybody's got their stuff; bodies are weird.

If you've actually got dandruff, then by all means use something to treat it- preferably containing tea tree oil, which is anti-fungal and a natural exfoliant, meaning that over time it will treat the dandruff as well as gently sweep it away from your scalp.  I love and work with Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Shampoo, but be aware- if you color your hair, tea tree shampoos are best used right before you'll be getting color done again, as they can cause fading.  Sometimes we gotta pick our priorities, and I'd personally pick not waking up in the middle of the night scratching my scalp.

But if you've just got dry scalp, using something meant for dandruff can really work against you- it will clear away flakes but also dry your skin further, only making things worse.  Most people don't realize this and create a cycle where they have a dry scalp, they try to help it but dry it out further, and on and on.  But you don't have to!  You're smart, and also you're pretty.

Here's a plan you can customize based on whether you've learned you have a dry scalp or dandruff.  It's super easy and cheap, and when done regularly (try once a week) you'll be able to ruffle your hair again without worrying about a gentle snowfall.  I actually thought to write this post because I'm doing it right now and looking damn good too.

All the steps are the same for either situation except that if you have dandruff, add a few drops of pure tea tree oil into the mix.

Find any oil you have around the house- olive oil works great, as do coconut and grapeseed oil.

Heat it up a few tablespoons of it in the microwave, just until it's warm.  It helps the oil absorb a little better but it also just feels nice and spa-y, even if it's in a thrift store coffee mug.

Bring it into the bathroom with you and over the sink, start applying it to your scalp.  I find it a little less messy to press in with a sponge brush, the kind you can get at any craft store, but your fingers work just as well.  Start at your natural part, then keep making parting parallel to that and applying the oil to them going all across your head.  When you get to the back, honestly, just do the best you can- my technique gets dicey once things are out of my field of vision but so far I've lived.

Now wrap your hair in a towel, put on a shower cap, wrap your head in saran wrap or in a target bag (I've done both) and go do your thing around the house for at least 20 minutes- it could really stay on forever, you could binge on a season of a tv show everyone's been telling you about! While I let mine sink in I'll be watching the new episode of American Horror Story: Asylum.

When you're tired of going to play with your hair and remembering it's full of oil, hop in the shower and shampoo a couple of times until you get your usual lather and condition your hair as normal.  I promise you that your situation will improve.

If you guys ever have any hair questions for me, please feel free!  I love to spread the gospel of good hair.  It's often easier to achieve than you think.