Do You Make New Year’s Resolutions?

It’s that time of year again….Do you make new years resolutions each year only to find out that you don’t even keep them all the way through out the year? You are not alone. The treadmill will be have very close friends at the beginning of the year only to be abandoned by the time March and April rolls around.

I came to the realization about 3 years ago that I won’t make any more new years resolutions. I decided to just make myself attainable goals every two/three months. This has helped me accomplish a lot of things that I so desperately needed too.

We have heard that we have to use portion control when eating in order to keep ourselves healthy and at a good weight for our body types. Let’s use this same concept when making goals for ourselves. Make yourself responsible for accomplishing 1 to 3 attainable goals every few months. Use "portion control" when making goals for yourself. Ration out your goals. Try not to do everything at one time.

Start off by writing down what you want to accomplish and set realistic time lines for those goals. Divide them up by categorizing them into short term and long term goals. Be honest with yourself as well. Don’t try to do anything to please anyone else except for yourself and God.

2009 is going to be great! Live life to the fullest!

Until next time,

Indulgenceiskey

http://www.naturesindulgence.net/

Hair Challenge: Vitamins and Supplements

I am doing a personal hair challenge. Right now my hair is about 10.5 inches stretched in the top and about 9 inches stretched in the back.
I will be focusing on getting my hair to be about 14 to 15 inches stretched all the way around. I also want thinker hair as well. I began my weekly deep conditioning treatments on December 5th. In the past I only deep conditioned once every six weeks. I know I know. I am doing better. I began taking my supplements on December 8, 2008.
Below are the dosages I am taking per day:

MSM 2000 mg
Biotin 2500 mcg

I am monitoring my dosage to see what works best for me. This is important with anything that you do. We are all different so what works for one might not work for the next person.

I would love to have thicker and armpit length stretched hair by December 2009. Do you think I can do it? Hopefully I can. I am going to be taking care of my hair more than I have in the past.

Please post your experiences with Vitamins and/or Supplements for hair.

Until next time,


Indulgenceiskey
www.naturesindulgence.net

My Natural Hair Journey

What is the one hair product and accessory/tool you can’t go without?

We all have at least one product that we have to have in order to keep our strands of hair in tact. I have to have a conditioner, preferably Suave Humectant Conditioner. I say this because I can co-wash my hair with it, I can use it as a leave-in if I need to, I can style my hair with it and I can do a deep conditioning treatment with it. A conditioner can be versatile if you need it to be.

The accessory/tool that I have to have is a wide toothed comb. I use this in conjunction with my conditioner to detangle my hair. I love it! If I didn’t have it my fingers are always an option.

Share your hair product and accessory/tool with us! Maybe we have something in common!

Until next time,

Indulgenceiskey,
http://www.naturesindulgence.net/

He Still Opens Doors

Today's Scripture
“I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close” (Revelation 3:8, NLT).

Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
God is ready to present you with new opportunities. He wants to open new doors before you. It doesn’t matter what’s happening in the world around you, in the economy, the housing industry, or with job reports; God’s Word still remains true. He rewards the people who seek after Him. He’s not the least bit concerned about how He’s going to supply your needs. There is no recession in heaven. He has His eye on you, and He still opens doors that no one can shut! In an instant, He can bring the right people into your life, the right opportunities, and the right resources to take you to a new level. But in order to go to a higher level, you have to have a higher way of thinking. You can’t stay focused on what’s happening in the natural nor allow worry and fear to fill your thoughts. Remember, God’s ways are higher than our ways. He is working on your behalf behind the scenes in the supernatural realm. Choose to keep an attitude of faith and expectancy. As you do, you’ll move forward through the open doors of blessing God has prepared for you.

A Prayer for Today
Father in heaven, I bless Your holy name. Thank You for opening doors for me that no one can close. Fill me with Your peace and joy today as I wait on You. In Jesus’ Name Amen.

What is the key to losing weight, getting toned or maintaining your current weight? EAT, EAT and EAT some more in conjunction with exercise.

Did you know that you should never skip breakfast? I know that there are those of you who say “I am not hungry in the morning” or “I don’t have time to cook breakfast”. All you need to do is have you some yogurt and a granola bar if you are short on time. If you have at least 5 minutes eat a bowl of oatmeal and a piece of fruit or yogurt. Another alternative is to eat a scrambled egg and a piece of fruit or yogurt. Make sure to drink water as well. You want to give your body fuel to start off the day. This will help your metabolism get to going. It will help you burn more calories.

Have you heard of eating 5 or 6 small meals a day? Eating 5 or 6 small meals a day is better than eating two- three large meals because it keeps your metabolism going. Well, this works if you do it correctly. First of all, define what you are going after i.e losing weight, gaining muscle, toning, maintaining, etc. Then you can determine what to eat and the frequency of your meals. Preparation is important if you are going to do this. You have to eat your breakfast and have 2 smaller meals prepared in advance in conjunction with 2 or3 snacks. Try to eat every 2 to 3 hours by alternating between your meals and your snacks.

Breakfast
Snack #1
Lunch
Snack #2
Dinner
Snack #3

Also, some time during the day throw in one of the quick workouts in order to burn even more calories and body fat.


How to Eat 5-6 Small Meals Per Day
(Taken from http://www.quinnthemighty.com/how-to-eat-5-6-small-meals-per-day/)

Not only does eating often help increase your metabolism, but it also helps you avoid cravings by keeping you full throughout the day.
Plan ahead. Eating 5-6 small meals per day requires that you eat every 2-3 hours. In order to do this successfully, you must plan ahead. I recommend having at least two backup plans in case something happens unexpectedly.

For example, last week I had a meeting planned from 2-4pm. I had a meal at 1:45pm before my meeting; so I knew I would need to eat again around 4pm. I also knew the meeting might run long. So I had two backup plans ready:

1. I brought some mixed nuts with me to the meeting in case I needed to eat something on the spot.

2. I had a spare protein shake at my desk. When we were given a five minute break, I could go back to my desk and drink my shake before continuing the meeting.

Go slowly. It can be overwhelming to switch from 2-3 large meals per day to 5-6 smaller meals per day. In order to get to 5-6 meals per day, you will need to gradually increase the number of meals you eat each day. Start off by eating 4 meals per day. After about a week, increase this to 5 meals per day. Give yourself a week or two to adjust and then increase your meals to 6 per day.

Split the meals. One of the easiest ways to add smaller meals is to just split up your existing meals. For example, instead of eating a large sandwich for lunch, cut the sandwich in half. Have half an hour early and have the other half 2-3 hours later.

Eat more snacks. If you are having trouble splitting up your meals you can try to reduce the size of each meal and add some snacks throughout the day. For example, continue to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but add in snacks between breakfast and lunch and between lunch and dinner. Some good snack ideas include:

· Protein shakes
· Mixed nuts
· Fruits such as apples, oranges, and bananas
· Salads
· A small or half sandwich

There is no excuse for not eating 5-6 small meals per day. If you have any tips for eating 5-6 small meals per day, leave a comment and let others know.

7 Nutrition Tips to Build Muscle and Burn Fat

Let's get fit!

Until Next Time,

Indulgenceiskey
http://www.naturesindulgence.net/

Quick Workout 1: This takes 20 minutes or less

IMPORTANT! Before Starting any workout plan make sure you have clearance from your physician.

First and foremost you want to get some cardio in to get your metabolism going. An increased metabolism helps you burn calories and fat. If you have some stairs in your home do 5 jumping jacks at the bottom of the stairs then take off running up the stairs. Once at the top do 5 more jumping jacks and run back down. One time up and down the stairs is one complete set. Start out with 5 sets of these. Take it slow if you have to. I call these "Stair-jacks". Rest for 1 minute after the 5th set.

If you don't have any stairs do 3 sets of 25 Jumping Jacks. Be sure to rest for 30 seconds in between each set.


Next, go to the living room, garage or bedroom and begin to do lunges in place. Try doing these with 5lb dumbbells. If you don't have any dumbbells just do them without holding anything or just hold onto a can good or a bottle of water in each hand. Make sure to keep your knees above your toes. Alternate your lunges for 12 counts which will equal one complete set. Do 3 sets of these. Rest for 15 seconds between each set of lunges.

Then, go back and do 5 sets of Stair-Jacks or 3 sets of 20 Jumping Jacks.

Finally, Stretch for about 3 to 5 minutes. Concentrate on stretching your calves, hamstrings, quadriceps and shoulders.


There you have it!

Lets get in shape. Remember, being thin does not always equate to being healthy nor does being curvy, voluptuous or thick equate to being unhealthy. You can be healthy at any size. I am just trying to help you get and remain healthy and fit. I want you to concentrate on being the healthiest you that you can be!

Until Next Time,

Indulgenceiskey
http://www.naturesindulgence.net/

Stuck at Home

Good Morning!
Last night in Houston, we received 3 inches of snow! That is unheard of here. I have about a 45 minute commute to work and my normal route and alternate routes are soooo backed up. I decided not to go out just yet. I am waiting for the ice on the bridges and overpasses to melt before I leave home.

To pass time I thought I'd do a little blogging and take some pictures of my hair. This one of my work hair styles....... my Puff!

I make sure that my entire mane is moisturized and my ends are sealed since they will be out. Remember to love and take care of yourself!

Until next time,

Indulgenceiskey http://www.naturesindulgence.net/

Hair Results from "Tonight is the Night"

I am so sad. My hair didn’t turn out right. I didn’t like it. I didn’t even take any pictures to post. After I took the twist down, I immediately saw that I used too much moisturizer. My hair looked too oily. As I recall, I do remember slathering on two types of moisturizers on each section of my hair before I twisted it. I should have used a curl cream for the hold. We live, experiment and we learn. I will try it again. I ended up washing and conditioning my hair again and made me a curly-fro hawk! I loved it. I rocked it the entire weekend. Take a look at the pictures and let me know what you think!

To achieve this style I used
12 bobby pins (make sure the rubber stub is in tact)
A Moisturizer (I used Nourishing Hair Butter http://www.naturesindulgence.net/)
Clear Ice Gel by Ampro
Natural Bristle Brush

After washing and conditioning my hair, I applied a little bit of moisturizer to my entire head. I made sure to let it melt in my hands before applying to the hair. Make sure it is fully absorbed into the hair. I then applied a generous amount of Clear Ice Gel in sections to my entire head. I then took the brush and brushed my hair to the right making sure that the left side of my head was smooth. I began pinning from the back which is easier for me. I continued all the way to the front of my head. I then brushed up the right side of my hair making sure that it was smooth as well. Once again I began pinning at the back leaving a small section of hair hanging at the base of my neck in the middle. I worked my way all the way to the front, brushing as I went, and leaving a portion of hair loose at the top. I then tucked some of the hair that was out at the top to the right side and left a few coils hanging in the front. I wore this for 2 days! I loved it! At night I took it down and tied my hair with a satin scarf and slept on a satin pillow case. I am glad I did because the scarf was no where to be found when I woke up the next morning. I refreshed my coils with water and began the process of pinning all over again.

Talk to you later!

Indulgenceiskey

http://www.naturesindulgence.net

Tonight is the Night

Hello All!
I am sitting here on the computer Deep Conditioning my hair. I am on a weekly deep conditioning journey. Believe it or not, I have not deep conditioned much during my natural hair journey. This is a Big No No. Thanks to Curlynikki, I am starting to do so. I will also be trying out a new hairstyle. Again, thanks to Curlynikki, I will be doing the "T-n-C", Twist-n-Curl. Pictures of the finished product will be posted.

Until Next Time,

Indulge in yourself!

Indulgenceiskey
http://www.naturesindulgence.net/