Over the years I’ve tried many different products and brands and none have been as successful as I hoped.  I’m sure that there is a good solution out there.  I know that blemishes are something that everyone has to deal with, but they should be few and far between in my opinion.  I must admit that my eating and drinking habits over the holidays did not do anything to help me out, but since I’ve been back to work I’m back to my normal, healthier self.

I’ve tried the following:

• Lush: Black Coal Soap, Tea Tree Mist, Imperialis Moisturizer – it seemed to work well in the summer but the past few months have been pretty unpleasant
• ProActiv: dried out my skin and made me break out even more
• Garnier Nutritioniste Nutri-Pure: too drying
• Body Shop: Vitamin E Starter Kit – didn’t cleanse as well as I needed
• Body Shop Tea Tree Starter Kit – too strong and drying
• Aveeno Positively Radiant Cleanser & Toner – made me breakout
• Garnier Pure A Skin Perfection – too strong
• Clinique – too long ago to remember which formulation, but it was very drying
• Burt’s Bees – a sample pack from a few Christmases ago.  Too drying.

I would love any advice or info on products you have used or would recommend, and if any brands want to send me some products to try I’m definitely interested.

I’ve done some research and these are the products I’m thinking about trying:

• Pure + simple: This line is my top choice and want to try it out.  If anyone has tried their products I want to know!
• Boscia Normal to Oily Starter Kit: 30 day trial size kit, which is perfect for seeing how my skin reacts
• Exuberance First Love Facial Discovery Set: You get a chance to try out all of Exuberance Facial Skincare products to find the best for you.  I would probably only use a couple of products and could share the others.

Please share your secrets, tips or info with me.  Let the Skincare search begin!

My stockpile of leftover products

I’ve been seriously debating cancelling my membership for the past month.  I did really enjoy going, but only because there was someone there waiting for me, who had a workout plan ready to go.  I can’t see myself going there and using the machines by myself when all I really want to do is Yoga.  It also seems a little ridiculous to pay for a gym membership just for a few Yoga classes a week.

In the past three years I have had three gym memberships to two different gyms.  I’ve probably gone a total of 40 times.  Ok, I just figured out the math and that means that it has cost me $25 each time I’ve gone to the gym over the past three years.  To go to a Yoga class in my area it’s $14-$17 and to do it by myself, at home, is free.  You know what, when I first worked for myself I did Yoga every day, after I finished my morning submissions.  It took the stress out of the rest of my day and I felt great afterwards.

What do you think?  Do you have a gym membership or do you prefer to work out at home?

I’ve been going to a friend of mine Carri, who is an RMT, and she is amazing!  Her business is called Imprint Massage and she has the nicest studio at 101 Spadina Ave.  The place is so nice and clean and relaxing.  Carri’s massage studio is a part of Imprint Pilates, and they also offer pilates (duh), acupuncture and physio.

I highly recommend you check her out, you won’t be disappointed.  You can email her at carri@imprintpilates.com or call her to book an appointment at 416-209-1315.  Check the Imprint Massage website.

My trainer Carl is good.  He pushes me, which is good cause I might cheat, and we have a good time talking between sets.  He also emails me what we do each time cause I never remember.

So for Chest Day the machines I used were:

This was the most intense workout so far.  Carl created an H.I.I.T 8 point circuit. (High Intensity Interval Training) and I had to do it three times with a five minute rest in between each circuit.

I was looking forward to my workout when I got back.  After such a positive and exhausting trip I was ready to get back on my improve life kick.

Kathryn came with me this time.  I much prefer going with someone else.  We were 10 minutes late and Carl said he was going to make me do push ups.  I wasn’t sure if he was joking or not so I just went to the changeroom.  Oh!  I almost forgot,  When we came in this younger guy greeted us as we passed through the gate.  He was asking if we knew about the new classes and we said yes and kept walking to the stairs.  He kept walking with us.  All the way to through the gym to the back and to the top of the stairs to go down.  haha.  He said it was his first day.  We were nice.

Here is my workout:

I celebrated a bit last night.  Alexis got me a bottle of champagne and Carri and Kathryn came over.  I was in fine form…

OK.  Back from meetings.

Yesterday was Day 1 of the gym…  I rode my bike there to have a quick warm up and was feeling pretty excited to start.  The changerooms are brand new and so clean.  I’ll take photos next time.  I got ready and walked out and Carl was ready for me.  We had a quick chat and then went to the Elliptical to warm up.  Ugh.  Kathryn always tried to get me to use it before and I hated it.  I felt like I was too small to use it or something, so awkward.  So I did 5 minutes on the Eliptical and it wasn’t too bad.  Then we went downstairs to start on the weight machines.

My workout went as follows:

Leg Extensions (Hammer Strength Machines)
Leg Curls (Hammer Strength Machine)
Ball Squats
Standing Lunges
Chest Press
Shoulder Press
Seated Row

It was really intimidating to use the machines at first, but I got the hang of it pretty fast.  I was surprised that I could do as many as I could (about 20 of each) and I could feel muscles that I hadn’t used in years! Then we went upstairs for the final few things.  I did about 20 Half-Crunches and then about 10 Ball Raises (ha).

After our workout I changed and rode my bike home, luckily it’s all downhill because I was already sore and my legs were wobbly.  I need to get a bike helmet but I’m so not into wearing one.  Shaun came by after I showered and changed and we went for lunch at Sunset Grill.  So good and so cheap.  Just what I needed to eat.  When we came out it was a torrential downpour and we took a cab to my house, which was ridiculous cause I live five blocks from the restaurant, but we didn’t want to get wet.  Then back to work for the rest of the afternoon and evening and well, you saw what went on after work.

Next gym day was supposed to be tomorrow but it’s a holiday so we’re taking the day off and Friday is a no go, so I’ll be back with more gym stories on Monday.

In our call he said to bring my gym clothes if I can and we could do an assesment after our meeting, but not to worry if I didn’t have enough time.  The procrastinator in me said don’t bother, just go straight to the gym and so I did.

We had an hour long talk about everything – my current excercise (or lack there of), my food consumption/diet, my water consumption (I’m dehydrated!) and then he had me stand on a machine which tested my weight, body fat and other things.  The reading came back that I was in the excellent range for everything, so that was pretty interesting.

So I signed up for 24 personal training sessions.  It’s quite a lot of time and money – $56/session – but I know myself and I will not go to the gym at all if I don’t have someone counting on me to be there.  And since I got the first three months for free, it’s the same cost as paying for a membership.  I know that by the end of the 24 sessions I’ll look great, feel great and have enough knowledge, confidence and experience behind me to keep working out.

I left the gym with a new stainless steel water bottle (thanks Carl!) and a very positive outlook.  I have to drink two water bottles a day minimum, and keep a food diary for the next seven days.  I am going to track my progress here on the blog, so any of you who are feeling as scared and intimidated as I am, might be inspired to start the road to health and fitness.

My first session is next Monday night and I’m anxious and excited to get going.

p.s. I’m not going to even think about exercising for the rest of the week and enjoy myself.

Update: My trainer just read the blog and he has labelled us “Team C”

So I signed up to a brand new Goodlife in my area.  This is my second try at a membership.  My first one was at Fitness One and I was thoroughly unimpressed by the equipment and staff and the fact that they didn’t call or email me to let me know my membership was about to expire but waited until after it did and called to offer me a deal to re-join.  Oh and the location that I signed up at closed without notice and they lost all my files, workout info, progress, etc.  Lame.

I think my main issue is that I am overwhelmed buy all the equipment and my lack of knowledge on how to use it.  I grew up on a farm in a small town and we didn’t have a proper gym (with equipment) like most of the city schools seem to.

Anyway, I signed up with Chad and Kathryn hoping that I’d get some motivation, good training (which is apparently included) and I also opted to get a personal trainer for a few sessions.  Which brings me to my next issue.  I got a message when I first joined to call a rep from the gym to set up my personal training sessions, along with my orientation.  I called numerous times and left messages for this woman, with no callback.  I finally got up the courage to go (with Chad) and on our way in stopped to see if I could set it up at the front desk.  The trainees on the desk (that’s how brand new it is) told me that they weren’t able to do it yet and that I could leave another message for the woman who had initially called me.  I asked if I could speak to a trainer, but they were also all n/a, in a meeting.

So I decided to just suck it up, go to the changeroom (which was so nice and clean, not like Fitness One) and Chad and I ran on the treadmill for a while.  It was actually pretty fun to work out with him, but then he wanted to do more machines and I got pouty because I didn’t know what to use, so we left.

It’s now a month later and I still have only gone that one time.  My brother got a call to join the same gym (I put down his name so I could get a free bag) and the rep that called him (the guys who signed us up) asked if his sister (ME!) was ever going to set up her training sessions!  I couldn’t believe that someone else was asking about me and I can’t get a freaking callback from anyone there.

So in keeping with my new frame of mind to get healthy and happier I am going to suck it up, call the guy who signed me up in the first place, and get myself some proper training so I can get over this fear of the gym.

Hopefully with Chad gone it will motivate me even more to go because I won’t have him to hang out with when I done working.  But then I’m going to have to stop letting whatever DWW is at my house twist my arm with a beer on the porch in the sun.

Here’s me

Oh, also got new hair on Friday. Lighter and shorter. I missed being this blonde. Ryan my new hairdresser/friend is amazing. He has a salon at his home and it’s nice to go over and chill with a friend while getting your hair done. So relaxing.

This one is MINE!

Chad gettin’ pumped up

I’m gonna get fit as fast as I can riding my new bike and doing yoga.