Cardio vs Weights

There are two types of exercise; cardiovascular (cardio) and weight training.


Exercises that are cardio focused include the cross-trainer, bike and treadmill.


Weight training, also known as strength/ resistance training improves muscular strength through the use of free weights, machines or your own body weight.


Which one is best for you? Well, that depends on what you are trying to achieve. If your goal is initially weight loss, you should do cardio. But if you want to increase your strength and build muscle, use weights.


If you want to incorporate both cardio and weights into your workout session, use weights first before moving onto the cardio machines. This method will fatigue your muscles, so that when you start the cardio, your body will burn fat instead of muscle.

Chemicals in your nail polish

Following on from my chemicals in your skincare blog post, I thought I would write another post about chemicals, but this time, the ones found in nail polish. I love having nicely manicured or polished nails. I’m sure the strong unpleasant nail polish smell doesn’t do my health any favours, but I never considered the ingredients in my nail polish would be harmful.


After doing some research, the three main ingredients that kept cropping up as harmful are:


- Formaldehyde
A carcinogen (possible cancer causing substance) and can cause headaches, watery eyes, and burning throat when inhaling the fumes.


- Toluene
A neurotoxin and can interfere with the functions of neurons. Basically, neurons are cells in your nervous system and brain that aid many different brain functions. Typically, these cells should not be tampered with and toluene is known to cause short term problems such as weakness, nausea, confusion, and fatigue. Long term exposure to toluene can cause a severe nervous disorder.


- Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)
Known to cause pregnancy complications, birth defects, or even loss of pregnancy. DBP is most commonly used as a plasticizer in PVC and then used to manufacture things like hoses, wires, cables, sheeting, tubing etc. Another study has shown that DBP accelerates the puberty stage in girls and has the potential to cause genital abnormalities in newborn males.


A bonus bad ingredient:


- Camphor
Research has shown that it can cause seizures, headaches, and stomaches.


So I am going to clear out my current polishes and will certainly be stocking up on these three brands of nail polish that do not contain any of these bad ingredients:


- Deborah Lippmann
- Nubar
- Zoya




These brands can be found on BeautyBay and Feel Unique.


The sources for which this blog post is based on:
- Go Green Street
- Beautiiful Healthy Fingernails

Review: La Roche-Posay Lipikar Xerand Hand Repair Cream

I have pretty dry hands. I wash them far more than any normal person does and the Wintery weather hasn't helped either. So it's safe to say that my hands are in desperate need of some TLC. I have tried many different brands of hand creams but I have never found one I loved enough to recommend or re-purchase.


Many beauty bloggers have heard of and recommend La Roche-Posay for their face products, and whilst browsing the selection in my local Boots, I discovered that they also sell a hand cream. It is called Lipikar Xerand Hand Repair Cream and costs £7.15 for 75 ml, which is a reasonable price, and I was excited to try it out. I cannot find the product on the Boots wesbite, but here is a link to the La Roche-Posay website for more information.


This hand cream is serious stuff! You only need a pea-sized amount and there is a slight fragrance, but it is not overpowering. The cream is quite thin and sinks into the skin quickly.
What I love most about the La Roche-Posay brand is that all their products are paraben-free. If you read my previous blog post, it's a preservative I am keen to avoid in my skincare products. The only downside to this product is that it doesn't contain an SPF, which I would've liked.


I've only used the hand cream for two weeks, but I am loving it so far (so much that I had to blog about it)


If you suffer from dry, or severely dry hands, I would recommend that you try this.


What hand cream do you currently use and do you like it?

Chemicals in your skincare

When it comes to skincare, I’ve always held the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. I’ve been using the same skincare products day in, day out for many years. After all, I didn’t have an adverse reaction to them and they did the job so I never thought to change them. But it wasn’t until recently, that I really took an interest in reading about chemicals and skincare ingredients. I realised that I had been quite naïve about the ingredients and subsequently, I updated my skincare routine (bar one product) based on everything I had read.


There are many dangerous chemicals used in skincare and cosmetic products every day. Below I’ve listed three common ones, which pose a high risk:


- Parabens (or anything ending in -bens)
These preservatives act like estrogen in the body, throwing off hormonal balance. Parabens have been shown to accumulate in cancerous breast tumours. Parabens can be found in cleansers, body washes, for example.


- Tetrasodium EDTA
Preservative that’s made from the known carcinogen, formaldehyde and sodium cyanide. It is also a penetration enhancer, meaning it breaks down the skin's protective barrier, going right into your bloodstream. Many companies trying to be "natural" will use Tetrasodium EDTA instead of parabens to preserve their products.


- Propelyne Glycol
Is a penetration enhancer, meaning it’s a carrier for other chemicals, bringing them into your skin and your bloodstream. It's a known skin irritant, which can be found in deodorants, sunscreen, shampoo, conditioner and body washes.

The most important meal of the day

I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but it really is true; Breakfast is the most important meal of the day but it is also the most overlooked meal of the day.We’ve all skipped breakfast before, but it really does pay off to eat something nutritious after you wake up.


The benefits of eating breakfast include:
- Keeps you sharp
- Increases your metabolism
- Prevents overeating at lunchtime
- Fuels your brain and body


Some examples of good breakfast foods includes:
- Porridge (add some honey, spoonful of Nutella, or berries to liven it up)
- Eggs on toast (my personal favourite is poached)
- Granola with Greek yoghurt
- Peanut butter on toast and a banana

Top three carb sources

Consuming the right type of carbohydrates will stimulate your brain, fuel your body ready for a workout, and aid recovery afterwards.

Below are three of the best carbs you should incorporate into your diet.

- Oats
Perfect for breakfast, oats are a great source of carbohydrates that will give you fibre. Oats are low in sugar but easy to add flavourto. But if you have a sweet tooth, try adding some blueberries or drizzle with honey. Quaker Oats sell a really good 2-minute microwaveable sachet in avariety of yummy flavours.

- Quinoa
Admittedly, I hadn’t even heard of quinoa until recently, but after doing some research, it is a great source of both protein and carbs. Great news if you’re a vegetarian. It is quite easy to cook.

- Sweet Potatoes
Taste great and also have slightly more nutrients than regular potatoes. As they are a low GI food, sweet potatoes will release energy more slowly into the blood stream, which means that you won’tget that sudden spike. Try making sweet potato chips or mash with peas (recipe to follow in a later blog post)

Coming up soon will be a post on top protein sources, so keep an eye out!

Need a little motivation?

We all have a goal, a focus that we want to achieve because that’s whywe joined the gym. So going to the gym shouldn’t feel like torture. Butsometimes it does. Let’s be honest, sometimes you don’t feel like it, or it’stoo cold or you’re too tired. We’ve all been there.

If you really want to dosomething, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse - Jim Rohn

So, once in a while you need a little kick or reminder as to why youwake up at the crack of dawn, weery-eyed and go to the gym. Or after work, whenall you really want to do is go home.

Below I’ve listed some of my favourite motivational quotes. Print themout, stick them to your fridge or save them on your phone, just a little reminderto keep you on track when you’re doubting yourself:

- Don’t give up what you want most, for what you want now

- Eat clean, train dirty

- Motivation doesn’t get your results, results get you motivated

- The only thing better than reaching your goal is knowing that youearned it

- Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going

- Pain is temporary, pride is forever