Nurture My Body - Body Wash Giveaway

I not only want to give you great workout encouragement and exercise product knowledge but sometimes just something for fun. Something to make yourself feel that much better about your weight loss journey. I am continuously searching for fun products to share with you my reader.

We all workout hard in the gym and that can be rough on your skin. I wear weightlifting gloves to protect my hands from callouses. After a workout and a relaxing shower, I love smothering my skin in lotion. Because we are all so health conscious, we need to be that as well with our product choices. Make sure your products are not loaded with chemicals which can hinder your weight loss. Seriously you ask? Yes they can slow the process. Everything is absorbed into your skin and can change the chemical makeup of your hormone balance. Thus making it harder to lose weight.

I stumbled on a company named Nurture My Body. They are an organic skin care company that has a lot to offer. I was sent a few samples and I am really enjoying them. I am a huge ginger fan and the products I received are just that. They smell really good. For me the biggest test of a great lotion is applying to my tattoos. As your tattoo is about five layers into your skin, the dry skin on top is like a foggy window. Once you clean the glass and put a good lotion on your skin, you can see through those layers and your tattoo looks amazing. So if a lotion can absorb down into those layers and make the tattoo pop, I know it's doing more than surface work.

Shown here is the Ginger Body Lotion. Here is what NMB has to say about their lotion: Our Organic Ginger Hand and Body Lotion blend contains essential oils of cinnamon leaf for its warming and stimulating qualities, sweet orange to tone the skin and energize the mind, and ginger CO2 to soothe your achy muscles and uplift your mind.

I also received a sample of the Ginger Body Wash: The body washes are premium quality washes that use a rich formula of natural botanicals and vitamins to clean and condition your body in one easy step. They respect your skin's natural balance thanks to their SLS-free cleansing base enriched with moisturizers that make your skin silkier, healthier and more beautiful. The body wash was very refreshing in a hot shower. The aroma is exquisite and really helps you relax and unwind from a long day.

While checking out Nurture My Body's home page, just under the photographs, there is an entry form to win a $50 gift box. Enter your email for a chance to win. In addition to the gift box, Nurture My Body has offered to ship a full size bottle of the Ginger Body Wash to one of my subscribers just for taking the time to check out their site. So thank you to Rich for this great giveaway.

Here's how to enter:

#1 - Be a subscriber or subscribe today. Leave me a comment: "I subscribe" or "I just subscribed."

#2- Be a follower for a second chance to win. Leave me a comment: "I follow" or "New follower."

#3- Check out the Nurture My Body online store and let me know what you like about their site or products of interest, for a third entry to win. (Some winners have been chosen based on comment alone. So make it a good one!

#4- Follow Nurture My Body on Twitter. http://twitter.com/Rich_Arnold

*A winner will be chosen on a combination of the above.

Contest will end July 2nd at midnight. A winner will be chosen on the 3rd and contacted per email. If no response is received within four days, another winner may be chosen in your place.

Good Luck!

Getting To Know Phat Camp - Article #1 in series.

With an outpouring response on the Skinny Fat article, I realize there are so many of you out there. You are hiding in skinny clothes and are very unhappy with the current physical you. I have not only received a few comments on the site, from the brave, but personal emails as well. And yes even phone calls from those close to me. You are coming out of the woodwork saying "Yes, I am skinny fat and very unhappy." You agree the world views you as skinny. You don't feel skinny and it's almost more than some can bare. You put a smile on your face when someone tells you how good you look. Then, we you get home, you look in the mirror without the frills of the clothing and think "who were they looking at? I have a muffin top, squishy arms, and flab on my backside."

Living skinny fat for the past few years has brought me to this point in my life. The decision not only to actually be skinny but to go out and do something about it. I am going to Phat Camp!

I want to first share a YouTube video which explains a bit more about Phat Camp. This will give you a first-hand look inside camp. I encourage you to take this journey for yourself. I would love all of you to be able to meet Jenny and train with her. What an experience it's going to be. (My close friends - your going with me! Set a goal and make it happen. I love you and want you to ride this ride with me. You know who you are.... my Girls Gone Gym Class!)

Hint: If you are watching this on the YHH home page, scroll down to the bottom and pause music so you can hear Jen!

I will be working out at Phat Camp this September. Nothing will hold me back now. This is the carrot which hangs in front of me when I workout. My husband and trainer, will watch me start to waiver on a lift or an exercise and says "Do this one for Jen. Pretend you're working out with her. You wouldn't quit if she was watching, would you?" This is the "pressure" I need to push me while working out and finally become what I've wanted to be for so long.

Being trapped in a "skinny fat" body has controlled me long enough! I know you feel the same or you would not be subscribing to YHH. Most of the people around me on a day to day basis don't understand my new found goals. But that's OK. They don't have to. It's all about me at this point. And you should feel the same. Do what makes you feel great! Only you know what your goals are and do what it takes to reach them. We all make goals for ourselves or have dreams for our future. These are only what we can understand.

If Phat Camp sounds like something you would like to do please check out Jen's site and register for a class near you.

Please feel free to respond via email at anytime with questions or concerns. Maybe even a story of success or two will make it into an article. We need to learn to support each other. I have received emails here and there with concerns about weight loss and I love to help. If I don't know the answer, I will find it!

It's not easy being Skinny Fat.

My heart hurts when it comes to the subject of skinny fat. I used to be skinny fat and can finally say I have now come out of this category. With lots of hard work and sweat I have transformed myself and you can too. I am continuing this journey every day, as I am not at my goal quite yet. Through my continued progress in photos, I hope I can encourage all skinny fat people out there. To let you know you are not alone and you can achieve your goals.
So what is skinny fat? It's the world's view of someone skinny. As they may be on the slimmer side and still wearing all the updated clothing, only they know what they look like in front of a mirror. Little sag here, little pooch there, flabby arms, the dreaded muffin top, etc. They are nowhere near being "perfect" physically as the world thinks they are. We are not just being critical but honest with the body we see everyday. Others think if skinny people are not content with themselves there must be something wrong. Is this you? Are you skinny fat?

You have learned to layer clothing so no one sees the belly now rolling over the top of your jeans. You no longer wear short sleeve shirts because of the flab on the back of your arms. Pants continue to get tighter, and you being stubborn, are not willing to buy the next size. Thus causing yourself horrible frustration everyday and wondering how it got to be this way. 10, 15, 20 pounds just rolled on you and you hiding it from everyone and they wonder why your so hard on yourself. They won't say anything to you unless you happen to complain. Then the common reaction is "Oh my gosh are you serious? Your sooooo skinny. I can't believe you think your fat."

I honestly can't stand this. Someone will walk right up to you and tell you that you can eat that cake for breakfast because your so skinny and it doesn't matter. Everyone has an opinion on how you should feel about yourself. They have no problem telling you that you're being hard on yourself and you should just enjoy life and relax a bit with your eating habits. At what point do they stop passing judgment? When you are 50 pounds overweight? Then does that same person tell you "Maybe you shouldn't be eating that cake for breakfast"? Of course not.

Skinny fat people need to have confidence in their goals of weight loss regardless of what someone else says. Only you know how you should feel in your own skin. Only you know if there is an extra 15 pounds to lose. I lost that and maybe more. I stopped getting on the scale after a while. Everyone always told me I looked good, but my new found gut was not making me feel healthy mentally. At what point does everyone else want you to make a weight loss decision? When you have 50 or 100 pounds to lose and it's going to take that much longer to change your life around? It's OK for you to set new goals of weight loss and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise!

Here are some tips I have learned along the way. I have wanted to say many things that would be hurtful to the other person (as 90% of the time it's someone with a weight issue themselves passing judgment on you) but realize that doesn't help the situation get any better.

When someone at your work or at a family picnic wants you to have that cake and won't take no for an answer, nicely say: "I am really sorry but I have been making healthier choices for a few weeks now and my stomach just can't handle sugar anymore." Or "Thanks so much for offering but for personal reasons I am not eating sweets right now." Hopefully the word PERSONAL will get you out of it. Don't go into a long explanation of what you are doing. Just say no as many times as you need to and then change the subject. Don't worry if the person who made the sweet is upset or hurt. Remember it's still your body and your choice to what you put in it.

Try not to tell others about your weight loss goals unless they ask and seem extremely interested. This is the only way you will know they are going to be supportive.

Once you find that supportive group, surround yourself with them. You want people to encourage you and tell you NOT to stop a the restaurant with the big M on the way home from work. If someone doesn't have the same interests as you in fitness and eating, their lifestyle will be a distraction to you.

I hope this has helped at least one person understand it's OK if the world thinks your thin and you do not. You don't owe them an explanation. You can workout hard and not justify it to anyone but yourself. You body is in your hands and yours alone. Just keep doing what your doing and jump for joy in all that you have achieved. Know that you are worth it!

Reading Labels? Part #2 - Breakfast and Snack Bars

YHH email subscribers, click here to view on home page with music!

Let's start with Special K. They make you feel special for making the "healthy" choice, right? Have you seen or purchased the Protein Snack Bar yet? Did you read the label? Only 4 grams of protein (should be way higher in my opinion if they are selling it to you as a "protein" bar, 11 grams of sugar, 110 calories per bar. Sugar (#1 ingredient) Hydrogenated (never good) Palm Kernel Oil, Cocoa "Processed" with Alkali, Corn syrup, Fructose (more sugar, different name), Sugar (seriously, I am just reading you the label), Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and Cotton Seed Oil, Molasses (more sugar), Natural and Artificial Flavors (and we learned about that in Reading Labels Part #1) and tons of other stuff. OK so there are some vitamins and whey protein. I'll give them that. But take a multi and make a whey protein shake. Next......

So your on the run and you want to grab some cereal but don't have time to make wholesome oatmeal and cinnamon. So what's the next best thing? How about cereal in a bar. Are you serious? Where do I start with this one? The filling is High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Glycerin, Sugar, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Carmel Color, Red Dye #40 and a few other ingredients I am not even going to attempt to spell. (For those of you who missed previous info on HFCS: It tricks the body into not releasing insulin and leptin, two hormones your body should release when you are done eating or full. It BLOCKS your feeling of being full. HFCS does nothing to stop your grehlin, which increases the levels in your body and demands your body eat more. So the industry loves this and is putting it in everything so you will eat everything and the kitchen sink and still be hungry!) Did I mention this was just in the filling. The "cereal coating" has HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP and SUGAR. Yay! More healthy stuff. Next.....

So Oatmeal has got to be good for you, yes? You hear all the health and fitness nuts eating it all the time. Well, I can guarantee it's not in the form of "breakfast to go." Let's start with HFCS, (second ingredient), brown sugar, and don't forget regular sugar, and Hydrogenated Corn Seed Oil and Soy Bean Oil.

So let's stop again for a minute and learn about Hydrogenated: This is created for the convenience of the food industry so junk foods (chips, cookies, crackers, and all the food you see here) can stay on the shelf longer and still be "fresh." This is created when a regular fat such as corn oil or soy bean oil are blasted with hydrogen to change the liquid into a solid. Did you know this process dramatically raises your risk of heart attacks. With 220 calories and only 4 grams protein, I would not recommend you "go" anywhere with this oatmeal.

Here's one I don't even know if I want to take time talking about. "Whole Grain" Poptarts. Really? Oh and they make Low Fat Poptarts now too. Remember, it's still filled with HFCS making your body want to eat the entire box. I am not saying these don't taste good, but we must start making wiser choices.


Ok, so here's one that I can't really rip too much. It doesn't show any Aspartame, HFCS, enriched, hydrogenated, or other code-words meaning Aspartame that I can see. All though it is still chemical laden it could be worse on this one. I am not saying run out and buy it. But I want you to become aware of labels and what you are reading/eating.




Just a simple Whey Protein added to a glass of milk, sprinkled on your oatmeal, or mixed in with other healthy cereals is the best way to go. NOW products are currently winning all kinds of awards for their products and can be found at most local health food stores. They have a full line of products to choose from.


What it all comes down to is making an educated choice and not a guess or trusting what the label tells you. If you want to be in best shape of your life and live long and healthy you have to start paying attention to labels!

FitFlop Shoe Review

Are you ready to meet the most amazing shoe your foot will ever slide into? I am so excited to bring you this review.

With previous problems with back pain and being diagnosed with scoliosis, it has been my quest to not only get fit and maintain a strong back, but to find a shoe that will keep my back in line while walking around. Not only do FitFlops do that, but they build your legs and buttocks at the same time. Their slogan: "It's the flip flop with the gym built-in. Put on a pair and you get a workout while you walk."

That is no joke. I can not only wear these around for casual grocery shopping, but I can also speed walk in them. They don't ever feel like they are going to fall off. They truly are comfortable. And when I really power walk you can feel it in places that you would not with a regular shoe. My calves and hammies feel it the entire time. With tennis shoes my feet feel somewhat claustrophobic and get hot right away when walking for long periods. These are great as your feet breaths like any other flip flop. Here's how they work:

The heel strike area of the of the FitFlop midsole is made of high density EVA to absorb maximum shock, and to speed the foot into the softer less stable mid-footbed. The mid-footbed creates a slightly unstable platform for the foot. This forces your muscles to switch on for longer to ensure balance and give your leg a workout. The mid-density toe section provides a firmer area for toe push off and faster step speed and rest for your legs between steps.


Don't worry boys, you were not left out of this one. They have a great shoe for men named Freeways. These shoes come in tan/white or black. The white shoe shown below, is the ladies version of the Freeway. This will for sure by my next pair!
For those of us who can't wear the flip flop style to work and still want to continue that leg workout during the day, there is an alternative style named the Gogh. They are made with a water repellent DuPont treated suede and the same toning technology found in the FitFlop. Slide them on and "gogh". These are available in black and brown.

On a side note, they also come packaged in a great looking shoe box and come with a red drawstring bag to store your shoes when not in use. A great added packaging feature. I hope you check out the FitFlops and give them a try. You can purchase these shoes on line or find them at a quality shoe store.

When your not in the gym, why not take the gym with you? I rate these shoes a 10!

Reading Labels?

Email Subscribers: click YHH to read on home page with music!


Are you reading the labels that come on your so called "health foods?"

I want to pick on a friend of mine at work for a moment. She has asked for help in her weight loss and I am holding nothing back in giving it to her. She was drinking Sobe's Life Water. Did you know that in the Passion Fruit Citrus there is 25 grams of sugar in just one bottle? Plus High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). My co-worker was so disappointed and asked me "Why do they call it LIFE water then?" My answer: because they want you to buy it.

We have to be smarter than this when it comes to our foods by reading the labels and taking charge of what we are putting in our mouths. But Sobe isn't the only one. Gatorade has 28 grams of sugar in a 32 once bottle; Vitamin water is 32.5 grams in a 20 ounce bottle, and the oh so refreshing Pomegranate Light Green Tea from Arizona Teas (which you would think green tea and poms) has 36 grams of sugar in a 16 oz. can. The Green Tea with Honey 17 grams of sugar, the lowest but still loaded with other ingredients you can't even understand.

I have a beef with yogurt too. Almost all yogurt on the shelf has HFCS and Aspartame. I searched and searched for one without the stuff. This yogurt shown below has 14 grams of regular sugar on top Aspartame and other fake additives. Just because they tell you it's good for you and you can lose weight does not mean it's true. Have you seen the commercial with the women eating all the pie flavored yogurt and taking her clothes back to the alteration shop for smaller sizes? Did she mention she had to work out too? You can't just start eating yogurt and lose weight. But you aren't that naive, right?Now there is one yogurt that I am kind of OK with. Unfortunately it is high in sugar as well. But all organic. No HFCS or ingredients you can't read. So as there may be 24 gr. of regular sugar, there is also 8 grams of protein and only 2 gr of fat. Rachel's organic yogurts are what I recommend if you must have yogurt. But limit yourself to one a day or every other day for sugar purposes. She has really great relaxation flavors like honey and lavender and exotic flavors like pomegranate and blueberry. So as there's more sugar (real sugar) you are going to get the benefits from the great natural fruit she has to offer.

Another one that irritates me, like fingernails on a chalk board, is Coke Zero. If it doesn't have sugar, calories, or carbs, then what is it? It's not water! I searched through Wikipedia for more information on this product. Did you know the coke that comes into the United States and Canada is different than that of all other countries? Because you live in the US or Canada you get Potassium Benzoate and Potassium Citrate. Also, France gets herb extracts and we get "natural flavors".

I must break here and add the Wikipedia explanation of Natural Flavors. Just so you get a grasp on what you are eating and drinking. This is most commonly used, in high doses, in jelly, soft drinks and candies:

Although the terms "flavoring" or "flavorant" in common language denote the combined chemical sensations of taste and smell, the same terms are usually used in the fragrance and flavors industry to refer to edible chemicals and extracts that alter the flavor of food and food products through the sense of smell. Due to the high cost or unavailability of natural flavor extracts, most commercial flavorants are nature-identical, which means that they are the chemical equivalent of natural flavors but chemically synthesized rather than being extracted from the source materials.

Coke Zero also marks the soda as containing Phenylalania which is another word for Aspartame. So basically your drinking all chemicals in a plastic bottle nonetheless. I won't go into what the 20 oz. plastic bottle itself has in it for chemicals. Please, just because it's diet or zero does not mean you should be drinking it. Another interesting side note, Coke is calling this zero instead of "diet" because they have found men do not purchase as much "diet" as the women and they are trying to target the young male consumer.

I am going to say it again: If it comes from the earth (wheat/organic bread, vegetables, fruit) or has a mother (eggs and meat) then you can eat it. Be careful when selecting processed foods, if you must. If you want to lose weight and look amazing you just have to give up the stuff. It's no joke putting all these chemicals into your body. They will effect your workouts, your energy, and in the long run, no one knows. That to me is the scariest.

Getting To Know Jen Hendershott

Email subscribers click YHH to view on home page.

Who is Jennifer Hendershott? Two Time Ms. Olympia, Two Time Fitness International Champion, Cover Model for Oxygen Magazine, and Owner of Phat Camp. The video below is her Ms. Olympia routine from the 2008 competition.



I have been a faithful subscriber to Oxygen magazine since the January issue of 2006. I must say my husband really took a leap of faith in getting me a subscription for Christmas. He knew deep down inside I was not happy with myself. I was getting a little more sluggish, not doing anything physical anymore, and just not as comfortable in my own skin. He had been lifting weights since high school and had much knowledge, and I at that time, did not want to listen to what HE had to say. When I opened that first issue, he said with loving care "Please don't be offended, but I saw this magazine and thought you might really like it. I got you a years subscription, just check it out." I flipped through it that first year feeling very motivated but still not putting a lot into action. The more they came in the mail, the more familiar I became with the faces that graced the cover and the routines listed inside. Then it really started to kick in that maybe I could do this.

After the first year, he again asked in love "Do you want to renew?" There was a part of me that just couldn't give up on this dream of being healthier than I ever had been. Now, after three years of this magazine arriving in my mailbox, I just can't get enough and am glad I have kept on this journey.

But most of all I am thankful for getting to know so many of the fitness models and all they have taught me along the way. One of them being Jen Hendershott. In July of that first subscription year, 2006, Jen was on the cover with the heading "Are you tough like Jen?" I have always hated working my legs and there was Jen, inside the magazine, doing a killer leg workout.


One of the reason I wanted to introduce my readers to Jen more in depth is because I am thrilled to announce, this coming fall, my butt is going to be personally kicked by Jen at her Phat Camp. I give all the glory to GOD for giving me the courage to contact Heather (Bearclaw), Jen's side kick and one of her partners at Phat Camp, and ask them to partner up with my site.

When I encourage you my readers, on fitness and health, I try to make it not just my personal journey, but to relate small things between you and I so that you walk away with the knowledge you need.

But this special series of articles, leading up to Phat Camp in September will be my personal journey. Please ride along with me as I prepare for an amazing weekend. I want to encourage you (my fitness gals, sorry guys, girls only) to consider going to Phat Camp sometime within the next year. Make a goal and get there.

Wish me luck!

Boundless Book by Kurt Lee Hurley

Thanks to Kurt, I was given the chance to read his book. I must admit, compared to the other "fitness" books I have read, this was not what I was expecting. And honestly, it did take me a while to get into his flow. But I think it was because I had to change my mind set on what I thought I was going to be reading.

Kurt is very detailed in his book. The author gets into your mind and tries to change not only your preconceived thoughts, but changing you deep into your spirit.

The best feature, in my opinion, is Kurt is an obvious Christian man who was not afraid to put it out on the table. I love books that show me the Christian point of view, as that for me, is what I am going to follow for living my life.

I totally agree with Kurt that to attract positives in your life you must BE positive.

A good example: When I used to do hair years ago, this theory was proven time and time again. The classic hairdresser, no fancy makeup of clothing and simple hair, attracted the same in her clients. The crazy and wild hairdresser with crazy colored highlights, punky style and platform shoes, always found herself doing the wildest hair color treatments on her clients. The person who wanted the crazy colors would never find themselves making an appointment with the "classic" stylist or vice versa. Rarely did a grandma sit the the crazy colored stylist chair for a perm. Unless she was wild in her day too!

Do you get the point? If you want to have positive things in your life then you must act that way yourself. Then that's what you will attract.

Kurt talks about: Resistance training on how it really trains your brain. What emotions are and how to use them to your benefit. Visualizing your thoughts. Finding your spiritual sense of purpose. The fear of rejections. Goals for boundless health, and many more topics.

This book, is so deep, there is no way I can put it all in one review.

I recommend this as something you should have on your shelf with your health and fitness books, cookbooks, and must have Calorie King. You can read this book a little at a time, jump around from chapter to chapter, or straight through. It is set up just that way.

When you need a little inspiration, pick it up, put it down, and pick up a weight. I give this book a high review and hope you make time to read it for yourself.

The importance of journaling.

Email subscribers: Click YHH to view on home page.


Journaling is a sure way to not only keep track of your feelings and everyday life activities, but a way to keep track of workouts and calories. I can't say enough, or continue to remind, that you must be doing this step. This to me, is just as important as picking up that weight or making healthy food choices.

I have recommended the Calorie King book and computer program to you in the past. I believe the book is a great tool to always have on you when on the run. You can make the best choices when out to dinner. Calories are never what they seem.

Epica is another company I recommend. They have a great mini size journal (measuring 4x6) which I have been carrying with me in my purse. I write down, each day, what I am consuming for that day. Not only does this help you keep track of the calories, but being held responsible for your food choices. It's harder to eat those chips or candy bar when you permanently have to put it in your journal. With Epica's smaller journals, they can go with you anywhere.

They leather on this journal is quality Italian leather. The leather is distressed and after a while, takes on the oils from your skin and becomes that of it's own character. I have reviewed journals in the past and due to the size and simplicity of this journal, it can be used by anyone. Men will love this too as it can be tossed in your gym bag, computer bag, or in your car glove box when eating out.

The smaller journals start at $40. I don't believe that is unreasonable for the quality of the journal and paper. They come packaged in a gift box and have a felt draw sting bag for long storage. If you are looking for something on the higher end, they offer those too. I am intrigued by the wooden journals as well.

With so many choices at Epica, I am sure you will find what you need for your journaling needs.

Just remember that as important it is for you to be recording your workouts. It is just that for you to keep track of your food. If you have a craving or a strong desire to eat something you know you shouldn't, quickly get out your journal and write down how you are feeling at that moment. It may not be the food calling to you but stress or some other related issue. Once you journal enough, you can spot a pattern and put an end to it.

Keep up the great workouts and write them down!