EnlightenedStateApparel Burnout Tanks {review + GIVEAWAY!}

 

Do you love to work out? (I know some of you may be laughing at that question, like, how on earth can somebody /love/ working out... well, hey, before you start rolling your eyes, take my word for it: it's totally possible!) Looking for lightweight, comfortable clothes to wear during your training sessions? Tired of looking bleh while you work up a sweat?

 

Okay, so whether you love working out or not, Enlightened State Apparel is an awesome Etsy shop. Not to mention, it will totally give what you're looking for if you answered yes to the above questions.  

 

Basically, ESA is a line of fun, sporty racer back tanks that are both lightweight and cute. They come in bright, pop-y colors that make you think energetic thoughts just looking at them. Oh, and they have motivational saying on the front. Nice, right?

 

 I was sent the Train the Same or Remain the Same Tank. Love that saying! And I really liked the color combo. Sadly, my pictures don't really capture the blue very well. Blegh. I apologize for the picture quality in general because it is so evidently lousyyy. Fact is, I've been ridiculously busy as of late and haven't had the time for writing up product reviews even though I'm very behind on them. But, please, don't mind my excuses.

 

 I ordered a bit bigger than necessary, anticipating something more form-fitting, which it wasn't. (If you buy something, just make sure you order your natural size, don't go a size higher in fear of it being too tight.) So it hangs a bit lower on my chest than I'd like, and is pretty baggy everywhere else. I can live with that though. It's not like it's something I'm going to wear to the conservatory or when teaching. It's a work-out shirt, and supposed to be comfortable for that reason. (The one condition here being that you can't really wear a regular bra with it and have it still be 'modest'. Time to whip out that sports bra!)

 

Well it definitely is comfortable!

Overall, I like this shirt, and in the Florida summer months it's truly perfect for a good long run in the sun.

Now for the exciting part.......what do we have next? You guessed it - a giveaway! That's right, it's no illusion!
 You can enter to win your very own ESA tank! You even get to pick which tank!

How nifty is that!? If I were you peeps, I'd be putting in as many entries as I could right now. So get hopping!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Dump The Sugar And Obsess Over The Hobbit

 

 

I know, I know. I should be writing a FabHealthFriday post today.

But.... Having just finished a new colored pencil drawing last night, I was too excited not to share it with y'all.

 

And anyways, part of the title does have to do with health stuff, so I guess you *could* call this something of a FabHealthFriday post....

 

Bah, never mind. Forget FHF for the moment.

 

Am I the only one who has been obsessing over The Hobbit ever since I got a hold of it?!

 

 

 

Okay, maybe I'm not the *only* one.

 

But. I'll admit, it's been nothing short of an obsession lately. Already, Will and I have watched it twice in two weeks, and both of us are reading the book. And yakking about the whole topic non-stop, 24-7.

 

I've been into using my colored pencils lately, after a long period of nothing besides black and white HBs, Bs and charcoal pencil. As I said before, God created a world of color so why not make use of some of those brilliant hues?

 

Dragons have always been one of my many fascinations. I'd keep telling myself,
"one of these days I'll draw one." But I never did, really. Not until two days ago when I started doing Smaug. (And no, it didn't take 48 hours to finish this piece. I just only work on my drawings usually in the evenings after dinner.)

 

I don't know about y'all, but lately I've been feeling really sick of sugar. Weighed down, lethargic, and generally feeling like a 5'8" bag of BLEHHH.

 

Yeah. Both how I've felt, and my description of how I've felt...Not so great, either of them. :P

 Now, I DO have my days of feeling great and fit, physically, but it seems that lately those days have been fewer. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the sugar we've been consuming.

 

Sugar is one thing nearly impossible to escape in this country. You get it in almost every processed item on the store-shelf, whether you want it or not. It's tucked away in everything from ketchup, to canned vegetables and fruits.

It gets snuck in to the most unpredictable items, and in amounts greater than we'd every think.

Our country is obsessed with sugar. And, sadly, sugar is one of the things that is killing us.

 

So. To cut to the chase, I've pondered going on a sugar fast/dumping sugar fro my diet and I as of now have been attempting to do so.

 

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" -1 Corinthians 6:19

 

It matters what we put into our temples. And, although you've probably heard this a million times before, you truly are what you eat.

 

So. Thus begins my quest to annihilate all excess sugars from my diet. I'll try to keep you guys on the in. In other news, last night I believe I concocted red eye in my left eye....which is lovely. -_- Of course, I guess I could try to use that as writing inspiration in some way...

 

 Has anyone else attempted a sugar-fast?

 

 

What's that? Oh, I rambled, did I? And why are you so surprised? :P

 



Oil Pulling {FabHealthFriday}

Who here has ever heard of oil pulling? If you have, you probably already know about the amazing health benefits of this interesting practice. But for those of you, who, like me, until 2 weeks ago, had no clue about what it is, this post is for you.

What is oil pulling?

Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic remedy for oral health and detoxification. It involves the use of pure oils as agents for pulling harmful bacteria, fungus, and other organisms out of the mouth, teeth, gums and even throat. How this works? You take a tablespoon of melted organic coconut oil (We get ours from TropicalTraditions.com and highly recommend them) OR organic sesame seed oil and swish it around in your mouth for anywhere from 10-20 minutes.

It may seem like a while to hold the oil in your mouth. And in the beginning, it can certainly feel that way. It is something you must get accustomed to doing. What I did is set the timer for 20 minutes, and then try to go about my regular business....chores, writing, school, etc.  Maybe this could be your computer time spell since time seems to go by quicker while on the internet. Just remember to keep that oil moving inside your mouth. If you get tired of swishing, use your tongue to push the oil around. Just don't swallow! The oil is pulling toxins and bacteria from your gums, tongue, and roof of your mouth, you don't want to reabsorb these toxins again by ingesting. Also, do not lean your head back and gargle the oil.

If 20 minutes is too long (or even 10 minutes, for that matter) and gets tiring for you, spit out the oil in the toilet and get another fresh tablespoon. Swish it around for the remainder of the time.

When you're done, spit the oil into the toilet and rinse very thoroughly. Keep in mind all the bacteria, germs and toxins which were just extracted, and this should cause you to want to rinse very, very well. I like to even brush my teeth after a oil pull. (I do it in the morning after breakfast which is convenient for the teeth-brushing)

What are the health benefits of oil pulling?

• Overall strengthening of the teeth and gums and jaws.
• Prevention of diseases of the gums and mouth, such as cavities and gingivitis.
• Prevention for bad breath
• Potential holistic remedy for bleeding gums
• Prevention of dryness of the lips, mouth and throat.
• Possible holistic treatment for TMJ and general soreness in the jaw area.
• Migraine headache relief
• Correcting hormone imbalances
• Reducing inflammation of arthritis
• May help with gastro-enteritis
• Aids in the reduction of eczema
• May reduce symptoms of bronchitis
• Helps support normal kidney function
• May help reduce sinus congestion
• Some people report improved vision
• Helps reduce insomnia
• Reduced hangover after alcohol consumption
• Aids in reducing pain
• Reduces the symptoms of allergies
• Helps detoxify the body of harmful metals and organisms

Scientists believe that the lipids in the oil both pull out bacteria, as well as stop bacterial from sticking to the walls of the oral cavity. Oil pulling reduces the amount of S. mutans (germ) count in both teeth plaque and mouth saliva.

 In addition, oil pulling may also increase saponification in the mouth, creating a soapy environment that cleanses the mouth as vegetable fat is an emulsifier by nature. Oil pulling cleanses out harmful bacteria, as well as reduces fungal overgrowth. These oils also possibly help in cellular restructuring, and are related to the proper functioning of the lymph nodes and other internal organs.

Oil pulling has been said to aid people in weight loss. So if you're wanting to shed a couple pounds, add this routine to your day and see what happens!

Blown away yet? I could go on. There is lots of information which you can find further on oil pulling, I only gave you the basics today.

Was this helpful to you? Have you ever tried oil pulling? Have any success stories? I'd love to hear about it!

Happy Friday!

Dance + Fitness Music Picks

This is a nice peppy beat good for kickboxing dance routines.

Hey all you mahvelous peoples! I have to say I have been so excited to see that my blog has actually...*gasp*...been getting some views lately! It's up to almost 800. Ok, yeah, I know that's not much, but hey. It's better than nothing. And 800 is a lot to me.

So. I want to thank y'alls for coming and checking out my blog. You know you've made me a lot more motivated to post on here and actually keep the Apassionata active. So thanks again.

Well, I stumbled upon this guy on Youtube who creates his own ambient electronic dance and techno music.

Typically? I am not a fan of techno-anything. I am more drawn to the wierd, funky genres which technically exist under no specific genre...yet. Really. I have no clue as to how to describe some of the music I listen to.

So anyways. I found this guy and he makes his own ambient electronic dance and techno music. Wait... I guess I already told you that. Blehh. Whatev. So the point is, there's some pretty cool stuff on his channel.

I just found myself my favorite new track to dance to, me thinks.

By the way, how many of y'all like to work out, run, kickbox or dance?

I have been into all 4 of those lately. :) Okayyy, not so much the kickboxing, however I HAVE been doing this cardio workout routine which involves kickboxing moves. And it feels awesome.

Dancing is fun. Ages ago, wayyyy back when, I took ballet and tap dance at a studio in Ocala. I enjoyed it.

NOW? I don't even dance in public or around anybody actually, for many reasons which I won't go into right now.

I just close the bedroom door, turn up the music, and dance. By myself. It's epic. And I love to sweat. Did I ever mention that before? Well, I do. Another random fact you should know about me. I adore sweating. It's wierd sounding I know, but who can't love the feeling of toxins leaving the body??

This is another fun dance track.

So. I am not sure what kind of dancing I do, exactly. I sort of make my own moves up. Hehe. They're probably wierd and crazy, but maybe that's one of the reasons I dance in private. ;)

Y'all already know how I adore running. But I haven't really gotten a chance to run lately so I'll spare you any details on that subject.

I just wanted to share these 3 tracks which are my new fave workout music videos. :)

Have a blessed Sunday! (for us, it's our church homecoming day)

Con amor,

P.S. Oh, and by the way, what are your favorite work-out/dance songs? Leave me a comment! I'd love to hear what they are!