What people say about weddings…

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There are a lot of things people say about weddings… 

Planning a wedding is fun…

Planning a wedding is stressful…

Weddings are expensive.

It’s not about the wedding, a wedding means nothing…

It is about the marriage, the marriage means everything.

Try to really take the time to enjoy every moment of your wedding, because if you don’t, you may miss something. And all those little details you spent so much time on, you don’t want to miss one of those. 

Leading up to your wedding, you may be so stressed, you just want to get the damn thing over with. You will cry. You will just want to go home. But this is normal behavior, every bride feels like this at some point.

But when your actual wedding day comes… Your wedding day will come and go. Trust me, it goes by way to fast.

After your wedding day is over you will remember the time you were so stressed and eloping sounded like a great idea.

But now that your wedding day is over, you are so thankful you didn’t elope… Because your wedding day was the best day ever. 

Along with being the best day ever, your wedding day was so much fun you wish you could do it again tomorrow.  

There are a lot of things people say about weddings… 

and guess what?

its all true… every last bit of it. 

Today marks one month since our wedding day. It is hard to believe we have been married for one whole month.

Happy One Month, Baby!

I love you to the moon and back!

xo

© 2013 sweatdaily

 

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My advice to a new runner and all runners…

As a hair stylist, we talk and listen all day long… it comes with the job. Our clients need to tell us stuff, and they are always asking what’s new and exciting in our lives. Our salon is on the small side, and in most cases hair stylists are loud people, so it is a very hard task to avoid your neighbors conversation.

Now to get to my point…

Lately, every other person I come across is starting to run. Woohoo, this makes me happy. Two of my lovely coworkers who are new to running are the first people who come to my mind. Along, with them being new to running, comes a million running questions. Once you become a passionate runner and you start training for your first race (whatever length you choose) running finds its way into every conversation. I talk a lot about running to my clients and now running is among the conversations these two coworkers have with their clients as well.

We are lucky to live in the DC area where there are active people everywhere. But my advice to anyone new to running is…

We are not the same. What works for one runner, may not work for another.

I mean this in every way.

What shoes work for one runner, may not work for you. What training program works for one runner, may not work for you. What race strategy work for one runner, may not work for you. Some may prefer a camel back for long run hydration, while others may prefer a water belt. Some may drink nuun while others prefer water. Some may refuel with sports beans others may like gu. Some may run everyday, when others need more recovery to prevent injury. And the list goes on… But you get my point.

It is good to ask questions. It is good to talk about running and hear others experiences ( that’s why I blog and read other blogs.) However, it is really important for you to try different things and figure out what works best for you. You are your own unique person, one of a kind. When it comes to running one size doesn’t fit all. And diversity in this sport is one of the reasons I love it so much!

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What is your most common running question?

Happy Running!!!

Runner’s 10 Commandments

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After a long time of not going on Pinterest, this week I was all over it. Looking for wedding inspiration. Making a pin board for Thailand. And of course I couldn’t help but notice all of the fitness pins. I found this one and it really hit home.

Runners are competitive athletes. But the only runner we need to be competitive with is ourselves. We need to stop comparing ourselves to others. And never be jealous of ones medals, PRs, or distances. As runners, we need to be happy and supportive of each other. Never think of yourself as less then your potential, I use to think I was a 10 min/mile girl, now I am running an 8:30 min/mile. I thought I was one think, so thats how I ran. Now I believe I can run faster, and further.

All of the other stuff, like change your shoes, don’t wear cotton, listen to your body, are important and help your run your best.

Happy Running!

What’s your golden rule?

© 2014 sweatdaily

 

Hair Fact Friday!

As you all may know, besides being a clean eating, marathon running, fitness addict, I am also a licensed hair stylist by profession.

I have always had the desire to write about hair. But I have avoided the idea because I wanted to keep my blog strictly about nutrition and fitness. And although this blog will be mostly about running, nutrition, and fitness. I can’t fight the urge any longer. I am beyond annoyed, I am fed up. I have to share my hair knowledge with you, because there is way too much false info out there.

I love you, and you more than anyone deserve to know the truth. So for now on I will be writing one hair post a week, on this blog, to expose hair lies and clear up any confusion you may have about your hair. My hair posts will be uploaded on Friday, and it will be called Hair Fact Friday!

I hope you enjoy these Hair Fact Friday posts… and feel free to personally e-mail me at sweat1xdaily@gmail.com if you have any hair questions you would like me to address on the blog or comment below.

© 2013 sweatdaily

Transformation Tuesday! Lets talk about progress and balance.

It is running season…

Which means, most runners are training for some sort of fall race, from 5K to 26.2, whichever distance it may be, us runners are out there running.

And although, running is our main priority right now, our focus… some of us runners start to worry…

I want to weight lift, but I need to run…

I want to do yoga, but I should run…

I want to ride my bike, but I gotta get out there and run…

Recently, I have been receiving tons of e-mails regarding how to balance a disciplined running plan and fit in weight lifting, yoga, etc.

Well let me tell you this…

Cross training is important.

Strength training is important.

Yoga/ stretching is important. 

I started running 6 years ago. I became so passionate about running that all I did was run. During the colder winter months after my fall marathon I picked up Bikram yoga. I loved it and became a regular, but still I ran.

When I trained for my first marathon, I followed my training plan religiously – I never missed a run. When I trained for my 2nd marathon, I did exactly the same thing, sometimes I even ran on the day that called for cross training.

However, after spending 9 months in 2012, running in a natural running shoe (newton), focussing on running form, in February 2013, I started weight lifting. I wanted to get stronger to improve my running, and I did. I got stronger, I improved my running. It was shocking I was running a little less, but I was running better than ever.

I am now running faster and further. The combination of being stronger and running with a more efficient stride/form, allows me to run faster, further, with less effort.

My point is you do not have to run every day to be a great runner. Running everyday, could actually make your running suffer, from burn out or injury. It is so important to incorporate strength training, cross training, and stretching in the mix. The stronger you are the less injury prone you will be, and the more your running will improve.

So to answer the question … How do you balance a disciplined running plan and strength training, cross training, stretching. How do you do it all?

It depends on your fitness level, comfort level.

Rookie: If this is your first race (first full marathon, first half marathon, etc.) follow your running training plan. Focus on your running. Stretch after your runs. Rest on your rest days. Cross train once a week. Strength train once a week.

Veteran: If this is your second, third, tenth, time racing this distance, then it is okay to use your training plan as a guideline. At this point, you can tweak and customize you plan. This marathon training season, I have been lifting weights on days when I run short and easy. I always do leg day early in the week after my long run has already been completed.

I also advise taking tons of photos to record your journey as an athlete. This way you can keep track of your progress visually.  Take advantage of photography. We have cameras on our phones, and we are lucky we have technology at our fingertips.

With that being said…

Because it is tuesday, I thought it would be the perfect time to honor Transformation Tuesday. So I am posting some progress pics, in hopes to inspire and motivate.

image-1The above photo was taken in March 2013. The bottom photo was taken in August 2013.

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Arms are seeing some major gains! This photo was taken in August 2013.

Anyway I hope these photos inspire and prove to you that you can balance both training plans. And that in the end being stronger is just going to enhance your overall fitness level.

Questions for You…

  1. How do you balance your training plans?
  2. Do you sometimes do two-a-days?

© 2013 sweatdaily

 

 

Never forget you are a Newbie…

It doesn’t matter if you have been running for 20 years.
It doesn’t matter if you have run a Marathon in every state.
It doesn’t matter if you are Kara Goucher.

Never forget you are a newbie. The reason why I say this, is because the minute you forget, is the minute running will become boring.

As a runner I know that my daily runs can differ from one day to the next. Running on different trails can be exciting. The best way to tour a new city and experience a new place is by running through it. Even wearing different running shoes in my weekly shoe rotation can work different muscles and essentially give me a whole different running experience.

The running community in itself, does an amazing job coming up with new and different races to try. To name a few- The Color Run, The Glow Run, The Undie Run, The Zombie Run, Mud Runs, Spartan Runs. Stop right now if you are getting snooty. These races are fun, and a wonderful idea.  Although most of these races are shorter distances and untimed, they give you an opportunity to have a less intense race to run with friends that may be new to running. This gives you the chance to mentally and physically take a break, while it gives a non runner the chance to try running in a less competitive atmosphere. If a non runner runs one of these fun runs and loves it, they most likely will have a desire to set a higher goal and try a more serious race – transforming from a non runner into a runner.

But running one of these fun runs is not your only option. Stay refreshed and keep running new, by switching things up and setting new goals. Here are some suggestions…

If you are a road runner, try trail running. Maybe you have run the same marathon 3 times, next time you run it try running it using a different training plan. If you always wear traditional running shoes, throw a natural barefoot running shoe into the mix, maybe even use that shoe for your next race. Set a new running challenge, such as run everyday for 30 days, or run 100 miles in one month.

Whatever it may be… Keep running NEW and FUN, and …

Always remember, YOU ARE A NEWBIE!9236dea615788ff6986e504a0889acbc

Questions for You…

  1. What are some things you do to keep running fun and new?
  2. Have you ever run a fun run?
  3. What was your first race?

© 2013 sweatdaily

Lets talk about hair, baby…

I know this is my fitness blog, but I am a professional hair stylist and wanted to give you all some advice. You are trying your hardest to be happy and healthy, your hair deserves that too. So this year upgrade your hot tools… It will change your life… I promise. 

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Ok everybody, lets talk about power tools!

The most common questions I get from my clients is, “How does a professional dryer differ from a generic brand dryer? “Is a professional dryer really better?”

Yes and Yes and here is why…

Most professional hair dryers are tourmaline, ceramic, and ionic.

Tourmaline is a semi-precious stone, that when infused into a hair dryer emits maximum levels of ions and infrared heat for efficient drying. Most hair dryers that are tourmaline are also ultra light weight.

Ceramic heats up the hair from the inside out. It also distributes heat evenly, and regulates temperature. It helps prevent bacteria growth, resulting in a healthy scalp. All of this creates longer-lasting healthier hair results. Also a ceramic coil in a hair dryer is stronger than one that is not ceramic. Stronger materials make for a longer hair dryer life.

Ionic hair dryers breaks down positive ions on wet hair, by distributing negative ions, pushing water molecules deep into the hair shaft.  This rehydrates and reconditions hair with each use, while smoothing the hair cuticle. Also helps prevent static.

Most professional hair dryers, dry the hair fast, in half the time.

During my career as a hair stylist I have used several blow dryers. My top favorites are T3, Salono, Twin Turbo, and now Taiff!

And this is why…

Lets start with the T3 Featherweight Professional Dryer, because I have tons to say about it. This dryer has won awards, four times in Allure magazine, two times in InStyle magazine. It claims to be healthier then air drying your hair. It is tourmaline. It is ceramic. It is ionic.

But besides all those, my favorite things about this dryer is how quiet it is, the controllable air flow, and how totally weightless it is.

For the Hair stylist: When using this dryer in the salon it is quiet, to the point, that you can continue your conversation with your client. For the Client: When getting ready early in the morning for work you will not wake up anyone else sleeping in your home, it is that quiet.

For the Hairstylist: The controllable air flow is good for new stylists on the floor, but for someone like me who has been doing hair for six years, I actually prefer a more powerful air flow. For the Client: The controllable air flow is perfect for the client. I hear a lot of my clients say they can’t round brush blow dry their hair because they aren’t coordinated enough. Well the controllable air flow helps keep things organized and makes round brush blow drying an easier task.

For the Hair Stylist: This dryer is as light as a can of diet coke. You won’t feel tired after a long booked busy day. For the Client: Light weight dryer is great for travel.

In the end, I loved this dryer for my own personal use at home. When it came to using it in the salon on clients, it just didn’t cut. When I straighten curly, frizzy, poof ball hair I do not want to pull out my flat iron. This dryer was not powerful enough, and definitely was not fast enough.  Also they tend to break. I took really good care of both of my dryers but they still just gave out. My first one broke with in a year and my second one broke with in two years.

The SOLANO is known for power.  This is the hair dryer that I have been using in the salon for the last two years. I just retired it and brought it home for at home personal use. This dryer is 1875 watts, ceramic, and tourmaline. Compared to the T3 this dryer is much more powerful. Dries hair faster, and hair looks much more smoother and shinier. However, it is loud, and so heavy, that after a long day of clients, my arms feel numb and tired.

The TWINTURBO is the most popular dryer. Right now everyone has this one at my salon. It is an Italian hair dryer, that is 2100 watts, ceramic, and ionic. I have never used a dryer that is so powerful. Buy the green one, it is eco friendly.

The TAIFF Fox Ion TC is my new blow dryer, which is in the picture above. I received this blow dryer after my Sebastian hair training out in LA. I can’t tell you enough how excited I am about this dryer, there is nothing negative to say about it. It is very quiet. It is very light weight. It is very compact and is very fast drying. It has a powerful 2000w engine. It is ionic. It has tourmaline technology and a ceramic grid. I have never seen hair dry so fast. I have never seen curly, poof ball, frizz hair dry so smooth, so straight. When using this drier my clients have amazing shine, and their hair looks like they have received a Brazilian Keratin Treatment.

Please check out the TAIFF TECHNOLOGY.

I hope that answers your questions about hair dryers. Now let me hear from you… which hair dryer do you like best??

Oh and BTW… Thank you Sebastian Professional for such a wonderful gift. I love my new TAIFF FOX ION TC!

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Did you know I do some serious hair…

Questions for You…

  1. What is your favorite hair dryer?
  2. What is your favorite “must have” hot tool/hair tool?

Feel free to ask me hair questions at anytime!

© 2013 sweatdaily