I Love My FitBit Charge HR!

Several of you warned me that once I got my Fitbit my life would be forever changed and I'm here to proudly say all of you were right! The hubby snagged the fitbit Charge HR for me a week and a half ago and I've spent that time getting the hang of all that the fitbit has to offer. So far I have to say it has really helped me step up my fitness game! I've made it a point to get in at least 10,000 steps during the work week even if I'm not at work. When I'm at work it's not that difficult, but this past Monday I was off and it was definitely a little more challenging, but I got it done. It has also helped me to accurately track my Shaun T25 workouts that I've been doing. Not to mention I'm now apart of a work week challenge with a few college buddies to see who can get the most steps by the end of the week. Nothing like a little competition to make things fun! However, I think what I'm loving the most are the weekly reports from Fitbit. Last week I walked a total of 28.2 miles and lost 3lbs!
Needless to say so far I've been loving my fitbit and it's truly helped me to take my 2016 health goals to the next level! Hopefully I'll have a health update up next week.

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Fitness Fridays | Detoxing My Way Back!

Well well well, it's time for another Fitness Friday post! On last week I celebrated my 26th birthday (woop woop!) and thoroughly enjoyed myself including indulging in some deliciously unhealthy food! I knew that with my birthday week coming up my clean eating would wane. Well the birthday celebration is over and it's time for me to get back on track. While enjoying a lovely pinning session on Pinterest (Click Here to follow me!) I discovered various detox water recipes. I thought to myself what better way to get back on track than with a detoxifying drink to help rid my body of all of the yucky stuff I've been consuming lately.







I decided to try a recipe that includes readily available ingredients (i.e. I can get it from walmart). The recipe that seemed the most simple to me is the Lemon/Lime/cucumber recipe. Basically you get yourself a pitcher, fill it with water, slice up the ingredients, and let it steep over night. Sounds simple right? Here are some of the benefits of this easy detox water:

• Lemon and/or Lime juice helps to stimulate and regulate the digestive track. It also helps boost your immune system while cleansing the body
• Cucumber is excellent for rehydration and also contains anti-inflammatory properties

While this isn't the tastiest thing in the world it has such great benefits until I don't mind!

Source: http://everydayroots.com/detox-drink-for-cleansing
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It's My Birthday!!! Reflecting on Turning 26!

By the time you guys see this post I'll officially be 26! I have so many things to be grateful for. God has blessed me beyond belief so first of all I want to give all glory to him! As I sit back and think on this past year I realized that I've made some great strides in becoming a better person both spiritually and physically. Although not perfect and always trying to improve I am the healthiest I've ever been in my adult life. I have been more focused on clean eating and consistent exercise. I've finally reached the goal of Arm Pit Length (unofficially) and I have a wonderful family, boyfriend, friends, and blogger family. I truly enjoy blogging and am so thankful for each of you who takes the time to read and comment on my posts. So during this time of reflection I'm thankful and ready for year 26!


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Give Me A Reason...Healthy Eating & Exercise Isn't Just For Weight Loss!

Can y'all believe it's Friday again already?! I seriously think that Fridays are my favorite day of the week. Fridays at work are always laid back and everyone is normally in a great mood because they are anticipating the weekend. This Friday is even more special because I'm an April baby and my birthday is next Sunday! I know y'all are probably like WHAT does this have to do with Fitness? I promise I'm about to make my point :) While working out in the gym this week my mind began to wonder (believe it or not I get a lot of my 'Fitness Friday' inspiration when I'm working out...Go Figure! Anywho, back to my point. I was in the gym working out and I began thinking about how great I've been feeling lately. My skin, muscle tone, the way I look in my clothes, flatter tummy. Like seriously I'm loving what clean eating and regular gym sessions has done for me. So I thought to myself that all of my Fitness Friday posts have basically been related to weight loss. Now don't get me wrong. I've lost weight and am proud of it, but I don't want anyone to think that the only reason I do what I do is for the sole purpose of losing weight. So in honor of that I'm going to give you guys 10 reasons why I eat healthy and exercise regularly.

1. My skin is clearer & has a glow! My skin is sensitive and acne prone. If I'm eating like crap and not exercising my skin will gladly let me know that it's NOT happy and that I need to get my life! *Insert Tamar Braxton voice*
2. I love what I see when I look in the mirror! As much as I love fried catfish and macaroni & cheese (I'm a true Southern girl!) if I eat like that 24/7 I'm not happy with what's looking back at me. 
3. I feel better! When I focus on clean eating & regular exercise I feel so much better overall. I have more energy and I feel accomplished. 
4. I'm Guilt free! I don't know about y'all, but when I've been eating like crap for weeks I feel SO guilty! I swear my conscience mentally beats me up, but when I've been doing what I'm supposed to do and decide to indulge I don't feel guilty because I've earned it! I'm all about the 80/20 rule. Clean eating and regular exercise 80% of the time. Indulge 20% of the time. 
5. Shopping is so much more fun - When I'm unhappy with my size or appearance due to lack of proper diet & exercise the last thing I want to do is set foot inside 1 of those horrible department store dressing rooms filed with 20,000 mirrors. When I'm doing I should be shopping is an awesome experience. My clothes fit better and I love the way I look in them. 
6. I'm more confident - In order be my best I need to feel my best. Clean eating & exercise makes me feel more confident. I promise you'll notice an extra pep in your step! 
7. I save money! When I'm all about the foods I'm not supposed to have it means I'm eating out. I'm one of those people who doesn't keep unhealthy foods in my home (chips, candy, etc *I have no control* so if I want something it means I'm buying it. Healthy eating not only keeps my body looking right, but it also keeps money in my pockets! 
8. My body is my temple - I'm blessed. God has blessed me with health, strength, two working arms & legs and 10 fingers and toes. I only get one body and although I struggle at times I want to take care of what I've been blessed with. I want to be as healthy as I can for as long as I can not just for me, but for my family and friends. 
9. It's a way for me to inspire others - I'm by no means a bragger, but you never know who you will inspire in the gym or just by making healthier food choices! 
10. I get to try new recipes! - In my humble opinion of it's easy to cook something that's unhealthy. More butter? Sure! Another handful of cheese? Why not! The real challenge is to try or create healthy recipes or healthier alternatives of your favorite recipes. 
11. *BONUS* Healthy hair starts from the inside out! I'm trying to have healthy bra strap length hair and a healthy body to go along with it! *two snaps*

Why is healthy eating & exercise important to you?

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Fitness Fridays | Keeping Boredom At Bay!

During the first week I shared my personal weight loss journey with you all and during week two we discussed the 3 key factors to being successful whether it be a healthy hair or weight loss journey. Today we're going to talk about how to keep boredom at bay.

I've been in the exercise 'game' long enough to know that if I don't switch it up and challenge myself I will soon be bored and lose my motivation to work out consistently. Early on in my weight loss journey I soon realized that I can never be the girl who just does her 40 minutes on the eliptical or treadmill and that's it! I know because I used to be that girl! A lot of people dread working out (myself included sometimes) and I truly believe that part of the reason is because they don't change up their workout routine. Here are some of the things that I've tried and LOVE!

• Zumba! - I'm quite sure most of you have heard about Zumba, but for those who haven't Zumba is a latin inspired dance fitness program. Most gyms offer Zumba classes and they are normally about an hour long. Talk about burning major calories! don't have a gym membership? No worries! If you have any sort of gaming system (I have a Wii) there are Zumba fitness video games that you can do in the comfort of your own home!

• Bike Riding - Ok ok so it might be a bit too cold to indulge in a bike ride right now since most of us are still experincing winter (I'm seriously jealous if you live in a warm weather state!), but Bike Riding is a great form of exercise that doesn't even really feel like exercise! My honey bunches of oats (boyfriend) and I love to bike during the warm months, whether it be on a trail or just around the neighborhood.

• Walk/Jog - The great thing about walking/jogging is that it can be done year around thanks to treadmills. Personally I really enjoy walking/jogging when I'm outside in the elements (in Spring/Summer). If you enjoy being out and about as much as I do in the beautiful weather then this is a great and simple way to incorporate exercise!

• Strength Training - For the longest I've been intimidated by strength training. Normally when I hear those two words I instantly invision some huge muscle head who spends 8 hours a day in the gym! I also feared bulking up. Well the truth of the matter is that strength training not only makes you stronger, but it makes you leaner and more toned. Interested in strength training, but have no idea where to start? I've got just the solution and it is a wonderful and FREE app that can be downloaded to Iphones and Androids called Bodyspace. It's an app that was developed by bodybuilding.com that has multiple free workout plans that you can choose from depending on your body's needs. This is great for a gal like me who enjoys strength training, but wants to keep the process as uncomplicated as possible!

No matter what it is that you do it's imporant that you get moving and I don't just mean for weight loss benefits! Sometimes that can be hard when boredom strikes. Hopefully some of my favorite exercises will help the next time you feel boredom start to creep up!

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New Year's Hair And Health Resolutions!

Hi guys! So I know y'all probably think I dropped off of the face of the earth but as some of you know I went home for Christmas so my time was focused on my family and friends, therefore Finally Growing was put on the back burner...BUT...I'm back y'all! I thought what better way to start off the new year on Finally Growing than to talk about my hair and health goals!

1. My number 1 goal for this year is to reach FULL APL! I'm only about 1/2 inch away from reaching APL so I know that reaching full APL is possible for 2014.

2. Have full thick edges! Those who follow me on YouTube know that I started a personal edges growth challenge in December to help my edges make a comeback in 2014 (braids always thin my edges). Honestly I've never had really thick and full edges so 2014 seems like a great time to really focus on getting them where I want them.

3. Protective style for my life this winter! Cold dry air and exposed ends is just asking for trouble so to help combat that I am protective styling for my life this winter. The fun thing about this is I will be able to create lots of fun hairstyles because I refuse to rock a plain ol bun from now untilSpring!

4. Record more protective style tutorials. It's no fun rocking a cute hair style if I don't share with you guys how I achieved it! 

5. Continue weight training. In 2013 I began strength/weight training which I surprisingly fell in love with and want to continue. I can't wait to see where it takes me! 

6. Eat out less. I love to cook so this honestly shouldn't be too hard as long as I keep my house stocked with food. Cooking in is always a healthier alternative that also keeps a few extra bucks in my pockets too! 

7. Continue my egg protein treatments 1x/month. My hair never felt as amazing as it did when I tried my first egg protein treatment. Best part about egg protein treatments is that it is way cheaper than a lot of protein based products. 

That's all I've got. What are your Hair and Health resolutions for the new year? 

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Last Wash Day With My Senegalese Twists!

I promise I'm like a kid in a candy store right now! I seriously have been missing my hair sooooooo much! The plan is to remove my Senegalese twists on Friday/Saturday. It totally depends on if the boo and I decide to go see The Best Man Holiday :) Either way I knew that my scalp needed one more good washing before I removed my senegalese twists. Because Jillian (as in Jillian Michaels) and I have been working out heavily together my new growth was super dry from sweating. The last thing I want when taking down a long term protective style is dry crunchy new growth...can we say breakage city?! So in order to combat this issue I used my normal braid washing routine, which you can check out here and here. Of course I reached for my beloved Shea Moisture Retention Shampoo to get the job done. What I love about this Shampoo is that it gets my hair squeaky clean while leaving my hair super soft and moisturized! Because I am removing the install this weekend and have a MEGA deep conditioning session planned I skipped conditioning my hair today.  Instead after drying my hair under my awesome Salon Hooded dryer (Shout out to EbonyCPrincess and her Protective Styling Challenge!) I settled for my Giovanni Direct Leave In. I moisturized my new growth thoroughly with my Giovanni and then sealed with a mixture of Castor & grapeseed oil. I can't even begin to describe how soft and moisturized my new growth is! As for the length of my hair, I will spritz it with my braid spray daily. The countdown to removing my braid install begins!

Quick Cowash!

 Ok so first of all I'm sorry I've been kind of MIA the past two weeks, but I have a really good explanation. I went back home to spend some time with my family and when I came back apparently I brought a lovely summer cold right along with me :/

Anyway after a week of intense rest I'm finally starting to kind of feel like my old selft again. This past weekend I went to the salon and got my hair washed and conditioned so I didn't have to worry about dealing with it, but as usualy by Wednesday I couldn't take it any more. In my true exercise fashion as of lately I applied my One N' Only Argan Oil Hydrating Mask to my hair and deep conditioned while I power walked for an hour. When I got back I hopped in the shower and rinsed my hair and then followed up with hair one for about 30 seconds just to give my scalp a light cleansing. Lastly I applied my Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Daily Treatment for about 3 minutes. After doing a final rinse I used a  t-shirt to soak up the excess water from my hair and then applied my leave ins using the LOC method (more details to come in a later post!). After this I air dried my hair. This morning I moisturized using my Giovanni direct leave in and sealed using a few drops of the proclaim oil (it was the only thing near by and I used to love this stuff so I figured it would hurt). Now my hair is happily in a neat little bun until Friday when I attempt my first flexi rod set in about 2 years! I'm excited and nervous about it, but I figure since I mastered rollersetting why not set my sights on mastering flexi rod sets?! Stay tuned...

Monday Morning Cowash

Since I'm working the 'graveyard' shift at work this week it left me with a lot of free time today to do some chores around the house, exercise, and cowash my hair. This morning I decided to take advantage of this ridiculously humid weather we've been having by going power walking around my neighborhood. Before I left I applied my oil mix of EVOO, grapeseed oil, and coconut oil to my scalp and to the length of my hair. I then dampened my hair with water and applied my Silk Elements Kera Minerals DC to my hair. I placed a shower cap and satin scarf over my hair and went on with my exercise routine. When I got back home I was soaked and I could tell that my hair had gotten a really good deep conditioning treatment.

I hopped in the shower and rinsed my hair thoroughly with warm water. After squeezing the excess water out of my hair I applied some of my Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Daily treatment to my hair and allowed it to sit while I showered. Once I finished I did a final rinse with cool water and then wrapped my hair in a cotton t-shirt to soak up the excess water. About 30 minutes later I removed the t-shirt and spritzed both my scalp and the length of my hair with my Chi Keratin mist. I then applied about a quarter sized amount of my kimmaytube leave-in w/ a twist and a dime sized amount of my Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum and allowed my hair to air dry for about 3 hours while I did random chores around the house and caught up on my tv shows.

Next I detangled my hair in four sections using my fingers and then applied my Giovanni Direct Leave in and sealed with coconut oil. I applied my Liquid Gold sulfur based growth oil and JBCO to my scalp and gently massaged it in. Lastly I sealed my ends with a tiny drop of JBCO to lock in the moisture and voila I was done! Since I will be working odd hours this week my hair plans will be limited to bunning and a mid-week cowash! Here's the final product!

April's Hair, Health, & Beauty Goals Review and June's Goals!

I swear the months just fly by! Perhaps if I'd had just a few more days added to the month of May maybe I would've been more successful, but there's always June right? 

1. Wash/Cowash hair at least once a week (possibly twice) if my hair needs it. I did a great job with washing my hair twice a week. It's apart of my weekly routine now so I'm used to it! 
2. Continue doing tea rinses at least once a week. Yet again I've added this as apart of my weekly wash day routine so this wasn't hard for me to do. 
3. Maintain my No Buy hair product challenge. Well...I think it's safe to say I FAILED! I technically only bought 1 hair product (a growth serum, which I will review at a later date). I also  repurchased my olive oil as well as some grapeseed oil, but these items were purchased using a gift card so I'm not counting them! 
4. Continue to nurture my Crown Still on track! 
5. Use up at least 1 hair product. Unfortunately I did not meet this goal :/
6. Use up at least half of my bottle of random oils. Well I kinda met this goal, but not because I actually used up some of the oil. I threw the oils away because they weren't working for my hair and I got tired of trying to force a product on my hair that it didn't like! 
7. Maintain my protein/Moisture balance (Moisture tues/wed & Protein Sat). Still on track! 
8. Exercise atleast 4 days a week. Well I was doing good with this goal until I caught a lovely little summer cold that came along with a 102 fever. It kinda knocked the wind out of my sail so I didn't get to exercise as regularly as I would've liked :/
9. Lose 5 lbs. *Sigh* It didn't happen. :(

Here are my goals for June!

1. Lose 5 lbs and get back to my goal weight
2. Apply my growth aid of choice to my scalp daily
3. Exercise 4-5 days a week
4. Do a flexi rod set
5. Do a rollerset

May Hair, Health, and Beauty Goals!

Here are my hair, health, and beauty goals for May! Some of my goals are based on April's (You can see the post here) while others are new goals that are things that I am looking to improve upon! What are some of your short term goals for May?

1. Apply my Jamaican Black Castor Oil 4-5 times a week
2. Lose my final 3 lbs! 
3. Perfect the 'laying down of my edges' routine
4. Work on fading acne scars 
5. Continue Babying my Crown
6. Re-implement my NO Buy challenge
7. Work out 4-5 days a weeks 

April's Hair, Health, and Beauty Goals Recap

Hi guys!!! Sorry that My April Hair, Healthy, and Beauty goals post is a few days late...blame it on this lovely summer cold and 101F fever I had going on :/ But I'm finally starting to feel a bit better so here's how I did!

1. Wash/Cowash hair at least once a week (possibly twice) if my hair needs it. I did a great job with this goal. Most weeks I managed to wash my hair twice that week. Not too shabby huh? 
2. Continue doing tea rinses at least once a week. Because I do my tea rinses when I wash my hair I was able to do this with no problems. I know I've been promising to do a review on the tea that I'm using and I promise it's coming soon! Like next week soon :)
3. Maintain my No Buy hair product challenge. Well I think it's safe to say that I FAILED at this goal, but I didn't fail miserably. I stocked up on my hair one because I'd run out and treated myself to the Eco styler argan oil gel, and set of clear jars for hair product storage, and a small set of perm rods. Overall I don't feel that I went overboard plus I managed an entire month of my NO BUY challenge before breaking it. I plan to re-start that challenge for May!
4. Continue to nurture my Crown. Many of you know that I suffered some crown breakage during my last stretch and I have no one to blame but myself. So now I've been babying that area to make sure that it comes back stronger than ever! I've shocked myself at how moisturized I've managed to keep my crown. 
5. Use up at least 1 hair product. Another goal that I met! I was able to use up the last bit of 2 products. Some Aloe vera jelly and matrix biolage (GVP) conditioner! 
6. Use up at least half of my bottle of random oils. Unfortunately I did not realize how hard it is to used up a bottle of oils! I swear I've been giving myself a hot oil treatment with these oils before I deep condition every wash and I still haven't reached the halfway mark! Maybe next month :/
7. Maintain my protein/Moisture balance (Moisture tues/wed & Protein Sat). Because I stayed on track with my washes I was able to stay on track with my protein/moisture regimen. Easy as pie! 
8. Exercise atleast 4 days a week. I was able to maintain this goal better towards the end of the month. So this was a FAIL for this month.
9. Lose 5 lbs! I'm super excited to say that I achieved this goal! I've been struggling with losing my Christmas weight simply because I wasn't focused, but I FINALLY got it together! Woohoo!

April's Health, Hair, & Beauty Goals

So after reading Jeni of JustGrowAlready's blog post about her goals for April I've been inspired to set some goals for myself. The great thing about April is that it's my birthday month! So what better way to celebrate than by reaching a set of mini goals! I can't wait to let you all know how I did!

1. Wash/Cowash hair at least once a week (possibly twice) if my hair needs it.
2. Continue doing tea rinses at least once a week.
3. Maintain my No Buy hair product challenge
4. Continue to nurture my Crown
5. Use up at least 1 hair product
6. Use up at least half of my bottle of random oils
7. Maintain my protein/Moisture balance (Moisture tues/wed & Protein Sat).
8. Exercise atleast 4 days a week
9. Lose 5 lbs

Get Fit: How I Make My Green Smoothie!

So 2013 has been all about stepping up my health game! As some of you know last year I successfully lost 30 lbs and for the most part I've kept it off. Well the holidays of course brought about a few extra pounds that I was ready to shed as soon as I got back on the east coast.  I also vowed to exercise more regularly and just continue to challenge myself physically. Well so far I've done great with my goals. I have about 5 more lbs of Christmas weight to lose and have started running again! Both on my blog and on my youtube channel I've decided to do some 'Get Fit' videos/posts just to share with you guys what I've been doing and how it's been working for me.

Today's post is about my new favorite snack/dinner option which is the green smoothie! At first I was extremely hesitant to try this smoothie out. It was just something about a smoothie with spinach in it that  I couldn't wrap my mind around, but I promise it's qutie tasty and an excellent option for anyone who's either trying to lose weight or just looking for healthier eating options!

Here's What I use:

• A handful of spinach leaves 
• 1 cup of Vanilla Almond Milk
• 1 Cup of Frozen Strawberries
• 1/2 cup of Pinapple
• 1 Packet of Great Value Sweetner (comparable to truvia)

Throw all of that into the blender for 1-2 minutes and you're all set for a yummy delicious treat! Please note that you can use any fruit that you like. Sometimes I use mango, raspberries, blueberries, etc. Check out the video below to see how I actually make it.