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Showing posts from June, 2019

Your Face Oil(sebum)

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What is sebum? Produced by the sebaceous glands in the skin, sebum is a waxy, oily substance needed to keep skin moisturized. It creates a barrier that both holds moisture in and protects the skin from bacterial and fungal infections.  It’s more complicated than just being oil. Sebum is a combination of triglycerides, free fatty acids, wax esters, squalene, cholesterol esters, and cholesterol. As it’s secreted through hair follicles or pores, it also picks up lipids from skin cells and sweat. Plus, it mixes with environmental material on the surface of the skin. Yes, there’s a whole lot of stuff all over your face right now, but you want it there! Beyond sebum being necessary for basic skin health, people with lots of oil tend to have thicker skin and less wrinkles because of the moisturizing and protective properties of sebum. And I suffer more oil production when I am in a hotter season or working out days. Especially that I am on hormones I suffer more breakouts than ever i

DIY Mayo

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Ingredients 1 egg, at room temperature 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed 1 tsp Dijon mustard ½ small lemon, juiced 1 ¼ cups extra virgin olive oil salt to taste Directions Place the egg, garlic cloves, mustard and lemon juice in the blender cup or jar that just fits the head of your immersion blender. Add the olive oil and allow to settle for 15 seconds. Place head of immersion blender at the bottom of cup and turn it on high speed. Do not move the head for 30 seconds or until a white, creamy, thick mayo forms at the bottom by the head. As mayonnaise forms, slowly tilt and lift the head of the immersion blender until all oil is emulsified. Season to taste with salt.

Full Body Circuit

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Full Body HIIT Circuit Format: Perform 2 rounds for the prescribed amount of time. Rest as needed. Move 1: Sumo Full Body Extensions (1:00) add Jump squats Start in a standing position with your feet wider than hip distance apart, then squat down, bringing your hands down near your feet. Pop up to standing, extending your hands up over your head. Make sure to keep your core tight, and engage your booty at the top as you extend your arms overhead. For Jump Squat:  Shoot your booty back behind you, keeping your chest up (don’t bend forward) and weight back in your heels. Use your glutes to power up to a jump. Land lightly, with a soft bend in your knees. Move 2: Incline Push Ups (1:00) to Push Ups You can use a wall, edge of a couch/chair, or do knee push-ups for this move. Place your hands flat against the surface of your choosing and extend your legs out (the further your legs are from the wall/chair, the more challenging the move). Perform a push-up by lowering

Zucchini Noodle Ground Beef Casserole

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Ingredients 3 tbsp olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 10 oz mushrooms, sliced 1 pound lean ground beef ½ cup heavy cream 1/3 cup homemade mayonnaise 2 tbsp  parmesan 3 medium zucchinis, cut into noodles 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large non stick pan heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the zucchini noodles. Season with salt and cook for 3-5 minutes or unlit wilted. Drain any excess moisture that may be in the bottom of the pan. Transfer the zucchini noodles into a lightly greased baking dish. In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef is no longer pink. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes. In a small bowl add the cream and mayonnaise and mix to combine. Add parmesan Add the mayonnaise mixtu

Dumbbell Workout to Increase Muscle Mass

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Dumbbells can be used to improve muscular endurance, or your ability to use your muscles over time. You will use less weight and perform more repetitions of each exercise when doing muscular endurance workouts than when doing bodybuilding exercises. Do 4 sets of 10 increasing your weight by the 3rd and 4th set. How to: Stand with feet set wider than shoulder-width and hold a dumbbell with both hands in front of your chest. Sit back into a squat. Then drive back up. Repeat. Targets: They specifically target glute activation whilst improving both hip and thoracic mobility. 2. Dumbbell Clean: How to: Face your wrists forwards and bring the weights to your shoulders, slightly jumping as you do. Slowly straighten your legs to stand. Then lower the weights down to your thigh before moving into squat position and repeating. 3. Farmers Walk: How to: Walk forward taking short, quick steps. Go for the given distance, as fast as possible. Targets: You’ll incr

Japanese Nikujaga(meat and potato stew)

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INGREDIENTS 3/4   lb   beef or pork   sliced 1   large   Onion   sliced 2-3   cups   potatoes   I used Yukon gold  10 snow peas, optional 1 large carrot, optional For the soup base 2   cups   niban dashi 1/4   cup   sake 1/4   cup   soy sauce 1   Tbsp   sugar 1   Tbsp   mirin shichimi to taste chopped green onions to taste INSTRUCTIONS First measure out all your soup base ingredients Next microwave potatoes for 3-5 minutes in microwave until cooked through (pierce with chopstick). Then cut up the potatoes into 1/2 in. cubes and set aside. Slice the onions about 1/2 in thick or thinner as you like and set aside. Using a large dutch oven add some olive oil and brown the meat. As the meat has finished browning add in the onions and cook until they are half the volume. Next add in all of the sauce ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cover with lid and leave open slightly,