Monday, January 19, 2009

What is Your Regimen?

If you're a member of any hair care forum, I'm sure you've been asked that question many times before. Since I've been a member of the long hair care forum (lhcf), and more recently, since I've published videos on YouTube, several ladies have asked me about my hair care, skin care, and diet regimen. I must say that although I don't consider myself to be a follower of any strict guidelines, I am pretty religious when it comes to maintaining the health and appearance of my body, hair, and skin.

I've struggled with my weight most of my life, but am proud to say that I am now healthier than I've ever been. Similarly, my hair is longer and fuller than it's been in the past; my skin is a lot clearer; and my nails are a lot stronger. These improvements can be attributed to a new way of thinking. Sorry folks, but there is no magic pill for weight loss or hair growth. It simply comes down to a matter of how you view yourself, and the value you place on your health.

When I was in my teens and twenties, my sole focus was on getting and staying skinny. I went through extreme measures to do so, many of which were very unhealthy. Starvation diets and one-food-only diets (i.e. eating nothing but soup, shakes, etc.), were some of my oft-used methods for weight control. There were even a few times when I succumbed to the super destructive binge and purge cycle. Although I was successful at dropping the weight, I never kept it off, for the methods I used to get to my desired size were not realistic, and therefore impossible to maintain. Now that I'm in my thirties, I view my body totally differently. After losing my beloved grandmother to cancer, and watching the way she suffered through that ugly disease, I realized that to have my health is a blessing, and I therefore shouldn't damage it for the sake of vanity.

Today I follow a low-fat, high-fiber diet full of fruits, vegetables, and complex carbs. I don't do any calorie counting, or even weigh myself regularly. In fact, I can't even tell you how much I weigh, for I measure my progress by the fit of my clothes (I've dropped two sizes in the past year), an increase in muscle tone, and an improvement in my strength. Before I started working out regularly, I could barely hold my body up on the monkey bars at the park. Today, I'm proud to say that I can carry myself all the way across, from one platform to the next!

Following a healthy diet and exercise plan is not only good for one's physical health, but for one's hair, skin, and nails as well. You can view the details of my diet, exercise, hair, and skin care regimen in detail by clicking on the "My Regimens" tab at the top of the page. I strongly believe that beauty comes from within, and although healthy skin and hair practices are great, none would be complete without an overall approach to health. I've established regimens that comfortably fit into my lifestyle. I hope you find a healthy diet, exercise, skin care, and hair care routine that works for you!

XOXO,

DPrincess28

1 comment:

KellyLex said...

I've never been skinny but I'm proud of my size; it's not too big nor too small. I love to skip and dance, so that's what keeps me fit. I sometimes do a few exercises with my 5-pound weights.
I don't follow a special diet, but i try to eat as much fibre as i can, replace drinks with water and homemade fruit juice and I eat until i'm satisfied as opposed to until I'm full.