It's snowing right now in MN. Rather robust flakes in fact. It makes me more excited to leave for Jamaica next Sunday on our working vacation! No need to be jealous…you can take a working vacation too!
Here's ten things I can't be without when on vacation in a warm climate (cold weather version to follow in months ahead):
1. Dental Floss and threader: This doesn't sound very sexy, but being without it is even less sexy! I bring at least three packs of floss- one for my travel bag, one in my suitcase and one for my beach bag (this one is specifically for John so he doesn't have to run back to the room all the time). What's a threader you ask? Well, if you have a dental bridge or crown, you already know. Otherwise, it's a nifty little device that allows the dental floss to go under dental work. Dental floss can be found in third world countries, although not easily when arriving late at night. Threaders, on the other hand, cannot :(.
2. SPF in a spray can for body: Now I can SPF ‘my own self' as the kids used to say :). No assistance needed for my back and other hard to reach areas. I used to be stuck when John was off scuba diving. There never seemed to be a handsome pool boy around when I needed one. I bring a minimum of two cans- three to be safe. Sunscreen (and everything else on the islands) is expensive. The downside to spray SPF is it goes pretty fast. Upside: it dries fast, easy application and I'll use it more often. What am I bringing this trip? Three cans of Coppertone Sport Continuous Spray SPF 30.
3. Lubricating Eye Drops: I have extended wear contacts. I love them! I keep them in for 30 days at a time, 24/7. At home, I just pop a drop of sterile saline solution in my eyes each morning. For travel, I bring a small bottle of lubricating eye drops and keep them by my bedside. Works great, and the small bottle is much more travel friendly than a big bottle of saline. This is also nice to have on hand during the dry flights.
4. SPF for face: You knew this was coming! I combine Clarins UV40 HP Medium and Dark Tint in a small bottle, as self-tanning has deepened my skin tone for the week. The combination of both colors is perfect and the small bottle lasts all week.
5. Bandanas and hats: The purpose of these is threefold: sun protection to prevent sunburned scalp, sun protection to prevent hair color from turning brassy, and sweat collection! I usually teach 2/3 classes a day- one in the pool, on our vacations, so having something on my head is very important. Bonus: easily hides a bad hair day. If you're not a ball cap kind of person, there are some really cute packable straw hats that fold well.
6. Body Oil for the beach: Life on the beach is trying, I mean drying! A good friend of mine always carries a small bottle of baby oil in her beach bag. I bring Clarins Tonic Body Treatment Oil, because prefer natural oils to mineral oils. Often, Clarins will have a trial sized bottle of this as a gift choice, so look for it the next time you purchase Clarins at gift time.
7. Sunglasses: I can't function without them during the day. Period. In fact, the thought of going without them puts me in a panic. Most likely because I'm a contact wearer and a migrainer. Polarized lenses are the best. Did you know that wearing sunglasses is one of the best things we can do to prevent cataracts? Yep…so we can be stylin' and preventative all at the same time!
8. First Aid Kit: To include, but certainly not limited to: band aids- regular and liquid, a strong topical antibiotic, an oral antibiotic (if you travel often to third world countries, ask your Dr. for a long lasting, broad spectrum antibiotic to keep in your suitcase- my OB/GYN offered to write a script for this), tweezers, blunt end scissors, clippers, antihistamine, benadryl, pain reliever, cold medicine, etc. All of these items are incredibly expensive, if even available, while on vacation. A visit to the Dr. and corresponding script will run hundreds of dollars.
9. Laundry detergent: I transfer some liquid laundry detergent into a small squeeze bottle (a 2 oz. shampoo bottle works well). John and I teach throughout our vacation. As you can imagine, his clothes (ok, mine too!) get sweaty and nasty. We don't own enough workout clothes for three classes a day, let alone have enough suitcase space. Bringing detergent and hand washing our clothes is the only way we get through the week. Depending on the humidity level, they dry in 12-24 hours by hanging them over the plastic chairs on the balcony. Nothing has EVER been stolen. Possibly because they're still too sweaty and nasty :)!
10. Spray tan in a can: Just like SPF, I can do it myself. I've found a week is too long to go without touch ups, so I bring it along. My favorite spray self tanner? Definitely Quick Tan by Body Drench. This stuff rocks. It's quick, easy and has a decent smell. The color is good and quite long lasting.
Okay, there you go. Please let us know what you bring along. Any advice is helpful, because I'm sure I'm forgetting something major. I feel like that every time we the house…passport? money? sunglasses? Did I turn the oven off? Did I schedule the bills to be paid on time? Did I schedule the PRO/STYLE post? Oh- that reminds me- next week, I'll be on vacation, so the next PRO/STYLE will be Wednesday, December 18.
* I receive no compensation for writing PRO/STYLE. If I do, I'll let you know!
Happy (Black) Friday! To all our friends in The States, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
John and I had the opportunity to teach a 90 minute ‘pre-burn the bird' class yesterday. He came up with a loose profile, I added the music, we shared a microphone back and forth and the class went well! It might have even looked like we practiced once or twice (we'll not reveal whether we did or not). Everyone left the studio very sweaty, ready for a great meal and knowing their personal power threshold.
It was 15 degrees (F) here in MN yesterday, so we started our ride with two flat roads to help everyone properly warm up, brrrrrr. Three roads in, we introduced a 72 bpm, 3:30 moderate climb (right before our power threshold assessment)- and that's today's free music: One Day by Matisyahu:
While deep cleaning the carpets today, (overnight guests coming for Thanksgiving and a Yorkie that's untrainable….) I got to thinking about my Clarisonic experience. The correlation being deep cleaning- not dirty carpet and naughty dogs!
Clarisonic skin care systems were introduced in 2004. At that time, they were available for purchase only through spas and physicians. Shortly after, Clarisonic launched into mainstream retail. And launch they did! Clarisonic displays are everywhere- in the aisles, on the end-caps and in store fronts of major retailers world wide. Their marketing department is on the ball!
Here's how the Clarisonic skin cleansing systems work- taken directly from their website:
The Clarisonic Sonic Method, a combination of patented sonic devices and state-of-the-art skincare formulas, is clinically proven to amplify results of both professional treatments and daily skincare regimens. Our sonic technology harnesses a patented range of sonic frequency to drive oscillation between 200 to 350 movements per second, working with skin's natural elasticity to beautifully transform skin's texture and appearance.
Ranging in price from $99 (MiaFirst) to $235 (PLUS Face & Body Cleansing Brush- handle not included at $30), it's safe to say heading into Clarisonic land is an investment. Brush heads run about $25 a pop and need to be replaced every 3 months. Each brush head has anti-microbial properties that last three months.
I fought (and won) the urge to buy a Clarisonic. I simply couldn't come to terms with the cost and upkeep- much like my nails from this post. However, I recently met the lovely Clarisonic rep here in Minnesota and she gifted me with a PLUS model and handle. (This is often done in cosmetics- it's smart business and allows us to speak with experience and authority on products sold in the department. I get asked daily about Clarisonic).
Clarisonic is so confident about their products, they make this guarantee:
We promise to transform your skin. In fact, we guarantee it.
FEEL & SEE GUARANTEE
We offer a 90-day, 100% money-back guarantee on our sonic cleansing and infusion devices. If you purchased your Clarisonic device from an authorized dealer and you are dissatisfied for any reason, please call Clarisonic Customer Care at 1-888-525-2747 to make arrangements for the return.
I couldn't wait to use mine! After reading the instructions and dutifully watching the video on the website (all in the name of research of course), I used my PLUS that night with Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser with Cottonseed that I'd been using successfully for months. But here's the thing….after daily use for a week, I just couldn't take it anymore. My skin was red, irritated and I had little broken blood vessels all over. Backing off to every other day yielded the same results. I set my PLUS in its charger and took a break. My skin returned to normal and I tried it for another week, took a break…and again for another week just to make sure. Same results. Bummer. I don't have a history of sensitive skin. I was using the normal brush head that came with the PLUS and making sure not to press too hard while using it. Hmmm…part of the guarantee held true for me- I did see a transformation in my skin- just not in a good way. It would seem I'm in the minority, as most reviews (a whopping 81%) LOVE their Clarisonic.
Next, I changed to the body brush head and popped the PLUS in the extended handle. Moving to my body, I got a totally different result=LOVE! My skin was much softer and my dry skin was much improved. The PLUS does a much better job then I can do manually with a scrub and the best thing is I can get to hard to reach places. In fact, right now I'm prepping my winter body for self tanner and the PLUS is the perfect way to exfoliate prior to application.
Carly- my youngest daughter is home from college for a week. Inquisitive in nature, she grabbed the Clarisonic PLUS off the charger and gave it a try- with a new brush head of course! She started using it yesterday and we're anxious to see how her acne prone skin responds to the deep sonic cleansing system. I have a deep pore brush head ready for her to graduate to if she responds well.
As for me and my face, I guess deep pore cleanliness in the Clarinsonic way isn't in my future. That's okay- I love it for my body. I'm back to exfoliating daily with a gentle exfoliator and that's just fine with me.
Have you used a Clarisonic? What was your experience? We'd like to hear from you! Reach out to me: amyjo@groupfitnessradio.com or simply comment below!
Sometimes a girl needs a little inspiration! And when I do, I simply run back to the dock at Nordstrom. Honestly, Tony (yes, his real name!), has the best music jamming at all times as he keeps things copacetic at the Mall of America ! In his own words, today he was on a roll!
Quincy Jones hired this group of brothers (and one cousin) in the 70's. Please, don't let that discourage you from reading on and using this ‘record', as Cee Lo Green calls them…. Your class will recognize it and love it. Having heard this again today and recalling how much I love it, I'm using it for the first time in class on Saturday, as a 91 rpm flat road locking in at 5:00 early in.
I'm anxious to hear you and your class's reaction to The Brothers Johnson ‘Strawberry 23'. I don't think I've ever introduced a tune I've not used and pre-approved in class before, but most will recognize this and the beat is wonderfully strong for a flat road.
Today, we have a fun flat road from a band that pioneered the London acid jazz scene in the late 80's. Later they developed a sophisticated classic soul sound that's funky and motivating for our classes. Clocking in at 4:46 and rpm's of 97, I've been using this song as the last song in a 20 minute cadence build to threshold. Starting at 80 rpm's and building to 97 rpm's, this song perfectly finishes the build to anaerobic threshold. I use this cadence build smack in the middle of a 60 minute class.
I also love, love, love when I find a free download from SoundCloud that's every bit as fabulous as the original :).
It's snowing right now in MN. Rather robust flakes in fact. It makes me more excited to leave for Jamaica next Sunday on our working vacation! No need to be jealous…you can take a working vacation too!
