The Failure of 30 Days of Yoga

This post is long overdue as I am a complete failure for not completing the 30 Days of Yoga Challenge with YogaWithAdriene. I was scrolling through all of my old posts and I realized I only got up to day 10 and I didn't continue with it. That is literally the story of my life. I always start things but I never finish them.
                                                                    I have a problem.

My only excuse is life got in the way? That is not really an excuse though is it? I began the journey over the summer while I was doing online summer school and it was going well until I went on vacation to California then to Las Vegas for my husbands birthday. When we got back, I just wasn't in the mood to do it anymore.

If I am honest, I haven't been in the mood to do any type of exercise for the past two months. I got really busy with school and I started a new job, at the gym ironically enough, that I just haven't been in the mood to do yoga or work out. I have been so burnt out that when I am home or I have a little bit of free time, I just want to sleep or spend time with my husband.

I believe a lot of people have these issues, not only full time students but people with children and full time employed people, who the last thing on their minds is to work out after an extremely long day. 

The first step is admitting you have a problem and then you are to work on it. I have admitted it and know where I am going wrong. I have made the conscious decision to improve my health and overall wellbeing by pushing myself to eat healthier and be more active. 

This might seem cheesy as I am writing this on the 31st of December but this is not my New Year's Resolution; this is my Life Goal. 

Here's to a healthier life. 

Dealing With Acne: Teenage Skin

When I was in high school, I had acne. Now, that is one of the most common things I hear people say.

Why? 

Because a lot of us have to deal with acne when we are young and going through puberty. Granted, some people get it worse than others and I was one of those unlucky ones. I had chronic acne when I was a teenager and I didn't even know it. I had dealt with it for so long that I was just used to it. That doesn't mean, however, that I didn't try everything out there to make it go away. Believe me, I did. Nothing ever worked for long. It would always come back.

Being Latina, I would always get family members and people I didn't even know give me advice on what home remedies I could make and use and what foods I shouldn't eat because they were bad for me, i.e. the almighty Chocolate. Honestly it just hurt my feelings to always have people nagging at me about 'Why does your face look so bad'? or 'Wow, you really should watch what you eat more because it's affecting your skin.' I honestly just wanted to tell people to fuck off and mind their own business.

I have made a video detailing my experience in high school and what my skin was like then and what I did to try and fix it which was try every acne product from Target, Proactive and even Origins. Nothing ever worked. It wasn't until I went to the dermatologist after I graduated from high school that they explained what was going on and actually tried to do something about it.

I wish I had photos to share of my terrible high school acne days but unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, I do not have any. You will just have to take my word for it.

Finding Inspiration

If you are at all like me, you find it extremely hard to stay motivated. What really helps me is finding inspiration. It can either be an incredible person you may or may not know in real life or a quote on Instagram. I usually take inspiration from both.

Inspiration and motivation I feel are kind of the same thing; most people use them interchangeably. I know I do. I feel like to get motivated you need to be inspired. This week I have made a conscious effort to do more with my life. Do you ever feel like life is just passing you by and you are not actively participating? I feel that way a lot and I don't want to continue feeling that way. I have made the decision to be more active and take control of my life instead of just watching it go by. 

My personal examples are with school; I normally get by doing the bare minimum and it has worked for me all of my life.  I have always gotten good grades. I don't want to do that anymore, I want to reach my full potential. 

That is what I am getting at, reaching our full potential. Sure, you can get by in life just doing the bare minimum, but what about actually being active and doing the assigned readings every night and not slacking off when you get home and watching trashy reality television shows till midnight? (I am totally guilty of this, practically every night. It is not something I am proud of.) I am tired of slacking and want to get shit done.

This week I have proposed to myself to go to the gym everyday in between my afternoon classes that way I don't have an excuse as to why I am not going in the evening because I am tired. This is a small step but so metaphorical for my life. I always find excuses not to do things because I am tired or this or that. 

Here's to a great week and the beginning of something new? That is why we love fall right? The start of a new season and endless possibilities...

Happy productivity!

Collective Summer Haul

As mentioned in my video, I would list all the products I purchased this summer here on my blog.
Looking back on it, I have indeed bought a lot of crap and I want to share it with you.

So, here goes:

Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream in Light Medium

REN EverCalm Cleansing Milk

Sephora 500 Point Perk Living Proof Set

Dove Advanced Moisture Clear Tone Deodorant in Skin Renew

Shiseido Urban Environment Oil-Free UV Protector SPF 42

Paper Towns By John Green

Nathan Water Bottle

YogaWithAdriene Find What Feels Good T-shirt in XL

Northern Arizona University T-Shirt in L 

Lucy Final Rep Top in L

Lucy Pocket Capri Legging in L

Old Navy Boyfriend Denim Shorts size 12

Lululemon Singlets (Similar)

Lululemon wunder under pant *full-on luon (roll down) in 10

Under Armor Kaleidalogo Scattered Tank 

Birkenstock Arizona- Mocha Birkibuc

Thanks for reading!!

First Impression Update: L'Oreal True Match Foundation & L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara

I reviewed these two products a very long time ago and I just hadn't gotten around to giving my final thoughts until now.

I did a video on it if you guys want to go ahead and check it out.

Let me know if you have tried these products and what your thoughts are.

Thanks for reading!!

Find Your Life Purpose- Lululemon Style

I am as Lululemon obsessed as it gets. I frequent the site often pining over the oh so expensive workout clothes that I want to purchase. I often have to control the impulse to click check-out.

One part of the site that is not dangerous however is their blog section where many contributing yoga instructors, life coach's and overall health experts contribute to the site and pass on valuable information/knowledge.

What intrigued me about this post was the questions it asked you to fill out to 'Find Your Life Purpose'. That is something that I struggle with and I know I am not the only one; a lot of people want to find their purpose in life and it is very hard to figure out.

The six questions asked are fun and give you a little more insight into your mind.

1.) What would I do if I had six months to live?
      I would say f**k it to everything and travel the world. I would visit the places I have always wanted to see.

2.) What would my 90 year old self tell me to do?
      Stop procrastinating so much and get shit done. Also, not to take life so seriously and just have fun.

3.) What can I give myself more credit for?
      When I actually do work, I work very hard and accomplish a lot.

4.) How would I behave if I was the best at what I did?
      Confident, proud and a little cocky.

5.) What do people thank me for?
      My husband thanks me for being caring, loyal and just being his wife.

6.) What is it time for in your life?
      To be a student, to learn as much as possible, to be free from serious job commitments and enjoy my youth.

This didn't particularly help me find my life purpose but they were fun questions to answer and find out a little more about myself. I challenge you guys to answer these questions and find out a little more about yourself.

Good luck!

30 Days of Yoga- Day 10

This was a very short practice as it was only a 10 minute Sun Salutation. It was short and sweet, but got my muscles warmed up. The next day I woke up with really sore arms due to all the chaturanga's.

Right after my practice Erick and I went for a run as I was all warmed up.

That has been something totally different. I am not a great runner because I don't think I breathe enough while I am running. I usually have to stop to catch my breath and it hurts my chest.

Since doing yoga, however, I have learned how to breathe better and when I am running, I make sure to breathe deep in through my nose and out through my mouth. It has completely changed my running game and I feel much more comfortable going for runs now.

Thanks for reading!!

30 Days of Yoga- Day 9

What can I say? July has been a crazy month and I am so glad it is over. It was exceptionally long as well. Right in the middle of the month I went on vacation to Los Angeles and then to Las Vegas and that my friends, is why I stopped doing yoga and writing daily posts because let's face it, when you are on vacation, the last thing you want to do is worry about exercising. I didn't pig out per se, but I did enjoy foods I do not normally get to eat in Tucson.

I got back about two weeks ago and it has been rough getting back in the swing of things and doing my normal routine. Vacation always does that; it completely throws you off.

Back to yoga.

I haven't really been doing as much yoga as I would like because I hurt my palm prior to me going on vacation and doing downward dog or anything that really involves me doing anything with my hands flat on the ground was impossible. I took a couple weeks off to rest my left palm and it has gotten better but I am being very careful and conscious of when my hand is telling me to stop. I honestly think I need to go to a yoga studio and talk to an instructor about my palm and see what it is I am doing wrong because I do not think it should hurt this much.

As for Day 9 of YogawithAdriene, it was a good practice but I was extremely tired because I did a Steffy White yoga video for Digestion before and that really tired me out. I stopped midway through Day 9's video because I could not go on; I felt my left palm start tingling and I knew I had to stop. Pretty lame, huh?

That is my sorry excuse for Day 9. Perhaps Day 10 will be much better.

Thanks for reading!  

30 Days of Yoga- Day 8

Now this post is about five days late and I just want to say I am sorry. The only excuse I have is it was Fourth of July weekend and I took a break from working out on those days. I did try to eat as healthy as possible but we all know diets go out the window when we are celebrating a great American holiday.

I have done Day 8, Don't Hate, Meditate twice because it was that amazing. I did it first last Friday the third and I actually cried. The meditation was incredible and I just felt so at peace with myself. Honestly, I have never felt that way in my life before, the sudden release of emotion and just letting it out was... wow.

I loved the video so much I decided to do it again yesterday, Monday the sixth because I just felt like I needed a really relaxed video to calm me down.

My regular schedule will continue from here on out and my daily posting will continue as well.

Thanks for reading!!

30 Days of Yoga- Day 7

Today was a weird day in general but my practice was even weirder. I just was not feeling it today and was feeling a bit anxious and I did my practice because of course I want to power through.

I was really hot and totally not feeling it. I would say Day 7 was a total bust and hopefully tomorrow, Day 8, will be better.

That is all I have to say for today ya'll.

Thanks for reading!!

30 Days of Yoga- Day 6

So the post is late and I apologize. I was on my computer the whole day and I did not feel like writing a post at night after I did this video because let me tell you, it literally kicked my ass. Day 6 was so hard! It was good though because I never work out my abs as intensely as I did yesterday. Let me tell you, it was hard. Adriene kicked my ass and I have felt the burn all day today.

I do not have much muscle on my abdominal's and it burned like a mother. It was a great video though if you really want to work on your abs and get a nice flat tummy which is definitely my goal.

Thanks for reading!!

30 Days of Yoga- Day 5

My posts are starting to sound pretty repetitive for the last two days. I really didn't feel like doing yoga, blah blah blah. But I just really want to be honest with you guys. It is a struggle for me to do a lot of things in life. I lack motivation on the daily and simply, I am pretty lazy. That is not something I like about myself and something I work on every single day.

Today, the whole day I spent doing homework, basically reading my history textbook which is kind of a total chore but something I have to do and taking naps in between because I would start nodding off a couple of hours into reading. Basically, that was all I did. I am writing this post pre-workout because it is 12:49 AM and Erick and I went out to dinner at around 8:30 PM and I am still full right now but I really want to do my practice. It doesn't feel right not to.

.....

It is 2:00 AM now and I have just finished my Day 5 practice. I was burping a lot which is gross but I still feel full. I thought about doing a Steffy White yoga video but I could not because I feel like I will throw up. It was good and quick practice to feel good.

Thanks for reading!

30 Days of Yoga- Day 4

I will be honest with you, I felt sick today while doing day 4's video. I had eaten some salmon for lunch and it just wasn't sitting right in my stomach. I kept burping it and I felt very queasy with a terrible headache. Today would have been a good day to not do the video but as it was only a twenty minute one, I thought I could handle it. Whenever Adriene would call for downward dog I would just go into child's pose and whenever I did not feel good, I would go into child's pose. That is the beauty about an at home practice; if you need to breathe or take a child's pose or pause, it is perfectly OK and you can just pause the video. Also, if like me right now you do not have a car to go to a studio, then at home videos are perfect.

Overall, it was a good easy practice. I feel Adriene is slowly building us up and as it was Day 4 today, I feel like my energy and motivation is starting to wean but I am trying to keep positive.

Thanks for reading!! 

30 Days of Yoga- Day 3

Day 3 was thankfully short and sweet. I honestly considered not doing it and just putting it off till tomorrow but I am glad I did it because it was only about twenty-three minutes and my muscles feel yummily (not even a word) sore. 

On the weekends it is a challenge to find time get my exercise in because I am always out and about; as soon as I wake up I am out the door. I did it pretty late, around eleven, and I felt good after. It wasn't a very long practice but great for a Sunday when you don't really feel like working out. Sunday funday right?

Thanks for reading!!

30 Days of Yoga- Day 2

I started Day 2's video at 11:30 PM because I have not been at home all day. Erick (my husband) and I spent the whole day out of the house shopping and just having some fun around town and didn't get home until around 9:30 PM.

The point is, even though I was out all day and not in the mood at all to work out once I got home, I said NO! You will do your practice and enjoy it. I was already sweaty because I did a thirty minute video prior to the Yoga With Adriene video.

The most important thing is to stay committed and even though it is only day 2, I don't want want to be like oh man, I am tired and it is late, blah blah blah. Those are excuses. Staying committed is key.

I will say, the video was very relaxing, just what I needed to wind down from my hectic, crowd of people filled day. Today's videos theme was Stretch and Soothe and it was very soothing with the practice opening up with an extended child's pose; my favorite pose.

I feel very calm, relaxed and ready for bed.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for Day 3's update!!

30 Days of Yoga- Day 1

I am a yoga convert. There. I said it. I had been looking for an exercise that wasn't too high intensity as I HATE running and I don't like going to the gym. Also, I don' know about you guys, but I was not and am not comfortable going to the gym and seeing all the people there and being judged. I am not in shape at all and did not want to look like a fool.

So, I decided to try at home work outs. I had always been interested in yoga because I heard it was pretty relaxed and low intensity which I needed because I am a loser and never really worked out in my life. Now that I am 21 years old, I felt it was finally time to start as I was and still am overweight.

I started doing yoga in February and have continued on and off until now. It has been an incredible journey but pretty frustrating in the weight loss department. I have not lost or gained any weight since starting which isn't bad but not great. I have decided to kick up my work out a notch and started doing other things in conjunction with the daily yoga.

What I am most excited about is that I have decided to do the YogaWithAdriene 30 Days of Yoga Challenge. I have put this off for a while; I don't know why! I ordered one of her amazing t-shirts that is incredibly soft and comfortable and I just received it in the mail today so I decided to start with the t-shirt to get fully in the zone.

 I have watched other videos of Adriene's on YouTube before and thought that the classes were a little too slow paced and she might be a bit of a hippie but her sweet nature and calm approach to yoga is awesome; just what I need.

After doing the yoga, I felt so relaxed, calm and at peace. That is something that is very hard for me to achieve and I felt... invigorated. Adriene is very relaxed throughout the video and encourages you to do you; she is there to guide but if something feels right or natural, go for it and don't be afraid to deviate from what she is doing on the screen. I like that.

I will be writing a post every day for the full thirty days to let you know how I am getting on. I want to document my thoughts, frustrations, triumphs and emotions.

Thanks for reading!!

Cerave Sunscreen SPF 50

If you do not know, I live in sunny as hell Tucson, Arizona where it is about 104 degrees Fahrenheit right now; it is hellishly hot. Because of that, it is extremely important to wear sunscreen and protect my face. I have extremely sensitive skin with eczema around my eyes and on my upper lip. I also have pretty bad acne scarring on my cheeks and as we all know, we need to protect that skin because the sun makes the scars worse.

So, with that in mind, I have been on the hunt for a good sunscreen. Apparently good sunscreen is hard to come by because this one I purchased is a total dud; for me at least. I purchased it at Target with really high hopes and it just did not perform. The reason why I bought it is because I use the brands face wash and body cream, both safe for sensitive skin and they work well for me. This, however, did not. It is extremely white and leaves a white cast on my face, demonstrated on my hands.

Barely blended.

 Fully blended.

As you can seen, if you are not a pale person, there will be a white cast on your face. Personally, I do not think that is a good look. I have also inserted a picture of what the sunscreen would look like if wet, demonstrating what it's like if your sweating or have gone in the water.

I think it's safe to say I am on to the next one.

Thanks for reading!

Tory Burch Eau de Parfum: My Go-To Scent

I just thought I would share with you my favorite scent. It is the Tory Burch eau de parfum. I only have it in the roller ball version at this time but it is absolutely incredible. It is a very fresh and crisp scent. Not too sweet and not too floral, just the mixture between floral and citrus. My husband hates my all time favorite parfum the Chance by Chanel, the brown version he says it is too strong but this is very fresh and a little tomboy, that is the description on the site. They sell it in Sephora, Nordstrom, and the Tory Burch store. Please go and give this a whiff if you are on the hunt for a new, fresh summer scent. 

The packaging is nice and sleek. Very Tory-esque.

Thanks for reading!

The 'It' Wallet

A couple months ago, my loving husband bought me the prettiest wallet. I had been using an old Dooney & Bourke tan wallet for a couple years and it was starting to look a little ratty so I thought it was time for a new one. 

I was debating on what kind of wallet I wanted for a while as I wanted to make sure I was getting the right one. I decided to bite the bullet and purchase the York Zip Passport Continental Wallet from Tory Burch in Mandarin Orange. It is quite an unusual color but that is what I like most about it. Who in their right mind purchases a mandarin orange wallet? Me, that is who. I like that I am the only crazy person who has it. Also, orange is my favorite color.

The actual wallet itself is gorgeous. It holds everything I need in it perfectly; my passport fits as well. It is roomy with lots of card slots. It is made of Saffiano leather so it is scratch resistant which is great because while it is in my bag, my keys don't scratch it and not even my nails.

All in all, it is a great wallet and I would highly recommend it. It is made of really sturdy leather and great quality hardware. 

What's in my Backpack

Hello everyone, I thought I would film a "What is in my Backpack' video as the school year is coming to a close. It was really fun to film and I hope you enjoy. 

Life Happens

I have been thinking long and hard about what I wanted to do with my blog and YouTube channel and I have been really unsure. I have been going through a lot of personal stuff lately and I haven't really been motivated to do anything with these two things. I watch YouTube videos religiously however and every time I do I mentally kick myself because I think I should be doing the same thing!

I don't really have a direction I want to take these two things in but I think that is OK. That will make my blog and videos interesting to be different and not just only about one thing because let's face it guys, we as humans don't only do just one thing everyday of our lives. I will go into greater detail in a video about what has been going on as I don't want to make a post that resembles an essay but I have been struggling with what I want to do with my life and just my direction and motivation in general.

Thank you so much for reading!!

Jisselle