lalamurphy

james, your body essential eats/absorbs anything you put on your skin, so i would re-think the chemical usage. Though you must do what is right for you. To each his own.

Hey everyone! I don't normally post about products, but I have felt the need to share with you the best company I have ever encountered! The owner/amazing herbalist, Nadine Artemis, has created the most beautiful line of ALL VEGAN products using pure organic essential oils. I can officially say I will never use tooth paste again. Just one drop of her "Healthy Gum Drops" (which ingredients are simply: seabuckthorn berry, rose otto, oregano, peppermint, clove, tea tree, cinnamon, and thyme) has changed my world. Not to mention her deodorant, a line called "Underarm Charm/Poetic Pits" has got me sniffing myself all day long. (I literally smell myself now just so I can get a deep inhale of the sandalwood, douglas fir, and cardamon. ) My smelly vegan boyfriend has also used her products and ends up smelling divine. I've also used her "Seabuckthorn: Best Skin Ever", and spot treatment "Zippity dew dab" to completely heal my acne. Just thought I would share my favorite vegan company with my favorite messaging boards! Check out her website and enjoy! http://www.livinglibations.com?a_aid=4f7b6d50459d0

Hey guys! So i decided to finally update you all. I posted the before pictures on this site a year ago, which was after about 6 months of going to the gym, doing some capoeira, etc. Since then, I have been consistently lifting 2-3 days a week, running, regularly rock climbing, and doing interval training (20-30 minute spurts involving burpees, dive-bombers, tuck jumps, squats, etc.) Let me know your feedback! At the time of the before pictures I was around 116lbs and now I am 127lbs.

voted!!

Let me start off my saying I am a 24 year old female, 5'5" and 119 pounds. I have always been naturally thin, and find it hard to build muscle and get defined definition. A few years ago I was 119 pounds, and I felt "soft". I was still considered thin, but I felt like I had no muscle. After being active for a few years and eating a wholesome vegan diet, my weight went down to about 113lbs. Over the past few months my main focus has been building muscle. I really want to push myself and see what my body can become.. instead of what it naturally tends to be. So I have been working out hard and am dedicated to sticking with what I am doing for the next few months to see if I have results. I now weigh 119 pounds, and I have to remind myself that i am WAY harder and a bit bigger than I ever have been muscle wise and this isn't the same as when I was 119lbs a few years ago and "soft". Being a girl, I feel like I am conditioned to seek improvement by seeing a scale go DOWN in weight.. but I know that when I am trying to build I actually should find it encouraging to gain weight. I can't afford to lose much fat since I don't have much (I think i'm at about 17%) so I definitely want a bigger number. My boyfriend also keeps telling me to eat more, especially when I come home from 2 intense hours of Capoeira and i just go to bed because it is late. So now I have been trying to force down food so that I can build, but then I get concerned I am eating too much? This is my typical workout (except I my monday/wed/fri gym workouts are actually A's and B's... and so I just rotate A/B/A/B/A etc. meaning that what I did this wednesday will be what I do next monday): Monday: run 2 miles/ gym for 1.5 hours doing chest and back/ 1.5 hour yoga class Tuesday: 2 hours of Capoeira (Intense lower body workout!) Wednesday: gym for 1.5 hours doing arms and shoulders Thursday: 2 hours of Capoeira Friday: run 2 miles/ gym for 1.5 hours doing chest and back/ 1.5 hour yoga class Saturday: Usually walk 3-5 miles and maybe throw in a run Sunday: 1.5 hour yoga class, and run if I didn't on saturday Can anyone give advice?

I'm having a hard time with knowing if I am eating 'too much' or not enough. I am, 5'6" and 119 pounds. I've always been super skinny, and I eat pretty much nonstop. (my main food group though is greens.. followed by fats, mainly avocados) Anyways, I am doing lots of strength training, martial arts, and a bit of cardio and I keep trying to make sure not too over eat and also not to under eat! I think I definitely eat in the 2,000 calorie range, but even when i use to eat junk food about 10 years ago, i was always skinny. my boyfriend keeps telling me to eat more than i think so that i can build muscle (its really hard for me to do so for some reason..) I'm definitely not into counting calories because i feel like it makes me have more "disorderly" thinking... and i'd rather just listen to my body... although sometimes its really just hard to tell what i need!

Hey everyone, I am trying to build muscle so I have been working out regularly doing many different things. I want to work out today but I don't know what I should do because I did do intense squats, deadlifts, lunges, etc. yesterday. I try not to have a strict rest day... I would rather walk at least 5 miles, or bike, or run, or go to yoga. What do you think? I'm female, 5'6" and 119 pounds. My main goals are upper-body strength, but I am still trying to build my entire body. this was what I did all week: Saturday: 2 mile run, pull-ups, push-ups, Abs. Sunday: 3 mile power walk, 1 hour of stretching Monday: 1.5 hour yoga class, 2 mile run, Gym (arms and back) Tuesday: 12 mile bike ride, 1.5 hour yoga class Wednesday: 3 mile run, 3 mile bike, 2 hour gym session (pull-ups, push-ups, dumbbells, arms and back) Thursday: main rest day (2 mile walk) Friday: 3 mile run Saturday: 3 mile run (abs + legs) Now technically, i COULD do arms today... but i really ripped them up on wednesday so I wanted to wait until tomorrow. so my question is.. what kind of stuff can I do today, or on days where I'm still sore in my arms or legs?

Hey everybody. So, I am 24 years old weighing in at about 120lbs and 5'6" tall. I am an active person, and when the weather is nice I bike to work (10 miles), and if not I at least walk 5 miles a day. On top of that, I practice yoga regularly, train in Capoeira for about 4 hours/week, and I go to the gym about 3 days a week doing strength training. My main goal is my arms and I am starting to finally see results (go to the before/after section and read my recent post titled "i'm a girl and i want muscles!). I don't want to be dependent on machines, so I do a lot of body weight exercises. My ultimate goal is to be able to do a chin-up, and about 3 months ago when I used the assisted pull-up machine I had to take 110lbs OFF of my weight (so i was only lifting 10!) now, with training 3 times a week, I am down to only taking 55lbs off my weight. I can do them on my own if I don't straighten my arms all the way, but if i do straighten them, I need the machine or someone to help me through the first 20% of it. Along with chin-ups, pull-ups, and assisted dips, I have been doing a lot of push-ups, as well as some bicep curls (use to only be able to 10lbs and now I am at 20lbs!) What else could i be doing? Also, what would help define my legs and butt a bit more? Capoeira is pretty darn intense on the legs, and I try to run 2-3 miles a day/5 days a week. I'm thinking about doing squats with the weighted bar? Could I do lunges with weights in my hands? What else could I do? Thanks everyone! Lala

So, for the past year or so I have been active (walking over 5 miles a day/biking 10 miles a day, yoga, etc.) And i've pretty much have always looked like the following picture( although in this picture which was taken a year ago I had definitely been more active than I have my whole life (not doing much strength building though). http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Lauren9748/HPIM0683.jpg Now for the past 6 months, I have been training in Capoeira again (about 4 hours a week), I bike for commuting purposes (sometimes 16 miles a day), I do gymnastics about one day a week, 2-3 yoga classes/week, the gym once or twice a week. The main goal that I am trying to achieve is upper body strength because I have never had any! I am still working on my chin-ups (I can do them if i jump up and come 3/4th's the way down, but I haven't been able to do it from complete hanging. I have been working with an assisted pull-up machine as well as with my boyfriend who helps me, and i have made MAJOR improvement over the past 2 months. I say within a month I will be doing them on my own.. YAY! I also do a lot of push ups.. 4 months ago I could only do about 5 at a time.. for about 4 sets. Now I do 10 sets of 10 but have decided that instead of upping my number, I am focusing on coming all the way to the ground and touching, and then pressing back up. Now I am back to only doing about 4 again.. ha but that is okay. I'm pretty happy with the strength I've achieved in my upper body thus far, considering it is the strongest I have ever been! While many of my goals are around actually being physically strong, I still want "the body" that I have always wanted. I basically wish my muscles looked like they did when I was flexing, all the time! Maybe this isn't practical, but I want people to see that I have muscle tone without me having to whip out my guns! I'll update with more pictures in the upcoming months! AS OF JANUARY 3rd, 2010: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Lauren9748/Photo82.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Lauren9748/Photo79.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Lauren9748/Photo49.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Lauren9748/Photo69.jpg

I just went to the doctor and had an extensive blood test.. everything was great (he asked if I was trying to show off with my results because they were so good) and specifically my iron and folate were amazing. i think the average folate (i forget the units) is anywhere from 3-16 and mine was 27!! HOWEVER.... the average B12 should be between 200-1100... and should be in the middle to higher end of that range and mine was 209!! So I am now taking a vitamin b12 supplement (even though i hate supplements). I'd suggest during your next blood test to find out what your b12 is at..

So when I use to go to my school gym, I used the assisted pull up machine, which was great! I liked being able to take off half my body weight and do a slow full extended pull up/chin up. I don't have access to the gym anymore, and am very active on my own. Today I just put up a pull up bar in my apartment, in fact, right on my bedroom doorway so that every time I enter/leave I have to practice! The only problem is that I can't do a full pull up on my own... do you think doing negatives would eventually allow me to do one? If i jump I can pull myself up, and hold myself there, but then i madly shake and as soon as i drop a few inches, i can't hold myself anymore. I need tips! Please help.. thank you