DIY Yoga Mat Cleanser

   I work out at home in my carpeted living room typically so I rarely use a yoga mat.   However, I realized that my palms and knees were starting to get carpet burn so I purchased a cheap yoga mat at Tj Maxx.  After a couple of uses it began to smell and feel a bit funky.  I didn't want to spray it down with some general cleanser because I roll all over that thing so I began looking up natural alternatives.  I found a simple recipe and made up my own natural and cheap yoga mat cleanser!

Supplies Needed:
*Empty spray bottle (I used an old Lush bottle I had laying around)
*Water
*White Vinegar
*Tea Tree Oil
*Essential/Scented Oil (optional)

Directions

Step 1: Thoroughly clean out spray bottle
Step 2: Fill 2/3 of the way up with tap water
Step 3: Fill close to 1/3 (leave a little bit for the oil) with the vinegar
Step 4: Add about 7-8 drops of tea tree oil
Step 5: Add a scented or essential oil since the combo of the vinegar and tea tree oil isn't the best scent. I had only one scented oil around which was Pearberry so I added a few drops (add however little or many you want depending on the strength of scent)
Step 6: Shake, Shake, Shake

Voila! You have a super natural and super effective yoga mat cleanser.  After each use spray the mat and wipe down and it'll be nice and fresh for the next sweat session!

The Many Uses of Jojoba Oil

  A few weeks ago I ordered jojoba oil from Vitacost.com.  I ordered it mainly to use as a carrier oil for tea tree oil to use as an acne treatment.  After buying such a decent size though I decided to do some research on the other uses of Jojoba oil.  Here are some of the suggestions I came across:

*Eye and face makeup remover- Apply a few drops to a cotton pad and use to remove face or eye makeup.  Rinse off with water and follow up with your regular cleanser.

*Use as a facial moisturizer- Now this is one that I see a lot of raves about, but also a lot of rants about. People either say this gives you the most smooth and plump skin ever or breaks you out like crazy.  As my skin has been misbehaving lately I'm not going to be trying this.

*Body Moisturizer- Apply right after you get out of bath or shower to lock in moisture.

*Add a few drops to a bath for a moisturizing soak.

*Apply oil to hands or feet, wrap in cellophane and add some socks and gloves for an hour or so for a super luxe treatment.

*Add a few drops to your scalp and gently massage.  Make sure to double shampoo out.

*Use a quarter size drop to apply to damp hair (concentrating on ends) and leave in for 10-15 minutes for a deep conditioning treatment.

*Use as a cuticle oil

*Apply to lips in place of lip balm

*Use a carrier oil for stronger essential oils

*Apply to wet hair prior to swimming to seal hair shaft

*Massage into stretchmarks to use as a lightening treatment

*Apply a teensy tiny amount to dry hair to use as a shine serum



As you can see one super affordable product has TONS of uses!

 Do you use jojoba oil?

Quick Tip Thursday: File Your Clothes

   First, I want to apologize for being such a sucky blogger lately.  I don't know why I haven't been able to get into a groove or to feel inspired lately.  I've been getting myself more organized though and oddly enough the holiday season brings on a surge of creativity for me, so I'm hoping to become more my "blogger" self soon.

   Today's quick tip pertains to organizing your clothes.  I just switched from an armoire to a dresser and I was googling tips on how to organize my drawers.  I came across a post from Apartment Therapy that stated that you should "file" some of your clothes to see everything better.

   I did end up filing my tank tops, tee shirts and long sleeved tee shirts and I love it! I fold the shirts and place them in piles as I would normally and just turn them to the side when putting them in the drawer.  The site also states to do this with jeans, but I couldn't fold them nicely enough to do so.

Fitspiration: The Real Skinny Book Review

    I love heading to my local library to check out the newest health, diet and fitness books.  It's a great way to look into a lot of different nutrition plans and fitness routines without having to pay for the book.
   A few weeks I picked up, The Real Skinny: 101 Fat Habits & Slim Solutions.

I began reading this book as soon as I got home from the library and I really enjoyed it.  I really liked the formatting of this book.  It was written by stating 101 of the most popular "excuses" against losing weight.  Things like: I'm big boned, Healthy cooking doesn't taste as good, I'm too busy.  After the excuses, the book provides simple (albeit common sense) tips on how to fight those excuses.  

Some of the excuses and tips that I took notes on were:

* I can't live without my diet coke

*I'm always hungry

*Happy Hour is my favorite hour

At the end of the book a nutrition plan was included, along with some really great recipes.  The nutrition plan consists of 1,600 calories a day and:

-6 servings of grains (mainly whole grains)

-2 servings of fruit

- at least 4 servings of vegetables

- 2 servings of nonfat or low-fat dairy

- 7 servings of lean protein

-5 servings of healthy fats

A lot of the information in the book was common sense or commonly known if you read any fitness magazines or fitblogs regularly, but it is a good book to have on your bookshelf when you need inspiration.  I can't tell you how many times I've used at least 5-6 of the excuses in the book.  If I never use one of those excuses, I could just flip to that page and get the advice on how to break that excuse.

Any diet books you guys can recommend that are written in more of a "quick tip" format?  I really enjoy those!