With the holidays upon us, I find myself shamelessly counting calories and trying to "be good" when it comes to the delicious delights of the season. Now, I am not normally a calorie-counting girl and I rarely worry about food - if I realize I'm fluffier in areas that I once wasn't, I simply adjust my habits and see improvements. At Christmastime, though, I become a version of myself I don't recognize; it's around this time every year that I break out my copy of Bethenny Frankel's "Naturally Thin: Unleash Your Skinnygirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting." Now, if you watch a moderate amount of reality television and keep up with current events, much like myself, you know Bethenny Frankel used to be a star in Bravo's "Real Housewives" franchise - she's also the owner of BethennyBakes, a health-food company, and the creator of the Skinnygirl line of alcoholic beverages. (She recently sold the brand for an undisclosed amount and landed herself on the cover of Forbes Magazine earlier this year.) I believe whole-heartedly in everything Bethenny talks about in this book, so much so that when I lost my first copy, I ran out and bought a new one. I have since found my old copy and keep both in a safe place, waiting to be lent out.
In this book, Bethenny clearly outlines "The Rules" by which she lives. For instance, her first rule is to treat your diet as though it is a bank account; just because you splurged at some point in the day does not me all hope is lost, but that you must pick yourself up by the bootstraps and make better decisions for the day. She goes on to list other things of importance, like paying attention - to how hungry you are before you begin eating, how delectable (or not) the food in front of you looks, how full you're getting as you eat, and how each bite tastes. My favorite rule of hers, by far, is about knowing yourself. Only you know what works in the way of your appetite & the manner in which your body breaks down food and stores fat; for me, personally, I can cut out most/all carbohydrates and see a marked difference. I also know that if I am not hungry, I do not have to eat. A big misconception that diet books circulate is that you absolutely must eat in order to keep your metabolism functioning at a proper rate. This may be true for those who are constantly in motion throughout their workday and have set schedules, but my appetite varies with my level of activity. [*Disclaimer: I am in no way advocating skipping meals to drop a size, I am simply stating what works for me in the way of calorie-intake.]
In the colder months, I struggle with something else too: my hair! In the transitional period between October and November, my scalp gets dramatic and behaves as though it's never been cared for, which couldn't be further from the truth. I've learned to work with it though, and this year it seems we've come to an agreement much earlier than in past seasons. My secret? Using a moisturizing conditioner directly on the scalp in the areas giving me trouble. In the winter, I like to wash my hair twice a week, but never, EVER more than thrice. Before I went to hair school, the sheer thought of this absolutely mortified me - until, of course, I realized that this didn't mean I had to forego showering altogether. If you can get away with not wetting your hair on the days you don't wash, more power to you, but my hair is fine and thin. (YIKES! Not words anyone likes to hear when it comes to their mane!) Wetting it allows me to incorporate more product and rework my style. Voilà, bigger hair!
Along with my misbehaving scalp, I have noticed that my hair loses a bit of its luster in the winter, and I am always looking for and trying out new products and ideas to combat this. I take Biotin and fish oil capsules daily. Biotin is a supplement designed to promote hair growth and nail strength, but visibility of the effects can take up to several months. Fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids which are thought to promote hair health & growth. I use a moisturizing shampoo & conditioner called Drench as well as a volumizing shampoo & conditioner called Volupt, both by Sebastian - I use Drench Shampoo along my hairline and Volupt Shampoo at the crown, but stick to Drench conditioner during the superdry, cold months.
My next post will be ALL about hair, I promise!
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