Natural Hair Update: April

April Natural Hair Update

Published on Natural Brownies - A Journey to Natural Hair

Oh, April...my hair did NOT enjoy you, lol.
I thought it was smooth sailing, wondering why I wasn't having struggles like other naturals. Then April hit, smh.

Anyway, just a quick update on whats going on with my hair.

HAIR GROWTH  & HEALTH: I can tell my hair (especially at the roots) is getting more healthy. Thanks to my regimen & my new healthy lifestyle (go me!) my hair is growing as well. I haven't done another length check and I probably won't because I am constantly trimming (chopping) off my damaged ends.

TEXTURE: I am still working with two textures. I am definitely not a fan but it is do-able. Although it is not relaxed hair vs natural hair. It is heat damaged hair vs natural hair. And the damage is not healing up like I hoped it would.

STYLES: I am doing mostly twist-n-curls because my ends are still bone straight. I love them, yes. And they turn out super cute, but it constantly reminds me that I have damaged ends.

PROBLEMS: I am still struggling with hair breaking. I am trying to figure out which protein my hair likes best.

As more of natural hair grows in and some of my hair reverts (the not-so-damaged parts), I am getting the BC-urge. All you naturalista's know what I mean! That urge you get when you see your hair curl up perfectly and you just want to grab the scissors to get ride of all the damaged/relaxed hair that is holding your curl back! LoL! Yup, that one.
My original plan was to just nurse my hair back to health. But then I found out that it was least likely that my severely damaged hair would revert all the way.
Next plan was to grow my hair out for a year and trim off my damage as I go.
But I didn't make it and...I cut my hair! Yup, its gone! Stay tuned for a full update.

Overall, a good month in my hair journey. Still moving forward and still loving being natural.

Stay natural, ladies

Nicole

Healthy Eating: Green Smoothie

Today I had my first green smoothie!!

If you know me, you know I can't drink anything without tasting it. And I also have a terrible gag reflex; I will throw something nasty up in a heartbeat. So it was IMPERATIVE that this be at least slightly delicious, lol.

My Mom and Dad actually drink these every day and they claim them to be delicious. Even my 2 year old will sip on a green smoothie given the chance! So it cant be that bad...right?

What was used:

Spinach

Apple

Banana

Pineapple

Strawberries

Mango Nectar

VERDICT: It was...drinkable, lol. Definitely not going to replace my favorite flavor smoothie. But for the purposes of losing weight and making healthy choices, it will work! It was pretty much like a regular smoothie, just a blend of flavors. The main difference, the flavor of the spinach (which is half the smoothie) is extra bland but not unbearable. It's almost like a fruit smoothie that is missing something.

So this will be replacing my breakfast in the morning. I am anxious to see how much it helps my body, with both exhaustion and weight loss.

Nicole Charnel

Cheers to the Relaxing Weekend

I love weekends like this. When I don't really have to do anything on Saturday. Which lead to a blessed Sunday in church. Yea, my kind of weekend.

My list of activities could be counted on one hand, lol.
Being an active mom.
Exercise.
Mime Ministry
Grocery bag lifting, lol.
Hair Salon (check out my natural hair blog for a hair update)

Unfortunately the weekend is over and work begins in t-minus 12 hours, ugh.
It was fun while it lasted...

Nicole Charnel

Flat Stomach: Week 1 Update

I have decided I am going to do weekly updates on my weight loss journey.  I think it will help me stay motivated and accountable to my journey and my goals.

This week was tiring. I have been exhausted every day! I don't know if it is because I have long days (4:30am - 10pm, everyday...yea) or because I am not eating enough food. Either way, I am struggling with both. And I began to worry if these issues will hinder my weight loss.
I have talked with a couple of my friends, who happen to be personal trainers, so I could get advise on this.
One trainer said that not eating enough that will definitely become a problem. Getting rest, while a factor, shouldn't hinder weight loss.
The other trainer said both issues will hindering my loss. I need to eat more so my metabolism can have something to burn off.  And I need to rest so my body has time to re-cooperate and function fully.

This upcoming week I am going to just focus on one aspect, my diet. Currently, I barely eat three meals a day. I honestly just be too tired to fix something and just pass out instead of eating dinner, lol. So this week's goal is to make sure have 3 healthy meals a day. I already snack (mainly fruit and sunflower seeds) so I am just going to keep that the same.  We will see if that helps my exhaustion and weight loss.

Nicole Charnel

Woman's Intuition

I use to doubt it, now I never do.

After that one time I ignored my gut...and then it came back to haunt and hurt me, smh...never again.

God gave me intuition for a reason and I am going to use it to my advantage.

Nicole Charnel