SIMPLE & FIT

1/27/2020 0 Comments

Hot Springs, My Healing Place

Blog #15

If you have been following me long enough to know how much I love going hot springs. I can honestly say it has its magic that refuel my soul each time I go there. I don't know about you but it has something to do with radical energy that actually get me to unplug everything. When I set my foot into the water, it immediately relaxes me. It also often come with calming and beautiful environment that get me to appreciate nature and life more. I has been to almost all hot springs in Colorado and I honestly can not pick which one would be my favorite because each of hot springs place has its uniqueness. Hot Springs also come from many positive benefits listed here: (info found on mindfood.com)

The healing powers of hot springs have been used for thousands of years and have been widely accepted in Europe and Japan as natural treatment options for various common ailments. Hot springs are reputed to have a number of therapeutic benefits, with many scientists from around the world studying balneology or the “treatment of disease by bathing.” We have outlined some of the top benefits of dipping into a hot spring.

Boost Blood Circulation:
The water found in natural hot springs contains a variety of different minerals, including calcium and sodium bicarbonate. Our bodies soak up these minerals when we are in a hot spring, which increases circulation and overall oxygen flow.

Reduce Stress and Promote Sleep:
The mineral water in hot springs can also help reduce stress by relaxing tense muscles. Meanwhile as your body temperature rises in the bath, and then cools once you exit can also help you relax and fall into a deeper sleep.

Relieve Pain:
An Israeli study published in the journal Rheumatology International found that hot mineral baths may aid in pain relief and fatigue caused by widespread pain. This is because the heat, although sometimes intense, can dull our perception of pain by blocking the pain receptors in our bodies. Also being buoyant in the water often allows for freer movement as the water supports the body’s joints.

Heal Skin Problems:
The high silica content found in hot springs can smooth and soften dry and rough skin. Meanwhile the sulphur contained in the water can also hold medicinal properties that may relieve conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.

It is important to check with your doctor or medical professional before bathing in a hot spring to ensure that the practice is safe for you.

I guess you could easily see what hot springs can do to our mind, body, and soul. I know there are many gorgeous hot springs to discover all over the world and I must say Blue Lagoon in Iceland is high on my hot springs bucket list. Share with me with your favorite hot springs destination!

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12/23/2019 0 Comments

The Magical Touch of Lights

Blog #14

I don't know about you but lights has that magical touch that gets to me easily. It is the magical of lights that enlighten me and get me into a happy, content, and mellow mood. This has been a magical effect on me since I was a little girl when I fell in love with city lights and lights coming from skyscrapers at night time. I truly believe that lights lit the magic effect on each of us that gets us to be in a better spirit. It is a hidden magic, I believe in since I was a little girl.

Here are some facts I have found regrading the effect on lighting that may have on many of us. Many scientists have claimed that the amount of lighting affects the regulation of emotions, such as happiness and sadness, through the nervous and endocrine systems.

I am a strong believer that lights are what brighten our life up. It may come from any forms of lights including sun, lights from candles, lights from bulbs, fireworks, or anything that has its magic to bright the light to brighten life up. That is one of main reasons why I love Christmas so much. Lights and its magic to that lit our soul to a happier one. I am thankful that a month of December is filled with lights everywhere. With this being said, I am going to close 2019 with a blog that talks about lights and how it lit our life, and is looking forward to more lights to continue to bright us up in 2020. May your new year of 2020 be filled with happiness and joy with lights.

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11/2/2019 0 Comments

So, What about Lash Extensions?

Blog #13

So, what about lash extensions? It is something that is still new to me but also something I am in love with already. Who is lazy with applying mascara every day? Well, I am guilty of that. Since I go LIVE or put myself on social media often, well, more of pretty much every day and putting mascara to make sure I look lively can be exhausting to me. So I decided to give the lash extension a try and it worked the magic on me! It is simply installation of an extra fake lash on my real lash to make it more fuller. Viola! Now I don't need to put mascara on every morning for the next 4 weeks. Once lash begin to fall out then I'll need to go to the salon to get a refill, approximately about 3 to 5 weeks. It depends on how well you take care of your lashes.

I got to admit that it took me a while to finally give it a try. I was very hesitant about it because I did not want it to damage my real lashes and the price of getting them is pretty pricy. (average $100-$200) I did my research prior to getting them. It also took me months to finally find a trusted salon with good reviews. I was really nervous to have them done at my first visit but immediately fell in love with them once it was done and can see that it was done professionally and at a good quality job. The first time lash extensions procedure would be approximately 2 hours, and if you want to continue with the extensions monthly then continue with lash refills each 3 to 5 weeks that would take about an hour of your time to have it done. I'll share more with the information I gathered from the certified dermatologist about it.

Here are questions I asked:

1.How is it done? Tie in or glue in?
It is surgical grade adhesive specifically designed for lashes.

2. How do you do a qualified job?
Make sure the lash tech has a qualified and cosmo valided license and also has been certified as a lash tech.

3. What makes your salon extraordinary one?
The people who work here, and people who care, and our goal is to make sure everyone feels extraordinary here.

The salon where I went- Everlasting Skin Care, did a fabulous job and I trust their professional level that would not damage my lashes and it is entirely at my choice to risk the potential damages to my lashes. With that being said, I must warn you that every experience with lash extensions comes with pros and cons and it is highly recommend you to do the research on them before deciding to get them.

So…lash extensions? That was the summary of my experience. Share me with yours if you had them done!

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9/20/2019 0 Comments

Time & Loved Ones

Blog #12

Time and loved ones...What does that mean to me? It means that life is precious, and so is my time with my loved ones. As I grow older, I can see how easily we get all wrapped up with our lives, the busyness of life, and did not remain in touch with our loved ones as often as we would like to. Time is something we cannot get back. Time with my loved ones is very precious to me. My husband and I have a big family on each of our sides, and I do my best to remain in touch and visit both of our sides. I have 19 nieces and nephews in total (12 on my husband's side and 7 on my side), and as fast as they are growing up, I make sure I find time to visit my loved ones every year, taking time to juggle the visit to three different locations where our family are located: Texas, Minnesota, and California. Despite the busyness in my life, I will always make sure I make it a priority to see all of our families every year at least more than once.

Now, time with my husband is something I value the most, as he is the other half of me. I make sure I make my husband my priority in my life, investing my time and energy into our marriage. I know life can take time away from my husband, but I continue to make time to ensure I have quality time with my husband because I believe that is what builds a strong foundation in our marriage. After all, time cannot be bought, love cannot be bought, but I can make sure I make the best of my time with my loved ones. Because they are the heart of my soul.

The principles in my life I like to practice with my loved ones:
1. Always stay in touch and check-in to see how they are doing.
2. Make sure we maintain a good and healthy relationship.
3. Forgive and love.
4. Let them know how much they mean to me.
5. Spend time with them as much as I can.
6. Say good things about them and lift them up.
7. Continue to be present as much as I can and make memories with them.
8. Be honest and authentic with my relationship with them (all relationship levels vary).
9. Tell them I love them.

I am not a perfect human being, but I like to continue to nurture and grow my soul into a beautiful human being. It is a beautiful thing to grow old with my loved ones and look back into my life and say I am fortunate to have many beautiful souls in my life. They are the heart of who I am right now.

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9/20/2019 0 Comments

September 20th, 2019

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6/17/2019 0 Comments

Mud on our body!?! Yup!

Blog #11

Who loves having mud on our body? Well, we do! When it comes to improving our skin tone, mud has its magic! We had this extraordinary experience at O.liv Body Bar in Nashville, TN, where we got to slather organic mud over our body with three different types of mud from three different countries. We then chilled in a fog of lavender steam in a steam room. The place also served us wine to enjoy during our stay in the private steam room for an hour, and then we rinsed off with clean water and enjoyed drinking a cup of tea afterward. Talk about an absolutely relaxing experience, right?

About their mud:

They developed a variety of mud formulas from Red Rhassoul Clay, Green Italian Clay, and French Pink Clay:

RED Carpet Moroccan Rhassoul Clay
A truly exquisite spa quality clay from ancient deposits unearthed from the fertile Atlas Mountains in Morocco.
This clay is quarry mined from deep beneath the Atlas Mountains in Eastern Morocco. It is sun-dried and untreated.
As Rhassoul is considered to contain higher percentages of silica and magnesium than other clays, it is thought to be far more effective. Also, due to its greater ability to swell with the addition of water, Rhassoul achieves better results in skin treatment.
They used Moroccan red clay for sensitive skin with traces of (all Organic) Rosemary, Peppermint, Clary Sage, Tarragon, Tea Tree and Eucalyptus.

Going GREEN Italian Clay
Their Italian Green clay has enormous absorbent powers due to the constitution of its micro molecules. It literally “drinks” oils, toxic substances, and impurities from your skin. Its toning action stimulates the skin by bringing fresh blood to skin cells. Italian Green clay is great for helping to clear occasional skin blemishes.
Italian Green Clay is sometimes called Sea Clay and is by far one of the most majestic, most effective, and most commonly used mineral skin clays found in the world. It contains a cornucopia of valuable elements. Green clay owes its coloration to two very important factors: iron oxide and decomposed plant matter.
Our green clay has traces of (all Organic) Lemongrass, Sweet Orange and Citronella.

Tickled PINK French Clay
French Pink Clay is a combination of red and white clays. It is considered to be the mildest of all the clays and works well for normal, sensitive and mature skin types. Its unique composition includes Kaolinite, Iron, Illite, Montmorillonite and Calcite.
French Pink Clay can be used to cleanse and detoxify the skin, remove dead skin cells and create and overall refreshed appearance. It can also be used to treat acne and other skin ailments; poor blood and/or lymph circulation and sun damaged skin.
Developed as an all-over body mud with traces of (all Organic) Sweet Orange, Lavender, Rosemary and Chamomile.

This whole process was an astonishing experience where we absolutely relaxed well and left the place with a super clean skin, and of course, a happy and refreshed soul!

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5/31/2019 0 Comments

That magical feeling that a winery vineyard can bring us

Blog #10

Have you been to a winery vineyard? If you haven't, make sure it is on your bucket list! I can honestly say the winery vineyard has a magical touch that lights my soul up. It usually comes with beautiful and relaxing surroundings. Larisa and I have both been to more than 10 vineyards, and each of them never fails to make us feel enchanted. It usually comes with wine tastings to begin with (if you want to), and once you choose the wine you like the best, you can then buy a bottle of wine (again, only if you want to) then take the bottle with you outside and enjoy the view. Be sure to bring or buy some appetizers you can also enjoy while you drink your wine.

The day spent at the winery could easily lift our soul again and get us to feel lighter with life again. It is also usually affordable as wine tastings may cost from $10 to $20, and a bottle of wine can cost you as low as $15 to begin with. The whole day spent at a winery could only cost you $25. It will be an uplifting experience that is also affordable.

I promise you that I always leave the winery with plenty of laughters and smiles, and I get home with a more relaxed soul that comes with a good night sleep. If I had to choose my favorite vineyard, I honestly couldn't, because they all are special to me in their own ways, ha! Share with us which of the beautiful winery vineyards you have been to!

Two photos below was taken at Arrington Vineyard in Nashville, TN

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5/14/2019 0 Comments

Yes, we are foodies!

Blog #9

Gasps! Fitness and foods? How could both of them mix? We are often taught that food should be our enemy when we are committed to our fit lifestyle. That is often the message we get nowadays and in the past as well, but we also believe in balance in our lifestyle too. We love to enjoy good and high-quality foods, including good drinks at beautiful places. That is what a balanced lifestyle is to us. It is not all about working out, but it's also about enjoying life in moderation. We also have a deep appreciation for foods. Our lives with foods come with wise choices in moderation. The secret, well, not really a secret, to how we remain in fit shape is to eat healthy 70% of the time. We keep healthy and whole based foods at home. We keep our healthy eating habit at home at all the time and keep our treats out of the house by going out to eat. Now, when we eat out, do we eat the whole plate we ordered? No, we often eat only half of the plate and share it with our other half or bring leftovers home. We also try to maintain the habit of selecting the right food we can order. We believe that there are many great cultural foods that we should enjoy, and there are many beautiful places to appreciate that comes with foods and great environment. We believe that brings the perfect balance into our life. Eat 70% or more clean, and leave the remaining for our pleasure. After all, life is meant to be enjoyed and in balance, right?

Sabrina's favorite eating out would be brickwood oven pizza or high-quality gourmet burgers while Larisa loves seafood and international foods. What about you? Share with us your favorites!

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4/18/2019 0 Comments

What skin care?

Blog #8

What skin care? That's what I would have said five years ago. I had been getting advice that skin care should be part of the essential routine we should incorporate in our daily lives. The concept of skin care did not appeal to me until two years ago, when I began noticing signs of my skin aging, with sun spots and lines. Of course, that got me to take a serious look into the world of skin care, and I finally understood the reason why skin care should begin at a very young age. Basically, having skin care regimen slows the skin aging procedure if you start at young age. I began two years ago at age 33 and regretted that I had not begun my skin care regimen in my 20's. That is the advice that I would recommend you to take. Start your skin care regimen as early as possible to have a better lasting skin appearance. If you want a long-lasting youthful skin glowing for as long as possible, start with this routine and be faithful to this routine as early as you can and for as long as you can.

Here is the routine that I highly recommend you to take seriously:

1. Put sunscreen on! 25 spf or higher recommended.

Do this skin care routine first thing in the morning and before you go to bed.

In the AM, apply:
1. Face cleanse
2. Eye Creme
3. Serum
4. Moisturizer

In the PM, apply:
1. Micellar water to remove your make up
2. Serum
3. Overnight mask or moisturizer

Also, do face masks (ON and OFF masks) twice a week

Face mask contains a deep cleanser that removes toxins from your skin.
OFF mask is a deep mask cleanse (Leave it on for 5 minutes before washing it off)
ON mask is a deep moisturizer that re-hydrates your face again after using the OFF mask (Leave it on for 10-20 minutes)

It is also recommended to apply the body creme to continue to hydrate your body skin, which will reduce the skin from looking dry and flaky. A regular body creme routine will definitely get your skin glowing more with that youthful-appearing skin !

Trust me on this advice, you will not regret doing a skin care regimen, and you will thank me later when you see your skin continuing to glow with the youthful and healthy-appearing skin!

If you are looking for the skin care product to begin with, then I'd highly recommend you to go for Perfectly Posh products for three reasons:

1. They use all natural and high-quality ingredients
2. They are cruelty-free products (They don't do any testing on animals)
3. Their products are awesome and smell good!

Here is the link to Perfectly Posh - http://simplenfit.po.sh

I am forever thankful to Perfectly Posh for essentially improving my body and face skin, I kid you not! What skin care? Oh my, you have to start a skin care routine! That is what I would say now. :)

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3/29/2019 0 Comments

Girl, let's have girlfriend time!

Blog #7

Girl, that girlfriend time plays an important part in balancing our lifestyles. We (Sabrina and Larisa) have been big on girlfriend time because it gives us a dosage of gratitude and appreciation of the little things to be all girly. Our girlfriend times give us time to ourselves to enjoy all the little things together. We love girlfriend time from chilling at home with a glass of wine to drink together to shopping together to dining out at beautiful places. All of those girlfriend times give us the satisfaction of enjoying a life that makes our souls happy. We found that having our girlfriend times gives us time to truly be ourselves and frees us up a bit from our responsibilities that life has burdened us with. The girlfriend time is a perfect brief escape from reality, and that gets us to be more productive when we return to our daily life grinds and responsibilities. That simply recharges our soul.

We also found that having girlfriend time has many positive benefits to our mental health, such as:

1. It gives us the human connection to relate more to human beings
2. It helps reduce stress when we have the release once in a while
3. It gets us to laugh and smile more
4. It gets us to celebrate and appreciate life more
5. It gives us the pride of being female
6. It gives us the balanced feeling in our lifestyle
7. It gets us to appreciate our friendship more
8. It gets us to go out and enjoy life more
9. It gives us more personal growth
10. It gets us to love life more

Those are the reasons why we value girlfriend times so much as we continue to grow and embrace ourselves more and more as a woman. We strongly believe that having a positive and healthy relationship with our girlfriends in our lives allows us to grow more into beautiful souls. Because strong women lift each other, right? Share with us your favorite activity you love doing with your girlfriend.