10 Tips to Stop Exercise Acne from Winning #GoBackHealthy

Posted on August 7, 2016 by Jennifer FIsher

This post is sponsored by MinuteClinic but all opinions and enthusiasm are my own.

Keeping a clean face pre and post workout is the best way to stay breakout free.

Are your runs, workouts and other sweat sessions making you break out? Do you have a pre-teen or teenager who plays sports and struggles with acne? If so, then I have some great tips to help you put a halt to (or at least lessen) those pesky and often confidence-shaking pimples.

Follow these 10 Tips for the Athlete – How to Stop Acne from Winning and, in no time, get your best game face on!

1) Keep Clean: Start every workout with a clean face and remove make-up if normally worn. Sweating while wearing “long-lasting” make-ups, heavy foundations and other similar products clogs and obstructs pores, trapping in dirt and preventing sweat from breaking out.

2) Sun Savvy: If you are on an acne medication that requires limited or no sun exposure, follow the directions. If you are able to exercise outdoors, wear a non-comedogenic moisturizer that contains SPF or a sunscreen labeled “oil-free” and designed specifically for the face.

3) Tame Hair: Either keep hair cut short or pull back with a hair band so that it doesn’t sweep across the face. Oils from your hair, along with the various clogging chemicals in hair products, can trigger acne flare ups.

4) Ditch Hats: If acne on the forehead is a problem, avoid wearing a hat or visor which will continuously rub the skin and aggravate or create acne.

5) Hands Down: Avoid touching your face while exercising. Everything hands come in contact with (from barbells to the football) is dirty and ripe with bacteria that can be transferred to your face.

6) Sweat Towel Softly: Using a small towel to wipe away sweat during a workout or breaks in a sporting event makes sense. However, rubbing aggressively can cause inflammation and can exacerbate pimples, so gently pat or blot away sweat instead.

7) Loose Clothes: If you are experiencing body breakouts (like on your back, chest and/or arms) make sure you are not wearing too-tight clothing – choose a looser cut that is designed to whisk away sweat and dry quickly.

8) Finish and Freshen Up: Within a few minutes of cooling down, get face as clean as possible while on site. Either spritz and blot with fresh water or gently wipe with non-comedogenic disposable cleansing cloth kept stashed in your sports bag.

9) End Clean: When back to the locker room or home, get out of sweaty clothes and take a shower to remove any remaining impurities, dead skin cells and excess oil from the day.

10) Treat as Needed: Apply over-the-counter acne products or medically prescribed treatments as directed. Even OTC products contain strong ingredients like benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and lactic acid. While these ingredients can curb bacteria and improve acne, they also dry skin – so use sparingly, increasing a little a time, until you have figured out the balance best for your skin.

If you’ve followed these steps and acne is still getting out of control or you would like to stay ahead with preventative measures, it’s a smart idea to schedule a medical appointment for a personalized consultation and treatment recommendation with your physician (for yourself) or pediatrician (for your child).However, it’s always a hassle to get in at a doctor’s office this time of year when everyone is flooding the phone line with last minute requests for immunizations, well checks, and sports physicals. My go-to solution for all these non-emergency type medical situations is to swing by MinuteClinic®, conveniently located inside neighborhood CVS.

MinuteClinic® can diagnose and treat acne and the nurse practitioner on-site can provide prescriptions deemed medically necessary to heal your acne or help you select the appropriate over-the-counter treatment. Please note that MinuteClinic® does not evaluate patients currently taking Accutane and cannot provide prescriptions for Accutane. Additionally, patients with abscesses, unusual swelling, or severe cases of cystic acne may be directed to another health care provider.

With my three fresh-faced teen boys who I taught to take care of their skin!

In addition to the friendly help from a medical professional located near to home, love the fact that no appointment is necessary at MinuteClinic®–I walk right in at your convenience! I’ve never experienced any sort of unusual wait and most often I’m seen immediately. They have also been a lifesaver at last-minute sports pre-participation physicals or getting the kids caught up on their immunizations. I also really appreciate how they are open 7 days per week, including evenings, and accept most insurances (please double check with yours before going).

Game Face! 10 Tips to Stop Exercise Acne from Winning #GoBackHealthy @MinuteClinic #Ad

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Are you and your kids ready to start the new school year and #GoBackHealthy ? What sports do they play . . or do you play? Please share in the comments below – XOXO, Jennifer

Cherry Vanilla Root Beer Float Smoothie

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Jennifer FIsher

Sweet news,it’s National Root Beer Float Day! Celebrate without ruining your workout gains with my nutritious and delicious Cherry Vanilla Root Beer Float Smoothie! Get the recipe HERE

If you’re looking for something a little more over-the-top and decadent, lemme just share my recipe for Root Beer Float Fudge that was once featured in Simple & Delicious Magazine! Get recipe HERE

Slurpworthy! Cherry Vanilla Root Beer Float Smoothie #Fitfluential #RootBeerFloatDay

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Are you a root beer fan? What is your favorite beverage of summer? Whatcha doing this weekend? Please share in the comments below – XOXO, Jennifer

Happy, Healthy Watermelon Day Workout, Recipes & Giveaway

Posted on August 2, 2016 by Jennifer FIsher

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Many say the career advice to follow your passions is hogwash. “It’s not practical, ” they say, or “you can’t earn a decent living unless you’re extremely talented, really lucky – or, both.” “Do what you love . . . and you’ll probably starve.” As a female Jack-of-All-Trades-Master-of-None, I’m here to say baloney to that! Well, maybe not baloney, but instead to say “WATERMELON, BEEF and SALAD DRESSING” to that!

Yup, I’m doing what I love and I’m not starving either figuratively or literally. These are just some beloved clients of mine who have supported me and given me experiences not just as a food and fitness blogger and healthy chef, but as a creative consulting professional in the health industry. Nothing makes me feel fuller as a contributing member of society than helping others on a health and fitness journey in my own special way – and that, my friends, is definitely NOT starving.

So, in honor of National Watermelon Day (which is August 3rd), I wanted to spread a bit more watermelon love in my #LivingOnTheWedge way. Over these several years, some might think I’ve exhausted my ideas to showcase watermelon. Oh, I always have a new recipe, workout or health tip – and today, I have all three (plus a giveaway of goodies).

First up, the watermelon recipe. I actually posted it a couple weeks ago, but I want to make sure you don’t miss it because it’s just that good. Inspired by the funky fusion of the local food truck scene, my “Keep Austin Weird” Beef, Veggie & Watermelon Stir-fry features all my favorite ingredients from around the Central Texas area. Get the recipe HERE.

Not being one to brag or toot my own horn (hardly ever, haha), the National Watermelon Promotion Board has unofficially named me as the Inventor of the Watermelon Workout . . .it’s even better than being the creator of Prancersize or some other such thing! Well, golly, you can find a few of my watermelon workouts right there on the Watermelon for Health section of Watermelon.org and there are a few more over HERE!

Now onto the Watermelon Workout. Earlier in the month, I helped Watermelon.org share the benefits of this fruit in a healthy lifestyle by hosting a Watermelon Workout Challenge at the largest fitness convention on the planet, IDEA World in Los Angeles. Competitors had to spin a wheel and then bust out as many reps of the selected exercise as possible in 20 seconds – there were squat jumps, alternating lunges, Russian Twists, partner passes and more. Oh, and did I mention you had to hold a watermelon the entire time!

The idea was created mainly in the name of wholesome good fun and to make people stop, smile and talk about watermelon (which it did)– but everyone also commented on how is was actually such a great workout concept. Uh, yeah – have you ever tried to jump squat with a 20 pound watermelon?!

Today’s Watermelon Blaster Workout is designed to kick up your cardio and sculpt muscles simultaneously. There are four separate exercises in the set, each one is done as many times possible (with good form) in 90 seconds. After all four exercises are done, you get a one minute rest and then repeat everything over a few times for a total for four sets. Go at your own pace and modify as necessary – over time you will find that you can do more reps per set. I used a 5.5 lb personal-sized watermelon, go light or heaver as needed. You could also use a medicine ball, but then it wouldn’t be nearly as fun.

And here’s the video demo of the exercises. Enjoy and laugh if you will, I know I’m a watermelon dork.

And lastly, a Watermelon Health Tip from my friends at Watermelon.org. Watermelon contains vitamin B6, which may help break down protein, another important source of workout fuel along with carbohydrates. #WatermelonForHealth

Oh, yeah – and I’m having a Watermelon Day Giveaway, too! The prize include an assortment of watermelon-themed swag including a pair of watermelon knee socks (not compression, but still awesome), watermelon ankle socks, a sweet little fold-up nylon shopping back, two single-serve packs of sprouted watermelon seeds and a $10 gift card to Fresh Market so you can get a watermelon or two! Enter in the Rafflecopter app below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Slow (ish) Roasted Balsamic Tomatoes

Posted on July 30, 2016 by Jennifer FIsher

Editor’s note: This post was updated 9/25/2019

Tomato lover’s will be swooning over these Slow (ish) Roasted Balsamic Tomatoes — the are simple to make and bursting with intense flavor.

Read on to get all the recipe how-to, plus tips and serving suggestions for slow roasted tomatoes. Continue reading →

Running and Jumping for Joy About Compression Socks + #Giveaway

Posted on July 28, 2016 by Jennifer FIsher

I am a huge fan of compression socks and am hosting a giveaway for a really fun pair (of winner’s choice) at the bottom of post. I wear this type of knee sock for nearly every race and workout and also on those work days when I’m standing for lengthy periods of time at an event expo, teaching cooking classes or otherwise running around. In fact, I’ve found that on those days when I do have to stand up all day, I still have enough spring in my step later in the evening to fit my training in or going around with the jump rope in a pair of Polka Dot Compression Socks (as above).

I’ve written quite a few posts about compression socks in the past (like this one about compression and running-CrossFit-yoga, so I hesitate to rehash everything – but the basic ideas is that the compression in socks (which usually starts the strongest in the foot or ankle and then moves up the calf), keeps the blood flow from slowing and giving you that lethargic, swollen, dead-leg feeling. I like to call this squeezing, “happy hugs for your feet” – it’s doesn’t really feel as much “tight” as it does “embraced.” Anyway, this ‘hugging” encourages better circulation and, in turn, legs will feel more energized, less achy and heavy. Some doctors even suggest compression socks may help to prevent varicose and spider veins. Oh how I wish stylish compression socks were available during my pregnancies, as I had vein problems quite bad and was forced to wear thick, full-length compression hose in an awful “suntan” color” – I was quite the sight to behold.

But, today there are so many fashionable choices in compression socks that don’t sacrifice any of the function. BrightLifeGo.com is a great online shop that features a wide range of compression sock brands that will help you put your best foot (and leg) forward! The carry lots of great brands like CEP, Zensah and Top & Derby — of course, my favorite brands is Vim & Vigr – I am a very enthusiastic (and official) ambassador for Vim & Vigr products. I am actually wearing a pair right now as I type this up (which reminds me, while I wear compression for my active pursuits, they also help keep things circulating when sitting all day at a desk or on a plane).

VIM & VIGR socks are definitely do not have that elderly vibe that compression socks of yore had – these beauties are designed with rich colors, timeless patterns, and just enough sass to satisfy my funky style. Look at some of my favorites in the collage above! Every time a wear a pair (and I never keep them hidden under pants!) I am always stopped with questions and compliments about my socks!

If you are a newbie to compression socks, you may have legitimate questions before you shell out what is a fairly substantial chunk of change for a pair of socks – which typically run $30 – $60 per pair(although so WORTH it). BrightLifeGo.com has a easy to follow Guide for First Time Compression Sock Buyers that will walk you through the decision making process including identifying your primary need (from pregnancy or an on-your-feet job to maternity and travel) along with other concerns, like what grade of compression, what size and care instructions.

So, whohoo, I’m so excited that BrightLifeGo.com is letting me give away a pair of is Vim & Vigr compression socks (of winner’s choice) to one of my readers. They have GUY’S SOCKS also! Check out the Vim & Vigr collection at Bright Life Go right HERE! Then, see below for the entry instructions and Rafflecopter widget.