By His Stripes Review

Photo Courtesy of Amazon.com

One day I was minding my business on Facebook when I ran across a business ladder on Relationship Coach Tiffany Hampton's page. I decided to add my stress management info to the mix, and it just so happened that the person who commented before me was author Christina L. Mial.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to read new and interesting things. I went months without reading when I became a mother, so I'm always hungry for a good book now that my daughter is a little more independent.

After I opened Christina's book, I couldn't put it down. I read the entire thing in 5 uninterrupted hours with tears streaming down my face.

Christina had so much courage to write such a revealing autobiography that not only shines light on sexual assault and domestic violence, but many other issues like drug abuse and postpartum depression, as well.

I think every mother should read this book to understand how important it is to show and tell your child how much you love them and how beautiful they are.

I connected with many parts of this book, which made me feel like I connected with Christina. This book had such a huge impact on me that I sent Christina a Facebook message telling her how much she blessed me with her writing. She responded immediately, which illustrated how amazing of a person she is.

If you like to read, buy the book. If you don't like to read, buy the book. Whatever you do, BUY THE BOOK!! It's like a message sent straight from God. 

Good News

I'm sorry I have neglected you! I've been busy with my coaching career and moving, but I have a lot of good news to catch you up on.

• I'm now a certified life coach thanks to the amazing folks at the Life Coach Institute of Orange County. If you're interested in becoming a certified life coach, please contact me.

•  I'm contributing to a new blog for female entrepreneurs. If you're a woman with your own business, please check out Wonder Women Unite.

• Late this summer, two great friends that I met on The Knot and I will be launching a natural beauty blog. 

• Another wonderful friend/former co-worker and  I will be launching a blog that's very special to my heart. I won't say what it's about, but you will know soon enough. 

Now that you're all caught up on what's happening in my life, what's new with you? 

Product Review: That Crazy Wrap Thing & Greens

It has been a few weeks since I last blogged here. I've been so busy with my new stress management endeavors that I haven't had a lot of time to share my thoughts that are not related to stress.

This evening I'll be sharing my results from using "That Crazy Wrap Thing"  and Greens by It Works! Global.

I had the privilege of winning a contest hosted by my facebook friend, Ch-Hara (click her name to go to her product website). I won a wrap and received a bonus sample of Greens with my prize.

I'll be the first person to tell you that I was skeptical about the products, but I know quite a few people who use/sell them, so I wasn't too concerned about any type of adverse affects.

The best thing about winning the contest is that I had a chance to try out the products to see if they worked for me before committing to buy.

Before I share my results, I'd like to share my experience with the application of the wrap. When I took the wrap out of the plastic it was in, it felt kind of slimy and wet. It was easy to put on my tummy. The hard part was wrapping myself in plastic wrap. I'd recommend having someone else do that part for you.

Once the wrap was in place, I relaxed on my recliner with 2 or 3 (I really can't remember now; sorry!) bottles of water. According to the instructions I received, I was not suppose to exercise, move around too much or eat while wrapping. I was told to drink plenty of water.

I drank my water and literally felt the burn of the wrap. It wasn't too uncomfortable, but it was unexpected. I had to ask Ch-Hara if that was normal or if that meant I was having a reaction. She assured me it was a normal indication that the wrap was working.

I only wrapped for 45 minutes and I saw results right away. I lost 1 inch from my belly in less than an hour. Ch-Hara told me that the results would be progressive over the next 72 hours, and she was right. I wrapped on April 17th and by April 21st, I had lost 1.2 lbs, 1.5 inches from my waist, and a total of 2 inches from my belly.

You can see my before and after photo above. It has been almost a month since I wrapped, and I have not regained those inches. I can guarantee you that it was not water weight that I lost because water weight always comes back after a day or so.

The same day I wrapped, I also tried my sample of Greens. I expected the Greens to taste rather gross since the powder literally turns your water green, but it actually had a light orange taste. I exercised after I removed my wrap, and I believe that the Greens gave me more energy to burn more calories. I always wear a New Balance N4 heart rate monitor when I work out and I record my results on myfitnesspal.com. I burned 464 calories during Hip Hop Abs Cardio Groove on April 17th. Previous to that date, I had only burned 374 calories doing that same exercise.

Would I recommend the products I tried to others? Certainly. The thing I like about Ch-Hara and the It Works! Global family is that they provide you with a list of ingredients to take to your doctor if you have any questions. Any company that is willing to do that, is good with me. Plus, the products I tried really work!!

It's Hard Being an Introvert

  

I'm an introvert. I have always been an introvert, and I'm perfectly okay with my social caterpillar tendencies. 

I'm much more comfortable being inside my own head exploring my own thoughts than interacting with people sometimes. It's a bit hard to explain because I love helping people and I love talking to people within certain parameters. But I still prefer being alone with my thoughts than being surrounded by the masses at any given moment.

With the launch of my new website, my new facebook page, my new twitter, my new blog, and my new blog talk radio show, along with networking, helping my clients, and volunteering, I'm drained. 

I love what I do, but I'm no longer in my comfort zone. I'm trying hard to stretch myself, but every now and then I wonder if it's even worth it.

I know giving so much of myself will help somebody at some point, but I often wonder if people even appreciate my efforts.

I'm really thinking too hard about things, but I'm pretty sure that's one of the characteristics of being who I am.

It's hard being an introvert.

Out with the Old, In with the New

As the saying goes, "Out with the old. In with the new."

A couple days ago I formally announced the end of my Caramel Apple Delights candy apple making hobby. It was a tough decision to make, but one that I had made back in February. When making candy apples stopped being fun and started causing me stress, I knew I had to let it go.

As I mourn the end of a fun era of putting smiles on people faces with tasty edible delights, I also celebrate my new stress management blog and my new stress management website.

Although I have a new blog, this one will not end. This blog is an extension of my personal life. This blog is about my journey to a happier, healthier me. My new blog is about my business.

I'm a sporadic blogger, so whenever the urge hits (like right now at 3:19 am EST) I'll write here as a way to clear my mind, celebrate new wins in my journey, and review products that I love (or hate).

I'll end this post with a plea. If you haven't had a chance to do so, please visit my new Facebook page www.facebook.com/StressManagementCoachShereka. I'm currently running a contest until April 30, 2013, in which I will randomly select someone to win free stress management coaching. You know if you're stressed and in need of help handling your stress. Here's a quote I think I coined: "If you don't handle your stress, your stress will handle you."

Hooray for April!!

I've been a busy little bee and I haven't been blogging much. I guess now is the time to update you all on 2 major happenings in the life of Naturally Reka.

Fitness
At the end of March I celebrated a fitness victory by surpassing my weight loss goal. I have officially lost over 33lbs since Summer 2011, with about 20lbs being lost since July 2012. On April Fool's Day I wore a 2 piece swimsuit out in public for the first time since 2010. In the picture below you will see a picture of me from July 2012 on the left and April 1, 2013 on the right.

'

Last month I won a free It Works! body wrap. I hope to get rid of the rest of my c-section pooch with the wrap, so I'm extremely excited about it! As soon as I receive it and try it there will be a blog post reviewing the product and telling you how you can purchase yours.

Business

A few weeks ago I posted about becoming a Certified Stress Management Coach. I will start marketing my services as soon as my website launches on April 15, 2013. The website is almost complete, so I've started writing my first stress management ebook. I'm thinking of a May 1st release date for the book. There will definitely be a separate blog post on my stress management venture coming soon. For now I'll leave you with photos of my promo stress balls and client stress journals. 

Brazil Butt Lift & Rockin' Body Reviews

Originally, I was going to complete my Brazil Butt Lift / Rockin' Body hybrid program for 6 weeks. After 4 weeks I started to get bored with the schedule, and I was itching to start my Hip Hop Abs routine. Here's what I thought of the programs individually:

Brazil Butt Lift
Although the name suggests this program is solely for the tush, Brazil Butt Lift is definitely a full-body workout program. After completing all of the exercises in the series, I could definitely tell a difference in my waist, bum bum (butt), tummy, and thighs.

My favorite workout from the BBL series is Cardio Axe (pronounced ah-shay). It's an upbeat, Brazilian dance workout that will have you sweating and rocking your hips like a tornado. My least favorite workout was the High and Tight. Although I didn't enjoy this workout at all, I'm sure this is the workout that lifted my bum bum and thinned my thighs. It's important to note that this workout requires ankle weights (that weren't included in my purchase) and a strength band (that was included in my purchase).

Trainer Leandro Carvalho is great at giving direction and explaining what part of your body you're working out, but his smile irritated the heck outta me. How could someone smile so hard while torturing me with crunches, planks, and strength exercises that make my inner thighs scream?

Despite the cons I mentioned above, I would definitely recommend this program to anyone. Leandro will get your booty into shape and you will look great in your skinny jeans! Also, Brazil Butt Lift has different schedules you can follow depending on the problems you have with your booty (i.e. too big, too flat, etc).

Rockin' Body
I absolutely loved Rockin' Body!!! Shaun T is my new bff in my head. He is fun, energetic, hilarious, and so down-to-earth. I honestly felt like he was more of a friend instead of a trainer during the program. Even my daughter enjoyed these dance workouts and she tells me every day, "Mommy, I want to rockin' body!!"

The only cons I noticed in Rockin' Body were the music, the cheesy raps, and the lack of intensity. I expected some cool pop tunes when I ordered Rockin' Body, but instead I got made-up raps by Mr. Shaun T. Before completing Rockin' Body, I did Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred, which is super intense. I won't say Rockin' Body is easy because cardio isn't easy for everybody, but it's not as intense as a high intensity interval training workout. Although Rockin' Body never left me sore like BBL or 30 Day Shred, I still burned a lot of calories.

I would definitely recommend Rockin' Body to anybody looking for a fun cardio workout.

Results
I only completed 4 weeks (about 24 days) of the BBL/Rockin' Body hybrid but I still saw some results in that very short amount of time.

• I lost 3.4 lbs (initially I gained 2 lbs when I started then I lost those 2 lbs and an additional 1.4 lbs).
• I lost 1" off my waist. 
• I lost 0.5" from my hips. 
• I lost 0.5" from each thigh.
• I can now pass the "pencil test." (Before you start Brazil Butt Lift program, you're suppose to complete a pencil test to see if your booty needs to be lifted. You place a pencil in the crease where your butt meets the top of your thigh. If the pencil stays put, your booty is hanging too low and you need to work that on out. When I first took the test I failed, but after completing my hybrid program I passed.)

 Here are my before and after photos:

If you can't tell from my cell phone photos, my tummy is a little more flat and my abs near the top of my tummy are a little more defined. Hopefully Hip Hop Abs and cleaning up my diet a little more will help me rid myself of my c-section pooch. Stay tuned for that review in the future.

Both Brazil Butt Lift and Rockin' Body are Team Beachbody products. If you are interested in trying out any Team Beachbody products and don't know a coach, please visit  Coach Alfreda McMillan's website. She's my personal Beachbody Coach and she will get you squared away.