My Skin's BF♥ Retin-A-Micro:)

I ♥ Retin-A Micro! I don't "worry" about breakouts anymore because Retin-A goes to work on my skin every night and I wake up bright-eyed and with a smooth face. I admitt, It took about 2-3months to see FULL results, but it was Well worth the wait. Now I get compliments on my skin and I always feel ready for any event or meeting.

I was breaking out "on & off" because of stress and nothing would help! I tried it all from tea-tree oil, to 150$ facials and nothing was a permanent fix. So one day I said a long meaningful prayer about it, and I called my Derm, she prescribed Retin-A for me in May of 2008 and 3months later my skin was as clear as the summer sky I was looking at♥. My health insurance is pretty good so I only pay 15-30$ a tube which last about 2months! I would like to use this stuff forever and thats realistic since retin-a has been out since the 1970's, lol. It also aids in reducing wrinkles (not that I have to worry about that at 26) but its good to know that its a multi-tasker. I'll get into my Regimen and show skin pics on another post, this post is just a proclamation of my L♥v for Retin-A.

Check out their Website for more info: http://www.retinamicro.com/

I Hope Rihanna is Okay♥

I really like this young lady. Chris Brown is cool too, but Rihanna stole my heart with her adorable style and sweet natured persona. I know its nothing but speculation and allegations being thrown around like confetti, but Its weird how she has not been seen since the incident. At least Chris Brown turned himself in to authorities proving that he's physically okay. I feel for them both, however....and there is an "However" going through everyone's mine that knows about this situation....If this is true, I will be some kind of pissed at Chris Brezzy.

Since this is my health and wellness blog, let me conclude this post with a "Stay Healthy, Beautiful, and Never Tolerate Abuse of any kind in a relationship. Period♥

Much Love and GOD bless you all...Lets keep them in our prayers as well♥ Adios.

Quick FABULOUS Fixes

I have to stay Fly (cute, alluring, Nikki-ish) lol. But like many busy people Convenience is ALWAYS the Better Option! So Here are some NIKKI approved Quick fixes, so you can stay Fab and still have time to everything else!

Crest White Strips


These things WORK, I had a big party for my 25th so I had to have super bright teeth and it only took 1 week for me to have a brand new smile. My teeth were super white. I love these things! Make sure you whiten your teeth no more than 2xs a year, and start with strong teeth, i.e brush and floss regularly. I paid about 29$ dollars, not bad cause the results last forever and guess what, it only takes 30min a day for 7 days...That sitting through a reality show on VH1.

Squat Jumps & Push-ups
2 of the best exercises you can do to see fast results. Take this from a cute personal trainer, lol. Make sure you google the proper form to do these! After that get started and dedicate about 15-20min a day to maintain or better your build. The push ups shape your upper body and the squats take care of the lower, not to mention the cardio involved in the jumps...that handles the fat burning and heart training part. Try it, you wont be disappointed :)



Okay that's it for now, I had a long busy day...lol. Try these out though and let me know how it goes! Healthy Kisses♥

Exercise Tip♥ CARDIO

How Often Should You Exercise?
When it comes to cardio, it's up to you and your goals how much you do and how often. For weight loss, most experts recommend 60 or more minutes of moderate intensity activity most days of the week, but if you're a beginner, you may need to start at a lower level of exercise. For beginners, you might start with three days of cardio exercise for 20 or more minutes, adding time each week. If you're an intermediate or advanced exerciser, you can do cardio anywhere from 4 to 6 days a week, keeping in mind that varying your workouts and doing different activities, intensities and durations will offer great weight loss results!

Some of my favorite cardio exercises are.....drumroll please...

Dancing!

Swimming (or playing the water lol)

Jogging

Jumping rope

Groupd exercise classes (kickbox & step)

Don't forget to:
Warm up and cool down for each workout
Drink lots of water (take a sips throughout your workout)
Stretch after your workout
Eat a small, well-balance snack an hour or two before you hit the gym.

Reference:http://exercise.about.com/cs/weightloss/l/aa022601b.htm

THE BITTER THE BETTER!

I LOOOVE drinking Pure lemon water! It dissolves toxins, aids in weightloss, and has even noticeably reduced the size of pimples! I simply grab some lemons from the store (pure lemon juice is acceptable) and I squeeze half of it in a glass of water and I drink it OUT OF A STRAW...Yes a straw because the acid could eventually make your teeth sensitive :( Here's some facts about Lemons juice and why I LOVE them♥

Lemons are very effective in curing many digestion problems when mixed with hot water, including biliousness, nausea, heartburn, disorders of the lower intestines like constipation and worm infestations. It is even known to relieve hiccups. Water plus a few lemons becomes lemon juice. Lemon juice, when taken regularly in the morning, acts as a tonic to the liver and stimulates it to produce bile making it ready to digest the day's food. It is also thought to help dissolve gallstones. Because of its high vitamin C content, it is thought to help prevent and treat many infections, hasten wound healing and temper down high fever. Lemon juice also relieves symptoms of asthma, tonsillitis and sore throat.
Lemons are antiseptic
~Lemon water has excellent digestive properties and can ease heartburn, bloating and other digestion problems
~Lemon water cleanses and stimulates the liver and kidneys
~Lemon juice contains calcium, magnesium and potassium
~Lemon juice has been known to relieve asthma
~Lemon water (hot) offers relief from cold and flu symptoms while providing some much needed Vitamin C
So if you do not do anything else - start every single day with a glass of lovely lemon water!
References:http://ezinearticles.com/?Lemon-Juice-Health-Benefits&id=120819, http://health.learninginfo.org,/

~BLAME IT ON THE A-A-A-A-A-ALCOHOL~

This Jaime Fox song is being played in Heavy rotation on every urban radio station here in D.C. Everytime I turn to a station I hear :
"Blame it on the goose Got you feeling loose Blame it on petron Got you in the zone Blame it on the a a a a a alcohol Blame it on the a a a a a alchol Blame it on the vodka Blame it on the henny Blame it on the blue top Got you feeling dizzy"
So me being the health enthus that I am, kept thinking the bad message it sends out to "impressionable" minds and lets face it...Everyone's mind is "impressionable" at one point or another....Catchy beat tho! lol. Here's some alcohol facts that I got from http://www.brad21.org/.
~Women absorb alcohol into the bloodstream faster and metabolize it slower than men, causing them to get drunk quicker and stay drunk longer.

~The odds of women experiencing sexual aggression were nine times higher on heavy days of alcohol consumption compared with days without.

~Vomiting is part of the automatic defense system of the body activated to prevent more alcohol from being absorbed.

~Alcohol consumption by college students is linked to at least 1,400 student deaths and 500,000 unintentional injuries each year

~The path of alcohol in the body is the mouth, stomach, small intestine, heart, brain and the liver. Go to that link to check out all the other crazy facts! Now you can BLAME THAT ON THE A-A-A-ALCOHOL :)

Loving You Regardless of ......"You"

At my job today I was asked to write an article on Fitness and Healthy Weight which is basically being healthy at "any size". I got a little stuck since we are supposed to repeatedly reiterate the fact that a waist circumference above 40 for men and 35 for women is completely unacceptable!
Well lets just say that I'm still working on that. As for my "real life" aside from work, I believe that this Healthy Weight at any size makes sense because its basically telling us to have that balance of health and weight!
You see I was very thin for the majority of my life, not because I didn't eat or because I worked out too much, it was because I naturally had a very fast metabolism and I couldn't gain a pound to save my life. The same goes for a person who was naturally heavy set! They probably didn't binge eat and sit around all day, yet and still their weight would stay put do to slow metabolism, thyroid condition, or simply genetics.
What I've come to realize is that a Healthy person can be Large or Small just like an unhealthy person can! So anyways, the moral of my story is LOVE yourself by staying Healthy i.e proper diet and fun exercises, regardless of what you do or don't look like!

JUST BE HEALTHY.......At any weight :)

~Long Hair DO CARE♥~

I'm on a Mission to Long and Healthy Hair! Would you like to join me?
Okay, so around October of 2008 I noticed my Once, long and lustrous hair looking broken, limp and thinner :( So I googled "Black Haircare" and I discovered a whole new world of Black Hair Care on the net! Since that day, my hair has flourished (with the exception of some minor setbacks :) I'm talking MAJOR improvements were made in my hair after following some of the advice from these hair sites. My two favorites are http://hairlicious.blogspot.com/ and http://keepitsimplesista.blogspot.com/ These ladies along with their Huge following give the Do's and Don'ts on excellent haircare!

Here is my progress so far!

~About the Me~ Healthy Kisses Founder♥

I started this blog because I simply Love Self Improvement Projects!♥

I feel like there's alot of Fabulous-ness when it comes to Health&Wellness! Its exciting, interesting, and alluring to think of all the ways we can Better ourselves when given the proper knowledge to do so! A Fitter Body, Nicer Skin, Healthier Hair, Better Self-Esteem, and a New Cute Blog to save in our Favorites, lol! This is just my Fabulously Sweet and Informative Blog about the things I know so much about! Leave comments, send emails, and Grow Beautifully with me and Healthy Kisses♥

Who am I: A fun-loving down to earth Woman, born and raised in Washington D.C (likes to refer to my-self as Nikki D.City Star♥)

Why I'm Qualified: B.S In Exercise Science, Certified Personal Trainer, Experienced Fitness Specialist, Experienced Health Promotion Specialist, Healthy Hair & Skin Maniac, and Self Proclaimed Motivational Speaker!

How I got The Title: Wrote down all the things I loved, chocolate happened to be one of them :), then I thought about Hershey, then I said Hershey Kisses, Then I said Healthy Sounds Like Hershey, So I said Healthy Kisses! Then I thought hey my post could be the little kisses of Health....sounds Cute!

WELCOME TO HEALTHY KISSES

♥ ♥

~Your February To Do List~

1. Try your best to eat AT LEAST 3 meals a day
2. Cut out at least ONE bad eating habit!
3. Turn up your favorite songs and dance for at least 30minutes up to 3 times a week.