Tag: exercise

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Briauna Mariah’s Skin and Makeup Regimin

I don’t claim to have the best skin. It’s not the most flawless nor glowing, but it’s real. I have real ups and downs. Days of good looking skin not necessarily outweighing the days of broken-out skin. I have learned that the current state of my skin fluctuates with the seasons (I think), and it can get pretty bad. But there are some preventative measures I’ve been experimenting with and routines I do in order to ensure a nice face in the morning.

MORNING ROUTINE
I take showers in the morning, so I wash my face the most thoroughly in the mornings. The product that I’ve taken a liking to is Evologie face wash. It’s specifically for acne, and I know it’s taking good care of my skin. This face wash makes me feel like I’m doing something good for my face and leaves my skin feeling fresh and the bottle lasts a good few months. I also really like Evologie’s other products, their blemish serum, and face cream (I like them too much… because I keep using them up!). I’ve mentioned them in a previous post…. These products are good for essential skin hydration and extracting deep-seated acne.

I exfoliate sometimes. Honestly, I should exfoliate more often! I’d say a healthy amount to exfoliate is once or twice per week. Of course, you don’t want to over do it.

If I feel like hydrating my skin (especially because of how harsh I’m realizing winter is on my face), I will use a simple hydrating cream. Right now, what I have on hand is plain Ponds moisturizer as well as an aloe-based moisturizer called Infinite Aloe. This moisturizer feels great, doesn’t leave residue, and has similar ingredients to Nerium, which I will mention for my nightly routine (really good for redness).

Some other tips…. Throughout the rest of the day, I try to drink water as often as possible! Water is very cleansing and very nourishing for your body in general, which is a given! Humans obviously can’t live without water. But pure hydrating water does great things for your skin.

Ever hear of the phrase, “you are what you eat”? Well this is true too! I find that the better my diet is, the better my skin is!  Stay away from dairy, foods that spike your blood sugar, and gluten (wheat and dairy in general are bad. Read why here! I’m slowly trying to eliminate these from my own health-conscious diet.). Personally, I try to keep to mainly veggies, supplemented by protein (nuts, legumes, wheat-less grains, healthy fats, etc).

I find that my skin gets worse and stays that way if I mess with it. I feel like a key component to keeping my skin fresh and clear is, even if I have a blemish, to treat my skin with my products and to not touch/mess with it otherwise. On the days I do have a breakout and I really need to clear my skin, I will take an anti-biotic, which really seems to help. But I try not to rely on those. Stay away from antibiotics, as they could cause more problems than they solve.

I also feel that sweating a lot in the gym 4-5 times a week give me an extra edge on skin care. Whenever I sweat, I feel like that water is working alongside my workout to expedite clearing out the crud beneath the surface. I don’t think sweat on your skin is very good though, so make sure to shower/wash afterwards!

NIGHTLY ROUTINE
So, basically, on days that I’m home for most of the day and I don’t even need to put any makeup on, I’m set in terms of nightly skincare. For the most part.

On other days that have required me to put on makeup, especially after photoshoots with lot’s of cake-y makeup residue, I wash my face with the Evologie face wash again and wipe everything clean with a soft cloth (hey, there’s my exfoliation, right there!). I don’t bother with moisturizer again. I know my skin and it generally leans toward the oily side (especially in the summer). What my skin needs at this point in the day is to breathe. Makeup clogs pores, so avoid makeup where you can.

Before I go to bed, if I have any redness, or need to look fresh in the morning, I apply my Nerium night cream. Nerium is actually an anti-aging product, but does wonders for your skin. It’s basically like a freshening night mask that makes your skin younger, and helps reduce redness by repairing your skin cells and it is an antioxidant.

MAKEUP
I don’t usually wear makeup. Actually, I avoid wearing makeup. In a general sense, I have skin that I feel confident in, even with a blemish or two, and I would rather be all-naturale than waste money on expensive product and worsen my skin by trying to cover up the problem. Besides, when you DO put on a face of makeup, it just makes you that much more impressive to your friends!

When it is required of me to wear makeup for my job as a model (either to cover up blemishes, even out complexion, or highlight my features), I like to keep it simple and down to the products I have available to me.

I’ve been using this wonderful NARS tinted moisturizer for the base of my makeup and it really helps even out my skin tone. Many days, I will just use this moisturizer. Other days, I will use a concealer lightly underneath my eyes (usually I have some darkness there), and directly on major blemishes. I blend that out, apply some nice matching powder, put on mascara, and usually call it good! If I’m feeling like the occasion calls for a natural eye shadow, I will go that route, but as far as foundation, that’s about all I apply. Simple, natural, and pretty.

After I do all these things on a daily basis, let my skin breathe and heal on it’s own, my skin remains in a relatively healthy state with no breakouts! Now, if I stick with this exact routine, diet, and lifestyle through til next winter, that will be the real test! I’ve noticed my bad breakouts happen with the NYC cold weather.

The real secret is just beginning to understand what your skin is like, how it behaves, what it needs, and what it doesn’t need. Apply these things to YOUR skin consistently, and you should begin to have a confident, glow-y face!

You have nothing to lose!


Be Fierce!!

Briauna Mariah (:

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8 Tips for a Consistently Healthy Diet

For the past three years or so, I’ve been relatively healthy in diet and exercise. I’ve learned a lot. And each time I experience something new and learn, I become better. Better in general. I begin to understand more and more about my own body and nutrition and what feels good and what doesn’t feel so good.

At the beginning of 2014, I made a commitment to myself, my well-being. I was going to consistently eat right and exercise for the entire year. Measurements and weight aside, I wanted to be strong and energized and healthy. Until this commitment, I would have months of regression before going back to diet and exercise. While it’s only been two months, I want to share with you what are, and what will continue to be, my secrets to success.

8 Tips for a Consistently Healthy Diet

  1. Exercise often.
    Personally, the more I exercise, the less food I feel the need to consume. If I weigh myself down with food too much, I can’t exercise. So when I exercise, I eat lightly and feel great and know that my calories are going towards rebuilding muscles, and replenishing energy, not towards undesirable areas! They have to be good calories, though!Also, I find that the more I exercise, the more I am consistently motivated to get out to the gym and be active. So if it’s hard now, or even a month or three from now, if you stick with it, it will become easier and more enjoyable. I’m experiencing this process of enjoyment myself, slowly but surely. On the days I feel more lethargic, I motivate myself with my favorite running music. Try not to give in to those days.
  2. Drink LOTS of Water.
    Like regular exercise, this also helps with keeping you from eating too much. Drink a lot of water throughout the day and before every meal, and you will have less need (and less room) to fill yourself up with empty calories. It should be a no-brainer. Water is cleansing and drinking your daily dose can do great things for your body. I have to train my mind to drink more water. It’s harder than it sounds.Oh, and drink tea, also! Tea is good. I’ve officially eliminated the need to add sugar to my tea. Chia seeds are surprisingly good in tea, too! It is slightly more filling than water, if you need something with a little flavor, texture, and protein.
  3. Mix up your routines.
    Don’t eat the same thing every day; and don’t do the same workout routine every day, either, for that matter. Your body needs variety. Without variety, you could regress, become bored, and have cravings. Your body needs a plethora of different vitamins, minerals, protein, and carbs.By changing up your food intake (at least every week. I food-budget a couple types of meals per week), you’re less likely to become bored with the food, you discover more delicious ways to eat healthy, and you will begin to enjoy the food you’re eating more and more for it’s healthful values.
  4. Don’t weigh yourself obsessively.
    Let the results come naturally, along with the feeling of being invigorated with energy and quality foods. People don’t understand that the scale is only one small factor of what it means to be healthy. If you obsess over the numbers too much, it could become a big problem. Weight fluctuates and takes time. Instead, I like to focus on mirror-based results. As long as I’m feeling good, and eating right, the results will come naturally.Use weight as a reference point. Weigh yourself no more than once per week. Results are good, but what we really want to achieve here is long term health and fitness. Therefore:
  5. Think long term.
    Don’t give up. Keep yourself motivated.On the bad days, remind yourself that, even if results are slow to come (or even if you lost progress!), know that they will come, and know that a full year, two years, five years, will yield only good things for your body.
  6. Don’t overdo it.
    Some people restrict too much from their diet, too quick, in order to achieve faster results. What’s more important than fast results is how strong you feel, how much energy you have, and how healthy you feel.Don’t be too hard on yourself and listen to your body, in both diet and exercise.
  7. Know and understand your body.
    Learning about your body comes with time. You and only you know what it needs or what it doesn’t need. If a certain food is hard for you to eat in moderation, try to stay away. Unless you know you’ll have cravings and binge eat. In which case, I recommend saving the sugar cravings for your cheat days.Which brings me to my next point:
  8. Cheat days!
    Accept your cheat days. Let them be, whether it’s scheduled or they happen on their own. Even if you happen to overeat a few days in a row, let the snack attack happen, and continue on your way.My body knows what it needs and always tells me that I need to pull back, and then I’m back on track for another week until the next snack attack happens. Yes, I’m calling them snack attacks. They are quite savage and unforgiving. But I feel that these cheat days are very important for your sanity!

Who else will be joining me on my year long (and beyond) adventure to a hearty, healthy, fit lifestyle? What tips would you like to share? Successes/failures? Comment below. Also, check out my new interview with holistic health coach Jaison Greene!

Be Fierce!!

Briauna Mariah (:

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Biking in Portland, OR

Did you know that Amsterdam is the bicycle capital of the world? 40% of the traffic flow there is from bikes. You know what’s even cooler? Portland, Oregon is the second bicycle capital of the world. Seattle doesn’t even make it on the top 10.

So, what a great exercise and method of getting around, right?! I went outside today and got my bike ready. Okay, yeah, maybe not so much! One thing Seattle and Portland do have in common is the climate: RAIN! Ever since I’ve been here, it has rained every time I decided to step outside.

I have been biking to town several times (5 miles each way), for fun and for the exercise and I went to the store once (2 miles each way). I attempted a trip to the store today, got a few blocks, and got soaked. This has been the only time I am truly disliking the rain. I never got to bike much in Seattle, so the rain was never too much of a bother. In fact, most of the time I kind of enjoy the rain. Continue reading “Biking in Portland, OR”

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Exercising = Feeling Good, Looking Better

A few months ago, I began a daily exercising routine. The plan originally stemmed from the desire to expand my modeling portfolio into fitness to reach specific industries such as Portland, but it’s also just a great thing to stick to for a healthier lifestyle. And let me tell you, it feels great. I hope you’ll give it a try!

I can say that I impressed myself with my persistence in “getting fit.” And it has paid off. I feel really good and I’m more toned, so it’s definitely helping with my overall model figure. Really, the only thing to it is persistence and knowing how your body works. I hope you give this a try and impress yourself! Exercise and eating right are the only things that will bring you great physical health.

This may not be how fitness instructors would put it, but I have talked with one about my routine. And how I put it is if you’re running and feel the burn in the areas you’re toning, you must be doing something right. If it weren’t as simple as that, I probably wouldn’t be doing any exercising. Continue reading “Exercising = Feeling Good, Looking Better”