Healthy Travels

I'm back from vacation! I went to Florida to visit my beautiful best friend and we went to Universal Studios. I finally got to see The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. If you know me, you know that I love Harry Potter. We went to Halloween Horror Nights on Thursday and Friday night and got sufficiently scared by all of the zombies. I had so much fun! I want to go back right now.

Matching cupcake temporary tattoos because we're awesome. Yes, that is a zombie in the bottom corner.

I always allow myself to go wild on vacations. No counting calories for me! I mean c'mon I'm so much more active on vacations anyways since I sit at my desk ALL day long at work. Case in point, I wore my Fitbit around the parks and racked up over 30,000 steps each day, which is almost 10 miles per day. So I will allow myself a delicious Butterbeer without any guilt.

I will never say "No" to Butterbeer! 

But when it comes to flying I like to keep it clean. Since my parents live on opposite coasts (Mom's in California and Dad's in North Carolina. That's about 7 hours in the air, plus any time during a layover) I fly A LOT and the flights are always extremely long. I've gotten pretty good at packing exactly what I need on a flight so that I don't have to pay the $10+ for a box of crackers and cheese on a plane and I won't feel tired or gross when we land.

1. First, and most important, I always pack a reusable water bottle. Preferably one that has a built in filter so that you can refill it at the water fountains through out the airport.  In case you didn't know, TSA does not allow you to bring a full bottle of water through security. I refuse to pay $5+  for a bottle of water at the airport and the little cups they give you on the plane are gone in a sip. Flying really dehydrates you so it is important to keep water on hand at all times. 

2. Healthy snacks are key to any flight. I like to pack granola bars and prepackaged bags of almonds. Apples, Bananas, Babybel, or 100 calorie pack snacks would also be a great options.

3. Bring your own meal. A lot of people aren't aware that it is totally acceptable to bring your own meal to the airport. I love to go to the grocery store the night before a long flight and pick out a fresh prepackaged salad. Place it in a safe spot in your bag so that it doesn't get crushed and enjoy whenever you get hungry. This saves me probably over $5 since this Kale Crunch salad that I bought was about $4 and the salads at the terminals are about $10. 

4. Since flying completely dries out my skin I need to bring a thick body lotion and a good lip balm. Always remember to apply generously before you board and then keep it close at hand during the flight. I absolutely hate getting off the plane with chapped lips.

5. Hand Sanitizer and Anti-Bacterial wipes are super important when flying. This may seem crazy but I feel so much better if I just wipe down my tray table before I use it. I would rather look like a germaphobe than get to my vacation destination and be sick.

And of course magazines to keep entertained during the flight. I also like to download movies to my iPad the night before just in case they don't show any on the flight. 

If you do have a layover try to walk as much as you can during your time there. I know most people already have to run from one side of the airport to the other to catch their next flight but sometimes I have a layover that's 2 hours or longer and it's good to just walk and stretch my legs.

What are some of your tips for healthy travels?

Coconut Oil

I've been reading a lot of pins on Pinterest about the magic of Coconut Oil. Naturally, I became curious as to if it really did everything that they were saying it could. I went to Vitacost.com as recommended by many of the links to receive my $10 credit and get the Coconut Oil practically for free. (I also order PB2 Peanut Butter because Tara Lynn over at Undress Skeleton is always using it and I just had to try it.)

Coconut oil is a solid when it is below 76 degrees making is hard as a rock and nearly impossible to get out of the jar or spread it on. I heard that you can whip it and it will stay a soft, smooth consistency. It is actually really easy to whip, takes hardly any time at all, and best of all it can be used for just about anything.

First things first you're going to want to scoop it out of the jar and plop it into a nice big bowl.

Then just take your hand mixer and go to town. Whip it up like you would frosting. 

Once it is nice a fluffy scoop it all into a mason jar or you could put it back in its original jar, I just prefer mason jars. 

When Coconut Oil is whipped it stays that way so you no longer need to worry about it becoming a solid rock again.

One of my absolute favorite things about coconut oil is that it is hands down the best beauty secret ever! 

I have had serious trouble with eczema on my upper arms my entire life. I have tried everything from exfoliators to moisturizers to OTC eczema creams. Nothing ever truly got rid of it. That is, until I discovered Coconut oil. I have been applying it every day when I get out of the shower and every night before bed and my arms have never been so smooth. 

Another great use of coconut oil is as a hair mask. I learned this little secret from How Does She?

Take a generous handful of coconut oil and apply it from the ends up. I twisted my hair and clipped it on the top of my head and went about my night. I left my hair like that for about 2 hours while I cleaned the house and checked Facebook. Then I hopped in the shower. Make sure to shampoo twice, the first time I did this I only shampooed once and my hair was a bit greasy after it dried. When you hop out of the shower towel dry your hair and while it is still damp take a pea sized amount of coconut oil and rub it in your hands. Then run your hands through the ends of your hair. 

I let my hair air dry and then very quickly ran my flat iron through my hair this morning. 

I can't stop touching my hair. It is so soft and so smooth and not the least bit frizzy. I think I might start doing this a couple times a week because I have not seen my hair look so controlled and healthy ever.