Hey hey hey 
Hope you’ve had a wonderful Saturday!
We were lazy bums for the first half of it, and super productive for the second half. It’s funny how that works out
We ended up staying up wayyyyy late (especially for old lady over here) so we slept in and I had a lovely mango sludge for bfast:
1 mango, 1/2 frozen nanner, 1 cup hemp milk, 1 tbs vanilla brown rice protein, 1 scoop Vegalicious, Stevia and cinnamon. It was lip-smacking good
A little while later, while I was reading The Time Traveler’s Wife (I’m officially hooked), I was feeling munchy so I had the other half of yesterday’s cantaloupe.
After doing some stuff around the casa, I casually asked the pilot if he would go for a run with me. I was pleasantly surprised when he said yes
Before we left to run, I had two figgies for carb energy:
So we had a beautiful 5.13 mile run date (with a shirtless hottie haha) and finished in 48 minutes. Not too shabby, considering I haven’t ran outside in a looong time. We’re going to have weekly run dates so I can get ready for that half marathon- I’d love to beat my previous time of 1:56:42.
Speaking of the half, I went into Excel (I’m super nerdy about Excel.. I have expert certification and make spreadsheets for everything) and made a half marathon training plan based on Hal Higdon’s intermediate plan. Sexy running buddy + new sneaks + training plan = one motivated Gina
So I bought this little gem in Tucson:
It’s a DRY BRUSH! I’ve been wanting to get one ever since I read about the benefits of dry brushing in Natalia Rose’s books.
In a nutshell, dry brushing is best done in the mornings before a shower and is used to detoxify the skin, which is our largest and most important organ.
Here are some of the benefits (from this website):
Benefits of Dry Skin Brushing Explained:
1. Removes cellulite
2. Cleanses the lymphatic system
3. Removes dead skin layers
4. Strengthens the immune system
5. Stimulates the hormone and oil-producing glands
6. Tightens the skin preventing premature aging
7. Tones the muscles
8. Stimulates circulation
9. Improves the function of the nervous system
10. Helps digestion
11. AND it’s easy, inexpensive and invigorating!
Sounds good to me!
I actually haven’t used the thing yet, but I wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing before I randomly started scrubbing my body. This website thoroughly explains proper dry brushing technique- I’ll be starting tomorrow and will do it every morning when I wake up.
Well I’m off to Best Buy with the pilot –my beautiful laptop has had issues since we bought it last winter, and we’re off to see what the Geek Squad is going to do about it. I might come back with a new computer, but if they don’t have the same pink one, I will wait
Hope you all have a great night!
xoxo,
G
Something to do: Make sure to enter the Dick’s Sporting Goods $100 giftcard giveaway if you haven’t done so already! The winner will be announced at noon EST tomorrow!
Hi, I'm Gina. Welcome to The Fitnessista! I love blogging about my adventures as a new mom, military wife and fitness instructor, as well as sharing new workouts and recipes. Check out the About page for more info - thanks for stopping by!
Hope your laptop is ok
That scrub brush sounds like it works wonders! I bet it feels good too 
Your mango drink sounds delish! Have a great night girly
This post reminded me that I have been slacking in the dry brushing department. Thanks for reminding me!
Your sludges always look so great, so I made one this morning. It was scrumptious.
Good luck with the laptop! Technology issues are annoying.
Good luck with the Geek Squad! Hope everything turns out ok and you get your pink laptop
LOVE DRY BRUSHING!!!!!
I'm not downing your brush because I'm sure it works wonders for skin exfoliation. But I'm wondering how in the world it could cleanse the lymphatic system. A lymphatic doesn't really need to be cleansed. I just wondered what the explanation behind that was. Kind of like those foot pads you see on commercials that are supposed to draw toxins out. Your lymph system doesn't have a direct connection to your skin.
My hubby went thru 3 lemon laptops from the same manufacturer and under Best Buy's "lemon law", if you get 3 duds in a row (if purchased their extended warranty!) then they will switch you into a new brand for laptop #4. Hopefully you get it resolved asap as 'puter probs suck!
And skin brushing…so lovely. I am a fan.
danielle- this info is directly from the website:
Dry brushing cleans the lymphatic system. Lymph is considered part of our immune system and is made of white blood cells called lymphocytes and the interstitial fluid that bathe our cells, bringing our cells nutrients and removing their waste. All detoxification occurs first and foremost through the lymph. Our bodies contain far more lymph than blood, so you can see how important this might be. Paavo Airola maintains that dry brushing is an essential part of any intestinal cleansing and healing program.
Dry brushing literally moves the lymph containing large proteins and particulate matter that cannot be transported in any other way back into circulatory system. If these proteins stayed in our systems outside the blood vessels, it would attract other fluid. Pretty soon we’d get swollen ankles, limbs and eventually we’d be leaking fluid out our skin (not a pretty sight.) This is called lymphedema and is why most health programs include some type of exercise and body work.
Just wanted to say that I really enjoy reading your blog! You always keep me laughing and motivated to eat healthy and exercise. I'm currently training for the New York City marathon and recently started a blog of my own. Thanks for the inspiration!
So fun that the pilot went for a run with you today
I wish I could run with Josh! Hes far too fast for me (although I can run further 
). Can't wait to hear how you like the dry brush
It sounds like you have the perfect plan set up to be motivated for your next half marathon. I hope the training goes well.
I've heard good things about dry brushing, but have yet to try it myself. I'll be interested to see if how it works for you.
Lastly, I've been on a fig kick lately. I actually just took some out of the dehydrator. They're so delicious and perfect for a pre-run snack!
I have a dry brush that I bought a long time ago. I wonder where that thing is…
I hope you got your laptop fixed!
mmmm mango is one of my fave flavs ever!
awesome job on the run and grats on getting the pilot to go [shirtless]!!! amazing. i am still trying to get my boyf to go with me even though he keeps saying he wants to lol.
ooo the dry brush sounds interesting! I can't wait to hear more about it!!!
-muffy
Hey Gina! I do so love visiting your blog. The balance you maintain is inspiring.
I too dry body brush post reading Natalia's books and I miss it when I don't start my day out with it now ~ it's a revitalizing way to wake up!
Have a great day
I totally want to try dry brushing. Do you have to buy a specific body brush for it?
Weekly run dates with a shirtless hottie? Where can I sign up for that?!
I hope you get the laptop issues sorted! That would drive me crazy!!
I bet I would run more if I had a "sexy running buddy" hahaa. I need to find me one of those! Thanks for posting on dry brushing, I am going to check that out.
oh nice! im interested to see the verdict on this brush that you bought!
Gina, you and I have the same laptop. I have it in white! I bought it in April and took it straight to school and had a lot of problems. It overheats very quickly and won't stay connected to the internet. I also got it from best buy and right now they are fixing it. I wonder if the laptop is a problem or if best buy just got bad sony viao's. Viao's are supposed to be awesome computers
hey gina, i really wish you could have been at the summit. I consider you one of the most inspiration, positive and honest bloggers around. But I hope you have an incredible weekend. Good luck with the dry brushing.
sana- that's interesting to know! mine doesn't stay connected to the internet, either sometimes. bahhh! i'll let them take my laptop for repairs when i get back from school.
melissa- your comment made my morning. thanks, you <3
I used to dry brush ALL the time. Morning and night. I had a smaller hand held one so I could really get in there. I also did it before hydrotherapy showers for detox! Hot-cold 7 times over. Wake up times ten!
Take care!
How did drybrushing go? I am reading Raw Food Life Force Energy and a massage therapist recommended it as well… I'm a little weary of giving it a try so I'm super curious to hear your thoughts!
How did drybrushing go? I am reading Raw Food Life Force Energy and a massage therapist recommended it as well… I'm a little weary of giving it a try so I'm super curious to hear your thoughts!
[...] for Christmas (and got it) I figured now was a good time to start. I first heard (read) about it in this Fitnessista post a few months back. I was intrigued. I completely believe that everything in our bodies is [...]
The post is helpful for me to know the right product.
Hi Gina – When you work out in the morning do you dry brush before or after? Seems like it should be done just before getting in the shower, meaning after working out, but I’m wondering if it would still have the same benefits if the skin is sweaty post workout? Also, the link provided for dry brushing techniques no longer works…could you update the link or provide basic instructions? Thank you for all of the wonderful info! Love your blog!
i’ve been dry brushing at night, since i’ve been showering at night mostly. it’s a great way to exfoliate before i moisturize and go to bed. here’s an updated link:
http://epicureantable.com/articles/adrybrush.htm