Category: all-inclusive

Giving Tuesday

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Kells & I love shopping, looking good, eating well and just enjoying life. And, we love to give back when we can.

This year we want to feature 7 Days of Christmas Giving. And why not introduce this on Giving Back Tuesday which is today, november 27.

This is a global movement to… you guessed it: give back. What a perfect time than right after Black Friday? Giving back comes in many forms:

donating money or items

fundraising

raising awareness

giving time (volunteering)

And which charities or organizations, you may ask? Any one that you see fit, folks!

So stay tuned for our fabulous 7 Days of Christmas Giving starting December 1.

 

Candygirls: Review of Sugaring Change

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Sugar sugar, oh honey honey, you are my candygirl…

Kells and I fancied something a little different on Saturday morning.  So we hopPed along to Sugaring Change.

Kells had tried this out a few weeks prior1.  And She Suggested i Give it a whirl.

So What exactly is Sugaring? Chantelle has a wonderful description on her company’s site. But here at N&K, we also like to research neutral info. And, we found this.2

              Let’s nutshell  

  • All-natural product3
  • No strips – less environmental waste
  • No dip-sticks – less waste, no chance of the The Double-Dip4
  • Your body heat warms up the paste – no heated product means no burning skin
  • Hair can be short, some websites state 1/8″

 

                     Procedure     

You are provided with personal wipes to sanitize (for intimate areas). All natural kaolin clay mixture is then dusted to ensure skin is dry.

Sugar is applied in direction that is opposite of the hair growth. While keeping skin taut, sugar is pulled off in the direction of hair growth. Thus, irritation is significantly less5. It only takes off a layer of dead skin5.

Larger areas can be sugared5. You use the same ball of sugar for a few pulls. Before application, sugar is thick, honey-coloured & seemingly translucent. After a few pulls, the sugar becomes whiter with different texture.

               How It Felt   

I’ve been waxing for years. It’s painful and sting-y, though you do get used to it. Waxing any part esp underarms and the under-carriage is painful. First waxes started off quite painful (say, 6 out of 10)6 and still are (5/10).

On legs and arms, Sugaring just feels like a bit of tugging and pulling. Ladyscaping with Sugar is pain level of 3-4.

After Sugaring, the skin wasn’t irritated or tender. And I am a sensitive little vittle. But not after Sugaring Change!

              Service Time   

Shaving takes ages and you risk nicking or razor-burning yourself. Waxing yourself is tricky (especially on arms!) as you hone your technique5.

Sugaring takes the same time as a salon wax.

 

           How Long Does It Last?   

By the time we post, it will be about 1 week. We are both still smooth! Sugaring lasts the same as wax, so 2-4 weeks. But after a few sessions of Sugaring, follicles reduce their hair production. Apparently, Sugaring pulls out live follicles.

↓ follicles ≈↓ hair growth. Makes sense, right?

 

               Aftercare  

Make sure you read about Sugaring Aftercare on Chantelle’s site. It’s different from shaving and waxing.  After shaving and waxing, I wash with warm soapy water then apply aloe moisturizer.

At Sugaring Change, esthetician Danica gently applied a warm towel to remove residue. Then she applied a witch hazel & tea tree spritz and finished with a moisturizer.  Chantelle applied a clay mask to Kells, after ladyscaping.

Danica suggested that if there was stickiness or residue, to apply a warm towel. But avoid rubbing, showering or watering the skin for 12-24 hours. And when you resume showers, exfoliate q2d to discourage ingrowns.

 

                             the atmosphere   

Intimate, medi-spa feel with a small waiting room. There are lotions and potions to ohh-and-ahh over (including EyEnvy, which we reviewed previously).  Treatment rooms are large, well-lit.

        The Estheticians   

Chantelle & Danica are wonderfully gentle, understanding and professional. I’ve only ever gone to one other person for ladyscaping. (& I went to her for years for other waxing before I even considered ladyscaping.)

 

      TRAUMA-INFORMED PRACTICE  

What exactly is this? I haven’t heard about TIP outside of healthcare! Essentially it is meeting the person where they’re at.  Sugaring Change is very Person-Centred.

I had not been to Sugaring Change or met Danica (or Chantelle) before. This was a huge step in trust for me. I discussed my hesitations with Danica. She validated my feelings, and we discussed ways to cope (stress ball, communication, etc). Danica was so lovely that I don’t know why I was worried.

Both Chantelle and Danica explained very precisely what she was doing before doing it.

Sugaring Change is also a place of Body Positivity. They Sugar all shapes, sizes, genders, trans-folks…

     Cool faCts   

Sugaring products are either made on-site or purchased from a local supplier.  So Sugaring Change also supports local businesses!

And when you get serviced at Sugaring Change, you are contributing to HOPE International Development Agency.  This agency empowers women and girls in Cambodia.

And empowering women is what N&K are about!

 

          T h e   v e r d i c t        

Probably not a surprise but we love this place!
If you remove hair, or are considering it, you MUST try Sugaring Change.  
And if you mention this blog post (or just n&k), you’ll get $5 off of your first service!
How’s that for some sweet delight?

Footnotes
1 Disclosure: Chantelle gave us a discount on services specifically to review Sugaring Change. Neither she nor Sugaring Change sponsored this post. This review accurately reflects our thoughts.

2 Wikipedia seriously? Yeah we know. There were lots of sites that had the same info as Sugaring Change, but they also focussed on sugaring-at-home methods. We just wanted info on sugaring. So, if you don’t like our Wiki citing, check out their References & External Links sections.

3 The reason that this is fab is because you can eat all the readily-found ingredients, and pronounce them! No additives, human-modified chemicals, unnecessary junk. But just because it’s natural, doesn’t mean you should jump into making it at home. You can also cook up poisons at home (by accident or on purpose). Doesn’t mean it’s safe. So… we recommend you go to a salon that Sugars first.

4 My theory that most things in life can be tied to a Seinfeld episode is true. (Partly cuz I say it, and partly cuz it’s the truth!) And in keeping with the Wiki love, here’s the link to that “spectacular” episode.

5 Waxing & Shaving is usually done opposite of hair growth.  Waxing also removes a layer of live cells. W&S are done in small areas at one time.

6 Well what exactly does 6 out of 10 mean? Excellent question! Pain is subjective, and certainly depends on culture, gender, socialization, reporting ability & a whole bunch of other stuff. Many health professionals use the Faces Pain Scale . So, for me 6 out of 10, indicates moderate pain.

7 If you water your skin too early after Sugaring, you run the risk of whiteheads.

Wake Up Before You Go Go

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October is Women’s Health month here on N&K. Today, nals will be discussing self esteem.

When I was heavier, I felt bombarded with images of thin, smooth-skinned, tall ladies as ‘beautiful’. If it was North American media, then tanned vixens. And if Bollywood media, then fair-skinned maidens. No one looked like me: pear-shaped, bespectacled, with frizzy unkempt waves & darker skinned… unless it was an actor who played an evil Bollywood mom. Or, was the star of a self-named comedy show (see posts on Tips 1-4, 5-8, 9-10). And I wasn’t any of those adjectives either!

And these thin women were portrayed as The Ultimate Show Ponies, dripping with confidence, promise, fulfilling lifestyles, happiness and sex appeal. Today, I say “Bravo!” to advertising and entertainment sectors for the deep ingrainment. They worked hard to get that image across.  At the time, it didn’t occur to me that I didn’t know anyone else that looked like that, either. Move over Manson² and Heaven’s Gate, Media is the Ultimate brainwasher.

Keep in mind, my teen years were spent poring over glossy magazines with shiny images, talking on the phone with friends, and watching TV. We didn’t have internet or cell phones. My escape was TV and staying up late reading books¹. So growing up with rigid ideas of what the perfect 2-D body looks like makes a regular 3-D girl feel less-than.

In all honesty I thought once I lost weight³, I would be happier. Things would magically fall into place. Of course this is real-life, not a fairy tale.

Happiness is something you attain. It is not bestowed upon you.

 

 

I had to really think about what would make me happy. I love reading, photography, the theatre

and writing. I love all kinds of dance. I am happy when beautiful things surround me: people, clothes, art, wine, food. And I am happy after I have challenged myself.

I try to do things to push my personal boundaries like co-writing this blog. (Yes, I love writing but it’s not easy to put yourself out there.) I’ve taken loads of pictures, in public. Then put up these up for you all to see.

 

 

And last week, I started a burlesque class with Kells. Yes, burlesque. I love how bawdy, welcoming, tongue-in-cheek, flirty, raucous it is. And we had no idea about its fabulously clandestine history. 

This is an intro class, with a lovely range of ladies across sizes, ages, shapes and abilities. About one third took the class to push themselves, have fun and become more comfortable in their own skin.  Some of the same reasons as N&K!

I would say I’m a happier person, having pushed personal boundaries and embracing all aspects of myself. Am I positive and happy 100% of the time? Of course not. Real life has ups and downs. But if you want to lead a more fulfilling lifestyle…
you gotta wake the F up. Self-evaluate and make a plan of change.
Don’t just chug along with life. Grab it by the horns and point it in the right direction!

Footnotes
1 Thanks Judy Blume, Stephen King, Danielle Steele, Isaac Asimov for keeping me up too late
2 Charles, not Marilyn
3 According to a female family member, all I needed to do in my teen years, was lose weight, get rid of unsightly zits and get toss the glasses. (She was unsure of this last thing, as presumably, there were attractive librarians with glasses.) This aunt was a solid support to me. She never lied. But, she encouraged my strengths and didn’t let me forget them. And I adored her. (She was the next best thing to sliced bread!) So when she gave me this unsolicited bit of advice, which came out of the blue, I was heartbroken.

Divine Trinity of Coffee, Chocolate & Chinwags: a review of Cafe Divano

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We’ve been to the Coquitlam & Port Moody locations of Cafe Divano.

The place has a large open airy feel to it despite the rich dark wood furniture. Terrace is large, especially the Coquitlam location.  You can sit comfortably and have your coffee alone while reading the paper… or have a good long chinwag with your friends.

Staff are lovely.  (Check out their facebook page for interesting tidbits on each staff member!)  And, there’s lots of parking.

We’ve had a variety of the tasty food here: sandwiches, paninis, wraps, chocolate desserts, pastries.

They have lovely loose teas that are served like a tisane or you can fog it up with steamed milk. We love the Buccaneer and the Red Velvet. They’ve got the usual fare for espresso drinks and coffee.  We recently tried their divine sugar free smoothies (Peach and Berry) – like fresh fruit goodness in a glass.

 

We have a special place in our hearts for Divano, as this is where we started our photography for our IG.

And hey N&Kers, it’s been almost a year since we started Nals and Kells!  Happy Blog-a-versary!

Kickin’ Cancer

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So if you follow us on IG you probably saw that we have been saying we are going to focus on Women’s Health for the month of October.  Part of this will be me documenting my journey on Kicking the Beep out of Cancer with 30 Min Hit. Please follow this link to my page:https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=4292199&langPref=en-CA

I have never done this before, so I am a little  nervous. First of all, I’m not one to ask people for money. So please don’t feel you need to donate to me (but I won’t say no if you want to donate). However, I am asking you all to join in the conversation around women’s health AND to support me while I kick the stink out of cancer this month.

Secondly, the only option for t-shirts were pink. Ugh. I’m not a fan of the pink, or pink, or pink. But I will bring it to the gym every day and get it signed. Oh I should mention, that for every work out we do this month, we get a signature on the pink shirt. Maybe I should set a goal of signatures? Any suggestions? (please leave a comment).

October 1st, here we go. Starting the month off at the gym in a pink shirt, getting signatures and starting the conversation around Women’s Health.

According to the Canadian Cancer Society lung, breast, colorectal and prostate cancer are the most common types of cancer (not including skin cancer). Also, cancer is the #1 cause of death in Canada. We also know that the earlier the detection the better the outcome. We also know that there is no known cure, and we need to find it! No one should have to lose their life to cancer. No one.

I’m assuming here, but I’m pretty sure that we have all been impacted by Cancer. I have lost 2 important people in my life to Cancer and I have also have a survivor in my life. This month I want to honor my friend Amber, who even while she fought her hardest and even in her sickest moments, chose to be happy and live for every moment. I also want to honor my bests Dad, Rick. He was the cool dad that made those ridiculous jokes and always made us laugh. I will never forget these two.

I also want to use this month to fight for never receiving that call again. The call where your soul sister calls and tells you she has cancer. That call literally took my breath away. It made time stop and has burnt a hole in my memory. I vowed to be with her every step of the way. I was there after her surgery and helped take care of her kids. I am so thankful she is still with me, as I can’t picture my life without her. and I am so happy to say her kids still have her. She is also the one that lost her dad last year. Cancer sucks.

Let me share this one last thing. A couple of months before Amber passed away, I went to see her in the hospital. She was so thin and on oxygen. It was hard to see her so frail. But she smiled the whole time. She laughed and joked and wanted to know the latest news with everyone we knew in our lives. I asked her what can I do to help her. She told me she was happy. She said that after she got the news she had a choice, to fear the future and be sad about her extremely aggressive cancer or she would wake up every morning and say “today I choose to be happy”. That really hit me. My gosh, it’s hard to be wake up happy without knowing you are dying from cancer. And let me tell you, Ams lived her word. She was happy. She was happy to see her friends, happy to have another day with her family. She was happy. I try hard to live by this. And when I hear our song, Sugar by Maroon 5, I get a reminder to be happy. It’s a choice.

So here I am, choosing to do my part for fighting for cancer and choosing to be happy. Please join me. Help me. Encourage me. Follow my fundraising and if you can please donate: https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=4292199&langPref=en-CA I hope to post some pictures there soon!

Catch Me If You Can

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N&K’s Roundup of Runs in Vancouver, BC

 

Believe it or not, at 12 years old, I signed up for Track & Field.  And I chickened out… then at 40, did I really start running.  

Kells was a track-lete in her teens and took a break when during schooling and subsequent back issues.  And she re-started around the time I did.

So this year, Kells & I did 3 runs.

  

Not all runs are created alike. Which is why I wanted to do a review so that newbie runners have the info to choose wisely.  There’s not only a financial cost, but also the time and energy.

 

Prep & training

We were both mentally prepared and motivated.  

Kells just needed to re-condition.  Her final time was about 30 minutes for 5km outside.  

I needed to start from the bottom middle up. I did some research and decided to do a modified Couch to 5km.  My end time was about 40 minutes for 5km on the treadmill. Running outside was way harder.  I couldn’t run a straight 5km, without walking breaks.

Always check in with a licensed healthcare professional such as a physician, nurse-practitioner or personal trainer prior to starting a new health regime.  This helps you to be physically safe and manage your expectations³.

 

St. Patty’s Run (March)

more info

had such a fabulous energy.  It is the first run of the year in Vancouver. Lots of music, people, hoopla.  It was fabulous and I was pumped but nervous AF!  

Location: Stanley Park 

Raceway: We ran along the seawall so pathway was flat, with minimal incline and wide enough to pass the slower-paced folks.

Length: 5 km walk or run.  Different start times for different levels.

N’s time 38 mins ⇔ K’s time 28 mins

 

Daffodil Dash (April)

More info

Both Kells and I have had loved ones suffer from with cancer.  So this is a topic that is near-and-dear to us.

Location: various across B.C. We chose Tri-cities, which was at Rocky Point 

Raceway: windy, partial paved sidewalk/trail and a lot of forest-y trails with twigs and such things to get underfoot.

Other info: wayyy smaller gathering that started 45 minutes late, not cordoned off so other runners and birders¹ blocked the precious real estate.  

Length: 5 km (which was more like 5.5 km) or 1 km walk or Dash for kidlets

N’s time ≈ 45 mins ⇔ K’s time ≈ 30 mins

 

Shoppers Run for women (May)

More info

Womens health is also an important topic for us. So this was a no-brainer.  

Location: Wesbrook Village in UBC, N’s alma mater

Raceway: trails in Pacific Spirit Park.  Partial paved and mostly groomed trails with some twiggy undertows.  Minimal incline, paths are narrow at some points.

Length: 5 km walk or run (or 10 km run or 1 km walk), different trails and staggered start times

N’s time: <38 mins ⇔K’s time: <28 mins

Conclusion

After the first run, this gal was hooked.  The freaking energy and positivity was addicting and motivating AF.  We will defo run this next year.  

If I had started with Daff Dash, I wouldn’t have gotten hooked. No siree bob. Energy was way different, which was partially due to the drizzle and smaller crowd. Didn’t seem as organized.  Next year both K&I agreed to do the Vancouver one.  (2018 was the last year for Tri-Cities location anyways.)

We ended with a BANG! Shoppers was defo a larger crowd with music and lots of energy.  Our one critique is that the Walkers should have started last, after all of the runners.  Some of the Walkers sauntered in their possies, shooting the shit.  They were like a human bunting, 3 and 4 across the the path. They bristled at how the runners rudely pushed past them2.  Imagine runners wanting to run in a race! Preposterous!

Our last run was supposed to be the Vancouver Pride Run in July  But I wanted to support my family member in her wife’s Celebration of Life, which was the same weekend.  So K&I didn’t go. 

I was super pleased to see all shapes and sizes, and skill levels.  So if you’re remotely interested, go for it! It is sooo worth it.

Footers:

1  Birders= a gaggle of birdwatchers that was clogging up the trail like an oxidized comedo.

2 The bunts were told to keep 1 or 2 across, and keep path open for runners. Hmmm these Walkers didn’t have a bunt to stand on.

3 I see him a few times a year for the chronic health condition so I just tacked this question on to my visit.  I had also checked in with Koach.  

Pret a porter in Portland

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Mr. Nals and I took a jaunt to Oregon in August.

I’m a planner. He’s more of a spontaneous duckling. Who says planning is all the rage¹?  So we didn’t book a hotel. We winged it.

We ended up taking the turn-off into Beaverton and found a place called Shiloh Inn. Looked chalet-ish, with a pool. But wouldn’t you know it – it was ALL booked up!¹

The front desk chicka suggested Peppertree Motel. This was casual, motel-style, low key. There was a little water feature in front & lots of guest parking.

Peppertree Hotel, Beaverton, Oregon

Peppertree Hotel, Beaverton, Oregon

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Muscle Development Quarterly

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from glamour gals
to funny gals
In March, our lil friend and personal trainer Koach got both N & K into a muscle development regime.  This is a good way to transform your workout from mundane back to great. In honour of Koach’s birthday today, we are writing this post to update y’all on our progress! Continue reading →