Chris Hemsworth - What to Look for in a Man

Photo:  People Magazine 2014

Today: this face on magazine stands around the world.  Despite the Twitter chatter that other stars should have received the title, in my book Chris Hemsworth is the "Sexiest Man Alive."

He's even sexier in person.  I had a chance to meet Chris last Oscar season at a screening for his film, Rush, hosted by the Directors Guild.  The PR team emphatically stated Chris would not be signing autographs or taking photos.

I happened to be in one of the front rows and before his handlers could whisk him off stage, Chris was taking selfies with us and signing pictures. Thor up close - sexy? Um, speechless. 

Photo:  People Magazine 2014

Besides the fact that he's hot, Chris seems to have qualities that would make for an ideal mate.  He's married but if you're looking for more than a Tinder hook-up, here are five traits I saw in Chris that would make any guy the sexiest man alive:

1.  He's humble about his looks.  
Chris honestly didn't seem to notice or care how hot he is.  Maybe it's the scruff or the tousled hair or the not-too-shredded muscles - but he doesn't seem like one of those guys who spends half his time at the gym or in front of a mirror.  That translates into knowing you'll get his attention, whether in the bedroom or the boardroom.

2.  He's gracious.
Chris could have walked off the stage shielded by his handlers but you could tell he wanted to be gracious to the audience.  I'm sure he hates getting mobbed by fans but he seems to accept it as part of the cost of fame.  He doesn't seem to let the adoration get to his ego.  A gracious guy is one who makes others feel significant instead of insisting the spotlight always be on him.

3.  He can laugh at himself.
Chris laughed often during the Q&A and it was easy to feel happy and upbeat listening to him.  Ever been with a guy where you're always afraid you'll say the wrong thing and set him off? No one's worth that much work. A sense of humor goes a long way during stormy times.

4.  He's authentic.
Chris didn't seem to be worried about protecting an image.  He's doesn't act like Thor in real life; he has soft spots.  The guy who never appears weak? The mystery may seem alluring initially but you'll eventually find yourself pounding on the wall he's built around his heart. A truly sexy man doesn't need a false version of himself to attract others.

5.  He honors his wife and family.
Chris probably gets hit on constantly but I loved how he honored his wife even when she wasn't around. He didn't try to come across as a stud. He wasn't ashamed of the ring on his finger.  A man who honors those around him? Sexy times 100.

www.facebook.com/shayholland
  

Before She Broke the Internet

Photo:  Paper Magazine 2014

Before she tried to break the Internet, we broke secrets of Kim Kardashian's flawless looks. 

Kim has featured some of her favorite places in my Santa Monica neighborhood on her reality show.  I was astonished when I ran into her that she is quite gorgeous and even more petite than me, except her booty!

During a recent season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, I interviewed celebrity beauty expert Dana Waldie about treatments and products stars like Kim use to get their red carpet looks.  

Check out the links below for tips on everything from choosing makeup to help you get that celebrity glow to determining the best facial treatment for your skin type. 

Keeping Up with the Kardashians beauty series:

Part 1:  Look younger without injections

Part 2:  What it's like working on a TV set

Part 3:  Expert tips for a flawless face

Part 4:  How to get the best facial for you

Is there really any value in Kim's full frontal strip show for Paper magazine?   True beauty isn't measured by the junk in your trunk but by the light of a soul set ablaze.  Still, no harm in stealing a few A-list beauty secrets.

www.facebook.com/shayholland

Runways and Red Carpets

Victoria Beckham.  Photo:  Elle Magazine 2014

Bring on the spice! Over the past year, I've been working with stylists and makeup artists and health experts who make the stars look so good.  They've been sharing secrets from the runway to the red carpet. 

I was never one of those girls who's obsessed with fashion or makeup or perfectly flat abs. Now I have a new appreciation for the creative ones who work in those industries. Instead of shunning the culture of beauty, my goal has been to embrace it in a way that's helpful to women. 

One of the God-given desires of a woman's heart is to feel beautiful. I was being handed so many helpful ways that have transformed my confidence that I wanted to share them. Here's a compilation of videos with guests from my lifestyle webisodes. For more on any of the A-list tips, you can check out full videos on my YouTube channel.

I'm so grateful for you, creative ones. And for you, for sharing this beautiful adventure!

www.facebook.com/shayholland

10 Tips for Keeping it Classy from the Red Carpet

Catherine Zeta-Jones at the American Film Institute tribute to Jane Fonda. June 2014

classy \ adjective : having qualities that make someone special and attractive : showing impressive character (Merriam-Webster dictionary)
---
What makes a person classy?  Take Catherine Zeta Jones.  She's fought bi-polar disorder, a stormy marriage, a stalled career. Yet she still exudes class - not with a designer dress and diamonds, but with warmth and a wave.

So what's the difference between classy and trashy?  Here's a few things I've observed from the red carpet: 

1.  Classy people have mastered the art of flirting to make others feel special - not necessarily to get them into bed. 

2.  Classy people don't drink too much - both to avoid acting like a fool and long lines for the restroom. Squatting somewhere is never classy. Neither is peeing in a bucket, Mr. Bieber.

3.  Classy people aren't afraid to apologize, like Reese Witherspoon when she pulled the, "Do you know who I am?" line on a cop.   

4.  Classy people are kind even when others don't deserve it; no Alec Baldwin tantrums.  "Never sacrifice your class to get even with someone who has none." (author unknown)

5.  Classy people have a mystique that somehow commands it; that's why they can leave the see-through dresses to Rihanna.


6.  Classy people look others in the eye.  Besides, wearing sunglasses at night makes anyone look like a douche.  Except maybe Bono. And Stevie Wonder.

7.  Classy people end conversations graciously, even if they're talking to someone creepy.  

8.  Classy people wear panties in public. 

9.  Classy people aren't threatened by others' success and don't try to make anyone feel insignificant; they're secure enough to let you be fabulous.

10.  Classy people don't obsess over their fame; they see it mainly as a platform to do good and inspire the world.

And the bonus observation - classy people don't waste time trying to make others love them. Instead, they unselfishly love the ones who matter most.  

"Too much of the time, we are blinded by our own pursuit of people [that don't even matter] to love us, while the people who do love us...watch us beg in the streets." (C. JoyBell)

Keep it classy.

www.facebook.com/shayholland

Katie Couric's No Sugar Challenge: My Astonishing Results

Gwyneth Paltrow doesn't feed her kids sugar, gluten, dairy or soy. Photo from her cookbook, "It's All Good" www.linenme.com

Going sugar-free like Gwyneth Paltrow or vegan like Beyoncé is too extreme for me.  That's why I didn't immediately commit when I heard about Katie Couric's challenge to give up added sugar for 10 days (I also did a video for Katie's "Co-host for a Day" contest).

Fed Up is Katie's new film about our health crisis. The challenge, promoting the movie's launch, intrigued me because of my own struggle with obesity and family history of stroke, diabetes and weight-related issues.

Afraid I'd be setting myself up for failure, I decided to try it for three days instead of 10.  While I've mostly beaten food cravings, some of my choices are still high in sugar:  flavored yogurt, chocolate, fruit juice. I'd already given up most processed junk foods and sodas, so what was the benefit in going totally sugar-free?

Turns out there were plenty!  Starting with a shrinking gut, clearer skin, weight loss, shinier hair.

photo www.katiecouric.com

I share more about how I'm beating genetic obesity on the health and fitness site, Feel Rich, started by music mogul Quincy Jones' son but suffice it to say my body was showing astonishing benefits from being sugar-free for the first time ever.

Most surprising was the rapid weight loss. I wish I'd taken measurements on the first day of the challenge. I didn't expect to firm up and get toned like Kelly Ripa (ok, that might be overstating the results a bit).

Surprisingly, I felt compelled to keep going after the first three days.  It wasn't nearly as brutal as I'd feared; no major withdrawal like headaches or jitters.

the amount of sugar I'd normally consume in just three days!
a 'Katie' viewer suggested putting what you give up in a jar - stunning visual

I believe in listening to our bodies, which is how I lost 50 pounds defying traditional diet wisdom (read my article, Throw Away Your Scale to Lose Weight for Life) and why I kept going for 10 days.

I did feel VERY deprived at first. I especially missed drinking tea with sugar, which I replaced with sparkling water.  I also missed fruit juice - particularly since I'd already given up soda.

Quitting desserts was the hardest part. I'd already swapped super poor choices - cookies, cupcakes, Ben & Jerry's - for healthier ones like frozen yogurt and power bars but those were taboo since they have added sugar.

There were some drawbacks like afternoon exhaustion (managed with a nap) and intense sweet cravings (tamed with fresh berries).

My conclusion?  My body wants far less sugar than I've been eating - even the 'good' kinds like honey and 100% fruit juices.

So will I religiously avoid sugar like Gwyneth Paltrow and other Hollywood stars? Nah, a girl needs her occasional red velvet cupcake. But I do plan to make some permanent changes, like avoiding sweetened salad dressings and peanut butter.

Check out the challenge at www.fedupmovie.com - start your own if you missed this one!

www.facebook.com/shayholland

When the Path Looks Like a Dead End

Photo:  Seardig Photography on Etsy

You've been faithfully running toward the finish line - maybe pursuing a creative dream or losing weight - and you're finally seeing real progress. Yay!  You may only be taking baby steps but you're still moving forward.

...Only to find that your hard work and dedication has led to a crossroads:  quit or feel like you're going to die trying anymore.

You've got to make some decisions that will shape the next season of your life but you're beaten down by the sheer weight of chasing your dream. Discouraged. Broke. Too exhausted to even flash a grin at Jimmy Fallon who just walked past you at LAX (yes, that happened).

Like Dorothy and her entourage on the way to see the Wizard, you've hit the deadly poppy field.  The valley of dry bones. The graveyard where it will require a miracle to restore your vision.

Seven years ago when I moved to Hollywood, I went to a workshop for entertainment industry newcomers. The speaker, a TV and film veteran, spoke to us bluntly.

"Only a handful of you will still be here in a few years," he said.  "Of that handful, only about one percent will find success."

Ouch.

He wasn't trying to kill our dreams; he was trying to prepare us for the long, competitive road ahead.  He was reminding us that the race doesn't necessarily go to the strong and the mighty - or to the rich and well-connected - but to those who persevere.

So don't quit.  Make peace with God's pace. Keep moving forward.  We'll eventually make it to the place He intended all along. 

www.facebook.com/shayholland

Detox the Emotions Keeping You Unhealthy

My article below appears on the health and fitness site, Feel Rich, created by music mogul Quincy Jones' son!

--

Seems just about everyone's on some sort of health/weight loss kick - juicing, Crossfit, Paleo (Google 'caveman diet' if you don't know what it is). Goodbye, Krispy Kremes; hello, kale.

Even with all the tools, rules and resources available to us, the weight loss battle isn't won in the gym, it's won in our hearts. Heal the emotions, begin to heal the body.

The number on the scale isn't the real issue. Most of us - stats say up to 95% - will regain any weight we do lose.

So forget quick external fixes. Resolve to be gentle with yourself. Let go of condemnation and guilt. Give yourself grace.

These are three keys to begin detoxing emotions that may be keeping you unhealthy:

1. Be gentle with yourself.
Being gentle with yourself happens when you can stop laying blame and instead take responsibility for your health.

Our culture tells us fat is not our fault. Blame genetics. Stress. Metabolism. Hormones. TV. Medications...

After gaining nearly 50 pounds, I blamed a family obesity curse and a demanding job.

But truthfully, I needed to admit that I was a food addict who would choose Red Velvet cupcakes over lifting weights any day.

Saying "It's my fault that I'm overweight" is very different from saying, "I am responsible for doing something about my weight." The former causes you to look back; the latter faces you forward toward healing.

2. Let go of condemnation and guilt.
Science has proven that forgiving others and ourselves can help fight off diseases like depression, stroke and high blood pressure.

We just don't hear much about it largely because the multi-billion dollar weight-loss industry doesn't make money off of forgiveness - and we're too busy chasing empty promises.

One day as I was watching people run up a hill, the thought came to me, 'Who told you that you would always be fat?'

...the saleswoman who  bluntly told my mother no one sells size 14 dresses for little girls...TV viewers who said I was too fat...a co-worker who put my face on a pig roast invitation...

I'd been teased and bullied about my body for so long that I believed the lie that I could never. run. up a hill. Sobbing, my heart was finally released from the prison of self-hatred and guilt.

It's hard to look at yourself and hate what you see. To get free, you have to forgive - and that may include the person looking back at you in the mirror.

(Do not be ashamed if you need a therapist's help at this point.)

3. Give yourself grace.
"The number one reason people regain weight," says Dr. Jennifer Landa, "is the diet mentality. If we live in a state of constantly feeling deprived, we will eventually rebel."

Giving yourself grace is the opposite - a way to adopt a mindset of abundance and plenty.

I grew up afraid of starving. To escape that poverty mindset, I took a radical approach: I let myself eat anything I wanted for a week. ANYTHING.

Instead of spiraling out of control, you know what happened? Grace. I didn't have to fear starving anymore - not for food or love or forgiveness.

You'll find your new mindset spills over into wanting to rid yourself of destructive habits, excess stuff and even toxic relationships that don't support the best version of you.

 
---
As your spirit heals, you'll find that your body begins to tell you the healthy things that it wants; you may be hearing it speak for the first time.

You really can ditch the scale and lose weight from the inside out. Detox your emotions and you're well on the way to a life rich in health.

And that hill that left me in tears? I run up it all the time now.  

www.facebook.com/shayholland

'Ditch Your Scale!' - Lent Event: Getting Started

'Ditch Your Scale!' Lent event is underway over on my Facebook page.  Here's how to get started if you want to join us.  We're not going to be on a diet. No gimmicks. No short-term fixes. Just you and God on a faith-based journey to lifelong health for the next 40 days.

Most of these ideas are in my 'Getting Started' video and there are a few more below:

1.  Take starting weight/measurements if you want.

2.  Set aside time for a daily date with God.

3.  Ask God for a verse, poem, song, art, watever speaks to you about His love for you.

4.  Read my article, 'Throw Away Your Scale to Lose Weight for Life' about changing a deprivation mindset (www.feelrich.com).

5.  Journal.

6.  Ask others to pray for you, or join you!

7.  Seek God about setting healthy goals - but don't worry about making them happen just yet, we'll get to external changes later.

8.  I'll be posting healthy recipes from contributors, inspirational stories and more on my Facebook page - like it to join us daily.

Get creative!  I believe God has a plan tailored for you.  Come discover it!

www.facebook.com/shayholland

Ditch Your Scale! Lent event

Starting a health-focused Lent event tomorrow! The vision is to spend the 40 days of Lent on a faith-based journey toward lifelong health.

Here's how to get involved:

1. Commit to a RADICAL approach to health during Lent.  But get this - no fasting required!

Instead, we'll ditch our scales and entrust these areas to God...and end up healthier than ever. How? I'll share more later but there's insight in my article on the health & fitness site, Feel Rich (click here)

2. Share your creativity, passion & gifts.
You might have a song, a recipe, a verse, a fitness tip to encourage others. I'd love to share these on my Facebook page.

Here's more about 'Ditch Your Scale in my introductory video.

Starting on Lent March 5th, I hope you'll check out the videos and posts on topics like forgiveness and health, cultivating an abundant mindset, loving others to maintain health. Ditch your scale and get healthy for life!

www.facebook.com/shayholland

Get Fit. Get Gorgeous!

Hop on over to my Facebook page and check out a special beauty offer and my latest video with celeb beauty expert Dana Waldie.  We're getting fit and gorgeous! 

Here's the video below (or here on YouTube):

Also working on another article about the critical role of detoxing unhealthy emotions to help lose weight. You can read some of my previous articles on the health and fitness site, Feel Rich. 

Doing a little change each day will make a big difference.  Let's do this! 

www.facebook.com/shayholland

Awards Season & Body Image Video

Attending a screening of 'August: Osage County' with George Clooney, Julia Roberts & cast 

It's that time of year again - Hollywood awards season!  

The studios host screenings to boost their film's chances to take home statues at the Oscars, SAG Awards, Golden Globes and more. Being a member of the Screen Actors Guild pays for itself this time of year when invites outnumber spam in the inbox.

My co-host, Danika Brysha, and I sat a few feet from George Clooney, Julia Roberts and cast members of August: Osage County at a recent screening. 

Danika and I were celebrating our last night together in LA since she's heading East to rock the plus size modeling world. Before she left, we shot this video on handling body image issues. 

I've written pretty extensively on the topic here in my blog since it's been an on-going struggle for me and I know for many of you. You can read more by clicking "body image" on the topics section.  Also, I'm contributing to the health and fitness site, Feel Rich, so check that out for ideas about becoming your best self. 

Have a fabulous holiday season!

www.facebook.com/shayholland

'Throw Away Your Scale to Lose Weight for Life' Article Published!

Hope everyone is having a fantastic holiday season! Wanted to share some exciting news.  My article, "Throw Away Your Scale to Lose Weight for Life," is on the front of the health and fitness website, Feel Rich.  Feel Rich is run by music mogul Quincy Jones' son to promote health as the new wealth. 

Check out the full article here:  Throw Away Your Scale to Lose Weight for Life.  Thanks for your support everyone!

www.facebook.com/shayholland

The Image in the Mirror

Thrilled to be shooting a web series with Wilhelmina Models Danika Brysha!  Danika's a plus-size model helping girls and women fight eating disorders and body image issues. 

I think every woman wrestles with the reflection in the mirror at some time.  At my first TV job, viewers would tell me I was too fat. To my face.  And then I'd go home and look in a mirror that also condemned me...

I still don't own a full length mirror. 

I've written about the pressure to be thin in TV before and how it nearly sabotaged my career (click here to read) but I've never really shared the depth of the issue.  

That's why I love partnering with Danika - because she's so vulnerable and honest about her journey as you'll see in our latest video:

We plan to shoot a few videos before she heads to New York to take her modeling career to the next level. We'd love your feedback and check out my Facebook page for more.

www.facebook.com/shayholland

When Fat is not Beautiful - Part 2

 photo: by Danika Brysha

Almost ready to launch a YouTube series with Wilhelmina models Danika Brysha!  Body image issues are paramount in our careers so when I saw the image above from a photo shoot, I wanted to share the story behind it.  

I wrote in, When Fat is Not Beautiful part 1, about the wakeup call that forced me to admit I was on my way to becoming obese.  People keep asking me how I lost weight so here's how I did it - without dieting or stepping on a scale!

--
Q:  What made you decide to lose weight?
I'd been a yo-yo dieter since I was a teenager but over the years I'd lost the energy and motivation to even try to maintain a healthy weight. I was in denial about how much I was gaining until I saw a family photo and didn't recognize myself in it.

Q:  How much had you gained?
About 50 pounds - which is hard to hide when you're only 5'2"!

Q:  Did you feel out of place working in Hollywood with women who are size 0-2?
Women here often lose too much weight but, yes, I did feel self-conscious. Unhappiness was a big factor. I was working a super stressful job that paid well but left no time for my TV career.  I'd go to bed in tears on Sunday dreading the pressure I'd face at work the next day.  I was eating meals at my desk, skipping exercise and numbing emotions with desserts from a nearby French bakery.

Q:  What made you realize you were out of control?
Last year I decided to exercise more.  I'd played sports in school so jogging seemed like a good place to start.  I thought I was going to have a heart attack after two blocks!  Morbid obesity runs in my family but I never thought it could happen to me.  Yet, without some sort of intervention, I had to admit that I could wind up like my relatives who died of weight-related causes. Fat is not beautiful when it's a killer.

Q:  So you went on a diet?
Well, I didn't know how to diet in a healthy way.  In the past, I'd starved to lose weight. I knew I needed to change my mindset if I was going to change my life for good.

Q:  What do you mean?
I needed to educate myself.  For example, I'd never paid attention to calories.  I thought I was eating healthy since I shopped at Whole Foods.  I was shocked to learn some foods packed a whopping 1,000 calories for the serving size I was eating!  I had to learn portion control; growing up that had simply meant stopping after the third or fourth plate at the all-you-can-eat-buffet!

Q:  Were you losing weight?
Not right away but that was okay since I didn't have the pressure of trying to see a number drop on a scale since I had decided not to weigh myself.

Q:  Not weigh yourself? That doesn't add up!
The scale had always been 'the enemy.'  I wanted to weigh less than what those body mass charts recommended - like Zoe Saldana and other stars - but the scale always made me feel like a failure since I could never lose enough.  This time I judged success differently. When I ran four blocks instead of two, that was success.  When I chose vegetables instead of processed foods, that was success.

Q:  I can't wrap my mind around not weighing yourself or going on a diet to lose weight.
I know, it's counterintuitive. It took me a while, too, but I had to take the focus off a number - off of getting skinny - and focus on prolonging my life.

Q:  What else did you do?
I didn't make any changes unless I could maintain them for life.  That was a major shift because "bad" foods had been off-limits when my goal was to be thin at any cost.  For example, I didn't want to quit chocolate so I learned to savor small amounts.  It was a radical new relationship with food! 

Q:  So it was lifestyle and attitude changes?
Exactly.  And instead of coming from that place of condemnation and self-hatred like diets often make you feel, it came from treating myself well, being okay when I screw up, not hating myself because of my jean size.

Q:  So how did you know when you reached your goal if you don't know what you weigh?
The day I ran 13 miles.

Q:  Wow!  How long did that take?
I'd been running about a year at that point.  I needed time to develop a healthy relationship with exercise, too. I'd been compulsive about it in the past, like punishing myself for overindulging by working out until 3:00 a.m. Now, exercise is a gift I give myself; plus resting a day or two each week.  Running long distances takes time but I figure if my friends who are moms can do it, I can, too.

Q:  What would you tell someone who feels hopeless and hates their body?
Give yourself grace.  It's hard to look in the mirror and hate the image you see but be gentle with yourself.  Maybe like me, you need to heal your mind and spirit before your body can change.  Growing up I despised my thick 'runner's legs' as a date called them. hips. knees.  Now I celebrate that those parts of my body carry me to places I never dreamed.  You are special because you are God's divine creation, not because of how you look.  You are eternally loved.  You can do yoga or bike or diet all you want but those things can never show you heaven's view of you.

Q:  Anything else?
Change carries a price. I quit my day job. It was hard to give up the security but I had to in order to change my life and chase my dreams - that's another story though.
---
Harder to lose weight than walk on water? Seems like it!  Read about the crisis of faith that led me to lose weight in When Fat is Not Beautiful here.  

www.facebook.com/shayholland

When Fat is not Beautiful

People who say losing weight won't change your life have probably never been fat. Really fat. Like when your company sends out a flyer about a pig roast and someone puts a picture of your face on it...

Obesity was hereditary in my family long before it became our national epidemic. Many relatives have died prematurely of weight-related causes. Stroke. Diabetes. Heart disease.

Fat is not beautiful when it is an ugly, unforgiving killer...

...like when the doctors cut off my grandmother's legs to try to save her from the ravages of diabetes. Like when I found a cousin collapsed on the stairs and thought she'd died in a fall. "When you got this much weight to carry," she said, "you gotta rest." (there were only about 20 steps). Like when my favorite uncle got burned up in a grease fire cooking foods doctors had warned him to stop eating.

About two years ago I saw a family Christmas photo and didn't recognize myself in it. Who moves to Hollywood and GAINS 50 pounds?! At just over 5' tall, there's not much room to hide the fact that you've put on the weight of a baby hippo.

But, hey, society said I could blame an obesity gene. hormones. poor school lunches. McDonald's. So I did.

Until I couldn't anymore.

One evening I decided to jog (something I hadn't done in about a decade)...made it a block and a half before I had to stop - breathing heavy, pulse pounding, afraid I might die of a heart attack on the sidewalk.

What had I done to myself?

No mystery there. High-stress job. Chained to a desk all day. Crappy diet. Lack of exercise. That stubborn obesity gene.

I've always been curvy - probably lost and gained 500 pounds in my life - but I knew this time that if something didn't change radically, I'd be the one collapsing on the stairs. 

I was at a crisis of fat. And faith.

See, I believed in God, even believed He could do miracles. But help me overcome a fat gene? Or a tub of hot-buttered movie theater popcorn? He had bigger problems than jiggly thighs.

And yet, without divine intervention, I saw myself lying in that hospital bed - body wracked with obesity-related diseases, legs cut off, heart straining to pump blood through clogged arteries.

Night after night I'd go to the beach, look up into the heavens and wrestle with my relationship with God. And Panda Express Orange Chicken. 

Scientists say our genes seal our future - sexual orientation, addict, cancer, obesity - set at birth. The Bible says with God we can conquer anything.

Scientists say for women of a certain age hormones virtually guarantee weight gain. The Bible says God is the author of our lives.

One night a story came to me. A wicked storm at sea. A boat of terrified fishermen. A ghost walking on the waves. "Jesus?" Peter, the impulsive one, is at a crisis of faith. "If it's you," Peter says, "bid me come to you." If it's you, Jesus, help me do the impossible...

"Come," Jesus says. 

We know what Peter does next...

In my neighborhood there's a place called the California Incline. For six years I'd watched ridiculously fit people run up that quarter-mile hill. 

Then leaving the beach one night, I looked up the hill and heard Peter's words echo in my heart. "If it's you, Jesus, bid me come..."

...A year later I run up that incline all the time - AND I'm getting ready for my first half-marathon!

Yes, the weight's gone but it was never about a number or a size.  I'll be writing more about the changes I made for a health and fitness website and hope my story will inspire others to wrestle with their faith when it comes to obesity.

Because losing weight may not only change your life, it may save it.

---
Seem radical to throw away your scale and quit dieting to lose weight?  How it worked for me in part 2 of "When Fat is Not Beautiful," click here.

www.facebook.com/shayholland

Pt. 4 Keeping Up wiith the Kardashians - Five Tips for Your First Facial

I've been breaking my promise not to cover the Kardashians and sharing some of their hot spots in my neighborhood. I wasn't ready to visit LaserAway, which was featured on a recent episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians with Kim and her sister getting wax jobs (did anyone really need to see that?!) but I was ready for the A-list spa treatment. 

Thanks to a gift certificate, I decided to get my first-ever spa facial at Burke Williams, a popular choice for stars like Eva Longoria, Hilary Duff and others.

Eva Longoria heading into Burke Williams West Hollywood. Photo:  Splash News

Celebrities spend a fortune to keep their faces in top condition. If you've been wondering whether a spa facial is worth the investment, read on for tips on how to find the best skin care expert for you.

1. Decide what kind of setting you want for your facial
Maybe you don't need a posh setting but I definitely wanted the luxe ambiance and included use of amenities Burke Williams offers. The Santa Monica location isn't impressive from the street but inside awaits the ultimate A-list experience.

2. Get referrals
I had asked a former BW masseuse for names of her favorite therapists and also asked celebrity beauty expert Dana Waldie for advice on the best type of facial for my skin type. Dana recommended microdermabrasion after I interviewed her about the trend (read the interview here).

Since all estheticians must meet educational and licensing standards, those factors won't help narrow your choices.  Esthetician Renee Rouleau has a post on how to find a pro in your area here.

3. Rock the consultation
Ask whether the spa offers a free consultation in advance.  Arriving at Burke Williams, a host led us to our lockers to change before we met with the esthetician.

Burke Williams lounge

Bare naked ladies alert! The European-style spa is bathing suits optional (an adjustment for us more modest Midwesterners).  After changing into the spa's plush robes and slippers, a therapist led my sisters and I to our treatment rooms. The facialist, Sheila, took time examining my skin and listening to my needs and concerns.

4. During the facial
Asks lots of questions to see if you and the esthetician have good chemistry.  Sheila put me at ease explaining how the products wouldn't irritate my sensitive skin. 

When it was time for the treatment, Sheila even performed the microderm using gentle plant extracts instead of more abrasive methods.

BW's Spa Style Facial includes cleansing and hydrating masques, upper body and foot massage and paraffin wax dip to soften hands. Glad I opted for the 80-minute treatment instead of 50 minutes - so relaxing!

At the end of my session, Sheila gave me written recommendations to help maintain my skin's glow. The only reason I would take away points is that I did feel pressured to buy additional spa services and products.

5. After the facial
Wait a few days to see how your skin responds. Ultimately, I felt the $160 facial was worth the cost.

Good luck finding the perfect skin care expert for you!
---
How to get that flawless makeup look - tips with celeb beauty expert Dana Waldie in part 3 of my "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" series here.

www.facebook.com/shayholland