Deidre DeFelice

I can’t even begin to count how many people have said to me lately, “Your skin looks great!” or “You’re glowing!” and I promise you I am not pregnant. There are so many factors that come into play when you want to achieve that coveted summer glow. I’ve made some lifestyle changes lately and I know it’s those actions, combined with the perfect highlighter on my cheekbones, that have caused people to notice a little change in my appearance.  I figured I would share my top five tricks in case you want to radiate the same amount of glow. (Like, who doesn’t?!)

1. Add Becca Highlighter To Your Daily Makeup Routine ASAP.

I used to always be rushed in the morning and skip steps to my makeup routine like filling in my brows or applying highlighter. But since I’ve been waking up so early feeling all energetic and refreshed (thanks to keto!) I have had more time to spend on my makeup and now I can’t live one day without applying highlighter. It gives you that perfect amount of dewy glow without looking greasy. My favorite one is by Becca (in Opal) and can be purchased here. I promise you it’s a game changer! Follow the diagram below to learn where on the face it should be applied.

2. Go A Little Blonder.

There’s something about your hair being a little bit lighter that freshens up your entire look and gives a little more contrast to your skin, making you instantly appear tanner. I recently went blonder and suddenly felt like I had spent much more time in the sun than I actually have. If you’re a dark haired person who would never go blonde, adding a tiny bit of dimension can brighten you up without having to totally change your look. That’s why balayage is the best trend ever. If you’re in the market for a new colorist and you live near Detroit, LA or Nashville, give my girl Sam Glamm a call.

3. Drink Ungodly Amounts Of Water.

They say the healthy amount of water to drink per day is half your body weight in ounces. I now drink even more than that, but I just recently started to really ensure that I never skimp on my water consumption each day. I can’t tell you what a difference it makes for your skin. Not just your face, but all of your skin looks and feels better when it’s hydrated. I quit drinking soda several years ago and my “treat” drink in the middle of the day is La Croix. I just love the bubbles. Jordan and I both have reusable 32oz water bottles that help us track our water each day. (It’s also much better for the environment than plastic disposable water bottles and saves you money!) And starting the day with a glass of water before you have any coffee in the morning is a great habit to get into!

4. Wear SPF 30 All Summer.

I’m not afraid to admit that I was that person back in my teen years who wore SPF 4 oil at the beach and thought I would become a golden goddess. Even after all the painful sunburns on my poor Norwegian skin, I kept making the same mistake over and over. I had to become a responsible adult before I realized that wearing SPF 30 (or more) protects you from the sun while still allowing you to obtain a beautiful summer tan. No one wants fried peeling skin, so make sure you put your sunblock on everywhere before going outside. And keep reapplying if you are spending the whole day outdoors. I have successfully had two lake days already this summer without getting a sunburn (thank you very much) and I have still managed to acquire a little golden color to my usually pasty skin.

5. Pay Attention To Your Gut Health.

Did you know? Skin issues such as acne, rosacea, dry skin, and eczema can all be triggered by poor gut health. The nutrients from food that your body needs are absorbed through your gut. If your gut health is lacking, you won’t get all those nutrients and you can quickly notice changes in your skin, nails and hair. As women, those are some of our finest assets, so let’s not let them suffer. If you read my recent blog post about the ketogenic diet, you know Jordan and I recently did a four day bone broth fast which not only cleared the stored glycogen out of our bodies before switching to a high fat diet, but it is also extremely helpful to the healing of your gut health. It was three days into the bone broth fast when people started commenting on my glowing skin. I’m telling you, it makes a big difference! To help your body absorb all the proper nutrients, I would suggest adding bone broth and probiotics to your diet and cutting out as many processed foods and refined sugars as you can.

So there you have it… my tricks to achieve that coveted summer glow without having to get pregnant! 🙂 I promise you’ll start getting compliments in no time if you apply these guidelines into your life this summer. I’m living proof that they work! Go get your glow on, girl. And let me know how these worked for you!

 

 

 

 

 

Once we decided on the second stop of our seventeen day honeymoon, I started really diving in and doing some major research on the overwhelmingly beautiful country of Norway. (You can read about Iceland, our first stop, here.) Although my mother’s side of the family is Norwegian, I still wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when visiting here. It didn’t take long for me to realize how jaw droppingly gorgeous the enire country is. The photos I saw while researching had me more excited to visit Norway than any other stop on our trip and it’s safe to say that we definitely did not leave disappointed.

We flew from Iceland into the city of Bergen, which is located on the southwestern part of the country. After getting settled into our hotel, we started exploring the streets of Bergen and Jordan and I both instantly fell in love with the city. It has without a doubt become one of our favorite cities ever. As we turned corners and discovered different streets and neighborhoods, the history and charm of Bergen kept us guessing what we would stumble upon next. From the fish market restaurants lining the water to the colorful storefronts swarmed with people to the jam packed outdoor bars (in 52 degree weather), we couldn’t stop obsessing over the vibe of this city. It wasn’t too large, but definitely big enough to have plenty to see and do.

One of the highlights of our time in Bergen was taking a cable car to the top of Mount Ulriken, which is the highest of the seven mountains that surround the city.  We ate lunch up there and hiked around finding unbelievable backdrops for photos. There was snow everywhere, but the air was a pleasant sixty degrees.

We spent two nights in Bergen and then started our incredible journey across the country where we took train, bus and boat to finally end on the southeast side of the country in the city of Oslo. To get there, we booked a tour called Norway In A Nutshell and if there’s one thing you absolutely must do in life, this is it. It’s expensive, but it was completely worth every dollar and I am SO glad this was something we splurged on.

When we left Bergen the temperature was in the mid-fifties and sunny. About halfway through our journey we had already traveled by both train and bus and we came across more snow than I had ever seen in my entire life. We navigated along the fjords on small winding roads and the houses that lined the water were so snow covered that you could hardly see the roof. Between the change of seasons, the mountains in the near distance and all of the unbelievable scenery, this journey was definitely a once in a lifetime experience.

When we stopped to get off a bus and onto a boat, we had about 30 minutes to take in the sights before boarding the ship. Looking around, I couldn’t believe it was actually real. The water was as crystal clear as looking into a mirror and the reflection of the snow covered mountains literally looked like it had been Photoshopped in!

I think I was most excited for the boat ride because during my Norway research everyone raved about visiting the Norwegian fjords and that’s what we got to experience for two whole hours. The view from the boat was so unimaginable that it’s pointless for me to even try and put into words how in awe we were. But I will say, you haven’t really experienced the true beauty of God’s creation until you take this boat ride. Add it to your bucket list immediately.

We had a little hiccup in our plans because a boulder fell onto some train tracks so we got stuck in Flam a little longer than we were supposed to once we got off the boat. Since no trains could leave out of there, they sent buses to pick us up and take us to a train station about an hour away, past the boulder. But the bus had to make it to the train station in time for us to catch the train to Oslo or else we would have had to spend 2 more hours on a bus (with no bathroom) instead of on the train. I had slight anxiety because I honestly thought the bus was going to tip over, slide down the mountain and sink into the water every time our driver went around a curve on the tiny mountain road we were driving on. We eventually made it to the train station with literally two minutes to spare and we hopped on the train to Oslo. Our entire journey across the country ended up being close to fourteen hours and it was honestly one of the best days of my entire life.

Once we made it to Oslo, it didn’t take us long to realize how different it was than Bergen, but we were excited to explore the largest city in Norway. As expected, we stayed in the “hip” area of Oslo and we definitely chose correctly. Our Airbnb was a tiny studio in a super trendy building. We fit right in with the funky bars, eclectic clothing stores and graffiti covered buildings. Eventually we ventured out of our little neighborhood and ended up getting like 25,000 FitBit steps from wandering around the city. That’s honestly the best way to visit somewhere new. Don’t have every day planned out with an itinerary. Just go explore and see what you find!

We had one of the best meals ever at a restaurant called Champagneria (how perfect for me, right?!) and we easily relied on public transportation to get around. The Ubers and cabs were both sooo expensive there, so we used the city bus and train. Thankfully my husband is good at figuring that stuff out.

I personally liked Bergen better than Oslo, but I’m so glad we got to experience both. The fact that I got to visit the land of my ancestors made our time in Norway a little extra special for me. I remember my grandmother teaching me how to say “sett deg ned” which means “sit yourself down” in English. Since that’s the only Norwegian I knew, I’m pretty sure I said it to Jordan a few times just so I sounded like I fit in. HA!

I said it once and I’ll say it again… you have to go to Norway at least once in your life. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about this incredible country. I promise you will love your time there as much as we did!

 

Special thanks to my incredibly talented husband, Jordan Heid for all of the photos from our trip! I don’t know how I ever traveled without him before.

For the past several years, my wonderful and amazing parents, Tony and Linda have been living a Ketogenic lifestyle. They have tried teaching me the importance of feeding my body good fats, but much like the rest of America I have always been programmed to count my calories, eat low fat foods, and consume a balanced diet of protein, grains/carbs, dairy and fruits & veggies. Recently I noticed the keto diet began to make quite a buzz and several people I know started losing weight eating the way my parents have been preaching about for years. Two weeks ago, Jordan and I decided to give it a try. We are going to Mexico in the beginning of July and figured this was the perfect time to shed a few pounds! In two short weeks, I lost six pounds and Jordan lost FOURTEEN! I’m going to share with you what we’ve done from day one and why we will NEVER eat any other way ever again.

Let me begin by telling you that even if we hadn’t lost weight on this diet, we would still eat this way strictly because of the unbelievable amount of energy we have acquired. From the moment I wake up at 6am (without even setting an alarm) to the minute I lay down (usually between 10 and 11pm) I have more energy than I ever have in my entire life. I’ve always been self-diagnosed with ADD and am someone who loves taking naps, but let me tell you what- my ability to focus and pay attention has greatly increased and I have too much energy to ever feel the need to take a nap since starting this meal plan. It’s truly unbelievable. Jordan just spent a week working 12 hour days in the hot sun and never got exhausted. He’s just as amazed as I am.

So what exactly is a Ketogenic diet? The meal plan we try to follow consists of 70% good fats, 25% protein and 5% carbs. Let me break it down for you as simply as I can. Your body is automatically programmed to produce energy from carbohydrates and sugar, but when you deprive yourself of those, you shift into ketosis, meaning your body is using the good fats you’re consuming and your stored fat to produce energy. You begin burning fat, feeling energetic, and voila… losing weight. Now, there are a lot of important factors that go into getting your body into ketosis. It’s not easy to stay there, so you literally cannot cheat on this diet or your body will shift back to using the carbs and sugar for energy and you will no longer be burning fat, just consuming it. And no one wants that.

You can’t just start eating fats and expect to drop a bunch of weight right away. You have to clear the stored glucose out of your body before it will start using the fat for energy instead. We started out doing a four day bone broth fast in order to get our bodies into ketosis faster. I honestly had little faith in myself because I just love food and have quite an appetite, but it felt great to accomplish this and I felt so amazing by day four that it was totally worth it! If I can do it, so can you. We used the vanilla flavored Ancient Nutrition Bone Broth Protein powder. (My parents say the Banana Creme flavor is even better.) You add ten ounces of hot water to one scoop of it and drink that three times per day (once for each meal). Obviously you can consume endless amounts of water as well, but that’s it. Bone broth and water for 4 days. (I would also drink a La Croix or two per day!) Keep in mind it’s not good to workout during this time since you are consuming so few calories. The bone broth fast is sooo good for your gut health, clears out the stored glucose and bad bacteria, and gets your body ready to kick into ketosis. The first three days were a little rough, but like I said, I felt so great on day four and was so proud of us for accomplishing it.

The first meal we had after the fast consisted of scrambled eggs, sprouted sauerkraut (to get good bacteria into our guts), avocado and two slices of bacon. We were so happy to eat real food again and the good news is that everything you can eat on Keto is genuinely delicious, so it’s not hard to stick to the meal plan. I’m actually not sure if I was more excited to drink coffee or eat solid food after the fast. HA! I’m someone who is accustomed to using hazelnut flavored creamer, so I definitely had to switch up my morning coffee routine in order to get enough good fats in a day and cut out all sugar. I now add MCT oil, collagen, heavy whipping cream and a little bit of Stevia to my coffee. (You can get the organic heavy whipping cream at your local grocery store. The other items are linked!)

 

As far as our lunch and dinners go, we typically eat a protein and a veggie, cooked in olive oil, coconut oil, or the ghee butter. You can definitely eat some good cheeses (although you don’t want to overdo the dairy) so we’ve made a cheese and charcuterie board for dinner, sans the crackers. You can eat a delicious salad and add protein to it, or make all different types of zucchini noodle pasta. Pinterest is full of great keto recipes! We’ve pretty much cut out alcohol, but there have been a few days I’ve had a drink or two. The best thing you can drink is vodka, gin or tequila, mixed with club soda. White wine has less carbs than red, so I’ve had a couple glasses of bubbly because I mean, it’s my favorite thing ever.

I’m also someone who was scared of using too much salt because I easily get puffy. One margarita and my wedding ring is sooo tight. But the reason that happened is because I wasn’t consuming good salt. Your body needs a certain amount of sodium to not get puffy and stay hydrated (who knew?!) and as long as you’re eating the right kind of salt, you are good to go. I’ve also never been one to ever add butter to anything because you know, calories! But we have started using clarified butter (aka ghee) which is the perfect replacement for your everyday processed butter.

There are a few ways you can test your ketone levels so you know if your body is actually in ketosis. The easiest way (although my dad says it’s not 100% accurate) is by purchasing the Ketone Test Strips, which is a little strip you pee on and the color changes to let you know the ketone level in your body. I just did it today and you can see my results below. It looks like my ketone level is right around moderate, which is a pretty good place to be! You don’t want too many or too little.

Switching to pretty much all whole and organic foods is a big deal when it comes to Keto. We are trying our best not to consume processed foods, which are harder to digest and just not good for you due to all the chemicals and crap they are loaded with. We’ve started shopping pretty much only at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods and although it might be a little more expensive than Kroger, we are eating so much less food and still getting full, so I honestly don’t think we’re spending that much more on groceries, yet we are feeding our bodies exactly what it needs/wants. And in return, we feel absolutely incredible, along with losing some unneeded pounds!

I honestly cannot say enough good things about switching to a ketogenic lifestyle. Yes, you have to give up things like bread, beer, chips, popcorn, dessert, etc. but I honestly haven’t craved any of those things and after seeing progress with my weight loss and feeling so unbelievably energetic, I can truly say it’s not even worth it to eat those things. I haven’t experienced any bloating, gas, puffiness, digestion issues, or stomachaches since eating this way, and I am no longer accusing myself of being ADD because my focus is so much better. If you have any questions about anything, please don’t hesitate to reach out! I’m just over here trying to help you live your best life because I mean, you only get one! 🙂