Autumn Davis

Success is not just a dream. Success is a way of living.

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Make Your Lady Stach Disappear

Almost every woman struggles with a “lady stach” when they get older. My facial hair began to rear its ugly head after my 30th birthday. I started to notice an occasional wild chin hair, which progressed into a light mustache. I was lucky enough to have blonde hair, so it was only visible in the right lighting, but nonetheless, it was there. No one likes to talk about their upper lip hair but it is a reality for almost all of us after 30. Unless you are one of the blessed few who are blessed enough to maintain a smooth upper lip naturally.

Olay hair removal cream works but the pricepoint is INSANE

I tried shaving, plucking, waxing, and finally an epilator. All of these options made my hair grow back thicker and darker. Shaving made my upper lip feel rough, definitely not what you want when your man leans in for a kiss. Plucking, waxing and the epilator kept my upper lip smooth but my hair always grew back darker. Finally, I found Oil of Olay smooth finish hair removal cream. I love this cream. It leaves your face smooth and your hair grows back the same. Now for those wild hairs on your chin, I recommend the Rubis Switzerland slanted tip tweezers. These tweezers will pull your chin hair out without breaking off. Yes, Rubis Switzerland tweezers are more expensive than other brands, but they work. I tried numerous tweezers before finding these. Save your money and invest in a quality pair of tweezers that work at the start. You can purchase the exact pair of tweezers I purchased on Amazon by clicking here

Rubis Switzerland tweezers are worth the $35 investment. Effortlessly remove stubborn chin hairs.

I started using oil of olay hair removal cream for medium to coarse hair over a year ago and love the results. The HUGE drawback I have against this product is the sudden price increase. Since I purchased this cream ONLY a year ago the price increased from $17 to $100+. I recently saw this product listed on eBay for $50, but that is still insane. Olay must know how much of a struggle it is for women to get rid of the lady stach. I know you have to pay to play but I will pay elsewhere at this price point. I still love this product but it is not worth $100. My advice, if the price does not decrease, invest in laser hair removal. At $100+/tube, your money would be better invested in a permanent hair removal option, such as laser hair removal.  

How to remove your lady stach using hair removal cream

Laser hair removal for small areas, like an upper lip, is very affordable. You can anticipate it to cost approximately $150 – $250 per session. Yes, you will need multiple sessions for permanent results but you are getting closer to permanent hair removal with every session. A much better investment of your money than a hair removal cream that you will need to continue purchasing for a lifetime. To learn more about laser hair removal, read my post about laser hair removal.

Laser hair removal is a permanent option at a similar pricepoint


I am searching for the Olay hair removal cream at a better price but so far I have not been successful. The price keeps going up on Amazon. I will be on the hunt for a replacement product or consider laser hair removal. I will post an update with a replacement option if I find one.

The cream lasts closer to a week for me, but laser hair removal is a much better investment long-term.

Hidden Truths About Organic Food

What does a “USDA organic” food label guarantee?  The answer will determine if USDA organic food is really worth the extra cost?  It is challenging to eat healthy&make informed decisions. Organic food is held to higher standards but the “USDA” stamp of approval is flawed. READ THE LABEL & search for hidden ingredients before your next purchase.  
Hidden Truths about USDA Organic  

  1. Pesticides and “natural chemicals” known to cause cancer are allowed  
  2. NON-organic ingredients are labeled as “organic”   
  3. 5% of ingredients are NOT organic (carrageenan, cellulose, and ethylene) and do NOT have to be food (chemical disinfectants) 
  4. United States Dept of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Organic Program (NOP) do NOT inspect food 
  5. Businesses pay “for-profit” certification companies for rights to label food as “USDA organic” 
  6. Organic and NON-organic food is illegally mixed to increase profits  (See who is on NOP’s fraudulent LIST HERE) 
What does a USDA label really mean? Is organic produce worth the extra expense? Organic guarantees a higher quality product than the other, but regulations are too lax to justify the expense.

Organic pesticides are “natural chemicals” in “organic” food. Are these pesticides safer than potent alternatives? Unknown! They are less potent but require more. 50% of approved “natural chemicals” cause cancer. Our bodies destroy cancer cells in small doses but if you overwhelm your body, it can not keep up. 


A list of the NON-organic ingredients allowed can be found in the link listed here. Carrageenan used to thicken foods (commonly used in almond and coconut milk) is the same ingredient used to test anti-inflammatory drugs because it causes gastrointestinal (GI) inflammation. (Click on the word for additional information about carrageenan)

The naturally produced hormone, ethylene, is produced as fruits begin to ripen. This hormone will peak when the fruit is ready to ripen and the increased ethylene levels help the fruit ripen by triggering the transformation of a hard, green, unripe fruit into a soft, sweet, ripe fruit that is ready-to-eat. Bananas, apples, and many other fruits rely on the hormone ethylene to ripen.

On the other hand, manmade ethylene that is commercially used to artificially ripen fruit comes from an unnatural source. Manmade ethylene is produced using oil or natural gas. I am forced to question the safety of a product produced from gas that is used to make common household products such as clothing, paint, ink, plastics, tires, medications, diapers, etc. I do not know about you, but I am a skeptic of ethylene’s safety when ingested?

Ethylene made from oil or natural gas is used to ripen USDA organic fruit and make various non-edible products shown above.

If you are a skeptic of ethylene’s safety as well, you can try to avoid it by avoiding shiny fruits or those with black spots on the skin. As I said before, ethylene is naturally produced by fruits; therefore, you can maximize this to help ripen the fruit. Commercially, they maximize this quality through a process called haystack. Haystack is when they literally pack fruit in hay, which traps the ethylene gas naturally produced by the fruit to help expedite the ripening process.

Hazardous manmade ethylene is allowed in USDA organic food in low doses, but the health risks are unknown.

You can naturally simulate the haystack process by placing an unripe fruit with an apple in a sealed paper bag. Apples emit ethylene gas as they ripen, the paper bag will hold the gas inside, and voila! Your fruit will reach its prime within 1-2 days.

Naturally ripen bananas, avocados, etc by placing them inside a sealed paper bag with an apple.

NON-organic ingredients are labeled as “organic” when a company is unable to find a “commercially” available source. Alarmingly, 5% of NONorganic ingredients do NOT have to be food (ie they are chemical disinfectants, etc). Moreover, “USDA organic” certification companies are for-profit and companies pay annual fees to label food “organic”.

Profit based “USDA organic” certification companies determine if a food or business abides by the regulations and business’ pay annual fees to label their food “organic.” 
Organic and NON-organic foods are mixed together to increase the amt of “organic” products, maximizing profits for the company. Yes, this is illegal, but it happens. The National Organic Program (NOP) receives approx 200 fraudulent complaints/yr about companies that mix organic with non-organic items.


In conclusion, it is challenging to eat healthy, and even harder to make informed decisions.  I am not against organic food but the “USDA” stamp of approval does not hold as much weight as I hoped. The most important part, READ THE LABEL. Do not trust companies to make informed decisions for you. Take the time to search for harmful hidden ingredients before making your next purchase.  

Maximize Results in Less Time Using Compound Movements

COMPOUND EXERCISES VS ISOLATION EXERCISES: Compound exercises target multiple muscle groups at the same time. Some people think you have to perform upper and lower body movements at the same time during compound exercises, but this is NOT true. Any exercise that simultaneously targets multiple muscles is considered a compound exercise. For example, a squat is a compound exercise because it targets the quadriceps, glutes, & calves. You can also use compound exercises for a total body workout, getting better results in less time.  I like to combine two exercises into one move to target even more muscles (for example, a lunge with a bicep curl).

Use compound movements for effective workouts in less time

Compound exercises differ from isolation exercises that focus on a single muscle group at a time. For example, bicep curls are an isolation exercise that targets and strengthen a single muscle, the biceps. Compound exercises provide improved results for your ENTIRE body in less time. Utilize these movements as a shortcut to your fitness goals without compromising results. Isolation exercises are necessary when you need to build muscle mass (ie bulk up) and with injury recovery. After an injury, a muscle gets weak as other muscles compensate. Isolation exercises force the weakened muscle to work. 

3 COMPOUND EXERCISES FOR A TOTAL BODY WORKOUT 

  1. Lunge with bicep curl
  2. Squat with overhead press
  3. Deadlift with dumbbell rows

5 BENEFITS TO COMPOUND MOVEMENTS

  1. Burn more calories in less time
  2. Total body workout in less time
  3. Improve flexibility
  4. Improve coordination & balance (which we all lose as we age)
  5. Simulates real-life movements

Train Smarter Not Harder! Doing the same workout, the same routine, the same movements hinders your progress. If you are in a fitness plateau, it does not mean you need to work out longer but you need to make small changes in your routine. 

Workout in less time without compromising performance

Tips to conquer your fitness plateau & improve your results: 

  1. Perform the same movement but in a different way 
  2. Change the time you exercise 
  3. Perform compound movements 
  4. Introduce fasting cardio 2 days/wk 

Take a movement that you normally do and perform the exercise in a different way. I do squats almost every day but I never perform squats while I am balancing on a bar. Making small changes in your workout can shock your body enough to improve your results. 

This also applies to compound movement additions. As a reminder, compound movements are when you simultaneously workout multiple muscle groups. Yes, a squat is technically a compound mvmt bc it works the quads, hamstrings, glutes & calves but takes it to the next level. Perform two exercises simultaneously. For example, add a bicep curl or overhead shoulder press to your squat, shocking the system and improving your results!   


Our bodies are incredibly adaptive. To continuously make progress your workouts need to vary. The variations can be simple. Working out at a different time of the day is enough to trick your body and improve your results. If you usually perform your workouts in the evening, wake up and get moving first thing in the morning a few days a week. Research shows that fasting cardio helps decrease insulin and increases human growth hormone (HGH). With less insulin, your body can burn more fat & decreases the risk of type 2 diabetes. With more HGH your body can build more muscle. 

Improve Your Sleep Naturally

Lack of sleep is one of the main reasons people struggle with weight gain and can not lose their extra weight. When you are sleep deprived, your body will store more fat and your body loses the ability to send a signal that it is full. This occurs because sleep deprivation causes hormone imbalances. Your body increases the amount of cortisol produced and changes the levels of your “hunger hormones”, the two hormones that make you feel hungry or full. Ghrelin and leptin are “hunger hormones”. Ghrelin stimulates appetite, while leptin makes you feel full. When the body is sleep-deprived, the level of ghrelin increases, while the level of leptin falls, making you feel hungry regardless of how much you eat. Now you know why you can never feel full on the days you are exhausted.

The high cortisol levels will cause your body to store more fat, especially around your abdomen. Sleep deprivation causes a vicious cycle where you eat more and then your body stores more fat from the foods you eat. If you are struggling with belly fat that will not budge regardless of your diet and exercise regiment, evaluate your sleep habits.

Everyone varies in the amount of sleep their body requires but very few need less than 7 hours of rest to function adequately. The National Institue of Health recommends 7-9 hours of sleep per night for the average adult. The University of California in San Franciso discovered a rare gene in approximately 3% that allows them to function well with only 6 hours of sleep. I wish I was one of the lucky ones who could function at my peak level with less sleep but I need at least 8 hours of sleep to be at my best.

Average Sleep Needs by Age
AgeHours NeededWhat you Can Get By With
Newborn to 3 months old14 – 17 hrs11 – 19 hrs
4 to 11 months old12 – 15 hrs10 – 18 hrs
1 to 2 years old11 – 14 hrs9 – 16 hrs
3 to 5 years old10 – 13 hrs8 – 14 hrs
6 to 13 years old9 – 11 hrs7 – 12 hrs
14 to 17 years old8 – 10 hrs7 – 11 hrs
Young adults (18 to 25 years old)7 – 9 hrs6 – 11 hrs
Adults (26 to 64 years old)7 – 9 hrs6 – 10 hrs
Older adults (65+)7 – 8 hrs5 – 9 hrs
Source: National Sleep Foundation

My anesthesia training taught me how to medically induce sleep but it also made me aware of the risks associated with sleep aids. Every medication used to induce sleep comes with risks, which is why I am an advocate for natural sleep inducers. Trust me, you are only 2 steps away from better sleep. Combine these natural supplements with guided meditation and you will be on your way to more restful sleep. Sleep is essential for effective recovery, muscle building & improved performance.  The increased cortisol levels that occur when you are sleep deprived is linked to diabetes, high blood pressure, weight gain (especially abdominal fat), and depression.
If you are struggling with insomnia at baseline or suddenly experiencing difficulty sleeping after implementing a new diet plan try these all-natural sleep aides

  1. Melatonin 
  2. Liquid Valerian Root – take under your tongue (sublingually)
  3. Magnesium supplements 
Go to sleep faster, stay asleep longer, and rest better using all-natural supplements

WHY YOU EXPERIENCE “KETO INSOMNIA” & SLEEP PROBS WITH SUDDEN DIET CHANGES: When your blood sugar spikes (ie the sugar in your blood increases) your pancreas releases insulin. Your body uses insulin to make melatonin, a hormone that helps you sleep. Our body is adaptable. It will adjust & start producing an adequate amount of melatonin for effective sleep within 1-2 weeks after a sudden diet change. Use melatonin as a supplement temporarily during those 2 weeks. I used 10mg Melatonin during week 1 & 5mg Melatonin during week 2. Starches (carbs) & sugars cause the blood sugar spike that produces insulin. When we suddenly decrease carbs &/or sugars our body has to adjust before it can produce enough melatonin. Melatonin is a natural hormone in the body that induces sleep and controls the circadian rhythm. Be patient, your body WILL adapt!

EFFECTS OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION ON YOUR BODY  

  1. Feeling tired all the time
  2. Mood swings
  3. Increased risk for depression
  4. Decreased sex drive
  5. Difficulty concentrating and poor memory
  6. Premature skin aging
  7. Weakened immune system
  8. Weight gain (especially abdominal fat) 
  9. Increased risk for stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and cancer
Sleep better naturally using all-natural supplements and guided meditation

HOW TO TAKE MAGNESIUM (Mg): 

  • Take 250mg-500mg
  • Start with LOWER dose. Mg is a natural laxative, you may literally have to “RUN to the bathroom” with too much 

HOW TO TAKE VALERIAN ROOT:

  • Place 5 drops under your tongue OR mix into a beverage of choice to drink (I prefer wine…. Huge smile!)
  • Start LOW & Go SLOW! I NEVER feel groggy but a headache occurs when I take too much. 10 drops caused a headache (treat with ibuprofen, etc if occurs)

NERD FACTS ABOUT VALERIAN ROOT: Valerian contains many compounds that act synergistically to cause its effects, but the sesquiterpenes are the main source of the pharmacologic effects. Valerian produces dose-dependent sedation and hypnosis via GABA neurotransmission and receptors (ie increases the amount of GABA produced in the body). Since barbiturates (drugs such as: Versed, Ativan, Xanax, etc) work on GABA receptors as well you do not want to use valerian root LONG TERM or potential withdrawal symptoms can occur. Valerian withdrawal mimics an acute benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome (symptoms: delirium, confusion, cardiac complications after surgery, etc.)


NERD FACTS ABOUT MELATONIN: Melatonin is a natural hormone in the body that induces sleep and controls the circadian rhythm. This is why you need to simulate the darkness your natural circadian rhythm would experience when taking. Melatonin is produced in darkness and is inhibited by light. The melatonin that produces sleep is released by the pineal gland. ALL other forms melatonin produced by skin, GI tract, retina DO NOT affect sleep cycles. Melatonin tells your body it is time for sleep so dim the lights after taking & make it dark within 15-30 min, MAX one hour or it is ineffective. 

WHY YOU FEEL TIRED WHEN SWITCH TIME ZONES: Jet lag is actually NOT caused because you do not have enough melatonin, but when the body clock malfunctions you produce melatonin at the wrong time of day; hence, grogginess during daytime when you switch time zones. Your body still produces the correct amount of melatonin during the daytime, but you do not have enough melatonin in your system when you need to sleep. Combat this by having lots of light during daylight hours once you arrive in a different time zone, and make it dark at nighttime. Unfortunately, this is not a miracle, you will still experience some drowsiness for approximately 1-2 days, by day 3 you should recognize a substantial difference if you maintain the above guidelines.

GUIDED MEDITATION BENEFITS: Meditation slows down brain wave activity & decreases stress while triggering human growth hormones (HGH). HGH regulates your metabolism, stimulates fat cells to reduce stored fats, helps build protein (and ie muscle growth) & helps regulate your blood sugar. Meditation also decreases inflammation at the cellular level to help relieve pain.