Tag: Commerce

Go To Bed Angry (And More Surprising Secrets Of A Happy Marriage)

Post author By Gretchen Bossio
Post date January 16, 2018

When I first got married, I really sucked at being a married person.
I was young, selfish, and pretty difficult to communicate with. I entered marriage thinking that the fabled Prince Charming awaited, and instead, I found a regular guy with a good heart—who also really sucked at getting his dirty dishes from the living room to the kitchen.
My husband and I recently celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary, and looking back, we both agree that year one was the absolute worst. He admits that he thought he was getting a wife/maid combo once he put a ring on it, and as I confessed, I thought I was entering a fairytale.

Something good happened between that rough first year and now, though. A lot of good things happened, actually, and now we’re happy. We enjoy being married, and we genuinely like each other. And that’s saying a lot, considering how our life right after our wedding was pretty close to miserable. So, what did we start doing right?
Well, more on that later. But in short, what matters most for us is that we’re trying; we’re living and learning; we’re choosing marriage. And those secrets are just a sampling of what we could list, but honestly, I’ve learned that the secrets to success vary from couple to couple.

See, in an attempt to hear from other couples about their secrets of a happy marriage, I turned to social media. Lately, my feed has been full of breakups, divorce announcements, and single-life struggles, so I was a bit hesitant to crowdsource for happy husbands and wives…but to my amazement and joy, 70 individuals replied to my query. Seventy!
If you thought happiness in marriage was a myth, you’re going to be persuaded otherwise. There are many, many happy couples out there, and they have some really surprising secrets to spill. Below are the overarching themes of what they shared paired with insight from relationship professionals.

If you need to, go to bed angry.

“We have all heard the saying ‘Don’t go to bed angry,’” says Stefani, who has been married for nine years, “but if it’s late and you’re both overtired, sometimes that’s the smartest thing to do. You can always continue the conversation in the morning. … Trying to solve … something while exhausted and you just can’t think clearly can lead to even more problems. Learning how your husband or wife processes [conflict] will be a huge help in communicating what you need and want from them.”

On that note, Rochelle Peachey, a couples counselor, says, “If you do go to bed with the argument unsolved, be the first one to re-open it, but in a more reasonable way. If your partner is the one who re-visits last night’s disagreement, then you need to be willing to listen and talk it through.”

Don’t make your spouse your everything.

Should you lose yourself in marriage? Make your spouse your everything? Layla Lawrence, a contributor at mom.me who has been married for ten years, wrote a piece titled No, My Husband Is Not My Best Friend. It reads: “The number-one reason my husband is not my best friend: I don’t believe one person should carry the burden of my entire emotional life.”

Isn’t that the truth? My husband loves me, this I know, but does he need to catch every tear I cry? I don’t think so.
Lawrence continued: “I mean, let’s share that s***. Spread it out. I’m a lot to handle and he does a good job husbanding me, but no man deserves to be a girl’s literal everything. It’s just too much.”
That mentality transfers just as easily to husbands. I need my man to have friends and hobbies outside of me. I don’t complete him. He’s his own person and our relationship, albeit an important one, is only a facet of who he is.

[Marriage] is meant to be interdependent, not codependent.

Michael DeMarco, PhD, a relationship counselor and sex therapist says, “I look at healthy relationships like a Venn diagram of overlapping circles. If you are a whole person, you’re going to, hopefully, attract and be in a relationship with another whole person—and where you overlap is your relationship. This also means that there will be areas in which you don’t overlap, and don’t have to!”
Jim Seibold, PhD, a licensed marriage and family therapist, concurs: “[Marriage] is meant to be interdependent, not codependent. Interdependence means that couples share, live, and work together, but do not solely rely on each other.”

Communicate. Learn. Adapt.

Mickey Eckles, a pastor and marriage counselor of 25 years, stresses that there is one skill that couples must commit to learning if they want to be happy. That skill? Communication!

“If we can learn to communicate openly and honestly with one another, we can express our desires and dislikes. More than that, we can navigate any issue that tries to rob our joy and unity. Marriage is work, and great marriages are working at it all the time.”

“In all of life, we should continue to learn,” says Brian Taylor, an author and relationship coach. “Most certainly in our relationships. Most professions have Continuing Professional Development requirements. Why not, in our most important relationship, have Continuing Personal Development requirements?”

Put your spouse in your schedule.

Eckles introduced me to Willard F. Harley, Jr., PhD, who wrote the book Surviving An Affair. In it he wrote:
“You have 168 hours every week (24×7) to schedule for something. I highly recommend 8 hours of sleep a night, so that leaves 112 waking hours. Getting ready for the day, and going to bed at night may require, say, 12 hours, and work plus commute may take another 50 hours. That leaves 50 more hours to spend doing what you value most, and 15 of those hours should be dedicated to maintaining a passionate and fulfilling marriage.”

Kristy and her husband, Sean, have been married for 23 years, and she heartily agrees.
“Make time—lots, weekly—to just be a couple. We were so poor starting out, we made dates of movies in, walks, coffee … we laugh together a lot. Now we still make the time, only we don’t need childcare anymore, so we can eat out more, which I love! Also, once or twice a year we get away together and have a little honeymoon.”

If your job gets 40-plus hours a week from you, the secret to maintaining a happy marriage is to make sure your spouse is getting a nice chunk of the 168 hours you have to allot.

Know that being happy isn’t the goal.

You’re in a committed relationship that needs to weather many hardships— that’s just life! So, if you make it your sole goal to be happy, you’ll most likely be unhappy.

“If the goal is to be happy, that means that any conflict would likely feel like failing,” Seibold says. This would lead to feelings of anxiety, even panic.”
“In fact, arguments are a sign of health,” he continues. “It suggests that couples respect one another enough to bring issues to the table. It also communicates trust in each other and the relationship. It says ‘I trust you to hear me’ and ‘I trust our relationship can handle this.’ If you hear a couple suggest that they are great together because they never fight, that is a sign of trouble. That means they are not sharing enough.”
I think we all need to ask ourselves, “What is the purpose of marriage?” Is your purpose to be happy, or is your purpose to partner with someone through life’s experiences?

After connecting with so many happy couples and sharing their thoughts with experts, it seems that the vast majority agree that when you forget happiness and focus on other crucial elements of marriage, you wind up finding happiness. If it’s not the focus, it will surely come.

So, what worked for my husband and I?

My husband said it best: “I choose her over myself.” And I agree—finding happiness in our marriage has been more about making each other happy than seeking our own.

To us, marriage is about entering a partnership where you’re both willing to give 100 percent. We fill in each other’s gaps, make decisions based on what is best for each other, and show up each and every day. From the little things like packing lunches (that’s one thing I do for my husband each day) to the big things like taking them on their dream vacation (my husband did that for me last spring).
Eckles brings speaks of the concept of preferring one another. That’s a phrase not often heard in marriage talk, but it bodes true. Preferring your spouse gives them priority. It’s choosing them and holding space for them to choose you.

Tags 50037031, balance, Commerce, hemingway, social

Motherhood

"Invisible Mothers" And Other Bizarre Parenting Trends From The Past

Post author By Nick Horn
Post date January 12, 2018

Parenting just isn’t what it used to be.
For better or worse, raising a kid today looks a whole lot different than it once did. Things that were perfectly acceptable just a generation ago seem downright unthinkable today. Putting juice in your baby’s bottle? No way. Letting your preschooler play with fireworks? Are you crazy?
“Forget sippy cups, our parents didn’t even use car seats or bike helmets!” Ilana Wiles, creator of the parenting blog Mommy Shorts, told HuffPost.

As strange as it may seem now to look back at the parenting norms in the ’70s and ’80s, the rabbit hole goes so much deeper than you could ever imagine. These bizarre parenting trends of the past will give you a whole new level of respect for how your parents raised you.
But before you start blaming generations past, we thought we’d provide a little contemporary context on the general weirdness of parenting. We spoke to Fran Walfish, PsyD, author of The Self-Aware Parent, to get a professional take on the changing nature of parenting.
According to Walfish, some things haven’t changed at all from the days of the Invisible Mothers (more on that later). Other things are night and day.

“Overprotective mothers, as well as harshly punitive fathers, have existed for centuries. They still do,” Walfish tells HealthyWay. “However, some things have changed. We now have a Child Protective Services reporting system in place that monitors and investigates suspected cases of child abuse.”
If that agency existed at the time of the following parenting trends, we’re pretty sure they would have locked a few of these parents up.

Now You (Don’t) See Me

In the Victorian era, family photo day led to the creation of “invisible mothers.”
Babies are naturally photogenic. Whether they’re smiling, sleeping, or crying, they’re impossibly adorable bundles of dimples and peach fuzz. These days, taking a photo of your kids is as simple as picking up your phone, but it wasn’t always so easy. Long before our phones had cameras—back when even the telephone itself was on the cutting edge of technology—getting a photograph at all was an ordeal; trying to get a photo of a squirming infant was a Sisyphean task.

That’s because back in the 19th century, the technology of photography was still in its early stages. Only professional photographers owned cameras and knew how to use them, and even the newly-developed wet-collodion process required exposure times of up to a half-minute or so.
Because photography was such a specialized skill, it also wasn’t exactly cheap, so it was important that the subject stay perfectly still for a clear image. For photographs of adults, photographers would have the subject sit in a chair with a head clamp (sort of like an electric chair but without the electric parts) to keep them still for the necessary amount of time. But what about babies?
That’s where the invisible—or hidden—mothers, as they’re called in Linda Fregni Nagler’s collection of photographs, The Hidden Mother, come in. In order to keep infant subjects calm and still for a crisp image, mothers would hold their child. But because they wanted the child to be the focus of the picture, they’d hide themselves by shrouding themselves in dark fabric, hiding behind the chair their child was sitting in—or even going so far as to impersonate furniture.

In contrast to the 19th century’s “invisible mothers”—an example of hands-on parenting in the most literal sense—another trend from the early 20th century was very much hands-off.

Here’s the mail, it never fails.

For a brief time, American parents could—and did—send their children in the mail.
No, you didn’t read that wrong. Yes, it actually happened.
These days, being able to send large packages via the postal service is something we take for granted, but before the early 20th century, Americans could only send items that weighed four pounds or less in the mail. That all changed on Jan. 1, 1913, when the U.S. Postal Service launched the parcel post service, allowing packages up to 11 pounds. Within months, the limit was increased to 20 pounds, then 50.

And of course, some people just had to take it too far.
The same year, a Glen Este, Ohio, man named Jesse Beauge and his wife decided to mail their infant son to his grandmother’s house about a mile away, becoming the first Americans in history to send a child in the mail, National Postal Museum historian Nancy Pope told The Washington Post. Luckily for the Beauges, their son weighed in at 10 pounds—just under the weight limit for parcels at the time. The postage only cost them 15 cents, but they spent an additional $50 on insurance. You know, just in case.
Some children, however, traveled much, much greater distances. The following year, 6-year-old Edna Neff was mailed from her mother’s home in Pensacola, Florida, to her father’s house in Christiansburg, Virginia—720 miles away.

Perhaps the most famous instance of a child being transported via mail, though, was that of 5-year-old May Pierstorff, commemorated in the children’s book Mailing May, published in 2000. Pierstorff’s parents had made the decision to send their daughter for a visit to her grandparents but were hesitant to pay the hefty train fare.
Being the savvy spenders they were, the Pierstorffs looked over the parcel post regulations and found that there was no prohibition on sending children—or any humans—through the postal service, so long as they didn’t exceed the 50-pound weight limit. Fortunately for them, May weighed in at 45 and a half pounds.

So, the Pierstorffs attached the necessary 53 cents of postage stamps on their daughter’s coat and sent her on her way. May was transported from her parents’ home in Grangeville, Idaho, to her grandmother’s home in Lewiston, approximately 75 miles away.
Later in 1914, news of May Pierstorff’s travels began to spread nationally, causing then-Postmaster General Albert S. Burleson to prohibit the shipping of human parcels. That brought to an end the brief and bizarre trend of parents sending their children in the mail.
While sending your child in the mail probably isn’t the greatest parenting idea in history, it’s also probably not the worst.

Despite all their age, they’re still just a babe in a cage.

Another serious contender for that title is the practice of putting babies in cages, which were then suspended outside apartment windows—sometimes several stories above the street below.

You see, in the late 18th century, doctors started suggesting that urban-dwelling parents increase their children’s exposure to fresh air, a practice referred to by renowned pediatrician Luther Emmett Holt as “airing.” In his 1894 book, The Care and Feeding of Children, Holt wrote that, “Fresh air is required to renew and purify the blood, and this is just as necessary for health and growth as proper food.”
As you might expect—as with the case of the postal service above—some people just had to take it too far. While Holt recommended an infant be “placed in its crib or carriage which should stand a few feet from the window,” some parents took it a step further, purchasing or building wire cages to be hung outside of windows.

Even Eleanor Roosevelt, long before she became the first lady of the United States, got in on the “baby cage” trend. In 1906, Roosevelt purchased a chicken wire cage to hang out the window of her New York townhouse. In that cage, her first daughter, Anna, napped high above East 36th Street—until a neighbor threatened to call the authorities, that is.
Emma Read of Spokane, Washington, was the first to file a commercial patent for a baby cage in 1922, which read in part:
“It is well known that a great many difficulties rise in raising and properly housing babies and small children in crowded cities, that is to say from the health viewpoint. With these facts in view it is the purpose of the present invention to provide an article of manufacture for babies and young children, to be suspended upon the exterior of a building adjacent an open window, wherein the baby or young child may be placed.”

Read’s patent was granted on March 13 of the following year; by the 1930s, the cages had become popular, especially among the apartment-dwelling parents of densely-populated London. In stark contrast to the reception of Roosevelt’s baby cage in New York, Londoners embraced the idea, with municipal bodies like the East Poplar Borough council proposing permanently installing the cages outside some buildings.
Eventually, the popularity of the “baby cage” began to wane. While there’s no definitive record of exactly when and why the trend fell out of vogue, growing concerns about child safety in the next few decades (as evidenced by the invention and popularization of car seats and bicycle helmets) may have had something to do with it.

Modern Airborne Parenting Mistakes

Getting back to the present, the term “helicopter parent” has been spreading throughout the zeitgeist since its 1969 appearance in Haim Ginott’s parenting manual, Between Parent and Teenager. The helicopter parent is reluctant to give their children freedom to fail; they constantly hover over the child, overseeing homework, calling teachers, and generally trying to ensure success in all their child’s endeavors.

Recent studies have shown that modern parents spend nearly one-third more time caring for their offspring today than they did in the 1960s. Does anyone hear rotors in the sky?
While more parent-child bonding time is probably a good thing, helicopter parenting has been associated with increases in anxiety and reduced independence as the child ages.

A 2017 study out of New Zealand seems to back up this assertion. It found that a group of 11- to 13-year-olds only tended to travel about a third of a mile from their homes, mostly just to go to school, a friend’s house, or a food outlet. Tim Chambers, the lead researcher, later told The Guardian that his study suggests that modern kids aren’t as independent or as physically active as their parents were as children.
But like the bizarre parenting trends of the past, we can consign helicopter parenting—and other detrimental habits—to the dustbin of history, says Walfish.

“Change is possible,” she says. “Much has been speculated and written about what is required in order to make change. One thing I know for sure: Motivation and determination are prerequisites, and pain is usually the greatest motivator for change.”

Tags 50038156, Commerce, hemingway, parenting

Conscious Beauty Lifestyle

This Simple Skincare Routine Will Keep You Looking Fresh All Winter Long

Post author By Cammy Pedroja
Post date January 6, 2018

Great skin isn’t just a sign of good health, it’s also a seriously attractive feature in a woman of any age. So what do you do when winter bares her teeth and ushers in dry, uninspired, or even downright itchy skin? You kick your cold air skincare regimen into high gear and make it to the spring equinox looking radiant.
Recently, skincare addicts have been touting the miraculous benefits of a 10-step Korean skincare regimen. But if you’re a mere mortal like me, you may only have the time, money, and patience for…slightly fewer steps. I did the research about simple changes beauty experts and dermatologists make to their routines to combat the effects of winter, and present perfect morning and evening winter skin routines that pack a punch but won’t overtax your wallet, or your patience.

The “Good Morning” Routine

Resist that bracingly hot shower you love.

At least, don’t take them too often during the winter, as anything over lukewarm for longer than 10 to 15 minutes can actually cause lasting harm to your skin in addition to over-drying it. The same goes for washing your face in the sink.

Switch to a cream cleanser.

Foaming or gel cleansers, or ones with other drying ingredients, like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide, should be stashed on the shelf in winter when you’ll want to reach for a creamier option. We like CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser for a cheaper choice, or Murad Renewing Cleansing Cream for a few more bucks. Both are gentle enough for oily, dry, and combination skin.

Treat your skin to an extra layer of healing.

Between cleansing and moisturizer, it’s a good idea to apply at least one additional layer of nourishing protection during winter. If you tend to have oily, breakout-prone skin, you can opt for a very light serum like the Chlorella Serum from Skin Inc. that promises to “brighten and tackle” acne spots while it hydrates and de-flakes skin. If you struggle with a drier face, though, you might want to splurge on a serum with hyaluronic acid like Caudalie’s Vinosource S.O.S Thirst Quenching Serum.

Moisturize and protect.

Keeping your face hydrated and protected from the harsh winter elements is a must for maintaining healthy and pretty skin. Even if your skin usually produces more oil than you’d like, you’ll probably need a creamier product in winter than you do in summer. But don’t ditch that summer SPF when making the switch.
Even if it’s not sunny out, the harsh rays of the sun can travel right through cloud cover and damage skin no matter how low the temps go. Yep, dermatologists say you should wear sunscreen every single day of the year. But you can save a step and still stay protected by choosing a creamy moisturizer with an SPF of 30 or more. We love Juice Beauty Oil Free Moisturizer with SPF 30 for oily or blemish-prone skin or Olay Professional Pro-X Age Repair Lotion (also SPF 30) for dry or aging skin.

The Goodnight Routine

Bye-Bye Makeup Residue

Before you cleanse at night, you’ll want to remove any makeup you applied in the morning or throughout the day. Though any gentle, non-drying makeup remover will work, I personally love using an inexpensive and gentle micellar water on a cotton pad—no rinsing necessary!
Then your morning cleanser and serum can step up to do double duty on the night shift.
No need for a different cleanser in the evening. Make life easy on yourself and cleanse your face thoroughly with the same product you used to start your day, then apply a light coating of your favorite serum to your face and neck.

Moisturize, p.m. style.

You don’t need SPF when the moon is out, so try a nighttime-specific option like CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream, which is thick and creamy (but won’t clog pores), or you can splurge on a truly decadent anti-aging night cream like Vichy LiftActiv Night Supreme, which promises anti-wrinkle and firming effects in addition to hydration.
You’re headed for bed, so it’s a great time to lay it on thick and let the nourishing ingredients soak in.

Pamper your pucker.

Don’t forget to care for the sensitive skin on your lips, which can get flaky and dry quite easily in the winter. In addition to making sure your body is hydrated by drinking lots of water, it’s a good idea to keep a stick of gentle lip balm in your bedside table to swipe on right before you turn off the lights so the moisture can soak in as you sleep.

Extra Credit

Not everyone needs an eye cream separate from their normal facial moisturizer, but if fighting signs of aging is one of your goals, dabbing on a gentle eye cream like Clinique’s All About Eyes every morning after moisturizer and before makeup will fight wrinkles and fine lines.
Finally, you may think frequent exfoliating would be just the thing to rid your face of scaly, flaky winter skin. But experts say exfoliating just once a week is enough. On Sunday nights, after cleansing, I like to use a gentle exfoliating mask like this one from Karuna. Then, you can follow up with serum and an intensive moisturizing night mask (like this lovely pick from Clinique) that you wear until you rise and shine…with glowing, beautiful skin, of course.

More Skincare Products You’ll Love:

Tags Commerce, organic

Kettlebell Series Sweat

Kettlebell Series: Glutes

Post author By HealthyWay Studios
Post date January 4, 2018

Not sure which kettlebell to start with? Choosing the right kettlebell (here’s one we like) depends on both your fitness level and the type of workout movement you’re planning to do.

For accelerated moves, such as swings, active beginners should start with 18 to 26 pounds, whereas those who are intermediate to advanced should start with 26 to 35 pounds.
For slower, more controlled movements, start with 13 to 18 pounds—or 18 to 26 pounds if that’s not enough of a challenge.
For overhead movements, you should be able to complete 8 to 10 controlled reps. Do what feels comfortable for you, but be sure to safely challenge yourself.
The exercises featured in this video are:

Kneeling Squats

Place a yoga mat, soft rug, or pillow under your knees for support.
Kneel on the support.
Hold kettlebell with both hands at chest level, close to the body.
Elongate and engage your core, shoulders back.
Slowly lower your hips down to sit on your heels.
Squeeze your glutes to extend your hips forward, returning to your kneeling position.
Repeat 12 times.

Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift

Begin with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, core engaged, and shoulders back.
Holding kettlebell in both hands with arms fully extended in front of you, hinge at the hips, keeping the kettlebell near the body.
Bend until you feel a slight stretch in your hamstrings.
While keeping your core engaged and maintaining a neutral spine, squeeze the glutes and extend the hips to come to a standing position.
Repeat 12 times.

1 ¼ Squat

Begin with feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointed slightly outward, holding the kettlebell in both hands held at chest level, close to the body.
Bend at the knees and hinge at the hips, lowering yourself until your knees are bent at 90 degrees—as if you are sitting back onto your heels.
Slowly pulse up about a quarter of the way and lower back down, using your glutes to drive the motion, then squeeze your glutes and extend your hips, returning to a standing position.
Together this results in a 1 ¼ squat that gives extra attention to the glutes.
Maintain a neutral spine and engaged core throughout the entire range of motion.
Repeat 12 times.

Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

Begin with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, core engaged, and shoulders back.
Hold kettlebell in one hand, with your arm extended down by your side.
Kick the opposite leg straight back, raising the heel toward the ceiling as you lower the kettlebell toward the ground like a seesaw.
Swing your back leg forward as you come to a standing position, driving the knee through.
Keep your back flat and your core engaged throughout the entire range of motion.
For a modified version, don’t kick the leg as high; simply hover the foot off the ground and use the ground for support and guidance.
Repeat 12 times on each leg.

Hip Openers

Begin with feet shoulder-width apart, core engaged, shoulders back, holding the kettlebell in one hand with the arm fully extended down by your side.
Drive the knee of the opposite leg up and hold.
Be sure the hip of the standing leg is engaged and held in tightly to ensure you aren’t leaning to one side. This awareness will help you engage the glute muscles responsible for hip abduction.
From here, rotate the knee of the opposite leg out and back, drawing an imaginary half circle.
Lower your leg to tap the ground behind you, lift, and rotate the knee forward to its starting position.
These motions can be referred to as opening and closing the gate.
For a modified version, point and drag toe in the half-circle motion as opposed to lifting the foot and knee. This way the ground can be used for stability and balance.
Repeat 12 times on each leg.

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Tags Commerce, Kettlebell Series

Kettlebell Series Sweat

Kettlebell Series: Core

Post author By HealthyWay Studios
Post date January 4, 2018

Not sure which kettlebell to start with? Choosing the right kettlebell (here’s one we like) depends on both your fitness level and the type of workout movement you’re planning to do.
For accelerated moves, such as swings, active beginners should start with 18 to 26 pounds, whereas those who are intermediate to advanced should start with 26 to 35 pounds.
For slower, more controlled movements, start with 13 to 18 pounds—or 18 to 26 pounds if that’s not enough of a challenge.
For overhead movements, you should be able to complete 8 to 10 controlled reps. Do what feels comfortable for you, but be sure to safely challenge yourself.
The exercises featured in this video are:

Standing Side Crunch

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, core engaged, shoulders back, holding the kettlebell in one hand with your arm extended down by your side.
Slowly bend your torso to the side, lowering the kettlebell.
Return to a standing position.
Try to eliminate any unnecessary movement in the lower body.
Repeat on each side 12 times.

Full Crunch with Kettlebell

Start on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor.
Hold the kettlebell with both hands, starting with your arms overhead and the kettlebell on the floor.
Pull the kettlebell overhead, toward the torso, while simultaneously sitting up into a full crunch.
Slowly lower back down and place the kettlebell back in its starting position.
Repeat 12 times.

Russian Twist

Start seated on the floor, knees bent, kettlebell held at chest level.
Lift feet off the floor and lean back slightly, keeping your core engaged, back supported and flat.
Twist your torso to one side, allowing kettlebell to tap the ground, then twist to the opposite side and tap.
Repeat for a total of 12 times on each side (24 reps).
To modify, allow your heels to remain on the floor.

Single-Leg Bridge

Start on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor.
Hold the kettlebell in one hand, arm extended directly over chest. Hold here.
Keep your opposite leg planted, and lift other leg off the floor.
Use the planted foot to push the hips toward the ceiling, then lower back down.
Continue this on each side for 12 reps.
For a modified version, keep both feet planted and simply switch arms after 12 reps.

Inchworm with a Romanian Deadlift

Start in a standing position, kettlebell on the floor in front of you.
Bend at the hips with a slight bend in the knees, and place your hands on the floor.
Walk your hands forward, lowering yourself into a high plank position with your core engaged.
Keeping your feet planted and legs as straight as possible, walk your hands backward toward your feet.
With legs straight—aside from a slight bend at the knees, back flat, and core engaged, grab hold of the kettlebell, squeeze your glutes, and stand.
Slowly hinge at the hips to lower kettlebell back down, placing it on the floor, back in its starting position.
Repeat 12 times.

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Tags Commerce, Kettlebell Series

Kettlebell Series Sweat

Kettlebell Series: Cardio

Post author By HealthyWay Studios
Post date January 4, 2018

Squat into a High Plank Burpee

Begin with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointed slightly outward, core engaged, shoulders back, holding the kettlebell in both hands, arms fully extended in front.
Bend at the knees and hinge at the hips into a squat.
Place the kettlebell on the floor in front of you and hop your feet backward into a high plank position, core engaged and back flat.
Quickly hop your feet back forward toward your hands, landing feet shoulder-width apart. Sit into a squat position, core engaged, chest up, shoulders back.
Grab onto the kettlebell, squeeze your glutes, and stand.
For a modified version, step your feet forward and backward instead of hopping.
Repeat continuously for 60 seconds.

Box Shuffle

Place kettlebell on the ground in front of you.
Shuffle around the kettlebell as if you’re moving along an imaginary square around the kettlebell.
Continue in the same direction for 30 seconds, then switch directions and continue for the remaining 30 seconds.

Weighted Squat Jump

Begin standing with feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointed slightly outward, core engaged, shoulders back, and kettlebell held at chest level close to the body.
Bend at the knees and hinge at the hips into a squat, then squeeze your glutes and explode up and off the ground.
Land softly and maintain control of your body as you back down to a squatting position.
For a modified version, squat then come up onto your toes instead of leaving the ground.
Continue for 60 seconds.

High Knees with a Twist

Begin standing with feet shoulder-width apart, core engaged, shoulders back, and kettlebell held at chest level close to the body.
Drive one knee forward and up while twisting your torso toward the side of the leg that’s in motion.
Quickly plant your foot and drive the opposite knee forward and up while twisting your torso toward the leg in motion.
For a modified version, march your knees at a comfortable pace.
Continue for 60 seconds.

Plank Walk with Mountain Climbers

Place the kettlebell on the ground in front of you.
Begin on one side of the kettlebell in a high plank position, back flat, core engaged.
Walk over or around the kettlebell to the opposite side.
Once there, hold your plank. Then begin to drive your knees up toward your chest one at a time.
Count to 5 as you switch from knee to knee. Stop and hold after 5.
Ensuring that your core is engaged and back remains flat, walk over or around the kettlebell to the opposite side and repeat the mountain climber for another 5 repetitions.
Continue for 60 seconds.

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Tags Commerce, Kettlebell Series

Kettlebell Series Sweat

Kettlebell Series: Lower Body

Post author By HealthyWay Studios
Post date January 3, 2018

Classic Squat

With feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointed slightly outward, hold the kettlebell in both hands at chest level close to the body.
Lean back on the heels, bend at the knees, and hinge at the hips, lowering yourself until your knees are bent 90 degrees.
Push your knees outward so they remain in line with the toes and squeeze the glutes to return to a standing position.
Maintain a neutral spine and engaged core throughout the entire range of motion.
Repeat 12 times.

Narrow-to-Wide Squat Progression

Begin in a held-squat position, knees bent 90 degrees and feet together.
Hold the kettlebell in both hands at chest level close to the body.
Maintaining that held-squat position, step your right foot out to feet shoulder-width apart, then step again so your feet are in a wide sumo stance.
Still maintaining that held-squat position, begin to step your right foot back into a narrow stance.
Maintain a neutral spine and engaged core throughout the entire range of motion.
Repeat 10 times on one side and again 10 times on the other.

Weighted Reverse Lunge

While holding the kettlebell down by your side in one hand, take a large step back with the opposite foot.
Allow both the back and the front knee to bend. Be sure that your front knee stays in line with your toes.
Keep your core engaged and your spine long.
While placing the majority of your weight on the lead leg, step your back foot forward to return to a standing position.
Repeat 12 times on one side and again 12 times on the other.

Reverse Cross Lunge

Hold kettlebell in both hands at chest level close to the body.
Take a large step back and diagonally to cross behind the lead leg.
Allow both the back and the front knee to bend.
Be sure that your front knee stays in line with your toes.
Keep your core engaged and your spine long.
While placing most of your weight on the lead leg, step your back foot forward to return to a standing position.
Repeat 12 times on each side.

In-and-Out Squats

Begin in a held-squat position, knees bent 90 degrees and feet together.
Hold kettlebell in both hands at chest level close to the body.
Jump feet out to shoulder-width apart, and sit back into a 90 degree squat.
Jump feet together and return to a narrow-stance held squat.
Maintain a neutral spine and an engaged core.
For a modified version, step feet together instead of jumping.
Repeat 12 times.

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Tags Commerce, Kettlebell Series

Kettlebell Series Sweat

Kettlebell Series: Upper Body

Post author By HealthyWay Studios
Post date January 3, 2018

Not sure which kettlebell to start with? Choosing the right kettlebell (here’s one we like) depends on both your fitness level and the type of workout movement you’re planning to do.

Single-Arm Bicep Curl into a Push Press

Stand tall with feet shoulder-width apart, shoulders back, and core engaged.
Holding kettlebell in one hand, elbow pinned tight to your side, curl your hand toward your chest, palm facing in.
From there, rotate the palm to face outward and press up to fully extend the arm overhead.
Slowly lower back down, and curl arm down to the beginning position.
Repeat 12 times on each side.

Standing Chest Press

Stand tall with feet shoulder-width apart, shoulders back, and core engaged.
Holding kettlebell with both hands at chest level, extend arms forward.
Hold for 2 seconds, then pull kettlebell back into your chest.
Repeat 12 times.

Bent-Over Single-Arm Row

With feet shoulder-width apart, core engaged, and maintaining a neutral spine, hinge forward at the hips. Hold this position.
With kettlebell in one hand and arm extended straight down to the floor, simultaneously bend at the elbow and pull shoulder back, pulling the kettlebell up toward the torso.
Keep shoulder pinned close to the body.
Slowly release arm back to full extension toward the floor.
Repeat 12 times on each side.

Single-Arm Press from the Floor

Lie flat on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor.
Holding the kettlebell in one hand, arm directly out to the side, elbow bent, and palm facing toward the legs, press kettlebell directly upward, fully extending the arm.
Slowly lower arm back to the floor.
Repeat 12 times on each side.

Kettlebell Skull Crunchers

Lie flat on your back, knees bent, and feet flat on the floor.
Hold the kettlebell in both hands, arms extended upward directly over the chest.
Move arms slightly over your head, and bend at the elbows to bring kettlebell toward the ground.
Move arms back over the chest and extend fully at the elbows.
Repeat 12 times.

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Tags Commerce, Kettlebell Series

Kettlebell Series Sweat

Kettlebell Series: Full Body

Post author By HealthyWay Studios
Post date January 1, 2018

Bent-Over Row into a Romanian Deadlift

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, core engaged, and shoulders back.
Holding kettlebell in both hands, hinge at the hips, arms fully extended in front of you.
While simultaneously bending at the elbows and squeezing the shoulders back, pull the kettlebell toward the torso.
Extend the arms and release the kettlebell back toward the ground.
While keeping core engaged and maintaining a neutral spine, squeeze the glutes and extend the hips to come to a standing position.
Repeat 12 times.

Squat into an Upright Row

With feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointed slightly outward, hold kettlebell in both hands with arm extended down.
Bend at the knees and hinge at the hips, lowering yourself until your knees are bent 90 degrees.
Squeeze your glutes and stand while pulling the kettlebell up toward your chin, moving your elbows toward the ceiling.
Slowly release kettlebell back to starting position.
Repeat 12 times.

Lunge Pulse with a Single-Arm Overhead Hold

Hold kettlebell in left hand, arm extended fully overhead with elbow held tight by the ear.
Step your left leg back and bend both knees, placing the majority of your weight on the lead leg.
Be sure that the lead knee stays in line with the toes and lengthen your spine, core engaged.
With slow and controlled movement, pulse your lead leg up and down.
Repeat 12 times on each side.

Plank Walk Around Kettlebell into Single-Leg Reverse Kick

Begin in a tall plank position, hands flat on the ground, back flat and core engaged.
Step hands and feet around or over the kettlebell.
Once around, pause and kick the outside leg upward, moving the heel toward the ceiling.
Begin to walk hands and feet to the other side and kick opposite leg upward.
For a modified version, pause and drop your knees to the ground and donkey kick your outside leg upward, pushing the bottom of your foot toward the ceiling.
Repeat 10 times.

Kettlebell Swing

With feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointed slightly outward, hold kettlebell in both hands with arm extended down.
Bend your knees slightly and hinge at the hips
Squeeze glutes, extend hips and knees, and use that momentum to swing the kettlebell up to chest level.
Repeat 12 times.

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Tags Commerce, Kettlebell Series

Favorite Finds Motherhood

Don't Know What To Get Your Bestie For Her Baby Shower? We've Got You Covered

Post author By Amber Petty
Post date December 25, 2017

When you don’t have kids, baby showers can be a little tricky. When it’s your BFF who’s expecting, suddenly there’s even more pressure for you to get something perfect. The moment you RSVP yes, you might find yourself asking a number of panicky questions. Should you get a present for mom? For baby? What do babies need? And why is baby stuff so expensive?
You’ve got a laundry list of totally understandable concerns, but there’s no need to panic. We’ve got your back. Here’s the inside info that’ll have everyone in attendance convinced you’re a seasoned pro in the baby shower game.
First of all, you can make this really easy on yourself—check your friend’s registry. Most moms-to-be create a baby registry and she’ll be happy to get anything on the list.
But if she doesn’t have a registry or you’re not a “buy a gift off a list” type of gal, then here are the gifts that your BFF and baby are sure to love.

1. No-Slip Booties

Babies need shoes? Yes. Sooner than you think, the kid will be toddling all over the place and they’ll need non-slip shoes for their new walking adventures. To the disappointment of moms everywhere, run-of-the-mill baby shoes always fall off at incredibly inconvenient times. These no-slip booties, on the other hand, strap on tight (but comfortably) and have textured bottoms to keep kids from slipping on slick floors. Plus, they’re cute, which—let’s be honest—is probably the most important quality for all baby gifts.

2. WubbaNub Pacifier

Every mom I know has at least two of these. I don’t really get it, but they all swear they’re the best pacifiers around. Plus, it’s got an elephant on it. Who doesn’t like elephants?

3. Piyo Piyo Nail Scissors

This gift doesn’t seem super fun, but your friend will be so happy to have these around the first time baby manages to nick her with a sharp nail—especially during breastfeeding. You need to cut a baby’s nails fairly often and these scissors make it a much less stressful task. The blade edges are turned up, so mom won’t even come close to accidentally snipping the baby’s skin—a possibility that’s downright unpleasant to even think about, proving why these scissors are so important.

4. Banana Training Toothbrush

This also sounds weird. Who needs a training toothbrush? Well, every baby I know loves gnawing on this thing when they start teething. Teething is a tough process, so anything that makes the baby feel better will make mom very happy, too. Plus, it’s kind of cool to get babies into brushing their teeth before they have teeth in the first place.

5. Boppy Lounger

This is pretty much a baby bean bag, but way better. Honestly, I wish I had a big fluffy pillow like this that I could lounge on. The Boppy lets the baby lie down in a comfortable position so mom can give her arms a rest without worry. Plus, the cover is machine washable for the many times the baby will inevitably spit up on it.

6. Changing Station

You’ve probably never noticed how few bathrooms have changing stations, right? Well, moms are very aware of the lack of sanitary changing surfaces, especially when their baby is in the “constant pooping” stage. This travel changing station gives baby a clean soft surface for changing that parents can fold up and take with them.

7. Outlet Covers

This isn’t the most exciting gift, but it’s so necessary! Babies love outlets. For some reason, it seems like babies are born knowing two things: Boobs are for food and Outlets are super fun to play with. Any time I babysit, the tot whose care I’m charged with can’t wait to try to plug their finger into an electrical socket.
These covers will keep baby safe and save mom from constantly dragging her kid away from the outlets. Plus, you get 24 covers to make sure that every outlet is protected.

8. Funny Onesie

As the child-free friend, it’s practically your job to make sure that baby has some comical clothes. Get a funny onesie, like this “Mind on my mommy and my mommy on my mind” piece. That said, kindly avoid baby clothes with swear words or super adult topics. Sure, it’s funny, but the mom may not want pictures of her child wearing something with the F bomb on it.
If you’re really feeling out there, you can go for high cuteness and low practicality and get something like this owl costume. Hey, there’s no reason why the kid can’t dress like an owl everyday. And they’d look so cute!

9. Books

It’s never too early to start reading to a baby. And if mom has something cute to read, like this Toot book, it doesn’t get boring. Because even though she’ll love time with her baby, even Goodnight Moon gets old after the 30th read. Also, how about a book like I Heart My Little A-Holes to give mom a reason to laugh when baby’s simply refusing to sleep?

10. Postpartum Herb Bath

At the baby shower, mom deserves some of her own gifts, too. This bath will help her relax and heal after giving birth. She’ll definitely appreciate some alone time in the tub after hours of dealing with a crying baby.

11. Shea Butter Hand Creams

Moms have to wash their hands constantly because they’re often covered in poop and spit up. She’ll appreciate having some nice smelling lotions to keep her hands smooth and provide a scent other than diaper cream and baby powder.

12. Sleep

The best gift you can give a mom is sleep. People swear by this sleep suit to get babies to stay asleep through the night, even as young as 2 months. Then, get the mom this full body pillow. The huge pillow is super supportive for pregnant woman and its cuddly softness feels great even after the baby comes.
With this list, you’ll be a superstar at any baby shower. Your BFF will be happy and baby will get presents that will enhance their natural cuteness—all thanks to a little planning and a lot of BFF love.

Tags Commerce, organic