Tag: organic

Categories
Healthy Relationships Wellbeing

Barbells And Bae: Why You Should Start Working Out With Your Significant Other

I can’t think of anything that makes my spouse happier than going on a family bike ride on a crisp fall day. It sounds kind of basic, yes, but I have to agree. Nothing quite compares to the cool fresh air blowing in your face while you check out the changing leaves and revel in your shared endorphin boosts and smiles. Another thing that makes this autumn family tradition so special is that we started going out of our way to ride bikes together like this about a decade ago, way before marriage and a mini-me entered the mix.
Could this early (and somewhat sustained) effort to sweat together have contributed to our apparent ability (and desire) to stay together? Science says it’s possible—even likely.
To start with, there are tons of obvious reason why combining workout time with romance is a modern couple multitasking win. You have built-in quality time, you keep each other motivated with the buddy system, and you experience a shared endorphin boost, meaning you’re making happy memories together. And that’s just the start.

Sweat together, stay (happily) together.

No matter how you measure success, coupling up works. Do you and your partner want to trim down? A 2015 study found that couples who set weight loss goals together were twice as successful as those who set them alone.
And if you’re in it for the long haul, you’ll be interested in research published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness that found married couples who set out to exercise together have much higher rates of sticktoitiveness.
But perhaps most importantly, findings published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology strongly show that partners who exercise together report higher rates of happiness and satisfaction within their relationships.
Sound appealing? Grab your boo and throw on some spandex.

Workouts for Two

Running

Either see the sights together as you pound the pavement or challenge each other while watching a quiz show on side-by-side treadmills.

Biking

See the countryside or choose a destination date five to 10 miles away. Have a pint of beer at your turnaround point, then pedal home for some Netflix and chill.

Gym (or Home Gym!)

Grab a medicine ball and play catch. From overhead passes, feet-to-feet sit-up passes, and core-strengthening back-to-back twists, you’ll get a great workout and have a free pass to get handsy at the same time.

Sidestep common roadblocks.

It’s hard to be a good motivator when you’re raring to go and your partner is…less than energetic. Support each other by scheduling your workout days to avoid other activities that will sap your energy, at least until your workout is over.
Maybe one of you is fitter (faster, stronger…whatever) than the other. No sweat. Maybe one person’s hard workout day is the other’s easy day. Problem solved.
Even though our nutso busy lives mean we can only exercise together a few times a month at this point (for hiking, biking, and even the odd three-hour partners yoga workshop on Valentine’s Day this year…which I loved it but he did not), my hus and I have really never stopped enjoying getting outside and doing heart-pounding activities together.
If you’re looking to take the plunge and work out with your partner, we say go for it.

Categories
Happy Home Lifestyle

6 Essential Oil Blends You Need To Cozy Your Home Up For Fall

Burning scented candles has long been the way to do aromatherapy on a budget. But with everyone and your mother pushing essential oils on Facebook and rumors that candles may or may not be hazardous to your health, if you’re looking to make the switch, now might be the perfect time.
Whether aromatherapy has medicinal benefits is still up for debate in the scientific community, but there is no question that we are affected by the scents around us. So whether you’re looking for the calming benefits of a house that’s full of good smells or just want to encounter some delicious scents when you walk back in the door after a long day, here are some recipes you may want to play with this fall:

1. Frankincense, Patchouli, Lavender, and Rosemary

The outside air isn’t the only thing that’s crisp in autumn! Rosemary adds freshness to this fall brew for the same sort of pick-me-up you get when you take a walk on a fall afternoon. Patchouli is said to have mood-boosting properties too, making this mix a must when you’re stuck at home and want to feel good about it.

2. Cinnamon, Clove, and Nutmeg

Hello pumpkin pie. No need to turn on the oven with this mix! These oils are all reminiscent of the kitchen, but you don’t have to whip up any baked goods to spread the smell throughout the house. Heck, if you want to put your diffuser in the bathroom to make things smell divine, we won’t judge.

3. Orange, Lime, and Sage

Sage isn’t just a thing you sprinkle in your stuffing. The sage and citrus oil mix is a popular blend in soaps and lotions for good reason. The freshness of the citrus cuts through the strong herbal scent for a smell that’s clean and invigorating.

4. Nutmeg, Orange, Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus Radiata, and Rosemary

That’s a whole lot of scents, we know. But the orange and lemon bring the citrusy scent that makes a home smell fresh and clean into a mix that’s otherwise earthy and reminiscent of a walk through the local nursery.

5. Orange, Cinnamon Bark, Clove, Vanilla, and Nutmeg

Hello holiday cheer! Remember when your mom used to boil the orange peels on the stovetop with a few dashes of this and sprinkles of that? Now you can mix the whole thing up in a diffuser and spread the smell of the holidays throughout your house. No one has to know you didn’t have time to bake this year!

6. Lavender and Cedar Wood

People have been sprinkling lavender on their pillows and packing clothes in cedar chests for decades (if not longer), so these scents tend to bring us back to childhood. Add this mix to your diffuser and set it up in your bedroom for a pleasant trip off to dreamland.

Categories
Conscious Beauty Lifestyle

Want Healthier Nails? Here’s What You Need To Know

How far into fall do you get before your hands start to look like something Disney would do to the evil stepmother? The colder (and drier) the air gets, the more my hands scream for me to pay attention to them.
From the cuticles I’ve neglected while running myself ragged during the summer to the nails I’ve been using to dig in the sand and garden dirt, this is the time of year when my hands start screaming for a detox.
Care to join me? Here are some of the best ways to bring your nails, cuticles, and the rest of your hands back from the front lines.

Start with the basics.

Got [linkbuilder id=”6448″ text=”yellow nails”]? Yup, you, me and everyone else who opted out of using that base coat of nail polish. Who has all that drying time to waste on a coat that no one will even see? But a base coat won’t just protect you from polish staining your nails. It can actually make your manicure last longer.

Where to start?

Julep’s Oxygen base coat is a little pricey, but you want something free of toxins this close to your nails, and Julep’s products are free from chemicals that are often found in other polishes, such as formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and camphor.
OPI Start to Finish doubles as a base coat and a top coat, offering a pretty good bang for your buck.

Take a tip from your haircare.

Moroccan oil and coconut oil don’t just take care of your flyaways. Oils have surged in popularity for use on our hair, and it turns out they provide moisture for our hands too.
If you have dry cuticles (and who doesn’t this time of year?), add a drop of oil on each and rub it in. Don’t forget the nail itself. Even though we tend to think of them as dead, the nail is connected to living tissue—hence why they continue to grow—and the American Academy of Dermatologists says that nails need moisture too.

Remove your acetone remover.

Acetone makes fast work of old polish, but while it’s stripping your nails of that power red, it’s also stripping your body’s natural oils. Substitute a non-acetone remover (many brands offer both varieties) in its place for a healthier alternative. It will take more elbow grease to get the polish off, but your cuticles will thank you.
Zoya Remove + won’t just strip the polish, it moisturizes your nails too. And it’s reasonably priced.
Or grab an old standby! Cutex has a budget-friendly, acetone-free option.

Drink more.

Water, that is. Women are supposed be getting about 91 ounces (that’s 2.7 liters) of water a day, whether it’s in the form of plain water or via the foods and other beverages we consume. But the average adult drinks less than half of that every day.
That’s not good for your body, and it’s not good for your nails either. Moisture in means moisture fed to your fingers and toes, and well…you know how this works. Get a water bottle. Start drinking.

Polish your polish collection.

Ever peeked at the ingredient list on a bottle of nail polish and wondered how to pronounce half of those things? Scientists are still sorting out whether all of those chemicals are bad for our bodies. But while they’re doing the digging, you can put your nails on a toxin-free diet. The watchdog non-profit Environmental Working Group regularly reviews beauty products and rates their safety based on the ingredients. Check out their list to find toxin-free polishes.
Some of our favorite nontoxic nail polishes are Smith & Cult, Butter London, Pacifica 7 Free, Deborah Lippmann, and Zoya.

Categories
Fitness Advice x Motivation Sweat

Play In The Leaves! These 4 Outdoor Workouts Are Perfect For Fall

This past weekend, my toddler and two buddies had an all-out jumping, laughing, rolling around, slugs-in-their-hair play fest in a giant yellow pile of leaves. Besides being the cutest thing ever, it got me feeling a bit jealous…maybe not about the slugs, but still, I wanted that carefree fall feeling!
While not all of us are prepared to actually get down and dirty rolling around in the leaves, we can still take our exercise time outside and enjoy the spectacular autumn weather while experimenting with these workout ideas.

Multi-tasking for the win!

Inspired by my 2-year-old (and an increasing demand for clean sidewalks before trick or treaters arrived) I took to the street…right in front of my house. You see, according to WebMD, an hour of raking leaves can burn between 350 and 450 calories.
The number of calories you’ll burn raking depends on lots of things—including your size, age, and fitness level— so I tested WebMD’s assertion with my Fitbit, raking and hauling leaves in my yard for about 90 minutes.

Here’s what my leaf-conquering workout looked like:

  • 5-minute warm-up of walking up and down the block swinging my arms and breathing
  • Six 10-minute sessions of all-out speed raking leaves into neat piles, switching arm positions on the rake to keep balanced
  • A short break after each power-raking session
  • 25 minutes of slower—but more demanding—bending and scooping to bag the raked leaves
  • 5 minutes slow walking (surveying my clean empire) to cool down

My calorie burn ended up slightly lower than WebMD’s claim (according to my fitness tracker, anyway), but I definitely felt a bit of burn in my torso, shoulders, and hips.
As trainer Joshua Margolis told WebMD, “Raking and bagging leaves is particularly good because you also do a lot of bending, twisting, lifting, and carrying—all things that can build strength and engage a lot of muscle fibers.”

Celebrate fall sports (and unleash your inner badass).

If you get pumped up watching all the baseball and football on TV this time of year, why not combine that fervor with the fall temps in your favor to get into a heart-pumping stair routine?

Here’s a 20-minute stadium stair routine to try:

  • Minutes 1 to 3: Walk or jog up and down the stairs for a light warm-up
  • Minutes 4 to 7: Sprint up the stairs (taking each individual step) and jog down, resting 30 seconds at the bottom
  • Minute 8: Set your timer and rest 1 minute
  • Minutes 9 to 15: Sprint up the stairs (skipping every other step) and jog down, resting 30 seconds at the bottom
  • Minute 16: Rest for 1 minute
  • Minutes 17 to 19: Set an interval timer for 30 seconds of work and 30 seconds of rest for a total of 2 minutes. Standing at the base of the steps, hop with both feet onto the first step. Hop back down and repeat.
  • Minute 20: Walk up and down the steps for a cool-down

Combine your leaf peeping with a killer workout.

Trail running is hands down my favorite outdoor fall workout. During the winter, outdoor runs can be foiled by snow and ice, while in the summer, high temps often keep me resigned to running on a basement treadmill. But in the fall, temperatures tend to be perfect for beautiful outdoor runs on your city’s scenic paths and trails.

Design a fall trail run with the following components recommended by longtime running coach Jenny Hadfield:

  • A 10- to 15-minute warm-up
  • Running for your desired amount of time instead of planning according to distance, because trails can be way more demanding than flat road
  • Modification of your pace based on the terrain, for example, walking up or down steep or rocky inclines if you need to

Unless you’ve already been trail running, plan for no more than one outing per week to start, then add more runs based on your availablility and physical preparedness.

Give back and get outside.

Although charity fun runs can definitely get you out and moving, it’s possible to realize your fitness goals while giving back to your community in other ways, too. Maybe you’re not able to adopt a rescue dog right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get your snuggly pooch fix while working out in the crisp air. Animal shelters all over the country need volunteer dog walkers and runners—a perfect opportunity for doing good and feeling good at the same time (with an adorable companion!).
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) recommends visiting Petfinder.com’s shelters and rescues page to find a center near you that needs help.

Categories
Health x Body Wellbeing

9 Signs You Could Use A Mental Health Day (And How To Tell Others You're Taking Some "Me" Time)

“Mental health can be viewed as the air traffic control of our lives,” says Anna Rowley, PhD, creator of RallyBright and the Active Resilience Quotient, a tool that helps individuals, companies, and teams measure, track, and cultivate everyday resilience practices in and out of the workplace. “With poor mental health, we fail to ‘take-off,’ have mid-air collisions, and experience delays and confusion, causing our personal and professional lives to suffer.”
What Rowley has to say makes sense, especially considering that more than half of all U.S. employees report sometimes feeling overworked or overwhelmed by their jobs. And this stress doesn’t just stay in the workplace. Mental Health America (MHA) recently conducted a study that revealed over 50 percent of surveyed employees reported that their relationships with friends and family were “always” or “often” affected by workplace stress. Another 63 percent revealed that their workplace stress resulted in a significant impact on their mental and behavioral health.
In today’s fast-paced environment, it’s important to care for your well-being. And that means listening to your body and taking a mental health day in the event that you’re approaching burnout.

Mental health is important to overall well-being.

How we feel and think significantly affects our physical well-being. For example, stress has been found to increase our vulnerability to heart disease and other cardiovascular problems. Emotional problems like low mood, depression, and anxiety can wreak havoc on our work and lifestyle—interrupting and affecting things from our sleep to our relationships.
Jonny Lo, a PhD candidate and founder of Onboard Health, a company that creates interactive onboarding experiences for hospitals and private practices, says, “Although no single cause for rising mental health issues exists, the modern workplace is one of the primary contributors, due to factors like career competition, worsening of job security, and the demise of a work–life balance.”
All of which means you have to champion your own care, listening to your mind and body for indicators that you need a day of rest.

Signs You May Need a Mental Health Day

Whitney Hawkins, a licensed therapist and owner of the Collaborative Counseling Center, notes that if you are experiencing any combination of the following, it may be time to take a mental health day:

  • Inability to focus at work or at home
  • Having trouble sleeping or sleeping excessively
  • Changes in your eating patterns
  • Experiences of anger in unusual circumstances
  • Relationships that are especially stressed
  • Inability to find pleasure in daily activities
  • Concern from people close to you that you’re stressed or overwhelmed
  • More frequent use of substances (like alcohol)
  • Feelings of anxiety or depression

Benefits of Taking a Mental Health Day

“Rather than hyper-focusing on your inbox or ever-expanding to-do list, pausing allows you to widen your perspective and remember that you have a life outside of the office, class, or mom duties. Mental health days are an opportunity to give back, not only to yourself, but ultimately to others as well—simply because we often re-enter our day-to-day duties feeling refreshed,” explains Rowley.
“Taking care of your mental health provides numerous benefits, such as increased immune system, enhanced productivity and satisfaction when returning to work, boosted feelings of contentment, and reduced acute stress. Some of the most scientifically backed beneficial ways to spend a mental health personal day are meditating, sleeping, noticing what you are grateful for, spending time in nature, and connecting with loved ones,” says Ellie Cobb, a Columbia University–trained clinician who notes that being mentally healthy is an active process that we must tend to on a regular basis.
“Being kind to ourselves and acknowledging when we need to slow down will have a positive ripple effect for our own health and those around us,” she notes.

How to Make the Most of Your Time Off

To make the most of a mental health day, engage in activities that stand to benefit your mental health and well-being, limit risk factors that may worsen your mental health, and take the opportunity to seek help.
According to Rowley, you should consider spending your day off engaging in physical activity, fun hobbies, or leisure pursuits, consuming a nutritious diet, getting sufficient sleep, and spending time with your social supports (like close friends and family). She adds that it’s important to minimize risk factors by avoiding stressors like personal conflicts and reducing alcohol and drug use.
A mental health day is also an opportune time to ask for help. This might come from your social supports. Other options include self-help and support groups or scheduling a visit to a health practitioner like a family physician, psychologist, counselor, or psychiatrist.

How to Tell Your Boss, Professor, or Spouse You’re Going to Disconnect

When informing anyone who needs to know that you’re taking a mental health day, Cobb suggests emphasizing the fact that giving yourself a day to refresh will increase your productivity around the home or workplace.
“Prioritize your health and happiness, and simply tell your boss you will be taking a day to recharge your mind, body, and soul so that you can return to work a more productive, more compassionate, and more balanced employee,” she explains. Lo adds that when it comes to any sick leave request, you should provide an honest account to your supervisor that alerts them to your need for time off as soon as possible.
“Most workplaces that trust their employees and value their loyalty will accept a sick leave request on its merits, without the need for a written medical certificate. However, if this is not the case, experts recommend taking a personal day. An email correspondence will usually suffice, although a message or a phone call may be preferred if it’s on short notice or during work hours,” he explains.
MHA has created an online screening program that allows participants to take an anonymous, scientifically based screening that covers mental health issues including depression and anxiety.
“It’s a simple first step to determine if what someone is feeling [or] experienc[ing] is a sign of something more serious and can be used to start a conversation with a loved one, doctor, or employer,” says Erin Wallace, MHA’s chief communications officer.
The screening can be accessed at www.mhascreening.org.

Categories
More Than Mom Motherhood

What New Moms Want You To Know Before You Visit Them

Before my daughter was born, I unthinkingly told many, many people that they could—of course!—come meet the baby the second she arrived. But after she was born (via C-section after 28 hours of labor), I was so overwhelmed, exhausted, and pumped full of hormones that the thought of entertaining anyone felt like the most horrendous idea in the world.
If your best friend has just given birth, you are, of course, dying to go snuggle her little one. But before you show up at her doorstep like you have for the last 10 or 20 years, here are some basic rules for visiting new moms.

1. Make it short.

Gone are the days of three-hour-long brunches. Even if she’s not vocalizing it, your friend is probably out of her mind with exhaustion. Before you invite yourself over, make sure she is ready to see you. Visits shouldn’t last for more than an hour, but even that may be too long—15 to 45 minutes is usually enough time to squeeze in a quick chat and snuggle but not enough time to further exhaust your friend.

2. Be mindful of her time.

Do not arrive late! If you said you’d be there at 3 p.m., don’t roll in at 5 p.m., even if this is your MO. If you’re running behind, text her to make sure she will still be able to accommodate a visit. I once stood on a street corner with my screaming 4-month-old for 45 minutes waiting for a childless friend. I was so upset and wound up by it that it put strain on our friendship for months.

3. Ask ahead of time: Should I ring the doorbell?

Newborn babies are not always all that responsive to noise, but some are extremely sensitive. Moms, on the other hand, suddenly develop supersonic hearing. If the baby (or mom) has just fallen asleep after a long struggle, the last thing anyone wants to hear is the doorbell—and the inconsolable wailing that may follow. Ask her if you should text, call, or knock—or whether the door will be open.

4. Wash your hands well the second you walk in.

New moms are fanatical about germs—as they should be. Before you do anything else, head straight for the soap.

5. Do not visit if you are (even a little bit) sick.

“I won’t touch the baby!” or “I’m not even contagious anymore!” won’t cut it. You might put the baby at risk (and stress your friend out in the process). Wait until you are sure you’re completely healthy before even proposing a visit.

6. Want to help? Be specific.

“Let me know if I can do anything!” is a really nice thing to say, but no one in the history of the world has ever responded to it honestly.
Tell her you want to bring dinner over on Thursday. Does 7 p.m. work? How are pasta and a big salad? Are you having any particular cravings? Instead of offering to “help out” around the house, tell her you’d love to make her bed or do a load of laundry. And offer a specific date and time to do so.

7. Do not expect to be fed.

Or served. Or cleaned up after. Do not leave your Starbucks cup lying around. Do not ask her for a snack. If you’re hungry or want some coffee, offer to bring some over for everyone.

8. Make it all about her.

Your friend just had a baby! Regardless of how she’s dealing, she’s probably feeling a lot—extreme joy, pride, sadness, alarm, shock, fear, and excitement. Her hormones are on overdrive. Ask her about it. Some women want to talk about the birth, others don’t. Just keep in mind that your friend has been through an enormous life change. Be there for her in that moment.

9. Don’t write her off.

Yes, her life has changed, and it’s possible that your friendship will have to accommodate this big shift. She may be feeling a lack of confidence in her new role—not to mention self-conscious about how her friendships will hold up.
Be as forgiving and flexible as you can, especially in the early months. True, she may no longer be able to go out drinking until 2 a.m., but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to have a glass of wine with you after work. Allow the friendship to evolve into its next stage.

10. Stay in touch.

Have you heard the expression “the days are long but the years are short”? When you have a newborn, every day can feel like climbing Mount Everest. Checking in with her will go a long way. Because the days tend to blur together, she may not realize that you haven’t spoken in a month. Don’t take it personally.
Meeting your best friend’s baby can be a magical experience. Just remember that it needs to happen on her timeline, in her chosen way, when she feels comfortable. If you can be accommodating and loving—rather than judgmental and standoffish—your friendship will only grow stronger. And surely she will do the same for you when and if the time comes!

Categories
Happy x Mindful Wellbeing

3 Anxiety-Reducing Breathing Techniques That Will Calm You Down In Minutes

You feel anxious, you feel anxious about your anxiety, and then your anxiety spirals out of control. Your body tenses up, and worry—whether it’s about one specific thing or all the things at once—floods your mind. What can you do to put yourself back in the driver’s seat?
Soothing your body and mind when you’re in an anxious state is difficult, but we’ve all heard the old adage, “Take a deep breath.” It sounds so easy. Of course it proves harder when overwhelming anxiety is preventing us from enjoying social events, being productive, or thinking clearly. And if you first heard that calm command in childhood, you may wonder if it even holds any weight in adult life, where the stakes are higher and comfort (at the office, in the grocery store, or during a night out) is less readily available.
Still, a 2015 study suggests that self-regulation of breathing should be considered as a primary treatment not only for anxiety, but for stress, depression, and certain emotional disorders as well. Another article, published in Frontiers in Psychology, suggests that certain breathing techniques that facilitate awareness and breath control can “benefit both physical and mental health.”
The fantastic thing about many breathing exercises is that they take only minutes and have a near-immediate effect, which means they can be done during your lunch break or in a discreet space during a stressful event.
We recommend beginning by trying these exercises in a peaceful place: on a blanket or mat on the floor, in your bed before you’re about to sleep, or in a comfortable chair. If you can, start by practicing these techniques in a quiet area, free from distractions and disturbances so you’ll be ready to use them confidently in less-than-ideal surroundings if the need arises.
These exercises are simple, but they might seem counterintuitive at first because most of us are used to breathing without being conscious of our breath. If you forget to count, or you don’t feel like you’re doing it right, don’t worry: The point isn’t to do the exercises perfectly but to afford yourself a sense of calm.

1. Counting Breaths

Does anxiety keep you up at night? Me too.
Instead of counting sheep, consider counting your breaths. This is an excellent opportunity to focus on regulating your breath while preparing your body for the most restorative kind of relaxation: sleep. Breathe in and out of your nose slowly. Count to one. Inhale and exhale again. Count to two. Do this 10 times, and then start at one again.
The key during this breathing exercise is to slow it down. Don’t count as fast as you can, and don’t pump your breaths in and out too quickly.

2. The 4-7-8 Method

When your anxiety is mounting, temporarily distracting yourself can be a great coping mechanism.
All breathing exercises can distract you from your increasing anxiety because you’ll be focusing on your breath and not your stressors. This particular exercise requires a bit of concentration: enough to distract you, but not enough to be difficult.
Breathe in for a count of four, hold it for a count of seven, and breathe out for a count of eight. Do this set three times in total.
To make the most out of this exercise, consider the importance of breathing with your diaphragm, a practice you can learn about with this resource from the Cleveland Clinic.

3. Deep Breathing

When we’re in panic mode, we take quick, shallow breaths instead of slow, deep breaths. Change it up by taking slow breaths that feel like they fill your entire ribcage up with air.
Once again, breathe in deeply through your nose. Notice the air as it fills your nose, then your throat area, then your chest, then your belly. Allow your chest and belly to inflate and deflate like a balloon. Do this for a count of five or 10 breaths.
Breathing is something we literally do all the time. We take it for granted and often we don’t realize how powerful it can be. When it comes to anxiety, breathing can be one of the most useful natural tools we have in improving our relationships with both our bodies and our minds.

Categories
Life x Culture Lifestyle

Thank You For Your Service: 5 Ways To Show Gratitude This Veterans Day

I was smitten with my now-husband the minute I saw a picture of him in his dress whites, looking just like Richard Gere in An Officer and a Gentleman. As a naval flight officer, my husband has flown over the Middle East. He’s spent months on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean. He has served his country for the past 10 years.
And yet, like most active-duty and military veterans, he’s the kind of guy who doesn’t even want to use his military discount, lest someone thank him for his service. When they do, he gets embarrassed.
When Veterans Day rolls around, he doesn’t feel he deserves the thanks because there are veterans who have given more in service to their country.
And, he contends, Veterans Day isn’t the day to honor active-duty service members. There is a day for recognizing the courage and commitment of active-duty service members: Armed Forces Day. This lesser known holiday is celebrated on the third Saturday in May, usually about a week before Memorial Day (which is a day to honor only those veterans who have died in service of their country).
Still, there are 21.8 million military veterans living in the United States today, and they all deserve our respect and gratitude this Veterans Day.
While posting a heartfelt message on social media is touching, here are five even higher-impact ways you can show gratitude this Veterans Day.

1. Take time to listen.

You might not know anyone currently serving in the military, but odds are you know a veteran who served during World War II, the Korean War, or Vietnam.
A rapidly aging population, these veterans are among the 28 percent of Americans age 65 and older who live alone.
Senior citizens who live alone face higher mortality rates and are more at risk for chronic health issues than those who interact socially.
One way to show gratitude this Veterans Day is to reach out to a veteran and start a conversation.
Not sure how to find a veteran?
One way to start the conversation is to volunteer for the Department of Veterans Affairs. You can drive veterans to doctors’ appointments or plan welcome-home events for service members. Each volunteer event is an opportunity to form a relationship with a veteran, learn more about their time in the military, and thank them for their service.

2. Show up.

The easiest thing you can do to express your thanks this Veterans Day is to simply show up at a Veterans Day parade, ceremony, or other veterans-appreciation event in your area.
Not only are Veterans Day parades and other events family friendly, but they also give veterans a chance to reconnect, meet other veterans, and talk to civilians about their service.
Your local news outlet should have information about upcoming Veterans Day activities in your area, so dust off your lawn chair, wave an American flag, and celebrate veterans as our servicemen and women march down Main Street.

3. Learn about military life.

If you don’t know any veterans personally, one of the most important things you can do is learn more about what it means to serve our country through military service.
Visit a military museum exhibit or war memorial. Check out a history book from your local library. One of my personal favorites is The Things They Carried, a Tim O’Brien novel about young soldiers in Vietnam. Or watch a documentary, like Restrepo, that shows what life in combat zones is like and how hard adjusting to civilian life can be for veterans when they return home.

4. Realize not all veterans wear combat boots.

There are thousands of men and women who have stood alongside their spouses and partners as they served their country. These military spouses, partners, and families have made sacrifices too, even though they never wore a uniform.
Do you know a military family? Reach out to them this Veterans Day with a call or a card. If you don’t, that’s okay. You can adopt a military family through Operation Here We Are, sending them care packages while their service member is deployed or inviting them to your home for the holidays.

5. Give to a good cause.

Gratitude is good for the soul—and your health. Studies have shown that stress levels are 23 percent lower in people who consider themselves to be grateful. People who express their gratitude through service are happier and healthier than those who do not.
This Veterans Day, if you don’t know a veteran personally, you can still show your gratitude, doing good for service members and yourself by donating to or planning time to volunteer for a veterans organization.
Here are four that earned the highest ratings from CharityNavigator.org, a site that helps you donate to trustworthy organizations. And we’re adding one that supports veterans in their pursuit of wellness through mindfulness and meditation.

Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Charitable Service Trust

Disabled American Veterans Trust was founded in 1920 after disabled service members came home from World War I and has continued to provide support for all disabled veterans. DAV helps veterans get to medical appointments, file insurance paperwork, and find meaningful employment. With 1,300 chapters nationwide, you can volunteer or donate here.

Honor Flight Network

The Honor Flight Network is a non-profit organization that flies World War II veterans to visit World War II memorials in Washington, DC. It may not seem like much, but many of these veterans have never seen the memorials that have been erected to their brothers in arms—and to their own service. It can be a hugely emotional event for veterans as they revisit sometimes painful memories, but ultimately, Honor Flights works to provide veterans with much-needed closure.
After every WWII veteran who is able to travel sees their memorial, Honor Flight Network will move on to Korean War and Vietnam veterans. You can donate here, or if you know a WWII veteran who would like to participate, start the application process.

Homes for our Troops

When you think about veterans, you might think of your grandfather who served in World War II or the Korean War, but post-9/11 veterans make up 18 percent of the total veteran population. More than one in four of those veterans have a service-related disability, which makes coming home extremely difficult. Homes for our Troops builds houses for post-9/11 veterans with severe disabilities. These adapted homes give veterans some of their dignity back. There are several ways to get involved, from running a 5k to donating building materials.

Our Military Kids

Kids often suffer loneliness, anxiety, and fear while their parent is deployed. Our Military Kids supports kids from kindergarten to twelfth grade through grants to pay for activities that help them cope with the stress of having a parent in the military. You can support Our Military Kids by volunteering at events or simply donating financially. 

Veteran’s Path

Many of us are exploring mindfulness and meditation to augment our own well-being. This Veterans Day, we can support veterans in doing the same. Veteran’s Path facilitates a variety of programs that focus on helping veterans cultivate peace, acceptance, transformation, and honor through nature-based experiences that teach mindfulness and meditation techniques. Civilians can donate, or if you know a veteran who is interested in developing a meditation practice, consider sharing Veteran’s Path’s Guided Meditation library.

Categories
Fitness Advice x Motivation Sweat

How To Maintain Your Shape (And Sanity) While Recovering From An Injury

Like many women, I use habitual exercise not only as a way to stay fit and bolster my health but also as a way to keep myself from going all-out nuts. The endorphin boost, the release of anxious or angry energy, and even just the time to get out of my head and into my body are all among the reasons that exercise is way at the top of my self-care regimen.
So what happens when an unexpected injury sends you to the sidelines? You lose that all-important outlet and need to develop some new strategies to maintain your physical and emotional health.
About six years ago I developed a chronic overuse injury in my right leg (the generic term is runner’s knee) that made running, walking, and sometimes even just standing super painful. That should’ve been an indication for me to stop, right?
Well, I was stubborn, and I made that classic amateur mistake of confusing pain for the discomfort we’ve been told is part of athleticism.
I had become so reliant on long-distance, steady-state cardio for controlling my weight and keeping my anxiety in check that I just couldn’t follow doctor’s orders of staying off it long enough for it to fully heal. I kept returning too soon, re-injuring myself repeatedly for more than a year—a cycle that was vicious enough to eventually land me crying and limping into an orthopedic surgeon’s office.
What could I have done differently to help myself [linkbuilder id=”6442″ text=”stay sane”] and healthy while I needed a rest? Oh so many things.

Get your wiggles and your crazies out.

This is what I tell my toddler when she’s acting up or showing destructive behavior. I make her jump around waving her arms and legs for as long as she can before flopping over. And this is basically what I’m doing for myself when I make sure I get my workouts in.
Did you know you can become addicted to exercise, which means you might suffer withdrawal symptoms without it? Exercise has long been known to benefit a restless or depressed mind, and when you can’t get it because of injury, illness, or whatever reason, you may suffer if you don’t re-calibrate your mental health self-care to account for the missing piece.
For example, my surgeon, who happened to also be a cancer-surviving, award-winning triathlete, told me that the only way he kept his sanity when a punishing cancer treatment schedule sidelined him from triathlon training was fanatically doing crossword puzzles during his time in the hospital.
Whatever it is—meditating, getting massages, or even just obsessing over a new murder mystery series—finding other ways to stay focused, giving yourself an endorphin boost, or mitigating an unsettled mind can be key to staying sane while on a layoff from exercise.

The 411 on Active Rest

Just because you have an injury, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be completely confined to the couch.
Let me stress that you should follow doctor’s orders here, but depending on the severity and location of your injury, there may be some forms of exercise that are still available to you while you recover. Working out while working around a specific body part or group of muscles is part of the concept of cross-training, which can keep you going strong and injury free when done correctly.
For example, many common fitness injuries have to do with overuse of one muscle group or repeated pounding damage to one joint. If you find a form of activity that doesn’t exacerbate your injury (a professional trainer or physical therapist can help you with this), you’re golden.
So if you injured your knee from repetitive high impact to the joint (like I did), you might be able to cross-train by switching to cycling, swimming, aqua-jogging, or even hand-cycling if your gym has that machine. In fact, adding biking and swimming to my routine is how I made the evolution from runner and yogi to include hobby triathlete. So, silver lining? Yep.

Keeping It Tight in the Kitchen

Have you heard the phrase “you can’t outrun a bad diet”? If you’re sidelined from working out while you’re on a weight loss journey—or even just on a lifelong mission to maintain a healthy body—losing the metabolism-boosting and calorie-burning effects of exercise can feel devastating.
Still, remembering that you have control over the food you eat can put things back in perspective. If you’re burning fewer calories throughout the day because you’re resting more and exercising less (or not at all), then you can adjust your calorie intake to make sure you won’t gain weight during your recovery. And if weight and body composition is your main concern while injured, you will feel buoyed to know the results of several studies say that diet is overall more important to sustained weight loss than exercise output. The takeaway? Adjust your food intake to fit with your altered physical output and stay on track.

Getting Back out There on the Quick

No matter how much encouragement and well-meaning advice you get while you’re recovering from an injury, the fact remains that you just want to heal and get back to your grind, right?
In addition to your efforts to stay fit and positive while you allow yourself the time to heal, remember to make use of those tried and true quick recovery methods: RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation), eating nutritious meals, and even alternative recovery methods like getting massages and acupuncture have been shown to help. In the end, follow the advice from your doctor, stay focused, and know you’ll be back on top of your game soon.

Categories
Nutrition x Advice

Wondering What To Eat? Try This Before (And After) Your Next Workout!

Opting to squeeze in a last-minute workout during your lunch break instead of munching on your power bowl seems like a good idea, right? Not so fast. The truth is, you’re missing out on some major benefits if you aren’t complementing that sweat sesh with the right foods. The thing is, nutrition makes up about 80 percent of the big picture.
Our bodies directly reflect what we put in them, and missing the opportunity for proper pre- and post-workout fueling can take a major toll. With the importance of timing and nutrient specification, we’re here to break it down for you.

Food is fuel.

A healthy and balanced diet is crucial for maintaining optimum health. As everyday Wonder Women, we know how important it is to stay energized and on the go. Food is first-line, preventive medicine—the foundation on which everything else is built.
Food is made up of building blocks called micronutrients and macronutrients. Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals, and macronutrients are the well-known carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Our bodies use these nutrients to develop and repair cells and tissues, to protect against and fight sickness, and to provide enough energy for all of our activities, from juggling the chaotic workload to carpooling the kids to soccer practice.
When we throw working out into our daily routine, food becomes even more important. If kept on point, it fuels us during the exercise, allows us to develop muscle, promotes quick recovery, and even supports lean body mass. If your diet isn’t balanced, then your body won’t be either!
Consuming enough of each macronutrient is crucial, but many individuals find themselves slipping on one in particular. Protein! When you’re an avid sweater, you can’t neglect the protein. For most individuals, 1.4 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is sufficient. But if you’re resistance training and working toward weight loss, bump the intake up to 2.3 to 3.0 grams per kilogram of body weight.
It’s one of the most important factors in what we’re about to lay out for you, and you’ll see why. Let’s dig in.

Pre-Workout: Setting You up for Success

It may seem convenient to train on an empty stomach, but skipping out on that pre-workout meal can actually lead to increased catabolism (more on this later) and cortisol production. Not good, friends! Without adequate stores and readily available nutrients, your body has to rely on drawing out protein from your kidneys and liver.
This means that essential areas of muscle are lost, which can ultimately slow your metabolism down as a result—keeping you from that weight loss goal you’re going after. Instead of moving into muscle-building mode, your body has retreated into starvation mode with the high demand. Not to mention, without that boost of energy from a well-timed meal, you’ll be lacking enough energy to push through your workout with the highest intensity.
Before exercising, imagine dishing out a 2:1 ratio of carbohydrates and protein, and aim for a 1- to 2-hour window for the most benefits.
Because fats take longer to digest, try to minimize these during your pre- and post-workout meals. You want the carbohydrates and protein immediately shuttled to the muscles you’re about to torch. Mix both simple and complex carbs in this meal. The combination will give you the fast-acting energy to get you going and the lasting energy to crush your entire training session.
For simple carbs, reach for granola, toast, or a piece of fruit. Our favorites? Bananas and berries. Why not get in an added dose of those beloved micronutrients? For complex carbs, make some sweet potatoes, brown rice, oats, or quinoa. When deciding on a protein, choose leaner cuts of meat (like chicken or turkey breast), fish, or eggs. If you’re in a fruity mood, make yourself a yummy bowl with a scoop of plain Greek yogurt.

Post-Workout: Recovery Mode

After exercise, your body is wiped and begging to be replenished. You’ve emptied your glycogen stores pushing through those last few burpees, and supplying your muscles with nutrients is crucial. Protein is more important now than ever! It’s the difference between catabolism (muscle breakdown) and anabolism (muscle building).
During a workout, we make microtears in our muscles. A sufficient dose of protein helps repair those tears, stimulate further muscle growth, and keep the metabolism firing. When reaching for a carb source, make sure it’s complex. The carbs in this meal are responsible for refilling your glycogen stores and giving you an extra boost of energy to make it through that evening grocery haul and kiddo roundup.
In the same way you did with your pre-workout meal, minimize fats to ensure a quick breakdown of food and thus sustained anabolism. The key with your post-workout meal is eating (or drinking) it within a 1-hour window of finishing up. Stack your plate with some brown rice or quinoa, steamed veggies, and ultra protein sources like fish, chicken breast, or tempeh. If you’re on a time clock and rushing out of the gym, gulp down a smoothie to get the job done. We have a quick and delicious option below!

Time to Grub

Here are a few examples of meals and snacks we’re loving. Remember, there’s no need to get fancy. Just nourish your body with the foods it needs to flourish. Make these items in bulk ahead of time so they’re easy to grab when you’re on the go.

Pre-Workout

  • Cinnamon-baked sweet potato + chicken breast
  • Oatmeal with a handful of fresh blueberries + hard-boiled eggs
  • Plain Greek yogurt + a sprinkling of granola + banana

Post-Workout

  • Brown rice + steamed broccoli + lemon-baked salmon
  • Quinoa + black beans + tempeh
  • Ezekiel toast + tuna salad (opt for hummus over mayo to keep it clean!)
  • Smoothie: Oats + strawberries + cacao powder + plant-based protein powder (with a bit of water or almond milk for your desired consistency)