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Showing posts from July 11, 2017

9 Ways Opposites Attract

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HAPPY ANNIVERSARY  to my better half!! Tomorrow, July 12th , marks NINE  years of marriage – and Mal and I haven’t killed each other yet! Kidding, kidding! Mal and I actually get along really well and, as cheesy as it may sound, we are truly the best of friends. We share the same vision and goals for our life together, and we have the same outlook and views with regard to a lot of things. We’re also both Geminis, so we totally “get it” when it comes to our different personalities/mood swings and how to deal with them! Even though we’re quite similar, we couldn’t be more different when it comes to a certain aspects of our lives. Since we’re celebrating nine years tomorrow, I’m sharing nine ways that Mal and I share quite the opposite take on how to do/think about things. We actually brainstormed this list together and had quite the good laugh about it, which just goes to show you that our “opposite” personalities do attract and make for a fun/interesting/wonderful relationship! Th

Home Sweet Home

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^^Girl hike with Sarah yesterday! As usual, I came home from our trip craving fresh healthy food. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world when I walked into my house hungry and tired on Sunday evening to find the fridge filled with goodies. Both Sarah and Thomas’s mom house sat for us while we were gone, and those caring, sweet women stocked the fridge with food, from healthy prepared salads, a rotisserie chicken and meatballs for us to have for dinner Sunday night to half and half for morning coffee and even cans of seltzer and bubbly! Wouldn’t a great business be to be able to order a healthy dinner and a few staples to have in your fridge when you return from vacation? I’d be all over that! (P.S. I cleaned my fridge from top to bottom the day before we left when it was empty, so it felt extra sparkly when I got back!) We have been eating well these past few days! Last night’s dinner of chicken, rice, and a home-made kale salad with sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, red peppers,

7 Relaxing Yoga Poses to Unwind

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Today’s guest post is offered up by Jessica Gouthro of PaleoHacks.com . I feel like midsummer calls for some good R&R. Enjoy the chance to kick back and relax with her routine, everyone. A simple restorative yoga practice can teach you to truly relax your body, tune in with your breath, and calm your stressed-out mind. Restorative yoga uses props to aid in physical, mental, and emotional relaxation. As you do these poses, keep in mind the goal is not to “work hard” like you might do in a traditional flow yoga class. The goal is to get comfortable, hold still, and allow your mind to slow down and the tension to release from all areas of your body. In this practice, we’ll use a mat, a chair, and a rolled-up blanket for some moves, but you can also use a pillow or bolster in place of the blanket and/or the edge of your bed or couch in place of the chair. If you are feeling stressed, give these 7 postures a try and feel the results for yourself. Supported Child’s Pose Kneel o

6 Little Tricks to Prevent Vacation Weight Gain

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With summer in full swing, I’m daydreaming about the travels I have planned for the season — including a couple of weeks in Europe — and about ways to make my travels healthier too. The tactic I’m using for part of my Europe trip: renting an apartment. This allows me to prep breakfast and even dinners — plus, I get the bonus of getting to cook with local produce! When my boyfriend and I were visiting the Pacific Northwest last summer, we whipped up the most delicious meal in our apartment rental, using mushrooms and huckleberries from a local farmers’ market.   To help you have the healthiest vacation possible, I rounded up top tips from my dietitian colleagues. I hope you put them to good use!   Load up on local produce. Hello, papaya and passion fruit! “Resort and cruise buffets are jam packed with fruits, vegetables, as well as lean protein options, which can help you feel full on fewer calories,” says Marisa Moore, RDN, owner of Marisa Moore Nutrition.  “Fill up on those food

Is Coconut Oil Healthy? The Controversy Explained

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You probably read the recent headlines…  “Coconut oil isn’t healthy. It’s never been healthy” ~ USA Today “Nutrition experts warn coconut oil is on par with beef fat, butter” ~ Chicago Tribune “This popular health food is worse for you than pork lard” ~ Daily Star “Coconut Oil Isn’t As Healthy As We Thought, According To Depressing New Study” ~ Elite Daily And wondering to yourself “What the heck is going on?”… “I thought coconut oil was healthy”…”Crap, coconut oil is another fake health fad?” Well you are not alone, it seems the entire Internet freaked out at this “news” and for good reason.  As you can probably imagine, my email and phone has been blowing up about all this – even my Mom sent me a text wondering if it was true. I know it’s frustrating when there is so much conflicting health information being fired at us from all directions. How can we know what to believe? How can we know we’re getting accurate advice? Who should we listen to? How can we expect to get he

The Southern Living Idea House

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If you are a reader of Southern Living , you know every year they do an Idea House. A few years ago it was built in Charlottesville (although sadly I never got a chance to go through), and this year it is at Bald Head ! Tickets to tour the house were $15, and I couldn’t wait to go inside. You can tour it through the early fall I believe, so if you are near the island, it would be a fun extra to add to a day trip over. I have adored going through model homes since I was little. In fact, my family used to hunt them out just to walk through them. Since the house I grew up in was built in 1833, I have always loved the crisp, fresh feel of a brand new house. The Idea House was gorgeous inside and out! The porches were just stunning, and I loved all the cottage-y details. The living room had windows on three sides and was filled with so much natural light. I loved the pops of coral, and I thought the light fixtures were the show stoppers. The porch off the living room and kitchen wa