Aside from the fact that they taste amazing, these bars are pure and simple. There is a plethora of bars to choose from and each one contains no more than 9 ingredients. My very first Lara Bar was the peanut butter chocolate chip! It makes a great after meal dessert. I felt reassured to see that it only contained dates, peanuts, chocolate chips, sea salt, sugar, coco butter and vanilla. Even further, I know these ingredients! I've picked up snack bars before and didn't know half the ingredients on the list, let alone how to pronounce them. The only downfall about this particular bar (peanut butter chocolate chip) is that it contains a lot of sugar. But not to fear, there are a lot more options out there.
The month of May has believe it or not come to a close. Amid the pressures of finals, responsibilities of work, and impulses to party I have managed to keep track of my diet and exercise progress. Above is a picture of my gigantic sticky post-it where I wrote down what I ate throughout the day and the type/duration of my workout. Most importantly, I used smiley faces to indicate how I felt that day according to how I ate and exercised.
Day One
Here is an example of what I wrote in each box. I broke up the day according to breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner. Lastly, I logged the time of each workout and what type it was. In the picture of "Day One" I had some great balanced meals and did a full workout. The big smiley face shows that I felt great that day; the tummy felt flat and I didn't feel sleepy. Win!
Day Seven
But I need to remind you all that I'm not perfect. There were plenty of times that I fell off the healthy bandwagon! Consider "Day Seven", in which I went on a sugar spree...a chia muffin, red velvet cake slice, and a debbie cake! Oh gosh. That day received a huge frowning face. However, at least I did 15 minutes of toning exercises and had a decent breakfast and lunch.
Tracking my daily habits was such a valuable tool for several reasons. One, it was motivating because I wanted to fill up the boxes with great choices and accomplishments. My best week was May 12-18 because I worked out for six whole days in a row! I don't think I've ever done that before. The point is that I became used to it and wanted to feel accomplished. I felt great that week :) Second, because I tracked my mood in correlation with diet and exercise it encouraged a consciousness mindset, in which I could ask; was that sugar rampage was worth it?
Going forward into the month of June while I want to continue tracking my diet and exercise, I would also like to add a checklist of questions such as:
Did I eat to optimize digestion today?
Did I make thoughtful decisions about my meal choices?
Did I challenge my body physically?
I believe that these questions reflect my core philosophies about a balanced healthy lifestyle, which include respecting our natural digestion processes, thinking before eating, and training my body to love movement.
Have you ever taken a bite into a corn on the cob that tasted so sweet you couldn't help but close your eyes and smile? As I was reading the New York Times article "Breeding Nutrition Out of Food"by Jo Robinson I reminisced about that exact feeling. However, I was shocked by the cultural and historical explanation for why Americans cherish sweet corn. Past farmers naturally chose to grow fruits and vegetables that tasted sweet because it was pleasurable to eat. However, the sweetness of our present day fruits and vegetables indicate a lack of phytonutrients and an abundance of sugar and starch.
What is phytonutrients, you ask? Phytonutrients serve as compounds to fight against cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and dementia. The bottom line is that they help prevent disease. The presence of phytonutrients is largely tied to a bitter tasting fruit/vegetable. So while us Americans chow down on sugary infested sweet corn, it's because we don't like bitter tastes such as the ancestor corn teosinte. Because of the preference for sweet corn, this trend caused early European settlers to grow sweet yellow corn. Unfortunately yellow corn lacks the phytonutrient anthocyanin.
CORN
I love this article because it sends the pressing message that we should reconsider the varieties of fruits and vegetables that we eat in order to optimize our health. Also, it ponders the path of evolution in regards to humans and their diet. Should we sacrifice taste for health? I think it's important for our society to be conscious about why we eat the foods that we do. If you want to steer your diet towards the path of nutrient dense foods then consider eating arugula and scallions, which are high in phytonutrients. Also, add herbs such as Italian parsley and basil into your next meal because they are also packed with phytonutrients. Lastly, check out these amazing diagrams from the New York Times article that illustrate the difference of phytonutrients among carrots, potatoes, corn, and greens.
I've been in the retail game for over a year and a half now. I swear I could write a book on the top most annoying customer habits. While retailers strive to create the "customer experience", perhaps we are doing too much and instead creating added stress on employees and customers. For example, If I'm trained to follow a customer around and probe you with a million "engaging" questions, what normal person actually enjoys me being up in your business? Usually old ladies who have all the time in the world and like the attention (no offense to old ladies). Here's my issue. While I understand that retailers want to drive sales through an impractical model of customer engagement, I believe that it creates added stress. The creation of stress can have a big range. More specifically, If I'm greeting a customer and they don't even glance my way, that's annoying. I know you heard me. Or if I try to ask a customer a question about a customer they are clearly looking at and they respond with "I'm just looking". I'm sorry, did I ask you if you were just "looking" or about the the product.
At this point I think it's best to stop my angry rant and think about this in a critical way. The bottom line is that capitalism is stressful. We are bombarded everyday with a plethora of ads and promotions from retailers telling us to buy now and save! Every time I see one of those e-mails my mind goes through a series of conversations; is that really a bargain, should I be spending or saving my money, do I really need another pair of shoes? After a while it can become extremely overwhelming!
I think it's important to think about the intentions behind retailers. Are we really here to make your shopping experience warm or fuzzy, or do we simply just want you to buy more? So if the retail world can create this stress, how do we combat it? I feel as if it is best to first understand the intentions of retailers and the driving forces of capitalism. Perhaps, we can also keep in mind some succinct words of wisdom such as "back to the basics". Capitalism wants you to consume more than you need, it doesn't encourage simplicity. And one last thing, be conscious of your spending habits. I like to keep a log of what I spend daily and keep to a budget. It's a great way to slow down and think about what you really need instead of succumbing to impulsive spending habits.
What's a better way to get you through that mid-week hump than glowing skin? One of my favorite pieces of skincare advice has to be the manuka honey mask.
Manuka honey is different than your typical honey in a bear jar. It's unpasteurized, meaning it retains its potent and powerful dose of anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. This is a beneficial and rewarding product for those who struggle with acne breakouts or irritated skin. I recommend incorporating this mask into your skincare routine about once a week. First, cleanse your skin with a gentle cleanser, apply to skin for about 15 minutes, then rinse off with lukewarm water. However, this is some pretty sticky stuff so I recommend using a warm washcloth to help dissolve the honey first and then gently wipe off. If you feel as if a washcloth is too harsh, try using reusable cloth baby diapers (sounds weird but they're super soft!). After you take the mask off proceed with the rest of your skincare routine.
You'll feel soft, clean, and look glowing!
Remember, be sure to buy any manuka honey product that has the number 16 on it (it's the most powerful one). You can get this product online or at whole foods.
It's official, I am no longer a gym member. I will certainly not miss the smell of sweat, or the naked old ladies in the locker room (no offense), or egotistical men grunting after every set. The habit of working out somehow died between pre Christmas and post new years eve. I kept asking myself why couldn't I muster up the energy to go to the gym!!! Then I came to the realization that not only did I not feel motivated, I also dreaded the environment of the gym. So after 15 minutes on hold with NYSC I finally cancelled my overpriced membership.
Now I am proudly $69 dollars less broke a month, yay! I have to say that working out at home is way more enjoyable. I am in control of the environment I create. For example, I love to open my curtains wide to let the sun in and burn a lavender (L'Occitane, of course) candle to set a zen mood. Also, I use MY equipment. Not any that someone sweated all over. Even better, I can maximize my workout time by cutting down on 30 minutes of travel time to and from the gym. Another great benefit about working out at home is that I have the confidence to try new workouts I find online or in magazines without feeling self conscious. And last but not least, I can hop into the shower post workout, get ready and go!
If you don't have any equipment at home, it is well worth the investment! My essentials include a yoga mat, 5 lb weights, a resistance band and a Pilates stability cushion. All pieces that will cost you $40 and under if you search amazon or websites on google. However, it's totally up to you what essentials will benefit and motivate you the most to workout at home.
Remember, if you keep your equipment out in open sight then you're more likely to be reminded that you should get some workout time in!
It's probably likely that you've picked up a food package or skincare product with the word "antioxidant" printed on the label. It sure sounds fancy and healthy, but what is it?! The concept of an antioxidant is so simple yet complex. I promise you don't need to be a science whiz to be skincare savvy. Let's start with the term "free radical". A free radical is an atom with unpaired electrons. That free radical will then start to oxidize. As a result, the free radical atom will steal electrons from healthy cells. Eventually, many healthy cells will turn into free radicals as well. Free radicals can originate from environmental stressors such as pollution and sun damage. In the long-term, if the skin does not receive a hefty dose of antioxidants then breakdown of collagen occurs, DNA can mutate, and the skin cannot heal itself properly. Scary!
For anyone who lives in a polluted city like me, I sure don't want my healthy skin cells damaged. The power of antioxidants is certainly a popular trend. Antioxidants are so important because they are capable of donating electrons to the free radicals. It's proven that antioxidants can slow down free radical damage in order to improve elasticity in the skin, build collagen, and reduce sun damage. Overall, antioxidants are a fabulous way to regenerate healthier skin cells.
You've probably already heard of a couple of antioxidants like the famous vitamin C or vitamin E. Here are a couple of antioxidant superstars:
Vitamin C: evens skin tone and texture, repairs and maintains collagen
Vitamin E: heals burns, protects the skin from early signs of ultraviolet sun damage
