Post-Labor Day Lifehacking

So you just went on a 3-day bender, whether that means entertaining relatives and friends non-stop, or if you just cracked open a beer on Friday night and planted yourself in one spot until Tuesday morning started peeking through the clouds. Either way, it's tough coming back to work and keeping it all together after a long weekend. Here are a few quick ways to tackle the week and look great doing it.

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Breakfast for the Week
Use the last $2 you found in the couch to buy a dozen eggs. Put them all in a pot, cover with water, and set on the stove to boil. Once the water boils turn off the pot and let the water cool while you ponder your life choices. Put the eggs in a bowl and stick it in the fridge for easy access. Voila!
BONUS: Tap the top and bottom of the egg on a table and pick off a small section of shell. Seal your mouth around one end and blow as hard as you can. The shell will pop right off, no peeling necessary.

Keep your hair looking great

Slept too late to shower? The hair closest to your face is what gets the greasiest. While you're washing your face, wash your bangs or just the section of your hair immediately surrounding your face with the same soap and water. Comb out and blow dry for a 5-minute fix.

BONUS: Lucky enough to have long hair? Grab the unused chopsticks from your chinese takeout to make an updo. Pull your hair into a ponytail, and hold the stick on either side of the tail, pointy ends sticking up. Wrap the ponytail around the sticks until it's like a bun. Then flip the sticks over and press the pointy ends down through the middle of your ponytail to hold in place.

Stay alert

Having trouble staying awake? Now is a great time to try out a standing desk. There are lots of quick fixes to change the height of your desk. Put your computer on a bookshelf, put an end table on top of your regular desk or raise the height of your computer with the old stack of Windows for Dummies manuals gathering dust in the corner. Constantly moving and shifting your weight while you stand will keep you alert.

BONUS: Walk over to your coworker's desk instead of sending an email when you have a question. If you have a meeting, propose a walking meeting where you walk outside or even down the hall while you discuss the topic of the day.

Hopefully all these tips will keep you on your A-Game while you power through the rest of the week. Until next time, keep it clean!

Fall Into Heathly Routines

   Depending on where you are in the country, fall is well underway. With the cooling temperatures, comes a sense of change and newness. Fall is a time of transformation, the temperature drops and the leaves start to turn color, before ascending to the ground below. With this seasonal shift, however, it is important to remain grounded to ensure you get the most out of this time of change.

   Ayurveda is the ancient "science of life" that defines and separates people into three main categories, called doshas. The dosha most prevalent in the fall is vata. This dosha corresponds with the elements air and space, and is associated with the nervous system. Therefore, if a vata imbalance is to occur, it can greatly affect your mental state - that is why it is so important to stay grounded! Here are a few ways to help keep your vata balanced this season:

Yoga

   Yoga is recommended for each type of dosha, but especially when a vata balance is at stake. During this season, you want to choose asanas that focus on the lungs and large intestine. Also, you'll want to keep a routine and try to do yoga for the same amount of time (at the same time) each day. A few poses that are very beneficial this season are: Twists (twisted sage pose), Side Stretches (head-to-knee forward bend), Backbends (camel pose), Warrior poses, and Sun Salutations (to keep your body warm)!

Diet

   During the fall, you want to focus on warming foods to keep vata balanced. Hot teas and warm soups are extremely beneficial during these cooling months. Avoid raw, uncooked food as it has a tendency to cause vata imbalance. Eat foods that are warm, moist, and cooked in oil, butter, or ghee. Eating root vegetables helps to ground and connects you to the earth, so focus on these in your stews and soups. Keep in mind that salty, sweet, and sour tastes are calming to vata, so plan your meals accordingly.

Lifestyle

   Routines are always helpful, but more so when vata is present. You'll want to keep strict on your waking and sleeping schedules, aim to be in bed before midnight if you can. It is recommended you be asleep by 10pm, which some might be able to do but with most people's work/life schedules I think it's a bit unlikely these days. Regardless, you want to make sure you get the minimum 6 hours of sleep to ensure proper rest. Aim to meditate for at least 10 minutes upon waking and just before going to sleep. I like to YouTube guided meditations like this one. During the colder months, you want to use body oils to keep the skin moist and supple. This also reduces the vata emotions of anxiety, depression, fear, and nervousness.

   These are just a few of the beneficial practices you can use to keep yourself grounded and balanced this season.  I hope you have learned something new and encourage you to look further into Ayurvedic living. Think warm, happy thoughts and have a wonderful fall day! :)
   
   

Cooking with the Right Materials

The most important place to start making your home healthy is in the kitchen. We all know about healthy foods, but what about what you use to cook with? Here are a few tips on the best materials to use.

Cleaning and Disinfecting
Of course, clean surfaces are a must when cooking and preparing food. However, soaps and sprays can leave residue on dishes and cutting boards and can seep into your food while you're making it. For washing your dishes, use food-safe and natural soaps. Dr. Bronner's is a good example of a very simple natural soap that is safe for food contact. Borax and baking soda are also great when mixed as a powder for dishwashers. For cutting boards and countertops, spray first with vinegar and then again with hydrogen peroxide and wipe dry for a cleanser that is as effective as bleach at killing germs but completely pet and child safe.

Plastics, Teflon and Aluminum, Oh My!
Each of these materials, when heated, have extremely harmful side effects. That is, microwaving leftovers in a plastic container, making pancakes in a non-stick skillet and using baking powder with aluminum all increase your risk of cancer. The chemicals that each of these materials release when heated are absorbed into your body and stay there. Non-stick surfaces emit gases when heated that are harmful when inhaled and are known to be dangerous and even fatal to pets, especially pet birds. Aluminum is a known neurotoxin that has been linked to Alzheimer's and breast cancer. Bisphenol-A, or BPA, found in plastics is an endocrine disrupting toxin. This means that it mimics hormones naturally found in your body and throws them off balance, which can cause neurological problems, cancer and surprisingly, obesity. BPA is also often found in items like canned beans and shower curtains. Cook your canned foods the old fashioned way to save a little money and a lot of exposure.

The Right Materials
Sticking with natural materials is the surest way to eschew any potential chemicals in your food and home, and is also much better for the environment. Reuse spaghetti sauce and pickle jars for storage. Use ceramic or stoneware dishes, and if you microwave your food put a plate or a towel on top to prevent splatter instead of plastic wrap or plastic storage containers. Look for cast iron cookware (the iron that is released into your food from iron skillets is actually akin to taking an iron supplement) and use glass, ceramic or stoneware dishes for baking. Glass cooks evenly and similarly to aluminum, and cast iron is great for baked goods as it heats evenly to create breads that are crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. Non-stick surfaces seem helpful, but it is far better for you to eat a little healthy fat from greasing a pan (use olive, sesame, coconut or safflower oils) than to be exposed to a chemical. And remember to always use new grease when cooking. Reusing and reheating fats can break them down and turn them into hydrogenated and trans fats, which are very bad for your heart and your waistline.

Updating your kitchen and avoiding harmful materials is easy and one of the best steps you can take to a healthy happy home. With these simple basic tips, you'll be well on your way to a simpler and healthier meal time. Until next time!

Feng Shui Your Way Into A Wealthier You!

     Many of us make plans each new year to make changes in our lives! Whether it be dieting, saving money, or being a better person - we all struggle throughout the year to actually make those things happen! One of the hot topics for all American's is the economy. The massive U.S. budget deficit is the gravest threat facing the economy, topping high unemployment and the risk of inflation or deflation. Today I read an article online with some interesting ideas, and I'm going to pass these ideas onto you to help improve the number one concern of all Americans: increasing your income!

     Well, that is a good question! We've all heard this term, and are familiar with it, but have we actually taken the time to learn what it means? Never fear, because I did some research so we can all understand it more clearly. "Feng Shui is an ancient art and science developed over 3,000 years ago in China. It is a complex body of knowledge that reveals how to balance the energies of any given space to assure the health and good fortune for people inhabiting it. Feng Shui is based on the Taoist vision and understanding of nature, particularly on the idea that the land is alive and filled with Chi, or energy. The ancient Chinese believed that the land's energy could either make or break the kingdom, so to speak."

     The first and most important step to using Feng Shui to help increase your financial resources is your attitude! By using energy to help increase wealth, you are counting on cosmic forces to bring you positive results! If you go into this experience with a negative attitude, how can you ever expect this method to work for you? It absolutely won't. You must BELIEVE that wealth and good fortune are coming your way; otherwise all other steps are null and void. Next, Choose the right charm. This step is also very important. The charm doesn’t have to be anything specific, just something that you associate with wealth. Even if others don’t understand what a particular charm has to do with wealth, remember, it is your space and it’s up to how you associate the item.

      It is very important that you avoid filling the home with items you don’t associate with wealth. This has everything to do with keeping the right positive attitude! If your parents bought a particular grocery product when you were a child and in the back of your mind, you associated that product with being poor (we all know Ramen is the food of poor college students), stop buying that product. The same can be said for clothes shopping. You don’t have to go out and buy a designer wardrobe, but just try to keep in mind when you’re out to cover yourself in brands that you don’t associate with being poor. It may not sound like much, but you must convince yourself that you are worthy of wealth before wealth will come to you. For example, if you're going out to the grocery store, carry yourself differently. Maybe in stead of going in your pj's (like I commonly do) - comfortable casuals would be a good alternative.

      

     Keep in mind that the true objective of Feng Shui is to harness the Chi of the local environment to support us in our goals and desires. It is a science and practice of looking at the quality of a person's life by looking at their living environment and seeking to improve that quality of life by tapping into the natural energies in that environment. This can have an impact on gaining new opportunities and being able to take advantage of them as they arise. Although everyone wants to improve their finances and and make more money, the first thing to review and improve is overall health and happiness. If you don't have those two items, the improvement in finances may be wasted. I hope all our laundry fanatics take these tips to heart! Who doesn't love a little extra cash in their pocket, and a happier lifestyle? I know I sure do! Until next time: live long, prosper, and most of all, keep it clean! :)