Tag: healthy lifestyle

Happy New Year! Here’s What to Expect From Arsenic & Old Place This Year

Happy New Year, you guys! Just like everybody, I’m super excited that 2020 finally came to an end, and I’m even more excited about what the future holds. Coronavirus has truly rocked our lives and turned the world as we know it upside down. That being said, I’m always looking for a silver lining. Even though our lives have changed so drastically, there are definitely a few things that remain the same. Not only are these things the same, but they’ve become more important than ever. Wellness, self-care, nutrition, gratitude, physical, and emotional fitness are all going to play a major role in our journey through 2021.

As always, I will continue to share with you all of my favorite recipes, tips for self-care, and of course, the best in interior design inspiration. I’ve been cooking up a storm in the kitchen, testing out different self-care options, as well as home fitness solutions, and redesigning spaces to function for all the things. Seriously, we have so much to talk about! If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that we have the opportunity and the tools to think differently about the ways in which we maintain our health and wellness, the ways in which our immediate environments work for (or against us), and the ways that our choices affect our community and the world. Let’s go, 2021!

The Meal Planning App That Will Replace Your Takeout Addiction

So you’re not hallucinating and this certainly isn’t an April Fool’s joke. I’m officially over the worst of my seasonal Winter blues, out of hibernation, and super excited to share my latest obsession with you! Let’s just get right to it, shall we?! Mealime is changing the game for me right now, and I just have to let you in on the secret.

I’m always on the hunt for the perfect solution for my meal planning woes. To be honest, I’d rather have a personal chef that just magically knows what I want to eat, does all the grocery shopping, organizes my pantry and fridge, prepares my dinner, packs the leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch (so I’m wasting virtually no food), tells me the nutritional facts of every meal, and of course does all of this for free.

Until now, the closest I’ve come to this dream is my short-lived love of meal kit services. Companies like Blue Apron take most of the guess work out of meal planning. Fresh ingredients, portioned out, and delivered directly to your door, all with easy to follow recipes. What’s not to love? The price, y’all. The price. There’s no denying that meal kits are a great solution for busy, indecisive folks like myself, but the price makes them totally unjustifiable for my wallet… and I still have to cook?!  Sigh. *immediately opens Seamless app to get takeout* There’s gotta be a better way, right?

Meal Planning Made Simple

Enter Mealime! Mealime is a free (yes, free) meal planning app that makes meal planning easy, efficient, and dare I say, fun. All you have to do is:

  • create a profile
  • specify any dietary restrictions/food allergies (vegetarian or nah?, peanuts or life?)
  • scratch off ingredients you don’t like (I’m looking at you, eggplant)
  • choose some meals from an automatically generated list of delicious meals
  • import that grocery list to Instacart or Amazon Fresh.

Of course you still have to cook, but meal planning seriously does not get any easier. Ready to change your life? Download it for android or ios. And for the commitment-phobic, test out the entire Mealime process with this recipe (my new favorite)… And for the gravely commitment-phobic, just check out the pics below!

You're not locked into a set number of meals — you can choose as many or as few as you want.

 

5 Self Care Podcasts to Inspire Your Practice

As our lives become increasingly more chaotic with a steady diet of bad news, overwhelmingly divisive rhetoric, and a never ending stream of work emails pouring into our phones even after business hours, the need for self care has never been more important. I’m sure you’ve heard that the path to self care is paved with aromatherapy candles and soft bath towels. You’ve heard that all you need to do to travel that path is to unplug for a while and meditate. The fact of the matter is, it’s just as impossible to meditate while crammed on a Manhattan bound, rush hour 2 train as it is to get more than 10 minutes to yourself on a busy weeknight.

Self care is a little more complex than all that. That’s not to say that ritual baths and relaxation aren’t a necessary part of self care. Intention is key. It’s not about escaping, it’s about letting go of what is standing in the way of your overall well-being. Whether it’s anxiety and mental health, or lack of sleep and feeling overwhelmed, we all have challenges in our lives that can’t be ignored. So as part of my self care practice, I’ve been listening to some mind blowing podcasts. These self care podcasts offer honest conversations and real life strategies for improving overall wellness. Here are some of my favorites!

Sarah James, a lifestyle blogger and self-help aficionado, and her bestie Kristen Howerton, a writer and psychotherapist, tackle the tricky and often elusive aspects of caring for ourselves on the weekly podacst, Selfie. Their conversations explore questions like: Why don’t I eat the way I should? How do I get enough sleep? What aspects of my personality make self-care tricky? And what’s the best way to deal with pubic hair? From the silly to the serious, Kristen and Sarah are taking a vulnerable and often humorous look at body, mind and spirit . . . and maybe a touch of the random, all while looking at the distractions and defenses that keep us from caring for ourselves like we should.

Untangle is the meditation podcast produced by the Meditation Studio app. This podcast features interviews with experts who have devoted their lives to helping others through meditation.

In this podcast series, Fearne Cotton, author of the bestseller Happy: Finding Joy in Every Day and Letting Go of Perfect, interviews inspiring individuals who have either made a change in their own lives or who help people every day to find a different way of looking at life.

On Make Light, bestselling author, speaker, and photographer Karen Walrond interviews light-seekers and light-makers from around the world, learning how they live with intention and a sense of adventure.

On the Mom Hour, Megan Francis and Sarah Powers, two moms with eight kids between them from preschool to teen, take on parenting topics and issues related to motherhood in a tone that is reassuring and real— with lots of room for laughter.

Wellness: 5 Realistic Tips for a More Restful Sleep

When I first heard about Gwyneth Paltrow’s clean sleeping trend last year, I couldn’t help but scoff a little bit. I mean, seriously.  I imagine her being hermetically sealed into an anti-ageing, oxygen chamber while a fleet of Oompa Loompas work frantically to make sure that her sleep isn’t disturbed by any outside distractions. Meanwhile, in my world filled with all the Wangdoodles and Snozzwangers, and rotten, Vermicious Knids, quality sleep is often an unattainable luxury. In fairness, Paltrow’s suggestion that we should lay off of our phones and TV before bed is probably all kinds of true, but she totally loses me when she starts talking about copper pillowcases.

That being said, I know that quality sleep is extremely important when it comes to overall wellness, but I had to take a more realistic approach than giving up on electronics because, you know, Netflix doesn’t just binge watch itself at 1 am. I started by doing a complete overhaul of my bedding, with a new mattress, new pillows and, sigh, full disclosure, I even bought one of those copper pillowcases which is kind of amazing to sleep on. Well played, Gwyneth, well played. But what next? I thought for sure that I’d become one of those morning people that can just pop up out of bed all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Hardly. Though I felt way more rested than I have in years, I still felt a little groggy. Here’s what I was missing. Sleep is as vital to wellness as exercise and diet, so it should be treated as such. The careful design that goes into your workout of choice and your meal plan should also go into your unique sleep routine.

  • Go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning.

We’re not kids anymore, so bed time doesn’t have to be at 8pm, but establishing a consistent sleep schedule that works within your schedule and not against it, will train your body to wake and rise with ease. Circadian rhythm and other science type stuff, y’all.

  • Establish an evening bed time ritual

Truth: I love rituals. Candles, aromatherapy, meditating, herbal tea. I think I was a witch, or worse yet a hippie, in a former life. Anyway, a nice chamomile tea and a homemade sleep spray are just what the shaman ordered.

  • Snack Intelligently

I absolutely can not fall asleep on an empty stomach. I know I’m not alone. But instead of reaching for a three course meal at midnight, eat foods that actually help increase your body’s melatonin without weighing you down. Think pineapples, bananas, oranges, oats, yogurt, or trail mix.

  • Rage against your sleep tracker

Not a band name, y’all, it’s a battle cry. Because one thing’s for sure: if your sleep tracker is causing you stress, you should probably stop paying so much attention to it. We all feel this need to compile as much data as we can to fix some problem. These sleep tracker apps tell us all the details of our sleep cycle. Each disruption. Each second of sleep we missed. Fact: worrying about that data will cause anxiety that will keep you restless. It’s like looking at your throat when you’re sick. Is it really any redder than it was when you were perfectly healthy? Ignore the data for a bit and just listen to your body.

  • If all else fails…

Invest in some technology that helps you drift off to dreamland. White noise machines will help drown out all the ridiculousness, like some dude speeding down Linden Blvd. blasting trap music at 3am. Air purifiers are also a must have especially if you’re noticeably congested every morning. Try using this 2-in-1 air purifying, white noise machine available on Amazon or Wayfair.

4 Wellness Rituals to Start Today

There’s been a lot of talk about self care recently. While it may sound super indulgent at first glance what with all the emphasis on ‘me time’, it is an essential part of physical and mental health. If you’ve ever felt like you have nothing left to give, like you’re emotionally and physically exhausted, or even like you just need a moment to get away, you already know how important self care is for you and everyone else around you. There is no shame in hitting the reset button. There’s no shame in trying to keep all the cogs and wheels in your mind and body running as smoothly as possible. That’s essentially what all this ‘me time’ talk is hinting at.

There’s no one-size-fits-all method for self care. Sometimes it’s as simple as lighting a candle and meditating. Sometimes it’s as painful as confronting the obstacles that we put in our own way. Whatever method of self care we choose, the fact of the matter is, we just need to find the rituals or habits that allow us to be our best selves. The mind and body are inextricably connected. We have to nurture both. Here are 3 suggestions for self care that you can incorporate today!

Drink warm lemon water every morning

As a coffee drinker, I completely understand if you hesitate on this one, but if I can do it you can too! Warm lemon water, detoxifies and hydrates the body, aids digestion, and gives you a nice kick of Vitamin C. Just squeeze the juice from a fresh lemon into a mug of warm water and enjoy.

Start a gratitude journal

I used to think journaling was something you did just to vent out deeply repressed frustration. Not so! There is so much to be thankful for and sometimes we lose sight of it. Each morning, take a few minutes to jot down a quick list of things you’re grateful for to kick the day off with a positive frame of mind. Seriously, a gratitude journal will remind you to be happy and keep you grounded.

Try Oil Pulling

Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic tradition that is primarily for oral health, but is also known to vastly improve overall health. Oil pulling is said to boost energy, clear up the skin, alleviate headaches, and much more. Swish a tablespoon of organic coconut oil in your mouth for 15-20 minutes first thing in the morning. Spit it out in the toilet or in the garbage to avoid clogging your drains. Rinse your mouth out and start your day!

Dry Brush Your Skin

This is another Ayurvedic tradition that has a ton of benefits. Not only does dry brushing stimulate the lymphatic system, it promotes detoxification, improves circulation, and you guessed it, it exfoliates your skin. Using a brush with natural bristles take an extra few minutes before your regular shower routine to dry brush. Beginning at your feet, gently brush in upward strokes working your way up toward your heart. Shower as usual. You’ll totally feel the difference.

Again, there is no right or wrong blueprint for self care. Don’t hate on yourself if you’d rather take a bubble bath than do any of the things on this list. Find what’s right for you and start today! Your future self will thank you.