February 11, 2013
I generally feel pretty good about what I put into my body but as you already know, one habit that I didn’t feel great about was my daily coffee habit, or shall I say my old coffee habit. While some people are completely fine drinking coffee, I found that my daily caffeine jolt was starting to interfere with my sleep. Not good. Since I’m a huge proponent of getting at least 7 quality hours of sleep a night to stay healthy (and avoid the flu that’s been spreading like wildfire), I was getting really concerned. So, I decided to quit coffee for a while and see how I felt. But I knew it wouldn’t be easy, so I did a bit of research and enlisted a couple of assistants to make my transition to a coffee-free life a little bit easier. Since I know I’m not alone when it comes to quitting or reducing coffee intake, I’m hopeful that some of these old and new favorites will help you out!
1. Teeccino - I know I’ve mentioned this one before, but since I’ve been drinking coffee daily since high school, I knew I would really miss the taste. To avoid falling back into my old habits, I bought a box of this dandelion-based herbal tea in December. It does a pretty good job of replicating the taste of coffee. Right now, my favorite flavor is French Mocha. Oh and it’s actually really good for you too – dandelion root tea is well-known for supporting your liver function and is full of antioxidants. So its the perfect option for those of you who want to reward your liver for working so hard on the weekends (…and/or weeknights).
2. Matcha Green Tea - This is an amazing way to still get your caffeine fix, albeit at a much reduced scale. Also, it doesn’t hurt that matcha green tea is ridiculously good for you. Like all types of green tea, matcha is filled with a ton of antioxidants with benefits that range from fat loss to preventing cancer. But since you are actually consuming the entire tea leaf, as opposed to simply steeping the leaves in hot water, your body is getting much more of these health benefits. Matcha does have a bit of caffeine, so I still feel energized throughout my day, but not to the point where I have issues falling asleep. I personally love David’s Tea Grand Cru Matcha.
3. Choffy - A 100% cacao bean beverage. Choffy is so rich and delicious that you might feel like you are having dessert! But it is completely guilt-free; like Teeccino and matcha green tea, Choffy is filled with a ton of antioxidants. According to their website, there are more antioxidants in a cup of Choffy than 2 servings of blueberries, so drink up and enjoy the natural chocolate-y goodness.
Categorized Nutrition
Tagged Choffy, David's Tea, Matcha Green Tea, Teeccino
February 4, 2013
A healthy diet, adequate hydration and getting enough rest go a long way in improving the quality of your skin. You would be incredibly surprised what getting 8 hours of sleep does for your complexion! If you suffer from insomnia or are simply too wired to sleep, here are some of my favorite ways to wind down and get a better night’s rest.
1. Branche Silk Eye Masque: For those of us who can’t afford black out shades (or live in city that never sleeps), an eye mask goes a long way. I never thought that ambient light bothered me very much, but after buying an eye mask on a whim, I realized just how wrong I was. I slept much more deeply and peacefully than I had in years! Now I never want to be without one.
2. Sleep Machine iPhone App: So I’ve always been a light sleeper and will wake up if my roommate is simply unloading the dishwasher. For that reason, it is absolutely imperative that I am armed with a tool to block out any random noises that could wake me up. I also have a white noise machine, but I also love my Sleep Machine iPhone app that is filled with relaxing, ambient sounds like that aren’t intrusive whatsoever. It’s the perfect travel companion!
3. Tata Harper Aromatic Bedtime Treatment: I wouldn’t exactly wear this rub-on oil as my perfume, but there is just something about this particular mix of essential oils that helps me fall asleep really quickly. Filled with goodies like sweet oranges, lemon sherbet and sage, one whiff of this instantly makes me feel really, really calm.
4. David’s Tea Organic Sweet Dreams Tea: There is nothing more relaxing than having a hot mug of tea before bedtime, especially when its freezing outside. I particularly love this soothing blend of lavender and chamomile (I find chamomile kind of boring on its own). It always puts me in the mood (for sleep, that is).
Categorized Beauty
Tagged Branche Silk Eye Masque, David's Tea, Sleep Machine, Tata Harper
January 14, 2013
Most of my friends have established a laundry list of resolutions for 2013. One common denominator was that they all “want to be a lot healthier!” Hm. I’m not quite sure what that really means. Now, I know that everyone in the blogosphere has already posted their lists of their new years resolutions, myself included.
But to be frank – unless you think of actionable, easy to implement changes in your life, you’ll probably get nowhere. You need an actual plan! Far too often people have such grand ideas about all they will accomplish in the new year but wind up feeling unsettled and disappointed by New Years’ Eve when they realize they are making the same resolutions again and again. Unfortunately, I can’t help you with your budget or help you find your future spouse, but I can think of a few easy, actionable healthy habits to get you on your way for a healthier 2013:
1. Hydrate yourself constantly - I already talked about this in an earlier post so I won’t bore you with why you should be drinking more water (more alert, less hungry and possibly more um, regular). I even found you a cute little chart to keep track of your progress so it should be effortless! I know, I know – people really don’t like drinking plain water, so try adding some sliced fruit. In addition to the common standbys like lemons and limes, try adding some strawberries, kiwis or oranges to your H2O for a fun twist. Slices of fruit with sparkling water (especially from Mountain Valley) or Harmless Harvest coconut water are super tasty way to mix things up too.
2. Quit coffee - I’m working on this one myself! While I am definitely a cold turkey kinda woman, to wean myself off coffee and my dirty caffeine habit, I’ve established a little routine for myself to make the path to an addiction-free life a bit easier. First, I’m going to drink 1-2 cups of organic green tea each day. This Organic North African Mint version by David’s Tea is a personal favorite. I’m also one of those really strange people who actually love the taste of coffee so I’ve also got my hands on Teeccino’s French Roast tea bags to replace that taste I miss so much. I love these because they are filled with amazing superfoods like dandelion root that help alkalize your body, as opposed to coffee, which is super acidic!
3. Eat regularly - Too many people I know have nothing more than a tall skinny vanilla latte in the morning and subside on nothing but a few random snacks until dinnertime. Of course dinner winds up being a massive meal and there is usually more than a few drinks involved. What is wrong with this picture? You are basically starving your body throughout the day, forcing it into starvation mode and essentially shutting down your metabolism. So if you want to lose weight, make it easier on yourself: eat regular meals and snacks. Strive to regulate your eating habits by starting with breakfast. It’s easy, I swear: just force yourself to have a little bit of fruit and/or gluten-free oats every single day until you wake up hungry. I personally love Vigilant Eats’ Superfoods Cereal which is gluten-free and is, not surprisingly, filled with a ton of superfoods like cacao nibs.
[Image Credit: Fuss Free Cooking]
Categorized Nutrition
Tagged Coconut Water, David's Tea, Harmless Harvest, Mountain Valley Spring Water, Teeccino, Vigilant Eats
