Happy Tuesday everyone! I'm back this week participating in The Skinny on Health's Fit Tip Tuesday blogger party, and today there's also a giveaway involved! One of my #1 health tips is to make staying hydrated a top priority. We all know that drinking water is important, and here are a few reasons why: Drinking water... Helps with alertness Prevents headaches and fatigue Keeps dry skin at bay Improves performance during exercise or activity Helps to control appetite During exercise, dehydration can cause a slower reaction time, decreased coordination and endurance, higher heart rate, and impaired concentration - no thanks! - so I always make sure to be properly hydrated before I start exercising, and to frequently sip water while I'm working out. I've mentioned ... [Read More]
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Gluten Free for February
Hello and Happy February! Speaking of a new month, my dog obsessed self can't decide which of my calendars is more awesome: the yoga for dogs one in my kitchen, or the underwater dogs calendar in my office.... With the start of February came a dietary change for me: Starting February 1st, I've gone gluten free for a month. So why am I, a lover of pasta and bread and all things whole wheat, making a commitment to not consume gluten for an entire month? Let me explain. WARNING: This post is a total over-share, but I'm going for it! About 5 years ago, I developed psoriasis, a chronic skin disease that causes skin cells to grow too quickly. It makes you really itchy and results in these icky red patches of skin. The causes of it are kind of fuzzy and general -- including high ... [Read More]
A Look Back at My Favorite Posts of 2013
Merry Christmas everyone!! My holiday was awesome - full of lots of quality family time with my father-in-law and his side of the family on Christmas Eve, and my family today. I can't believe that Christmas is already over, but even though the holiday is technically done, we still have one more holiday celebration with my hubby's mom coming up. Lots of fun times! More on that to come... but tonight, I thought it'd be nice to take a look back at some of my favorite blog posts of 2013 as the year comes to a close. It seemed like a fun way for me to reminisce, and for you all to check out any blog posts you missed that you're interested in! :) So here we go: Adventure & Life Happenings -- Lessons I Have Learned as a USMC Wife Venice: City of Dreams The World’s Largest Ice ... [Read More]
Tips for Fitting in Exercise
When life gets really busy, it's easy to let your workouts take a back seat to the many other things you've got going on. But to me, I feel best when I'm exercising on an almost daily basis, so I make it a priority to fit in it even when I'm crazy busy. I've been in New Jersey visiting my loved ones for the holidays for over a week, and although I've had a lot going on, I've managed to exercise 6 out of the 8 days I've been here. Here are a few tips that work for me for fitting in exercise during especially busy times (or just in general!): Schedule it out. Be a planner! Every night when I've gone to bed while on the East coast, I think about my agenda the next day and where/how I could fit in exercise. I make a commitment to myself to just do it, and then I make sure to follow ... [Read More]
Unwinding
First off, Happy Veterans Day to all of the men & women who have served our country and made so many sacrifices to protect us! The USMC birthday was also yesterday, marking 238 years of its existence. It's kind of funny to think of my hubby as a veteran, since he only got out of active duty as a Marine earlier this year. You know what they say though: Once a Marine, always a Marine! Mother Teresa once said, "To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it." To me, this encompasses all of the things we need to/should do in order to keep our bodies healthy, our minds clear, our stress levels at bay and our relationships with both others and ourselves strong. Sometimes taking time just to unwind -- whether it be 10 minutes of meditation or two weeks of vacation -- ... [Read More]
Avoiding Pigging Out After Workouts
While checking out the July/August issue of Fitness magazine tonight, one of the cover stories caught my eye: How to Beat Post-Workout Pig-Outs. You see, I recently realized that I kept coming home from the gym feeling starving and wanting to just shove food in my mouth - as of late, handfuls of cereal, dried fruit, and spoonfuls of peanut butter were my picks. Since I most often workout in the late afternoon/early evening and make dinner once I come home, I'm about to eat soon after I exercise anyways. But in the time it takes me to get home, prep dinner, and then sit down to eat it, I found myself eating unnecessary calories. Once I realized that this was something I'd been doing that I did not want to make a usual habit, I came up with a few minor adjustments to make in order to help ... [Read More]