Links You’ll Love
Fashion:
Who knows more about traveling in style than a model who spends her life hoping on planes to new destinations for short periods of time? So check this out – Jessica Stam Shares Her Best Travel Tips with Modelinia.
If you’re decorating like The Glamourai than you’re probably in the market for new and exciting wall art. Next to rugs and furniture, art is one of the most expensive parts of decorating a home, so why not make a piece yourself? { DIY } Tumbling Block Art.
Do you have Olympic fever? Why not admire these fantastic athletes for more than just their athlete prowess – 6 Stylish Olympians Who Have Amazing Off-Duty Style!
Sometimes you need to turn to the experts for tips and ideas – 5 Style Tips Stolen From Our Favorite Bloggers.
As you know I’m quite dedicated Zara fan, so why not indulge ourselves in some fabulous fashion courtesy of the much-loved Spanish retailer – Lace & Leather, Florals & Frills: 12 Fabulously Femme Zara Finds.
Health & Fitness:
One of my favorite apparatuses in the gym is the medicine ball, it’s versatile and always gives me a great workout. Don’t believe me? Ab Exercises Using a Ball – 3 Core-Strengthening Moves Using a Medicine Ball.
If you want to be healthy one of the most important factors is getting enough sleep. From hectic schedules to stressful lives to poor diets, there are many ways that your sleeping habits can be affected for the worse. Gala Darling has you covered – Hey, Tired Girl… Here’s How To Get The Happiest, Dreamiest Sleep Ever!
If you’re interested in a vegetarian or vegan diet but are worried about your protein intake – Don’t! Read my Plant-Based Protein post or The No Meat Athlete’s Protein for Vegetarians — A Simple Guide to Getting What You Need.
Dessert time! Check out these delicious, raw, nut-based vegan bars from FitSugar (Forget the Oven! Nutty Vegan No-Bake Treats) or try mom, baking genius, and author of Peas and Thank You: Simple Meatless Meals the Whole Family Will Love Sarah Matheny of Peas and Thank You’s Triple Chocolate Zucchini Cake.
My number one suggestion to people who ask for dieting and healthy lifestyle tips is to keep track of what you’re eating. Mindless snacking and eating multiple servings in a sitting are the biggest threats to a healthy diet, so check out these apps and start keeping track of what you put in your mouth – Food Journal iPhone Apps to Lose Weight on the Go.
Links You’ll Love
Happy Monday everyone!
Here are some fun links to get your week started right. Enjoy!
Fashion:
When I saw this shot I was pretty intrigued. This is quite the vampy, sexy manicure! DIY Nail Art: A French Manicure That Fades To Black.
How you style a look is nearly as important as the pieces itself. Want some new ideas and tips on how to mix the pieces in your closet? WhoWhatWear to the rescue – June Styling Tips.
Does the ethics of a brand affect how much you like it? Vogue – Style Ethics: Olivia Wilde’s Bag for Alternative Apparel + Our Favorite Eco-Friendly Picks.
Did you enjoy all of the 2013 Resort Collections? Well Eat, Sleep, Denim has a must have a list from the shows for you – Denim Trends: A Wishlist.
Health/Fitness:
I don’t know about you, but I’m at a loss without music. Can’t work out. Can’t run. The right playlist not only gets you amped up for your exercise routine, it can keep you going when you’re ready to quit! These gym-regulars have just the play list for you – Victoria’s Secret Angel Erin Heatherton, Dutch model & Organice Your Life founder Lonneke Engel, and model slash DJ Harley Viera-Newton.
I don’t know about you, but fresh veggies and colorful salads are always a highlight of the summer for me. I love crisp, bright, refreshing recipes full of farmer’s market fare. If you agree check this out – Sweet and Savory: 3 Ways to Enjoy Summer Carrots.
A raw diet is something that I tried when I first went gluten-free and vegan a few years ago, after reading Carol Alt’s Eating in the Raw: A Beginner’s Guide to Getting Slimmer, Feeling Healthier, and Looking Younger the Raw-Food Way. While I don’t follow a 100% raw diet 100% of the time, I definitely appreciate the health benefits and continue to eat a high raw diet – usually I eat raw until dinner. Well, luckily for us Miss Alt is back with a new book called Easy Sexy Raw: 130 Raw Food Recipes, Tools, and Tips to Make You Feel Gorgeous and Satisfied. Check out the review on Amazon or the piece on her new book in the NY Daily News.
It might not be news to you, but studies show that Sleepy Brains Are Drawn To Junk Food. Which means that in addition to introducing major health problems, reducing concentration, and causing forgetfulness, sleep deprivation can cause weight gain. Are you getting enough sleep? Check out my post on sleeping – Confessions of a Former Insomniac.
Just as I love braids for summer, there are certain makeup looks that just scream Summertime to me. From dewy skin to bronzed perfection, find the perfect look for warm weather days. The Zoe Report’s 10 Summer Beauty Wants – Hot Topic and Gala Darling’s beauty obsessions on Beauty Bender.
Confessions of a Former Insomniac
When I arrived at Berkeley at the tender age of 18 I started living, and stopped sleeping. Too much caffeine. Too much excitement. Too much booze. Too much stress. Just TOO MUCH. That was the beginning of years of struggling with insomnia, subsisting on as little as three hours of sleep a night for stretches of months at a time. But I’m proud to say that I no longer dread the moment when I get in bed, fearing that it’ll be the beginning of hours stressful tossing and turning. And I have just one thing to say to all of you out there with similar fears:
TAKE BACK THE NIGHT!
Insomnia is something that doctors seem to spend a great deal of time guessing on. Well, perhaps not guessing, but it is not necessarily an easily diagnosed or cured condition. Sleeping pills are quite addicting and the sleep you get isn’t satisfying, so it’s not the most beneficial course of treatment. Back in the day I was given allergy tests, cat scans, thyroid tests, prescriptions, eye tests…
Unfortunately there was no quick and easy cure for my insomnia – Though I was convinced I had a brain tumor. In college the doctors told me to slow down, that I was taking too many classes and not giving myself enough downtime. Then after I left school and joined the workforce they told me it was the stress and pressure of my 12+ hours a day job. Well… Clearly there needed to be another solutions since I’m a go-go-go kinda girl.
Since I’ve had a handful of sleepless nights recently and needed to go back and resurrect some of the tricks that I learned over the years, I’d like to share them with you in the hopes that we can all enjoy a full night’s sleep.
[1.] Create a sleep space – This is the first thing that a doctor will tell you if you make an appointment to discuss insomnia. Make your bedroom a sacred place, a place for sleeping alone. That means no television, no eating, no stressing – Your bedroom is for sleeping and sleeping only. This was particularly hard for me in college since I had such limited space in my tiny Berkeley apartment. It was especially challenging for me to find other locations for studying (libraries, cafes) and eating (balcony).
These days, I’ve discovered that if I allow my bedroom to become cluttered it really affects my ability to sleep at night, so I have to keep things neat and organized. And for me, this also means no radio, television, or computer in my bedroom. Too tempting. Too distracting.
[2.] Power down – Turning my brain off at night after 17 or 18 hours of being “on” is another major challenge for me. In order to do this I employ a number of techniques, including turning my cell phone and blackberry over so that I don’t see any flashing lights, wearing a sleep mask, ear plugs, and keeping a notepad handy so that I can write down things that are keeping me awake so I don’t have to focus on them right then.
[3.] Sweat it out – I for one sleep vastly better when I’m physically exhausted so getting in a good workout is incredibly important. If I don’t have time to hit the gym, sneak in a Pilates class, or go for a run, then I go for a walk after dinner or spend 15 minutes stretching right before bed. Stretching in particular is very therapeutic for me, by concentrating my energies and focusing on my body, I’m usually able let go of everything else. I know that’s how some people feel about yoga!
[4.] Caffeine Monster – Some people can have caffeine right up until bedtime and have no issues sleeping, the key is to know your personal limits and to do some research to determine what works best for you. While caffeine wont keep me awake, it will make my time between the sheets more restless, so one green tea after lunch is all I allow myself during the week.
[5.] Food – For some people sleeping on a full stomach is uncomfortable and interferes with their sleeping patterns. Trial and error may have taught you to avoid spicy dinners – and therefore the horrors of indigestion – or taught you not to eat after 7pm. Personally, a carb-heavy dinner always makes me wake up starving in the middle of the night so I try to have bread-y or potato-based dinners on the earlier side and not right before bed.
[6.] The Golden Rule – Most important rule? Do. Not. Panic. When you go to bed fearing that you wont be able to sleep – surprise – you wont be able to sleep! You need to do whatever you can to reduce your negative and/or nervous energy before you pull back the sheets and fluff your pillow.
Some of my quick fixes to try before heading to a doctor for poking & prodding?
- Ear plugs – While there are those who dislike the feeling of something in their ears (especially if you sleep on your side) these can be a great tool since they allow you to sleep through small noises without waking up.
- Sleeping mask – Studies show that exposure to light and can greatly affect your body’s ability to fall into deep REM sleep, so cover those flashing numbers on your alarm, turn off your phone & pull on a mask for deeper sleep.
Check out the Huffington Post’s 30 Minutes More Sleep Challenge for more ideas.
Sweet dreams!
Moi Contre La Vie 