THE GOOD THING ABOUT IT IS YOU CAN ALWAYS SWITCH IT UP. THERES A COUPLE DIFFERENT FLAVORS. SO EACH WEEK YOU CAN BUY A NEW FLAVOR :)
Carrots
Loaded with Beta Carotene; Carrots are Great for your Eyes & your Skin.
Celery
High in Vitamin C & Fiber; Celery is Great for your Immune System & your Digestion.
Bananas & Banana Chips
Load up on your Potassium! These are a great source of electrolytes, and a little bit of natural sugars.
Nut Butter
These contain Monounsaturated Fats; which are great for digestion, and are an excellent energy source.
Mangos
These include Digestive Enzymes for help with nutrient breakdown and absorption, and includes glutamine which is great for memory, as well as muscle retention, They also have an abundance of Vitamin E, which is great for a lot, including controlling acne, cancer prevention, controls cholesterol levels, and aids in fat digestion, amongst other things that you can google :)
Strawberries
These are Antioxidant Rich which is great for fighting cancer and other disease, and vitamin C perfect for boosting your immune system.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
How to Move In with Your Significant Other
Tips for the Big Move-In
You've been seeing each other for some time now and you think that you are ready to move in with each other. So, what is the next step? I am going to guide you through this metamorphosis based off of my own experiences, failures and successes. Everyone's experiences will be different, of course, but some advice is better than no advice. 1. When is good?: The choice to take the next step and move in with each other is never an easy one. There's no perfect time, as everyone is different. I've heard of people making the move after three months of seeing each other, and others, like myself, who make the move after three years of seeing each other. No one can really answer the "when" question with an exact time. But, I can offer some advice. "When" should be a choice between the both of you that shouldn't be all practical or all emotional. It should be a balance You are not a roommate. Your purpose is not solely to split all of the bills 50/50. Moving in with each other should reflect a new phase of your relationship. It should reflect growth. If you are choosing to move in with your significant other just because you can't live without him or her, or you are doing it only because you need a break with your bills, you are choosing to build your relationship on a weak foundation. Your SO cannot support you emotionally on his or her own, and you cannot establish your role as a roommate or you may get stuck in that role. Both partners must want the growth as well. If one is not ready and the other is, it creates an imbalance that can threaten the relationship all together. When I first moved in with my SO, he said he was ready, but it turned out he was not. This resulted in some pretty hefty relationship consequences that took a year of rebuilding to iron out. "When" is a decision that is all yours, but I would say that if you feel somewhere down in the pit of your stomach that it just might not be time yet, no matter how much you might need him or her, or how hard it might be to live on your own - don't do it. Go with your intuition and what your heart tells you. It will be worth waiting for. 2. Bills, Bills, Bills: Have a plan for your finances. It will not work out if you both move in with each other and wing it. You need to know how the finances will be split so that your plan is clear-cut and set in stone. There are a few approaches to finances. One would be the "How Much Can I Handle?" approach. This is when the both of you might sit down to look at who makes the most money and who can feasibly support which bills. While this might not be split down the middle, it will remove the stress from one of you, making it easier to get bills paid on time and in full without having to nag the other for money. Another approach might be to assess which bills are being used more by whom and then split them up and keep it set that way. If your SO uses the internet more than you do, and it is an amenity he/she had there to suit his needs, than perhaps the internet bill should be his/her responsibility. Be careful that if these parameters change in the future that you adjust them after sitting down and discussing your financial responsibility options once more. A last minute "You used the internet three days out of the month this month, so you should help with the bill too," will not be helpful or beneficial to your new living arrangement. Lastly, there's the good ol' 50/50, black and white, right down the middle approach. Half of every bill is paid by each of you regardless of who ate what, who is using what, and who left the sink running all night. This approach assures that there is no middle ground to argue with. You live in the house too, you pay for half of it. 3. Routines: Going from living on your own to living with another fulltime can be quite a shocking experience. When you live by yourself, you are used to your own habits and your own routines. When you are hungry for dinner and it is four in the afternoon, you make dinner. Who is going to stop you? When you are bored and lounging around the house and feel like going to the gym, you get up and go to the gym, simple as that! And so what if your laundry has been sitting in a heap in your bedroom for the past two weeks? You still have plenty more clothes to wear before you foot the quarters for the washing machines! It doesn't quite work that way when there are two individuals living under the same roof. A routine should be established to eliminate the "Will you do the dishes" arguments and the "It's eight at night and you still did not make dinner yet" fights. Split chores up and make sure that they have an assigned day that they should be completed by. Decide a dinner schedule of when dinner will be made and who will make it. Maybe Tuesdays and Thursdays can be your gym day, allowing for the SO to have some free, alone time in the house (alone time is always important - we will discuss that later). Guessing each other's next step will prove to be disappointing in the end. If you know that x needs to be done by y, then there is a mutual understanding in the home that it will be done and it doesn't need to be stressed out over. 4. Togetherness: Perhaps a few weeks have gone by and you have found your adjustment to be smooth, or maybe a bit rough around the edges. Everyone's experience will be different, so it's important to be careful when comparing to others' "When I Moved In With Bob" stories and keep focus of your own. This is your time to live and grow with each other. You've gone from date nights, to vacation weekends to now living and breathing each other's air every moment of every day. It's a pretty harrowing concept to think about! But don't lose track of the most important thing - you are together! I think it is important to spend time together...specifically together. Have a game night. Sing with each other. Make dinner together. Sit on the couch and watch a movie. Don't lose track of the fact that you are two separate people who made a choice to live under the same roof. Don't become roommates. Keep your fire alive. 5. Alone Time: On the same accord, make sure that you allow each other alone time. There are days where I find that I come home from a stressful day of teaching and I just want to sit in the bedroom and read a book and not be bothered. On the same hand, there are days where he comes home and had a long day at the firehouse and he wants to play his guitar for the next couple of hours. There needs to be an understanding a respect for each other's privacy and alone time. Being around each other 24/7 can wear you out if you don't learn to step back and retreat to a quiet part of your home and take a moment for yourself. My advice is that in the beginning, you want to make sure you establish this clearly with each other. If one partner or the other feels suffocated, then it will make the adjustment all the more difficult, on top of threatening the relationship. Have a sit down and make sure that your SO is clearly aware of the alone time boundaries. After we have set up our own boundaries for alone time, we've come to realize how healthy it is to have it ourselves, especially when both of us are in very stressful professions. No one wants to live with a grumpy, ticking time bomb, so it is better to allow a berth of space and wait for your significant other to approach you again. As you can see, moving in with each other seems to be a science of balance, communication and faith in your own relationship. This decision is either the make or break point for most relationships, and will tell those involved in it whether it is worth advancing to the next step or not. Make sure that it is approached seriously as well as confidentially. Don't rush into any choices - make the move on your own time and do it with a clear mind and a full heart. Good luck with your adjustment!
How You Handle Arguments Can Make or Break Your Relationship
In a relationship, it is normal for couples to argue. However, how the arguments are handled is important and also a delicate issue to be looked upon. Arguments are what helps a couple grow stronger but it can also tear a couple apart. The reasons for arguments are usually due to indifference and insensitivity. Females are more in touch with their inner emotions and they deal with people around them through how they feel around the person. Females hang around more with persons whom they feel comfortable and happy with. It is mostly how they feel with a person that judges the bond they form with another. Males on the other hand are less emotional and less feeling type. They view feeling as a form of weakness and that if feelings are revealed, it shows a vulnerable spot for others to take advantage of. Since young, boys have been taught to be strong and to be protectors, rulers and hunters. These roles are viewed to be strong and powerful, feelings and emotions don't have their place in them. As a result, men are viewed to be arrogant when it comes to emotional problems and not as sensitive emotionally as woman are. When a man and a woman come together, it can almost be related to a dog and cat analogy, where "you can't live with one another but you cannot live without each other." This is because when a man and woman live together, in general, the women might feel very disgusted at the way a man can live in such dirty environments while men feel like a female is intrusive in terms of cleanliness and does not like a woman to boss the way they live. Arguments arrive due to indifference and insensitivity. Males are indifferent and insensitive to a woman's wants and needs, while woman are indifferent and insensitive to the ego that runs through the blood of a man. As a result, when an argument arises, both parties destroy one another. However, how arguments are dealt with is very subjective depending on how the personalities of the two persons are. Assuming the typical female and male, females tend to use generalized statements such as "you never...." Or "you always..." These words are accusations by nature and men will bring out their defense mechanisms to counter it by either shutting down or not listening or argue further. When a man decides to shut down, a woman gets even angrier at the situation and starts to bring up more accusations. This is where a man's insensitivity looks very bad to a woman while a man feels like his ego is being crushed because he is not doing a good job of being the man he thinks he is. Therefore, when dealing with arguments, what makes or breaks an argument is the words we use to express ourselves. It is easy to just say things like we mean it. However, it is important to be conscious of how many things have various ways and methods of saying it and that how we change the situation around through the use of words is very powerful, especially since a lot of arguments can take place on the phone or via text message these days. Instead of a girl using "You never..." you could change it to say "I feel that it would be nice for you to..." which is a big difference because if you start the sentence with "you" directing it at the other party, it is accusation and that person will definitely become defensive because the words "you never" indicates that nothing has ever been done to improve and unless you feel that strongly for the action that you require be done, usage of words starting with "you" should be avoided.
The Best Foods for Your Skin
What you put on your plate can impact your skin as much as any cream. Find out what a dermatologist says you should eat for healthy, clear skin.
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If you want a smoother, clearer complexion, Jessica Wu, M.D., assistant clinical professor of dermatology at USC Medical School and a dermatologist in Los Angeles, encourages you to toss all six of these fortifying Feed Your Face foods into your grocery cart.Tomatoes
Definitely one of your skin’s best defenses, tomatoes contain a powerful antioxidant called lycopene. While studies have not yet been entirely conclusive, many suggest that lycopene may be responsible for helping to protect the skin against sun damage. Lycopene is best absorbed by the body when it has been cooked or processed, so eating tomato sauce, tomato paste, and ketchup is likely to be more effective than just eating raw tomatoes when trying to safeguard your skin against harmful UV rays. Lycopene is also fat soluble, which means that it is absorbed more easily when consumed with fat, such as eggs, avocado, and olive oil. Red Meat
Sometimes it gets a bad rap, and even though red meat does contain saturated fat and cholesterol, lean red meat is one of Dr. Wu’s favorite Feed Your Face foods because it’s so high in protein and zinc. In fact, recent studies suggest that red meat may be even better at treating acne than antibiotics. To produce collagen, your skin needs the amino acids glycine and proline, and the protein in red meat has the highest concentration of these two amino acids. The mineral zinc is also crucial for collagen production. “It’s an essential cofactor,”says Dr. Wu. “Without enough zinc, it’s difficult for the skin to make collagen. Plus, zinc is a natural anti-inflammatory.” And vegetarians don’t need to miss out. Dr. Wu adds that high concentrations of glycine can also be found in seafood, proline in cottage cheese and cabbage, and zinc in lentils, kidney beans, and raw oysters. Green Tea
It’s no secret that green tea is an antioxidant powerhouse. Its strong anti-inflammatory and anti-aging effects are attributed to its high concentration of catechin compounds. Studies have shown that green tea can be used both orally and topically to help protect the skin from sunburns and UV-associated skin cancers. Research also suggests that drinking one cup of green tea twice a day over the course of six months may actually reverse sun damage and significantly improve any problems you have with redness and broken capillary veins. Green Beans
As long as we’re going green, let’s talk about how these low-calorie beans can help you grow thicker hair and healthier nails. Green beans are a star Feed Your Face food because they’re one of the richest sources of silicon — not to be confused with silicone, which is found in bad lip jobs and breast implants! The USDA has not yet established recommended daily intakes (RDIs) of silicon, but 10 mg per day seems to be adequate for strengthening hair and nails, according to recent studies. Dr. Wu recommends choosing organic green beans, since they retain more silicon from the soil. Don’t like green beans? You can also get your silicon fix from volcanic mineral waters such as Volvic, which contains 14.5 mg per liter. WalnutsUsually it’s salmon that’s synonymous with omega-3 fatty acids, but did you know that walnuts are also incredibly high in omega-3s? If you’re concerned with redness, swelling, blotchiness, acne breakouts, or wrinkles, walnuts may be your new best friend. Plant-based omega-3s, such as the ones found in walnuts, are naturally anti-inflammatory; they can help seal moisture into your skin and protect it from chemicals and other toxins. In particular, the alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in these omega-3s can work to combat the dryness associated with aging that leads to wrinkles. But don’t stop with walnuts; you can also increase the amount of plant-based omega-3s in your diet by eating almonds, olive oil, and flaxseed, too. Yogurt
Not only is it the main ingredient in the best smoothies, yogurt is a natural probioticFeed Your Face food for dealing with acne breakouts, eczema, and even dandruff. Just be sure to choose a low-fat and low-sugar yogurt, since sugar can aggravate inflammation. And if you think your breakouts are related to dairy, Dr. Wu suggests skipping the yogurt and going straight for a probiotic supplement instead.
The only thing worse than buying a bathing suit is buying jeans. I’m dreading the dressing room: I enter with a huge pile, excited to try them on, only to be disappointed when they’re either too baggy, too tight, too low, or just plain wrong. If it’s this hard for us ordinary folk, how is it that celebs always seem to have the perfect, flattering pair?
The secret is to find the right jeans for your body type, regardless of what’s trendy. I found success recently with a pair of Fidelity Denim dark-'rinse jeans that make my legs look longer and my butt look higher — no sausage effect whatsoever! Fidelity jeans are worn by such lovely ladies as Rihanna, Demi Moore, Ashley Greene, and the Kardashians— who represent a diversity of body shapes. Here’s how to choose the right jeans foryour body:
If you’re curvy, look for a mid-rise boot-cut jean with some stretch in a dark rinse, like Fidelity's Belladonna in Viper Rinse. They’ll hug your waist, balance out your curves, and accentuate your feminine figure in all the right places.
For a longer, leggy look, try a polished, low-rise pair, like Fidelity's straight-leg Houston style. Wear them long, and pair them with high-heeled peep-toe ankle boots for day, and stilettos for night.
If you have a petite frame, try a skinny jean, like Fidelity's new Ace ultra-slim style — it's fitted through the thigh and knee and has tasteful stitching on the pockets. Avoid loud stitching and flaps on the pockets, which can overwhelm your figure.
Finally, don’t be afraid to try fits that are out of your comfort zone, such as a wide-leg style or a tapered skinny — you just might be surprised at how great you look!
Two Reasons to Run Uphill and Three Tips to Get You to the Top
. A major challenge of taking your running to the streets is hills. Many runners avoid the incline, but here are some reasons why you shouldn't skip the hills and tricks for mastering the climb.
Running hills works your upper leg muscles more than running on flat ground. It also targets the backside, strengthening and toning the booty and the hamstrings.
Another selling point for running hills (if toning your fanny wasn't enough) is that the muscle groups you use to climb hills are virtually the same as those you use for sprinting, so hill work enhances your speed by building strength. In other words, the benefits of running uphill translate to running flats.
If you haven't given up the treadmill, do note that each one percent increase in the elevation angle requires four percent more energy, so the incline forces you to work harder. Make the most of your time on the machine by pumping up the incline with this rolling hills workout for the treadmill.
You should, however, be cautious about "hill work" if you have an injury in your calf or Achilles tendon since the running on inclines can aggravate these injuries. Even if you don't, you should still be sure to stretch these areas of your legs especially well after your workout.
When running uphill, gaze up to where you're going and not at your feet. Looking forward helps you keep your head up to maintain good posture, making it easier to breathe — and trust me, you're going to need all the oxygen you can get.