Fruits and Veggies that Combat Cellulite!

With bathing suit season in full force, cellulite can be a bothersome issue for many. Here is a list of delactable fruits and veggies that will help prevent further cellulite buildup (yeck):

-grapefruit

-blueberries

-blackberries

-cherries

-mangoes

-oranges

-spinach

-tomatoes

-fennel

-bell peppers

-carrots

*keep in mind the more fresh produce you can buy organic, the better!
Source: http://www.womenshealthcaretopics.com/bn_diet_anti_cellulite.htm

Starry Walks

Starry Night over the Rhone by Vincent van Gogh

My roommate and I have embarked on a new adventure: night walks/runs. Low energy levels and intense food cravings usually render me helpless, but I have found that a brief nighttime stroll can be a great remedy. Tonight, I capped off our nightly stroll with a warm cup of camomille tea…aaahh

Lululemon Trunk Show in Auburn!

Pure barre Auburn is having a Lululemon trunk show tomorrow from 3:30-6:30! Sadly I am going to be able to attend, but I wanted to spread the word! Maybe it will inspire Auburn girls to switch up the "concourse Nike short" trend and start sportin' the lulu logo :)

Here's the address:

pure barre - auburn

2415 Moores Mill Road

Suite 240

Auburn, AL 36830

War Damn Earthfest!

Finally! An initiative for real food at Auburn!

I am ecstatic to see that there is a real food movement in Auburn! I literally dread eating on campus and it is time for a fresh start for Auburn's dining services. I also love the photo petition--so creative!

Defying the "Pretzel-Posed-Wise-Old-Man" Stereotype (Wow That's a Mouth-Full!)

Whether you are a yogi or not, enLIGHTend by Jessica Berger Gross is the quintessential inspirational read. By taking the ancient practice of yoga and making it applicable to the present day, Jessica Berger Gross breaks the notion that yoga is outdated, unobtainable and filled with complicated "pretzel poses." I read enLIGHTENend this past summer when I was up at our lake house in Michigan, and ended up having to pace myself in order to savior my own "enlightenment." It honestly is one of those books you get excited to read because I was able to find comfort within the text. 

I struggle a lot with my relationship with food--it's a love/hate relationship without a doubt--and Jessica chronicles a similar rocky relationship of overeating, overexercising, not eating, and everything in between used to [negatively] remedy life's obstacles. enLIGHTend was that book that put me another step (more-so leap) in the direction of accepting my body and building a better relationship with food. Here's a little synopsis quoted from the book to give you a taste (no pun intended) of enLIGHTened:

 "Eventually, my life changed, and my world--my heart--opened up. Yours can, too. This is the story of how studying yoga--not just the physical poses, but the philosophy behind them--helped me lose forty pounds, overcome my battle with depression, and change my life for good. In the coming chapters I'll share with you the basic principles of everyday living, eating, and moving that a decade of practicing yoga (and teaching it on and off) has taught me. Integrating these lessons into your life can lead you down the path of weight loss, help you find a sense of inner peace and contentment, and even--just maybe--a little bit of enlightenment."

Big Snaps for New Jeffery Campbell!

I literally cannot stop drooling over our new Jeffrey Campbell shoes at Behind the Glass and they are selling like hotcakes (since hotcakes are so popular?) and I am even tempted to invest in some more pairs online: check them out for yourself!

Cinnamon Pumpkin Smoothie Bliss!

With my new found surge of selfishness I decided to try out an old recipe with a new ingredient I have been dying to make: homemade almond milk (yummy!) But of course I have been attributing that good ole' "never having enough time" excuse as my reason for not making it. Well tonight I made the time to treat myself to what I have dubbed: Cinnamon Pumpkin Smoothie Bliss made with fresh, homemade almond milk!  

Homemade Almond Milk Ingredients:

• 3 Cups of Coconut Water (I used Vita Coco)
• 2 Cups of raw almonds

Extremely Complicated Directions for Almond Milk:

• Pour all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until...well, blended (I blended mine for about 3 minutes).

*Note, you have to have a pretty powerful blender to make this almond milk i.e. VitaMix, Healthmaster, etc. or else you could potentially ruin your blender, which would obviously not be good...

Of course if almond milk or any of the ingredients aren't your thang, than feel free to substitute with whatever your heart pleases!


Now for the Cinnamon Pumpkin Smoothie Bliss Ingredients:

•  Your fresh, homemade almond milk :)
• 1 Frozen banana
• 3 Tablespoons of cinnamon
• 5 Spoonfuls of Pumpkin Puree (I used Farmer's Market Organic Pumpkin Puree)
• 1 Cup of ice
• 100% Love (O.K. so maybe I am copying Synergy Kombucha's ingredient on that one)

And voila! You have your scrumptious smoothie and on top of being delicious, pumpkin's are packed with vitamins, such as vitamin A (good for clear, sexy skin), naturally-derived calcium (for those strong bones), and my personal favorite, iron (considering iron is the numero uno mineral that us vegetarians need)!

Author Spotlight: Zoe Fitzgerald Carter

Although I have been [shamefully] neglecting my blog in lieu of my crazy schedule, I still find some time to read other blogs :) After reading her article in this month's vogue, I have become enamored of the author Zoe Fitzgerald Carter and her writing! So since I have to sacrifice indulging in my blog for school and work :( here's another to fill the void: 

 Imperfect Endings

The True Key to Happiness: Be Selfish

Lately I have been justifying myself with the ever-so-popular, "I would (insert fun activity: meet up with an old friend, go to a new yoga class, go out in general, etc.) but I have just been extremely busy and can't find the time" excuse. We are all subject to this justification for not having enough time because we are fixated with the notion that being extremely busy--to the point where we don't even have the time to do the things that really make us happy--will be the true key to happiness. The reality is we need to make enough time for ourselves.

Point and case: my last semester at Auburn (war eagle!) I was taking 18 hours of classes (the maximum allotted amount of hours), worked about 20 hours, was in a sorority, woke up early almost every morning to work out, all while attempting to maintain a somewhat normal active social life. I became frustrated with the fact that I was doing it all, but never fully satisfied. Then my ah-ha! moment came to me: although I was doing everything I wanted to, I wasn't finding true happiness because I was not doing these things for me. Now, I am fully aware that my ah-ha! moment isn't anything profound and that you've probably heard it a million times over, but I ultimately realized that things were not going my way due to a lack of selfishness (a theory your second grade teacher probably never taught).

Believe-it-or-not, even after such a hectic semester, I've been having a difficult time winding down over the break. I still feel the need to constantly be busy i.e. working at Cusp, running errands, working out everyday, reading, writing--all things that do indeed make me happy, but I am doing them without myself in mind. This post is a true testament of doing something for me. I have been writing when I feel like I actually want to and there isn't the pressure of a deadline looming over my head. This blog in general has been something I have always wanted to do but, say it with me, "I never had the time." So over the break, I started this blog, for me; a written reminder that it is O.K. to be (mindfully) selfish.

Put the pen down &back away from the planner

Today I had the day off of work and so last night I started writing my to-do list in my planner. When I was literally "nose-deep" in my planner (see picture) I put down the pen and forced myself to be selfish. I decided rather than my normal early wake-up time I was going to sleep in until noon and go to Mariann's 1:00 2Hot yoga class. Maybe that sounds ridiculous to you, but I have trouble sleeping in because I feel as though I have lost valuable time, when in reality all I am losing is valuable sleep. My life does not have to revolve around a set schedule, and being spontaneous can liven things up a bit!

After yoga, I came home and made a delicious lunch and indulged in lots of reality t.v. (woo) I even took a long nap (I know, so spontaneous, right?) And when I was burdened with thoughts of you need to "drop off the dry cleaning" or "you really ate a lot, you should go for a run" I just let them go. I actually listened to my body and when I felt tired, instead of chugging coffee, or forcing myself to run, I took a nap. I also tend overstress about forgetting to call people and constantly worry about what other people think. Of course you need to have compassion for others but you must not let other people define your life. Maybe your stress vices aren't overexercising, overcaffeinating, or overcompensating for past mistakes but sometimes we all push our bodies further than they should go, both physically and mentally; we need to just let it all go and focus on the present.

So this break I have been determined to follow this piece of advice instilled by many of my yoga instructors, "let go." Seemingly so simple, yet one of, if not, the hardest things for us to do. At the end of practice Mariann said, "If your mind is still wandering focus on your breath and just let go to all of your thoughts. Inhale let and exhale go."

My Quintessentials

O.K. so I've always been a little neurotic when it comes to writing in general, so I obviously am a huge advocate of planners, but I've found that electronic planners just don't do it for me and I much prefer physically writing down my schedule, notes, lists, etc. I have been through my fair share of planners and none of them compare to the Lilly Pulitzer Agenda. Generally, I am not a huge Lilly fan, but this planner has it all! Not only does it have a monthly calendar, but it has a weekly calendar which gives me tons of room to write down my assignments, yoga classes, work schedule, etc. Along with added fun extras such as a "dates to remember," "reasons for a party," contacts, notes, and even stickers! 
...Alright, so I'm a nerd for getting way too into this, but honestly this planner is the best!

The next thing I cannot live without is non-chip manicures! Shamefully, I am a nail biter, so regular manicures last me about three days. The non-chip manicure has become my remedy to nail biting and my last one stayed on for almost an entire month! However, I have found that the best brand by far is the OPI Axxium Gel. I experimented with another brand and it came off in about three days! A manicure that lasts a month versus three days--clearly there's no comparison!

And you will rarely spot me without my Synergy Kombucha Tea. I will admit, the first time I tried it during my first detox I was not that in to the drink, but now my body actually craves kombucha tea! I have so much more energy and it helps my cravings. I usually enjoy one after a meal, because the enzymes and probiotics found in the kombucha tea help aid in breaking down the food and speeding up your metabolism. Recently, the Synergy brand in particular was recalled for labeling purposes and I went through a major "Synergy withdrawal." I tried a bunch of different brands, but Synergy is by far my favorite!