In the news: Study Finds Cohabiting Couples are Happier Than Married Couples
Considering living with your mate?
It may be great for your relationship!
Considering living with your mate?
It may be great for your relationship!
Happy almost Valentine’s Day!
Do you have a Valentine this year? Are you your own?
Either way, you’ll find something to spice up your night in this gift basket from Pure Romance that one reader will win:
Burning Desire, $24
Burn this soy massage oil candle and let the sweet, fragrant oil take over your body. Melted massage oil is great for doubling as a warm, rich body balm. Lasts up to 20 massages.
Between the Sheets, $15
Between the Sheets® Linen Spray is powder based and leaves sheets feeling like satin. Doubles as an allover room spray and as a freshener for clothes, car, or anywhere you want a soft, gentle scent.
Mini Nights of Passion Variety Pack $30
Pure Romance’s most popular products in one convenient collection! Mini Nights of Passion™ variety pack allows you to enjoy a bottle of Aura, Ex-T-Cee, Excape, Sensations, and Sweet Seduction —the ultimate combination for romantic nights.
Vanilla Bondage Kit, $13
This silky vanilla-scented bondage kit is perfect for first-time users looking to experiment in fantasy play. Packaged in an ice cream, it’s really too cute to be intimidating!
To have your chance to win, please share YOUR sexy Valentine’s plans – or what you would WANT to have go down that night (no pun intended!). Please also follow @Pure_Romance and @AlyWalansky on Twitter. Deadline to enter is February 15. Good luck!
As we round out the month of January, a lot of us had goals and resolutions – and for many, they are already being abandoned.
But there’s always time to have a healthier and more fit you, and we’ve teamed with Target to create a giveaway package dedicated to healthy living – that THREE of you will win:
C9 by Champion outfit (personalized by size)
The stylish and supportive ensemble, personalized for you by size, will move with your body and complement your workout. Great for any activity you are doing to get fit this New Year.
Minerals or Supplements
Did you take your vitamins today? up & up™ minerals and supplements help maintain your body’s natural functions and replenish depleted fuel.
Healthy Snacks
Archer Farms offers a variety of healthy, nutrient-packed snacks to keep you properly fueled when you’re on the go. Your body needs energy to perform daily activities, and getting necessary nutrients will lead to a healthy mind and body. These convenient snacks can be stored anywhere to provide you with proper energy throughout the day.
Archer Farms Pure Green Tea
The high concentration of antioxidants found in green tea can help reduce your risk of diseases as well as increase metabolism and support weight loss. Archer Farms green tea is organic and Fair Trade Certified to ensure that you are getting the maximum amount of antioxidants possible.
Embark Pilates Band 3-Pack
The resistance bands allow for an effective workout that you can easily fit into your daily routine. The kit comes with three different-sized bands to increase the intensity of your workouts as you advance.
Hand Sanitizer
up & up™ Hand Sanitizer kills 99.99% of germs that can make you sick. This convenient alternative to soap is effective without water and can kill germs anytime, anywhere throughout the day. This can protect you from common germs found at the gym, in your home or at work.
C9 Socks
C9 by Champion’s athletic socks provide arch support and cushioning to ensure comfort while training.
To enter:
Please RT this giveaway (you’ll find me on Twitter at @alywalansky – make sure you are following me!) and then comment below and tell me how you will use this prize package to help create a “new you” this new year. There’ll be THREE winners! Deadline to enter is February 1. Good luck – and happy New Year!
Rumor has it many of your New Year’s resolutions have already gone the way of previous years.
No matter what those goals were, remember, just because the calendar is changing, there’s still no reason for you to get remotivated.
For many of us, that goal is weight loss and healthier eating. The Dukan Diet (www.dukandiet.com) is a high protein, low fat, low carb diet designed for healthy eating and lifelong weight management.
The reason I was attracted to the Dukan Diet method is that it is all about simplicity – 100 foods that you can eat as much as you want – - 72 proteins, 28 vegetables. It offers a well-rounded weight loss coaching program created by Dr. Pierre Dukan, a French medical doctor who has spent 35 years helping people to lose weight. This 4 Phase diet gives you 2 steps to lose the weight and 2 steps to keep it off forever! This is healthy eating where you eat “as much as you like” – no starvation, no frustration.
And to get one of you started, I’ve teamed with Dukan Diet to give away one “starter kit”:
· The Dukan Diet Book – This will be signed copy
· Dukan Diet Oat Bran Chocolate Muffin Mix
· Dukan Diet Organic Cocoa Powder
· Dukan Diet Appetite and Fat Control Supplement
All of these products are available for purchase on ShopDukanDiet.com. The Dukan Diet also stresses the importance of their Dukan Diet Coaching. The only truly personalized daily interactive coaching program, Dukan Diet Coaching gives dieters Dr. Dukan’s daily personal attention, community support through forums and chat, and tools to help them successfully follow the plan.
To enter to win this great bundle, please do all the following:
1. Follow @Dukancoaching and @alywalansky on Twitter, or “like” Dukan Diet at: https://www.facebook.com/
2 – Tell us (either in a tweet or a comment below) – YOUR reason for a healthy eating commitment.
Deadline to enter is February 1. Good luck!
So, we’re a few days into the New Year and maybe also indulged a bit too much over the holidays and have a few extra pounds you’d like to shed.
We talked to celebrity fitness trainer Valerie Waters — she’s helped Jennifer Garner, Jessica Biel, Cindy Crawford and others maintain their fab figures — and got her best tips & tricks on how to recover from holiday weight gain and achieve your best body in 2011:
How To Shed Those Holiday Pounds…and Keep Them Off!
SET A DEADLINE
It’s easy for me to get clients in shape because usually, when they call me, they have a hard fast deadline to meet. It may be the Golden Globes, a bikini photo shoot, or a sexy scene in a movie that has lit a fire under them, but the bottom line is: everyone does better with a deadline! Even if you don’t have your own Red Carpet moment coming up, you can still pick a date – ideally about 6 weeks out – and circle it on the calendar. Plan a photo shoot or a special night out for that date, and then commit to doing your very best between now and then. You will be amazed at how much you can accomplish.
MOTIVATION FOLLOWS ACTION – SO TAKE ACTION
You think you lack motivation to start an exercise program, but it’s hard to get motivated while sitting on the couch. Sign up for a 6-week bootcamp, get a friend to meet you for a spin or yoga class, or join a new gym. The point is to take some action and then build on that. Once you start to see results, your motivation will soar.
STRENGTH CIRCUITS RULE
If you want to lose weight, shape your body, tone your arms and/or get stronger, you need to strength train. If you do it in a circuit, not only will you burn tons of calories, you will be in and out of the gym in no time flat! I like big circuits. My most popular Red Carpet Ready Workouts typically have 3 circuits that you complete 2 to 3 times.
EXAMPLE OF A RED CARPET READY CIRCUIT:
- Sumo Squat 15 x 15 lbs
- 2 Arm Row 15 x 5-8 lbs
- Valslide Reverse Lunge 12-15 each leg
- Dumbbell Chest Press 12 x 12 lbs
- Straight Leg Cross & Touch 20 each
- Valslide 1 Arm Slide 10 each
LEARN TO COOK AND CONTROL THE SOURCE
You can lose weight and eat healthy if you don’t cook but it is so much easier if you learn to cook a few simple things. Even if you try really hard to order healthy while eating out, restaurant portions are often too big and have lots of added fat or sugar. By learning a few simple recipes, you eat healthy but delicious meals! You will also have a greater sense of how much fat, sugar and salt you are consuming. My Red Carpet Ready program comes with a bunch of healthy, easy to prepare recipes, but you can also find some for free on my blog at www.ValerieWaters.com
Also check out: www.livewell360.com , www.thehealthytippingpoint.com , www.ohsheglows.com for amazing, healthy recipes.
GET SOMETHING NEW
There’s nothing like a new fitness tool or gadget to pump up your workouts again.
My favorites are:
VALSLIDE: This revolutionary new exercise tool creates mild instability, turning every exercise into a core exercise. The smooth, sliding motion makes exercises seem easier, while the continuous tension on the muscles makes each move more effective. To see Jennifer Garner demonstrate the Valslide on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, go HERE
GYMBOSS TIMER: This interval timer will give your workout the structure and discipline you need to go to the next level. Plus, it makes your workout fun!
VALBAND: This mini band looks innocent, but it will work your hips and glutes like nothing else – an absolute must for glute activation.
TRX: TRX is a type of training that uses your own body weight and gravity, to build strength, balance, coordination, flexibility, core and joint stability, all while preventing injuries.
KETTLEBELLS: kettlebells offer users a wider range of motion than dumbbells that sit in the palm of the hand, and they also better simulate the way we carry things in our daily lives. If you’ve been using dumbbells, kettlebells are a great way to switch things up and introduce a new tool into your workouts.
DRINK MORE WATER
If you are feeling bloated, chances are you’re not drinking enough water. Water is vital to your digestion, your organs and your metabolism. If you are consistently not drinking enough water, your body will hold on to water to protect itself. Drinking more water allows your body to release the bloat.
When I’m traveling — which is quite often — Saladworks is quite an obsession of mine.
A Philadelphia-based salad franchise restaurant, with 100 locations in 12 states, they have 13 signature salads, or you can create your own from the 52 ingredients in the salad case, or also choose wraps, Panini, Focaccia Fusion sandwiches and soups.
It’s so hard to stay healthy when eating out – and that’s why I love this place (and have my own specific custom mix I always go by!) – and for those of you who do as well, I have a giveaway for you!
ONE reader will win a $100 Saladworks gift card.
To enter:
1 – Tweet @alywalansky and @saladworks (make sure you are following us!) – and tell us YOUR favorite salad mix.
2 – RT this giveaway
3 – Enter by December 22 at 11:59 PM
Good luck!
As the holidays get closer, we may notice our waist sizes growing…wider.
Tis the season to be jolly! Or is it? For many people, the holidays are anything but jolly. Depression, loneliness and overwhelm can turn what is supposed to be an upbeat, joyous time of year into a dreadful period that some would rather skip completely. The blues brought on by the holidays are as varied as ornaments on a tree. If you experience dread thinking about the upcoming holiday season, it may help you to determine the biggest culprit, so that you take steps to alleviate the blues, even a little. Here are some of the most common clues (or indications) of the holiday blues followed by the cues (or problem solving stimulus) to minimize the blues:
Unrealistic expectations
Clues – Many people struggle to live up to the glorious images that bombard us from every direction, including television, movie theaters, store windows, magazines and billboards. A mild brainwashing occurs and we hypnotically buy in to the fact that without the perfect decorations, holiday attire, latest recipes, and trendy gift ideas, that we just don’t measure up. We set ourselves up for failure, because it is the rare person that can achieve that state of perfection!
Cues – Limit your exposure to these images and remember that most of them are used to sell products more than to paint a realistic picture. Set up realistic holiday goals that fulfill your holiday needs but don’t overwhelm you. Remember “less is more” and for those around you, they won’t remember how wonderful you looked, how great you decorated, or how much you spent…but they will remember how you made them feel.
Financial pressure
Clues – There’s no doubt that an economy like this one will fill more seats on the “holiday blues bus”. If you have had a recent financial setback, it can be especially difficult facing the fact that there is less money to spend on the holiday season then there was before.
Cues – Keep in mind that you are not alone. Many people are in the same boat and spending far less on the holidays then they did in years past. But the gift of “time” is far more valuable to the average person than a gift of monetary value, meaning this could turn out to be the most heartfelt holiday you’ve ever experienced. Consider homemade gifts, photographs, meals or poetry. How about giving someone on your list a scalp massage or organizing their kitchen cabinets? These types of gifts are treasured more than your retailers want you to know!
Physical and emotional fatigue
Clues – Shopping, wrapping, baking, visiting; not to mention all the other things we normally do in a given day, can absolutely turn holiday joy into dread. Add to the mix all the high calorie, low energy calories we consume over the holidays and it’s no wonder we feel exhausted!
Cues – Don’t overdo it and repeat after me, “Focus, Delegate, and Let Go”. Focus on a few of the most important aspects of the holiday season, things you just can’t do without. Delegate tasks to family members and friends; it makes them feel valued! Let go of the rest, especially the unrealistic expectations and the need to provide everyone with a picture perfect holiday. Don’t get caught up in the mad rush. Your good health is the greatest gift you can give anyone.
Strained family dynamics
Clues – The holidays seem to focus on the family unit more than anything else. And if the family unit has changed through death, divorce, discord or disease, it can be especially devastating around the holiday.
Cues – Just as families change, holiday get-togethers can too. If family tension begins to rise to the surface, have tension-diffusers ready; a funny video, an interesting game that captures everyone’s attention, an article of clothing for everyone to put on (like a goofy hat, or a boa). Consider having everyone bring an instrument along (there are always pots and spoons for those who don’t have an instruments, or keep a couple kazoos around). Or consider asking everyone to bring their sneakers so that once the meal is over and before the tension has a chance to begin, everyone can take a walk together.
Outdated traditions
Clues: Financial situations change, families dynamics change, and trends change. But traditions are an inherited, established pattern, and the fact is, they can be as uncomfortable as an ill fitting shoe!
Cues: There is no law against letting go of outdated traditions! It may be time for you to ditch traditions that augment your blues, and create new traditions that better suit your personality. Be bold and consider some of these ideas: Take the family to a movie. Visit a nursing home. Go out dancing. Volunteer at a soup kitchen. Round up some people who celebrate alone and bring them to your house to mingle. Go to the beach and play football in the sand. Go on a vacation. Visit a city battered by a hurricane and hug people. Leave your environment for a few days. Whatever it takes to keep your spirits up and keep your blues at bay.
My traditional family unit changed through my own divorce several years ago. Therefore our traditional holiday celebrations needed an overhaul. With three children, their spouses, and five grandchildren one of my favorite new traditions is building gingerbread houses with five sets of little fingers. The dining room is covered with icing and crumbs and gummy candy and lots of love and laughter and lifelong memories. What are your favorite moments?
Carol Kivler, MS, CSP, is a passionate consumer advocate, speaker, author and the founder of Courageous Recovery. She speaks to consumers, their loved ones and healthcare professionals to raise awareness, instill hope and combat stigma surrounding mental health diagnoses and treatments. Carol shares her journey of recovery from four bouts of medication-resistant depression and her positive experience with the life-saving treatment ECT through keynotes, breakouts and Grand Rounds.
