Golden Hour

I've been an acupuncture enthusiast for many years now; often going on a weekly basis. It's one of the only times when I am completely still and can reach a state of total relaxation. It's about as close to a meditative state as I've never gotten and it seems to help with a number of my chronic muscular/joint problems.

While I loved having regular acupuncture, the cost adds up. About a month ago my friend AM and I planned a "mom date" that started with smoothies at Kure and then we went to check out Golden Hour.

In their words..."Golden Hour is unlike anything you have ever experienced.  They are a wellness studio that believes in the power of continuous care.  They are anything but a traditional clinic.

Their unique sessions include acupuncture, massage, aromatherapy and other modalities. They will help you celebrate in mind, body and soul, the daily ceremony of health, beauty and balance."

We went in for the 45 minute chair treatment ($35) during which you receive a head/neck massage, acupuncture (knee and wrist down) and an arm/hand massage at the end.

It's 45 minutes of pure bliss. Despite there being 6 chairs in the space, it's still peaceful and relaxing. Janet, the owner, and her team are warm, inviting and radiate a sense of calm. Liz, the practitioner I've seen on both my visits has been lovely. I bought a 5 pack of the chair treatments which came with a $30 discount from buying them one at a time. Next I'm going to try the 60 minute Stress Relief that includes massage, acupuncture and cupping.

I love that Golden Hour offers a quick and affordable way to get the benefits of acupuncture, R&R and self care. Their approach is not focused on treating a specific ailment but about the overall benefits of the treatments on health and wellness.

I highly recommend that everyone in Portland tries it.

Oh Sugar.

Let's talk about sugar. Let me start by saying that I love sugary things. I love pastries. I love cookies. I love cake. I love chocolate. I have a sweet tooth. I wish I didn't. Some say "sitting is the new smoking" others say "sugar is the new smoking". Let's be honest. All three are bad for you. Smoking is clearly the worst of the three, but I've never smoked a cigarette in my life and sitting too much isn't a problem for me, so sugar is my vice.

I try to approach my sugar intake with the 80/20 principle, everything in moderation. It's okay to eat sugar. That said, I try to be aware of my sugar intake and conscious of the sugar intake of the Mini Fashionista. Kids eat WAY too much sugar, and it's not just the cookies, cakes and soda that are the culprits, it's the hidden sugar too.

5+ years ago I started paying less attention to the calories and fat on a nutrition label and more attention to the sugar content. If you read labels, you will find that there is sugar in pretty much everything that comes in a package. Why?  Because sugar is not only used as a sweetener but also as a preservative.

The American Heart Association recommends a daily sugar intake of 16-17g for a child, 25 g for a female and 37.5g for a male. That's equal to 4 teaspoons for a child, 6 teaspoons for a female and 9 teaspoons for a male. To give you a point of reference, one tablespoon of ketchup has approximately 1 teaspoon of added sugar. So what is added sugar? Brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, fruit juice concentrate, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, invert sugar, lactose, maltose, molasses, raw sugar, sucrose, syrup and table sugar. When reading ingredients any of these are added sugar.

When reading labels, it's hard to know how much sugar is natural sugar versus added sugar. The good news is that product labels are changing, and soon (the new deadline is 2020) all labels will differentiate between the two. I've already been seeing it differentiated on a lot of the labels at Trader Joe's. This granola (a new favorite) is a great example.

Total sugars are 23g and 7g of of added sugar.

My good friend and dietitian KK advised me years ago that 7g of sugar per serving was her "max" for a cereal. I've used that as my threshold when buying cereal for the Mini Fashionista ever since. That said, she rarely eats cereal, but I use the 7g rule for pretty much anything that comes in a package (crackers, pretzels, etc.). For the most part we try to avoid packaged items all together.

So if you're a sugar lover like me, what can you do to reduce your overall sugar consumption? Here are some easy tips and tricks that I have implemented in our lives.

1.  Don't buy packaged foods-Eating whole foods such as nuts, fruits and vegetables as your snacks will drastically reduce your daily sugar consumption. So skip the center aisles of the grocery store and shop the perimeter!

2. Read labels- It's pretty basic. Look at the ingredients and the sugar content to determine if what you are buying has added sugar. Look at where it is on the ingredients list, and if it's in the first few items, skip it!

3. Shop for brands with a low sugar content- Like I said, I try to use 7g added sugar for most packaged items, but with the current label guidelines it's hard to differentiate added vs natural sugar, especially in items with fruit, like jam. The Mini Fashionista loves jam. She eats jam on baguette and on pancakes and waffles and rice cakes and anything where you might spread something sugary. It's very difficult to find jam that doesn't have added sugar, but they do exist. St. Dalfour jam is sweetened with fruit juice, and while it's still sugar, in my mind it's better than added white sugar.

When this jam is paired with Costco peanut butter on Dave's Killer Bread Plain Awesome bagel (12 g protein and 5g sugar), a PB&J isn't SO unhealthy. Costco Peanut butter is made from 100% peanuts and has no sugar while others brands such as Jif have 3-4g of sugar per 2 tbs. 

4. Swap soda or juice for sparkling water- La Croix is all the rage, so be trendy and skip the soda and juice and go for plain or sparkling water.

5. Buy Unsweetened/Unflavored- Dried fruit, candied nuts, sweetened almond milk...they all have added sugar. So opt for the unsweetened versions.

6. Keep it real- While you may be tempted to reach for artificial sweeteners in place like Splenda, Equal, etc....I recommend avoiding those too. Artificial=chemicals. So any sweet treat labeled "sugar free", I'd probably pass on.

7. Start small- If you put 2 tsps of sugar in your coffee each morning, slowly reduce it. If you love chocolate, buy individually wrapped chocolates so you can make a bigger deal of eating just one. If I have a whole bar of chocolate I'm much more likely to keep breaking off small pieces than I am to go back for a second or third wrapped chocolate.

Remember, it's not about being perfect. Every effort will benefit your body. By lowering your sugar intake you will have a lower chance of weight gain, a decreased risk of disease such as diabetes and metabolic syndrome x and most importantly I guarantee you will FEEL better!

**Disclaimer** I am not a dietitian, although I do have a MS in Exercise Physiology, and this isn't meant to be a scientific post. I could write pages about sugar and how it's processed in your body at the cellular level, but I'm pretty sure none of you are interested in that. :)

Keeping it Real

Since the "keeping it real" posts seem to be among our reader's favorites, I thought I would jump back into blogging with a fresh breath of reality.

A friend posted this photo on Instagram the other day, and it really resonated with me.

I reposted it to my personal Instagram and have been thinking about it ever since... Are these things really all that new?  And are they in fact independent of one another?

Can't rich people be happy and healthy? Why can't success accompany inner peace? And who says the cool kids can't also be kind?

To me the takeaway is about perspective and priorities. It's easy to get caught up in money and success and being cool. There's no denying that our society focuses on these things, sometimes too much, and like it or not, they are important.

These analogies are much like the saying "strong is the new skinny". They are statements that are meant to shift our priorities. There's nothing wrong with being skinny. However, the focus on being skinny has taken much of society to an unhealthy extreme, an extreme that comes with negative consequences. Shifting the focus to "strength" is more positive. The negativity attached to the goal of being "skinny" is much like the negative associations made with success, wealth and being "cool".

So we shift our focus.

If you live with purpose and with the priority to be happy, healthy, kind and at peace, then chances are you will be. It's also quite possible that you will be cool and wealthy and successful (however you define those things) as well.

If you live with the latter as your priorities, it's like the kindness, happiness, health and inner peace in your life will be lost or diminished.

So here's to everyone putting messages like this in their windows. It certainly won't fix all the worlds' problems and won't cause everyone to change their priorities, but it may cause a few people to shift their focus, and sometimes a little goes a long way.

Keeping it Real: Gratitude

After these last two weeks of travel, I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on my life and how fortunate I am. One of the things that comes along with sharing so much of my life is that you, the readers, see most of the highlights. And while I share many of the real moments and the low points in “Keeping it Real” posts, I’m sure it’s hard not to think “wow, she has it really good, what a life.”

Today I’m simply here to acknowledge how grateful I am for this life. I know that I am SO, SO fortunate, and that I do have it really good.

As you read, a few weeks ago we celebrated our 10th anniversary. One of the things that I am most thankful for is my husband. I could not have found a better person to spend my life with, and our trip last week was the perfect way to celebrate us. I am so lucky that we share the same sense of adventure, love for sport, food and travel.

This trip also reminded me how thankful I am for my health. Despite many chronic injuries I was able to do some incredible things. And while I was tired and sore, the pain was temporary. I am so grateful that my body held up through nearly 50 miles of hiking/climbing over 17,000ft of elevation in less than a week. I often get hung up on the things I can’t do, but today I am celebrating what I can do, and it was pretty awesome.

Another thing I am so, so grateful for are my parents and my in-laws. The Mini Fashionista stayed with my parents for the entire week that we were gone. I am grateful to have them as “babysitters”, but I am also so thankful that the Mini got to spend such quality time with them. I never had experiences like that with my grandparents growing up, and I think it’s such a special thing.

While we were away, my in-laws watched our dog Winston. In fact, nearly every time we travel (which is a lot), he goes to their house. I am so appreciative of their help, and I’m also so grateful that Winston doesn’t have to go to a kennel. Instead he goes on “vacation” too. They also help us with the Mini. She goes for sleepovers on a somewhat regular basis and loves spending time there. She is so lucky to have both sets of grandparents in her life, and someday I know she will realize just how lucky she is.

Lastly, I am grateful to have work that I can do from anywhere. I’m not tied to an office 8-5 everyday of the week. And while some of my work requires me to be in Portland, it doesn’t limit any of my travel. Besides my family and my health, there is nothing more important than having new experiences and adventures, especially those in the outdoors. This is really what I (we) live for. I am so grateful that both my work and my husband’s allow us to travel and have these incredible experiences regularly.

I couldn’t end this post without saying that I am grateful for this blog and the community of people that follow it, those of you that have been reading since the beginning, those of you who read regularly and especially those of you who comment! :) While it’s a platform to talk about superficial things like handbags and shoes, what I’ve found is that most of you like it even more when we talk about real things, like today’s post.

So thank you for reading today and everyday. Here’s to continued adventure, happiness and gratitude in my life and hopefully in yours too.

Keeping it Real

Get ready...this post is about as real as I can get...today's post includes a picture of me, first thing in the morning with greasy hair and no makeup! It's definitely the worst photo I have ever posted on any form of social media.

But first, the back story...

I recently saw this photo of a British journalist, Sarah Smith, who claims that after 28 days of drinking 3 Liters of water a day (approximately 100 ounces) she looks "10 years younger." Is it the water or is it the lighting, makeup and airbrushing?

This is an old story (here) and clearly not a new concept. With a Masters degree in Physiology I, of all people, know how important water is for cellular function, joint lubrication, waste removal, maintenance of body temperature....the list goes on and on and on. 

Recommendations on how much water you should consume are somewhat controversial, especially when it comes to fluid replacement during exercise. As far as general guideline for daily water consumption, it's about 2 Liters per day for women and 3 Liters for men. 

Despite my intimate knowledge of these recommendations, I am terrible at drinking water. So, when I saw this picture I began to think, what if I committed to 28 days of 3 Liters of water a day? Would I look 10 years younger?  I'm not holding my breath on the 10 years younger results, but would my skin be better, my dark circles lighter, my wrinkles less noticeable?

I figure, it's worth finding out! 

So, here I am on the morning of day 1 of my 28 day commitment to drinking more water. I can't believe I am posting this photo, but if it's all about keeping things real...well this is about as real as it gets.  There is no filter on this photo, no auto enhance, nothing. I took this picture at about 6:30 a.m. and will do the same when I post my "after" photo. 

Until then. Is there anyone that wants to join me and report back on their results?

Products We Love

Last week we shared photos from our trip on the Middle Fork River. Today, I am going to share with you one of my new favorite product lines that I used while we were floating nearly every hour of the day in the sun!

Say hello to "Sun Bum"! Sun Bum is a line of sun care products that was created in 2010 in Cocoa Beach, Florida.  On our trip I used the sunscreen and the pomegranate lip balm. The balm also comes in coconut, key lime, mango and pink guava....and they smell and "taste" amazing, which makes it slightly addicting! 

I may never use another brand of sun care product ever again! For those of you with Amazon Prime...it's Prime eligible! Try it out and let us know what you think! 

C&C in the Kitchen

The Mini Fashionista and I begin nearly every morning with a smoothie, or a "shoo shoo" as she calls it!

Don't worry, we averted disaster with the carrot juice!

Our daily smoothie is a sure fire guarantee that I am packing her growing little mind and body with a bunch of healthy stuff (same goes for me).

This is what one of our typical smoothies looks like (we are Costco and Trader Joe's shoppers).

Everything goes into the Vitamix (a must have kitchen appliance for any smoothie lover), and a minute later! Tasty deliciousness...and vitamins galore! 

A few of my smoothie making tips....

Invest in a Vitamix- If you love making smoothies with frozen fruit (we also use the tropical mix with big chunks of papaya, mango and strawberries) it is the only way to go. Not only can it make smoothies, but it is also great for making your own nut butters, hummus, etc. This thing pulverizes seeds, peels, etc so you get health benefits of the entire fruit/vegetable! 

Buy in Bulk- We eat smoothies everyday, and the cost of the fruit, yogurt, etc. adds up. Costco is my go-to for Organic Kale, Carrot Juice, Frozen fruit and Greek Yogurt. 

Freeze your Greens- When your greens are on the verge of expiration, put them in the freezer! That way they don't go to waste and you won't taste any difference. 

Have good cups for the little people- I put the Mini's smoothie in a take-n-toss cup with straw. It keeps everything contained and is the perfect size. We don't "toss" them, but instead run them through the dishwasher and use again. 

28 to Great Update- Day by Day

Three weeks down and only one to go! As I mentioned last week, I am spending this final week in Sun Valley. I wouldn't call it a vacation, as only trips that don't include children are truly a vacation. This my friends is a trip!

Back to 28 to Great (or what might end up being 21 to Great)....Last week I pushed reset after Sunday night's gluttony and gave it my best effort to follow "the rules."

Let's take it day by day...

Monday- I taught class and went for a 5 mile walk. Then in the afternoon I made these homemade granola bars (recipe here). I modified the recipe adding almonds, coconut and raisins. Honestly, I don't think I will ever buy a granola bar of any type ever again. When the Mini Fashionista starts school, these homemade treats will be going into her lunch box.

Baking these was my way of avoiding the barre3 bars. Really it was just replacing one poison for another. And, once again I ate too many. However, I figure once they are gone, then I can't eat anymore...so the faster I eat them, the sooner they disappear (completely illogical, I know).

Tuesday- Tuesday I actually made it to the studio and took an entire 60 minute class!! It doesn't happen often, so It was a rare treat! I made a delicious "28 to Great approved" lunch of DIY salad for my fellow instructor Bonney. Here is a picture of Bonney and the Mini Fashionista at our lunch table. I really wanted to open a nice bottle of white wine, but instead we drank lemon water. Refreshing!

Bonney brought over some healthy energy bars she had made and we commiserated on our lack of self control for these "healthy treats". Misery loves company, so it was nice to know I am not the only one with a portion problem! Tuesday night I made a great flank steak and roasted vegetable dinner and finished it off with a class of white wine. I guess I hadn't stopped thinking about it since lunch, and the lemon water just wasn't cutting it! 

Wednesday- I ate too many "homemade" granola bars. End of Story.

Thursday- I once again made it to the studio to take class and then I taught class. There were no more barre3 bars or granola bars to eat, so I stuck to the rules. I ALMOST made more, but I used all the self control I had and instead ate blueberries. Let's be honest...they were not as satisfying.

Friday- Let's pretend I'm keeping score: +2 for Regan...taught the 8:45 barre3 class and then took the 10:00 class. Then let's talk about dinner. We went to Ken's Pizza, and if you go to Ken's, you can't not eat Pizza. It's an unspoken rule. Let's call this -2 (I ate two pieces). Oh, and there were those two pieces of dark chocolate that I ate after lunch....maybe I shouldn't be keeping score...

Saturday- Quite possibly the worst travel day of my life. We started with a 3:15 wakeup call for a 5:30 flight to Sun Valley. Due to weather we never made it to Sun Valley. We made it back to Portland after  a refuel in Bend and a flight change in Seattle....8 hours later. Oh, and did I mention only 1 of our 3 bags made it with us? Needless to say this was not a day of exercise or healthy eating. I was lucky to eat at all. This is life though! And sometimes you just have to go with it.

Sunday- The final day of the week! We finally made it to Idaho and let's just say I'll be back on track come Monday.

I hope you all have a great start to your week! Look for two posts from Katie's recent trip to California! I'm sure she'll have plenty of non-28 to Great approved food and wine to share with you!