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Style + Function = Fitness Trackers Adding A Dose of Style
Do you use a fitness tracker to help you keep tabs on your health? Do you love or hate the rubber-type bands that most of them come with? If you could find it, would you be interested in something that has all the health-tracking capabilities without the all too often black, clunky, masculine designs?
If so, you should check out this blog post from Nicole Blades at CoolMomTech.com from earlier this week. She does a great round-up of new and up and coming fitness trackers that deliver both Style and Function - two of our favorite words! She reviews five trackers that deliver the fitness, health and wellness tracking you've come to expect with your current tracker, but also add in a generous dose of feminine style. Yes and yes.
It might be time to consider giving your fitness tracker a style upgrade.
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How Desktop Dining is Harming Your Health
You do it too, right? We're all guilty of it. At least on our work days. Whether we work in a cubicle or work from home. You bring a sandwich, a salad, heated up leftovers, whatever you can grab and sit at your desk to get caught up - checking emails, prepping for your next meeting, etc. When was the last time you made time for lunch, at least on a work day?
Well according some recent articles you might want to reconsider. It turns out that our brains, bellies and businesses could benefit if we all just took a little break each day. Articles in the New York Times and Real Simple both highlighted the health impacts from "desktop dining" - from germ-filled desktops and office refrigerators, to lack of movement, and the social impact of eating alone most days.
‘‘Workplace satisfaction is so much higher if you eat with your colleagues. You like your job more — and you like your colleagues better.’’ Brian Wansink, a professor and the director of Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab
Other benefits focused on the mental upside - from being present and recognizing what your body needs even in the midst of a hectic work schedule, to enabling you to truly enjoy something during your workday, and ultimately preventing burn out. All personal benefits that'll bring more balance to your work life, and hopefully your whole life. Bon Apetit!
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Expecting? How to Find the Best Prenatal Vitamin for You
Congratulations! You just found out you're pregnant, or maybe you've just decided to begin trying to start a family. You know you're suppose to take prenatal vitamins but do you just go to the drugstore and buy the first label that catches your eye? Is there more to it than that? Is a vitamin, a vitamin, a vitamin or do you need to do a little research? After all you probably want to the best for your future bundle of joy so how do you find the best prenatal vitamin for you? Here's a few tips...
- A great resource that we often reference is LabDoor.com. They're an independent resource that rates prenatal vitamins (and other vitamins) on purity, label accuracy, efficacy, etc. They even show serving size, and price per serving which are also key considerations so read on for more.
- Prenatal vitamins can be rather large so you may need to try a couple before you find one that literally fits. Also, many brands expect you to take several capsules per day, often 2-3, so you need to consider that as well.
- Often, prenatal vitamins are no longer enough. Many doctors also want their patients to take DHA supplements as well, and depending on individual needs, doctors may recommend other supplements too to help support a healthy pregnancy.
- Keeping it all straight can also be a challenge, especially if your career and/or older kids make structured schedules impractical. Many women find it easier on their stomachs to take the prenatal vitamins, DHA and other supplements with meals to reduce or avoid upset, but you're not carrying all those bottles around all day, right? A pill box case with a modern, yet discreet design such as the Style Rx can keep you on top of it all, wherever your new routine and non-typic day takes you.
- When choosing the brand / type of prenatal vitamin that's best for you consider the price. You will likely be taking them for many months to come, if not for a year or more, since many doctors recommend continuing them while breastfeeding, so consider the investment. Find something you can stick with over the long haul.
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7 Timeless Tips for Surviving & Thriving During Allergy Season
Has the pollen got you yet? After a nice early glimpse of spring and the daffodils blooming last week, seasonal allergies have hit us hard. Welcome spring, but ugh we're feeling awful. We got lulled in complacency over the winter and let spring allergies sneak up on us. So we thought we could all use an urgent refresher on how to manage through this pollen-filled season. Here's a throwback post from last spring to refresh us all, and hopefully keep us breathing easy.
- Start Early - Start taking allergy medication as soon as the pollen counts start to rise. A Best Health magazine article cites a doctor that says that "Once the symptoms have started, they’re harder to control.”
- Close Windows - Pollen levels are highest in the morning so keep the windows closed especially during the AM
- Shower in the Evening - Pollen clings to you and your clothes so after spending time outside toss your clothes in the laundry and jump in the shower for a rinse off
- Recirculate the Air - At home or in the car, set your air conditioner to recirculate the air rather than drawing in pollen-laden air
- Wrap Yourself In Style - Don the stylish sunglasses and wide brimmed hat to reduce the amount of pollen that ends up on you or in your eyes
- Stay Consistent - Keep your allergy medication close at hand and remember to take it daily
- Bonus Points - Help yourself by preloading your allergy medicine in a Style Rx to make sure you always have your medicine with you and remember take it daily. You'll look and feel better for it!
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Spring Rx for Health, Vitality and Versatility
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3 Tips for Last Minute St. Patty's Day Style
It's often said that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day but let's face it green is not necessarily the most fashion-forward color and too much of it can easily go from a do to don't quite quickly. So we set out to find a few last minute ways to incorporate the luck of the Irish into your Thursday style.
- Start with any green and white clothing you have on hand - White tee or button-down, green sweater in any shade or green skirt that channels spring
- Accessories for go-to style - Layer on some gold jewelry, tie on a spring green scarf, slip on some gold ballet flats or grab your Style Rx in the Inspiration design
- Be judicious with your use of green and gold - Like Coco Chanel said, "Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory." This is always good advice but most especially when combining green and gold. Less is more.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
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Daylight Savings: 5 Tips You Can Use This Weekend to Ease the Change
Earlier in the week we posted an article on our Facebook page about how to prepare for the start of Daylight Savings this weekend - given that it means we lose an hour of sleep. Welcome longer sun-filled days, pass on less sleep.
The key tip was to go to bed 10 minutes earlier each night this week so you'd be prepared to make the switch on Saturday night (officially at 2am Sunday morning) and not feel awful for most of next week. Great in principle but not sure about you but we're not really on track so far this week.
So we wondered if there were any other easy tricks that we could still do to minimize the lost hour and the impacts of the time change. That led us to this article from WebMD and a few suggestions for all of us that just can't seem to get to bed earlier. Relax, these are pretty doable...
- Saturday
- Exercise outdoors so you get the sunlight and fresh air your body craves and expend some energy
- Exercise early enough in the day that your body's temp can cool down enough to enable you to sleep
- Sunday
- Get up at your normal time so your body can adjust to the time and light shift
- Go for a morning walk, ideally an hour or longer, again so can give your body a chance to adjust to the sunlight and help reset your body clock
- If all else fails, consider taking melatonin one hour before bed to help you get the rest you need
- Monday
- Wake up rested and ready to enjoy the extra daylight!
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Age-Targeted Vitamins for Better Health: Which are right for you?
There's a lot of controversy around vitamins. Some healthcare experts say you're wasting your money taking over the counter vitamins and supplements. They say you should get your nutrients from a well-rounded, healthful diet. Of course! But how many of us eat a healthy, balanced diet on most days in the midst of commuting, lunch at our desks, after work appointments and activities, work trips, etc., etc.?
Other experts say that vitamins do have a place in helping supplement and fill in the gaps in our diet. Regardless of where you are on this spectrum, we've put together a simple guide on what most experts recommend women at every stage take to support their health. No vitamin is a substitute for a healthy, well-rounded diet but maybe the right choice can help you round out the edges and give you a little extra assurance.
| Age | Vitamin / Nutrient | Food Sources |
| 20s |
Vitamin B |
B - fortified cereals & whole grains C - strawberries, bell peppers, oranges, broccoli D - milk, orange juice, fatty fish, whole eggs Folate / Folic Acid - legumes, seeds, eggs, citrus fruits, leafy greens |
| 30s |
Vitamin A |
A - carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale C - (see above) D - (see above) E - fortified cereals, sunflower seeds, nuts, tomatoes Calcium - cheese, yogurt, milk, figs Folate / Folic Acid - (see above) Iron - clams, oysters, fish, legumes, spinach |
| 40s | Vitamin A Vitamin B Vitamin C Vitamin D Vitamin E Folate / Folic Acid |
A - (see above) B - (see above) C - (see above) D - (see above) E - (see above) Folate / Folic Acid - (see above) |
| 50s | Vitamin D Calcium Fish Oil |
D - (see above) Calcium - (see above) Fish Oil - flaxseed oil, salmon, walnuts, edamame |
| 60s | Vitamin B12 Vitamin D Fish Oil |
B12 - clams, trout, sirloin D - (see above) Fish Oil - (see above) |
If you decide to add a vitamin to your day make sure you:
- Do a little research to find the best, highest quality one for you. You'd be surprised what else can be in something you're taking for your health. Here's helpful tool that we use.
- Make it a habit. Plan to take it every day around the same time, perhaps with a meal to reduce stomach discomfort. (Always read the directions on the label though). Fill your Style Rx pill box case for the week and have it with you wherever your schedule takes you.
- Continue to eat well and get the sleep and exercise your body needs to function at its best.
Amazing What the Flip of the Calendar Can Do
Finally the end is in sight! Four days left in this extra long short month known as February in a Leap Year. And as a bonus, half of those four days are made up of weekend days (cheers to that!), the biggest movie night of the year - the Oscars (on Sunday night), and a once-every-four-years extra day - Leap Day. You got this. After all, Tuesday is the start of March and hopefully the first signs of Spring.
We know it's a psychological thing, and that chances are that in most parts of the country Tuesday won't suddenly be sunny, with birds chirping, hints of green popping out and warmer temperatures. But it is amazing what the flip of the calendar can do for your psyche. Suddenly signs of Spring are expected, and many of us start actively looking for them.
We know that with warmer temperatures we can start to wean ourselves from the winter comfort foods with the promise of fresh produce around the corner. We can shrug off cabin fever and start to get outside for a walk, a jog or a bike ride. We can thaw out and reconnect with friends and neighbors who we've barely seen since the snow started to fly. Spring is around the corner. So start planning now and we'll be counting down the last four days of February along with you!
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Easiest Way to Improve Your Health? Make a Date with a Friend
February is International Friendship Month and this Friday it's International Friendship Day. Who knew, right? Well hopefully you have few close friends that you cherish and who "get" you, and you don't need a particular day or month to recognize them. But just in case, you're falling a bit short in the friend department it's time to remedy that and make some friend time a priority.
Of course we all know the magic of discovering a friend who we just connect with, and no matter the time or distance, we always cherish. We appreciate how unique and valuable those friendships are, and now science is showing that they're even good for our health too! According to a Huffington Post article friends can help us reduce stress, blood pressure, dementia risk, susceptibility to colds, and help us sleep better. Impressive! Those are some very compelling, and healthful, reasons to make some girlfriend time a priority.
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