Blake Lively’s Trainer On Perfect Abs Without Crunches

Celeb trainer Don Saladino is a man with a plan. Since the beginning of the year, Don has helped us train like his star-studded clientele - everyone from Scarlett Johansson and Blake Lively to Ryan Gosling and Hugh Jackman to some of today’s hottest athletes - by using his go-to workout style of choice: split training. Instead of hitting every body part in one session, split training dedicates one full workout to each set, giving your muscles ample time to recover and getting you out of the gym faster than ever. So far, our TCM workouts with Don have looks something like this: chest + biceps on Day One, legs on Day Two, shoulders + triceps on Day Three, and the back muscles on Day Four. To finish off the set, Don's sharing with us the killer abs workout he throws in twice a week. Best part? Not a single crunch or sit-up in sight. No wonder the celebs love him... Ready to put it all together? Add two days of this crunch-less workout into the mix to try the entire workout next week - and be sure to take a day to rest!

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That Venice Life: The Film All About LA’s Coolest Neighborhood

Katie Nehra is a woman of many talents. She's the star of new film Alex of Venice, the designer behind Simone Collection and also knows a good brunch when she sees one - see below. We love that Nehra's latest project is all about that Venice life. There's no place on Earth quite like the hippie-tastic corner of L.A right on the beach. The film seems to capture some of the charm along with some of the weirdness. Spot on. We asked Katie to let us know a few key Venice metrics: what is the go-to uniform these days, what's the best spot for drinks, and what necessities should be taken to the beach. Enjoy the preview of the film above, then join Katie for a peek into her stylish, sometimes very strange, beachside hometown...

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Pain + Fascia: Should You Be Using Therapy Balls At The Gym?

Whether you're sitting at a desk all day, battling the rush-hour commute, your sleep patterns are all over the place, or you're just stressed to the bone, there comes a time when something's gotta give - and it's usually your body! While annoying, the kicker about body pain is that it's not even about vanity or comfort: physical aches and pains are a very real sign that your internal machinery is out of whack. Fascia, aka your "connective tissue fibers," are the tiny fibers that give your muscular system support - attaching, stabilizing, and protecting your muscles and organs from damage. Those aches and pains in your body are another way of saying: your fascial tissues (and sanity) are crying for help. With more than 27 years of expertise in anatomy and movement, Jill Miller is a pioneer in linking our fitness practices to pain management. Her solution to our fascial frustration? Therapy balls - specifically, Yoga Tune Up Balls. These fit-cessorries are game changers and her book The Roll Model is a step-by-step guide to managing pain through a series of exercises that literally get your body rolling. Pain Pain is an epidemic. It prevents you from performing at your best because it robs you of concentration, power and peace of mind. The Roll Model method gives you the tools to deliver a simple, self-treatment process to identify the body's blind spots (areas that are catalysts for pain and injury) and incorporate pain-relief and performance-boosting exercises. In less than five minutes daily you can increase mobility and eradicate pain for good. These exercises target the fascia, which is the ubiquitous living seam system in your body that threads your tissues to one another. The fascia a very important connective tissue in your body; wherever the Therapy Balls roll, they impact your body’s fascia. Everyone's tissues need comprehensive, integrated strategies to restore optimal performance so you can do what you want to do, better and pain-free. It's time to take life by the balls and get rolling!

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Genius Recipes: The Editor Of Food52 + Their New Cookbook

Food52's new cookbook Genius Recipes perfectly encapsulates what makes this foodie site so addictive. They've mulled over what constitutes a truly "genius" recipe for years through executive editor, Kristen Miglore's column, let them simmer, and have reduced them down to this delicious collection of crucial, life-changing dishes. Included are recipes from such culinary wunderkinds as Yotam Ottolenghi and the baker behind her favorite cheesecake...okay, she's still working on prying that last recipe from their hands - see below! We asked Kristen to tell us how recipes made (or did not make) the cut for the book and she's filling us in on her favorite bite from the entire collection. Here are Kristen's insights, including a mention of Marcella Hazan's tomato sauce recipe which, alone, is worth giving Genius Recipes a whirl in the kitchen... The Chalkboard Mag: What are the qualifiers for each of the Genius recipes? Kristen Miglore: I just wrote an article all about this! Simply put: A genius recipe will change the way you cook. TCM: Toughest part of editing down Genius Recipes? KM: Deciding what I should tuck away for the book instead of publishing straightaway in the column. TCM: Favorite recipe from the book/bite everyone needs to eat: KM: Roberto Santibáñez’s Classic Guacamole — it will ruin you for all others. TCM: Recipe you suspect will get used most often: KM: The cover recipe, Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter. TCM: Best kitchen tip from among the recipes: KM: Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi's hummus is ground-breaking — it takes a fraction of the time of other from-scratch recipes, but comes out perfectly smooth (the trick is to sauté the soaked chickpeas in baking soda to help scruff off their skins and cook faster). TCM: Your top personal kitchen skill: KM: I love kneading dough, and I was pretty proud when I got an intuitive rhythm down. (Here's the secret: Watch a YouTube video or two, and it's not that hard!) TCM: Three things your kitchen is never without: KM: Whole milk, eggs, lemons. TCM: Most under-rated kitchen tool/skill: KM: Bench scraper! (For leveling measuring cups, scraping up messes, gathering a pile of chopped ingredients, etc.) TCM: Food you're most anxious to get your hands on for spring: KM: Sweet, local strawberries that are dark red all the way through. TCM: Cooking for others: any steadfast entertaining rules? KM: You'll get the most love if you know the crowd you're serving: For my friends, creamy ricotta on toasts, colorful greenmarket salads, and strawberry shortcakes are sure things. TCM: Go-to dinner recipe at home lately: KM: Soft scrambled eggs and toasted English muffins (breakfast for dinner is underrated). TCM: Fave food trend of 2015: KM: I like when vegetables are the new kale (cauliflower, collards), because that means we usually find exciting new ways to cook with them. TCM: Food trend you wish would pass: KM: Re-embracing junk foods. I'm all for nostalgia, but there is nothing delicious about Cool Whip. TCM: Is there a genius recipe you're dying to get your hands on that is a secret recipe? KM: My favorite cheesecake in the world is at Terrapin Creek Café in Bodega Bay, California, but so far I haven't been able to pry it away from the owners.

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Superfood Spotlight: Ashitaba

There are superfoods and then there are superfoods. Lately, we've been totally nerding out on all the black and gold bottles from Sun Potion filled with what they call "transformational foods" like tonic herbs, mushrooms, medicinal plants and incredible superfoods. We asked brand founders, Scott and Nitsa to fill us in on all the fine print about these incredible foods starting with ashitaba, an incredible leaf that few of us know know much about... WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: This plush, resilient member of the Angelica family has been affectionately named ashitaba or “tomorrow’s leaf” in Japanese, because it is known to replenish the growth of its leaves within 24 hours of harvest. Indigenous to the rocky shoreline of Japan, Ashitaba (Angelica keiskei) is a tonic herb that has been revered for supporting beauty and longevity in Japanese folk medicine for centuries. This plant is currently being researched for its unique spectrum of health benefits; it is reported to support healthy cell regeneration, blood, digestion, skin and mood. WHY YOU SHOULD TRY IT: Ashitaba is one of the ​few terrestrial plants to contain substantial levels of B vitamins (specifically B6 - which helps to regulate healthy sleep patterns and mood as well as vitamin B12 - commonly found in meat, B12 helps the body to produce red blood cells, nourishes nerve cells, and supports in production of DNA). As it is rare to find these B vitamins in a plant, the ​ashitaba leaf and stem ​offer a wonderful, bio-available, whole-food source of B vitamins and is a great alternative to meat. In addition, ashitaba contains chalcones - unique polyphenols found in its thick yellow sap - which are being researched for their strong antioxidant action and as precursors of nerve growth hormone (NGH), an essential player in neuron health and development. LET’S GET TOGETHER: As with all tonic herbs, ashitaba is most effectively taken in small, regular doses over a lifetime. We like to mix a teaspoon of organic Ashitaba Powder by Sun Potion into a glass of spring water and drink first thing in the morning. It is also great blended into tea, juice, a smoothie, nut milk potion or even salad dressing. Ashitaba can even be applied topically to aid in healing blemishes. Just mix a half teaspoon into rose water and dab onto skin. Leave on for 15-20 minutes.

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Chévre Grilled Cheese + Purple Potato Doughnuts: The Best Of NYC’s Chelsea Market

As the city defrosts and the sun comes out to play, all eyes are on New York. We're craving a trip to the city that never sleeps - starting with Chelsea Market! Meghan Markle and her team at The Tig are sharing this round-up of top stops and eats at this fascinating Manhattan foodie temple. Think chèvre grilled cheese with olive tapenade and rosemary ham, purple potato doughnuts doused in maple and bacon, and a crépe escape that puts the Parisian versions to shame. Share with your NYC bestie and use this list as a guide for the perfect afternoon... What once housed the Nabisco Factory now serves as one of the absolute best foodie destinations in all of New York City— Chelsea Market (and considering how many places in Manhattan are devoted to all things delicious, that’s really saying something). But there’s a catch - there are oh-so-many options to hit up that many are left bewildered and befuddled. So The Tig got down to business and created the go-to guide for anyone from the international tourist to the NYC-based lunch-goer heading to the incredible place that is Chelsea Market.

GRAB-AND-GO:

Lucy’s Whey – You’ll definitely be tempted by Lucy’s artisanal cheese offerings, but you should really head there for their gourmet grilled cheese (like chèvre with olive tapenade and rosemary ham), which was named one of the top 10 grilled cheese sandwiches in New York City by Thrillist. Cull & Pistol Oyster Bar - Attached to The Lobster Place seafood market is the C&P Oyster Bar, and if you’re not in the mood to grab a seat (or if it’s just too crowded), be sure to order a lobster roll (cold, with mayo) from their take-away menu. Los Tacos – Fed up with the lack of authentic Mexican food in Manhattan, three friends from Tijuana and California decided to open up Los Tacos in Chelsea Market, and boy, are we glad they did! With a small, but delicious menu of tacos, tostadas and quesadillas, you definitely won’t leave this stand feeling anything but perfectly (or a little overly) full. Amy’s Bread – One of the most beloved bakeries in all of NYC not only bakes up some of the crunchiest, delicious loaves, but also has one of the best sandwich lists to quickly pick up from while you’re near Chelsea Market.

SIT DOWN:

Friedman’s Lunch – If your feet are exhausted from walking the city all day, don’t think that there aren’t any options for you within Chelsea Market. In fact, there are quite a few lovely places to sit down for a meal, like Friedman’s Lunch, which serves upscale comfort food in an intimate setting. Sit at their communal table if you’re in a particularly chatty mood. Giovanni Rana Pastificio & Cucina - One of our absolute faves in all of Chelsea Market has to be this Italian eatery. Sit down and enjoy a leisurely lunch or dinner of top-notch pasta - all homemade in-house.

SOMETHING SWEET:

Bar Suzette – You don’t have to head all the way to Paris to find a delectable crepe - in fact, you can find one that’s potentially even better (yes, we said it) than a Parisian crepe at Bar Suzette simply because they have so many crepes to choose from (like their chocolate and coconut crepe or honey and almonds version). Doughnuttery - Haven’t you heard? Doughnuts have replaced the cupcake as the hottest dessert in town. And if you’re itching for a doughnut, what better place to get one than the not-so-subtly named Doughnuttery? But these are not your average, run-of-the-mill jelly-filled desserts - these bite-sized doughnuts are made with high-quality, seasonal produce and flours. And they’re fun too - with flavors like “Urban Monkey” (coffee, banana, coconut) and “Purple Pig” (maple, purple potatoes, bacon), you’ll be sure to find something to scarf down.

DRINK:

Corkbuzz – One of The Tig’s fave wine-themed NYC spots opened its second location in Chelsea Market, and it’s definitely one you don’t want to miss. Whether you’re there to have a leisurely glass of pinot and a snack or want to take one of their wine classes, this is a must-stop while in Chelsea.

To read more about Chelsea Market and other NYC hotspots, visit The Tig by clicking through here!

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Would You Or Wouldn’t You: Shoot Up Your Vitamins

After jet lag sets in or a heavy-hitting work day gets the best of you, do you ever feel like you could use a shot of energy, straight up? Us too. And medi-spas from New York to L.A. are ready to give us just that. Celebs like Chrissy Teigen, Madonna, Rihanna and Cindy Crawford are are all big proponents of IV vitamin therapy and are giving this decades-old practice a fresh turn in the spotlight. We recently visited Epithereal Skincare here in L.A. to hook up, hang out, and see firsthand how it made us feel. While those with needle phobias might well chose other methods, IV therapies have been around since at least the '70s and show great promise for a wide variety of health needs. Spas, holistic doctors, and vitamin bars across the country promise a boost in energy, immunity, and general well-being after just thirty minutes attached to an intravenous drip bag.  IV drips can be found hooked up to just about every patient in a hospital, right? That's because dripping medicine directly into the blood stream is a powerful way to get an intense dose of support to the body with little digestive exertion. As a preventative therapy, even alternative medical practices have used drips with everything from hydrogen peroxide to chelating agents. Never ones to pass up a wellness therapy with this many gorgeous and glowing fans, we tried the classic Myer's Cockail therapy at Epithereal, along with an added does of "master antioxidant" glutathione. The Myer's Cocktail is designed to provide an ideal blend of vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, calcium, minerals, b vitamins, and vitamin c, to kick things up for your immune system, making it a perfect pick-me-up for people who are feeling run down or preparing for an intense schedule. We found the therapy energizing - not in a buzzy, caffeinated way, but in a deeply fortifying way. The high dose of vitamins provided a lift, and we'd definitely consider coming back during the more intense seasons of the year (think fall's cold and flu blitz or the pre-holiday rush). Interested in getting your IV on? Here are a few of the most popular IV therapies: IV Vitamin C: Asorbic Acid is an antioxidant which can prevent oxidative stress. This can also be a standalone therapy and is popular due to its skin brightening effects. Perfect for when feeling fatigued, onset of cold or flu, helpful in supporting immune function, wound healing and detoxification. IV Myers Cocktail: In the 1970’s, Dr. John Myers developed the Myers Cocktail. This therapy is used generally for preventing a variety of illnesses and infections, such as, fatigue, cold and flu, migraine headaches, decreased mood, depression, asthma and seasonal allergies. A powerful blend of magnesium, high dose of vitamin C, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, vitamin B5 and calcium. This is generally a 20-minute treatment. IV Glutathione: This powerful antioxidant is used to protect against oxidation of free radicals and can be added at the end of a Myers Cocktail or as a single therapy alone. Glutathione can be used to treat chronic fatigue or infections, inflammation, depression, asthma and more. B12 / B12 Complex Injection: If you’re not one for an IV, a quick prick may be just the trick. The B12 injection offers a quick boost in energy and offers the vitamins needed for healthy hair, nails and skin! B vitamins also aid in preventing premature gray hairs and wrinkles by ensuring proper cell production and RNA / DNA synthesis.

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Boho Vibes On Fleek: In The Studio With Design Goddess Justina Blakeney

Anyone familiar with Justina Blakeney's plant-loving, award-winning design blog will find it no surprise that this leaf-loving lady's home is a boho paradise - one she's actually named the "jungalow." Justina's work has been celebrated throughout the design world and by fashion majors from Vogue to Elle. Everything Justina touches seems to turn to Moroccan-inspired gold. We die over the charming corners of her studio, and her #FaceTheFoliage portrait series made entirely of leaves and flowers (check out her renditions of Twiggy and Liz Taylor!). Our latest Justina obsession? The New Bohemians: Cool and Collected Homes, a showcase of creatives from coast to coast that embrace a free-spirited, no-rules lifestyle both in and out of the home. Part photo journal, part interview series, part DIY guide, and part decorating how-to, Justina's book already has a permanent spot on our coffee table. If you're a bohemian at heart like us, take a peek inside the jungalow with Justina for some major design inspo, including her daily must-haves and necessary distractions to keep the creative juices flowing (hint: it involves Scandal)... [olists num=1] [olists num=2]

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Simplest Health Tip Ever: How Drinking Kombucha Can Change your Health

Is there anything that kombucha can't fix? It's one of our favorite cure-alls: from a sour stomach and an "I-partied-too-hard" headache to a lull in energy and chronic skin conditions, we're convinced kombucha is the answer. Sounds crazy at first, but the nutritional breakdown of this bubbly fermented drink more than validates our position. If kombucha has yet to make it into your vernacular, here's a quick 101: kombucha is a lightly effervescent beverage that is made through the fermentation process, much like hard cider, kefir or kvass. It is produced by fermenting tea, typically black or green, using a colony of bacteria and yeast called a "scoby." The fermentation of the bacteria creates a drink that is naturally rich in healthy, beneficial probiotics, antioxidants, organic acids (acetic acids) and nutrients such as B vitamins. Having been consumed for thousands of years, it is a traditional drink that has been used in countless cultures to help improve health. In particular, it has been shown to boost immunity, raise energy levels and support digestion. Here's the breakdown on kombucha benefits and how this fizzy drink can change your health... [olists num=1] Let's try some: There are many brands of kombucha to choose from, but remember, not all offer benefits to your health. It is imperative that you purchase a brand that is 100% raw and unpasteurized, as the pasteurization process kills the beneficial bacteria. Second, pick a bottle that's dark. The bacteria in the kombucha is very sensitive to light, so it likes to be protected by a dark bottle. Next, look for brands that only use organic sugar: since kombucha must use sugar for the fermentation process, we only want organic sugar to be used - non-organic has the potential to be genetically modified. To get the nitty-gritty details, head on over to the 5 Golden Rules of Kombucha to learn which brands are the best and how to shop for them. Start Now: Drinking kombucha for your first time can be a bit surprising. It has a taste similar to a fermented red wine, which can take some time to get used to. But we promise, once your taste buds adapt, you will be as hooked as we are. To reap its benefits, we suggest drinking a bottle a day. It can be consumed straight up on an empty stomach, or get a little creative with our Kombucha Salad Dressing and this outrageously tasty Honey Kombucha Float.

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Kale Chips + Cashew Butter: The Crunchy Recipe That’s Too Good To Be True

We thought we knew kale chips. We're The Chalkboard, for goodness sake. But then...we met Chef Jeff Mahin. As the chef-owner our next-level pizza neighbor Stella Barra and organic comfort food heaven M Street Kitchen, we're pretty confident this super-foodie could put an inventive spin on just about anything. These nut butter-coated kale chips are out of this world. Not only do they taste ridiculously amazing, they're chock-full of healthy fats, anti-inflammatory vitamins, and magnesium. - their one of this chefs go-to foods to prep for both his east and west coast Chef's Cycle for Share Our Strength, an organization which raises funds to make childhood hunger in America a thing of the past. Get out your baking sheets, roll up your sleeves, and get crunching - your next snack attack won't know what hit it.

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Spring Farm Haul: Miso Black Rice Bowls With Fresh Veggies

Even though we love living That Chalkboard Life here in Los Angeles, sometimes the rush hour traffic and take-out windows have us yearning to escape the city vibes for a more rural atmosphere. Thank goodness Andrea Bemis fell into our laps earlier this year, letting us live vicariously through her each month on TCM as she shares what it's like to run a farm for a living. Andrea is the face behind Dishing Up The Dirt as well as Tumbleweed Farm, an Oregon farmer’s market and restaurant-serving farm she runs with her husband. Tumbleweed Farm is also a CSA - meaning springtime is when the hustle and bustle starts! This month, she's giving us a peek into one of her busiest time of the year - and sharing her CSA box's recipe for the Miso Vegetable Rice Bowls that keep her sane and satisfied after a long day's work! My husband and I run a small community supported agriculture (CSA) farm and springtime is a hectic season of anticipation and work. Our farm has officially woken up from a long winter's nap and is more demanding than ever. The spring weather always brings challenges as it tends to be inconsistent (don’t get me started on our local weatherman!). We’re trying to keep up with daily chores and our bodies are sore and beat up. This happens every spring but for some reason we always forget how hard it is to get back into the swing of things after a slow winter on the farm. The good news is that spring greens are starting to pop up and our greenhouses are quickly filling up with new varieties of vegetables each week. We’re busy tilling up new areas of the fields so we can start transplanting outside and we feel anxious and excited that our 2015 season is officially underway. Because we run a CSA farm and sell to a local farmers markets, we rely heavily on a small local crowd for our livelihood. When we deliver our CSA boxes each week, we always include a few recipe ideas to keep our members inspired in the kitchen. It’s been a great way to share our love of farm-to-table recipes with our members and strangers alike. These miso vegetable rice bowls were a highlight after a long day of chores on our farm. I hope you all enjoy this simple meal as much as we do. Run to your local farmers market to pick out your produce and whip these up. A miso veggie rice bowl tastes best with a glass of your favorite wine and some good company. Cheers!

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Effortless Healing: 5 Simple Principles From The Top Doctor On The Web

All month, we've featured key health heroes and speakers from this weekend's Longevity Now Conference. Bulletproof's Dave Asprey told us about his daily health habits, holistic guru Lissa Rankin talked to us about fear and anxiety, and of course, our Guest Editor, David "Avocado" Wolfe filled us in on wellness protocols you may have never thought of. To wrap up the month on a high note, we're shining the spotlight on one last health hero, a visionary in the wellness world, Dr. Joseph Mercola. Dr. Mercola is not only a passionate advocate of natural medicine - he has actually succeeded in implementing much-needed changes to our current healthcare system. After 25 years as a family physician serving tens of thousands of patients, Dr. Mercola launched Mercola.com - the number-one natural health website on the web - and his written numerous books, including the brand new, Effortless Healing, that has us rethinking the way we approach pain relief and disease. Here are a few insights from Dr. Mercola on turning your health and immunity around for the better - no magic pill required... As one of the leading physician advocates for using food as medicine, reaching many tens of millions through my website, you may think I have always been a healthy eater. The truth is that I wasn’t. I was raised eating the typical American diet—bread, chips, doughnuts, and dessert after nearly every meal. I also had cavities in half my teeth filled with mercury before I reached adulthood. My face and back were riddled with acne. Yet I never connected the dots between what I ate and my symptoms until well in to my medical career. This was largely due to effective media and marketing strategies of the junk food companies that are even more effective today. When I started my medical practice thirty years ago, I thought the best way to address patient’s health complaints was to write a prescription. My first wake-up call came from The Yeast Connection by William Crook, M.D. When I first read it in the mid-1980s, I ignored Crook’s nutritional advice and only prescribed antifungal drugs as treatment for yeast overgrowth. Not surprisingly, my approach failed miserably. Ten years later, I read the book again. This time, the nutritional guidance hit home. I started counseling my patients to change what they ate, and saw their symptoms evaporate. That catalyzed a new direction for me as I traveled across the country nearly every month to conferences to learn how to apply nutrition to my medical practice. This new information worked and many of my patients started getting better. It became clear that I could only treat tens of thousands of patients so I started a website to share this information that now reaches over ten million individuals every month. I refined my role from an expert responsible for ‘fixing’ patients to an educator who helps people unlock their own healing potential. My staff and I review nearly a thousand articles a week and publish summaries and my commentary on the best ones in my daily newsletter. I also interview many of the leading health experts in the world. Very few people have the time to read a thousand health articles a week which is why I started the newsletter. But I also realized many don’t have the time to review all my old newsletters and would like a condensed summary of the core principles on how to regain your health and not have to be in constant pain and take medications every day. That is why I’ve distilled my learning and experience into 9 healing principles in my new book Effortless Healing. Remember, your body is an exquisite machine that is tuned to create health. The question to ask each time you prepare to eat or decide when to go to bed or what type of exercise to do is: Do I want to degenerate, or regenerate? The choice - and the power - is yours. Here are five of the nine principles from within the book.  [olists num=1]    

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From Hipster To Health Nut: The L.A. Fitness Club That Gets Us Out Of The Gym

We're suckers for a good "before and after" - which is why our current fitness crush is none other than famed photographer Mark "The Cobrasnake" Hunter. Yes, the same Mark Hunter that was once known for partying hard with the likes of Steve Aoki and the late DJ AM, famously capturing every dubstep-accompanied moment on film for the rest of the world to live vicariously through, is now a bona fide fitness personality. A former fixture in both the LA and NY club scene, Mark was responsible for making the everygirl the It Girl. He's since traded in his late nights and bar tabs for early mornings and green juice, which makes sense: "the scene" can leave you feeling zapped of energy, fatigued, moody, and the farthest thing from healthy. To help others make the transition from fried to fit, he started up the Cobra Fitness Club - a free twice-a-week hiking club in LA's Runyon Canyon that's about striving for your personal best, developing friendships, and forming a sense of community over the idea that health is the new black (all in style, of course - check out their line of hipster-fab threads). In LA for the weekend? Join Mark and the Cobra Fitness Club for a special Sunday Funday hike in the hills. Lace up your tennis shoes, slip on your neon spandex, and get ready to party, Cobra-style - here's what you need to know:

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Watch This: 6 Detoxifying Yoga Poses To Do Anywhere

The music festivals of April might be in the past...but your body is feeling the aftermath in the present like woah. Long crazy days and hot desert nights mean that you're probably in need of some major TLC to undo the damage left over from the fun in the sun. Our friends at MyYogaWorks, one of our favorite online yoga studios, share a set of six detoxifying poses to balance out your bod - plus for TCM readers only, a yoga class aptly named (what else) "Erase The Weekend." Follow along for free, then for a limited time only sign up for their online membership to detox any time, anywhere! We can't erase everything you did at last weekend's music festivals (we aren't a time machine), but we can at least help provide some relief after a few days of good times and overindulgences. If you don't have time for the full Erase the Weekend practice, you can still get your detox in with this mini sequence of yoga poses. You can also explore over 700 online yoga classes, including 30 detox classes, on MyYogaWorks (check out our deal for TCM readers below!). Namaste! [olists num=1] [olists num=2]

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He’s Just Not That Into You: The Ins And Outs Of Rejection

"He's just not that into you." "It wasn't meant to be." "There are plenty of fish in the sea." Whichever way you word it, there's no way around the fact that rejection, especially romantic rejection, sucks. Relationship expert Ellie Burrows explains the psychology behind why we sometimes get rejected - and why we shouldn't drive ourselves to crazy trying to figure out what we could have done differently. Rejection. Let’s go there. People generally default to their insecurities when it comes to rejection. They assume that the object of their desire ended things because they were bad in bed or fat or didn’t play it cool enough. If only I had shaved my legs, didn’t ask about his ex or fart in the middle of the night… Ugh, and then there’s that famous line, “It’s not you, it’s me.” Although it has had a long-running monopoly over the rejection marketplace, its value has significantly diminished. It feels cheap and wimpy because, of course, he or she is breaking up with you because you have the worst morning breath ever. Why couldn’t they just be honest? In our search for a reason and in an attempt to get a handle on the unknown, we turn on ourselves. We beat ourselves up, often making less sense in an effort to make more sense. We cast blame to satiate our desire for answers we will likely never get and we engage in an unreasonable search for a reason. But we so rarely, if ever, consider that the reason we are rejected is because things are “right” and that’s what make things so wrong. No one ever says: “I’m wonderful and that’s why it didn’t work out.” “The sex was mind-blowing, conversation electric, and compatibility was off the charts. Naturally, we broke up.” “He was fantastic so I just couldn’t do it.” “Our heart connection was too intense so I ended it.” That all sounds weird, right? Wrong. Meet Clark. He’s chiseled everywhere. Everything about him is strong and clearly defined: face, body, brain. The whole thing is one seriously attractive package. He’s a lethal combo: incredibly seductive and deeply emotionally wounded by his mother. Let’s leave it at that. He’s the guy you want to heal. He’s the guy you want to fix. He’s the guy that makes you want to pick up your power tools and go to work. He’s the guy that makes you want to be the different one, the one that got him to commit. More often than not, he’s the guy you date, fool around with and then it abruptly ends. He’s the guy that can take your pants off with his words but vanishes without a trace. Maybe ten percent of women that he’s bedded get some semblance of a goodbye text. And somehow when he leaves, she feels like there was something wrong with her. I had breakfast with Clark last week. He’s a friend. I asked him about a certain girl that he met a while back. And he said one of the more fascinating things I heard all week: “There was so much sex falling into my bed at the time. That, and she was an actual viable option as a partner, so that made her a non-starter.” Wow. Let’s break this down. There was so much sex falling into my bed. Easy. Lots of attractive women, lots of availability, lots of variety, lots of sex. Makes lots of sense. She was an actual viable option for a partner so that made her a non-starter. Fascinating. Seems to make no sense. See, this girl was a babe. He really liked her. She was beautiful, smart and ambitious. The text banter was very high level. She made him feel funny on the inside and stupidly smile on the outside and found himself distracted at work. He made out with her once, on their first date - it was better than good. They kept texting and talking but the second date never happened. He sort of stood her up and blamed it on his phone dying. She was so right that she was totally wrong. He had to reject her. When you choose to be with one person, you decide. I learned the following saying from one of my teachers “genocide, suicide, pesticide, decide.” This suffix,“-cide,” means you kill whatever comes before it. To choose someone, to decide to be with one person, means killing off all the other possibilities, killing off all that sex that is “falling into the bed.” And while we’re having an English lesson, “de” can mean privation, removal or separation. Inherent in the decision to choose one person, is the rejection of a thousand others. In fact, when you think about it, choosing someone is actually the biggest act of rejection of all time. So sometimes it is easier to reject one person, wonderful and perfect as they may be, than to reject a thousand others. If Clark could just reject one girl, the one that was right, then he could choose all the others. Kind of a mindf*ck, don’t you think? On a singular level, it’s hard for our ego to understand this. It just wants to know why it wasn’t chosen. But if we go into the heart, we can find compassion – and maybe even an answer. Choosing someone means potentially making a pit stop at Devastation Station or the Heartbreak Hotel. The things that are required for a relationship - namely vulnerability and trust - can feel insurmountable, exhausting and even dangerous. Clark just didn’t want to go there. So instead he goes to many other places but never stays for too long. And when I asked Clark’s permission to tell this story, he happily gave it. And then he added, “I look back at people I arbitrarily stopped dating in the past, and think, 'What the fuck, Clark?'” Sometimes rejection has nothing to do with the person being rejected...and everything to do with the person doing the rejecting.

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The True Cost: The Fast Fashion Exposé You Need To Watch

this Is the kind of documentary we took a deep breath before watching. We knew it would change the way we looked at shopping forever. And that's kind of a big deal. The True Cost is the fashion world's answer to the popular food documentaries we're seen over the past few years. It is an exposé about the inner workings of the industry, our consumer habits and "the true cost" of a piece of clothing by the time it ends up in our closets. We wern't sure if we were ready to hear the truth about the "fast fashion" brands we love. But watching the documentary is a solid first step toward becoming a more responsible consumer in ways that really matter. Powerful fashion influencers from Stella McCartney to Livia Firth (who is one of the film's producers) reveal the industry's impact on the planet and the people making the clothes. The True Cost trailer is released today and can be watched above. We talked to director Andrew Morgan to learn more about the film's message...

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I Woke Up Like This: 7 Steps To Mastering The No Makeup Look

We love a smoky eye just as much as the next girl, but there is something so refreshingly chic about this spring's hottest beauty trend: the naked face. Say sayonara to the false lashes and heavy contours: this season, it's all about going bare. No makeup is one thing - we're all for it! But the "no-makeup" look is all about illuminating highlighters, dewy foundation, and just a kiss of color to flush up your cheekbones. Our go-to beauty gal Annie Atkinson of She's In The Glow is here to help you master that "I woke up like this" look, in just a few simple steps... There is one makeup technique that every girl needs to know about this spring: ‘No makeup’ makeup. It’s the definitive look of the season, featuring a stripped-down and au natural aesthetic. If you really start to look around, you will notice this look everywhere, in the movies, in advertisements and especially on the runways. The fresh-faced trend is a far cry from the heavy contouring tutorials that once ruled the YouTube cyberspace. Yes, there was a time when this was relevant, but luckily, those days are over (wahoo!).

Beauty brands are even scaling back on color cosmetics and amping up their skincare lines to help deliver skin-improving results. You see, when you have beautiful and glowing skin, you don’t need all that makeup and you can allow your natural beauty to shine through. Plus, realistically speaking, who has the time for all that makeup anyway?!

One of my favorite quotes by Roald Dahl really resonates with the current no makeup trend: “If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”

That being said, I am not suggesting that we roll out of bed, splash a little water on our face, and walk out the door. No. Even girls blessed with the most perfect skin, invisible pores or the plumpest pout can still use a little something, right? It’s all about finding the right products to conceal and highlight naturally so it gives the appearance that you woke up this way. After all, it’s all about feeling comfortable, authentic and knowing how to create the prettiest you.

I have been obsessed with the whole ‘no makeup’ makeup look for sometime now, and, consequently, have mastered how to achieve the prettiest skin, glowiest cheekbones and freshest eyes in just a few easy steps. It’s imperative to use products that won’t clog your pores and contain clean ingredients. I’m all about keeping it all natural and organic, and luckily with all the amazing technologies out there, you can really get results and be green too.

To achieve this fresh-face look, you want to start with clean skin. The key to luminous skin begins with the right kind of skincare: an all-natural and non-toxic serum and fabulous moisturizer oil. I am using Mun’s No.1 Aknari Brightening Youth Serum and Tata Harper’s Reparative Moisturizer. Once you’ve applied your skincare, skip your foundation and bronzer and leave it to these simple steps that will deliver a youthful glow.

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Gym Gear 101: The Ultimate Guide To Shopping For Fitnesswear Online

The next big thing in fitness isn't a new class or move - it's the way you shop. With the lines between fitness gear, street style, and even high fashion becoming blurred, it's about time activewear carved out a little nook online for die-hard shoppers who love to sweat. Instead of shopping for one brand at one store, these web-based fitnesswear boutiques are curated to the T and make finding the stylish fit for your style of fitness as simple as a click of a button. Here's how to get the most out of your shopping spree - and the top 5 sites that are completely changing the way we shop for fitnesswear (plus our must-haves from each, naturally): 1. Go For Variety. The beauty of today's online fitnesswear shops are that they don't just carry one or two brands - there's a little something for everyone. Whether you're into Crossfit, yoga, marathons, even swimming, the best places to get fitness gear on the web cater to the multi-faceted fitnessista. What's more, they've got more brands than a department store. Looking for prints? Solids? More fashion than function or vice-versa? There's a brand for that. If variety is the spice of life, then today's online fitnesswear boutiques are heating up, big time. Look for a site that offers as many brands as possible so you can really find what speaks to you. 2. Hack The Fit Guides. Our not-so-secret tip for navigating the size charts of online fitnesswear stores? Since there are so many options available - and every brand fits differently - find a brand you know and love, then take a peek at their size chart. What size do you wear, and what are the measurements that correlate with that size? Use those numbers while you're shopping for other brands to ensure a fit that fits your bod. 3. Customer Support + Policies. Make sure to read the fine print - but in general, most online fitness shops have stellar return or exchange policies if you're not happy with your purchase. We're suckers for good customer service, and these new sites have the fit shopping system down pat. Some even have a live-time online chat service, so you can talk to a fitnesswear pro on the spot to ensure you're not disappointed once that box arrives on your doorstep.

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An Exotic Mushroom Salad From The Slanted Door

Nothing has us more inspired to try our hand at Vietnamese food than a meal at San Francisco's famed Slanted Door. With a location inside one of our favorite spots in the city, the Ferry Building (neighboring Pressed Juicery, of course!), The Slanted Door has been a mainstay of the city’s dining scene since it first opened in The Mission in 1995. A trip to San Francisco is never complete without a much-anticipated meal here, as the award-winning chef Charles Phan captivates our palates with the exotic flavors of Vietnamese cuisine - dishes like Chef Phan's daikon rice cakes and spicy broccoli with braised tofu, lion's mane and mushroom have us embracing this exotic, new-to-us cuisine with open arms. The Slanted Door: Modern Vietnamese Food is a love note to the genesis of the restaurant, the people who eat there, and the food that has transformed our perceptions of Vietnamese cuisine. All the restaurant's all-stars are in there, so even if you never make it to the Bay, you can get a taste of the Vietnamese food we're all going gaga over! Our favorite? This Roasted Mushroom and Yuba Salad by Chef Phan himself: This vegan dish is a recent addition to The Slanted Door menu. The dressing utilizes hot oil that has been poured over aromatics, which infuses the oil with their flavor and cooks the ginger and shallots. You will have leftover oil, which you can use in other salads. We use yuba, which is also known as tofu skin, from Hodo Soy Beanery in Oakland. If you can’t find fresh yuba, many Asian markets sell it in sheets that are frozen or dried. Thaw or reconstitute the yuba according to the package directions, then proceed from there. Make sure to dress the yuba and the mushrooms separately. Otherwise, the mushrooms will soak up the oil and become too salty.

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Super-Sexy + Eco-Friendly: 7 Earth Day Fitnesswear Picks

Earth Day isn't just about turning off the lights or growing a garden - it's about taking the time to infuse eco-consciousness into your entire life. For us, Earth Day is kind of like the beginning of a new year and just like January 1st, exercise plays a big part of our Earth Day "resolutions." Below you'll find our favorite hard-core, eco-friendly fitnesswear picks to get you in that Earth Day state of mind...

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Natural Woman: Elizabeth Olsen On Earth Day + Her Favorite Yoga

In a word, stunning. We love it when already adorable celebs hit their stride in moment's like Elizabeth Olsen is having right now. Coming soon on the big screen, Elizabeth is part of the stellar 'The Avengers' cast and we can't help but feel a little proud since the Olsens' all have a special little place in our fashion-loving hearts! This Earth Day, Elizabeth has joined forces with Kiehl's to design a limited edition version of their best-selling Avocado Eye Treatment (her favorite product) just in time for Earth Day. Environmentalism is a cause close to this beauty's heart and below she's sharing a list of her top resources when it comes to all things green. Check out Olsen's list, then find out how to join in with Kiehl's and Pressed Juicery for a little eco-appropriate Earth Day celebration... [olists num=1] [olists num=2]

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Get Into It: What You Can Do With Just Coconut Cream + Honey

Coconut cream and honey - those are the only ingredients in this to-die-for ice cream from our new dessert BFFs Laurel and Claire (of Kitchy Kitchen.) Inspired by one of our fave vegan ice cream shops, this is the stuff pre-summer dreams. Here's Claire... Food should be nourishing and delicious. It sounds simple, right? With sweets especially, it can be so hard to find treats that are as good to eat as they are for you. My friend Laurel, the baker behind the grain-free and refined-sugar-free (and sometimes vegan) goodness known as the Sweet Laurel Bakery, has shared some of her simplest and most satisfying recipes with me. My favorite thing about her recipes is that they're always made with whole ingredients, no funny stuff or filler, so even the biggest sweet-tooth loves them. Laurel recently introduced me to her favorite ice cream shop, Kippy's in Venice. Every flavor is created on the foundation of two simple ingredients: organic, raw coconut cream that Kippy's extracts itself every Thursday night, and organic, raw honey. If ice cream could be good for you, this is humanity's best chance. The flavors are delicious, and the raw coconut cream and honey are filled with fantastic enzymes, vitamins, and minerals. Plus, basically anyone can enjoy it: It's gluten-free, plant-based, and raw! Inspired by Kippy's delicious ice cream, I created this simple dairy-free ice cream recipe. If you live in LA, swing by Kippy's to purchase the ingredients (warning: the coconut cream runs out by Sunday, so try to nab some late in the week). The flavor of the coconut cream and honey is so simple and pure, it would be perfect with some fresh fruit on top.

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Spring Refresh: Win Our Home Design Makeover with Decorist

Decorist is transforming the way we think about spring cleaning. Sure, April is traditionally the time for a deep clean, but what about when everything's sparkling? Ready for a design refresh or new look? That's where Decorist comes in. For those of us who don't have an interior designer on retainer, Decorist has created a genius solution for updating the look of your home to any scale. First, take a quiz, then get paired with a stylist who will match your style and budget and help you create a custom plan for your space. We're giving away the ultimate spring refresh package from Decorist that makes a perfect gift for Mother's Day! Keep it for yourself, if you're desperately in need of an update, give it to that mom who's children are now all over the age of four or who are leaving the nest! Certain times of life need design upgrades more than others. We're excited to feature Colorhouse, a stylish paint brand whose colors are spot-on and low-VOC. And True Natural Botanicals whose line of Pacific skincare products are one of our all-time favorites. Get all the details and enter one of our simplest contests yet....

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Green Goddess Guide: Rose Marie Swift of RMS Beauty

How dangerous could a career in beauty really be? When it comes to hazardous jobs, we think of restaurant kitchensand open construction lots, before fashion shoots and dressing rooms. But green goddess and celebrity makeup artist Rose Marie Swift had to find out the hard way that a career in beauty had health hazards of it's own. After a host of health problems prompted her to get blood work done, Rose Marie was stunned when her doctor asked if she worked in the cosmetics biz. It turned out that her blood contained toxic levels of heavy metals including aluminum, barium, cadmium, lead, and mercury, not to mention high levels of pesticides and other chemicals. Determined to not only heal herself but the millions of women unknowingly purchasing hazardous beauty products off the shelves Rose Marie started her own line, RMS Beauty. RMS Beauty now has a cult following, leading the way in organic, safe beauty and is a fave of ours in The Shop. Rose Marie has worked with some of the most famous faces in the world - everyone from Giselle to Demi - preaching the all-natural beauty gospel wherever she goes (that includes her online footprint via the myth-busting, truth-revealing Beauty Truth, which she created to alert others of the dangers lurking in the drugstore aisles. Take a peek inside this green goddess's makeup bag, steal a page off her beautifying menu, and get glowing the natural way...safety first.

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Bone Broth Is The New Coffee: Our Fave Paleo Staple Hits L.A.

We've always been double-fisted creatures: green juice in one hand, coffee in the other. Our green juice addiction can hardly be improved upon (hello, Greens 3!), however, lately, we've been upgrading our hot morning drink and sipping on this deeply nourishing, non-vegan cup of brew. When we heard about New York restaurants like Brodo, who are serving up traditional bone broth like lattes in paper cups, we were floored. It seems like an idea whose time has come. Like bottled green juice, bone broth in coffee cups is a pitch perfect modern health solution. And we're happy to say that the bone broth trend has finally hit L.A. in an accessible way. Bone broth, like the chicken soup so many of our moms fed us growing up, is great for immunity and deeply comforting. This healing traditional food began to trend hard last year - and when public personalities like the entire Lakers team got in on it - the media went wild. We love it when wellness trends go mainstream, but it's important to be equipped with the right information, not just the glossy overview. We have a few things to say about where you buy the stuff. The health benefits of real, clean-sourced bone broth are not the same as that questionable bouillon cube in your noodles. The bone broth we're advocating is made with the bones of hormone and antibiotic-free, grass-fed, humanely-raised animals. Bones are cooked down for a remarkably long time (24 hours or more) until the bones break apart, releasing  bio-available forms of vitamins, minerals and gelatin that deeply hydrate the body and replenish the skin, our gut and joints. Broth's benefits have much to do with this miracle ingredient.  Bone broth is part of a family of "traditional foods" being given a second look by modern foodies. Bone marrow has been trending in the restaurant world for years and the health benefits with broth are quite similar. The turn toward bones, organ meats and other, um, "earthy" cuts have to do with idea that perhaps we lost something when we stopped using the whole animal in our diets as our ancestors did for millennia.  What do you think of the whole bone broth trend? We know some of you are already trying it at home - which takes a pretty serious level of crockpot-oriented commitment. Bones can be ordered from some local CSA programs or specific ranches at your local farmer's market. Making broth is not an impossible task, but definitely a task. There's something that thrills us about being able to swing in to a shop and pick up a cup of healing broth just as easily as a double vanilla latte. What do you think? Where to shop: You can find bone broth by the cup at the organic Belcampo butcher shop in downtown L.A. and now in Santa Monica.

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Rocky Barnes sporting our Vitamin A bikinis at Coachella

Rocky Barnes sporting our Vitamin A bikinis at Coachella

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The Fear Cure: Lissa Rankin’s 6-Step Precription For Courage

She might have been off-base about what happens when you cross your eyes (they won't stick that way, kids), but mom was right about one thing: you can actually worry yourself sick. It's no coincidence that when you're anxiety-ridden over that deadline, meeting, or tough conversation you've been meaning to have, the sniffles start to arise. And the longer your fear lingers, the worse the health consequences - everything from heart disease to cancer.  We're loving physician, bestselling author and wellness all-star Lissa Rankin's newest read, The Fear Cure. Lissa is adamant about taking the idea of the "mind-body connection" to a whole new level, explaining exactly why and how we need to heal ourselves from the fear that puts our health in jeopardy and ultimately strips our lives of joy. The kicker? We actually need fear in order to cultivate the courage that heals us. Catch Lissa at this week's Longevity Now Conference alongside our April Guest Editor David Wolfe, Bulletproof's Dave Asprey, and a whole host of TCM health heroes changing the way we live well. Until then, you've got a brand new fear-busting prescription to fill - doctor's orders. Your Prescription for Courage may not include roller coasters, ropes courses, rejection therapy, silent meditation, or baring your soul on the Internet. Your journey will be your own, guided by the wisdom of your Inner Pilot Light. Cultivating courage is not necessarily about forcing yourself to do things that terrify you, and this process is not meant to traumatize you. It’s meant to sink you into peace, which is where you’ll find your courage. You’ll have your own way of letting fear nudge you into soul growth as you surrender into peace Cultivating courage doesn’t lend itself to a simple step-by-step process the way making Jell-O does. Every journey is as individual as a fingerprint. However, some aspects of the process are similar for almost everyone, and some practices are predictably helpful, such as finding the support of a professional who can guide you and finding your stillness through some form of daily practice. If you read my book Mind Over Medicine, the Six Steps to Cultivating Courage might look familiar, because the steps are parallel to the Six Steps to Healing Yourself that I laid out in that book. Because the process of cultivating courage is a journey of healing and transformation, the same six steps that work for healing the body can guide you as you cultivate courage. That said, unlike the processes taught in many self-help books, this is not a one-size-fits-all cure. I’ll be offering you tools and helping you brainstorm ideas, but many of these have been filtered through my own biases, beliefs, and personal preferences. Yours may be radically different, which is why nobody can write this prescription for you. As you read on, take ownership of this process. Borrow what resonates. Leave what doesn’t. Get inspired. Let yourself imagine a life characterized by peace. What will it take for you to free yourself?

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Color Therapy: 8 All-Natural Makeup Products In Spring’s Top Colors

Natural doesn't always mean neutral. Spring's runways were filled with crazy, colorful beauty looks. Just because you're a natural beauty maven doesn't mean you can't rock the David Bowie-esque colored eyeliner trend - if that's what you're into. We've rounded up a few of our favorite high-pigmented colors in beauty this spring, all from brands who are dedicated to creating clean formulas free of harmful ingredients. Check out our short list and enter to win a full set of gorgeous colors from Jane Iredale... [olists num=1] [olists num=2]

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In Full Bloom: These Gluten-Free Breakfast Cupcakes Are Everything

These are the kinds of recipes that thrill. New contributor, Monique Otero of Brunchpants is blowing us out of the water with this gorgeous breakfast idea inspired by our mutual love for the quintessential spring harvest: edible flowers! NYC's farmer's markets are coming alive with spring goodness and we're profiling the local New York farms that make these markets shine... This is a perfect time of year to enjoy everything local farms are doling out. A jewel box of a farm located in Montgomery, NY, Windfall Farms focuses on micro-greens, salads and specialty seasonal produce like these edible flowers. The farm's philosophy is to sell poison-free food, free of pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and chemical fertilizers that are unfortunately commonly used in conventionally grown produce. The higher standards used for Windfall’s farming practices is one of the reasons the quality of this farm stand is widely known among some of the best restaurants in New York City. You can find Windfall Farms at the Union Square Farmers Market on Wednesday and Saturday or every Sunday at the 79th Street greenmarket. On their greenmarket days, I head to Windfall’s stand early so I can grab edible flowers before they sell out. Edible flowers are not only versatile but nutritious, with most of them containing potassium, phyto-nutrients, and vitamin C. I like to use these flowers to decorate desserts, freeze into ice cubes for summer cocktails, add to salads or layer into a sandwich for an unexpected element. This recipe for gluten-free breakfast cupcakes uses edible flowers as "sprinkles"!

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Balancing Act: A Creative Gal’s Guide To The Daily Grind

On One Hand: You've got creativity running through your bloodstream. You think outside the box and see the world as one big art project waiting to happen. Whether you're the kind of creative who writes, draws, sings, sews, photographs, or simply has a right-brained mind that just won't quit, you have a unique way of looking at life that serves you in any situation. On The Other Hand: A girl's gotta eat. Five (or more) days a week, you do the work to pay the bills, and have a job you're plugging away at - maybe even a full-blown career you're carving out for yourself. You're no stranger to the daily grind, Creative Gal: the traffic-jammed commute, the stressors of your job, the responsibilities that loom over your head as you hustle at work. Whether you are in love with your job or are just trying to get by, there's one thing most creative types have in common when it comes to the daily grind: do I have to give up my identity as an artist just to fit in? The Balancing Act: Just because you're a working girl doesn't mean that you have to squash your creative impulses. If you're not used to singing your own praises, this is a really good time to start: you have a special, visionary way of viewing the world that not only serves you, but serves all those around you. Whether your daily grind is in an artistic field or not, here are three ways to honor your creative work, your 9-5 work...and still end the day feeling like you can do it all, just as you are.



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10 Kitchen Staples: Nutrition Stripped’s McKel Hill Lets Us Raid Her Pantry

Some besties go on hikes or coffee dates for fun. We, however, raid each other's kitchens (are you surprised?). Never ones to pass up an opportunity to get up close and personal with cooking supplies, you can imagine our excitement when McKel Hill, one of our nutritionista BFFs, let us take a peek behind her pantry doors and into her life as a registered dietitian, wellness expert, and the founder of healthy living blog Nutrition Stripped.

Some of these items might seem predictable - a Vitamix to blend up her Insta-famous Stripped Smoothie, organic coconut oil - but why she chooses to keep these essentials on hand makes us look at our kitchen in a whole new light. Ready to take a friend date, TCM-style? Here's McKel with the 10 kitchen essentials she's currently obsessed with:



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Coachella ready flash tats - metallic body tattoos from Lulu DK

Coachella ready flash tats - metallic body tattoos from Lulu DK

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La Galette: Raw Everything-Free Cheesecake Bars That Taste Amazing

Oh Cheesecake, how we adore thee. This once forbidden food has been welcomed back into our world thanks to Zainab Alasadi of La Galette. Free of dairy, gluten and other refined ingredients, Zainab has ingeniously transformed cheesecake into a raw, vegan treat that any health foodie would approve of. Utilizing ingredients like mineral-rich cashews, metabolism-boosting coconut, gluten-free buckwheat, fiber-packed almonds and sweetened with the natural sugars of rice malt and dates, one bite is as good for your body as it is for your emotional well-being. Whip up a batch of these frozen vegan cheesecake bars - filled with our favorite flavor combo, chocolate and peanut butter - and let your tastebuds run wild. Here's the creator herself with a few notes on this healthy, desserty remix... Chocolate and peanut butter couldn’t be more perfectly paired. Especially in this vegan cheesecake. The peanut butter adds a lovely flavor and smoothness to the cheesecake filling - simply melt-in-your-mouth. The raw chocolate pieces scattered in the cheesecake are like morsels of joy, an unexpected surprise. What I love even more about this cheesecake is that it is so versatile. Don’t like peanut butter? Feel free to replace it with any other nut butter or even fruit puree. Don’t have a square baking tin? Use tin muffin tins and round pans. Decorate these however you like; make them sophisticated or leave the cheesecake in its natural beauty. It’s completely up to you...



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The 5 Yoga Poses You Should Be Doing Every Day

A little yoga goes a long way. We try to spread the gospel of shorter, more efficient workouts, the less-is-more mentality, and the fact that something is better than nothing. And that includes how we approach our yoga practice. Sometimes, however, when you're crunched on time, it's nice to know the poses to focus on to get the most bang for your physical, mental, and emotional buck in record time. Lifestyle blogger Lauren Gores Ireland enlisted her yoga instructor to show TCM readers the five yoga poses to do daily for less stress, more awareness, and to get your body moving... Daily life often becomes overwhelming as we try to balance our relationships, careers, and a growing to-do list — all at once. The stress seems to gradually increase, until suddenly, we feel a breakdown coming on. I’m always seeking new ways to calm my mind and create peace within myself amid the busiest days. Most recently, I worked closely with yoga instructor Molly Mitchell-Hardt to learn a series of moves I could practice daily. As much as I love attending a full yoga class, a busy lifestyle doesn’t always allow time each day. The following five moves are ones you can do from home and work. As Molly explained during our session, this series of positions will decrease anxiety and improve your ability to live presently. Try holding each pose as recommended below. You can make changes that fit your personal comfort. Repeat each position as your mind/body desires.



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12 Festival-Inspired Fitnesswear Picks We’re Lusting Over Now

Whether you're hitting up one of the many must-see concert circuits this spring or just pumping up the jam in your earbuds at the gym, we've rounded up fitnesswear with a boho edge to help you take your look to the next level. We're in lust with each of these festival-inspired fitnesswear superstars of the season - think lingerie-style crop tops, flowy yoga pants, Hendrix-inspired short shorts, and even a few mixed tapes in the mix. Rock these pieces to prep for the weekend's desert dance parties or just to headline in your own spin class. Here's what we've gotta have this festival season and beyond:



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My New Roots: Grain-Free Black Kale Sushi Rolls + Miso Ginger Sauce

So many of our favorite food bloggers are finally publishing cookbooks. Sarah Britton's debut cookbook, My New Roots, has finally hit our desks - and we can't take our eyes off of it! Sarah has created a cookbook as inspiring and beautiful as her much adored blog; each page adorned with flawless photography and plant-based recipes that could quickly turn any carnivore into a leafy green enthusiast. It's hard to know where to begin with recipes like blistered tomato and spinach scramble, crushed spring peas with mint, dandelion greens with ghee-poached radishes and smoked salt, and a to-die-for quinoa risotto with scallions and arugula. But because we are heading into spring (and so fond of Japanese food), we're starting with her inventive take on sushi. With "rice" made from sunflower seeds and parsley root, this black kale roll is completely grain-free, but bursting with taste. Grab your chopsticks, break out the green tea, and get rolling... As much as I love sushi, my favorite part is undoubtedly what’s inside the rolls - but the white rice I could live without. So I cut out the rice altogether and created an all-vegetable sushi roll that is just as satisfying but more nutritious. Minced parsley root and sunflower seeds take the place of the grain here; it holds together just like sticky rice, and even looks the part! Rolled around some of my favorite root veggies, this totally raw meal will have you feeling super-vibrant in any season. The white miso ginger sauce is completely divine and a beautiful complement to the sushi. It’s warming, bright and spicy - delicious on noodles, roasted vegetables and salads, too. Nori is probably the most widely eaten and recognizable sea vegetable in North America because of our love affair with sushi. It has a very mild, nutty, salty-sweet thing going on, so it is a versatile ocean vegetable that doesn’t overpower the flavor of soups, salads, grains or even popcorn. Nori has the highest protein content of the sea vegetable family, a whopping 28% (that’s even more than sunflower seeds or lentils!). It contains very high amounts of calcium, iron, manganese, zinc and copper. Compared to other seaweeds, it also tops the list when it comes to vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6 and B12, as well as A, C and E. [olists num=3] [olists num=1] [olists num=2]



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Check out the Tone it Up girls wearing our B. Swim suit for...

Check out the Tone it Up girls wearing our B. Swim suit for their Bikini Series!

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Fresh-Pressed Pâte De Fruit: How To Make Homemade Jell-O With Juice

There's nothing we're craving more this spring than glowy, translucent colors. And nothing delivers color therapy quite as well as a line up of cold-pressed juices. We asked one of our fave food bloggers, Claire Thomas of Kitchy Kitchen, to make one of our juicy inspirations into a delicious reality: juice Jell-O. And, boy, did she deliver. These homemade jellies by Claire will bring the spring glow right on into your kitchen - a vibrant dessert made from pure juice and gelatin! If you need more details on why you should be eating gelatin in the first place, click through this way to learn all about it. As for juice flavors, we can't get over Rose Coconut h2o! Eat dessert til your skin glows... What a fun, simple idea! The bright, fresh flavors in cold-pressed juice make these jellies a modern twist on the jammier pâte de fruit. The texture of these gummies is dense but yielding, thanks to the grass­-fed gelatin. For a more intense gummy-bear texture, add an extra tablespoon of gelatin. For a looser texture, use a tablespoon less. Juices with a little natural sweetness (think apple juice or orange juice) tend to work best, but feel free to try some of the root or green juices with a touch of raw honey mixed in. Enjoy!



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All You Need Is Love: Yoga Matters With the Founders of Love Yoga

One of the best feelings is in the world is being able to turn what you love into a career (we know from experience!). Yogis Kyle Miller and Sian Gordon are infusing their passion for yoga into their own community by opening the doors to their very own studio. Love Yoga, L.A's newest hub for getting down-dog, is nestled in the heart of Venice Beach, where the yoga vibes run deep. Opening a studio together seemed like a meant-to-be move for Kyle and Sian, who have taught classes and owned an NYC yoga studio (respectively) for years now. Eager to create an uber-cool space filled with smart, accessible teachers, they're launching a brand that all boils down to one thing - love. Love Yoga opens it's doors later this month and, in the meantime, we're getting to know these trail-blazing yogis through our series, Yoga Matters...



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Festival Season Jams: Workout To The Bands That Get You Moving

We can see it now: it's apres-festival season and you're playing catch up from the days, weeks, months of living it up. No judgement - seriously. We're right there with you. Sure, dancing your heart out during the concert circuit of the year counts as a workout...but usually we overestimate how much of a workout it actually is (more on that below!). Coupled with weeks of street food and lazy days in the sun, our bods are begging us to pump up the (fitness) jam. Whether you're gearing up for your road trip or enjoying the festival buzz from home, get ahead of the game this season and plan to work out concert-style. We've even given music suggestions based on who's showing up on stage this season. Dock your iPod, stream your Spotify list, or for the brave - bang out these workout routines while everyone else around you is busy head-banging.



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Living Well With British Health Coach Madeleine Shaw

It’s safe to say that we’re massive health foodies. We're dying to share our passion for overloaded veggie bowls, chia parfaits and superfood smoothies, which is what led us to British health coach, Madeleine Shaw. Madeleine likes to say that with every bit of food we eat, we are influencing how we look, feel and think.; wise words that she's built her widely successful practice on (not to mention her massive following on Instagram, allowing us to live vicariously through her stylish yoga-practicing, granola-making lifestyle). Madeleine's new book Get the Glow shows you how eating well can easily become a way of life, resulting in the hottest, healthiest and happiest you. Packed with countless delicious, wheat- and sugar-free recipes, every mouth-watering dish is easy to make, contains ingredients that can be found in your local supermarket and won’t break the budget. Take a few wellness tips from Madeleine on how to glow from the inside out - including her favorite dreamy green smoothie! [olists num=1] [olists num=2]



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