Friday, February 26, 2021

5 Things To Know About The Full Moon In Virgo This Weekend

Mariah K. Lyons is an author, designer, crystal healer, meditation guide and reiki master based in Los Angeles, CA. She is the founder of the luxury grounding footwear company ASTARA and best-selling author of Crystal Healing for Women.

SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE… The Full Moon in February 27th, 2021 in the mutable earth sign Virgo is supporting and preparing us for the next several highly charged months. This is the last Full Moon of the Winter Season (here in the Northern Hemisphere) and this energy is helping us to come into deep alignment with our current truths, all we learned and uncovered during the last few months and provides an opportunity to create the necessary structures and organizational tools to support our goals.

TO LOOK FORWARD TO... We have four Supermoons coming up back-to-back in March, April, May and June, alongside a Total Lunar Eclipse in May which greatly heighten the expansive energy of Spring, bringing a wellspring of natural energy to boost vitality and move forward, especially on things or ideas we may have been teetering over during Aquarius season.

When Virgo energy is in harmony, it brings about self-sustainability and a vitality to accomplish and anchor our visions and dreams into the earth and physical world.

OVERALL THEMES TO EXPLORE…Organization, Direction, Intuition

As we enter these next supercharged months, it might feel as if time is speeding up (even more than it does already) and things might begin to move and shift quickly. This is a powerful energy to work with and channel into new projects, ideas, creations, relationships etc, but remember -- that energy needs an open space to flow into, so as not to create overwhelm or anxiety.

Take some time in reflection upon how and where your energy is currently being directed and in creating structure that will support more flow into your life. Are there areas of your life that would benefit from more organization and systems for enhanced energy flow? For example, is it time to finally hire a PA or VA to help you with your ever expanding email inbox? Do you need a new accountant for your finances? Maybe it's simply time to clean out your garage or closet to feel organized, uncluttered and open.

Look at this time as an opportunity to get clear on where you would like your energy to be allocated and to create systems to support your goals both personally and professionally.

HOW YOU MAY FEEL… Inspired, Grounded, Balanced.

This energy brings an earthy grounding and presence. We have this time available to anchor, ground and rest. And if you get inspired and decide to create a whole new file system for your office, great! Go with the feeling and the inspiration. And if not, let this time serve to support bringing yourself and areas of your life into deeper levels of harmony and balance through rest, reflection and reorganization.

EXCELLENT TIME TO… Get out in nature, go to bed early, listen to binaural beats, journal, set intentions, meditate and establish a new routine or begin to implement certain structures that support you in all areas of life.

My book Crystal Healing for Women contains a potent meditation called “Grounding Ritual,” that is great for finding a sense of balance and grounding amidst times of change.

JOURNALING PROMPT…

Where am I currently directing most of my energy? Is that supportive?
Are there areas, people, habits etc that are draining my energy?
What structures of support would help bring my intentions into physical form?
Can I take the necessary steps to implement them?
What is it my heart is calling for?

The post 5 Things To Know About The Full Moon In Virgo This Weekend appeared first on The Chalkboard.



from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/37PvjqS
via IFTTT

Thursday, February 25, 2021

Remember Jeans? 4 Styles We’re Ready To Climb Back Into

Have you neglected your favorite pair of jeans for the last twelve months? We get it. Even the most formal fashion brands on earth launched loungewear collections in 2020 and we were the most grateful.

Despite having become completely accustomed to the feel of fleece and stretchy pants all day (or days at a time!), we're feeling nostalgic for our best pairs of denim. When we saw Citizen of Humanity's new line of denim shorts we quickly realized that it will be classic cut-offs that will show us the way back into our more stylish -- if more stiff -- pants of choice.

As all things 90's are fully in fashion, Citizens' range of new jean shorts include long and short lengths we're planning on wearing around the house as temperature rise this spring. Pair with your usual sweatshirts, sweaters, and Ts' and you've got a perfectly transitional look into what we're hoping it a more social summer season. 

Denim brands like AGOLDE have reportedly been selling loose fit vintage shorts like crazy since the beginning of 2021. And high-waisted denim like these pinched waist jeans and mid-rise loose fits are apparently among their best-sellers all season as well. Forget the groundhog -- are denim sales the first signs of spring we really need?

2020's other most neglected fashion staple was the bra. Memes abound on the topic and most women will tell you they're not sure if they ever really wish to go back to daily underwire.

Our transitional fix? All hail the mighty bralette. Especially from brands like Eberjey -- who has become a recent team favorite. After reviewing a few holiday PJs from the classically luxe loungewear brand, we quickly determined them to be new favorite and quickly gifted them to a scattered handful of TCM relatives. The fabrics are famously soft and sillouhettes feel just put together enough.  

If you've been working from home for months, throwing on a bralette may help you softly transition into real-world clothing while remaining in total comfort. We love these two high-style, wire-free cuts from Eberjey.

Whether the 'New Normal' of remote work and schooling persists into the summer or we transition back into public life as it was before the pandemic, we're preparing ourselves to take those next steps in style. Amidst a year of intense emotion and uncertainty, we hope you find a bit of joy in our lighter (and sometimes tongue in cheek) sustainable style and clean beauty coverage alongside all the wellness stories we all need too.

The post Remember Jeans? 4 Styles We’re Ready To Climb Back Into appeared first on The Chalkboard.



from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/3dP9coj
via IFTTT

TCM Asks: How’d You Get Your Hair Like That?

A SOLID FIFTEEN PERCENT of our clean beauty research involves being curious (read: nosy) about the women we meet and the products and practices they choose to frequent. Lucky for us and you, we're immersed in a sea of health and wellness professionals who swear by just the kind of tips and products we're both looking for!

Last month, we asked a handful of women with hair we always notice to tell us what they do to keep it strong and healthy. As you would expect from our crowd, tips went far beyond teasing combs and a good blowout -- we're talking cod liver oil, scalp massages and more than one mention of thyroid health.

This story on advice for healthy hair may develop into a series as we have so many more women we'd love to ask about this! Here are our first seven...

7 Women in Wellness Share Advice On Healthy Hair At Home

Carson Meyer | Founder, C & The Moon (at top) I rarely ever use shampoo! Conditioner only. Lots of it. Truth be told, I don't even know the name of my conditioner. I refill my bottle at The Well Refill in Topanga. Braids, sea salt and sleep bring out the mermaid hair for me!


Nyakio | Founder, Nyakio Beauty I put Charlotte Mensah hair oil or Bomba Curls Forbidden Oil on my scalp. It stimulates growth and keep my scalp healthy. I also sleep with a silk cap or scarf every single night to prevent breakage.I love the Lauren Napier, “I survived 2020 “ limited edition scarf. It has the perfect amount of stretch, so it stays on my head all night, and the words she chose inspire me as well.
calm at home
Laurel Gallucci | Founder, Sweet Laurel Bakery My hair maintenance is simple: a 100% bamboo brush and a clean shampoo. I use Rahua. My hair tends to take up as much space as possible, and these days I don’t wear it down too much. During quarantine I turned to a daily ‘quarantine braid’ that I twist into a low bun if I need to be fancy.

ashley neese author of how to breathe the practice
Ashley Neese | Author, How To Breathe Before I was pregnant, I took this amazing herbal tincture daily that supports healthy hair growth and nourishes the scalp. It's full of hair strengthening herbs like horsetail which is loaded with silica and antioxidants as well as saw palmetto that contains a plant compound known as beta-sitosterol which reduces hair loss.

Since I am still nursing these days, I'm keeping my hair strong by eating eggs which are high in protein and biotin, two nutrients that are associated with hair growth and by taking daily cod liver oil and collagen from homemade bone broth. I do weekly scalp massages with coconut oil and aloe vera and brush it well each day to stimulate the scalp and encourage blood flow to the head, plus it's relaxing and keeps my hair from getting super tangled.

vanessa fitzgerald outside hiking

Vanessa Fitzgerald | Holistic Health Coach, Vees Honey Most of us are very tied to our hair and fear the dreaded shed, myself included. While I was born with very thick hair, there have been years where I would watch copious amounts of my glorious mane fall to the floor and my scalp start to flake.

To be honest, there hasn't been a topical solution or magical shampoo that has solved this dilemma. As a practitioner, when I see hair start to thin in either myself or my clients, I find that there is some heavy metal toxicity, mold buildup, or hormonal imbalance starting with the thyroid. In my personal experience, it's what I put in my body that reflects in the luster of my locks. By incorporating various detox methods through whole food supplements while maintaining a balanced organic clean diet, my hair has not only recovered from great amounts of loss, but it has grown back to its' original fullness. When it comes to detoxing and supplementing, I highly suggest working with a trained practitioner to help guide detox and provide organ support as when we go crazy on google we tend to do more harm than good.

Shiva Rose | Founder, Shiva Rose Beauty I try not to take hair vitamins like biotin because, though they work incredibly, once I go off of them my hair thins again. I would rather get my body to make the hair healthy factors on its own with the right food and topical oils.

About 10 years ago, I went through a period where my hair became limp and started to thin in a matter of weeks. After doing some research, and blood work, I found out my thyroid was off. When I get emails from people on my sites asking about thinning hair or eyebrows, I always ask if they’ve checked their thyroid. Secondly, I ask if they are using shampoos and conditioners without sulfates.

Now to keep my hair healthy I take bone broth daily for the natural collagen intake, plus nettle infusion or teas three times a week. Nettle leaves are also rich in minerals like iron, magnesium, and zinc, which can all give our follicles a great boost. If I really need a boost I will take liver pills for a few months and add supportive herbs like amla, rhodiola, oat straw tinctures.

I use my own luster hair oil that nourishes with supervitamin for hair and also nourishes the mind and crown chakra. Bhringrai, Amla Fruit, and Brahmi Oil have been used in India for centuries to create strong, healthy, vibrant hair growth. Jojoba hydrates the hair strands inside out, while pomegranate, moringa oils stimulate the hair follicles and feed hair shaft. I usually apply a few drops to my scalp and then will pull some through the strands once a week. I also shampoo with Danish brand Harklinikken that specializes in hair growth.

Have hair facts you'd love to drop on us? Share in the comments below!

The post TCM Asks: How’d You Get Your Hair Like That? appeared first on The Chalkboard.



from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/3pXww5H
via IFTTT

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Laney Crowell Created One of Our Fave Beauty Products Ever

as crowded as the beauty industry is these days, we sometimes wonder why anyone would bother to launch a new makeup brand...and then we try a product like Saie's new Glowy Super Gel.

Saie is one of a strong handful of new brands sweeping in to fill any missing pieces in the booming world of clean beauty. From Kosas lip gloss to Merit Flush Balm,  we're thrilled when a good new clean product lands in our laps and -- as evidenced by a strong handful of Saie mentions in the short time since launch -- we can't keep ourselves from gushing to you about them.

When a product in beauty or fashion hits cult status fast, it can be difficult to describe the little details that make it so compelling. Saie Glowy Super Gel is not even close to the first gel-weight highlighter out there, but something about the texture, weight and subtle glow have earned it a daily place in our routines from the first day we tried it.

Laney Crowell is the founder and CEO of Saie, launching the brand just months before the pandemic hit. A difficult challenge to be sure, made just slightly more bearable by one factor: suddenly women were at home, wearing less makeup, and perfectly poised to try their hero products; a subtle, moisture-inducing highlighter and a dual-purpose SPF.

We thought we'd hit Laney up to hear about the pits and peaks of her inaugural year as a beauty founder and to learn more about how she uses our glowy obsessions...

Name: Laney Crowell of Saie

In my former life I… Was a fashion editor at some of my favorite publications like Lucky and Elle. As an editor, I covered the American markets, namely accessories, and it was truly a dream job.

Product that first established my beauty junkie status: St. Ives Apricot Scrub. I remember making a memorable trip to CVS to get it after reading about it in Allure when I was in high school.

The best moment building the brand so far: Receiving the call from Sephora letting me know that Saie would launch in all 500 doors across the US and Canada. I remember the exact moment. It was surreal.

The toughest, to be transparent: Finding out that our factories were shutting down because of Covid, just three months after we had launched.

Which Saie product are your personal friends liking best? Slip Tint has already become a holy grail product for all of my friends and family, and just about everyone on Instagram! It’s of course, tied with Glowy Super Gel.

What are you most proud of thus far? Our commitment to creating clean products that are good for you and the planet.

Describe your daily routine with the products lately... Here’s my 2-minute makeup routine! I start with Glowy Super Gel in Starglow and put it all over my face. It gives the most gorgeous lit-from-within glow. Then I apply Slip Tint or Sunvisor as my skincare. Both are packed with superhero ingredients and are incredibly hydrating. It’s my face serum, face oil, moisturizer, and SPF all in one! Then I use our Lash Curler and swipe on Mascara 101. I comb and groom my brows with Brow Butter in Medium Brown. Next, I’ll usually use some products we’re testing and developing (I can’t share those yet, but they’re so good!), and then I’ll swipe on Really Great Gloss in Chill or Easy. I just don’t feel complete without it!

Secrets to great skin in your opinion? Water! I increased my water intake significantly when I was pregnant last year, and my skin changed so dramatically I’ve kept it up. I drink 8-10 24-oz mason jars of water a day.

Other brands or founders inspiring me right now: I started Saie with the mission to make beauty better and to help people feel good, on every level inside and out. I love to follow founders that inspire me to further and push that mission. Trinity Mouzon, the founder of Golde, shares great recipes and a passion for feeling good as well. Lauren Singer, the Package Free Shop founder, inspires me daily with tips for living with less waste and composting. I also can’t get enough of our Creative Director Geri Hirsch’s wellness hacks.

Other beauty or wellness-beauty products I'm loving currently: I love Ren’s AHA Steady Glow Toner that I swipe over my face with the organic cotton balls that we pack in all our boxes from Saie. I apply it a few days a week before bed and then follow it with Le Prunier’s face oil.

Current biz mantra: Bring joy to everything you do.

Meet more business founders inspiring us now! 

The post Laney Crowell Created One of Our Fave Beauty Products Ever appeared first on The Chalkboard.



from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/3r2jqp6
via IFTTT

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

In The Studio With Pop Artist Alannah Renee Tiller

It's Black History Month. In honor, we're profiling three black female artists in their studios whom you can also support through this limited edition collaboration with Pressed Juicery. The labels are beautiful, the flavors include Pressed's best-sellers and we'll be following up with the ladies later this summer to hear about how the proceeds furthered their work!

Alannah Renee Tiller is the artist behind aLILscribble. Stepping out from her corporate job to launch her studio just before the pandemic, the BIPOC artist has apparently experienced overwhelming support from her community, recently thanking them on Instagram for the influx of support that has helped her to weather the storm that was 2020. Shared Alannah, "Not only have you amplified my business during a time of crisis, but you amplified my voice." Beautiful to hear and inspiring to see the real life results of so much important discussion this year.

Here's Alannah about life in her Austin, Texas studio, plus the incredible artists inspiring her now... 

Name : Alannah Renee Tiller (my initials spell art, supposedly unintentional on my parents part)

Brand: aLILscribble

My work in 3 words : Spontaneous, Minimal, Fluid

My favorite current project is... It has to be the one we are releasing for Black History Month. Any time I can highlight the beauty in my community, I’m all for it.

Beverage that keeps me going : Coffee, specifically an Irish cream Cold Brew right now.

Latest inspirations : Old Vogue magazine covers and photoshoots.

To get the creative juices flowing I… light a candle and start my playlist.

Daily necessity in the studio: Music, snacks, candles from The Burlap Bag - everything they make smells incredible, and sometimes Netflix.

Soundtrack in the studio is usually… Taking Back Sunday, The Killers, FKJ, Michelle Branch, The Postal Service, Panic at the Disco and Da Baby.

Other Artists inspiring me right now : Shantell Martin - Specifically how she has expanded her work beyond the canvas.

pressed juicery black history month juices

I was first inspired to become an artist when… I’ve always wanted it, but I didn’t really get the 'opportunity' to do so until I lost my job. What was great was, at that point, I felt really comfortable with the experience I had gained and was finally excited to go for it, not just terrified.

When I’m not in the studio I am usually… Walking our golden doodle, Prince or cooking or eating something new with my husband Joshua.

Favorite objects/tools in the studio: My Posca Acrylic Paint Pens, for sure.

Favorite art gallery/installation/museum : I used to work at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, Texas as their Museum Ambassador (favorite job to date!) and was lucky enough to be there for the Roni Horn exhibition. The entire process of seeing this exhibition come to be was just so interesting (due to the size and weights of the work). Not only that, but it created the most beautiful scenes in the gallery through the day. Such a treat.

Currently reading : The news, constantly. I’ve been meaning to start In A Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware. A good friend of mine (Angel - promise I’ll give it back soon) let me borrow it.

The post In The Studio With Pop Artist Alannah Renee Tiller appeared first on The Chalkboard.



from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/3aKu8uU
via IFTTT

What’s The Deal with SpiceFruit? The New Weight Loss Supplement Getting So Much Buzz

Wellness renegade Naomi Whittel has become a surprising new resource for us. Through Naomi, we've discovered a few of our new go-to supplements like berberine for blood sugar balance and her unique blend of resveratrol and turmeric for major anti-inflammatory benefits.

Though we rarely talk about weight loss here on TCM, there are many for whom it plays a crucial role in their quest for vital health and healing. As long we properly define it -- by true medical standards, not pop culture standards! -- maintaining a healthy weight is key for energy, prevention and longevity. Meet the latest supplement from Naomi, a superfruit from West Africa that's poised for a major moment in the world of health and wellness this year.  Here's why...

They said participants in the study were losing twenty pounds in eight weeks with no changes to diet or exercise. Immediately, I thought the weight loss results of the African SpiceFruit study sounded too good to be true, so, I took four flights over twenty hours to meet the scientists face to face in the West African nation of Cameroon to thoroughly evaluate the extraordinary clinical data.

Frankly, I was astounded when I first read Dr. Julius Oben’s scientific papers. Even at first glance, the results leapt off the page. Participants in his 8-week scientific study – all overweight (but not obese) individuals with a body/mass index (BMI) of 25-30:*

+ Lost 19.6 pounds on average
+ Trimmed waist-size by 1.5 inches and hips by 1.7 inches
+ Reduced body fat by an impressive 5.3%
...in an eight week period.

What’s more (and this likely goes against everything your doctor would ever tell you) they achieved these remarkable results with NO changes to their diet…and NO additional exercise.

All they did was take a daily 300 mg standardized extract of a West African SpiceFruit which not only is a commonly used flavoring in all kinds of savory dishes in that part of the world, it also helps to rev up metabolic function to melt away fat and excess weight.

Astonishing! If I could verify these results, it would be like “discovering” the healing powers of Turmeric before it became widely known outside of India.

naomi whittel in africa

It seemed Cameroon’s simple SpiceFruit might be the healthy weight loss solution the Western world has been searching for. No more expensive and unappetizing meal plans… no more “yo-yo” dieting”… no more dangerous appetite-suppressing drugs.

"So I set off for Cameroon to explore...."

My name is Naomi Whittel, and my passion is discovering, unlocking, and refining the healing power of nature’s

immense bounty and bringing these solutions to people like you – no matter where in the world that quest might take me.

From Alaska to Okinawa, from the south of France to the huts of the Guna People of Coastal Panama, my travels have led me to all corners of the Earth to uncover the purest, natural health-boosting nutrients.

dr obi naomi whittel with spicefruit

Naomi and Dr. Oben

In Cameroon, I met Dr. Oben – Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Yaounde – who has studied metabolic health for 35 years. Frankly, he was more than gracious, patiently answering all my questions and giving me total access to his clinical studies. And while I treasured every moment spent talking with him, I also wanted “alone” time, so my team and I could examine the raw data behind his groundbreaking study. And I’m pleased to report that his science was meticulous, and I reached the same crystal-clear conclusions that this SpiceFruit:

+ Promotes weight loss
+ Slims your figure
+ Dramatically improves metabolic health and function without any change in diet or exercise.

Imagine losing nearly 20 pounds in just eight weeks. Picture what a 5.3% reduction in body fat would look like. For those who need to manage their weight to improve their health, SpiceFruit is incredibly compelling.

The Metabolic Study by Dr. Oben

The meticulous research conducted by the team of scientists led by Dr. Oben also showed dramatic improvements in blood sugar, plus improvements in these critical metabolic factors:*

✓ Bad LDL cholesterol dropped 13%

✓ Good HDL cholesterol rose 14%

✓ And harmful triglycerides sank 17%!

The West African SpiceFruit helps you look better; expands your wardrobe as it shrinks your waistline; and improves critical metabolic markers that promote healthy aging.

3 Things You Should Know...

One: This isn’t just hype, word-of-mouth or folklore. Dr. Oben conducted a gold-standard, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study to reach these conclusions.

Two: What’s more, I didn’t accept his conclusions at face value; my team and I studied the raw data to double, even triple-check his findings.

Three: I even talked directly to the lead dietician and participants in the study to reinforce just how easily the pounds and inches came off. Which leads me back to one more critical point. The people in this scientific study didn’t change their diet. They didn’t exercise more. They simply consumed 300mg of standardized SpiceFruit daily. Then they watched – happily, they told me – as the fat, pounds and inches melted away.

Now you can easily do the same with NAOMI GloSlim – a once-a-day capsule, delivering the exact clinically-proven dosage of Cameroon SpiceFruit to help fuel your personal weight control.

The French Paradox -- in Cameroon?

I must say, I was somewhat puzzled by something else I learned. Do you remember the “French Paradox”? That’s the term used to describe the dichotomy between the French diet – rich in butter, cheese, meat and other saturated fats – and the overall excellent heart and metabolic health of the French people.

I was a pioneer in identifying Resveratrol – found in France’s beloved red wine – as a protective factor in their diet. In fact, I helped popularize the use of Resveratrol extracts in the U.S. – making its healing properties readily available to millions of Americans.

So, I was immediately intrigued when Dr. Oben mentioned the “Cameroonian Paradox” in a conspiratorial tone -- SpiceFruit breaks all the rules I know.

I’m a proponent of carb-limiting diets. That’s how I eat. And I even authored the popular book High Fiber Keto. But the people of Cameroon eat a diet that’s high in carbohydrates – rich in starchy foods like rice, plantains, yams and potatoes.

And while over 70% of American adults are overweight – or obese, only 30% of Cameroonians are overweight or obese…that’s less than half the rate seen in the U.S.**

What’s more, the people of Cameroon also show much lower rates of metabolic risk factors including healthier levels of blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure as well.* But why?

Dr. Oben’s theory – backed by his clinical research, which I independently validated – is that SpiceFruit, used heavily to flavor nearly every meal, holds the key to the Cameroonian Paradox.

Everything You Should Understand About SpiceFruit

SpiceFruit supports both weight control and good metabolic health that are essential to healthy aging.

Now you can reap all its healing benefits in NAOMI GloSlim. GloSlim starts with a fruit pod that falls from the tree when ripe. During my time in Cameroon, I spent an afternoon with Janvier, a SpiceFruit farmer, who explained how it is harvested.

I toured the spice market, where local women come to buy it for their daily cooking. I spent time with Philomina Yamgai, an eminent dietician, who explained the role it plays in everyday health. And of course I grilled the scientists to verify their extraordinary healthy weight loss results.

The SpiceFruit may look humble, but it packs a wallop of health benefits from its rich blessing of antioxidants, flavonoids, and polyphenols.

It’s a proven weight-controller. It’s a metabolic-mender. And, I dare say, it can help you defy your chronological age. But you don’t need to travel to Cameroon to gain all its healing benefits. I did that for you.

GloSlim gives you 300 mg of standardized SpiceFruit extract – the exact amount backed by the scientific studies I’ve already mentioned – in one daily capsule.

It’s cultivated with centuries of knowledge. Harvested with care. And meticulously processed to preserve all its healing compounds. And we bring it from faraway Cameroon direct to you.

GloSlim will make it much easier for you to control and maintain your weight. It will ramp up all your metabolic functions. Best of all, you’ll be amazed at how you look in the mirror; your friends will all ask how you did it; and you just might love telling them.

Try GloSlim now with our exclusive offer for Chalkboard readers. I literally guarantee you’ll be glad you did -- learn more below!

On Weight Gain, Stress + Cortisol Levels

GloSlim also helps you break the stress-weight gain connection. By now, everyone’s heard the term “stress eating” – and people’s complaints of packing on unwanted weight from being “stressed out”. The culprit?

Excess cortisol, commonly known as the “stress hormone”. Elevated cortisol levels are the key factor behind all the negative effects of stress, including weight gain.

As nutritional biochemist Shawn Talbot, PhD sums it up: “More stress = more cortisol = higher appetite for junk food = more belly fat”.*

What’s more, Dr. John Morton from Yale University takes this harmful stress-weight gain cycle a step further: “You can put on 30 pounds really quickly – in as few as three months.”That’s why GloSlim also contains my proprietary anti-stress formula, featuring Sensoril, a precise, clinically-tested, and patented formulation of Ashwagandha, an ancient medicinal herb, treasured for centuries as an adaptogen – in other words, an anti-stress agent – in Ayurvedic healing.

It’s so powerful that Sensoril is proven to reduce cortisol by 24% in definitive scientific studies. That, in turn: **

+ Decreases the many symptoms of stress by 69%
+ Improves sleep by 67%
+ Lessens fatigue by 79%, while boosting energy

It’s clear that keeping stress – and cortisol – in check is also essential to controlling your weight. And GloSlim is custom-designed to help – with the exact clinically approved dosage of Sensoril in every capsule!

Try African SpiceFruit Yourself...

Take off any unwanted weight with NAOMI GloSlim: Your daily dose includes 300 mg of the proprietary SpiceFruit formula, scientifically shown to help people like you shed 19.6 pounds on average in 8 weeks – with no changes in diet or exercise.

You also gain the boost you need to break the stress/weight gain connection – with 250 mg of Sensoril, clinically proven to drop stress-inducing cortisol by 24%.

Plus, you’ll gain added protection with two more powerful adaptogens, proven to help fight the negative effects of stress. GloSlim also includes 50 mg of patented Rhodiolife, from the herb Rhodiola Rosea to promote energy and endurance, and 50 mg of patented Ocibest, derived from Holy Basil to help burn fat and tone muscles.

NAOMI GloSlim features wild-grown and naturally harvested SpiceFruit from the deep forest of Cameroon, and the final product is produced in a state-of-the-art, FDA-inspected facility right here in the United States. Unlike many supplements that come from questionable sources, none of the ingredients are sourced from China.

There are no binders, fillers, or dyes. Ingredients sometimes used in other products may trigger allergic reactions – or even depress immune function.*

Try GloSlim risk-free: if you’re not delighted with your results, it literally costs you nothing! That’s how strongly I feel about the life-changing benefits you’ll begin to see and feel in a matter of a few weeks. If you don’t like it, if you’re not satisfied for any reason, simply return the unused portion within one year of purchase for a full, unquestioned refund.

Get An Exclusive Offer On SpiceFruit:

Try NAOMI GloSlim with our exclusive offer for TCM readers: when you buy one bottle, you get a second bottle for 50% off. This way you get a full 2-month supply covering you for the same period of time (8 weeks) that helped study participants mentioned above achieve their healthy weight loss results.

This offer is not available in stores – and that’s actually a big plus in today’s world. You don’t even have to leave your house to get it. It ships free direct-to-your-door – and that means peace of mind and comfort in times like these.

Try NAOMI GloSlim. If you’re not satisfied for any reason, simply return any unused portion within one year of purchase for a full, unquestioned refund. You risk nothing with our 365-Day, No Questions Asked, Any Reason Money-Back Guarantee.

Buy 1 Bottle of NAOMI GloSlim and get a second bottle at 50% shipped free.

This story is brought to you in partnership with Naomi Whittel. From time to time, TCM editors choose to partner with brands we believe in to bring our readers special offers. The Chalkboard Mag and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. All material on The Chalkboard Mag is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health-related programs.

https://ift.tt/3qQRsg8

The post What’s The Deal with SpiceFruit? The New Weight Loss Supplement Getting So Much Buzz appeared first on The Chalkboard.



from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/2ZErAbv
via IFTTT

Monday, February 22, 2021

Cafe Gratitude’s Grilled Vegetable Bruschetta with Caramelized Onions

California's crunchiest cafe, Cafe Gratitude released a cookbook this winter and we've been poring over it's pages. Devotees of the cafes' clean and thoughtfully-made dishes will fall in love with Love is Served: Inspired Plant-Based Recipes from Southern California  full of inventive and delicious recipes. 

This grilled vegetable bruschetta recipe is the kind of food we live for. Don't be intimidated by the length of the recipe -- the ket to making this easy is to buy the nut-based cheese instead of making it from scratch. That simplifies this recipe down to roasting and grilling all these divine veggies!

I Am Present:
Caramelized Red Onion, Roasted Butternut Squash
+ Grilled Treviso Radicchio Bruschetta

This is another dish was inspired my time in Venice.  It is a variation of the classic Venetian ‘Saor’, a traditional pickle made with caramelized onions, raisins and pine nuts used for centuries to preserve fish and vegetables. The elements are prepared separately to highlight their best qualities and the ‘Saor’ brings them together in a savory sweet and sour marinade.  The bitterness of the radicchio and the acidic pickling juice of the onion are the perfect contrast to the sweetness of the butternut squash. For best results, allow the pickle to marinate in the fridge for at 24 hours to 48 hours and bring it to room temperature before serving. In the cafés, you will find this delicious pickle mounded on warm bruschetta that has been smeared with cashew mozzarella and served with an arugula side salad but it is also very good served at room temperature over warm soft or grilled polenta.

Ingredients

For The Roasted Butternut Squash And Radicchio:
2 pounds butternut squash to make
½ pound Treviso Radicchio
extra virgin olive oil, salt, as needed

For The Carmelized Red Onion:
1½ pound red onions
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup white wine
½ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup coconut sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup raisins

For The Pickle:
¼ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

 For The Cashew Mozzarella (or store bought):
1 ounce Irish moss, cleaned and soaked for 8 hours or overnight
¼-cup of filtered water, or as needed
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ cup unscented or lightly scented coconut oil, melted
½ cup raw cashews, soaked for 8 hours
Yield:  3 cups (original recipe divided by 4)

For The Balsamic Reduction:
1 cup balsamic or golden balsamic vinegar
¼ cup coconut nectar
Yield:  1/3 cup

To Serve:
Fresh arugula
Olive oil, as needed
Pink peppercorns for garnish (optional)

Method 

To Prepare the Roasted Butternut Squash:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Peel and seed the butternut squash and cut it into ½” cubes.
Toss the cubes of butternut squash in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and lightly salt.
Transfer the butternut squash to a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until you can pierce easily with a knife.  Do not overcook.  You want the cubes to hold their shape.
Remove the butternut squash from the oven and let cool before use.

To Prepare the Grilled Treviso Radicchio:
If you have a charcoal or gas grill, prepare them for medium hot grilling.  If not, you can use a stovetop grill pan or cast-iron skillet over medium high heat.
Trim any excess stem from the bottom of the radicchio head making sure to leave enough stem to hold the leaves together.
Cut the radicchio heads in half lengthwise and brush each half with olive oil.
Lightly oil the grill or pan that you are using, then lay the radicchio on the grill, cut side down and cook 4 to 6 minutes until the radicchio is charred and soft on the outside and tender on the inside.
Brush oil on the top layer of the radicchio and turn over to cook for an additional 4 minutes or until you can easily pierce the core of the radicchio with a fork.
Lightly salt the radicchio and set aside to cool.  When cooled, cut the radicchio into 1” strips and set aside until you are ready to make the pickle.

Make The Carmelized Red Onion:
Peel the onions, cut them in half and soak them in cold water for 30 minutes.
Drain the onions and slice them into thin half-moons.
In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat and add the onions.
Add the salt, cover the pan and cook on very low heat for 20 to 30 minutes.
When the onions are very soft and translucent, remove the lid, raise the temperature to medium high and add the white wine, apple cider vinegar, the coconut sugar and the raisins. Cook uncovered for an additional 3 minutes or until the wine and vinegar are cooked off and reduced.
Adjust for salt and let cool for 10 minutes before preparing the pickle.  

Make The Pickle:
Divide each of your three pickle elements into thirds.
Layer the bottom of a small terrine (6x9) with the first 1/3 portion of the caramelized red onion.  On top of the caramelized red onion, distribute 1/3 portion of the grilled Treviso radicchio then follow with 1/3 portion of the roasted butternut squash.
Sprinkle 1/3rd of the toasted pine nuts on top of the butternut squash and repeat this layering two more times until all of the caramelized onion, Treviso radicchio, roasted butternut squash and toasted pine nuts are finished.
Let sit for 24 hours before serving

Make The Cashew Cheese Mozzarella (storebought is also an option)
This is a very easy nut cheese to make that requires a little forethought as you will need to soak both the Irish Moss and cashews at least 8 hours in advance. You will also need a high-speed blender to properly break down the Irish moss and fully blend the cheese.
Irish moss is seaweed most often used as a vegan gelatin or thickener in recipes and is purported to have many health benefits.  We have used Irish moss since we opened Café Gratitude primarily in our raw cakes, creams and cheeses because it is versatile and does not require heat to activate its gelling properties.
While it might be difficult to source in your local supermarket, Irish moss can be easily sourced online.  For this recipe, you will need to purchase the whole seaweed, not the flakes.
To prepare your Irish moss, you will need to carefully wash it, as it can often be very sandy from the harvest. Once clean, cover the Irish Moss with abundant cold water and let it soak in the fridge for at least 8 hours.  Allow extra room in your soaking container, as the Irish moss will expand with water as it soaks.  Don’t rinse the Irish moss after the soaking process is complete and don’t drain or replace the soaking water.  You can keep soaked Irish moss covered in the fridge for up to one month.
To begin making the cheese, measure your Irish moss using a digital scale making sure that you carefully shake off any extra water prior to weighing it.
Rough chop the Irish moss and add to the blender along with the water and salt. Blend on medium speed until the moss begins to create a thick jelly.  Small bits of Irish moss may accumulate on the sides of the blender or under the lid.  Stop occasionally to scrape them down using a spatula and continue blending until you have a smooth gelatin.  You can add a small amount of water, if necessary for the mixture to come together.  Do not move on to the next step until the mixture is completely smooth otherwise you will have small bits of Irish moss in your cheese that will be impossible to eliminate.
Drain and rinse the soaked cashews and add them to the blender with the melted coconut oil.
Blend the cashew mixture on medium high speed using the blender plunger, working the mixture pretty aggressively so that it becomes smooth and creamy.  I’m not going to lie, you will have to work this cheese and you can add a small amount if the going gets too tough but don’t give up until you have a smooth mixture.  It will be worth it.
Pour the cashew mozzarella into a low flat dish and transfer it to the fridge to set up for at least 4 hours.  

 Make The Balsamic Reduction:
Stir 1 cup of balsamic vinegar and ¼ cup of coconut nectar together in a small saucepan and place over high heat.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until vinegar mixture as reduced to 1/3 cup, about 20 minutes.  Set aside to cool.  The reduction will thicken as it cools.

To Assemble:
To prepare your warm bruschetta, brush olive oil onto both side of your favorite crusty sourdough bread and toast the bread in a pre-heated 400-degree oven.  When the bruschetta are golden, turn them over and toast them on the other side until they crispy.  Keep an eye on it so the bruschetta don’t burn or dry out.

Spread an abundant smear of cashew mozzarella on the warm crostini and spoon the Butternut squash and Radicchio pickle on top of the cheese.

Pink peppercorns make a really nice garnish on the pickle but they are optional.

Serve the Bruschetta on a platter with arugula salad that has been tossed with a little olive oil and lightly salted.
Finish the plate with a drizzle of Balsamic reduction. 

The post Cafe Gratitude’s Grilled Vegetable Bruschetta with Caramelized Onions appeared first on The Chalkboard.



from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/3khXvb1
via IFTTT

Would You or Wouldn’t You: We’re Still Not Sure How We Feel About Face Shields

From underwater cycling to $300 lattes, we cover some of wellness' weirdest trends in our series, Would You or Wouldn't You. This week, we're talking about face shields. We want to know: do you love them, hate them, wear them? Would you or wouldn't you?

At the time of this article, one or even two face masks are government recommended to prevent the spread of COVID-19 -- an absolute non-negotiable in our minds. That said, we haven't given much thought to the look or style of those masks. At this point, we're just not that interested in whether our face coverings are solid, printed or designer-made, as long as they work.

When it comes to masks, our only mission has been to equip readers with skincare advice to avoid maskne and, even worse, skin injury due to daily wear. If you know someone in the medical community or elsewhere who struggles with constant masking, FaceGlide is an absolute savior. The product is clean, non-irritating, affordable and mess-free -- pretty impressive.

When it comes to masks, shields and face protection in general, at any point from March 2020 to now were you tempted or did you actually try out a face shield? We're curious. And we're torn.

The brand that's caught our attention most is Vue Shield by product designer, Joe Doucet. The Vue Shield is almost like an objet d'art with it's completely transparent design, including that wavy little bridge that sits on your ears and nose like a good pair of glasses. But, as seamless as the design is, the Vue Shield is far from invisible. Would we put it on our face? Jury's still out.

The Vue Shield is just $39, provides bubble-like face coverage and includes an anti-fog coating, SPF 50 UV protection, plus blue light filtering. Compelling!

You can wear a mask (or two) and prescription glasses or sunglasses underneath the shield without a problem and -- when appropriate -- the face shield can be worn without a mask.

On one hand, we're thrilled by all well-designed innovations that solve real life problems. And we all need more protection right now as we brave what so many call 'The New Normal'.

The use case for Vue Shield is clear: face coverings are a reality we all face for the foreseeable future. But are the stylings of this face shield so good they're bad? The Vue Shield feels miles away from every other form of 'PPE'. With the serious of the times, does a modern face shield read clever -- or gauche?

We're certainly not positioning ourselves as the fashion police on this one. Our hunch is that only time will tell whether shields like this will take off or fade away. For now, face shields feel above and beyond the norms of our own daily life. If we're all still wearing face masks in 2022, we might find ourselves gravitating more readily toward shields like these that meld with the looks we're dreaming of hitting the streets in in better days.

What do you think about designer face shields: Would you our wouldn't you? 

The post Would You or Wouldn’t You: We’re Still Not Sure How We Feel About Face Shields appeared first on The Chalkboard.



from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/3aH79kn
via IFTTT

Friday, February 19, 2021

The Most Important Thing to Do For Your Health in 2021

We've been talking with Dr. Mark Hyman about peganism (no, not paganism) since 2018. It's a hybrid word for paleo-vegan that began as a joke, but quickly solidified into one of the most workable food philosophies we know. He's finally written a book on the topic and it couldn't come at a better time.

Read Dr. Hyman's notes below on the power of real food to heal and why it's more important for us to abandon our processed food lifestyles for good. Grab his new book, The Pegan Diet: 21 Practical Principles for Reclaiming Your Health in a Nutritionally Confusing World this weekend -- it's already climbing the best-seller charts.

My hope is that 2020 taught us all how important our health is. Health is everything. COVID-19 taught us that those whose immune systems are both suppressed and inflamed at the same time experience worse outcomes. Those who are obese or struggling with chronic disease are more likely to struggle with the effects of this deadly virus. They are pre-inflamed, and this fire within sets the stage for disease and rapid aging. While there are other causes of inflammation—toxins, allergens, infections, and stress—food plays the greatest role for most of us.

What is the most common cause of inflammation? Poor metabolic health.

Unfortunately, only 12% of Americans are metabolically healthy, making most of us pre-inflamed. More than 1 out of 3 Americans has pre-diabetes. Many struggle with insulin resistance, all fueled by our over consumption of processed foods, mainly refined sugars and carbohydrates.

"Food got us into this mess, but the good news is that food can get us out of this mess."

I believe that food is a source of pleasure and sustenance, a cause for gathering with family and community. It’s something associated with happy memories, childhood pleasures, smells and tastes that connect us to our past and bring joy in the moment. Yes, it is all that and so much more. Eating is the most important, connected act we perform every day—an act that connects us to nature, ecological cycles, biological functions, and, of course, to each other. We are part of a great web of nature that provides the raw materials for creating a vibrant, alive, healthy life.

We evolved in an intimate relationship to our diet. Consuming thousands of species of wild foods, both animals and plants, all interacting with our biology to regulate every function of our bodies. While food is energy or calories, science has revealed it is far more than that. Food is information. Food is medicine. Food is the most powerful regulator of the chemical signals in your body.

In fact, the most important part of food may not be calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, or minerals, but the tens of thousands of medicinal compounds embedded in plants and even animal foods that regulate, modulate, and influence nearly every single one of the 37 billion, billion chemical reactions that occur in our bodies every second.

This is extraordinary, and yet, we still aren’t talking about how to take advantage of the greatest medicine we have available.

"I’ve seen individuals get off cholesterol medication, insulin, and blood pressure medication within weeks after changing their diet."

They didn’t do it with some fancy detox or innovative therapy. They did it with real, whole food. They took out the processed, packaged, chemical and sugar-laden foods that populate many grocery stores and focused on nutrient-dense whole foods made by nature.

Eating real foods shouldn’t be so difficult, and yet, it has become a Herculean task to defeat the endless amounts of processed crap that lines the aisles and the addictive properties of food-like substances. In an ideal world, we would all have access to an abundance of real food. Right now, we’re still far from this dream, but it’s my mission to arm everyone with the right knowledge and tools to cook in a way that serves their bodies regardless of preferences, socioeconomic status, and other factors.

I truly believe that if everyone had access and the right tools to cook and prepare healthy meals, we wouldn’t be in such a dire situation facing this pandemic of COVID-19 or the epidemic of chronic disease. The first step in making this dream a reality is to arm everyone with the information they need to take back their health.

I wrote my new book, The Pegan Diet, to serve as a guidebook for anyone who wants to understand how to use food as medicine today.

The Pegan Diet started off as a funny way to say that I don’t subscribe to labels like Paleo or vegan. Rather, I take the best of all intelligent forms of eating to create a plan that works for me; hence, The Pegan Diet (read the gist of it here).

This book is an inclusive guide that will show anyone, at any stage of their health journey, how to apply the principles of Functional Medicine to take charge of their health. I believe that we can eat to prevent disease, and in some cases, we can eat to beat disease. I believe that we would be in an entirely different situation if most of our country was metabolically healthy. So, I’m on a mission to get us there. I’d like for you to join me.

The post The Most Important Thing to Do For Your Health in 2021 appeared first on The Chalkboard.



from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/3aB8BVe
via IFTTT

One of Hailey Bieber’s Favorite Jewelers Also Makes Kick-Ass Avocado Toast

Yes, that is the actual headline. Not long ago, we would've rolled our eyes or stuck up our nose at a celebrity headline like this one, until we honestly realized that when we're cozy at home we click on them too.

The truth is, we all need a lot more rest and relaxation right now (as well as a good sense of humor) if we're going to 'live well' in 2021!

On to the topic at hand, Mrs. Bieber really does wear a lot of one of our favorite jewelers, Jennifer Fisher -- champion and queen of the chunky gold hoop that looks good on everyone and the kind of charm necklaces you have to see to understand.

The bi-coastal designer just opened her first L.A location and we couldn't be more thrilled -- Fisher's cool aesthetic is exactly what we're craving with our more-casual-than-ever daily looks lately.

Jennifer has outfitted every big name on the West Coast with her signature gold jewelry over the years, so it makes perfect sense that her brand would extend into the heart of our favorite city. The look of her pieces are unmistakable and so flattering that collecting her charms and other pieces can become a low-key addiction.

Jennifer's drool-worthy mixed metals aren't the only reason we're excited to see the jeweler popping up in L.A. (Beverly Hills to be specific) -- the girl can cook and we're curious to see what she'll be whipping up now that she's an official Californian with access to all our favorite farmer's markets!

Here's the thing -- so many celebs and famous artisans can cook, but few of them can do it without annoying us just a little and even fewer make the kind of healthy dishes we (and our readers) want to eat everyday. Jennifer makes fun, simple, inventive meals we're ready to make at all times. Her little passion project has 30k followers on Instagram and has inspired a line of three culinary salts we're not mad at either.

Stay tuned next week when we share an Instagram Takeover with the modern designer to celebrate her official arrival in L.A.!

The post One of Hailey Bieber’s Favorite Jewelers Also Makes Kick-Ass Avocado Toast appeared first on The Chalkboard.



from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/2ZBTFjn
via IFTTT

Thursday, February 18, 2021

Is Bliss The New Buzz? We Tried This Non-Alcoholic Spritz That Wants To Replace Your Rosé

Last February, I decided I would quit drinking for the foreseeable future. I made that life choice right after an incredible HAIM concert, a diverse portfolio of tequila cocktails, and a misunderstanding about just how different hangovers are in your 30s, rather than in your 20s.

While many have turned up the volume on their drinking during the pandemic, I’ve found it easy to stay on the sober track and focus on my health in a big way. It turns out that all it takes to stay on the straight and narrow is to isolate with a Baby Boomer (my mother) and wear only spandex and other clothes without buttons or seams.

However, as much as I enjoy waking up with a clearer head, far more energy and way less bloating, I do find myself yearning for a beverage-induced shmood from time to time. Right now, every weekday feels like Monday at 3pm...the whole day. I find myself craving some kind of drinkable mood-enhancer and have just stumbled into my new favorite solution.

Enter Kin Euphorics' Kin Spritz

Kin Euphorics has somehow figured out a way to recreate that blissful feeling you get when you’re just starting your wine night -- without any booze whatsoever.

Their new Kin Spritz has transformed my afternoon meltdown into an absolutely enhanced mood.

This specially-crafted spritz is a very modern combination of all-natural mood enhancers -- think adaptogens, nootropics, and natural botanics. Together, the ingredients create a functional beverage for modern rituals--an alcohol-free, cocktail-like drink. Kin Spritz tastes of fresh citrus, warm spice, hibiscus and ginger, and it uplifts the mind, relaxes the body, and melts away stress. Well, I’ll be damned!

After hours of virtual meetings, endless typing on the computer, and having my mind, body, and soul depleted by the dementor that is blue light, I needed ANY reason to break away from the computer (sometimes, even going to the bathroom is not enough of a reason and I know you know what I mean).

With my well-being in mind, I started transitioning my 3pm slump into a self-imposed 3pm spritz happy hour and found myself re-energized, focused, and just the right amount of emotionally detached from a stressful day’s work.

The best part? I got to feel like my very own at-home mixologist. Kin Euphorics makes it easy to build a delicious variety of drinks using the iconic Kin Spritz as a flavorful foundation. I've now had the Kin Spritz with orange peel and mint, with lemon juice and even with chia seeds! The sky is the limit -- and the cans make your fridge look extra cute.

What’s Inside a Can of Kin Euphorics

One small , but mighty can of Kin Spritz contains all of the below functional ingredients, plus just four grams of natural sugar from white grape juice (some cocktails can run upwards of 28g of sugar!).

ADAPTOGENS | Adaptogens help your body adapt better to stress over time. Kin Spritz’ real claim to fame is rhodiola rosea — our favorite adaptogen of all time for achieving a calm, but lifted energy that’s hard to describe until you try it!

BOTANICS | Botanics are plants, herbs, and spices that have medicinal or therapeutic properties for better health. Hibiscus and other warming ingredients like ginger, gentian and licorice round out flavor and balance the palette.

NOOTROPICS | Say it with us: new-trope-icks. Nootropics potentially help improve cognitive function (and increase creativity) by turning up the volume on neurotransmitters that you already have in your body. Kin Spritz contains GABA, caffeine, 5-HTP, citicoline, and tyrosine to support your neurotransmitters that are in charge of mood, pleasure, and reward.

Kin Euphorics has come onto the scene at just the right time. Adaptogens are finally mainstream, many of us are trying to stock more alcohol-free drinks, and we’re looking for that perfect beverage to boost our mood. For those on the sober spectrum everywhere -- or even those who like to dabble with a good old fashioned drink, say ‘hello’ to your new favorite pick-me-up!

The post Is Bliss The New Buzz? We Tried This Non-Alcoholic Spritz That Wants To Replace Your Rosé appeared first on The Chalkboard.



from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/2M3Ndid
via IFTTT

5 Mindful Ways to Handle Anxiety While Working From Home

Your inbox is flooding and you're running late for a Zoom call. Maybe your boss has thrown a new project your way, but all you want to do is curl up in a ball. Anxiety and depression are on the rise as all of us learn to navigate the new rules of working from home and establish adjusted boundaries.

When we get swept into a spiral of anxiety, the stress of daily life can feel insurmountable. Consider these simple tools from Darling Magazine's Victoria Bardega your crisis prevention toolkit. Explore five small, but meaningful practices to handle work anxiety like the mindful goddess you are.

Get a break from your own inner voice, and find your way back to loving what you do....

5 Ways To Handle WFH Anxiety

One | Practice meditation to give your mind a mental break. Daily, our mind receives numerous noisy and visual messages that can easily clutter our mental focus. Give yourself a few minutes to deep breathe, relax and say a simple thank you for the start of a new day. Whether through prayer, reading or sitting in silence, the mind is able to recharge itself and release any negative thoughts that may inhibit your workflow.

"Creativity is birthed out of a place of freedom; and allowing your mind to be free of clutter will generate fresh, innovative ideas."

 

Two | Communicate your anxiety to your coworkers. Open communication vitally tethers a hard-working team together. If you are feeling the weight of multiple projects, make known your concerns and ask for help. In humbling ourselves, we are able to create a strong community, where we can lift each other’s weaknesses up. A team that is willing to value people will take the time to value personal struggles, too.

When you keep frustrations to yourself, it affects demeanor and could potentially give off the wrong message to colleagues. As you make known your anxiety in a professional way, you are allowing for mutual understanding, which can help avoid damaging fall-outs.

Three  | Use visuals and music as calming rituals. With the right music or the right visuals, one can instill a sense of peace within the any workspace. Download music applications, such as Pandora or Spotify, to create playlist compilations of your favorite artists. This sense of familiarity instantly allows the mind to gain the motivation to carry on a successful workday. As analytical tasks or tedious projects can be quite mundane, surrounding yourself with art will bring an extra boost of energy that turns stress into productive determination.

Four | Take time to exercise daily. Calisthenics and cardio equip people to release endorphins that lead to a happier self. Pick a time and commit to working out for at least 15 to 30 minutes a day. Exercise enhances the quality of life and will produce tangible results for the body. Instead of allowing anxiety and stress to build up inside, make it a point to exercise in order to combat the negative energy. People on your team deserve to see the best version of you. By exercising you are giving yourself the opportunity to take care of yourself first in order to better serve others.

Five | Tackle things one step at a time. Create a calendar that features every project deadline assigned for the next few months. Pace your work intentionally to accomplish a variety of tasks during your personal peak times. One of the easiest lies to believe is that we have to do it all, and we have to do it all right now. Because of our limited capacity as human beings, it’s impossible to accomplish fifty projects simultaneously. Be as productive as possible without having to compromise the state of your health. With assurance, take on the tasks in a productive manner that allow for you to create a balanced working schedule.

The post 5 Mindful Ways to Handle Anxiety While Working From Home appeared first on The Chalkboard.



from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/37pIw9H
via IFTTT

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

The 9-To-5 Is Dead: Is It Time To Change the Way We Work?

Annie Auerbach is the founder of cultural trend and insight agency, Starling and author of the new book, FLEX: Reinventing Work for a Smarter, Happier Life.

Most of us have had our workdays 'reinvented' involuntarily by this pandemic. Is working with a remote team truly the "new normal"? Do 9-to-5 hours even matter anymore? What happens next?

We asked Annie to share a bit of her perspective on things and presented her with three common concerns many business leaders have about the kind of flexibility she recommends in FLEX... 

Annie Auerbach On The Way Work Is Changing

What i want more biz managers to know: Flexible working breeds a culture of motivation, engagement and productivity. It gives you access to the best talent wherever they are and increases retention.

Flexibility is so much more than a reflex to a crisis. It is bigger than the survival instinct of businesses facing precarity. Being flex is about a better future with solidarity and diversity at its heart.

What i want more employees to know: Flexibility itself is more than the flexible working request on paper. It’s deeper than the logistics of how, where and when we work. Our jobs and careers don’t follow a set path -- there are ebbs and flows as life throws us curveballs. When we work out how to 'flex', we work out how to live, earn money and be happy in a way that suits us and our unique talents.

3 Common Concerns About The New Flexibility

Issue no 1: "With my team working around clock, I’ll have to too. Won't I lose my own sense of personal boundaries?"

Flexibility and trust go hand-in-hand. Your team may have different hours from each other and from you, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a puppet-master pulling the strings and micro-managing every moment.

Instead deploy a mix of clear communication of expectations coupled with trust in the capabilities of your team to deliver. Trading the nine-to-five for the 24/7 is a massive fail. We need hard edges to our flex, particularly now, or we’ll slip into the burnout from which we were hoping to escape.

Issue no 2: "What if my team gets lazy and we lose track of hard deadlines?"

Employers’ biggest fears about flexible working (that we would all ‘shirk from home’ and productivity would plummet) proved to be groundless in 2020.

Among first time flexers working at home during the lockdown, 68 per cent feel they are either more productive or equally productive. In fact, Microsoft’s data analysis suggests lockdown has seen people working 4 hours a week more. Our biggest challenge won’t be how to motivate our people, but actually how to help them switch off.

Issue no 3: "How will I get responses from my team when I need them most?"

That second part of the question is key: “when you need them most". Email is a pretty blunt tool. Sometimes we need an immediate response -- a yes or a no -- and sometimes we need a carefully composed response which may require time and deep focus. We need to establish rules of engagement for communications across different platforms. Think of what would work for your team.

You could set an expectation that certain flagged emails must be responded to within 24 hours. You could agree that text messaging is used for urgent questions. And you need to allow for that deep focus too -- how about no meetings between certain hours? TV station Channel 4 in the UK has a company-wide lunch break daily at 12:30-2 pm and 'Meeting Free Fridays'.

Can you give an ideal example or two of what a flexible team looks like in real life?A flexible team might be spread out geographically, working at different points during the day. There might be no central office, or if there is, the team gathers intentionally for specific working moments (a collaboration session, a team bonding event).

The focus will be on your output rather than the hours you put in. The team will be more diverse -- genuine flexibility welcomes those who might be excluded from a macho working culture of long hours and presenteeism. It values their contributions precisely because they are not the status quo, and therefore their perspectives are bound to be fresh, innovative and creative.

A great example I talk about in my book is strategic consultancy, the FAWNBRAKE COLLECTIVE. As founder Amelia Torode said: “We wanted to get rid of as many structures that we felt were getting in the way of doing the work: so no HQ, no email, no hierarchy and no bureaucracy."

Other fave books on the topic: Brave Not Perfect ,Reshma Saujani; The Joy of Work, Bruce Daisley; Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert; The Multi-Hyphen Method, Emma Gannon; The Squiggly Career, Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis; The Little Black Book, Otegha Uwagba; Can’t Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation, Anne Helen Petersen.

current mantra:  ‘You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build the new model that makes the existing model obsolete.’ - Buckminster Fuller, American inventor and futurist.

The post The 9-To-5 Is Dead: Is It Time To Change the Way We Work? appeared first on The Chalkboard.



from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/2ONYqo3
via IFTTT

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Pancakes, Bagels + Toast: 7 Keto-Friendly Carb Dupes Worth Craving

While we're not big fans of strict diets in general, adhering to a keto diet requires specific restrictions, most notably reducing carbs to just 5-10% of one's diet. Tough? Yes. Worth it? Apparently so! Variations of the ketogenic diet are becoming more popular with wellness pros everywhere. We're keeping tabs on the research behind keto's benefits for women specifically, as many voices in the wellness world are recommending a slightly less restrictive, carb-cycling diet lately -- more on that soon!

There's no doubt that cutting carbs is one of the toughest health disciplines out there-- right alongside ice baths and no-sugar diets, but going low-carb doesn't have to be as painful as it sounds. The whole key is in knowing which carbs you crave most and having high-quality dupes on hand that are smart, clean -- and actually taste good.

We recently stumbled into the ridiculously good keto bread below and it made us think about the best keto carb dupes we've run on TCM over the years. Here are eight that anyone living that keto lifestyle should know about...

7 Keto-Friendly Carb Dupes Worth Craving

Uprising Food Keto Bread This is the keto bread we mentioned we've been drooling over lately. Bread might be the toughest thing to cut out when it comes to carbs and Uprising Food's loaf is everything you need for sandwiches, toast soldiers -- and some of the best avocado toast we've had in a while! The best part is that the bread is made with just eight nutrient-dense ingredients like flax and almond that are superfoods unto themselves. No strange fillers included. Each loaf bakes fresh and ships out weekly. We're obsessed and might never go back to regular bread again. TRY IT 

Shirataki Noodles Pasta is next in line as the hardest food to cut from a keto diet. Zucchini noodles can do the trick, but shirataki noodles are the gold standard when it comes to natural pasta dupes. Often called 'miracle noodles', these Japanese noodles are made from konjac yams and packed with fiber. Try them in our recipe for a stir-fry. TRY IT

Mark Sisson's Keto Fries Okay, honestly, this french fry recipe is the biggest stretch of any of our keto dupes, but it comes from the keto king, Mark Sisson himself. In his The Keto Reset Diet Cookbook Mark shares this recipe for jicama fries -- delicious, but not quite as indulgent and rich as a real order of salty french fries. Try it anyway and add this easy side dish to keto meals. Try It

Keto Bagels We featured these surprisingly delicious low-carb bagels from The Essential Vegan Keto Cookbook a while back and can only imagine the number of weekends they've made. Baked with golden flax and almond butter, this is another keto-friendly recipe that's packed with good nutrition. Try It

SuperFat Keto Pancakes + Brownies SuperFat is another great brand name to know in the keto space, creating clean trust-worthy mixes like their Keto Pancake Mix and Keto Brownie Mix. If you're a hard-core TCM reader, you'll know we've been talking about this brownies a lot lately. They leave nothing to be desired with an impressive rich, gooey texture you'll thank us for, plus they're so easy to make! Try It 

The Hemsley's Flax Seed Rolls It's hard to believe that flax alone can create such great bread rolls, but the Hemsley sisters pull it off. Try this incredibly simple keto-friendly recipe that can be used as a burger bun! Try It 

Do you have a carb craving we didn't list a keto dupe for? Tell us in the comments!

The post Pancakes, Bagels + Toast: 7 Keto-Friendly Carb Dupes Worth Craving appeared first on The Chalkboard.



from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/3jTjKns
via IFTTT