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A Quest for Ethical Shopping: Down the Bunny Trail

By casielukes / May 14, 2013

“You can recycle your waste, grow your own food and drive a fuel-efficient car. But being socially responsible isn’t so easy when it comes to the clothes on your back.”—Anne D’Innocenzio, The Associated Press

As I write this post, I’m wearing items from the GAP, Banana Republic, Victoria’s Secret, and Target, as well as a pair of free sandals and a ring from a local vendor that I bought on a trip to Ireland. I write this to preface that the journey into ethical, sustainable clothing is something that is new for me. I’m just beginning, but the more I learn, the more pressed I feel to create positive changes in my lifestyle and climb out from under my rock of ignorance.

In my previous post, A Lesson in Money, I touched on the positive outcomes of becoming a better manager of my money. As I’ve been focused on saving and paying debt off, I have not been buying clothes, and have had the opportunity to think about what I’m purchasing, who my money is supporting, and what it’s doing to the environment. I’ve been delving into the types of companies I’d like to purchase items from in the future — when buying clothes is once again an option. This is a topic with a seemingly unending bunny trail: from consumer pocket books to the raw materials that are grown to create clothing to the hands that make them.

On May 2, NPR highlighted the Bangladesh garment factory tragedy in an article titled “Ethical Fashion: Is the Tragedy in Bangladesh a Final Straw?” They touched on the collapse of the factory, the acceleration of style changes, NAFTA, fashionable clothing, and shopping ethically on a budget. On May 8, Time LightBox put out a brief article accompanying a haunting image of two victims in the rubble of the collapse.

In Juliet Schor’s most recent book, Plenitude, she also discusses the fashion industry in the larger context of sustainability, calling it a McFashion world. Consumption of clothing has shifted from durable and versatile wardrobes to indulging in novelty items at cheap prices and frequent design changes, a trend the industry calls FMCGs (fast-moving consumer goods). “The more new pieces consumers purchase, the more used ones they give away. Households have also been putting a larger quantity of apparel into the waste stream. In 2007, textiles made up approximately 4.7 percent of the annual municipal waste stream of 254 million tons, which amounted to 78 pounds of textile discards per person.” (p. 39, Plenitude) Schor also points out that the United States has increased its export of worn clothes to other countries from 316 million pounds in 1991 to 1.1 billion pounds in 2004.

In Anne D’Innocenzio’s Associated Press article, “Shoppers face hurdles in finding ethical clothing,” which was picked up by multiple media outlets, she gave a short overview on the many issues and obstacles people come across when trying to shop more ethically for their clothing and accessories. From the humanistic perspective, her article discusses the building collapse in Bangladesh that “killed hundreds of clothing factoring workers [putting a spotlight] on the sobering fact that the people in poor countries often risk their lives working in unsafe factories to make the cheap T-shirts and underwear that Westerners covet.” Apparently we only covet them for a while, and then dispose of them to move onto the newest item.

At the end of D’Innocenzio’s article, she highlighted American Apparel being a hopeful option: ”Los Angeles-based American Apparel, which says it knits, dyes, cuts and sews all of its products in-house in California, touts on its website that the working conditions are ‘sweatshop free.’ The company highlights how it pays decent wages, offers subsidized lunches, free onsite massages and an onsite medical clinic.” And yet, I recently finished reading Ethical Chic: The Inside Story of the Companies We Think We Love by Fran Hawthorne, which explores the complexities behind ethical production. It covers companies like Tom’s of Maine, Timberland, Starbucks, American Apparel, Trader Joes and Apple. Take, for example, a company that pays their workers a fair wage, with their product being made in the United States, yet its bosses are facing sexual harassment charges from many female workers. The company? American Apparel. Can we really call a company ethical if it meets most standards? I’m not so sure.

I dug a bit deeper this week for some ethical companies with a style I loved. I’m yet to purchase anything (want to pay off my remaining debt first and do a bit more research), but I’ve started my wish list. Because it’s difficult to track each product, I’d like to put a disclaimer here that this is purely off of information on the companies’ websites. That being said, one of my favorite resources for numerous eco-friendly, sustainable brands is StyleWithHeart. You can search by eco-ethical criteria (fair-trade, organic, eco-friendly, ethical, recycled, vintage and DIY), department, boutique and brand. It was here I found the companies Lowie, Maiya, Monkeegenes, and Liv, among many others. Below are a few that are on my radar. Since I found so many I loved, keep posted here, at Unedited, for more of my eco-friendly clothing company picks!

Lowie: Based in London, it started in 2002 with the philosophy to create “beautiful clothing people want to wear as ethically as possible without jeopardizing design.” The company uses soft wools, organic cottons, eco-friendly leathers (with minimal chemicals in the tanning process) and is working toward making sure its products have a low impact on the environment and that the worker-wage is fair. Prices are steep for my budget, but very comparable to Anthropologie’s prices. I found a skirt for 58 lbs. This will be a store I wait on for sales! http://ilovelowie.com/

Image: Lowie Brand

Monkeegenes: Also based in the UK, and started in 2006, I fell in love with this product line immediately. I especially love the owner’s video on the home page, addressing the higher cost of their jeans compared to mainstream brands. “If you go for fast food, you expect what you expect. You get something that’s totally forgettable. If you go for a proper meal, you get something you remember and you tell your friends about it. That’s what I hope you think when you get your pair of Monkeegenes.” The company also impressingly has accreditations from The Soil Association and the Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS). About 60lbs. for a pair of Skinny Jeans. www.Monkeegenes.co.uk

Image: Monkeegenes Brand

Maiya: Based in the UK, Maiya uses a “wide range of sustainable materials such as natural silk, hemp/silk, organic herringbone weave cotton, fair-trade hand-loomed cotton/wool, fair-trade/organic cotton twill, organic cotton printed with low-impact, organic dyes and vintage/end of roll ‘upcycled’ faric. All fabric is sourced in the UK and use 100% natural and thus fully biodegradable.” The company also re-employs experienced machinists and offers employment/training to those in deprived areas of South Wales, with the goal to create quality products while safeguarding livelihoods and retaining specialist craftsmanship skills. My top pick: The Rachel Dress—Straw 90 lbs. Maiyafashion.co.uk

Image: Maiya Brand

Liv: I love the spring/summer 2013 collection “Ray of Light” because of its classy, fresh, simple look. Based in the UK, Liv uses fair trade through an Indian partner factory and 100-percent organic and fairly traded cotton, supporting human rights and safe working conditions with no child labor. They also meet the standards for The Soil Association and the Global Organic Textile Standards. I love the Island Top (55 lbs) and Drift Dress (75lbs). www.liv-uk.com

Image: Liv Brand

My goal is to be confidently informed about where my materials/products come from. This will likely mean that I’ll spend more on one pair of pants than I have on two in the past, but I’m hoping it will balance out as I purchase less. Despite my love of clothing, and some odd satisfaction of having a closet packed with an array of choices, I’m feeling my priorities begin to shift: The truth that everything has a cost is sinking in. When I look in my closet, do I want to see stacks of clothes that have been easy on my pocket book, made by people that have poor working conditions, and ruin the environment? Or would I rather know those items are helping to support a sustainable, healthy industry and the livelihood of those who crafted them?

Yes, this will be a process, just as learning about what’s in my food and where it comes from has been a process (and continues to be). But I think every little step forward counts.

Resources

http://www.today.com/style/shoppers-face-hurdles-finding-ethical-clothing-6C9690379

http://www.npr.org/2013/05/02/180557959/ethical-fashion-is-the-tragedy-in-bangladesh-a-final-straw

http://lightbox.time.com/2013/05/08/a-final-embrace-the-most-haunting-photograph-from-bangladesh/#1

Schor, J. (2010) Plenitude: The New Economics of True Wealth. New York: The Penguin Press.

Images are from: fruugo.us, liv-uk, ilovelowie.com and charliemary.com.

A Lesson in Money

By casielukes / April 16, 2013

Over the last 10 months I’ve been trying to save money and pay back my debts. A chronic spender and lover of clothes, shoes, spas, traveling, movies, restaurants, coffee shops, art projects (OK, I like spending money on many things), this has been a challenge. It’s not only changed what I do with my friends, but how I view consumption in general. I’ve realized through this process that I need less than I think, and shouldn’t connect my worth/looks to new clothing. I’ve also realized that the more I say “no” to something I desperately want to buy, but don’t need, the sooner the intense grasping feeling inside begins to wane.

This process, at its core, has been a detox from material objects and participating in the consumer lifestyle. It’s been about growing up, taking responsibility for what I have, and what I earn, and being grateful. It has by no means been easy, and there are some days the desire to buy something is overwhelming. And though I falter at times, I keep pressing on, the whittling of debt my inspiration as the load slowly becomes lighter.

My approach with each paycheck has been this: Save 10%, give 10% (I use a cash envelope system for this), pay rent, pay car insurance, buy healthy organic local food, treat myself to a coffee or piece of pie or lunch once in awhile, budget for gas, and steadily pay back those I owe money. This leaving about $100 in my account each time.

I don’t charge anything to my credit card unless I know I can immediately go home and pay it off (and this helps accrue free flight points for when I can travel again). I get movies and books from the library, attempt creative outfits with what I already own, make my own coffee, and pack my lunches. I don’t step foot in a clothing store unless I’m feeling strong. In 10 months at $10/hour, I’ve paid most of my debts off (about $4,500) to my credit card, my parents, and my brothers. I have $1,950 to go, interest free.

In all honesty, money stresses me out, and I tend to panic about looking at my bank account. When I’ve tried to track my spending in the past, it’s only lasted a few months before I’ve given up. I’m terrible at adding and often feel inept.

Throughout the process, I’ve skimmed many money books in an attempt to create the basis for my own plan to be a responsible money handler. I’ve taken Dave Ramsey’s approach of cash in envelopes (for saving and giving; the rest of my bills and expenditures are done online), examined my money attitudes and fears through Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez, and Brent Kessel’s It’s Not About the Money. I’ve browsed some of Ruth Hayden’s titles as well. In one of these, I found the sentiment that 80% of how we spend our money is emotional and 20% is management. As I’ve waded through my money fears, attitudes and how these things have manifested in my spending habits, money management has become much less scary, less overwhelming and less frustrating.

As I’m growing in money management, I’ve also discovered I yearn to be a more responsible consumer when that time comes. With my “cease” on spending, I’ve had time to think about where I want my money to go. Which brings me to the other areas I’ve been reading up on: ethical clothing, environmental impact and the “downshifter” lifestyle. Juliet Schor’s books The Overspent American, Plentitude, and Born to Buy have helped me connect with the realities of our culture and incorporate creative ways to find a balance.

You see, spending and money are very intricately linked to lifestyle, relationships, perspective and motivation, which is what makes changing habits so difficult. Extremists like No Impact Man and The Transition Movement have caused me to think about how my consumption affects other people and the environment, as well as tangible solutions I can consider.

And then there’s clothing. I started thinking about the food I buy and the transitions I’ve made in my lifestyle to buy local, organic food. If cheap food comes at a cost (even if we don’t see it), doesn’t cheap clothing come at a cost, too? This is another blog entirely, but I’ve been encouraged by my beginning research to find companies that are ethical and treat their workers well, such as Pure Citizen and People Tree. I’ve also learned there’s an Eco Fashion week in Canada!

So, as Brent Kessel said so well, it’s really not about the money. It’s about using the money as a caveat wisely to buy ethical products (that we love and feel good about using and wearing and don’t enslave others or wreak havoc on the environment!), and create healthy shifts in our lifestyles. It’s about buying less and enjoying more. About examining the idea that just because we can do something, should we? I’ve found that money is not about restricting ourselves, but creating a more holistic, healthy life — for everyone involved in the process.

Super Secret Snacking Behavior

By Jamie Martin (@jamielmartin) / April 4, 2013

I have a confession to make: I’ve once again reverted to eating too much sugar. And I’ve been doing it in secret. For several months. Ugh.

Take Tuesday, for example: As my two-year-old daughter was enjoying her healthy, balanced lunch, I was in the kitchen sneaking bite-size Snickers, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Starburst jelly beans (all of which came in our Easter baskets, which is a whole other blog post — has anyone else noticed how this religious holiday has morphed into a combo of Halloween and Christmas?!?). Forget lunch. I ate candy.

In an attempt to make up for my super secret snacking behavior (which I shall refer to as SSSB from hence forth), I decided to make a healthy dinner: Martha Stewart’s Kale and White Bean Soup. I doctored it up with some red pepper flakes, a bay leaf and various other seasons to give it a bit more flavor. It was delicious and I felt satisfied.

An hour or so later, the sugar cravings came. I had expected them, and had earlier promised myself that I’d have some fruit with Greek yogurt, chia seeds and a drizzle of honey WHEN that happened. It was a well-intentioned plan.

Instead, I found myself reaching into the candy dish and polishing off a bag of jelly beans (not, mind you, the ones that came in our Easter baskets, but the BAG that I had bought at Target the week prior and hidden). I snuck handfuls as I played with my daughter before bedtime and while my husband walked the dog. At one point, MK did ask, “What you eating, Mama? I have some?” so I gave her two or three beans of her own. I know — how generous of me, right?!

Once the bag was gone (and safely buried in the garbage, to hide the evidence), I proceeded to feel physically and mentally ill for the rest of the evening, which is what always happens post-binge. The guilt about what I’d put into my expectant body (did I mention I’m pregnant?), on top of the physical discomfort, always leaves me with with this heavy feeling of shame and disappointment.

We wrote about SSSB as a type of problem-eating pattern in “Tangled Up in Food” back in January/February 2011:

Secretive eating feeds the shame spiral that perpetuates poor eating habits. “Any behavior that takes place in secret tends to go hand-in-hand with shame,” says Michelle May, MD, a board-certified family physician and author of Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat (Greenleaf Book Group, 2010). “If I eat something ‘bad,’ then I feel guilty, and I feel like a ‘bad’ person for doing it.”

The brain is similarly shackled by joyless eating. Compared with actively savoring food, eating in secret can create stress, which means the release of fewer endorphins, the pleasure chemicals that promote digestion. Endorphins help assimilate nutrients and, ultimately, burn calories. “The chemistry of pleasure is intrinsically designed to fuel metabolism,” says David. “When food comes with a helping of guilt, the nervous system registers only a minimum of pleasurable sensations and we are physiologically driven to eat more. We’re compelled to hunt down the pleasure we never fully receive, even though it’s continually within our grasp.”

Eating furtively easily leads to overeating because it allows you to skirt the emotions at the heart of the issue. Instead of sitting with an uncomfortable situation or emotion, seeking a quick pleasure fix through food becomes a way to change or manage emotions quickly, says May. When the urge strikes to eat behind closed doors, stop and ask yourself what emotion you are trying to escape. “You may think you are overeating ‘just because it tastes good’ or ‘because you lack willpower,’’’ says May, but that’s rarely the case. “The ‘why’ becomes clear only when you explore the feelings that underlie your actions.”

So much of what is written here rings true for me: I’ve been carrying a lot of fear and anxiety over the last few months as we’ve been preparing for the arrival of our second baby. I’m nervous about how I’m going to balance being a good wife and mom with working full-time. Will I be able to do it all? How on earth will ever I love another child like I love my first? How are we going to afford this? How are we going to get all of these projects done before June? Will I be able to get all of these projects at work wrapped up before I go into labor? And the questions and doubts keep coming.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m THRILLED to be having another child. But when I think back to when my SSSB started, it was quite early in my pregnancy, when all of these little niggling thoughts, which have since snowballed, began creeping in. I once again turned to comfort foods from my past to deal with my insecurities.

The good news is, I’m finally addressing my SSSB and holding myself accountable. It’s time to change things up and get real, because let’s be honest, my husband and daughter (soon to be daughters) are going to catch on. I don’t want to be saying one thing and doing the other — my personal food rules can’t and shouldn’t be different than those I set for my family. I need to walk the talk with more integrity, especially when it comes to nutrition.

With that in mind, here are a few strategies I’m putting in place to nip this SSSB in the bud:

Get rid of all the leftover Easter candy, whether I donate it or throw it away. Having that stuff in our home is just too much temptation.
Stop buying sweets and treats known to fuel binges (we don’t keep potato chips in the house, so why would I start buying bags of candy?).
Keep healthy snacks on hand (I just ordered my first Nature Box this morning).
Drink a glass of water when I first have a craving; if I’m still hungry 20–30 minutes later, then have a healthy snack.
Rethink holidays associated with sweets and treats, and share our desire for healthier alternatives with family and friends. An Easter basket doesn’t have to be stocked full of chocolate rabbits and candy.

It feels SO good to finally name this, put it out there and start taking control. Care to join me in tackling a SSSB of your own?

Full Disclosure: I ate a LOT more jelly beans than what’s pictured above.

Photo Credit: http://pixnpix.blogspot.com/2011/04/easter-candy-favorites.html

Creativity and Balance in the Everyday

By casielukes / March 28, 2013

Each month, the team at Experience Life strives to put out a balanced publication so you can be enriched and encouraged to live a holistic, healthy, inspired and informed life. This includes fitness and healthy eating, as well as creativity and balance. These last two look different for everyone because we each have different levels of comfortability.

I have a low threshold for cold, snowy, dark, winter months, so it takes extra effort for me to remain balanced during this time. My creativity wanes, my mood dips, my motivation to exercise struggle, my energy is sapped, and my desire to consistently eat healthy food ceases. All winter long, I push through. I try to find things that I enjoy and create a structure for so I can accomplish these small feats.

This year, I’ve been compiling a list of coffee shops (I have a theory that a coffee shop either does hot cocoa well or chai well) and independent bookstores in the Twin Cities area. The goal? To get myself out of my apartment and enjoying life, even if I have to shovel my car out from under a few feet of snow. I find that as I force myself to do these things, I regain a bit of motivation, feel more like myself, and a bit of creativity sparks.

During my hot cocoa/bookstore research, I came across National Poetry Month, which has been celebrated each April since 1996. This led me to google “poetry in the Twin Cities area.” This bunny trail, taking me far from hot cocoa and bookstores, led me to a marvelous, inspiring find: the Everyday Poems for City Sidewalk project by Artist in Residence Marcus Young from St. Paul, Minn. Residents of any age can submit original poems between March 14 and April 13. Those chosen will win cash prizes and have their work pressed into the sidewalks around the city.

In “City of St. Paul Announces Fifth Annual Saint Paul Sidewalk Poetry Contest” at http://www.stpaul.gov/index.aspx?nid=4912, it expresses Marcus Young’s passion and purpose for the project: “I love how the poems are part of people’s everyday lives,” said Marcus Young, creator of the project. “Poems quietly appear on sidewalks and create softness within the hardscape built and maintained by the City. In this imaginative space, St. Paul residents write their thoughts, dreams, and stories in poetic form for other residents to come upon and read.”

What I love about this is the seamlessness of poetry in the everyday, cut into a concrete slab. A word or image that is capable of pushing your life in a new direction, or causing you to pause and take a breath. You may be thinking at this point, I’m not a creative person. In Experience Life magazine’s March 2008 article by Jon Spayde, Get Creative it says, “Creativity doesn’t begin and end with a finished painting or completed novel. It begins with the smallest step in a new direction, whether that’s turning off the TV or waking up three minutes earlier than usual to scribble down your dreams. You can use every problem you face as a way to be creative. That means becoming creative is not an airy-fairy process of turning ‘arty’ — it is a very concrete process of meeting challenges in the real world.”

Just as I compiled lists of coffee shops and bookstores to help me face the challenges of a Midwestern winter, there are numerous creative ways to look at and live our lives. In a sense, creativity is practical. As the poetry is integrated into the concrete, altering the smooth gray cement, we can alter the way our lives are by taking the time to balance them out and live more skillfully — in fitness, health, financial management, relationships and communication. When I apply creative principles to managing my money, it becomes less of an intimidating, frustrating part of my life and more enjoyable and seamless. For great suggestions and tips for how to do this, check out “The Skillful Life“(June 2008).

So if you wander the sidewalks of St. Paul as they dry out from this long winter, be sure to look down, taking in the colors of green grass, flowers, and poetry etched in time. It may add a quiet balance to your day, if only for a few seconds — an enriching moment that stirs your inner creative flair or helps you creatively meet a practical challenge. And you can continue on the journey you’ve been treading, transformed into a more whole version.

Interested in participating in National Poetry Month or learning more about St. Paul’s sidewalk project? Check out http://www.poets.org/index.php for 30 ways to celebrate or http://www.stpaul.gov/index.aspx?nid=4912 to submit your poems.

Resources

Sidewalk Poetry: Taken from cathedral-hill.blogspot (Portland Avenue, St. Paul, Minn.)

http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/47 (About National Poetry Month)

http://www.stpaul.gov/index.aspx?nid=4912 (City of St. Paul Sidewalk Poetry, information and quotes by City Artist in Residence)

http://experiencelife.com/article/the-skillful-life/

http://experiencelife.com/article/striking-a-balance/

http://experiencelife.com/article/get-creative/

Yoga For Me, Yoga for Mamas

By Jamie Martin (@jamielmartin) / February 21, 2013

I’ve been promising for a few posts now to share why I became a prenatal yoga instructor, a side gig that I squeeze in around working full-time, and being a present wife and mom. So here goes: My yoga journey starts back in 2005, when I began working here at Experience Life …

I had tried yoga in college, but it wasn’t until I was hired on as the full-time associate editor here at Experience Life that I began practicing yoga regularly. Our then managing editor taught Forrest Yoga at a Twin Cities studio, and a couple of us on the team began attending her classes regularly. It was challenging both physically and mentally, and I loved the combination of strength and flexibility that each class offered. I overcame mental blocks around inversions, learned how to use my breath to breathe through intense poses and find inner calm, and discovered a confidence that I had never known. A lifelong athlete (I played multiple sports from grade school through high school, and became an avid runner in college), yoga provided an opportunity for physical and mental development on a deeper level. I was hooked.

I soon began attending vinyasa classes with Andrea Gerasimo, a gifted yogi and feng shui guru who also happens to be the sister of editor in chief Pilar Gerasimo’s (check out the decluttering miracle she worked in my closet in our “Order Out of Chaos” series). It was there that I realized the power of mantras and how to use the breath to flow from one pose to another. I left those practices so relaxed and in tune with my body, and often with a renewed mindset and fresh perspective.

Over the years, teachers have come and gone, and I’ve tried various classes. I’ve learned that hot yoga is NOT for me, and that vinyasa is right up my alley. I’ve taken weeks off and come back to question why on earth I ever stepped away from my mat. It’s transformative.

So when I learned I was pregnant in early 2010, I knew I wanted to make yoga a key part of my prenatal health and wellness regimen. At the recommendation of various friends, I began attending classes at Blooma, a Minneapolis-based yoga studio for expectant mamas, new mamas and their families. It turned out Blooma was about so much more than yoga — it was about community and education and empowering women to trust and believe in their bodies (and themselves!) through this biological process.

My perspectives about pregnancy shifted as my belly grew, and thanks to the encouragement and knowledge of the amazing instructors, I approached the birth of my daughter with confidence. I knew I couldn’t control all the circumstances surrounding my daughter’s birth, but I was well-informed and empowered.

My daughter was born on a warm fall day in 2010, and the experience, while no doubt the most challenging of my life, was nothing short of amazing. I credit Blooma for helping me have that kind of birth — from the poses and movements I used during labor to the mantras I repeated over and over to the informed decisions my husband and I made throughout those 24 hours. I knew I wanted to share what I had learned with other women.

Fast forward to fall 2011: I learn that Blooma is offering a prenatal yoga teacher training program. This was my chance to embrace that fire and passion that had ignited during my pregnancy and first year as a mom. I signed up without hesitation, and on a cold weekend in January 2012, I joined 12 other women for what would be another transformative experience — physically, emotionally, spiritually, socially. We shared, we cried, we laughed, and we learned SO MUCH about how yoga is a powerful tool in supporting women through pregnancy and birth and motherhood. It was one of those weekends where I knew I was exactly where I needed to be the entire time.

Shortly after the training, I began co-teaching classes with Blooma instructors and subbing whenever the opportunity arose. I taught private prenatal sessions to a friend of a friend. When a long-term subbing opportunity at Blooma arose, I jumped at the chance, and since September, I’ve been teaching one to two classes per week. I’ve taught mamas who are brand-new pregnant to those multiple days past their guess dates. And I’ve received beautiful emails from new moms sharing their birth stories and how what they’ve done and learned in my classes have helped them through the birth experiences.

Those emails and the pictures of the moms and their sweet babies are the reasons I became a prenatal yoga instructor. They’re why I’ll continue to embrace new opportunities to deepen my own practice and knowledge as a teacher, mom and woman for years to come.

Looking to start or deepen your own yoga practice? Watch for the April 2013 issue of Experience Life, which features “Yoga 4 You” — an overview of the four main categories of yoga to help you pinpoint what kind of practice (or practices) might be right for you.

PHOTO CREDIT: Blooma.com. This saying is a staple in all of the Blooma studios.

What’s Your Valentine’s Day Tradition?

By casielukes / February 14, 2013

Ironically, I’m posting on Valentine’s Day — I may be the holiday’s least popular fan. I don’t like hearts (not a fan of the shape), the packaged candy (don’t enjoy bad chocolate or chalky sugar), balloons (they shrivel, squeak and make that awful popping sound), singing grams or stuffed bears holding I Love You hearts (cue red face and dust mites), or the expectation of receiving/giving something.

Even as a child, Valentine’s Day stressed me out. It all seemed to be a frenzied hoopla. I did, however, look forward to one thing: receiving my Grandpa’s cookies in the mail.

A rugged German farmer with a knack for building furniture who always expected lunch at exactly noon and whom I never heard say “please” the length of his life, my Grandpa made the most delicious Valentine’s cookies I’ve ever had. He decorated them in layers of cookie and pink and white frosting, with delicate looping borders. The man was a calligraphy frosting genius. There was something about those cookies that were genuine, simple, and ever so lovely.

At some point in college I became more jaded (possibly through a series of horrid breakups), and at the peak of my growing hatred for the day, I remembered those cookies, and how I missed them. And how they brought me joy through my first 16 years. I decided Valentine’s Day is supposed to be about enjoying something with people you care about, not last-minute dinner reservations or pink lace.

So I thought about what I enjoy: war movies, eating fantastic homemade food, staying inside when it’s freezing cold, and having an altogether no-pressure, relaxed evening. That’s been my Valentine’s Day tradition now for the past six years, and I have to say, my hate of the day has lessened. I even look forward to it now.

My nontraditional take on the holiday got me wondering how other culture’s celebrate it. A quick search at http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/02/13/valentines-day-traditions-around-the-world/slide/more-lists showed that although American traditions have influenced many cultures, they’ve also added twists of their own. In Thailand, couples celebrate weddings by hanging off cliff sides and sky-diving. Women also lay red roses and candles in the Trimurti shrine at the feet of the Hindu deity in hopes of finding a husband. In Guatemala, people dress up in masks or Mayan attire and participate in a senior citizen’s parade. In Germany, they make giant heart-shaped gingerbread cookies and hang them around their lover’s necks. In the Philippines, Valentine’s Day has become a time when hundreds of couples have mass marriages. In Japan, chocolate companies are bombarded by the obligatory tradition of women giving chocolates to their male colleagues, known as giri-choko (obligation chocolate). In return, men give women white chocolates in March.

Whether you love or loathe this 14^th day of February, I hope you do something you enjoy with someone you love, even if it involves Russell Stover, heart balloons, jewelry, chalky candy, last-minute dinner reservations, stuffed bears, singing-grams, or a new tradition. Or even your favorite cookie.

What’s your Valentine’s Day tradition? For unique ideas to celebrate those you love, check out Experience Life magazine’s compilation of articles on relationships at http://experiencelife.com/newsflashes/unique-ways-to-celebrate-love-and-relationships/.

Resources

Image: Found on Etsy.com, these cookies bring back memories of my Grandpa, and are quite similar to the fantastic frosting decorations he once created.

http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/02/13/valentines-day-traditions-around-the-world/slide/more-lists

Japan

http://voices.yahoo.com/valentines-day-around-globe-other-cultures-805047.html?cat=16

http://www.thenational.ae/deployedfiles/thenational/Articles/2012-02-14/Arts&Life/AL_1402048_ALART.pdf

Guatemala

http://newshopper.sulekha.com/guatemala-valentines-day_photo_673359.htm

http://photoblog.nbcnews.com/_news/2011/02/11/6035921-colorful-seniors-celebrate-saint-valentines-day-in-guatemala?lite

Germany

http://www.journey-to-germany.com/valentines-day.html

Philippines

http://newshopper.sulekha.com/philippines-valentines-day_photo_672730.htm

Thailand

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/day-340176-valentine-world.html

http://travel.cnn.com/bangkok/play/six-uniquely-thai-ways-celebrate-san-valentino-736132

My Vision (Board) for the Future

By Jocelyn Stone (@jocelynstone) / February 5, 2013

I’ve been meaning to make a vision board for years. Pilar’s been on me since last fall to put one together. And I have this deep-seated, although unfounded, belief that big things are going to happen for (or maybe, to) me in 2013. There’s just one problem.

I hate arts and crafts.

I’ve tried, I swear I have. More than once I’ve gathered a pile of old magazine, scissors, poster board and glue sticks, and spread out on the living room floor, ready to set my destiny. I’ve even gotten as far as ripping a few pages out of the magazines. But eventually, I get distracted by my dog or frustrated because I’m not cutting perfectly straight lines, and I move on to something else. Being crafty is not my thing (unless it’s possibly in a sneaky way) and not even a strong desire to set my life goals can overcome that.

Playing with technology, on the other hand, is a completely different story.

Last week, my coworker, Courtney, was sharing her experience about a vision board app that she had recently tried on her iPhone. She prompted me to remember that several years ago I had come across some vision-board software on Oprah.com. I knew that I had played around with it for a while and I had saved at least the start of a board, but I wasn’t even sure that the program still existed.

The next day I decided to check the site out and there it was (now, with more pictures added, above), my unfinished board from years gone by. Not surprisingly, the few images that were there still accurately reflected what I’m looking for out of life — I’m nothing if not consistent.

The program is pretty easy to use. You can find it at www.oprah.com/packages/o-dream-board.html, along with a slew of articles on how to determine your passions, set your goals and create your vision board. I believe that you can create a board right away, but you will have to sign up for an account in the Oprah community to be able to save it.

After you create a new board, you can add the images and words that best represent your goals. There is a pretty large selection of pictures and words on the site that you can use, and the program lets you write out other words and phrases of your choosing. You can also upload your own pictures from your computer.

Once you’ve finished, you can print the board on paper, or save it to your computer as a jpeg file. Et voila — your own vision board! I’ve printed out several copies that I’ve put up in my cubicle at work and several places in my house, and I’ve made the board the wallpaper for both my personal and work computers.

I still want to do some more work on the board over time. And, this is only the first step in a long list toward setting and achieving my goals. Still, it was a fun way to spend a winter weekend.

Do you have a vision board? I’m hoping to put together a slideshow of Experience Life team members’ boards, and if you’d like to send me a picture of yours (email me at jstone2@experiencelife.com), I’d love to add it to the mix. And, if you’re like me and you have never gotten around to making one for yourself, check out the program at Oprah.com and see if it’s for you.

Happy visioning!

What’s Your (Sleep) Number?

By Jocelyn Stone (@jocelynstone) / December 4, 2012

photo credit: Robbie Howell via photopin cc

This summer I dogsat for my best friend, Shelby. This is something I’ve done often, and taking care of her two Jack Russell terriers has a routine: Shelby puts new sheets on her bed, and at night, Mackey and Cliffy, as well as my beagle, Shiloh, and I snuggle up to go to sleep. This last time was different, though. It’s been a while since I’d stayed overnight, and this time, for the first time (I believe) I was sleeping on their Sleep Number bed.

I’ve never been a morning person. When I was a teenager, my mother and I lived by an unspoken code: She didn’t speak to me before 10 a.m., and I didn’t hurl obscenities in response. Waking up is painful for me — sometimes physically — and it can sometimes take up to an hour for me to go from being fully alert and coherent. And, I have no doubt that things had gotten worse because I was a couple of years overdue on buying a new mattress.

But this particular morning in June was different: I woke up at 6:30 a.m. without the aid of an alarm. After looking at the clock, my first thought was, Thank God, I can go back to sleep for another hour. But after closing my eyes again, I realized that I was awake, alert and ready to start the day. So I did.

Over the next few weeks, I joked with people about how I had obviously found my perfect “sleep number,” and I needed to get a bed of my own. Weirdly, I discovered that a lot of people I know have Sleep Number beds, and they all assured me that sleeping on one could have the noticeable effects that I experienced. And, really, it makes sense: The right environment (in this case, bed) helps you sleep better, and sleeping better will leave you more refreshed in the morning.

After that I was obsessed. I had to figure out when I would have several hundred dollars just lying around with nowhere to go (ha!), but I promised myself that I would be sleeping better by the first of the year, one way or another. After months of talking about it, I finally ordered the bed, and it was delivered last week.

And how is it? Well, this new mattress isn’t as giving as my old, plush pillow-top with the individually wrapped coils, but one the other hand, lower-back pain from sleeping in an arched position that I had tolerated for months was gone after the first night. I no longer feel like I can’t open my eyes fully until my first cup of coffee, and I feel more focused throughout the day. So, yeah, I’d say my new bed is pretty awesome.

Although I’m the latest fangirl of the Sleep Number family, I’m not suggesting that everyone go get one (though, if you do, tell them I sent you so I can get a discount on pillows). But, I would encourage all of you to take a moment to consider how powerful a good, full night’s sleep can be: It increases mental acuity, energy and mood, reduces stress and risk of illness, and can even help you lose weight. Heck, what can’t sleep do?

So, I say, go and do whatever you can to get good sleep on a regular basis, whether it’s a new bed or pillows, light-blocking curtains or even just getting to bed at an earlier hour. And sleep well!

When All Else Fails … Do Push-Ups!

By Jamie Martin (@jamielmartin) / November 19, 2012

I have been struggling lately to get to the gym on a regular basis — despite having a club just three floors down in our office building. There are a few reasons for this: 1) My favorite personal trainer is no longer training there; 2) we haven’t had an Experience Life team kettlebell class in months; and 3) I’ve just been making lots of excuses, from “My personal trainer is no longer there,” to “I’m too tired,” to ”There’s not enough time in the day.”

The truth is, I’m not too tired and there IS time: I’m just putting the wrong things first. I need to step away from my computer — both during office hours and when I’m home — and know it’s OK, good even, to make my health and wellness a priority.

All that being said, I do have one routine that I’ve been following diligently for the past two to three years — it’s my saving grace. It all started with my desire to do real push-ups. Every morning, I would get up and pound out as many push-ups as I could, before dropping to my knees to do 20 total. I’m currently up to 30 consecutive push-ups. After a short break, I can usually pound out 10 to 15 more.

I round out my routine with two to three of the following, depending on how crunched I am for time (there’s that TIME thing again!):

Kettlebell swings (usually 2-3 sets of 20 with 35 pounds)
Single-leg lunges with dumbbells (one to two sets of 20/leg)
Tricep dips a la Shaun T (one to two sets of 20)
Shoulder presses with a kettlebell (2-3 sets of 10/per arm with 25 pounds)
Planks (usually a combination of regular, side and star)
Squats to press with kettlebell (2-3 sets of 10 with 25 pounds)

While my current routine is lacking any dedicated time to building endurance, I practice yoga twice a week and go for walks with my family most days. It all helps keep me active, even if it’s not at the same level I enjoyed a few years ago.

What are the no-fail things you do to stay active when time is/seems short? Share them in the comments section below!

6 Simple Things That Make My Life Better

By Laine Bergeson (@LaineBergeson) / March 9, 2012

1. Library — For about six years, I forgot the library existed. Then one day, several years ago, I drove by the library and thought, “Whoa! I can get books there for free.” I’ve been doing that ever since. It’s awesome.

2. Books on tape — For about 20 years, I forgot that you could listen to a book as well as read it on the page. Then about nine months ago I was taking a car trip and thought, “How am I going to pass the time?” Then I thought, “A book on CD!” I checked out a couple murder mysteries (from the library, of course) and it transformed a drive that’s usually a long slog into a suspense-filled pleasure. Now I download books onto my phone and listen all the time: when I walk the dogs, when I do the dishes, when I lay on the sofa staring at the ceiling. It’s awesome.

3. Homemade chai — For about ever, I’ve been a tea drinker, and while I liked the chai I could order in coffeeshops or buy in tetra packs in the grocery store, they were always too sweet for my taste. (I also dislike store-bought boxed chais, which always taste too flat and uninteresting.) Then one day I thought, “Gosh, I bet I can make this at home from scratch.” And I did. And it was awesome. Here’s the loose (adjust any/all ingredients for taste/strength of tea, etc.) recipe I follow:

10-cups water
½ cup black tea
3 cinnamon sticks
15 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
15 whole cloves
about ½- inch grated ginger root
about ¼ teaspoon crushed coriander
about ¼ teaspoon crushed cumin
about ¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
a smidge of ground nutmeg

(For the “crushed” ingredients, I use a mortar and pestle to coarsely crush the whole pod or seed, but you could just buy them already ground, if you wish)

Then I toss it all in a big pot, boil for 20 minutes, strain out the spices, and drink. Sometimes I add a little honey, but most of the time I just drink it straight with a dash of turmeric and extra black pepper.

4. Old-fashioned reading — Yep, I could read all my news on the computer, or on the iPad, or on my phone. But when the weekend rolls around, I like my news and articles the old-fashioned way: on paper. It feels slower, easier, more absorbable. Plus, my eyes get a break from all the pixels.

5. Piano lessons — I’m never going to be Chopin, but its fun. And it makes me feel smarter.

6. Dogs — Because they like to cuddle and take long walks. Also, they can double as your piano teacher.

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