You’re in yoga class and your favorite teacher is guiding you with crystal-clear instructions, but you can’t help it—you glance over your shoulder at the girl next to you to see how she’s doing triangle pose. You want to check that you’re doing it “right”… and, yes, see how you measure up (and how in the world can she get her hand all the way on the ground like that?!). Well, stop. The simple truth is that yoga poses look different on different bodies. And that’s OK. It needs to be OK, because pushing yourself into a shape that isn’t physically accessible to you can injure more than just your pride. From an anatomical standpoint, there are generally two reasons why your poses might never
Category: lifestyle
Sun-Dried Tomato and Avocado Grilled Cheese
This sandwich has all the melted, cheesy flavor of grilled cheese—with added benefits. Whole-wheat bread provides filling fiber, avocado adds healthy monounsaturated fats and a punch of antioxidants, and sun-dried tomatoes bring a dose of lycopene. Extra-virgin olive oil replaces butter and incorporates heart-healthy fats into this lunchbox staple. Heat a pan over medium-low heat. Brush 1/2 teaspoon olive oil on one side of a bread slice and place in the pan oil side down. Top with cheese, avocado, tomatoes, and remaining slice of bread. Lightly brush top slice of bread with remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil. Cook for about 2 minutes or until bread turns golden brown and cheese begins to melt. Flip, and cook on the other side until bread is browned and cheese
Tri at the Trump Sprint Triathlon Race Recap
3 major highlights from this race: #1 – Immediately before the race, Brandi licked Shot Bloks and stuck them onto her bike’s frame, making them easily accessible during the ride. No fussing with the wrapper on the road. She swears by this technique! Is that not the greatest idea ever? Reminds me of the bike-and-vaseline trick. #2 – The race was at the Trump National Golf Club Charlotte, which is along the beautiful Lake Norman. The race start was ON the 18th hole! Right off the green and onto the lake… I loved this course! It was amazing and beautiful. A totally unique experience to do a triathlon off a DONALD TRUMP golf course and within a lakefront community. And #3 – After years of being
Charming the Therapy Doodle.
I’m training to be a what?! A long time ago in a land far away, a Goldendoodle name Charming entered our lives. He was a recovery-canine of sorts for the Child (after a rescue effort gone awry) and the two quickly became inseparable. yep , we did the stroller to avoid Parvo. They played together. She hauled him all over California. He became her ever-present sidekick. He was unflaggingly loving, gentle and, well, muppet-like and became fast-friends with everyone he encountered. Why hello! I’m Charming. Right around this time the Child encountered bumps in learning to read. Nothing major, yet I longed for a FUN way for her to practice the skill which didn’t entail hours of reading aloud to me
Greatist Workout of the Day: Monday, May 18th
This series of GWODs was designed exclusively for Greatist by Bodeefit. For more information about the exercises in this workout, or to see video demos of each movement, follow the links below the graphic. Be sure to note the results of your workout so you can track your progress as you go. Before you tackle this workout, try this quick and effective full-body warm-up. It’s just five simple moves but hits every major muscle group and gets your heart pumping. Legs & Lungs Complete 25 reps of each of the following movements, then 20 reps, then 15 reps as fast as safely possible. Burpee Box JumpsHand Release Push-Ups Jumping Squats Want to kick up the intensity? Just move faster! And don’t forget to check back tomorrow for
24 Tricks to Survive Hot Summer Nights (Without AC)
When summer comes to mind, we almost always focus on picnics, days lounging on the beach, and tasty iced drinks. But hot weather has a gnarly side too. We’re talking about the real dog days of summer, when intense heat and humidity make it impossible to sit comfortably, let alone sleep through the night. The obvious solution for cool, calm, and REM-ful sleeping is an air conditioner: These modern gizmos can keep a bedroom at the optimum sleep temperature (roughly between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit), plus provide some nice white noise to boot. But even small window units use up tons of energy and jack up monthly electric bills. So what’s an environmentally-responsible, budget-conscious sleeper to do? Living through a hot summer without AC seems
Vegan Fat-Burning Rocket Fuel Iced Blended Coffee (low-carb, paleo + keto)
A sugar-free, dairy-free, completely vegan and keto-friendly blend of super ingredients to kick start your fat-burning morning. It’s time you and I started thinking about summer, yes? I’m slightly infatuated with the frappucino. But a lot has changed since last summer and those sugar bombs I used to treat yourself with once a week (read: every other day) are no longer in my repertoire. At least, I don’t want them to be. So, I came up with a solution. It’s simple, it’s tasty, it’s sugar free and (I hope) it blows your mind. Now… wait! There’s this article going around that drinking Bulletproof Coffee for breakfast is “shooting yourself in the foot”. First off, based on my own experience, swapping breakfast for a
Baked Quinoa Cakes With Arugula, Parmesan, and Roasted Tomatoes
Raise your quinoa game a notch with this inventive, easy recipe from the chefs at Sonima.com. The seed is combined with onion, spinach, paprika, and butternut squash, and then formed into patties. Toast in the oven for a few minutes and then serve with your favorite salad fixings. Click here to watch a video demonstration of how to prepare this recipe. In a medium pot over medium heat, heat a splash of olive oil. Add onion and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add quinoa, paprika, and spinach. Stir, then add 3 cups water and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, reduce heat to low and cover. Cook until all water is absorbed, about 12 minutes. When quinoa has cooled, add squash, salt and pepper to taste, and
The Note of Hope: Woody Guthrie Center Partners for Huntington’s Awareness
The Woody Guthrie Center is, at its core, an educational facility, so when we were approached about screening The Lion’s Mouth Opens in our theater, we were thrilled with the opportunity. This documentary not only follows one person’s journey, it also raises awareness of Huntington’s Disease, which will hopefully result in additional research for a cure. This fight for research and a cure was begun through the tireless work of Woody’s wife Marjorie, who helped found the Committee to Combat Huntington’s Disease, later formed into the Huntington’s Disease Society. This dreadful disease robbed Woody and his siblings of their mother, Nora Belle, who was institutionalized in an asylum for the mentally ill, where she passed away due to complications from Huntington’s. The lack of understanding of Huntington’s
Giveaway: Personalized Marathon Race Day Prints
Commemorating life milestones is something we all do. From pictures or artwork to jewelry, we like to have memories of our greatest accomplishments in clear view. I have my college diploma framed somewhere. I have a bracelet my mom got me for my 30th birthday that I wear every day. And now I have this… One of my proudest moments was crossing that finish line in under 4 hours and now I (and unfortunately Roomie too) get to be reminded of that cold and wet day regularly. This personalized marathon print was made for me by JHill Design. Based in Boston, Jennifer creates personalized marathon prints featuring your hard earned time from over 15+ races. She also makes city maps with a similar artistic geometric shape design that
The Science-Backed Benefits of Being Bored
One morning during my commute, I found myself without my usual literary distractions. Instead, I had the rare opportunity to observe my fellow New Yorkers in their most natural and probably most frequented habitat: the subway. Most were glued to their screens, in the middle of vigorous games of Candy Crush or Words with Friends, or engulfed in digital reading materials. They were doing everything they could to avoid being present with the drudgery of a long subway ride. Digital technologies have enabled constant engagement, and it now seems like we have entered a battle with boredom (either actual or anticipated), and that any moment without distraction or entertainment signifies a “loss” in the duel. But as it turns out, we might be thinking about boredom all