The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.
-Buddha

The thought manifests as the word; The word manifests as the deed; The deed develops into habit; And habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care, And let it spring from love born out of concern for all beings.
-Buddha

Illuminated Mind shows us why enlightenment is soo overrated.

Mark’s Daily Apple simplifies spankin new research on the mind and body. Learn to control the mind and you’ll have control over your genes.

Think Simple Now explains how to use the first stages of sleep from a nap to spark your creativity.

Zen Habits helps us reclaim our lives by offering 20 ways to find more free time.

Elastic Waist proves that your neighborhood could be holding you back from reaching your goal weight.

Lounging on a bright yellow beach towel, surrounded by your best girl friends, while rocking your stunner shades and floppy hat, is only entertaining for so long. The tireless workouts you endured for bikini season have paid off, so why not skip the gym and sweat out some calories at your favorite sandy local? Inspire your girls to toss a frisbee in the shore break for some heart pumping shits n’ giggles. Besides, who said gaining a little extra attention from the hotties across the sand was a bad thing?

Here are 7 fantastic ways to utilize the beach as your calorie blasting playground:

1.) Build A Sand Castle: Between the digging, hauling, pushing, and shaping of your fantasy sand palace, you’ll activate muscles rarely used and burn between 210-315 calories an hour.

2.) Volleyball: Create a community vibe by gathering friends and fresh faces for a game of Volleyball. Bump and set your way through an hour of this calf burner and roast up to 475 calories!

3.) Frisbee: Toss a neon frisbee into your beach tote for a wet and wild game. Playing in ankle deep water presents it’s challenges and therefor more of a workout. Playing catch or twirling a frisbee burns about 200 calories an hour. Depending of course on how daring and competitive you get!

4.) Surf/Bodyboard: If you’ve got the cojones to brave the pumping sets, you’ll be rewarded with a major full body workout that can burn up to 250 calories an hour.

5.) Swim or Bodysurf: If you’re a fish like me, the water is where it’s at. Diving through and catching waves is by far my fave pastime at the beach. Thankfully it burns up to 420 calories an hour. Just treading water in place works wonders.

6.) Rock Jump: Get your heart pumping by climbing and ahhhhh jumping off cliffs/rocks into the ocean below. If you’ve got the landscape use it to your advantage. Fearlessness can work off up to 500 calories.

7.) Build a Bomb Fire: When the sun slides to the horizon and you cozy up in a thick sweatshirt the only thing left to do is chat around a blazing fire. Just fifteen minutes of carrying wood from the car to the pit burns upwards of 70 calories.

All calorie calculations above are based on a 130lb. person. Want to know how much you’ll burn? Use Glamour’s calories by activity calculator here.

Source
Photo by Ron310

When work, men, and laundry have you ready to pluck your hair out strand by strand it’s time to de-stress! Some people need a quite bubble bath, candles and a good book to calm their tension, while others get their jollies by shaking out their frustration on the dance floor. I’m with that latter group and find myself blasting upbeat tunes to loosen up and relax. Chances are even the most determined wall flowers have found themselves dancing around their bedroom (behind closed doors) in underwear, flipping their hair and lip syncing in the mirror. It feels so good, why not?!

So, I thought I’d give us all an excuse to let off a little steam. Here’s a playlist of my favorite hair thrashing songs to get you amped:

Craving watermelon? Welcome to Summer! Finally the long, hot days of summer have arrived. And while you might find yourself diving through waves and soaking in the rays, do you notice anything about your eating habits? Chances are you don’t crave those warm hearty soups you’d give anything for during the blistery Winter months. As the seasons shift so to does our bodies internal rhythms and digestion. Paying attention to what your body needs each time of year is the easiest way to keep the body in balance and health in check.

In holistic approaches to nutrition like Traditional Chinese Medicine, eating too much of the wrong types of food during a given season can interfere and slow down digestive organs, causing sluggishness. In other words the body is knocked out of it’s natural balanced state. Keep in harmony with the atmosphere of Summer with these key tips:

Lifestyle: Summer is all about growth, lightness, activity, brightness, and creativity. Easily summed up as a yang season. It’s the perfect time to wake up early and enjoy all the sunny days have to offer. Look to the sun for nourishment and life. Work, play, travel, and smile! The beauty outside enlivens even the most boring day.

Eat: Brightly colored fruits and vegetables flourish at this time and should define Summer dishes. Cook lightly with a rainbow of ingredients. Regularly add a a little spicy, pungent, or even fiery flavor. When sauteing, use hight heat for a very short time, and steam or simmer foods as quickly as possible. Use little salt and more water. Cooling fresh foods such as salads, sprouts, fruit, cucumber, and tofu. Common fruits that beat the summer heat best are apples, watermelon, lemons, and limes.

Avoid feeling like a beached whale in your bikini, by limiting heavy foods like meats, eggs, and excesses of nuts, seeds, and grains. Eating less and lightly on hot, bright days is a healthy pattern easily forgotten when we don’t pay attention to our body’s internal workings. A super easy way to eat in season is to hit up the local farmers market. That way you’ll get fruits and veggies that only grow during this time of year from your local soil. Much better for you, the farmers, and the earth.

Drink: Opposite of common thought, it’s suggested to drink hot liquids and take warm showers to induce sudden sweating, which will cool the body. Ice cream screams your name on sweltering days, but isn’t a good choice since Summer heat combined with too much cold food weakens the digestive organs. Coldness causes contraction, interfering with digestion, and holds in sweat and heat. Iced drinks and ice cream actually contract the stomach and stop digestion!

The idea is to disperse the heat by bringing it to the surface of the body to then be sweated out. Try flower and leaf teas like chrysanthemum, mint, and chamomile. Even drinking room temperature lemonade and the teas above are better than the ice cold variety.

All I have to say is time for a mojito!! Well, maybe an iceless mojito…

Resource: Healing With Whole Foods, by Paul Pitchford