Showing posts from March, 2017

Zika vaccine test moves to next stage with more than 2,000 volunteers in U.S., abroad

An experimental Zika vaccine has moved successfully into broader testing, with the first volunteer receiving a test dose in Houston earlier this week. Testing will also begin in Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico, and by June, researchers hope to enroll more than 2,000 volunteers in those cities and other regions in the Americas to […]

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3 Steps to Learning How to Move Intuitively

Happy Friday, beautiful humans!

Today we are talking THREE STEPS on how to move intuitively! But first…

Thank you so much for the positive words about my post yesterday on being in charge of the content we consume + this week’s podcast episode with my home girl Lee From America.

I was so inspired by much of what Lee had to say in our conversation, from her journey toward healing her hormones to her favorite Instagram accounts to follow, to her obsession with Outdoor Voices technical apparel! (She was wearing it when we recorded, so we fan girled hard about it for a few minutes during the ep!)

So of course after we talked I had to snag some cute, colorful pieces for myself.

When I spoke at Create + Cultivate in Chicago a few years ago, the founder & CEO of Outdoor Voices Ty Haney was also there speaking about the brand and her journey — and I was pretty in love with her mission & philosophy from then forward!

I’m wearing all OV in this post, and will link to each individual outfit piece you can shop at the bottom!

Their clothing fits PERFECTLY with my philosophy on intuitive movement, finding the fun & play within everyday life, and dropping expectations on ourselves to be an “athlete” and just MOVE in a way that feels ridiculously good in our bodies.

These tri-colored warmup leggings are my FAVORITE. And look how cute they are matching the plant wall behind me!

My Philosophy on Intuitive Movement //

You’ve probably noticed the shift on my outlook on exercise over the years. Maybe you’ve seen my recent articles on outlets like SELF & MindBodyGreen about how I scaled my exercise routine back to the basics and have felt healthier and more balanced than ever before.

Today I’m going to take it a step further and share even more with you about what I’ve discovered since really tuning in and listening to my body when it comes to exercise.

Because guess what?

Fitness is a JOURNEY, and I am still riding along! I knew after my Panchakarma I needed rest, rest, rest and all of the light movement modalities like restorative yoga flows and long walks.

I was also FILLED TO THE BRIM during that time with commitments and crazy amounts of yoga in my TT, so I didn’t have a lot of heartspace for my previous loves like running + HIIT.

I also knew that once I finished my 500-hour yoga teacher training, I would probably want to reintroduce more cardio into my life again because I would have more space + time in my schedule to get back into some of my fave workouts.

I was right about that. Now that my training has been over for a couple of months, I’ve started to dive back into Orangetheory HIIT classes (my fave), running outside again, a little bit of personal training, and some rigorous SWEATY vinyasa classes that just weren’t calling to me earlier this year and at the end of 2016.

This sports bra is probably one of the most flattering crop tops I’ve ever worn. Girlfriend has boobs, and TINY sports bras don’t do it for me. I love the little strap around the back that adds extra cuteness AND extra support.

So, where do I stand now? //

Something I have been madly in love with lately is intuitive movement. Is this a legit term? I’m not sure. Did I make it up? I doubt it.

Moving intuitively is something I am writing a lot about in my upcoming yoga ebook Soul on Fire. It’s all about… LISTENING TO YOUR BODY (surprise, surprise!) and moving in a way that feels good to you from the inside out.

It’s about letting go of the expectations and pressures that we put on ourselves to be “super fit,” to be high performance athletes, to be cardio bunnies, to be anything other than exactly who we are.

I have been super inspired by one of my fave podcasts, The Lifestylist by Luke Storey, and a bunch of interviews he’s done recently about movement versus “exercise.”

The thing is, movement IS exercise. Whether you’re walking your dog, running errands all day, sitting on your yoga mat and stretching it alllll out, or taking a traditional workout class — you’re moving. You’re flowing your body. It’s awesome.

What we don’t want is to be sedentary! I am a huge proponent of walking and stretching every few hours, especially for those of us who sit at a desk or spend a lot of time in front of the computer.

So let’s dive into the tips! Outdoor Voices is a brand that puts a heavy emphasis on the fact that MOVEMENT IS PLAY! It’s FUN. There shouldn’t be any competitiveness or traditional ideology stuck in our head about what it’s SUPPOSED to look like. Flawed is beautiful. Flawed is fun. I wouldn’t trade FLAWED for the world.

Three Steps to Learning How to Move Intuitively. //

1. Get to know yourself on a spiritual, soul-level level. This requires some deep, internal work. Journaling, meditation, kundalini yoga (breath work, linking breath to movement, chanting), therapy, and tapping into your intuition through self-care & downtime are all ways to strengthen your relationship with yourself. I know it can sound like a little much at first, but TALK to yourself. Get clear on what your goals are, what you need in order to achieve them, and what your biggest challenges are. For me, the biggest challenge ALWAYS is to slow down (*IN EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE*) — so working on slowing down through movement & breath is super helpful for me.

2. Let go of exercising to look a certain way, and instead move to FEEL good. Once I started to REALLY begin to move in a way that made me feel amazing, it became a lot less about pavement-pounding and a lot more legs up the wall with a block under my head. That said, some days are WAY more running type of days for me because I need to get my anxiety out! It’s just not an everyday thing like it used to be. Moving intuitively for me can also mean moving like a straight up animal on my yoga mat. It can mean a FUN, sweat-free acro yoga flow that leads me sore for weeks (lol). It’s all sorts of stuff, and the fun thing is that every day is different.

3. Keep in mind that moving throughout the day & not fatiguing yourself in a SUPER intense workout class is actually better for your hormones and your body in the long run. Think about it! If you move SUPER HARD for one hour in a crazy hard workout class and then sit around at a desk and lay in bed when you get home, your cortisol is spiking UP then shooting back down. What about walking on your lunch break, stretching when you wake up in the morning, and going on a light jog in the evening? Steady, steady, steady!! For those of us who can get pretty extreme, this is a fun alternative.

Hope this helps, and hope you loooooove these cutie clothes as much as I do. I just love them! I love their messaging & the fact that these clothes are flattering on all bodies. Women run companies that encourage PLAY are just my fave. Shop the post below!! XO

1 in 4 youth exposed to secondhand smoke from e-cigarettes, study shows

One in four middle school and high school students report that they have been exposed to secondhand smoke from e-cigarettes in the past 30 days, according to a new study by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The finding translates to about 6.5 million youth exposed. Some of the students had smoked e-cigarettes themselves during that time, […]

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Wellness Blogging vs. Being Obsessed With Health

Happy Thursday my loves! I hope everyone is having a phenomenal week.

It’s been a while since I’ve sat down at my computer and had a total heart spill session on the blog, and I have to say — there is something on my mind this morning that makes for the perfect type of spill-your-guts-out post.

Ready? Let’s Do it. The difference between WELLNESS & OBSESSION. //

I have been seeing a lot of stuff flying around the blogosphere lately about the defining line between wellness blogs that promote a true healthy lifestyle & wellness blogs that promote… well… orthorexia, and/or taking it too far.

I also did an interview with a big media outlet in the UK this morning and was asked point blank several times how I thought my blog was different now than it was back in my The Blonde Vegan days when I was super orthorexic and juice cleansing every single week.

I was asked how I could possibly believe I was promoting “balance” without promoting “both ends” of the spectrum: exercise and wellness, and fast food and binging on chocolate. (Not balance in my opinion — but I will get to that in a sec…)

A photo from my truly obsessive orthorexic days… and if you want to read a serious orthorexic’s blog post — check this out. (Or don’t, if you think that will be triggering. I was CRAZY, YOU GUYS.)

I know the interviewer didn’t meant to imply that anything I do on The Balanced Blonde is promoting an unhealthy obsession with health and wellness, but I couldn’t help but feel like the question being posed to me was an indictor of a lack of understanding between the difference of orthorexia and a true, wellness-focused life.

And I’m not saying that the interviewer herself had a lack of understanding (she was awesome and very sweet), she was just asking an innocent question. I think it might be a lack of understanding in general about the vast differences between a severe case of orthorexia and a happy, healthy lifestyle rooted in wellness, organic choices, natural & unprocessed & non-GMO foods, movement and exercise, and wanting to feel my best.

Beyond the interview, I have seen a lot of opinions in the blogosphere itself lately about “food bloggers being too obsessed with food” and promoting an unhealthy lifestyle that way, also implying that all food bloggers who post a lot of healthy recipes & Snaps & IG stories of them eating are in a way risking their readers developing an orthorexic mindset about food.

The photo below is from yesterday at Lifehouse Tonics + Elixirs in West Hollywood — in my yoga clothes, totally & blissfully myself, so far beyond my unhealthy days of the past.

Here’s my opinion. //

First, I just want to get something straight. There is a huge, massive, glaring difference between the severe depths of an eating disorder and being passionate about health and wellness.

I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to develop a close relationship with Dr. Steven Bratman, the doctor who coined the term orthorexia. Yes, he *literally* invented the word and the notion of being too obsessed with healthy food. He also wrote the Foreword for my book about my orthorexia journey.

Dr. Bratman and I have greatly bonded over the fact that just because one has recovered from orthorexia (or remains in recovery) doesn’t mean that they can’t be passionate about a healthy lifestyle! We have both been targeted on several occasions for “still being TOO HEALTHY.”

Just because the pendulum swung too far one direction does not mean that someone in recovery isn’t allowed to care about exercise, organic food and natural products, feeling good & healthy & energized & well in their body, and all that amazing stuff that a true healthy lifestyle gifts us with.

I get it, there IS such a thing as being too obsessed with health. I was THERE. That’s why I know the difference of how I feel now (FREE from my obsessions !!) and how I was back then.

Kundalini life — one thing that has helped me begin to strengthen my spirituality & my intuition with myself. <3

I used to do 30 day juice cleanses and walk around New York City with blue lips and thinning hair and imbalanced hormones and zero energy because ALL I wanted was to be the “purest,” cleanest, healthiest, most rigid plant-based vegan there ever was.

But there is so much more to life than that. A HEALTHY life includes balance. Balance doesn’t mean eating fast food and binging on chocolate — at all. That is imbalanced also. Promoting that life would feel so beyond wrong to me when what I really want is for people to strike a balance between THAT and going too far.

It means indulging mindfully, learning to develop a relationship with your body, finding a spiritual practice so that you can connect to your core and your heart center and truly find YOUR happiest, healthiest self.

And the wellness blogger thing. //

Beyond the differentiation between orthorexia and a passion for wellness, I think that the implication that all wellness bloggers are promoting orthorexia is just silly.

I do acknowledge that when people are suffering from orthorexia (and often they don’t know it at the time) and they are blogging about food and health and exercise… they can start to promote something pretty unhealthy. I see it every day. Mainly with a TON of plant-based vegan (or paleo or any labeled diet really) YouTubers, Instagrammers, etc.

That can get extreme and I think as readers and consumers of information, it’s our job and our duty to take care of ourselves and know what we can and cannot handle in terms of following people and consuming their content.

But for your general, run of the mill, inspirational wellness or fitness blogger — those people are notttt promoting orthorexia, in my opinion. They are promoting balance! Giving us all options for healthier versions of treats we love, fun ways to incorporate exercise into our lives, and inspiration to find our healthiest selves.

This. From The Balanced Blonde Podcast, Episode 16 with the AMAZING Emily Nolan.

I follow other wellness food bloggers like nobody’s business, and support them like no other. It ain’t easy to come up with new healthy recipes every day.

I also follow fitness bloggers and Instagrammers who some people might view as extreme with their workouts — but I personally find their dedication inspiring and I know that at this time and place in my life, I can handle consuming their content without feeling like I personally have to workout the exact same way that they do.

It’s just inspiration!

It’s just the INTERNET.

We all have a voice on here, and it can get a little loud & crazy — so if you ever feel triggered by someone’s information and content, then it is YOUR job and your right to unfollow them or pay less attention to what they’re doing.

Ya feel me?

I think it’s amazing what wellness bloggers do to create awareness and community around healthy lifestyle.

There is a HUUUGE difference between a healthy life and an orthorexic life that has gone way too far.

I actually think people suffering from orthorexia can get great benefit, motivation and inspiration from wellness bloggers who are promoting a balanced approach to health: healthy food, mindful exercise, having fun in the kitchen, incorporating variety, etc.

What do you guys think?! //

I am so intrigued to hear what your opinion on the subject is!

I am so inspired by other wellness bloggers in the space. I think we all work really hard to raise awareness & concern for natural, organic foods and products, and also for a lifestyle rooted in exercise and health.

I think we also work really hard not to give our readers the wrong impression.

I don’t live a perfectly balanced life — that’s the fun of being a human. I strive for it every day and that STRIVING is what I choose to share.

Friends of mine like the amazing Lee From America (on yesterday’s podcast episode!! CHECK IT OUT!), Rachel Mansfield (check out our NYC EVENT together on April 24th!!!), Jeannette Ogden, Christina Rice (my amazing assistant and VERY TALENTED blogger + writer) and so many others have spoken out about their journeys with everything from over exercising to hormone imbalances to eating disorder recovery — in hopes of sharing INSPIRATION for others in the same boat.

With my gorgeous human Lee, on this week’s episode of TBB Podcast, discussing all things BALANCE !! (Real balance.)

So let’s choose to be inspired & consume content that inspires us on the daily.

Instead of tearing wellness bloggers down and/or confusing a healthy, happy life with something that has gone way too far.

We will help our friends and readers in recovery so much more if we remain authentic to who we are at our core and support one another in the process.

ALL MY LOVE !! Let me know your thoughts my gorgeous angels!! Have you experienced anything similar? People with orthorexia or in recovery, have you ever felt challenged to find that balance? XX

A staggering increase in U.S. heroin use has hit young, white men the hardest

Heroin use — which has been at the epicenter of a ruthless and relentless opioid epidemic sweeping the country — has increased fivefold over a decade, and dependence on the drug has tripled, researchers say. A major study released Wednesday found that the sharpest increase in heroin use and addiction was among young, white men with lower education and income […]

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Quest for new antibiotics gets first major funding from global partnership

A major global partnership aimed at fighting superbugs announced Thursday that it is investing up to $48 million in research projects, including potentially the first new classes of antibiotics in decades, to target the deadliest drug-resistant bacteria. The investments announced by CARB-X include $24 million in immediate funding for 11 companies. The firms can receive up […]

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Climate change can take a toll on mental health, new report says

Climate change is not only harmful to our physical health, it can be debilitating for our mental health as well, according to a report published Wednesday. Severe weather events and natural disasters linked to climate change have the most dramatic impact on mental health, according to the report by the American Psychological Association and ecoAmerica. Natural disasters […]

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FDA nominee to recuse himself from decisions on more than 20 health-care companies

President Trump's nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration plans to recuse himself for a year from agency decisions involving more than 20 companies that he has worked for, invested in or had some other kind of financial relationship with, according to federal ethics filings. Scott Gottlieb, a physician who served as deputy FDA […]

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Here's what your body would say if it could talk

Questions for James Hamblin about vitamins, the best diets, and why health is funny.

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This woman is growing a second skeleton -- and it's locking her inside her own body

—— Jasmin Floyd was on her way to kindergarten in northeastern Connecticut, buckled into the back seat of her mother's car. On the way, she called out, “Mommy, my neck hurts,” her mother, RoJeanne Doege, recently recalled. Doege said she peered through the rearview mirror and tried to reassure her, “Honey, it's probably just how you […]

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Life Lately // Kundalini Yoga, Cryotherapy, Cupping & MORE

Well, life lately has been awesome.

I feel like I am finally, finally learning how to slow down & enjoy the “fruits of my labor,” if you will, and appreciate that I have created the lifestyle of my dreams with this awesome, flexible schedule.

Where I get to teach yoga, write on the bloggy, interact with you guys, write freelance for some of my favorite publications out there, film yoga flows, photograph allll day long, write ebooks and ebooks, host events, connect with you MORE, lay in bed in the middle of the day when I feel like it, ya know. All that jazz.

For a long time I felt like if I slowed down to enjoy it all, maybe it would all disappear. Because then I wouldn’t be working as hard or busting my ass (for lack of a better term) in the same way I had been from the very day that I started this blog almost four years ago!

I used to write 5-7 blog posts a week. On massive topics with a major photoshoot for each one. It was fun, but it was a lot. Too much. I think I had no life beyond the screen.

And guess what? I was wrong. When you slow down, good things don’t disappear. Hard work doesn’t disappear. Partnerships, management, events, good stuff, relationships, etc. don’t disappear or just vanish overnight. They stay, because a solid foundation has been built.

I’m not saying I plan to really slow my roll any time soon. My drive is still there with a vengeance & some days there are SO MANY PROJECTS and fun things I want to manifest and turn into reality that I am stumped into total paralyzation because when your mind is speeding 10,000 miles a minute, where do you even begin?

It’s just about balance.

For years I didn’t have a lot of things I wanted — like a loving relationship, a cozy home life, ANY time at home outside of going to sleep, extra help so that I’m not the only person managing every single aspect of my business, weekends off to do spontaneous things with my friends, casual nights in the bath to read and listen to podcasts, vacations that didn’t center all around work and blogging (okay I still do that — getting there!!), that kind of stuff.

Now I do! I slowly but surely developed a life where I do have all of those things, but beyond that I know that I am at a place where I can cherish them. It’s not about “having” them, it’s just about living and continuing to create a life that is not entirely from a scene out of The Devil Wears Prada.

I have never been happier or more content. I really do credit my Panchakarma for bringing to light the awareness that I simply was just rushing through life every moment of every day and not slowing down to enjoy it.

Also, if you remember my podcast Episode 4 with Miranda Alcott (my animal communicator), HUDSON my cat also told me that if I didn’t learn to slow down I would never have what I wanted most in life — love, connectivity, longevity in all that I do. Crazy, but he was right.

Anyway, all of that to tell you a few things: I had the best weekend, because I am learning to take weekends off. And I have been ON my self-care game lately. So I am gonna tell ya about it.

This weekend I…

+ did KUNDALINI YOGA for the first time & had the most epic experience of life. More on that in a sec!

+ tried out Russell Simmons’ yoga studio Tantris Yoga & got to take class from one of my fave NY teachers whose class I used to take at Modo every day!

+ did CRYOTHERAPY at Next Health in West Hollywood which was the true bomb dot com. I got to dance to rap music in the cryo chamber with this dude & freeze our butts off for three whole minutes. Apparently when there were about 10 seconds left I looked at him like “WHAT THE HELL????” and obvi couldn’t talk because of this cute lil’ mask situation. At that point my shoulder was feeling numb (in a cold but good way) and I was thinking — is this ever going to end? Then it did. And then I felt AMAZING and was on a serious & true energy high for the rest of the day. My muscles still feel great from it!

+ taught my weekly yoga class at Kinetic in Brentwood. You can sign up for my 1pm Sunday class or 7:30pm Tuesday class here — I teach them every week & would love to have your amazing faces there!!!

+ bought Steve Ross’s book Happy Yoga & am diving deep into it along with a ton of other books I can’t put down right now… I think a TBB Book Club post is in order!!

+ spent a lot of time with people I love, had some good food at Erewhon not once but twice (obsession), jammed out to some epic tunes (MC Yogi’s newest album on fleek) & all around just enjoyed every single moment and soaked in the good vibes in the air.

+ I also had an awesome cupping session at the end of the week at The Spa on Rodeo & again feel light as a feather afterward — I feel the toxin release big time, even if there are skeptics out there about what cupping DOES to release toxins. I think (as with everything) you have to try it yourself and be the own judge of how much you like or don’t like the experience and why!

So yeah, it was amazing. And I have to tell you about Kundalini before I sign off!!!

I want to do a whole post on this. Or ten. Or fifteen hundred.

But for now I’ll just tell you — kundalini this weekend blew my mind.

I got to do a private session with the ladies of High Vibe Livin & my best friend Jill.

I had been wanting to try kundalini for months. It was weird actually — everything about kundalini was presenting itself to me in a BIG WAY, as all things do when the universe is trying to tell us something.

( Like this book JUMPING OUT to me at The Den Meditation a few weeks ago as if it were the only book on their huge shelf of books for sale. It was literally the only thing my eyes could see! )

I will share more about this story in my upcoming Soul On Fire ebook, but I can’t even begin to tell you how deeply kundalini was calling to me. It was calling to Jill too, and when she told me that (my not-as-spiritual-as-me best friend, I mean come on) I was like OK WE ARE DOING IT.

So because of that, trying it this weekend was truly epic.

Britt & Tara of HVL are the real deal, you guys. From the kundalini session itself to the kriyas, mantras, soulful conversation, and post-session chat about our spirit guides (Tara saw them, yes, she’s an intuitive goddess human), Jill and I got so much out of the experience.

My hugest takeaway was that I was FLOODED (I mean, BEYOND flooded) with creative stimulation and massive inspiration during the session.

I was also fighting off tears and huge waves of emotion which wasn’t entirely shocking to me, because I know what I need to work through that’s been sitting on my mind for months (okay, years, but I digress).

It’s like what happens to me in a normally good yoga class but on steroids. My brain was inundated with visions about things I am in the process of creating that I believe will play out this year. Straight up visions — about my yoga ebook, some other things I am setting up (so close to being able to share with you), a yoga tour, book tour, and more.

SOUL ON FIRE life, basically, is what was seeping into my brain from all angles.

I felt so divinely connected & in tune. Very similar to how I felt the entire time while reading Gabby Bernstein’s The Universe Has Your Back.

The breath work itself in kundalini had me feeling HIGH OFF OF BREATH in the absolute best ways possible.

At the end of the session Tara & Britt made it clear to us that we have a lot of spiritual power to tap into. Which is COOL! Based on the numerology of our birth charts, our minds were blown at what sort of divine guidance there is out there for us.

I know that for how spiritual I am and how much I care about my practice of yoga and devotion to the universe, I have a lot of work to do when it comes to actually… meditating. Connecting. Chanting mantras. ALL of it.

I also felt energy shifting within my body to the point where when I taught my class at Kinetic Yoga a few hours later, I truly felt like I was teaching from a higher version of my self (a higher power, in many senses). THAT was cool. Amazing. Intriguing. I MUST LEARN MORE.

I’ve felt a shift happening deep inside of me for a long time, and I am excited to see how it comes to fruition — this new kundalini yogi side of me. I am going back with Ashley on Wednesday, eek!

Thoughts?! Who has tried kundalini?! Cryotherapy?! Cupping?! I know I am all into the self-care right now and loving every second of it. Would love, love to hear what you guys think! X

A 10-month-old girl had a parasitic twin protruding from her back — until surgeons removed it

The examinations, X-rays and dry runs using a 3D model of her tiny spine all came down to this: A team of surgeons made a careful incision and, over the next six hours, systematically removed an extra pelvis, legs, feet and tiny toes that were protruding from her neck and back. Since birth, baby Dominique had been carrying her […]

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The Japanese practice of 'forest bathing' is scientificially proven to be good for you | World Economic Forum

Put on your insect repellant, walking shoes, and dive into your nearest forrest, park, or woodlands. It is good for your health.

Deep in our DNA is the fact that we were hunter, gatherers. Most primates are forrest dwellers, many species of apes, gorrillas, orangutans, lemurs reside in the forests of the world. They must 'know' something we don't take as everyday activity.

The tonic of the wilderness was Henry David Thoreau’s classic prescription for civilization and its discontents, offered in the 1854 essay Walden: Or, Life in the Woods. Now there’s scientific evidence supporting eco-therapy. The Japanese practice of forest bathing is proven to lower heart rate and blood pressure, reduce stress hormone production, boost the immune system, and improve overall feelings of wellbeing.

Forest bathing—basically just being in the presence of trees—became part of a national public health program in Japan in 1982 when the forestry ministry coined the phrase shinrin-yoku and promoted topiary as therapy. Nature appreciation—picnicking en masse under the cherry blossoms, for example—is a national pastime in Japan, so forest bathing quickly took. The environment’s wisdom has long been evident to the culture: Japan’s Zen masters asked: If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears, does it make a sound?

Forest air doesn’t just feel fresher and better—inhaling phytoncide seems to actually improve immune system function.

“Don’t effort,” says Gregg Berman, a registered nurse, wilderness expert, and certified forest bathing guide in California. He’s leading a small group on the Big Trees Trail in Oakland one cool October afternoon, barefoot among the redwoods. Berman tells the group—wearing shoes—that the human nervous system is both of nature and attuned to it. Planes roar overhead as the forest bathers wander slowly, quietly, under the green cathedral of trees.

City dwellers can benefit from the effects of trees with just a visit to the park. Brief exposure to greenery in urban environments can relieve stress levels, and experts have recommended “doses of nature” as part of treatment of attention disorders in children. What all of this evidence suggests is we don’t seem to need a lot of exposure to gain from nature—but regular contact appears to improve our immune system function and our wellbeing.

Julia Plevin, a product designer and urban forest bather, founded San Francisco’s 200-member Forest Bathing Club Meetup in 2014. They gather monthly to escape technology. “It’s an immersive experience,” Plevin explained to Quartz. “So much of our lives are spent interacting with 2D screens. This is such a bummer because there’s a whole 3D world out there! Forest bathing is a break from your phone and computer…from all that noise of social media and email.”

Before we crossed the threshold into the woods in Oakland, Berman advised the forest bathers to pick up a rock, put a problem in and drop it. “You can pick up your troubles again when you leave,” he said with a straight face. But after two hours of forest bathing, no one does.

The Japanese practice of 'forest bathing' is scientificially proven to be good for you | World Economic Forum

Running for Recovery | Healthy Helper @Healthy_Helper Details on the importance of 'recovery miles' the day after a long run or a tough running workout! Running for recovery is just as important as running for endurance or speed training.

Details on the importance of ‘recovery miles’ the day after a long run or a tough running workout! Running for recovery is just as important as running for endurance or speed training. I received the product mentioned in this post for free from Reebok. This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated...

More than two-thirds of cancer mutations due to random DNA copying errors, study says

More than two-thirds of cancer-causing mutations are the result of random mistakes in DNA replication that occur when normal cells divide, according to a paper published Thursday. The study is sure to renew a vigorous debate over how much individuals can do to prevent cancer and how much is unavoidable. The researchers, mathematician Cristian Tomasetti […]

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A painkiller found to be no better than placebo for sciatica

A drug frequently prescribed for pain is no more effective than a placebo at controlling sciatica, a common source of pain in the lower back and leg, a study published Wednesday found. The researchers at the George Institute for Global Health in Australia followed 209 sciatica patients in Sydney who were randomly assigned to either […]

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Is Your EHR Contributing to Physician Burnout? | Depression and Physician Suicide

Health and Wellness applies equally to patients and physicians. Pamela Wible focuses on physician suicide and the neglect of emotional illness in physicians points out the unusual stress placed upon medical students, trainees as well as practicing physicians. She has presented at TedMed, and has published numerous books on the subject. The'Ideal Medical Practice" is taught at several prominent Schools of Medicine.

The concept of the Ideal Medical Practice was founded by Gordon Moore in 2001 well before the health information technology sea change.

Today there is an overemphasis on electronic medical records. Unfortunately, as many adopters have learned the EHR may not contribute to improved medical care, but decreased efficiency and increased frustration to all health care providers. Most of this has been inflicted by government and health insurance companies.

The work flow has been adapted to boiler plate electronic health record design, rather than EHR designed to the work flow. At first glance this is the main reason for intense provider dissatisfaction with most current software design. Another contribution is the rapid increase of requirements due to simultaneous demands of meaningful use, changing to the ICD 10 codes, new requirements for management of accountable care organizations and a finite limit to resources for the requirements. The cost of these changes was partially offset by HITECH incentives, although they were inadequate for many providers. Ongoing maintenance requirements were totally ignored by HITECH.

All of these factors increase the likelihood of physician burnout. Physicians are trained and inherently devoted to caring for patients with complex problems. EHRs create one more energy drain for doctors and nurses alike. It has upset the balance of work-life, health and wellness.

The burden falls to providers facing diminished reimbursements. Decreasing profitably and outright becoming insolvent in today's environment weight heavily upon physicians who are now locked in by obligations, ongoing professional responsibilities add to hopelessness, and despondency. Physicians are trained to overcome difficult situations, and can manage problems. EHRs and bureaucracy are often not manageable and greatly influence physician wellness.

Although physicians are proactive and outspoken, the administrators and regulators often do not listen. Congress does not listen.

Two weeks ago, the American Medical Association’s immediate past president, Dr. Steven Stack, chose what seemed like an odd venue to mention something called the “Quadruple Aim.”

He was giving remarks at the grand opening of the OSF Simulation Stage at healthcare startup incubator Matter in Chicago. The AMA supports Matter and has a lab of its own, the AMA Interaction Studio, in the same facility. “We need to restore joy to the practice of medicine,” Stack said on the very day the Annals of Internal Medicine published an AMA-supported study showing that physician waste huge chunks of their day on administrative tasks. Notably, doctors in four ambulatory specialties were tied up on electronic health records and other desk work for 49 percent of the work day, the research found. “We have got to get to the Quadruple Aim,” Stack said. That means the Triple Aim of safer patient care, better population health and lower costs, plus a fourth element, clinician satisfaction.

Is Your EHR Contributing to Physician Burnout? | EMR and HIPAA

What the top U.S. health official should be saying on vaccines

During a televised town hall last week, the nation’s top health official was asked whether all children should get immunized for measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases. In his response, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price parsed his words carefully. He said state governments (presumably rather than the federal government) “have the public health responsibility to determine […]

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A new mom flew to Miami to get a 'Brazilian butt lift.' She didn't survive the surgery.

Ranika Hall was not happy with what motherhood had done to her body. Her 1-year-old daughter was thriving, but Hall’s figure had not rebounded as much as she wanted, her family told NBC Miami. So, over their objections, Hall left her baby girl with Grandma and flew to Miami. She was going to get a […]

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Tobacco leaders call for immediate action to curb smoking in the U.S.

Every year cigarette smoking contributes to about 1 in 5 deaths in the United States. A group of prominent health leaders called for the immediate implementation of national action to reduce the number of smokers in the country by 15 million in a report published last week. The call to action aims to curb smoking, the largest cause […]

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‘They’re not waking up’: Four children call 911 after their parents’ suspected drug overdose

The four children woke up and were about to start getting ready for school when they found their parents, Brian and Courtney Halye, unresponsive and cold in their bedroom. The children, ages 9 to 13, dialed 911. “My mom's on the floor and my stepdad's basically pale and they're not waking up,” Courtney Halye's daughter told an emergency dispatcher through […]

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A Note About Inspiration

I’ve been giving a lot of thought lately to the idea of inspiration.

I have been over the moon inspired lately by & with a lot of things…

Including but not limited to finally writing the book proposal for a book idea I’ve had in my head for 2+ years, writing my YOGA EBOOK that will be out in about a week + a half (#OMG), yoga as always, especially teaching yoga, and tons of ideas for growing the TBB brand now that I have Christina coming back to work with me full-time come April.

If you follow me on Instagram then you know I spent an incredible two days at the Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara writing my ebook & gettin’ DOWN with the inspiration vibes.

While I was there I surprised myself about a few things, and thought I’d share them here…

Firstly, I was surprised that I was able to mix in a LOT of play, relaxation, movement & fun with my work. Usually when I go away to “lock myself up” (as I always put it) I end up leaving the trip with like 50,000 new words written but also with a pulsing migraine, an achey body and an itch to get back to reality and squeeze my humans.

For example… a couple of years ago I locked myself away in Newport Beach to write the entire second half of Breaking Vegan (my memoir) — but I also didn’t speak to anyone and ate room service for every meal annnndddd by the time I got back to LA I sort of felt like a zombie.

Don’t get me wrong, I strongly & seriously enjoy a good work sesh. I have learned a lot about my personality through intense self-study & reflection over the last few years, and one thing I recently learned from the fabulous Gretchen Rubin‘s philosophy on happiness, personality types, study of human habits, and more is that I am a “rebel” in every sense of the word.

That’s right, my HABIT is to be a rebel.

This means I do not thrive in any environment that is typical. AT ALL. If someone asks me to do something, I probably won’t do it — unless it was entirely my idea. That’s why I work ALONE and have subconsciously created an entire career & lifestyle off of… well… being rebellious. In a very tame sort of way (sort of? Lol).

The most rigid structure I have had to adhere to in my entire adult life is my new yoga teaching schedule — showing up to teach 4x a week at the same time, same place, week after week.

Even though it’s fun for me and a dream come true, it has taken a wild adjustment of my entire psyche to actually COMMIT to that & enjoy it for everything that it is, while accepting that my non-structured freedom doesn’t have to be 24/7 for me to be able to breathe.

Anyway, back to the inspiration thing.

I enjoy a good extreme 48-hour lockdown with my work because it guarantees my rebel self that I will get shit done. I hype myself up on inspiration, good vibes, caffeine & nutritious food (and keto, let’s be real) and put my ideas to paper. I turn them into a legit thing that I can share with you guys and set into stone for LIFE.

It feels GOOD. I mean, have you noticed how immediate & fleeting everything in my career and day-to-day life is? Blog posts, social media photos, podcast interviews, Snapchats, Insta stories… things that share, share, share but also disappear or get lost in the shuffle once they come to fruition. Podcasts really do live forever which I LOVE and I feel that because of that, having a podcast has strongly influenced a more long-term & dedicated (i.e. less immediate satisfaction) type of drive inside of me.

So when I got to the Bacara and realized that for some reason I wasn’t in the headspace to dive into a full-blown 28-hour don’t-leave-the-room, get-all-meals-delivered, turn-your-phone-on-airplane-mode, maybe-take-one-bath, get it ALLLL out on paper type of lockdown, something really strong hit me.

I think I’ve become a much, much, much more balanced human over the last few years.

Hear me out.

I have been trying to apply this balanced lifestyle and mentality to my work for a long time. I have a lot of commitments, and they all have such a serious hold on the way I spend my time. For a long time I said “no” to every social opportunity that wasn’t work-oriented, and even to many work opportunities because I simply didn’t have the space inside of me or within my sched.

These days, I live life WAY differently. I prioritize self-care, yoga, all sorts of random & spontaneous adventures with my friends and loved ones, I am pretty head over heels for someone (okay, very head over heels), I teach yoga 4x a week CONSISTENTLY in a legit setting with a legit manager and students and whatnot, movement every day but not in the over-worked HIIT + massive runs 6x a week kind of way, I feed my body with nutritious and balanced food that doesn’t deprive me or overindulge me (trust me, I’ve done a lot of both a LOT of times throughout my life), and I actually go to… doctor’s appointments, dentist appointments, therapy, voice coaching, acupuncture, massages, facials, and more.

This might sound weird, but back in the day when I was such a freaking workaholic blog-a-zoid alien I did NOT take care of myself in that way or go to the appointments that I needed to or wanted to.

These days, life is just way more balanced and somehow I wind up getting way, way, way more done because of it.

So, inspiration.

So yeah. My BFF Jill (“IDK My BFF Jill?” Anyone remember that commercial? Lol…) came down to spend the day with me in Santa Barbara on Thursday. We did this INCREDIBLE thing where we: hung out, went on long walks, laid by the pool, AND got a lot of work done. We basically worked in spurts.

Or at least I did!! I think she did too.

I wrote the ebook for like an hour, then we chatted & I would vent about something random like a WEIRD & irrelevant review on my podcast (#sigh), then I’d write the ebook for another hour, then we would go on a beach walk and dip into the pool, etc.

It might not sound like your standard super-productive day, but I can’t even tell you how productive it was for me.

To have someone I love with me and connect with so deeply actually revved up the inspiration inside of me tenfold.

Plus, she and I are opposites so when I was geeking out about all of the creative & mindful aspects of the yoga ebook, Jill was throwing out all sorts of tactical, forward-thinking business ideas & adjustments to weave into the ebook to basically help it sell well.

My point is — I think overall I prefer the work ethic of having people nearby to bounce ideas off of, collaborate with, and keep me sane & down to earth instead of getting swept up in total, complete, madness-by-writing zone.

Does that make sense?

The truth is, I think all inspiration stems from a bit of craziness.

And I used to think that that craziness was NECESSARY in order to produce good work.

But these days, I am really enjoying the balanced life. That doesn’t change the fact that my inspiration stems from a crazy place inside of me, but it means I can harness that and keep everything else in place also.

It might sound funny because of course “balance” has always meant a lot to me, but I am only now — at the age of 26 — really starting to figure out what that true balance looks like in my life.

(BTW it’s freaking 2:01 in this very moment, my lucky stream of numbers, and I have chills because I feel so connected to this particular detail that I am about to share).

Now that Christina is coming back to work for me full-time, I feel such a sense of ease and a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders. I can continue to create in the way that I continue to dream of in order to build the TBB brand & beyond, and she will be able to act on SO MUCH OF IT because it’s never been doable for just one person.

She is also an amazing counterpart to my personality (like Jill), so she will keep me organized & on top of it.

I can show up, create, write, and be PRESENT in every moment rather than just running around like a lunatic because my schedule is so overbooked & I am trying to keep everything straight on my own.

And now that I am doing LESS, committing to fewer things and truly focusing on a much more minimalistic lifestyle, I am getting more done than ever before.

Bigger things, more exciting things. (To me, at least). I am seeing far more big picture with true, serious longevity than ever before.

Ultimately I cannot wait to share this ebook with you and the WHOLE POINT of this post is to remind you guys & myself that inspiration can never be forced.

I couldn’t force the type of inspiration I thought I was going to be overcome with in Santa Barbara, and because I didn’t even try to force it… I was gifted (thank you universe) an entirely different and equally awesome (more awesome?) sense of inspiration and got just as much done — even if it wasn’t 100% in the form of a FINISHED ebook.

On the same note,

I am really enjoying blogging a bit less frequently so that I can give space & love to my podcast & these other projects… and I find that because of that, each blog post feels insanely special to me and full of emotion & its own type of energy.

I also think its worth noting that since 2017 has started I’ve spent my weekends way differently than last year & before. Instead of being in yoga teacher training every single weekend, or working & traveling for work or locking myself up to write… I’ve been more spontaneous than ever before. Just going with the flow, with a lot of time spent with my loved ones & letting life unfold each day.

THAT has been beyond inspiring in so many ways.

I think as writers, bloggers, creators we HAVE to have that element of spontaneity and connectivity in our lives in order to thrive & continue to create things with new ideas.

Same goes for moving intuitively. I want to write a whole post on it because that’s a new concept of mine that I am pretty fascinated with and can’t wait to dive deeper into.

TO SUM IT UP —

Inspiration comes in all forms. It should never be forced, because if we allow it to hit us in the way its meant to — we will actually be ten trillion times more productive & inspired.

It’s not always in the “get everything done right now” form, and that’s not ALWAYS the best or most important anyway. Living life and ensuring that each moment is inspired & enjoyed is actually far more productive.

Life is good.

And I want yours to be too. <3 (I mean, it probably is but I just had to throw that out there because that’s why I share my life at all in the first place — to give you hopeful ideas about yours too!).

Thoughts? What do you guys think about inspiration? I think I want to write my own definition of it and and plaster it to my wall because I am just pretty obsessed with the amazing way that it’s so DIFFERENT for all of us. SOUL ON FIRE, if you ask me.

Poison control centers receive 32 calls a day about children exposed to opioids

The phone rings once approximately every 45 minutes — that is how often poison control centers in the United States receive calls about children being exposed to prescription opioids, according to a study published Monday. Over a span of 16 years, from January 2000 until December 2015, about 188,000 calls were placed to poison control centers […]

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Medical Practices of the Past QUIZ

Medicine in the 21st Century is based on scientific knowledge. Practices we use now have been reached by a wealth of knowledge gained over many years, tests and experiments and the study of data.

So, when you realize what practices were used as little as 50 or 60 years ago, it seems amazing that we’ve come so far ever since! It also makes you thank God you weren’t alive in those times, for the treatment may have been worse than the illness. Test your medical history I.Q. here.

Try our quiz and see if you can guess which practices are fact and which are fiction.

Medical Practices of the Past QUIZ Infographic

You don’t need to go to a doctor in person for lifestyle counseling that can lower your blood pressure. Online lifestyle counseling works well, too, according to research presented Saturday at the American College of Cardiology’s 66th Annual Scientific Session and Expo in Washington. Systolic blood pressure — the higher number in blood pressure readings — […]

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When Kevin Breen first complained about feeling achy and tired, his wife couldn't help but wonder whether he was trying to wiggle out of a busy day of family responsibilities. It was Christmas Day, and Breen — an active 44-year-old whose idea of relaxing is going water skiing on Lake Michigan or playing pickup basketball […]

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Trump Visa Changes Hit US Nursing Supply From Canada, Mexico

What !?

HENRY FORD HOSPITAL VS . NAFTA

vs.

Health care is now inextricably wound into the fabric of government. Even NAFTA's recision effects the availabllity of skilled health care professionals. It goes something like this.

President Donald Trump's dislike of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is starting to affect the workforce in United States hospitals that rely on specialized nurses from Canada and Mexico to fill critical positions.

Under NAFTA, Canadian and Mexican registered nurses have for decades practiced in the United States on nonimmigrant professional TN visas, and each day many Canadian registered nurses (RNs) cross the border to work in US hospitals.

But under recent stricter interpretations by US Customs and Border Protection (CPB), advanced practice nurses and advanced clinical nurse practitioners are no longer eligible to work under the old RN category and must now apply for H-1B visas. The latter cover specialized positions for foreign workers from any country and can cost several thousand dollars per applicant for expedited processing.

Last week, a Canadian nurse practitioner working at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, was denied renewal of her TN visa. "She was told by CBP that the reason for the denial was a change in interpretation of NAFTA and that advanced practice nurses, in their opinion, no longer qualified under the NAFTA registered nurse category," said immigration lawyer Marc Topoleski, who represents Henry Ford Hospital, at a March 16 new conference. (Holy Moses, Batman !). Nurse practitioners are no longer categorized as R.N.s. Who makes that kind of decision ? Is it a fear of terror, or something else even more insidious and dark ? Did some negative factor for this particular person appear suspicious. In fact this policy has not been made official nor appear in any written policy documents.

30 Canadian nurses at Detroit hospital pressured at border after policy change

The process could take as long as 3-4 weeks.

From left: Patti Kunkel, nurse practitioner, Henry Ford Health System; Marc Topoleski, principal attorney of business immigration services, Ellis Porter; Kathy Macki, vice president of human resources, Henry Ford Health System. (Dana Afana | MLive.com) (Dana Afana | MLive.com)

HFH and others must file for a more complex and expensive H1B visa for those employees admitted on TN Visas. Maybe an executive order from the Apprentice director would help

Trump Visa Changes Hit US Nursing Supply From Canada, Mexico