Friday, February 8, 2013
Valentine's Day is coming soon and the stores are brimming with sweet treats for your sweetheart. The trouble with Valentine candy is that it comes too quickly on the heals of New Year's resolutions to eat right (and exercise more). To solve that problem, we give you candy-colored goodies with zero calories. So brighten up the dreary dregs of winter with some fabulous eye candy.
So go ahead and bring some candy into your home this Valentine's Day -- brilliant pops of candy color. You can get this delicious, eye-popping color with absolutely no unwanted calories. That's what we call sweet.
Do it!
p.s. Want some more great color inspiration? Check out the latest issue of Adore Magazine.
Lemon Drops
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| Fresh Home |
Red Hots
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| California Home & Design |
Sour Apple
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| California Home & Design |
Neon Fizz
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| Etsy |
Gum Balls
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| Lang Wall Sconce from Currey & Company |
Jelly Beans
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| Acrylic on Paper from Phoenix Art Group |
Ice Blue Mint Cooler
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| Double Happiness Buffet from Red Egg |
Ribbon Candy
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| Shine by Sho |
Pixie Sticks
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| Stray Dog Designs |
Candy Buttons
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| Decoist |
Do it!
p.s. Want some more great color inspiration? Check out the latest issue of Adore Magazine.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
In continuing the general theme of the last few posts, we will examine sitting and its effects on our health. In the most recent blog we discussed how sitting for extended periods of time over months or years can compound and lead to potential muscular imbalances possibly causing pain. The purpose of this blog is to examine recent literature on how sitting affects our guts. More scientifically stated, how sitting affects our risk for diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and mortality rate among other things. In a study utilizing data from the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, it has been reported that children and adults in the US spend 55% of their waking day in sedentary pursuits (Katzmarzyk, Church, Craig, & Bouchard, 2009). The pursuits include the more obvious possibilities such as working at a desk, playing video games and using a computer. This data also included less considered sedentary pursuits such as eating a meal at a table and riding in a car. It is important to understand that sitting is not only considered “sitting” when you do it at a desk or on the couch.
In the actual study conducted by Katzmarzyk et al. (2009), data from the Canada Fitness Survey was used which included a sample size of 7278 men and 9735 women. In this study, the researchers examined sitting time as almost none of the time, one fourth of the time, half of the time, three fourths of the time, and almost all the time during waking hours. In this study, several elements were considered such as smoking, alcohol consumption, leisure time physical activity, and body mass index. There are many studies out there which examine sitting time as an independent factor in contributing to diabetes, heart disease etc. This study is interesting because it examined sitting time not only independently but co-dependently in smokers, non-smokers, former smokers, active individuals, inactive individuals, individual’s alcohol consumption, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
The study found that no matter the circumstances, those who sat more, were more likely to die from all causes than those who sat less. There was in fact a dose response relationship which means that the more the individuals sat, the higher their rate of mortality was. Even in the individuals who were meeting the minimum recommended amounts of physical activity, if they sat for the majority of the rest of the day, they still maintained a higher mortality rate than those who were just as active but sat less. The only cause in which there was no correlation found between sitting and mortality rate was cancer.
Perhaps going forward, we must consider decreasing our sitting time just as important as exercising and eating healthy. Below are 10 tips for decreasing your likelihood of being a statistic in this study:
1: Stand up more!
2: Exercise at least 30 minutes a day!
3: Exercise more than that!
4: Take frequent walking breaks if you have a desk job.
5: Walk at lunch.
5: Park further away at stores and work.
6: Run around with your kids when you get home from work.
7: Do yard work when you get home even when you had a long hard day of sitting on the job.
8: Walk the dog when you get home from work.
9: Turn off the TV!
10: Do not smoke!
Reference
Katzmarzyk, P., T., Church, T., S., Craig, C., L., & Bouchard, C. (2009). Sitting time and mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 41(5), 998-1005.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
So, let us take some time to examine sitting and how it affects our body. I touched on this briefly in my most recent blog post. Through that previous post we discovered that individuals who have a desk that requires them sit nearly every day for extended periods of time, tend to have high rates of neck, shoulder, and low back pain. We also learned that performing physical activity on a regular basis helps to alleviate some of this pain and that specific shoulder resistance exercises can lead to a lower incidence of reported neck pain.
Sitting for prolonged amounts of time can lead to anatomical issues as well. Maintaining a constant body position for a significant amount of time each day, for months or years on end can lead to postural distortions and muscular imbalances. By this I mean that sitting in a position similar to the picture to the right with the shoulders internally rotated, forward head posture or chin jutted forward and rounding of the upper back can lead to an imbalance between the muscles on the front of your body and the muscles on the back of your body. So if you sit as mentioned, you may have a very tight chest and an overstretched or weak upper back.
One must view the body as a chain. If there is a kink in the chain in one area, there may be issues with movement in other areas of the chain. Many of our muscles are linked together through connective tissues. They can be grouped into interdependent systems. If we maintain poor posture for extended periods of time such as that mentioned above, we are informing our central nervous system that this is how we are “supposed” to be. Our central nervous responds through allowing our muscles to adapt to the length or tightness or looseness with which they are in during these prolonged positions. Our body is not meant to be in this position. We are meant to remain upright. In an ideal world, when you are standing still, from a lateral view, I should be able to draw a straight line from your ear, to the middle of your shoulder, middle of the hip, middle of the knee, and the out the bottom of the heel.
When our body is out of alignment (a kink in the chain) and unable to move correctly, it can lead to pain. Low back pain, so called “sciatica”, neck pain, headaches, all of these can be positively affected by specific corrective exercise techniques as well as through proper posture during stationary and dynamic activity activities. Examples of these include frequent breaks from sitting, sitting or standing up straight with the shoulders back when sitting and standing, and participating in a regular exercise program. Stay tuned for my next blog post which will examine through research, the possible effects sitting can have on your health.
Thanks,
Joe
Sunday, February 3, 2013
There is something so appealing about a rustic dining table. Whether it is scrubbed pine, a chippy painted surface, an old trestle table, weathered wood worn from years of use or a table made from old floorboards or scaffold planks, it just looks so inviting to me and is the perfect surface for serving good, wholesome, rustic food! Look at these lovely examples which I've interspersed with some divine looking food just to whet your appetites!
Till next time
Sharon x
Image source: All food pics via google images
Dining pictures : 1. Simply Natural Decor blog, 2. easy Living UK mag, 3 Tumblr, 4. Tumblr, 5. Casa Decorada, 6. Pinterest 7. Crush cul de Sac 8. Rustic Blog, 9. Searching for Style 10. Tumblr 11. Apartment Therapy 12. Anne Sage 13. Tumblr 14. Citified Blog 15. Daydreamer on Tumblr 16. Heart Beat Oz Tumblr 17 Neutral Heaven Blog 18. Pinterest 19 To be a Virginian Tumblr
Friday, February 1, 2013
It's Super Bowl weekend and we are all about to gather around the television with friends and family to cheer on our favorite team. Some of us might even watch the game. Others (you know who you are) might be thinking more about redecorating the family room.
Everything has its place in this space. The vintage, Jetsons-era coffee table actually has storage compartments behind those white panels to house video games and controllers. The bar fridge is stocked with water, juice and soda for the constant flow of neighborhood kids who come over to play Wii. The area can also be easily transformed into a bar and buffet for adult parties.
The back half of the space multi-tasks as a rear entrance and mudroom with cubbies for the boys’ sporting gear. The ping-pong table is an awesome addition – fun for kid parties and adult parties too!
Do it!
Here in our home town, space is at a premium so the smart money invests in multi-tasking, multi-purpose rooms. We worked with a client in Arlington who gave up her garage to make a comfortable modern family space that serves quadruple duty.
The sunny, open space includes a back entry with mudroom, a dedicated game space for two growing boys, an interactive media room for family movie (or Super Bowl) night and a bar and catering area for adult parties. Mom definitely did not want a playroom here, so we chose a soothing, neutral color scheme and pops of color in the pillows and rug to make an inviting and sophisticated space for adults and kids. In addition to adding color, the patterned modern rug anchors the room and creates visual separation between the lounge area and the game table. The durable light chenille on the sectional is boy-proof but still comfortable.
The sunny, open space includes a back entry with mudroom, a dedicated game space for two growing boys, an interactive media room for family movie (or Super Bowl) night and a bar and catering area for adult parties. Mom definitely did not want a playroom here, so we chose a soothing, neutral color scheme and pops of color in the pillows and rug to make an inviting and sophisticated space for adults and kids. In addition to adding color, the patterned modern rug anchors the room and creates visual separation between the lounge area and the game table. The durable light chenille on the sectional is boy-proof but still comfortable.
Everything has its place in this space. The vintage, Jetsons-era coffee table actually has storage compartments behind those white panels to house video games and controllers. The bar fridge is stocked with water, juice and soda for the constant flow of neighborhood kids who come over to play Wii. The area can also be easily transformed into a bar and buffet for adult parties.
The back half of the space multi-tasks as a rear entrance and mudroom with cubbies for the boys’ sporting gear. The ping-pong table is an awesome addition – fun for kid parties and adult parties too!
So take some inspiration from this Arlington garage conversion and create a modern, comfortable space for everyone in your family. And maybe watch the game too.
You can check out another great family gathering space we designed ("Raising the Bar") in the current issue of Arlington Magazine on newsstands now.
You can check out another great family gathering space we designed ("Raising the Bar") in the current issue of Arlington Magazine on newsstands now.
Do it!
p.s. Make it easier to pass the Chips & Salsa! Become a follower or leave us a comment to be entered in a drawing for this 15x15 serving tray from Rock Flower Paper:
