Make Your Own Rules

Tara Stiles' Make Your Own Rules Diet book is now available and I have already started reading mine! Of course, there will be a review out shortly- as soon as I can decide whether to read the book then review it or read the book, do the diet plan, and also complete all the yoga flows, then review it. Honestly, the second option sounds much more thorough and quite a bit better. That, however, will take time.

Although I am not a band-wagon dieter, I do appreciate Tara Stiles' health philosophies and need to get my body on a better track than where it is heading. If you are like me, the diet part may not sound so great, but the getting your health and fitness life on track could be what we all need.

Tara seemed very wise in releasing the book before the holidays rather than after. Of course, she could have made more if it was released right before Christmas or at the New Year, but let's face it, we all need a little extra help when pies, potatoes, cookies, and all other not healthy things are being passed around like a necessity.

Really though, I am just excited to get some help with health goals, see what her ridiculously yummy recipes are, and have some fantastic new yoga flows! If that sounds good to you as well, let's do it together! You can order the book by clicking the link above or any of the links in the article :) Now, let's have some fun with health food!

How to Combat Jet Lag

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Jet lag, we all get it, know it, and hate it. It is that terrible thing which makes us fall asleep on tours and stay-up well into the wee hours of the night when back home. Thankfully, there are a few tired and true ways to combat jet lag, and most are pretty easy to do.

If you are planning on taking to flight for a far away vacation, these are some of the methods that I have found work best to combat jet lag and the way to your destination and when coming home.

Time It

When we go far we are either moving forward in time or back. The best way to begin fighting jet lag is to know when you will arrive. A great way to get a head start on your travels is to know when you will arrive in your destination and plan accordingly. That means, if you are getting into London at 8:00 am, do not binge watch all those fantastic movies the whole flight over. Sleep. Likewise, if you are getting home at 11:00 pm, it is best to avoid snoozing at all costs so you will be able to hit the hay upon arrival. Need some help falling asleep or staying awake? That brings me to our next point...

Come Prepared

If you tent to have a hard time falling asleep on planes or know that keeping those peepers open will be difficult, bring things along to make life easier. ZzzQuil now has new fancy smancy tablet forms of their sleep aid that can be taken on things like planes! Those who have a hard time sleeping on planes would be wise to purchase this ahead of time and take when boarding the plane.

Likewise, if you know you will want to sleep, bring things that will keep your brain active the whole flight through. For some this would be a riveting book. Others could be coerced into staying awake by marathoning that one show that everyone is currently obsessed with. Whichever it is, be sure to bring it along and have it ready when on flight entertainment is just not cutting it.

Acceptance

You will be changing time zones, do not fight it. It always baffles me why people keep their watches set to a time that is not correct or are continually calculating the time back home. Unless you are having to conference call with business partners not on the trip, there is really no need to calculate that it is 4 AM in another part of the world.

Instead, change that timepiece for your destination's time when you board the plane. It is much easier for our brains to accept the time change when we do not constantly have one foot in one zone and one in another. Funny, but bodies tend to naturally tune themselves in for staying awake in the day and sleeping at night. Keeping time change simple will just help our bodies figure it out on their own.

Get Comfortable

I am breaching to the choir on this one, but it is needed. Unless you are traveling in first class, the pillows and "blankets" they give you are the worst. Seriously. They may take up extra space in your carry on, but a comfy pillow and nice blanket or big jacket will be a life saver on a plane. Round neck pillows also reduce the risk of waking up and realizing you have been sleeping on a stranger's shoulder for the past hour. Avoid the embarrassment and discomfort and invest in some good devices made specifically for travel comfort.

Hydrate

I am sure that there is a super scientific reason that hydration helps combat jet lag, but all I know is that it works. Our bodies naturally get dehydrated on planes and during travel. When we are dehydrated we feel sluggish, tired, hungry, and irritable... All the things we hate in travel companions. Keep your friends and enjoy a healthy sleep pattern by drinking as many bottles of water as you can get your hands on past the security check point.

Yoga for Feeling Better

Something sure is going around, isn't it... I feel like every time we go to Disney with our nieces, the hubs and I both come back sick. Good thing for him that he has a Hulk strong immune system; too bad for me, I do not. Whatever we got, his stayed a cold and mine moved into a full blown respiratory infection.  Thanks respiratory infection, you had such perfect timing! 

To say the least, workouts this week were mainly core related and included lots of coughing. Funny, but I actually woke up one morning with sore abs... Not that I was trying to get a good core workout, but if something good comes of this cold, I will be happy with it being some better abs! 

Yesterday was my favorite yoga class of the week, but things were just not going well enough to make that a possibility. So, instead, I did some yoga out on the back porch and used it as a time to twist, flow, detox, and get back on that land-of-the-living horse. The entire workout consisted of these two Tara Stiles yoga flows and in this order. It really ended up being a great 15-minute flow that helped clear up some of my congestion but was not too much for this antibiotic ridden body to handle. 

If you have found yourself a bit under the weather, try these two yoga flows! THey helped me a lot and were fun at the same time. Also, feel better soon! 

Let's Run! My Virtual Mission

About two months ago I was trying to increase my distance runs and looking for apps that would help me log runs and increase my desire to run longer... Something that does not come so naturally to me. Right around this time I was contacted by My Virtual Mission to take a look at their app, give my opinion, and if I liked it, share it with you.

It just so happened that I loved it. My Virtual Mission is an app where you can start virtual missions and log activity towards completing them. You can even run for a cause and have sponsors donate to your mission or your chosen charity!

My first (and still going) mission was to run from Sarasota, FL to the Southermost point. Pretty hefty, but I will complete it one day and it will be great prep for me running the Southernmost Point Marathon! For now though, I have started a "mission" that we can all run together. You can either do everything from the website, or, upload your progress on their app. I like using the ap most :)

Let's run the Athen's Marathon together! Oh boy, I am super excited about running this mission and even more excited about you running it with me! To join the group mission, click any of the links provided and it will take you to my group mission page. You will have to sign-up, and then get to the running! We will all have about 12-weeks to complete it, so no worries for all those who do not run 10+ miles a week.

Something very cool about this is that running is not the only for of exercise accepted. We can all get out there and walk, run, be on the elliptical, row, or heck, go skiing. Just log your miles and watch yourself move through the course. You can even see your surroundings on Google Earth.

So, let's get moving and complete the Athen's Marathon together! This beginning of summer challenge is something all of us can do, the question is, how fast can you complete it?

Full Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by My Virtual Mission. But, I guarantee, if I did not love the app, it would not be shared with you :)