defining someday » Be Well

10 Great Skills You Can Teach Yourself

Danielle — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:52:40 +0000

If you have ever wished you could cook, paint, play an instrument, or have better nunchuck skills, then I have the perfect article for you.

LifeHacker has done it again, created a megawatt post with an impressive amount of references for the Top 10 Highly Desired Skills You Can Teach Yourself.

10. Repair Almost Anything

9. Learn to Paint or Illustrate

8. Defend Yourself 7. Improve Your Design Skills

6. Learn a New Subject

5. Build and Hack Hardware

Head on over to LifeHacker to . . .

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Weights vs. Cardio for Burning Fat

Danielle — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:20:16 +0000

Love the Livestrong site for exercise info and routines. This article sets the record straight – weight lifting is better for burning fat than cardio.

…your body adapts to any stress placed on it. Over time, the work required to, say, run a 5K will decrease as your fitness improves. Diminishing returns kicks in…

With weights, on the other hand, you can stave off this effect by varying your exercises to keep your body guessing. You can change things up by adding resistance, decreasing rest . . .

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Homemade Hand Sanitizer

Danielle — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:09:20 +0000

I found this simple recipe for making your own hand sanitizer. It looks easy and uses everyday ingredients.

Ingredients

1/3 cup of aloe Vera gel
2/3 cup of 99% rubbing alcohol
8-10 drops of essential oil (such as vanilla, lavender, grapefruit, peppermint, etc.)
One small mixing bowl and spoon
Recycled liquid soap bottle
Funnel

Directions

Measure all ingredients into a bowl and stir. Use a funnel to transfer the mixture into a recycled soap bottle.

Committing to a Routine

Danielle — Mon, 14 May 2012 10:19:02 +0000

LiveStrong has some simple good advice over here on how to commit to a routine. What do you think, does this work for you?

1. Set Reasonable Goals

2. Chart Your Progress

3. Schedule Set Times for Exercise

4. Don’t Over Do It

Simple enough, right? For me it’s the charting of progress that seems to keep me committed, because I just can’t bear to skip a line on my tracking document.

Review: The Best Headphones for Running

Danielle — Sun, 13 May 2012 17:56:31 +0000

If you’re a runner you probably have two items of workout gear that take a serious beating: your running shoes, and your headphones. Headphones need to be almost weightless, withstand a good deal of sweat, and stay put to keep you motivated.

Gizmodo has done a great review of some of the top headphones for running (or any aerobic workout really).

Here’s the method:

In order to be considered, the products had to be earbuds, not headphones. Sure, you can get better audio fidelity with larger, over-the-ear phones, but they’re . . .

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Vegetable Frittata for Brunch

Danielle — Sun, 13 May 2012 09:48:10 +0000

When we host a brunch party, Frank’s amazing whole wheat waffles are usually the focal point. At our latest one, I made this vegetable frittata with what I had on hand (good way to use up all the vegetables in the fridge) and it turned out to be a great hit.

Ingredients

1 small onion
1 small head broccoli
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 each red, yellow, green pepper
1/2 large aubergine/eggplant
10 large eggs
1 cup . . .
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The Secret to Life Venn Diagram

Danielle — Sat, 12 May 2012 10:31:34 +0000

Isn’t this refreshingly simple?

Except for the learn to say No part…

The Secret to Life by Bud Caddell

Using Cues and Rewards to Break Habits

Danielle — Fri, 11 May 2012 18:23:58 +0000

One of the best articles I have read this year was How Companies Learn Your Secrets by New York Times investigative reporter Charles Duhigg. It’s a long article with great nuggets of information ranging from Target’s mathematical advertising model to how to break a cookie habit. I highly recommend you read it in its entirety, but it is breaking the cookie habit to which I refer today. It relates to a common habit of eating and drinking junk at the office even when we know we shouldn’t. . . .

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Homemade Hummus

Danielle — Fri, 11 May 2012 10:14:18 +0000

Have you ever met anyone who doesn’t like hummus? I haven’t yet. It is a vegetarian/vegan staple, goes with everything, is healthy, and is super easy to make – the perfect food. And other than the tahini (which I also make at home, pictured below in the glass bowl, recipe here) the ingredients are likely things you have in your kitchen already.

Ingredients

1 can of chick peas, drained
4 Tbsp lemon juice
¼ . . .
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Whole Wheat Carrot Muffins (Vegan)

Danielle — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:33:01 +0000

Mmmm, healthy breakfast muffins. I adapted this carrot muffin recipe from the New York Yimes Recipes for Health found here.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tbsp ground flax + 6 Tbsp water (as substitute for 2 eggs)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup canola . . .
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