1. Enhanced “Me Time”/Family Time

An organized home means you spend less time searching for misplaced items. With everything in its designated place, you streamline daily routines, creating more space for activities that bring you and your family joy. The extra time gained from not hunting for keys, documents, or other essentials can be used for relaxation or personal pursuits, which are crucial for mental well-being.

2. Improved Sleep Quality

A tidy space contributes to better sleep. Clutter can be visually and mentally overstimulating, leading to increased stress and disrupted sleep patterns. By creating a serene and organized bedroom environment, you promote relaxation and improve your chances of a restful night’s sleep.

3. A Tidy Space Equals a Tidy Mind

There is a strong connection between physical space and mental clarity. An organized environment fosters a sense of order and control, reducing feelings of stress and anxiety. When your home is clutter-free, your mind is less likely to be overwhelmed by distractions, leading to improved focus and a more peaceful state of mind.

4. Expanded Perception of Space

An organized home can appear larger and more inviting. When everything has its place, rooms feel less cramped and more functional. This expanded perception of space can enhance your comfort and satisfaction with your living environment.

5. Increased Productivity

With an organized home, you’ll find yourself more productive. When your surroundings are clutter-free, you can more easily concentrate on tasks without the constant distraction of disorder. This increased efficiency can positively impact various areas of your life, from work to personal projects.

6. Reduced Cleaning Time

A well-organized home simplifies cleaning. When everything is in its proper place, maintaining cleanliness becomes less time-consuming. With less clutter, surfaces are easier to clean, and tidying up becomes a quicker and more manageable task.

7. Improved Family Health

An organized home can contribute to better overall family health. Reducing clutter can minimize stress and create a more harmonious living environment. Additionally, when every item has a designated spot, the likelihood of accidents or injuries from tripping over misplaced objects is reduced.

8. Outsourcing as an Option

If you find yourself overwhelmed by the task of organizing, consider outsourcing. Professional organizers can assist with decluttering and setting up efficient systems. This service can be affordable, particularly if you opt for just an hour or two of help each week. Investing in professional organization can ultimately save you time and improve your quality of life.

In summary, the benefits of an organized home extend well beyond visual appeal. By creating a clutter-free environment, you can enhance your personal time, improve sleep, boost productivity, and foster a healthier, more harmonious living space. If organizing feels daunting, remember that professional help is available and can be a worthwhile investment in your overall well-being.

These articles are for the gamers – and those who aren’t.  Whether you’re 1,000 hours in on your favorite MMO or you’re still saying “joystick” instead of controller, you’re sure to find these stories inspiring and uplifting – and hopefully find something to play!

All of these vegetables are on the low-fodmap list, showing solid green on the Monash app. Note the red bell pepper rather than yellow or green, and the garlic-infused olive oil rather than garlic itself. These substitutions keep the mouth-watering flavors without introducing gut-wrenching results.

The Ingredients:
Zucchini
Yellow Squash
Baby Red Bell Pepper (capsicum)
Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes
Garlic-infused Olive Oil
Lemon-infused Olive Oil
Himalayan Sea Salt
Black Pepper

I don’t have amounts listed because I used enough to fit my pan, but one or two each of the large vegetables, about three baby red bell peppers, and one container of cherry tomatoes should do.

For me, it wasn’t enough to make my dish taste good, I wanted it to be pretty. Ratatouille contains so many lovely colors that I couldn’t resist making mine into a work of art.

First, I sliced the zucchini, red bell pepper, and yellow squash. The zucchini and bell pepper were sliced width-wise. For the yellow squash, I cut off the bottom to create a flat surface, and then sliced across, making oblong shapes. I used a round ceramic oven dish, and turned the zucchini, yellow squash, and bell pepper on their sides, layering them in that order around the edge. I then used zucchini to create an inner wall for the layers.  Remaining slices went on the bottom of the pan as a liner. The cherry tomatoes filled the space in the middle. The prepped pan looked pretty and delicious:

Notice how the yellow squash is angled so it makes little ‘points’ around the pan? Just lovely!  Now to just drizzle with the garlic oil and the lemon oil. Then, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

The whole thing goes into the oven at around 375F/190C for about 20 minutes.  The ‘after’ picture is a bit blurry, unfortunately, but you can still see how the tomatoes were beautifully blistered and the tips of the yellow squash were lightly charred, creating a smoky roasted flavor. It tastes just as beautiful as it looks.

Bon appetite!

Every January, people resolve to lose weight. They go to the gym, start eating better, and everything seems fine. Three months later, they’ve dropped all of these good habits. By the end of the year, they are back where they started – or worse. What happened? They started out the wrong way. Resolving to lose weight puts your focus on the scale, and the numbers on it. Those numbers may go up when exercise starts because unfit people build muscle before they burn fat. The numbers may stay the same for a while. This is particularly frustrating because it seems as though nothing is happening despite all of the effort put into it. Finally, the numbers may go down. This should be a good thing, but if your attitude is “now I can eat anything I want!” then the weight loss will be short-lived. Instead, resolve to live more healthfully and take care of your body. This is a lifetime goal and the steps never change. Vitamin-rich whole foods are always good for you. Vegetables, fruits and whole-grains are always healthy choices. Exercise does good things for your body both while you’re exercising and well after you stop. This doesn’t change. When you resolve to live healthfully, that’s a resolution for life.

But that’s easier said than done, right?  Not for long!  We at YourBestSelf are working on a new plan that will help you make small steps toward big victories.  But, before we release it to you – we’re making sure it works by trying it out ourselves.  We’re not giving you a hypothetical plan that should work – we’re giving you a plan that DOES work!  So, make the changes you can and, if you’re still having trouble, watch this space for our plan!

So you want to cut down on sugars but you don’t want chemically-based sweeteners either? Mother nature has come to the rescue! Here’s the skinny on four great natural sweeteners that make staying healthy taste better than ever:

Xylitol Xylitol is a sugar-alcohol that is naturally found in fruits and vegetables, and made by the body itself. It has 2/3 less calories than table sugar. It is commonly used as a sweetener in sugar-free gum because it has been clinically shown to improve dental health by reducing cavity and plaque formation. Xylitol is safe for diabetics to use because it doesn’t affect insulin levels. Xylitol can be bought in bulk at local health food stores.

Erythritol Erythritol is a sugar-alcohol that is naturally found in some fruits and fermented foods. It has no calories and it’s almost as sweet as sugar. It is used as a sweetener in a lot of sugar-free foods and is also available in bulk at some health food stores. Bonuses for erythritol are that it doesn’t cause some of the laxative effects associated with other sugar alcohols due to the way it is absorbed by the body. Like xylitol, it is resistant to cavity-causing bacteria and is safe for diabetics.

Stevia Stevia is a leaf and not a sugar. The extract is taken from the plant and processed. Stevia has a bitter aftertaste in hot things, but it is much less pronounced when used for cold foods and drinks. Stevia is emerging as a new sweetener that is automatically added to some foods and beverages. It is calorie-less and thought to be safe for diabetics. Due to the synergy effect, it is often mixed with sugar-alcohols to moderate the bitter taste and to boost the sweetness.

Luo Han Guo Luo Han Guo is a fruit found in Asia. It is ground up as a powder for use as a sweetener. It is about 150 times sweeter than sugar, but safe for diabetics. Some have noticed a caramel aftertaste (as opposed to the bitter aftertaste of stevia). As a fruit, Luo Han Guo has plenty of antioxidants. It is mostly available online in the United States, but keep an eye out for it in your favorite health food store.

Getting fit involves 30 to 60 minutes of cardiovascular exercise a day, but that could be difficult for some. If you find that you can’t walk, run or perform aerobic exercise for that long, it may not because you’re out of breath, it could be that your muscles are tired.

Our muscles are capable of great strength, but only when they’re used. On an average day, we have enough muscle strength to get through that day and not much more. So, for instance, if you work at an office, then your muscles are used to sitting most of the day and not being used. When you get up and try to walk or run for 20-30 minutes straight, your muscles aren’t used to that activity and duration, and they tire out quickly. The tiredness you feel and the inability to complete a workout can be discouraging, and people often quit soon after they start. So how do you get around that? Don’t worry about cardio for a while. Start with strength.

Strength training is usually performed with machines or dumbbells. Ad advantage with dumbbells is that you can work out at home, whereas machines are usually only at a gym. With strength training, you don’t have to work out for 20-30 minutes at a time. Just 5 or 10 minutes will do if you’re a beginner. The goal with strength training is to actually push your muscles to fail. That’s because when muscles fail, they tear. When they rebuild, they become stronger, enabling you to do more. In strength training, muscle failure is not working out until you can’t move – it means to work until you can no longer keep perfect form. So, for instance, if you’re performing a bicep curl (weight in hand near your knees, lift weight to your shoulders and lower) and you can’t get the weight up to your shoulders anymore without resting or wobbling, then you have worked your bicep muscle to failure.

If you work out at a gym with machines, the machines or the gym trainers will guide you to an appropriate weight. If you have dumbbells, it’s good to use a weight that you can lift 8-12 times. Traditional strength training involves working one muscle at a time, in alternating sets. That means you would work on your biceps for 12 repetitions, then move to your legs for 12 repetitions, then back to your biceps again after they have rested. A newer form of strength training is called functional exercise. In functional exercise, you use the entire body to perform movements that mimic the types of movements you do in real life. Dumbbells are involved because machines don’t usually have settings for functional exercises. These involved not only lifting, but squatting, twisting and balancing. Several of these are incorporated into each move. For instance, a traditional bicep exercise is the curl, described above. A functional full-body exercise would involve a squat (sit back without a chair and then stand straight again) and then a bicep curl once you’re standing. Full-body exercises work more muscles at once, so they can allow for very short workout sessions.

If you want to try a home strength program, there are several good ones on DVD. Ones I recommend are:

The Firm: Tough Tape 2

Jari Love

Supreme 90 Day

After a few weeks or months of strength training, your muscles will be strong enough to hold you through 20-30 minutes of cardio exercise. Once you can do cardio, you might find that you like it. Then, you’re on your way to a lifetime of fitness!

No, this has nothing to do with lingerie. It has to do with making every day a perfect wardrobe day. With never looking in your closet and finding things that don’t fit, are out of style, or just make you feel “blah”. It’s about building the perfect wardrobe so that no matter what you pull out of your closet and put on, you look fabulous. It’s about having everything that you wear make you say “Oh, Yes!” when you put it on. Every single outfit. Everyday.

The first step to building the “Oh, Yes!” Wardrobe is the creed:

I will not buy anything that doesn’t make me smile when I try it on.

This is actually pretty simple. How many things do you try on that you have to convince yourself to buy? You have questions. You have options. If it were just a bit more this or that, then it would be perfect. But it isn’t, and it’s easy to end up spending money on clothes that are almost right, but not quite. If you follow the creed, your wardrobe won’t end up perfect, but you will look and feel wonderful in everything you wear.

Of course, you’re probably thinking that it’s really hard to find things that look that good on you, which brings me to the next rule:

Often shop. Rarely buy.

You’re right if you think it’s hard to find amazing clothes that fit perfectly and look good on you. That’s why you need to shop a lot, but you won’t buy much. Now if you’re like me, the “shop a lot” part is easy. Refraining from buying clothing that is less than “Oh, Yes!” is hard. If it helps, in the dressing room, ask yourself the question “is this o-wear?” Did you smile – wide – when you saw yourself in that item? If the answer is no, it’s not the right piece for you.

In order to have a truly “Oh, Yes!” wardrobe, you have to follow a rule that might be difficult to swallow:

I will accept my size and buy clothes that fit properly.

If you’re comfortable in your own skin, this is a no-brainer. However, if you’re trying to lose weight, the temptation is great to buy the next size down as an incentive. “I’ll be there soon enough!”, you think. Oddly enough, that type of thinking – and buying – is detrimental to your fitness efforts. It’s really discouraging when you can’t find anything to wear that makes you feel good because all of your pretty clothes are too small. Also, weight loss, if done properly, is a slow process, so you might feel great from exercising (more energy, increase in strength, etc.) but have not changed clothing sizes. Accept the size you are. As a matter of fact, building an “Oh, Yes!” wardrobe involves being beautiful at the size you are. Revel in that! Shop at discounters like Marshalls, Ross, TJ Maxx, etc. so you aren’t breaking the bank on clothes. That way, when you do drop a size, you haven’t spent too much on clothes you can no longer wear. Also, keep in mind that as you lose weight, clothes that are slightly too large aren’t a problem. Sometimes they even drape better as you move to the smaller size. You can still wear them as long as they look great on you.

So far, I’ve talked about how to buy in order to build the “Oh, Yes!” wardrobe, but there’s another part to it – the clothes you already have.

Throw out your frumpy-frownies.

Once you have a few pieces that you love in your arsenal, it’s time to get rid of some of the things you don’t like. It’s a good general rule to donate an item of clothing for every one you buy. So, go through your closet and try everything on. This time, the question is different. What makes you frown when you try it on? I mean a true, visible, physical frown. If you hate the item – or hate the way it looks on you – it goes in the donation box.

Other things to do are to make note of designers that you like and stores where you find their clothes. You may find some online stores that fit you wonderfully as well.

You won’t get an “Oh, Yes!” wardrobe instantly, but if you follow the rules, you’ll easily have a week’s worth of o-wear in no time. Add a few more items and you can get through a month if you rotate. Once you have two months’ worth of clothing, you have enough to look great all year long!

If you’ve been following, you might have noticed the new look of the site.  I loved the pink pastel, but it was time to update.  Now that I’ve submitted my thesis, it’s time for me to update as well.  In the wake of the redesign, I’ve looked over some past articles and realized that I need to take my own advice.  The articles I most need to reincorporate into my life have been scheduled to appear on the front page over the next few months to reinvigorate me (and you!) as we go into the new year.

So, we’ll be revisiting how to push back against the pull of marketing, how to craft your perfect wardrobe, and how to indulge your sweet tooth with nature, but not sugar.  I’m also testing out a new wellness plan, and a journal to go with it.  Thank you for following along so far, and keep watching this space for amazing things. In the meantime, Treat Yourself Well.

Leanne Brown, a food studies scholar, encountered a problem. She noticed that people on government food assistance (food stamps) were not eating healthfully. She calculated the average food allowance at $4 a day, and set about a challenge. Create great-tasting, healthful recipes within that $4 budget.

From her website: “I think everyone should eat great food every day. Eating well means learning to cook. It means banishing the mindset that preparing daily meals is a huge chore or takes tremendous skill.”

The result of her efforts is a free downloadable cookbook called Good and Cheap. In it are delectable recipes, pictured beautifully, and with simple, inexpensive ingredients.  In the book, she includes sumptuous twists on old favorites, like her eight ways to spice up oatmeal.  However, she also gets a little … gourmet!  With a few simple instructions, she turns an ordinary grapefruit into a the type of sensuous delight you would expect to eat at a spa.  She rounds out the book with simple soups, exotic salads, and a section on roasting everything from whole chickens to winter vegetables.

Her cookbook includes a diversity of palates, including dishes that hail from Mexico and India (home made roti, anyone?)  And, she’s not one to believe that people on government assistance can’t have dessert.  She includes recipes for chocolate chip cookies, peach coffee cake, and even home made sorbet.

I encourage you to get on over and grab a copy now.  For more great recipes and her other wonderful cookbooks, see her main website:  http://www.leannebrown.ca/