Category: .Holistic Nutrition.

I received a message today from a friend who is so happy because she purchased an at-home exerciser. Wow, congratulations – this is a great start of self-improvement. But finding a free workout video on Youtube is even better. Or running in the park/nature. It all sounds awesome. Give yourself a pat on the back. You have come so far. If this works for you, great! Since I am full-time student again, I have access to the University gym. I went there a couple of times since the semester started in September. This is what I experienced/learned: 

I found a great Youtube video for core-strengthening that showed me how to twist my body from side to side and to really wring that spine. I am watching it with my headphones on so I don’t disturb anybody. All my joints are clicking! That must be the sign that I am doing something right, no? Who knows! [I heard this weird sound of joints clicking today when I sat next to “someone” in class!] Are all the ligaments that hold your body together soar or straightened out by now?

So, now that I am all good and warmed up I have to complete this video of forty-five minutes-beginners Yoga. Of course Burpees follow, and who ever does that for fun? Maybe my brother when he finished the Spartan Race.  Whenever I do burpees I look like I am having some type of fit or spasm while I try to climb up a tree or slide down a rope. 

…. six, seven, eight, forty! Awesome. I am done. I did forty perfect Burpees after my Yoga workout. [Be aware: I am still at the University gym!] I guess, I burned all the calories that I ate before when I enjoyed this awesome bagel with cheese and egg, right? Maybe I burned a little more, because I kept my glasses on and they kept fogging up constantly. Sounds like a good workout to me. 

My heart rate is up – my heart is pounding so maybe I should just check my emails or messages quickly to feel more comfortable and bring it back down to zero. I do have my phone with me after all, so maybe someone sent me a message that I have to respond to immediately. I just cannot miss any messages, email or anything else because it is all so important. My workout-music does not really work today. The audiobook I downloaded sucks but I really want to exercise. Does my sports-bra fit correctly while I respond to emails? I am all sweaty from this tough Yoga/Burpee workout so let’s just go to the bathroom and fix myself up a bit. 

I am really glad I took this email break because I could have missed out on TravelAdvisor news, bookstore and farmers market deals as well as the newsletter from the University. Hey, you never know. I also have 500 LinkedIn-requests and someone wants me to send him my journal that I have written because he thinks it is amazing. Weird, because I wrote it almost while sleeping of exhaustion.  Isn’t it important to have a clean inbox as much as having a healthy, strong body that functions? Yep! Just unsubscribe some “friends” on Facebook and it seems like a refreshing walk on the StairMaster. Yay, the latest Language Newsletter! One more minute. 

Okay, all jokes aside; we are on to pushups now. Here we go! I try to keep in mind that the guy working out next to me told his friend that whenever it hurts, it counts as exercise. He looks good. He is in shape. Damn, he took his shirt off to show off his six-pack. Let me take a picture secretly and send it to all my friends in Germany to see how awesome this University Gym is. Done! 

A couple of pushups to go and I am done. Wow, this floor is so filthy. Doesn’t anybody ever clean here? Thankfully, I don’t have OCD. And they want me to use a towel to work out. Okay! Let’s analyze the dust and refer it to something philosophical. That works. Then take some quick notes on my phone so I won’t forget to write about it after. This being said, the girl next to me is torturing herself on the Treadmill. She is going crazy while reading a book at the same time. In the meantime, this would be me instead. 

“Maybe, I should finally finish my book and have it published”, I think while I pick up my towel from the Yoga mat. My book needs some improvement and major editing but it is pretty much done otherwise. Does anybody get rich writing books these days? Everybody writes a book, no? What is this girl reading anyway? If a book keeps one captured while running at that pace, I NEED TO READ IT! So I ask her. She hits the “STOP” button on the Treadmill and talks to me. She hates working out at the gym. So do I. We go downstair to have a coffee (and a muffin) at Tim Hortens and talk about the book she is reading – and the one I am working on. 

I guess, this is considered the cooling down after workout. I have earned it. 

Hi there!

Are you a morning person? I am something of a wannabe morning person. The idea of getting up early, getting everything done, doing some Yoga and stretching while everybody else sleeps sounds tempting but I love to stay up late – when everybody sleeps and then wake up late. Unfortunately, this is not (yet) possible and during the week Petit Joel and I have a pretty tight schedule. Well, on weekends on the other hand, we both love to sleep in. He slept really well and for an 14-hour stretch since he was about 12 months old. Many mom’s will hate me now but then again, he did not nap anymore during the day, so go figure. Give and take. 

I just love to stay up late at night because I honestly believe, I am more productive and work more efficiently and faster. I can write better, too. However, some friends of mine who are all up before dawn, have a smoothie and accomplish to do a half marathon before 8am are just inspiring. Or like le husband who gets up even before his alarm is buzzing. As far as I can think, I have never been a morning person. My mom had to almost physically drag me out of bed and pull me to the already set breakfast table. How cool this all was in hindsight. On the other hand, my mom is the craziest morning person I know. She gets up at 5.30am and is okay. Reads the newspaper, takes her time, eats her müsli and enjoys the silence. And she usually  goes to bed at a decent time – 10.30 to 11 pm.

I also wonder about my grandparent’s sleeping schedule. Once your are retired and just have nothing really to do the next day – like no “work-schedule”, why wouldn’t you just want to wake up at 10 am? But they go to bed at 10pm and wake up at 7am! I just wonder why they choose this sleep schedule; however, they always point out that there is just something really magical about early mornings. When le husband and I spent time with newborn Petit Joel at the cottage and I had to nurse this little guy at  2 am, 3 am and 5 am and then he decided to stay up I was just fine and we watched the sunrise. I appreciated the solitude and calm I experienced and I believe so did Petit Joel. 

I would like to make this switch to be a “morning person” because it does sound appealing. However, I don’t want to give up my nightly “me-time”. It is so nice to sit in my office, write, read, study and don’t be interrupted. 

How do you deal with this? I would love to hear from you. Are you an early riser or do you love to stay up late and sleep in as I do? 

Hello and Happy Thursday! 

If you read my blog for a while, you know that whenever it comes to beauty products, I prefer to use those that are as natural as possible to no products at all. My make-up routine if you can call it as such is here. Also some of the products I use for body and hair.  Since I live in Canada now I search for organic, natural beauty products here. I discovered Kardish store which made me instantly happy. Many products I know and use are available though a bit pricier than in Germany. I like to see stores like this doing well and that people rather chose those products than all that chemical stuff one can purchase in a regular store. Back to nature it is, so I was on a hunt for a new deodorant. I used traditional baking soda (Arms& Hammer) for the longest time but I discovered that,  throughout the hotter months, it leaves nasty white stains on my black t-shirts. I also want to see what else is out there. Open for new things, you know. 

So I walked into Kardish store a couple of weeks ago and discovered Piper Wai and love, love, love it. There are a bunch of other natural deodorants out there, but I did not like any of them. My sweat usually never smells bad, but some “natural” deodorants left me with this wet, nasty feeling under the armpits, don’t work at all, are sticky, made me smell weird or stain my clothing. When the nice sales person at Kardish showed me Piper Wai, I was a bit skeptical because of the dark/grey color but the smell of essential oils was amazing. I tried it at home and it is wonderful. To apply, I took a pea-sized amount and rubbed it into my armpits. It won’t leave a grayish stain and rubs in totally clear. It is not sticky on the fingers after I apply it but I still do wash my hands. I can put it on right after shaving without irritation at all. It feels also very gentle and is, besides the essential oil, free of any smell. It is also a nice way to give yourself a breast massage here and there and see what is going on with your armpits. 

Why is it black? It is dark because it is made of activated charcoal which holds a lot of weight in moisture. A little insight from the webpage:

“PiperWai is the first naturally powerful, aluminum-free deodorant that uses activated charcoal to absorb wetness and fight odor. Natural ingredients like organic coconut oil, shea butter, and pure vitamin E soothe even the most sensitive skin. Our stain-free formula rubs in clear and won’t discolor your clothes. Meet your new essential.”

A jar of Piper Wai costs &11.99 on their website but it is still so worth it because of the tiny amount I use. Besides this, we ALL know about the side effects that aluminum used in most deodorants poses to users, right? Just a little reminder in case you don’t know: BREAST CANCER. And who wants that, right!? I don’t need to apply a deodorant to block my sweat glands to keep sweating because this is what they are supposed to do. If you think about all the chemicals we are exposed to every single day, one can start to make better choices somewhere. Health is the most important thing we have. Food for thought. 

Have you tried Piper Wai yet? Do you use a different deodorant that works really well for you? Share your comments below if you would like. Or email me. I would love to hear from you. <3

Hello and Happy Wednesday!

Le husband is French and I am German and we love to keep our traditions alive. In Germany or France, dinner is usually a light meal. Just some bread, cheese, sausages and a salad or olives and that is it. The whole family comes together, we all sit at the table, eat, laugh, live and talk about our day. In France you would enjoy wine with it and in Germany mostly beer. Then again, wine is fine with me, hah! When le husband and I had our little apartment in Manhattan there was a ritual we usually celebrated every Friday – French Revolution Night. Sounds funny, but we were looking forward to this all week. Le husband was in charge to buy the wine and I bought some french cheese (Le Rustique at a whopping $9.99 but who cares, right?), fresh olives and baguette. Done! So when we came home from work we talked about our day and our week while sipping on a glass of wine first to wind down. Sometimes we took our dinner upstairs to the rooftop of our building. Manhattan-life at its finest.

French Revolution Night is so easily done. All you need is some appetizers, red grapes that add this delicious sweetness to everything, Crostini, Baguette, maybe a dip or two, olives, a couple of different French cheeses and of course a (two) bottle(s) of red wine. (Le husband and I prefer Bordeaux)

Sometimes if le husband is in a really good mood, he makes his world famous French Onion Soup. One word: YUM!

I am German and our traditional dinner here looks somewhat like this:

Cheese plate is essential of course but if we want to add a delicious twist to our dinner, we switch over to the German charcuterie board. Once in a while I do enjoy a slice of ham, mortadella, salami, sausages, prosciutto or pâté with some mustard, black olives, cornichon pickles and bread. It really only takes minutes to put together and is also a great party/summer dinner if you have friends over. 

A charcuterie board is best served with cold beer, Lambrusco, chilled rosé or of course a glass of Bordeaux which goes to almost everything, right? When I was in France with le husband a couple of years ago I was amazed to see a wine fountain next to the water fountain at a restaurant. Gotta love France! 

Hello and Happy Monday!

I am not into fashion that much. I love basics, simple things and I was always the jeans/T-shirt kinda girl but have something extra nice to wear whenever I go out. French women inspire me – their way of living, style and chic. Whenever I see pictures of french women I want to put my red lipstick on and go out. They always seem so elegant, cool and a bit messy whatever they wear. Just this je ne sais quoi- attitude. I have been to Paris many times and I think this is seriously so spot on. Once you see french style in the streets you will understand why it is so desirable. 

For one, it always seems that they don’t put much work into their outfits, styles and makeup – especially when it comes to their hair. Just put them up in a messy bun and head out the door. Done! Put a little red lipstick and that is it for makeup. It does not look like the outfits are precisely put together but it all works together nicely. Casual, effortless but most importantly easy. And this is what I love. Sometimes I even think they literally just got up five minuets ago. Let’s be honest: When my son was born and was up all night crying, this style worked for me. And I just stuck with it because once I find something works well for me, it stays. 

I would like to share some fashion observations from Paris, Marseille and other cities in France. I copied those from the Frenchies and they rock! First observations: Many women dress like men! I have some dresses and a bunch of skirts that I love to wear but on a whole, I am usually dressed in jeans and T-shirt. When it gets cold outside, I love my beige Burberry Trenchcoat. For the unique french style it is almost essential to leave your hair undone. The combination black blazer and jeans works really well. I like to wear a pair of ballet flats with this. Simple! Actually, I think it is so great to dress up jeans and all denim. I like a regular blue/black or grey stonewashed Levis, white T-shirt, ballet flats, black blazer and my Vuitton. [Invest in one great designer bag – quality over quantity!]

I got my bangs because of a Paris trip with le husband. I have seen this typical french hair style everywhere. Long, usually brunette hair – either messy or with bangs. I am lucky – bangs work for me and I am so happy with them. Only when it gets really hot and sticky, I braid them to the side. I usually skip makeup all together and my skin is so much nicer! No wrinkles, smoother skin and I got this healthy glow back that I tried to achieve before with blush. What I do wear is red lipstick. Red lipstick makes me feel special, neat, feminine and chic. 

French women who’s timeless style inspire me are:  Caroline de Maigret, Garance Dore and Charlotte Gainsbourg. This book I read in one sitting because it was hilarious, inspiring and a classic read. 

Less is more! What is your favorite style? 

Hello and Happy Wednesday!

When it comes to makeup and other beauty products, I am pretty easy. My beauty routine is simple and I found that the less products I use, the better my skin is. Sometimes, however, I like to put on makeup and basically use everything that is pictured above and nothing else. This way my makeup is done in five minutes. I have to thank my mom and grandmother for having amazing skin. Read my makeup routine here if you would like. 

My makeup bag  is an old small grey leather bag that I found in one of my mom’s drawers years ago. Read about it here. The bag is not important I think. More important however is what chemicals are hidden in the makeup products you use. All this science behind many products and ingredients are just horrifying. If you know what to look for and which products to avoid, it is actually pretty easy. Does “organic and natural” really mean organic and natural? Here is a little list of things I learned; things that are in my makeup bag and some natural alternatives. All explained with a minimalistic perspective. Enjoy! 

Honestly, how many eyeshadows do you own? And how many do you actually use? I was fourteen when I started using makeup and collected whatever beauty products I was able to purchase. Most eyeshadows are loaded with toxins. My eyes burnt and itched constantly. When eyeshadow, then Dr. Hauschka products.  They are great! 

Later, I went through my entire makeup collection and threw out everything that was expired. I did not toss all my makeup at one shot to replace it with more natural, organic and better brands. Slowly but surely my makeup bag got a little makeover and products were replaced with a greener, healthier approach. Research products online. I found this website pretty helpful. Re-think lip products. There are so many toxins and chemicals in red lipstick, it is insane. And lip products are closest to your mouth; so easy access to get directly into your body. Yuk! Chemicals they use in lipsticks to avoid are synthetic dyes and colors, hydrozytoluene, petroleum, fragrances and parabens. Most Foundations are loaded with chemicals as well, and those we put on our face and they stay on the entire day. Now since it is hot outside I use nothing on my face. When I have itchy skin or in cold weather, I use a bit of  Dr. Hauschka oil on my face and body. Also a bit of Sheabutter or Coconut butter work really well. I just want to keep it as natural and minimalistic as possible. 

I am not a scientist and don’t know which chemicals would be indeed okay to use; but when I cannot pronounce half of the ingredients on the beauty products I am using, I don’t use them. Simple as that. It was difficult for me in the beginning to stay away from certain beauty products that were in my makeup bag for a long time. I loved CHANEL products for example. Then I tried free samples of organic products before purchasing anything and realized that I don’t need that much makeup anyway. 

Lately, an eye-opening and thought provoking documentary if you would like to watch. 

Hello and Happy Thursday!

I love to try new things and when I found out about Blue Tée I had to try it. I am not a big tea drinker but I do enjoy my cup of Winder Castle English Breakfast Tea every morning. Blue Tée is something special, something not only for the taste but also for the eye. With its mild flavor and this awesome bright blue color this tea works great in cocktails or just for a wow-effect. A friend visited me the other day and I made a pot of Blue Tée and she was amazed and loved it. Even Petit Joel tried a sip just because “it changes to reeeeed”. Picky Eater. This tea is also very high in Anthocyanin Antioxidants. Enjoy some insights and pictures of my recent tea ceremony. Stay a while and drink a cup. 

What is Blue Tée?

“Butterfly Pea (Clitoria ternatea) is a climbing vine native to Thailand. Its vivid blue flowers have been used int rational food and medicine for centuries. Traditionally served as a special iced tea to welcome guests in Thailand called Nam Dok Anchan. It is made how with 1/2 teaspoon honey, 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, allowed to cool & served over ice. When the lemon juices is added it magically changes color from vivid blue to royal purple! If you add more lemon it will turn bright pink. This color change is from the powerful Anthocyanin Antioxidants which change color depending on acidity. In water, they are bright blue, in sour drinks they are bright pink. You can learn more online www.b-lure.com. In Thai herbal medicine Butterfly Pea is used for improving memory, circulation & eyesight. The floral extract is also used to color rice, deserts and crepes. This butterfly pea is sourced from a family owned farm in central Thailand where it is lovingly grown using traditional techniques without the use of pesticides or chemicals”.

When the lemon is added you will see the tea magically change from vivid blue to royal purple. If you add more lemon it will turn bright pink! Adjust honey/sugar to taste.

Are there different options to drink this tea? 

You bet! There are so many. I tried both recipes described on the tea box. You can even color rice with blue tée. And freeze the tea and use it as ice cubes. The traditional recipe: 

Nam Dok Anchan

Add tea bag to 1 cup boiled water

Add 1/2 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

 Blue Ice

Infuse 2 teabags in 250 ml hot water, allow to cool. Add to ice tray and freeze. Add lemon and watch the blue ice melt to pink. Great for lemonades, mojitos or any other cocktails.

 

You wonder that this vivid color cannot be achieved through sun dried butterfly pea flowers (Clitoria ternatea) alone? Read more about the tea and order here if you are inspired. They claim to be 100% organic and use 100% pure butterfly pea flowers! You can also order the Liquid flower extract. Just add a few drops to your drink. Flavor and Color your water of cocktails. Enjoy!