East West Information

Hi friends! Happy Friday to ya! And happy big 3-0 to my brother, Kyle. I’m excited to celebrate with them this weekend!

How was the week? I hope that you’ve had a wonderful one. It’s hard to believe that this time last week, we were getting on a plane to fly back to Tucson. Everything felt like such a blur and I feel like this past week has flown by in super speed. I’m thinking that a low-key weekend will be nice, and also help us to settle into our new normal.

It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party! This where I share some of the things I’m lovin’ each week. I always enjoy hearing about your faves, too, so please join in the fun in the comments section!

Life:

Having the Pilot home! I’m just going to go ahead and state the obvious here that having him home is the best ever. We’ve really enjoyed having him around this week. There are so many places on our list of where we need to take him! We definitely need to go see Kyle at Commoner (we did brunch at Prep & Pastry on his first full day here in Tucson and it was everything), and to try Tito and Pep. He definitely enjoyed our dinner out at Charro del Rey this week.

90s songs ratings with Liv. This is probably my favorite one and I really wish I could have filmed it, but it happens when I’m driving, so I just have to enjoy. Lately, my favorite car game is to play 90s songs and hear Liv’s thoughts. She’ll rate them on a scale of 1- 10 and her opinions always make me laugh and surprise me. For example, she thought “Man, I feel like a woman” by Shania Twain was terrible, and gave “Blue (da ba dee da ba da)” a 10/10. I held my breath when I started to play, “Baby One More Time.” After about 30 seconds, I was like, “Ok, Liv, what do you think of this one?” And she said, “Mom, I LOVE IT. It’s one of the best songs I’ve ever heard” and I just felt so proud.

 Source

Our new plant. He doesn’t have a name yet, but the man at the nursery assured me that he’d be impossible to kill. We’re all hoping.

Fashion + beauty:

– Counterman. I ordered the Counterman shave set for the Pilot and couldn’t wait to hear his thoughts after giving it a try. He really liked it! I’m so glad he’s making the switch to some safer options. It smells amaaaaazing, too.

– Heart sweaters and pajamas for Valentine’s Day. I got these pajamas when we were stranded in Phoenix last week without a suitcase. Our cousins picked us up and saved the day – all I had were our toothbrushes and a pair of contacts – and we swooped by Target for some essentials. We picked up everything we needed for the night and next day, plus some impulse buys because Target.

(I got an XS. Furry slippers are on sale for $19.99!)

Every year, I always love the array of heart attire during this month! Some more cute Valentine’s finds: this super soft robe, this L’amour sweatshirt, this heartbeat silk sweater, this heart print tee, and cozy pajama pants.

Read, watch, listen:

– New reads. I try to read one serious book and one fluff book at all times. My current fluff book is the second in the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy, which is just as scandalous and engrossing as the first. The second is this book, which is like an amped up version of The Secret. It may be a little out there for some people, but I eat.this.stuff.up. I’m a huge fan of Deepak Chopra – his meditation technique is the one I use!- and am enjoying learning more about exchanging energies and how we’re all connected.

I’m pretty sure that I used these new abilities to bring a javelina into our neighborhood. The Pilot and I were talking about how we hadn’t seen one in months, and BOOM. One was eating fruit in our neighbor’s yard. #destiny

– Fyre festival documentary. Omg, did you guys watch this? It was BANANAS. I think I was sitting on the couch, mouth agape, for about 95% of this. It’s just one of those things you can’t believe actually happened in real life. I was very much into this documentary, and highly recommend it if you want to see the biggest train wreck ever.

Fitness:

– Home Workout Warrior LIVE. I’m so happy you guys are pumped about Home Workout Warrior LIVE! I’m excited to follow along and watch your progress. We have a lot of fun fitness challenges to look forward to this year, and this is such a solid way to start out the fun.

Are you signed up yet? It’s only $9 and you can sign up here to get ready to rock and roll on Feb 11.

Hope you have a very happy Friday and I’ll see ya soon!

xo

Gina

The post Friday Faves appeared first on The Fitnessista.

CBC Indigenous talks to two people about how they support their mental health.

Former SNC-Lavalin CEO Pierre Duhaime was arrested in November 2012 on charges including fraud, conspiracy and forgery related to a $1.3-billion contract to build a superhospital in Montreal. Today, he pleaded guilty to pleaded guilty to helping a public servant commit breach of trust, avoiding a trial that was to start Monday.

Author Ruby Warrington's new book Sober Curious starts with one question: would your life be better without alcohol? She tells guest host Connie Walker dry January is a good starting point to examine your relationship with alcohol, but you need more time to really address the deeper questions.

If you got a step-counting watch or a fancy new pedometer for the holidays, the frigid weather of January and February can be an extra bummer: Every hour, your new gadget buzzes to remind you to get up and meet your hourly steps goals. But it’s so cold outside!

You don’t have to pile on 10,000 layers to go out and reach your steps goals. With a little creativity, you  can get moving all winter without turning into an icicle.

Here are seven ways to meet your steps goals while you wait for spring:

1. Head to the mall.

Mall walking sounds like a throwback exercise, but it’s actually increased in popularity since the ‘90s: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, malls are the second-most popular place to take a walk, after your own neighborhood. If you’re worried you’ll spend too much, borrow a trick from America’s most experienced mall walkers: Go early, before most of the stores have opened. You’ll also gain another benefit—in studies of mall walking, participants said that unlike at the gym, they didn’t feel pressure about their speed, attire or physique. If you’re there before the stores open, there’s no one to compete with but yourself!

2. Use a jump rope.

Most step counters will register jump roping as steps, and it’s an incredible way to get fit in just a few minutes per day. In fact, scientists say that 10 minutes of jumping rope is the equivalent of running an eight-minute mile.

You don’t have to jump for 10 minutes in a row, and if you’re worried about tripping, you can start without actually jumping over the rope: Instead, put both handles of the rope in one hand, and swing the rope to the side of your body as you jump. This will help you get the rhythm of jumping down before progressing to actually jumping over the rope. Try going for 20 seconds at a time, rest for 10-20 seconds, and repeat.

3. Click on an old-school workout video.

Go retro with your activity: Fire up YouTube for a classic workout video that won’t just make you sweat, but will make you smile. Most of the infomercial and as-seen-on-TV workout tapes of the 1980s have been uploaded to the site, and they’re free to watch and play along. Whether it’s dance karate, something that goes for just eight minutes, or your favorite old-school celebrity’s tape, you can find one that lets you laugh along with the dated fashions while you do a workout that fits your fitness level—and will be counted on your watch.

4. Instead of emailing, walk to talk to your coworker.

If you sit at your desk and stay there all day, your health may be at risk: A study from the American Cancer Society found that women who sat for six hours per day were 37 percent more likely to die during the study than those who sat for three hours or fewer. So instead of emailing to set up a lunch meeting or to ask a quick question, get up! Walk to your coworker’s desk to discuss that new idea or to hash out details of tomorrow’s meeting. While you’re up, take a walk to a water cooler that’s further than your normal one before returning to your desk. You won’t just get steps, you may find you’re more creative: Scientists who studied walking and problem solving found that those who walked gave more creative answers than those who were seated.

5. Mix it up on the treadmill.

Your gym or community center might have a treadmill, but you might think it’s torture: And actually, you might be right! Treadmills were invented in the 19th century for prisons to punish defiant inmates, according to one online source. But you’re not in chains, so the mill doesn’t have to mean suffering, and it doesn’t have to be boring: Treadmill gamers combine treadmill walking with mobile video games to break up the monotony. One member of an online forum about the activity lost 70 pounds doing the activity.

Start with a game that’s not too packed with action—if the game moves too much, you might “drift” off the mill. (Puzzles are usually a good bet.) And if you’re not into games, turn watching TV into a game of its own: When the show is on, walk a little faster than normal. During the commercials, slow it down. Mixing up your speeds like this can help you burn more calories while you reach your steps goals: In a study conducted by Ohio State University, research found that by walking in sped-up bursts of just five inches more per second, exercisers burned 20 percent more calories than those going at a steady pace.

6. Catch your local museum’s discounted or “free” day.

Act like a tourist in your own town! Lots of us don’t take the time to check out museums that are right under our noses, and they’re a great (and warm) excuse to get more steps. If you don’t want to shell out full admissions fees, many local museums offer free or discounted days on entrance. And your bank may offer perks as well: Several national banks partner with museums for discounted admission when using your debit card. Get cultured, educated and fit—all without freezing!

7. Plan an active date or day out.

Whether it’s date night, hanging with friends or filling the car with kids and going, getting out of the house will help keep you from going stir-crazy in these frigid days (and get in those steps goals). So instead of just lunch, dinner or a movie, pick something indoors and active! Go bowling with your best friend, take your husband to an ice-skating rink or take the kids to the most fun they—or you—will ever have breaking a sweat: An indoor trampoline park. These places are popping up all over the country, and with good reason—they are ridiculously fun. Coupons often pop up online, so you can go bounce your way to 10,000 steps at a discount.

The post How to Meet Your Steps Goals Despite Winter Weather appeared first on The Leaf.

A decade after a house fire call took the life of two colleagues, firefighter Lionel Crowther continues to advocate for more focus on the mental health challenges first responders face.