Dear Socialite with an Appetite,
I know the past few weeks have been difficult. Trying to create better habits, find time for yourself…to eat and workout. Thinking about going to the gym versus actually going to the gym has been extra challenging, but you’re doing it. And I’m proud of you for that!
Eating at home has been a game-changer. After a few weeks of eating clean, you’re cravings aren’t as severe and your will-power has increased, making it easier to resist canapes and hors d’oeuvres at parties and events. Sometimes you’re not even interested in socializing or going out. You’re not sure why. Who are you?!
Something is different.
What’s this? You’re starting to think about what’s really important? You’re starting to pay attention to that little voice. The one that knocks oh so softly but keeps you up at night if you let it. Seems there may be a paradigm shift happening within. I don’t know but when the 30 day challenge ends next week, don’t think of it as an end. Think of it as a beginning to something else. A healthier more meaningful you…
Cheers,
From one Socialite with an Appetite to another
I had the chance to interview nationally-renowned fashion and beauty expert, Jenn Falik, famous for her practical, common sense advice and natural instinct to share everything that she learns with everyone she knows. Jenn told me about how she’s joining forces with Dove’s “Show Us Your Skin“ campaign to encourage real women throughout the nation to have the confidence to show off their beautiful skin and she gave me the scoop on how you can take part!
About Dove’s “Show Us Your Skin” Campaign: By uploading a photograph of themselves, each participant will be featured in a Dove ad for their “Show Us Your Skin” campaign, including online ads, a digital gallery, and an interactive billboard in the world-renowned Times Square.
About Jenn Falik: Jenn is an authoritative expert on everything fashion and beauty who has honed her skills at predicting and interpreting trends by working with many of the most influential behind-the-scenes trendsetters (from makeup and hair artists to dermatologists to clothing and accessories designers, stylists, and buyers). A frequent guest on “The View,” “The Today Show,” “The Rachael Ray Show,” “Tyra Banks,” and “E! Entertainment Television,” Jenn uncovers beauty bargains, decodes the latest wacky skincare ingredients, and reveals her sought-after secrets for making even the most daunting fashion and beauty trends wearable.
For much more information on Jenn, please log onto her official website www.jennfalik.com or follow her on Twitter @jennfalik.
BY: Tara DelloIacono Thies LUNA Bar nutritionist
Resting on the warm, white, sandy beach, you can hear the sound of waves gently crashing. Suddenly, a loud noise jolts you and, in a blink, you find yourself standing naked, exposed in a crowded room. Everyone else is clothed and staring at you. Waking up to your own horrified screams, you look at your beeping alarm clock to realize you are now forty-five minutes later into your morning than planned.
You may be fortunate enough to find yourself not woken up by a naked party dream. The more familiar scene is the morning time-crunch that sends you racing through the house, splattering coffee into your to-go cup and scrambling out the door. Hurried mornings without eating a healthy breakfast will leave you groggy, irritable and utterly unapproachable by lunchtime.
Eating something to kick-start your day is important for your mind and body. But what you choose to eat at this crucial A.M. hour can make a big difference in the morning. If stopping at the local pastry shop on your way to work has become a wake-up call rather than a satisfying morning meal experience, at least you aren’t in the habit of skipping food altogether. Give the morning meal the respect it deserves, by altering the venue and/or making food choices that can carry your body and mood through lunch and even to late afternoon.
What you give your body in the A.M. can make a big difference on how alert and vibrant you feel all day long. A breakfast full of fat, sugar, and starch may satisfy an immediate hunger pang, but, in less than an hour, it can turn you into a walking zombie! I’m sure this is not the effect you were going for. On the flip side of that syrup-coated hotcake, a breakfast that treats your body with respect can really rev you up for an energized day.
Skipping breakfast or unbalanced eating in the morning may not faze you until late afternoon when you find your energy at a lull. Fasting through a busy day will only slow you down in the end. Breakfast signals a wake-up call for your brain and muscles whether you realize they need it our not. If you choose not to eat or eat something unbalanced, you could be short-changing yourself the entire day.
Time is usually a factor in the morning, so planning ahead is important. Set out your fixings the night before, while you are preparing dinner. You can whip up your morning energizer in less than ten minutes or carry it with you to eat at work while reviewing your day’s agenda.
To prevent getting bored with repetitious eating behaviors and as a time-saver, make a list of foods you can reach for during the week. Having this list will give you quick alternatives and variety. Your list might include: yogurt, muesli, smoothies, breakfast or nutrition bars, apple slices on cinnamon toast, peanut butter banana sandwich on whole wheat bread, low-fat oat scone, glass of milk, nuts, rice porridge, grapefruit, hard-boiled eggs, sliced cheeses.
A respectful breakfast could look like this: instant oatmeal with a sprinkling of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit topped with a dollop of honey, accompanied by an invigorating citrus fruit such as a grapefruit or a tangerine.
Mix and match foods from your list to come up with many healthy, convenient foods to eat over the course of the morning. And, just as you opt for a casual Friday, venture off your list and try something new or occasionally revisit an old favorite morning treat, even a single glazed old-fashioned doughnut can be uplifting, if eaten only once in a while.
“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” It may be the oldest cliché in Mom’s book, but she’s right about this one!
Fit & Fab(ulous!) is a Girl Power Hour networking event and panel discussion for stylish women focusing on the mind-body connection. The event will take place at the brand new and hip Makers co-working Space in Belltown and will include photo opps, health-conscious cocktails & apps, our Ultimate Swag Bags filled with fabulous goodies, door prizes, fitness demos, healthy tips and treats for girls on the go, specials from our vendors and a guest appearance from the Firefighters of Seattle’s Bravest Charity. Meet the Team GPH and connect with other like-minded and savvy women.
Date: May 24, 2012
Venue: Makers | 92 Lenora St. | Belltown
Time: 6pm-10pm
Cost: $20 Non-Members // $12 GPH Members (Members, log into gph.com to get your discount)
Interested in sponsoring the event or hosting a vendor table? Let us know by emailing us at info@girlpowerhour.com
Last week I made it to the YWCA Inspire Luncheon in seek of a little inspiration with keynote speaker Sheryl Wudunn, the first Asian American Pulizer Prize Winning journalist and New York Times bestseller of “Half the Sky.” I found a great salad with chicken breast (score) and a lot of stats about women and the slave trade.
At the height of the slave trade in the 1700’s about 80,000 slaves were transported out of Africa each year to countries around the world, each being sold for about today’s equivalent of $40,000, which meant that they were a commodity. They were valued. Today, 800,000 women are kidnapped, sold and transported across international borders. (That doesn’t even account for those that aren’t transported across international borders.) But with that number alone, its 10 times the amount of “slaves” (women) traded now then in the 1700’s. However, I suppose that this staggering number is relative…thanks to world progression, technology and more inhabitants on planet earth. The worst part (yes, there is a worse part), is that these women (girls) are sold for a mere average of $180 each. Which means, that they are dispensable. Which means, that if they don’t do what their told, that the brothel owners (some of them women) don’t mind taking it upon themselves to mutilate these women. Why? Because they can buy another one….
Join Girl Power Hour for the Trace launch party at the W Seattle for Cocktails courtesy of BroVo Spirits Lady-Made Liquor (cash bar available for other options), Prize giveaway (W SF overnight stay and $100 credit in their restaurant), menu tasting, live DJ spinning the grooviest beats and the best socializing in town. Limited tickets. 21+ Men are invited!
Date: April 26, 2012
Venue: W Seattle
Time: 6pm-8pm
Cost: $20
Get Tickets Here.
With great timing and alignment to our Girl Power Hour 30 Day Challenge, we had the chance to get some tips and tools to inspire home cooks to break free from routine preparation methods from chef Madison Cowan. Madison Cowan is the star of the BBC show No Kitchen Required, upcoming competitor on Iron Chef, America, and “Chopped Grand Champion.”
In this video interview, Madison will talk about how Americans are in need of inspiration in the kitchen. Did you know that nearly 8 out of 10 Americans make the family-favorite pork chop in the same three ways or less according to a new survey, when in fact there are many creative ways to prepare this versatile cut. To help America “unleash their inner pork chops” this spring season, America’s pork producers enlisted celebrity chef and “Chopped Grand Champion” Madison Cowan to inspire home cooks with fresh ideas.
Check out Chef Cowan, star of BBC America series No Kitchen Required and competitor on Iron Chef, America right here on Girl Power Hour as he shares recipes inspired by new survey results and provide tips on how to break free from meat monotony. Happy cooking!
More about Madison Cowan:
Celebrity chef, current star of BBC America’s No Kitchen Required and Grand Champion of Food Network’s Chopped, Madison is a nationally renowned and award-winning chef. Madison burst into chef superstardom when he was crowned “Chopped Grand Champion” on the iconic primetime series Chopped in 2010. And this April (2012), Madison will star in the new BBC America series, No Kitchen Required and will be competing on Food Network’s Iron Chef America where world-class chefs like Madison battle it out against legendary chefs like Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, Cat Cora, and Michael Symon.
The 30 Day Challenge Project: Nancy Treder, Kat Kim, Kirsten Helle, Minh-Hai Tran, Lara Dalch, Caryn Lavin, Samara Donald, Adriana Medina, Hilary Paris, Corrie Westmoreland-Vairo, Darnell Sue, Zong Her. Photo by Nancy Treder Photography.
We are excited to announce our 3rd Annual Mind-Body Challenge starting on Monday April 23, 2012 and ending on May 24th at the Girl Power Hour Fit & Fab event at Makers in Belltown. This year we challenge you to take a look at your habits and find ways to live a healthy life while taking your lifestyle into consideration during this 1 month period of time. Team GPH (Zong Her & Corrie Westmoreland-Vairo and I) will be encouraging you along the way with our individual blogs via Tumblr while Team Hustle (our resident fitness gurus), Team Make it Count (our resident nutritionists) and Team Feel Good (our resident mental mind shifters) will be posting weekly blogs with fitness options, healthy tips for girls on the go, recipes and anecdotes to keep us going right here on gph.com and on our GPH Group Page on Facebook.
This year, the Girl Power Hour challenge will be a “Trifecta of Three” 30 day challenge approach focusing on integrating nutrition, fitness and mental state into the lives we all lead to make it work for us. Sounds standard, but before I get to the juicy details, I wanted to talk about the Challenges we’ve done in the past…
Two years ago we featured 2 separate challenges focusing on Pilates and Hot Yoga lead by two of our Team GPH members. We asked community members to choose a challenge and record the results alongside our Team GPH members. I chose the Hot Yoga Challenge at Urban Yoga Spa. I made it 11 days before I threw in my very sweaty towel and realized that hot yoga day after day wasn’t for me. I found out later that most experts don’t suggest that either but hey, it was a challenge. I did learn that there is a place for hot yoga…when you’re in need of a detox.
Team GPH: Zong Her, Darnell Sue, Corrie Westmoreland-Vairo. Photo by Nancy Treder Photography.
When we sat down this year to discuss how we wanted to structure The Challenge, one thing kept reoccurring in our conversations: We’re all so busy, is it possible to integrate a healthy eating plan and fitness routine that didn’t take up ALL of our time? Was it possible that we could create something that worked for each of us individually? As we talked about our lifestyles, we realized that we each had different struggles, concerns and favorite indulgences. And that is how we came up with the 3 profiles. If one of these profiles resonates with you, feel free to jump on said bandwagon and follow “her” journey on Tumblr (see links below), right here on the GPH blog and on the GPH Facebook Group.
Team GPH: “The Girls”
Team Feel Good: Kat Kim, Nancy Treder, Kirsten Helle. Photo by Nancy Treder Photography.
When we begin to think about getting in shape, we usually think about two things: nutrition and fitness. We start thinking about how many times per week were going to work out, what disciplines we’re going to utilize and what we’re going to and not going to eat on a daily basis. Sometimes it can seem overwhelming. And when we finally get into the gym, we feel…out of place and shape. The good news is, is that you’re there. You’ve take the first steps in your journey and you’re committed to making a change. That’s where Team Feel Good comes in. They are the missing piece to the puzzle. The third prong to the “Trifecta of Three.” They’ll offer the support and tools you need to help you along the way.
Team Feel Good (will provide support for all “girls” with mental support, tips and recipes):
