Emotional & Physical Health, Plus A Giveaway

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and Crystal Light.

This giveaway is now closed.

We all have those days, when we wake up cranky and disgruntled. Not only do our families try to avoid the resident black cloud, but our own bodies seem to rebel against the dark mood. Everyone seems to deal with some level of stress in their lives. Some people just do this better than others.

For me, stress and anxiety manifest themselves as a tight neck and shoulders, and a raging headache. It is as though someone turned a key to tighten all of the muscles in my upper body and then put a vise on my head. At that point, all I want to do is crawl back in bed and pull the covers over my head, which is rarely an option. Of course, others suffer from far worse ailments related to stress, such as ulcers, depression, and chronic pain. I can consider myself lucky.

While my emotional health certainly affects my physical health, I also find the reverse to be true. At times, when I my emotional reserves are low, all I want to do is sit in front of the TV and spoon my way through a pint of ice cream. This usually makes me feel worse in the end. I have found that I need a different strategy. Although it is the last thing I feel like doing when I am down in the dumps, I often strap on my running shoes and head outside for a little physical exertion and fresh air. There is something about breathing in mountain air, being outside when the streets are still quiet, and pumping my arms as I run that lifts my spirits. I could chalk it up to endorphins, but I give most of the credit to the overwhelming feeling of gratitude that washes over me.


When I return from my run, my to-do list has not disappeared, but I feel much more capable of dealing with it in a calm, rational manner. Now, that beats sitting on the couch and eating a pint of ice cream any day.



This giveaway is now closed.

For a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card, please answer the following question in the comments section:

How do you boost your emotional health?

Please, no duplicate comments.
You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
This giveaway is open to US Residents aged 18 and older
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail, so please be sure that you leave an email address.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Please head to the BlogHer.com CLB exclusive offers page for 6 more chances to win $100 and a chance to win $1000.

Please see the official rules for this giveaway.

For more information on Crystal Light, head to their site.
Read more!

Body Image & A Giveaway

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and Crystal Light.

This giveaway is now closed.

Climbing out of the shower each morning is a bit of a challenge. As I clamber out, reaching for my towel, I do everything in my power not to look to the right, towards the end of the bathroom...towards the large sliding mirrored doors that hide our closet. If I do happen to glance in that direction, I am greeted with a full-frontal view of myself. (Cue slasher movie scream.) I quickly look away in frustration and start on a long barrage of reprimands and promises to lock the pantry door and throw away the key.

Despite all of these dramatics, I am a very healthy person. I run four days per week and am training for a half-marathon, I eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and I am doing everything but sticking an IV in my arm to increase my fluid intake. Yet, still, my body is far from the perfect specimen I yearn for. During that brief glance into the mirror, my eyes and brain refuse to see the legs that are becoming stronger or the arms that are getting a little bit slimmer with each run. Rather, they focus on the imperfections. Why are we so hard on ourselves?

While the media's glorification of skinny celebrities is partly to blame, I think we need to look a little deeper than that. While none of us have perfect lives, I will bet that the majority could list several things that are pretty darned good in their lives - kids that are active and happy, a supportive spouse, healthy parents, or a satisfying job. I am lucky enough to be able to check all of these off my list. These are the things that I should be focusing on, not the fact that my skinny jeans have been relegated to the back of the closet.


Right here, right now, I vow to be grateful for friends and my family, to be present in the moment. Do my kids care that my muffin top is popping over the waistband of my shorts while I am kicking the soccer ball with them in the backyard? Of course not. They are just happy that we are spending time together.

Each morning, I will continue to crawl out of bed, strap on my running shoes, and let myself enjoy the exertion as my friend and I run our regular loop. We are getting stronger, we are running faster and - darn it - we look good doing it.



This giveaway is now closed.

For a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card, please answer the following question in the comments section:

What do you do to boost your body image?

Please, no duplicate comments.
You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
This giveaway is open to US Residents aged 18 and older
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail, so please be sure that you leave an email address.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Please head to the BlogHer.com CLB exclusive offers page for 6 more chances to win $100 and a chance to win $1000.

Please see the official rules for this giveaway.

For more information on Crystal Light, head to their site.
Read more!

Staying Hydrated

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and Crystal Light.

This giveaway is now closed.

Whether it is the middle of the summer, with the temperatures spiking to stratospheric heights, or the dead of winter, our bodies need to stay hydrated to operate efficiently. I am the first to admit that I do a lousy job of reaching the daily intake recommended by the experts. However, on days when I am a good guzzler, several things seem to happen to my body. No, I'm not talking about extra trips to the bathroom. Instead, I tend to crave healthier foods, and am satisfied with smaller portion sizes. Also, my energy level goes through the roof, which is great for productivity but drives my family nuts at times.

When I consistently drink my daily allowance across several weeks, miraculous things tend to happen. First, I lose weight, which of course is helped by the smaller meal portions and random bursts of energy, which lead to even more random sets of push-ups an sit-ups in the middle of the family room floor. Seriously. That is where the "drive the family nuts" part comes in. Second, my hair becomes glossy and my skin smooth as silk. That is when I like to pretend I am sixteen again. I stop just short of singing along to the radio, using my hairbrush as a microphone. Come on, you all did it at one time, too.

So, what is the best way to stay hydrated? Each person seems to do this a little differently. More often than not, I am a plain water kind of girl. When my friend and I head out for our runs several mornings each week, I strap a bottle of good ol' H2O around my waist. As we increase our mileage, however, some energy drink powder usually finds it way into the bottle.


When I am not running, I like to mix things up a bit. Sometimes you will find my glass filled with plain water, while other times I like to squeeze a little lime into a glass of sparkling water. If I am really feeling adventurous, a pitcher of water will be dressed up with slices of cucumber, chunks of fresh citrus fruits, or a package or two of Crystal Light. However it happens, I am bound and determined to keep myself hydrated. Feeling sixteen again definitely has its perks.



This giveaway is now closed.

For a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card, please answer the following question in the comments section:

What is your favorite way to stay hydrated?

Please, no duplicate comments.
You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
This giveaway is open to US Residents aged 18 and older
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail, so please be sure that you leave an email address.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Please head to the BlogHer.com CLB exclusive offers page for 6 more chances to win $100 and a chance to win $1000.

Please see the official rules for this giveaway.

For more information on Crystal Light, head to their site.

Read more!

Eating Healthy While on Vacation

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and Crystal Light.

This giveaway is now closed.

While on vacation, it is tempting to throw all restraint aside. Huge portions seem to be the norm at many restaurants and it is tempting to throw caution to the wind by ordering butter-laden sauces and full-fat salad dressings that might rarely cross your dinner table at home. Most of us have experienced those post-vacation blues when we step on the scale and cringe as the number flashes on the screen.

So, how do we avoid these inevitable pitfalls while still enjoying our vacation? Here are a few tips and tricks that have kept us on the straight and narrow while traveling.

Do it yourself:
We often try to stay in places that offer a kitchen, or at least a fridge, so that we can make several of our meals. With a couple of bags of cereal, a selection of fresh fruit, and a gallon of milk, breakfasts are taken care of for the trip. Pop out to the grocery store and pick up a loaf of bread, some deli meats and cheeses, a couple of condiments, and some lettuce and cucumber. You will have sandwiches perfect for packing to the beach or on a hike. Cooking for yourself gives you more control over what goes into your food than eating out meal after meal. It's a lot easier on the pocket book, too.


Snack bags:
While you're at the grocery store or the nearest warehouse store, such as Costco, pick up some healthy snacks, such as baby carrots, granola bars, nuts, and dried fruit. Divide them into resealable kitchen bags and pack a few them along on your day trips. Having healthy snacks close at hand help curb those impulse buys of French fries and candy bars.

Hydrate:
When my kids start to feel hungry within an hour of our last meal, I hand them the water bottle. I find that, often, thirst can disguise itself as hunger and a quick hydration stop can do the trick. Carry along water and low-calorie drinks without caffeine, such as Crystal Light. Check out Crystal Light's variety of flavors that are sure to appeal to your family.



Indulge a little:
You're on vacation! A little bit of indulgence is in order. If you allow yourself and your family to snack on the occasional treat, no one will feel deprived (and cranky). You are far more likely to be content with healthy snacks if you know there is an ice cream cone in your near future.


This giveaway is now closed.

For a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card, please answer the following question in the comments section:

What is your best tip for eating healthy while on vacation or away from home?

Please, no duplicate comments.
You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
This giveaway is open to US Residents aged 18 and older
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail, so please be sure that you leave an email address.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Please head to the BlogHer.com CLB exclusive offers page for 6 more chances to win $100 and a chance to win $1000.

Please see the official rules for this giveaway.

For more information on Crystal Light, head to their site.

Read more!