Craving watermelon? Welcome to Summer! Finally the long, hot days of summer have arrived. And while you might find yourself diving through waves and soaking in the rays, do you notice anything about your eating habits? Chances are you don’t crave those warm hearty soups you’d give anything for during the blistery Winter months. As the seasons shift so to does our bodies internal rhythms and digestion. Paying attention to what your body needs each time of year is the easiest way to keep the body in balance and health in check.

In holistic approaches to nutrition like Traditional Chinese Medicine, eating too much of the wrong types of food during a given season can interfere and slow down digestive organs, causing sluggishness. In other words the body is knocked out of it’s natural balanced state. Keep in harmony with the atmosphere of Summer with these key tips:

Lifestyle: Summer is all about growth, lightness, activity, brightness, and creativity. Easily summed up as a yang season. It’s the perfect time to wake up early and enjoy all the sunny days have to offer. Look to the sun for nourishment and life. Work, play, travel, and smile! The beauty outside enlivens even the most boring day.

Eat: Brightly colored fruits and vegetables flourish at this time and should define Summer dishes. Cook lightly with a rainbow of ingredients. Regularly add a a little spicy, pungent, or even fiery flavor. When sauteing, use hight heat for a very short time, and steam or simmer foods as quickly as possible. Use little salt and more water. Cooling fresh foods such as salads, sprouts, fruit, cucumber, and tofu. Common fruits that beat the summer heat best are apples, watermelon, lemons, and limes.

Avoid feeling like a beached whale in your bikini, by limiting heavy foods like meats, eggs, and excesses of nuts, seeds, and grains. Eating less and lightly on hot, bright days is a healthy pattern easily forgotten when we don’t pay attention to our body’s internal workings. A super easy way to eat in season is to hit up the local farmers market. That way you’ll get fruits and veggies that only grow during this time of year from your local soil. Much better for you, the farmers, and the earth.

Drink: Opposite of common thought, it’s suggested to drink hot liquids and take warm showers to induce sudden sweating, which will cool the body. Ice cream screams your name on sweltering days, but isn’t a good choice since Summer heat combined with too much cold food weakens the digestive organs. Coldness causes contraction, interfering with digestion, and holds in sweat and heat. Iced drinks and ice cream actually contract the stomach and stop digestion!

The idea is to disperse the heat by bringing it to the surface of the body to then be sweated out. Try flower and leaf teas like chrysanthemum, mint, and chamomile. Even drinking room temperature lemonade and the teas above are better than the ice cold variety.

All I have to say is time for a mojito!! Well, maybe an iceless mojito…

Resource: Healing With Whole Foods, by Paul Pitchford

Every 4th of July we celebrate our nation’s independence. Really it’s just a great excuse to do what we do best in America, celebrate and party. Friends, BBQ’S, fireworks, and booze equals one fantastic holiday. As with any ordinary day we have the ability to quite the mind and allow ourselves to live and experience all the moment has to offer. Amp up your experience of the festivities this Independence Day by practicing mindfulness. Here are some easy ways to draw your attention to the present today:

When prepping your famous gourmet burgers…

Take your time cutting up all your ingredients. Draw your focus to your soft, slow breathing. Look and really see the vivid colors of the kabob’s bell peppers, guacamole, or other bright dishes. Breath in through your nose and smell the BBQ out back. Hear the laughter of your friends and let your beer settle on your tongue before you swallow. Let all of your senses come alive. Just breathe.

When you’re hanging with friends and family…
Share your energy with everyone. Chat up your friends and be open to new people. Quite your minds dialogue about your social insecurities by focusing on your breath and what’s happening around you. Really listen to what people are saying and look into their eyes. Connect and exist together in that moment.

When you’re getting dolled up for the big night out…Hop in the shower and pamper yourself. Stand under the shower and feel the water dripping over your body. Close your eyes and hear what the water sounds like inside as it hits you. Take your sweet time scrubbing down, and then wrap up in a soft towel. Make-up is next, so be sure to care in how you apply. Instead of your typical mad dash. Look at your color options and maybe you’ll come up with a new way to blend your shadow. Feel the powder on your face and smell the light sent. It’s amazing what we miss!

With these tips in mind, you’ll be sure to soak it all in. Happy 4th!!

In the words of Amy Whinehouse, sometimes you’ve got to “rock your f*&# me pumps.” While wedges and pumps might look jaw-dropping, ever wonder what damage they are doing? Slipping into heels everyday, over time, causes untold damage to our feet and backs. That small pinch of pain in your low back or slowly developing bunion might not bother you now, but a few years down the road you’ll be wishing you had switched to flats every once in a while.

The truth is you can have your cake and eat it too. You can click-clack down the street in your wooden wedges as long as you “do your homework” and take care of your body after you kick them off at the end of the day. With a few simple adjustments to your posture and what I like to call foot rehab you’ll be strutting your stuff without the negative side effects.

1.) Stretch Out: One of the reasons our legs and booty look so damn great when we wear heels is because the heel causes the calf and hamstring muscles on the back of the leg to work. The heel also jacks up the booty, causing more pressure on the low back. Overtime, tight hamstrings and an overextended low back can cause low back pain and tight hips putting undue stress on the spine. The simple solution is to stretch your hamstrings, low back, and calves with a fold over. Hold this stretch for at least 30 seconds and repeat every time you take off your heels.

2.) Swap For Flats: If you currently wear heels everyday, swap them for a cute pair of flats every other day. Or better yet, save the heels for going out at night only. If you have to wear them at work, slip on more comfortable and supportive shoes to and from the office.

3.) Strengthen Your Core: Part of healthy heel wearing has to do with how you hold your posture while they are on. The tendency is to sit or rest in the low back with hyperextended knees, a swayed back look. Combat this while you stand and walk in heels by pulling in the low abdominals. Stand as straight and tall as you can and watch what your belly does. Does it just hang out over you jeans or are you actively trying to stand up tall and support the low back with your core? Strengthen your abdominals with the plethora of ab exercises out there. To target the low abs try this one:

4.) Massage Out The Arches: Use an old tennis ball to roll out the arches of your feet. After a long day on your feet, stand on a tennis ball under your heel and slowly roll the ball under the middle and both sides of your arch. Lean on the ball with more weight to increase the intensity. Spread out the toes and get those bones moving around. Over working the muscles and fascia of the arches can lead to plantar fascitis and other foot ailments.

5.) Watch Your Alignment: When you are walking in your favorite pumps do your ankles wobble or roll in? Take note of how your ankle and foot are aligned. Ideally your ankle is not rolling in or out of the shoe. You want your knee cap to line up with your ankle, which should line up with the middle of your foot. Check out how you weight bare as well. Are you carrying all your weight on the ball of the foot? Weight bearing on the ball of the foot will cause the bones of the foot to move/grow to carry the weight (a bunion). Try to even out the weight distribution to both sides of the foot.

6.) Find Shoes That Fit: If you’ve got a wide foot there’s no way your going to squeeze your feet into those cute Chinese Laundry pumps. Be realistic and find brands that fit the width and shape of your foot. When shoe shopping make sure you can feel the whole foot pad, ball of the foot, middle and pinky side. Avoid super pointed or flat toed shoes since they cramp your toes and force the bones into really unnatural shapes. Overly cramped toes can lead to hammer toes, stress fractures and black nails. Ever looked at a models feet?

As a life long dancer and current Pilates professional, who has tortured her feet in point shoes and now bare foot, I have seen and felt the woes of foot related pain. Take care of your feet now so can walk, run and dance into your 90’s. For more facts and information about the effects of high heels, click here.

Several a summer mornings you’ll find me sunscreen and towel in hand, waiting for the first glimmer of sun to peak through the fog. Growing up in a surf town like Santa Cruz, life revolves around the beach and surf. The guys adamantly check the surf report searching for the days best tides and waves, while the girls don their bikinis and shades in preparation for another lazy day of basking in the sun and chatting up cute boys who happen to wonder by. Life can’t get much better!

Long days at the beach, though fantastic, can’t exist without some essentials. Beach bums worship the sun knowing they must protect their skin and hair vehemently from UVA/B rays. With that in mind, here’s my list of beach bum necessities and a few not so vital must haves.

1.) Duh…Sunscreen: When it comes to sun block the Hawaiians know what’s up. HIC (Hawaiian Island Creations) created the strongest defense against both UVA and UVB rays. Available in either a 30 or 50 SPF, this long lasting, stay put formula is slathered on by some of the top pro surfers in the world. When you’re in and out of the water, or dripping sweat from an intense volleyball match, you’ll be covered with no worries about the block running in your eyes. Don’t miss out on their 30 SPF lip balm either. Lips are the most sensitive skin on the face, and sadly almost always neglected. Coat yourself head to toe 20 minutes before heading to the beach.

2.) A Shield For Hair? The sun is notorious for lightening even the most permanent die job. Shield the sun by running a treatment mask or conditioner with UV-deflecting ingredients. These products seal hair’s cuticle layer to help prevent fading. Toss a hat in your beach bag or spritz on a leave-in conditioner like Ouidad Sun Shield Spray, $20.

3.) Accessories Galore: You’ll need a big tote to haul your beach gear.
Pack one of these with:

-Towel
-Hat
-Shades
-Frisbee or other tossable goodie
-Reusable H20 bottle
-Sunscreen
-Beer- optional, but always highly recommended and appreciated.

4.) Slippers: Otherwise known as flip flops or sandals, you’ll need some protection when walking or riding from the beach. My style, barefoot all the way. Keep a few cheap bright colored pair around.

5.) To and Fro: Parking will forever be a nightmare at any beach parking lot, so spare yourself the stress and cruise to the water. Hop onto one of these babies.

Now that you’re all set to hit the sand, relax and soak it all in.

The last time I checked we only have one life, one time, one chance to experience the world. Kind of scary yes?! But that’s exactly why we can’t waste a minute on this fabulous planet. What’s the point of negativity, playing it safe, and stress. This is your life and you have the ability to create who you are, and then go play.

Most recently for my 23rd birthday last week I had the amazing opportunity to skydive. While jumping from a perfectly good plane might seem like total insanity to you… it puts life in perspective and throws you into the reality of existence. If there’s one thing I have learned through my very short life it’s that taking risks is the first step in creating change and growth in yourself. Whether it’s bungee jumping, ending a long term relationship, or opening your own business, we must be daring and courageous. When you are at the end of your fantastic run in life you don’t want to look back and regret a thing. Act now, make the decision, and dive in to life!

Without challenge, fear and reckless abandonment for your passions the glass ceiling will stop an inch above your head. In my personal life and probably in some of yours, it’s time to (I hate to say it) but man up and soak up the trials and successes. Because after all, in the end what “matters most is how much did you love, how much did you learn, how much did you live.”

Amber Skydiving from Eddie D on Vimeo.

“Once you have tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been and there you long to return.”
-Leonardo da Vinci
Pioneer of Human Flight