Align Pilates® Minneapolis

Fellow Minnesotans, we have been blessed with gorgeous fall weather as of late. I hope everybody is enjoying the sunshine and warmth sans wool sweaters. No, it’s not gloomy out yet. But, yes, it will be. Ain’t that the sad truth. Although it’s always hard to mentally and physically prepare for Old Man Winter (a reoccurring smelly and beastly character here at the Align blog), we can still give it the college try.

To that end, here are some happy habits to add to your early winter arsenal. This herbal tool kit includes St. John’s Wort, Lemon Balm and Oat Tops, all of which can be incorporated into tasty tea drinks. These concoctions can help combat cold weather hum-drums once this beauteous fall finally disappears into uber early sunsets, wool socks and comforting reruns of 90210. And if nothing else, using these natural mood lifters will allow you to use the word ‘tincture’ in a sentence. And sometimes there’s just nothing more fun than that.

You are aware that plopping down in front of your computer is great for catching up on your pop culture, participating on Facebook shenanigans and Tweeting about how much you love eggs. But using the ol’ PC to fight the ever-present weight loss battler? Bwahaha, you scoff. That’s just plain silly. I can’t possibly shed pounds while sitting on my duff. Well, you would be wrong. But don’t take it personally.

Turns out that logging hours on your personal computer might actually help you work toward your weight loss goals. A new study by the National Institute of Health (see Social Workout and Science Daily) suggests that the web can be a great tool for those looking to get rid of unwanted pounds. The study asked folks to log onto an interactive, online weight loss management site to track their weight, minutes of exercise and the number of days they kept food diaries. Accountability and consistency were the tricks to this system. Those who stuck to their guns and regularly logged on to the site had the most success in keeping off the weight.

We do, however, regret to inform you that your Facebook stalking habits will not help you lose anything…except maybe your dignity.

Having lived in vintage Minneapolis apartments for a good chunk of my adult life, I had gotten used to not having a dishwasher. I grew accustomed to telling myself that it was okay —a dishwasher was just one appliance that I didn’t need and could surely live without. And besides, hand washing dishes is so retro, so gloriously shabby chic, so green. Clearly, I only said this because I didn’t have one and I wanted one so effing bad.

And then one day, my domestic dishwasher dreams came true. But I do not forget my hand washing roots and often find myself thanking the gods that I have one of these modern appliances. It makes washing so easy, so user friendly, so prune-hands free. And as I load ‘er up, poor in the detergent, turn the dial to the desired wash setting and walk away to watch reality TV, I often wonder what goes on behind my washer’s closed door. I mean, don’t you? Well now we all can find out our dishwashers’ dirty little secrets. Learn where to load what and why (drinking glasses on the top shelf, butter knives ‘business end’ down… that sort of thing) and then click further to discover the mysterious mechanics behind your automated helper’s dish washing process.

And if you are like the old me and don’t yet have the convenience of a dishwasher, it’s okay. Just keep appreciating the small things in life, and then get out and buy yourself a nice pair of these. One day, you’ll find your own dishwasher in shining stainless steel or white linoleum. And then you too can forget that you ever pretended you didn’t need one.

I know most of us probably don’t need an excuse to sleep more. But you’ve got one anyway — Sleep: Good for the Brain and the Belly. Turns out that getting the right amount of shuteye every night not only ensures that we dot all of our I’s and cross all of our T’s with a coherent brain each day, but it also safeguards us against packing on the extra pounds. It’s true. Did you know that the body continues to burn calories while you are asleep? Did you know that people who get six hours of sleep per night are 23% more at risk for obesity than those who get a solid 7 or 8 hours? AND did you know that the two hormones associated with sleep deprivation are leptin and ghrelin? Looks like someone’s got some other things to catch up on besides a nap. Just sayin’.