Align Pilates® Minneapolis

You know what’s great? Expiration dates. I mean, wouldn’t life be grand if more than just dairy products could tell you when they’ve passed their prime, say a questionable boy friend or your skinny jeans? While you can’t, unfortunately, flip over Mr. Maybe and look for an end date like a tub of yogurt in your fridge, the show must go on. So thank goodness life provides smart things like these: Beauty Alerts. It’s kind of like using a grown up (and less repulsed looking) version of Mr. Yuk. Slap one on a new beauty product and pencil in the date of first use. Now you’ll know when it’s time to ditch it like last month’s sour cream, or blind date, as the case may be.

Vitamins. There’s always a different story. Today, a supplement is good for something, and tomorrow it’s out like last year’s jeans. I give you Exhibit A: yesterday’s CNN post on fish oil. Despite recent popular opinion, fish oil (among other vitamins) apparently does nothing for mental clarity. Okay, so I always knew that the omega 3’s in fish oil are good for the ol’ heart (or so I have been told). But admittedly, I was never aware that it maybe, sort of, almost potentially had the powers to cure what our mother refers to as senior moments. Confused? Well, maybe this will help: Information is Beautiful. This site not only paints a pretty picture, but it sheds some light on the vitamin debacle, illustrating the “tangible health benefits of dietary supplements when taken orally by an adult with a healthy diet.” The hierarchy of bubbles is continually updated based on the latest research for or against a vitamin. The higher the bubble, the greater the sway is toward its effectiveness. Still confused? That’s okay. It’s still nice to look at.

It takes approximately 450-1000 years for the average plastic bottle to biodegrade.

Whoa. Think of that next time you reach for your favorite laundry detergent, soda or cleaning product in the Target aisle. And just to make matters a little worse, the timeliness of plastic biodegradability is also affected by the type of bottle (the reusable hard kind, or the non-reusable soft type) as well as the actual size of bottle.

But none of this matters if you turn to New Soap, Old Bottle. Just as the name suggests, the smarty pants behind this company sell new soap in old plastic soda and water bottles as well as glass beer bottles. Each bottle is cleansed, sanitized and devoid of all cooties, allowing you to cleanse, sanitize and de-cootie your body, home AND environment. You can even go a step further by selling your own old bottles for soap-filling. After all, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.

Chocolate is good. But the unattractive side effects of a steady consumption of chocolate? Not so much. But hang on, choco-lovers. We’ve got good news. Say goodbye to the unsightly relatives of chocolate: overindulgence, stomach ache and the ever-popular, back fat. Dean & Deluca, the “purveyors of fine food, wine & kitchenware,” have introduced a healthy brand of chocolate: Moo Kids Chocolate Bars. Okay, so they may have been made for children. But these yummy morsels are created from nutritious Swiss milk chocolate, natural grains and other all-natural, absolutely scrumdiddlyumptious ingredients. And there’s nothing childish about a wholesome snack, now is there?

We hereby give you permission to unleash the kind in moo. I mean you.

So long, February! At long last, we have reached March. So far, it has arrived like a docile lamb. Although we know that winter’s lion will have at least one last roar before we enter into full-on spring, we have absolutely no complaints about the upper 40 degree temps we are reveling here in the Twin Cities. (Could we reach 50 degrees by Friday?!) And even though Ms. Nature is probably being a horrible tease right now, this does not mean we can’t start planning for spring. To that end, here is a helpful list of timely March to-do’s.

‘Tis the season to whip out your mops and brooms, start driving away the dust and grime that Old Man Winter tracked in under his boots and prepare to let a little sunshine in. It’s also a good time to not only prepare your home, but prepare your body and mind for the upcoming season: start stocking up on spring foods, get those pesky finances in order and ditch a day at the gym to work out in the fresh air.

After all, there is a time for all things—a time for work, a time for play and a time to clean your dryer vents.