Healthy lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle is one which helps to keep and improve people's health and well-being.Many governments and non-governmental organizations have made big efforts in healthy lifestyle and health promotion.
Mental Health
Mental health can be considered a very important factor of physical health for the effects it produces on bodily functions. This type of health concerns emotional and cognitive well-being or an absence of mental disorder.
Public health
Public health can be defined in a variety of ways. It can be presented as "the study of the physical, psychosocial and socio-cultural determinants of population health and actions to improve the health of the population.
Reproductive Health
For the UN, reproductive health is a right, like other human rights. This recent concept evokes the good transmission of the genetic heritage from one generation to the next.
Health
Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
samedi 18 mai 2019
My SO and I Lived Together Before We Got Married, and It Was the Best Decision We Ever Made
My husband and I didn't mean to move in together as early as we did. When we started dating, I was living in Yonkers during the first year of my MFA program, and he was living in Harlem during his first year of law school, because that's what happens when you adjust your Tinder location settings to show your potential matches within a 30-mile radius. It may have only been a 30-minute car ride, but when you're 22 and just out of undergrad, that's basically a long-distance relationship.
But since I was interning in the city, staying over at his apartment a few nights a week soon turned into several nights a week, which eventually turned into every night. I'd return to my Yonkers apartment once a week to unpack my bag, do laundry, and pack up again. Eventually I said, "I really should be paying half of your rent rather than paying rent for an apartment I don't live in," and he said, "I definitely wouldn't hate that."
Sharing a space allowed us to confirm just how compatible we were, and knowing that made marriage feel less like a scary change and more like an awesome inevitability.
So after just over a year of dating, we unofficially moved in together, and another eight months after that, we officially signed a lease. Living together presented its challenges, especially when I was invading a space that had initially been intended just for him. When he pushed the clothes aside in his closet to offer a third of the rack (an amount that he thought pretty generous), I shook my head and said, "Not gonna work." The first time I made a smoothie in the kitchen before his alarm had gone off, he came out of the bedroom and said, "Absolutely not." We dealt with stomach bugs, we negotiated shower schedules, and we nagged each other about crumbs on the counter and shoes left in the hall, but eventually, we found the middle ground and became perfect roommates.
Okay, not perfect, but pretty close to it. By the time we got married, my now-husband and I had been living together for nearly three years and had confidently ascertained that no matter how much time we spent together, we would never get sick of each other. When you live together, there's no hiding bad habits or annoying tendencies. We'd seen the good, the bad, and the ugly, and we'd worked through it all. When we returned home from our honeymoon as husband and wife, I didn't have to worry about snoring or washing off my makeup at the end of the day. We hadn't just learned to live amicably together over the years - we'd learned to live comfortably together, and it had made us fall even deeper in love.
To me, living together before marriage was an essential step in our relationship. Rather than returning to the safety of my own apartment when I was under the weather or down in the dumps, living together forced me to work through my bad moods alongside my partner. Sharing a space allowed us to confirm just how compatible we were, and knowing that made marriage feel less like a scary change and more like an awesome inevitability.
My SO and I Lived Together Before We Got Married, and It Was the Best Decision We Ever Made
My husband and I didn't mean to move in together as early as we did. When we started dating, I was living in Yonkers during the first year of my MFA program, and he was living in Harlem during his first year of law school, because that's what happens when you adjust your Tinder location settings to show your potential matches within a 30-mile radius. It may have only been a 30-minute car ride, but when you're 22 and just out of undergrad, that's basically a long-distance relationship.
But since I was interning in the city, staying over at his apartment a few nights a week soon turned into several nights a week, which eventually turned into every night. I'd return to my Yonkers apartment once a week to unpack my bag, do laundry, and pack up again. Eventually I said, "I really should be paying half of your rent rather than paying rent for an apartment I don't live in," and he said, "I definitely wouldn't hate that."
Sharing a space allowed us to confirm just how compatible we were, and knowing that made marriage feel less like a scary change and more like an awesome inevitability.
So after just over a year of dating, we unofficially moved in together, and another eight months after that, we officially signed a lease. Living together presented its challenges, especially when I was invading a space that had initially been intended just for him. When he pushed the clothes aside in his closet to offer a third of the rack (an amount that he thought pretty generous), I shook my head and said, "Not gonna work." The first time I made a smoothie in the kitchen before his alarm had gone off, he came out of the bedroom and said, "Absolutely not." We dealt with stomach bugs, we negotiated shower schedules, and we nagged each other about crumbs on the counter and shoes left in the hall, but eventually, we found the middle ground and became perfect roommates.
Okay, not perfect, but pretty close to it. By the time we got married, my now-husband and I had been living together for nearly three years and had confidently ascertained that no matter how much time we spent together, we would never get sick of each other. When you live together, there's no hiding bad habits or annoying tendencies. We'd seen the good, the bad, and the ugly, and we'd worked through it all. When we returned home from our honeymoon as husband and wife, I didn't have to worry about snoring or washing off my makeup at the end of the day. We hadn't just learned to live amicably together over the years - we'd learned to live comfortably together, and it had made us fall even deeper in love.
To me, living together before marriage was an essential step in our relationship. Rather than returning to the safety of my own apartment when I was under the weather or down in the dumps, living together forced me to work through my bad moods alongside my partner. Sharing a space allowed us to confirm just how compatible we were, and knowing that made marriage feel less like a scary change and more like an awesome inevitability.
dimanche 15 octobre 2017
The 1 Purchase That Completely Transformed My Living Room For the Better
Transitioning from my postcollege Ikea and hand-me-down furniture years to a 30-something home dweller with "adult"-quality pieces has been a decade-long process. Over the years, I've swapped out various cheap or outdated chairs, bookcases, dressers, tables, and even our bed and sofa, but one of the most daunting purchases I've continued to put off is a new area rug for our living room. Since moving into our apartment more than five years ago, we've had my parents' well-used oriental rug they bought in the early '80s on display in our apartment's main living space. A quality piece, sure, but it was faded to the point where you couldn't really decipher a pattern anymore, with various stains and discolorations. As you can see in the photo above, not great.
The Struggle
The two major things holding me back from buying a new rug were the cost and the style. To spend a fair amount of money on a large, quality area rug, you want to make sure you're buying something you'll love and continue to love for years to come. I was scared to commit to something with a lot of pattern or color in case I got sick of it or wanted to switch up the style of our space. My gut instinct was to go with something simple in a neutral color. The only problem is that when it comes to color options for pretty much anything, I typically gravitate toward gray, so almost everything in the living room was already on the grayish side - pillows, throws, sectional, desk, coffee table, etc. I worried that if I went with a "safe" neutral-colored rug, the whole room would continue to look bland and boring. I also need to give credit where credit is due. My husband was the one pushing for "something with color" as he hated the old rug and desperately wanted something colorful to infuse some life into the space.
The Search Begins . . . and Ends
I conceded and agreed it was time to bite the bullet and get a new rug . . . with color. So I went to Pinterest and pinned the sh*t out of my favorite rug styles. I started to notice a pattern with what I was drawn to - I loved the look of bold red Persian and oriental rugs, especially when paired with natural woods and grays, similar to our current living room look. After getting the thumbs up from my husband and doing some online research on what to look for in terms of quality, I went forth to "just look" at what was available at my favorite monthly event, the Alameda swap meet. I had looked at rugs online, but I really wanted to see one in person to get a more accurate read of the color and feel.
Now, Alameda is an enormous flea market with quite a few rug vendors, so it was overwhelming at first to flip through rugs row after row. But, only a few rows, in I spotted "the one" peeking out from under a pile. I was still early in my hunt, so after inquiring about the price, I continued on. But every rug I saw after that just didn't compare to that one, and I started to get more and more anxious about someone else snagging it. I practically ran back to "the one" and examined it closer, asking the vendor more questions and negotiating a cheaper price before pulling the trigger.
The "After"
Money exchanged hands and the rug was stuffed into our Mini, but the nerves started to kick in as I questioned myself the whole drive home. What if it didn't look good in the space? What if it clashed with the sofa? What if the color was all wrong and I was too blinded by the giddy excitement of the swap meet to realize it? Well, I'm happy to report that the rug was a great success, and, in fact, it completely and utterly transformed our living room in the best possible way. All we keep saying every day since then is, "Wow, thank God we got that rug." It just makes us both so happy and warms up the space. I couldn't believe how big of an impact it had on the entire apartment, and I'm so glad that I took a risk with a bold color and didn't go with something "safe." You only live once, and it's amazing how something as silly as a rug can improve your space and, in turn, your well-being.
vendredi 13 octobre 2017
The 1 Purchase That Completely Transformed My Living Room For the Better
Transitioning from my postcollege Ikea and hand-me-down furniture years to a 30-something home dweller with "adult"-quality pieces has been a decade-long process. Over the years, I've swapped out various cheap or outdated chairs, bookcases, dressers, tables, and even our bed and sofa, but one of the most daunting purchases I've continued to put off is a new area rug for our living room. Since moving into our apartment more than five years ago, we've had my parents' well-used oriental rug they bought in the early '80s on display in our apartment's main living space. A quality piece, sure, but it was faded to the point where you couldn't really decipher a pattern anymore, with various stains and discolorations. As you can see in the photo above, not great.
The Struggle
The two major things holding me back from buying a new rug were the cost and the style. To spend a fair amount of money on a large, quality area rug, you want to make sure you're buying something you'll love and continue to love for years to come. I was scared to commit to something with a lot of pattern or color in case I got sick of it or wanted to switch up the style of our space. My gut instinct was to go with something simple in a neutral color. The only problem is that when it comes to color options for pretty much anything, I typically gravitate toward gray, so almost everything in the living room was already on the grayish side - pillows, throws, sectional, desk, coffee table, etc. I worried that if I went with a "safe" neutral-colored rug, the whole room would continue to look bland and boring. I also need to give credit where credit is due. My husband was the one pushing for "something with color" as he hated the old rug and desperately wanted something colorful to infuse some life into the space.
The Search Begins . . . and Ends
I conceded and agreed it was time to bite the bullet and get a new rug . . . with color. So I went to Pinterest and pinned the sh*t out of my favorite rug styles. I started to notice a pattern with what I was drawn to - I loved the look of bold red Persian and oriental rugs, especially when paired with natural woods and grays, similar to our current living room look. After getting the thumbs up from my husband and doing some online research on what to look for in terms of quality, I went forth to "just look" at what was available at my favorite monthly event, the Alameda swap meet. I had looked at rugs online, but I really wanted to see one in person to get a more accurate read of the color and feel.
Now, Alameda is an enormous flea market with quite a few rug vendors, so it was overwhelming at first to flip through rugs row after row. But, only a few rows, in I spotted "the one" peeking out from under a pile. I was still early in my hunt, so after inquiring about the price, I continued on. But every rug I saw after that just didn't compare to that one, and I started to get more and more anxious about someone else snagging it. I practically ran back to "the one" and examined it closer, asking the vendor more questions and negotiating a cheaper price before pulling the trigger.
The "After"
Money exchanged hands and the rug was stuffed into our Mini, but the nerves started to kick in as I questioned myself the whole drive home. What if it didn't look good in the space? What if it clashed with the sofa? What if the color was all wrong and I was too blinded by the giddy excitement of the swap meet to realize it? Well, I'm happy to report that the rug was a great success, and, in fact, it completely and utterly transformed our living room in the best possible way. All we keep saying every day since then is, "Wow, thank God we got that rug." It just makes us both so happy and warms up the space. I couldn't believe how big of an impact it had on the entire apartment, and I'm so glad that I took a risk with a bold color and didn't go with something "safe." You only live once, and it's amazing how something as silly as a rug can improve your space and, in turn, your well-being.
mercredi 11 octobre 2017
The 1 Purchase That Completely Transformed My Living Room For the Better
Transitioning from my postcollege Ikea and hand-me-down furniture years to a 30-something home dweller with "adult"-quality pieces has been a decade-long process. Over the years, I've swapped out various cheap or outdated chairs, bookcases, dressers, tables, and even our bed and sofa, but one of the most daunting purchases I've continued to put off is a new area rug for our living room. Since moving into our apartment more than five years ago, we've had my parents' well-used oriental rug they bought in the early '80s on display in our apartment's main living space. A quality piece, sure, but it was faded to the point where you couldn't really decipher a pattern anymore, with various stains and discolorations. As you can see in the photo above, not great.
The Struggle
The two major things holding me back from buying a new rug were the cost and the style. To spend a fair amount of money on a large, quality area rug, you want to make sure you're buying something you'll love and continue to love for years to come. I was scared to commit to something with a lot of pattern or color in case I got sick of it or wanted to switch up the style of our space. My gut instinct was to go with something simple in a neutral color. The only problem is that when it comes to color options for pretty much anything, I typically gravitate toward gray, so almost everything in the living room was already on the grayish side - pillows, throws, sectional, desk, coffee table, etc. I worried that if I went with a "safe" neutral-colored rug, the whole room would continue to look bland and boring. I also need to give credit where credit is due. My husband was the one pushing for "something with color" as he hated the old rug and desperately wanted something colorful to infuse some life into the space.
The Search Begins . . . and Ends
I conceded and agreed it was time to bite the bullet and get a new rug . . . with color. So I went to Pinterest and pinned the sh*t out of my favorite rug styles. I started to notice a pattern with what I was drawn to - I loved the look of bold red Persian and oriental rugs, especially when paired with natural woods and grays, similar to our current living room look. After getting the thumbs up from my husband and doing some online research on what to look for in terms of quality, I went forth to "just look" at what was available at my favorite monthly event, the Alameda swap meet. I had looked at rugs online, but I really wanted to see one in person to get a more accurate read of the color and feel.
Now, Alameda is an enormous flea market with quite a few rug vendors, so it was overwhelming at first to flip through rugs row after row. But, only a few rows, in I spotted "the one" peeking out from under a pile. I was still early in my hunt, so after inquiring about the price, I continued on. But every rug I saw after that just didn't compare to that one, and I started to get more and more anxious about someone else snagging it. I practically ran back to "the one" and examined it closer, asking the vendor more questions and negotiating a cheaper price before pulling the trigger.
The "After"
Money exchanged hands and the rug was stuffed into our Mini, but the nerves started to kick in as I questioned myself the whole drive home. What if it didn't look good in the space? What if it clashed with the sofa? What if the color was all wrong and I was too blinded by the giddy excitement of the swap meet to realize it? Well, I'm happy to report that the rug was a great success, and, in fact, it completely and utterly transformed our living room in the best possible way. All we keep saying every day since then is, "Wow, thank God we got that rug." It just makes us both so happy and warms up the space. I couldn't believe how big of an impact it had on the entire apartment, and I'm so glad that I took a risk with a bold color and didn't go with something "safe." You only live once, and it's amazing how something as silly as a rug can improve your space and, in turn, your well-being.
samedi 10 juin 2017
9 Surprising Truths No One Tells You About Moving Into a Tiny Home
The meteoric rise of the tiny-house movement in recent years has been spurred on by contemporary homeowners' desire for a simpler, unfettered life. While these micro dwellings do come with some great perks - they're inexpensive and low-maintenance, freeing up time and money for other things - they also come with a few lesser-known cons. Before you sell off your belongings and take the dive into the tiny-living lifestyle, get all the information. Check out nine surprising truths of tiny-home ownership below.
Basic Life Functions
Everyday things you take for granted in a standard house, like getting mail and doing laundry, require thought when living in a tiny house. If you decide to downsize, you'll likely find yourself going outside the home to pick up letters at a P.O. box or wash clothes at the laundromat.
Legal Trouble
One of the biggest - and least known - complications of living in a tiny home is the legality of it. Many states have minimum home size requirements that tiny houses don't meet, making them illegal dwellings. There are some ways to navigate around this, such as having the house reside on land where it's a secondary accessory dwelling to an approved primary house or trying to have it registered as an RV. But these are complicated issues that require serious research. Ignore them, and you could find your tiny home with an eviction notice on it.
Clutter Reality
The beautiful images of tiny homes that fuel your daydreams have been styled to Pinterest perfection. In reality, tiny homes get messy just as fast, if not faster, than traditional homes. In such a tight space, it begins to feel cluttered the second an item is out of place.
Entertaining Limitations
Say goodbye to big dinner parties. With a good floor plan, you can squeeze one other couple in, but otherwise you'll need some outdoor space to accommodate company. And when it comes to having overnight guests, you'll need a fold-out chair and an adventurous guest (and yes, that was guest singular). There just isn't room for more.
Forced Intimacy
If you plan on moving in with another person, prepare to get up close and personal. There's no private space to escape off to for alone time. You'll be constantly connected and have to compromise on basic things such as what to cook for dinner (no room to prep two meals) to what TV show to watch (only one set).
Plumbing Considerations
Depending on how often you plan on moving your home and where you plan on moving it to, there are several plumbing options. Homes can be built to plug into sanitation and electricity infrastructure in RV parks, have a pressurized water hookup to connect to a hose when parked in a backyard, or even collect rainwater and have compostable toilets for those looking to go off the grid. All require more work than plumbing in traditional homes.
Health Changes
Before taking the plunge, consider how your circumstances might change within the next few years. Changes in health or a growing family can seriously impact your ability to live in a tiny house; for example, it will be nearly impossible to navigate your way up to a loft bed if poor health causes your mobility to be limited or you're heavily pregnant.
Lifestyle Proclivity
If you're a homebody or one who enjoys decorating the house and tending to the yard on the weekend, you may not be suited for microhome living. Those who prefer being in the great outdoors and detest home maintenance - and generally live their lives outside of their home - tend to fare best in the microhome community, as domestic activities and decorating are extremely limited.
Downsized Belongings
One of the biggest perks is also one of the biggest challenges to small-space living: getting rid of things. On one hand it's very liberating to toss most of your belongings, but on the other hand downsizing means you have to get rid of some sentimental and valued pieces. If you're not willing to part with Grandma's treasured dress collection or heirloom antique furniture, then you might not be ready for a microhome.
dimanche 30 avril 2017
Do These 3 Things in Your Living Room to Lose Weight
You're already binge watching the highly addictive 13 Reasons Why, or maybe the heartwarming This is Us is more your speed. Since you know you'll be in in your living room for 30 to 60 minutes, it's the perfect time to fit in a little fitness. Every little bit helps, so even if you don't feel like doing a full workout, doing even five minutes can help build muscle and burn calories. Here are three things you should do in your living room to encourage weight loss.
- Get a crate: Set up your own little home gym in your living room, and keep all the equipment in a crate or drawer. Store dumbbells, a jump rope, a resistance band, and a yoga mat, and every time you sit down to watch TV, you'll see the crate and feel inspired to move. Try this at-home fat-blasting cardio workout or grab a couch and a pillow for this 10-minute couch workout.
- Write it down: Every time you make time for a living room workout, record it in a fitness journal (a plain notebook will do) that you keep in your home gym crate. It's helpful to look back at old workouts when you need a little inspiration, and seeing written proof of all your exercise efforts will also motivate you to stick with it and do more workouts! This is also a great place to keep printable workouts like these.
- Don't use your coffee table for coffee: If you have a sturdy coffee table, there are tons of exercises you can do using it like you would a bench at the gym. Try these:
- step-ups holding a set of dumbbells by your side
- step-ups with a shoulder press
- step-ups with an upright row
- triceps dips
- ab- and- arm-toning hip lifts
- elevated lunges
- elevated push-ups
mardi 19 septembre 2017
How This Heartbreaking Outlander Scene Hearkens Back to Season 1
This season on Outlander, Jamie and Claire are spending all of their time apart (so far) as they live their lives 200 years apart - and both in less-than-ideal circumstances. Jamie's years of living in the cave at Lallybroch might just be the worst span of either of their respective times apart. He's isolated and frustrated at his inability to help his family for fear of putting them in the Redcoats' crosshairs, which is why after seven years of living like a hermit, Jamie decides the best course of action is to sacrifice his freedom for his family's well-being so they can stop living in constant fear and he can stop living such a lonely life.
Since there is a price on Jamie's head, he, his sister Jenny, and his brother-in-law Ian concoct a scheme wherein she "turns him in" to the British, as he is wanted for the crime of treason for the part he had played in Bonnie Prince Charlie's attempted Scottish uprising. The money Jenny receives for selling her brother out will go toward keeping the people of Lallybroch alive.
Jenny doesn't want to go along with the plan initially, horrified at the idea of turning Jamie in and worried that he'll be hung for treason. But the British aren't really hanging Jacobite fighters anymore at this point, they're only imprisoning them, so he thinks he'll be all right, and at least it's better than living as a fugitive forever.
After a lovely send-off from Mary McNab where she shaves off his unruly beard and cuts his hair, then offers herself to him bodily so that they both may feel some kind of connection (her husband having died years earlier), Jamie and Jenny stage his capture. Laura Donnelly really kills it in the scene, conveying both Jenny's indignant front for the Redcoats and also the intense heartbreak at going along with this scheme - she looks like she's almost going to throw up as she shouts to her brother that she'll "never forgive" him and runs into the house while the Redcoats drag him off.
On set last October, Donnelly told us that Jenny has a hard time in season three, because she feels very "protective" of Jamie, but she also doesn't know how to help him after suffering through losing Claire.
"[Jamie has] gone through such a huge change and is kind of in a distant state [when he returns], which affects both Jenny and Ian," said Donnelly. "It absolutely breaks Jenny's heart to see Jamie like this. I think Jenny's perspective of it will be quite similar, I imagine, to how the fans will see those first episodes, because that's not the Jamie they know. He's a beloved character and they have to go through the pain of watching somebody suffer immensely and for a long period of time for the loss of something they've also built up a love for as well. This relationship is hugely important to the fans, and with that gone, it's horrible to watch."
So it's understandable why turning Jamie in is so immensely hard on Jenny, even if she knows it's probably the best course of action. The scene, set in the courtyard of Lallybroch, is a nice callback to the season one scene when the Redcoats attack the estate and Black Jack Randall is going to rape Jenny before Jamie defends her and is arrested, then taken to Fort William to be flogged. It's a similar confrontation, but this time Jenny and Jamie are in on it, which makes it all that much harder for them.
This current surrender plot plays out pretty much the same way it plays out in the book, Voyager, with Jamie now hauled off to Ardsmuir Prison. In the timeline, it is now 1753, 10 years after Jamie first meets Claire when she comes tumbling through the stones and falls out in 1743. He has a long way to go before they're going to be reunited.
jeudi 28 mars 2019
An Artist Illustrates the Joys of Living Alone, and It's Perfect
Anyone who's lived alone knows of the benefits and joys that come along with it. LA artist Yaoyao Ma Van As beautifully captured what single dwelling is like in her illustrations, which will either make you appreciate your pad for one or consider ditching your roommates.
While it can seem scary and lonely, living by yourself has perks, from those as small as not having to split TV time to experiencing personal growth. Having many moments to yourself can mean the occasional loneliness, but it only fosters your independence. Besides, once you get used to the situation, you'll realize how awesome it is to have the whole space to yourself.
This intimate series shows a time in Yaoyao's life before she got married, when she lived alone with her adorable dog Parker (you'll see him ahead). "While living on my own, I learned that yes, I can do it by myself, and that I don't have to be afraid to do it by myself," Yaoyao told POPSUGAR. "As far as recommending that everyone experience solo living, I think no matter what, it's just important to be comfortable with yourself. It's not something for everyone, but if you're in that position, embrace it while you're living it."
See her beautiful work ahead!
mardi 1 août 2017
Pottery Barn Finally Launched the Small-Space Collection We've Been Waiting For
With many Americans living in apartments and the size of the average home shrinking, it's safe to say that the small-space living trend isn't going away. Luckily for those tight on space, beloved home retailer Pottery Barn has decided to jump on the trend. This Spring they expanded their offerings to include products tailored to the needs and challenges of small-space living. The new offerings were met with such success that Pottery Barn has just announced plans to extend the collection, offering even more small-space living pieces and selling them at a larger selection of stores.
"The collection will debut new styles that are designed and engineered to be size-conscious and multi-functional, offering solutions for smaller living spaces. Each piece is constructed with the same high-quality artisanal design Pottery Barn is known for to appeal to a range of lifestyles at an accessible price," Pottery Barn stated in a press release.
Some standout pieces include the Alice Gateleg Table ($399) that features extendable leafs to accommodate more or less diners and has built-in shelving for additional storage. The new upholstered SoMa Sofa Collection ($699-1,759) is scaled down to better fit small spaces and is equipped with hidden storage or a sleeper bed beneath the cushions. More flex-use items include the Rainier Galvanized Cart ($99), which provides mobile, multi-use storage, and in lieu of a big closet there's a space-saving modular clothing rack with floor mirror ($159).
The collection embraces Pottery Barn's signature handcrafted, historic aesthetic. It can be purchased in its entirety online, while in-store sales have just been extended from 15 Pottery Barn Flagship Stores to 56 stores nationwide.
mardi 20 juin 2017
10 Things It Girls Always Have in Their Living Rooms
Need some inspiration to give your living room a bit of an update? From small tweaks to bigger transformations, the living rooms of our favorite bloggers are filled with ideas you'll want to replicate in your own home.
dimanche 30 avril 2017
Do These 3 Things in Your Living Room to Lose Weight
You're already binge watching the highly addictive 13 Reasons Why, or maybe the heartwarming This is Us is more your speed. Since you know you'll be in in your living room for 30 to 60 minutes, it's the perfect time to fit in a little fitness. Every little bit helps, so even if you don't feel like doing a full workout, doing even five minutes can help build muscle and burn calories. Here are three things you should do in your living room to encourage weight loss.
- Get a crate: Set up your own little home gym in your living room, and keep all the equipment in a crate or drawer. Store dumbbells, a jump rope, a resistance band, and a yoga mat, and every time you sit down to watch TV, you'll see the crate and feel inspired to move. Try this at-home fat-blasting cardio workout or grab a couch and a pillow for this 10-minute couch workout.
- Write it down: Every time you make time for a living room workout, record it in a fitness journal (a plain notebook will do) that you keep in your home gym crate. It's helpful to look back at old workouts when you need a little inspiration, and seeing written proof of all your exercise efforts will also motivate you to stick with it and do more workouts! This is also a great place to keep printable workouts like these.
- Don't use your coffee table for coffee: If you have a sturdy coffee table, there are tons of exercises you can do using it like you would a bench at the gym. Try these:
- step-ups holding a set of dumbbells by your side
- step-ups with a shoulder press
- step-ups with an upright row
- triceps dips
- ab- and- arm-toning hip lifts
- elevated lunges
- elevated push-ups
mardi 12 septembre 2017
I'm 24 and I Use This Mat Designed For Babies as My Living Room Rug
I'll admit it: when I carried the taller-than-me box containing a new Comfort Design Mat home from my office on the subway, I intended to use it as a yoga mat. How else would a childless 24-year-old put to use a foam play mat designed for babies? Because I have a nicely sized porch that gets good morning sunlight and a refreshing breeze, I had plans to roll out the foam mat and use it for at-home workouts. But then I got home, unrolled the mat to flatten it and check out its dimensions . . . and now, two weeks later, it's still front and center in my living room.
No, my fiancé and I don't regularly have kids around our apartment. Yes, I should probably still get a yoga mat for my porch. But my new play mat ($130) is so comfortable! How could I sacrifice it to the harsh conditions of the outdoors? Plus, it fits perfectly near my overflowing library shelves, and with its half an inch of squishy thickness, it's so comfortable to lay on while I flip through the pages of a book. And because it's easy to wipe clean, I can enjoy a glass of wine while I do so, something that little ol' spill-prone me was afraid to do while also juggling a book on my couch.
As a pet owner and generally clumsy human, I've gone through my fair share of living room rugs.
Look: as a pet owner and generally clumsy human, I've gone through my fair share of carpets. If it's not my pups tracking mud inside from a walk or chewing on a bright yellow highlighter when I'm not looking, it's me tripping over my own feet while carrying a bowl of spaghetti. I gave up on ever paying more than $200 for an area rug a long time ago, realizing that I'd be buying a new one every year or so.
But with this mat, I'm not worried about ruining my living room aesthetic with a simple spill - it's designed for that. I'm no longer anxious every time my friends suggest relaxing in front of a movie with snacks and wine, because if something is spilled, all it takes is a quick wipe-down to make things good as new.
Basically, this mat is key to me looking like I have my sh*t together. I've gotten compliments from my parents, my apartment maintenance man, my friends, and even the photographer who shot my engagement photos! Nobody needs to know that it's for toddlers - fake it till you make it, right? So if you need me, I'll be relaxing on my squishy new living room rug . . . and if anyone asks, I'm still in the market for a yoga mat.
mercredi 8 mars 2017
Venus Williams on What Makes a Strong Woman: "Living Your Dream"
Image Source: Getty / PETER PARKS
Venus Williams seems to have conquered a little bit of everything. She's a veritable tennis master, a skilled clothing designer, a talented interior designer, and savvy business owner. But though her résumé is stacked, there are two things Venus still wants to accomplish: continuing to empower women and giving back.
Early in her tennis career, Venus picked up on the disparity between the prize payouts for men and women, and in the early 2000s, after making her distinct mark in the sport, she decided to do something about it. "The world is a place where every opportunity is available, being strong and resilient is really what has taken women so far in these last number of years," she told me while we were discussing Brawny's Strength Has No Gender Campaign. In 2005, Venus won the singles title at Wimbledon. In 2006, she spoke out about the pay gap at Wimbledon. In 2007, Wimbledon leveled the playing field.
As part of Brawny's Strength Has No Gender campaign, Venus is taking that opportunity to sing the praises of other women and build female empowerment. "We're highlighting women who are amazing, like Vernice Armour, who is the first African American female naval aviator," she said, before continuing on with a nod to inspirations closer to home. Venus said she credits her mom, Oracene Price, for raising her to be resilient. "She taught us to be leaders and to be confident and to be strong," she said.
Image Source: Getty / Scott Barbour
It goes without saying that Venus also gets inspiration and empowerment from the other women in her family: all her sisters, including fellow tennis star Serena. "Look at all the barriers she's broken down," Venus said of her sister. And it's true: between the two of them they've created huge waves in not only tennis, but in the world, and they congratulate each other along the way each time. At the end of this year's Australian Open, where Serena edged out Venus to take the win, Venus said in her post-match interview, "Serena Williams, that's my little sister guys!" And Serena fired right back, thanking Venus for inspiring her to be the best player she can be.
"By living your dream you set an example and you empower other women to live their dreams as well."
Venus spends each day being thankful for where she is and wants to pay it forward as her next mission. "I've had the opportunity to be a part of a lot of different amazing causes and charities, so that will be my main focus outside tennis and business," she said of what she wants to focus on next.
As for that female empowerment that's always on her mind and being a strong woman, Venus said living your dream is where it all starts: "I feel like standing up for what you believe in - I feel that it's helping women around you, and I think it's living your dream, because by living your dream you set an example and you empower other women to live their dreams as well," she said.
lundi 18 septembre 2017
How This Heartbreaking Outlander Scene Hearkens Back to Season 1
This season on Outlander, Jamie and Claire are spending all of their time apart (so far) as they live their lives 200 years apart - and both in less-than-ideal circumstances. Jamie's years of living in the cave at Lallybroch might just be the worst span of either of their respective times apart. He's isolated and frustrated at his inability to help his family for fear of putting them in the Redcoats' crosshairs, which is why after seven years of living like a hermit, Jamie decides the best course of action is to sacrifice his freedom for his family's well-being so they can stop living in constant fear and he can stop living such a lonely life.
Since there is a price on Jamie's head, he, his sister Jenny, and his brother-in-law Ian concoct a scheme wherein she "turns him in" to the British, as he is wanted for the crime of treason for the part he had played in Bonnie Prince Charlie's attempted Scottish uprising. The money Jenny receives for selling her brother out will go toward keeping the people of Lallybroch alive.
Jenny doesn't want to go along with the plan initially, horrified at the idea of turning Jamie in and worried that he'll be hung for treason. But the British aren't really hanging Jacobite fighters anymore at this point, they're only imprisoning them, so he thinks he'll be all right, and at least it's better than living as a fugitive forever.
After a lovely send-off from Mary McNab where she shaves off his unruly beard and cuts his hair, then offers herself to him bodily so that they both may feel some kind of connection (her husband having died years earlier), Jamie and Jenny stage his capture. Laura Donnelly really kills it in the scene, conveying both Jenny's indignant front for the Redcoats and also the intense heartbreak at going along with this scheme - she looks like she's almost going to throw up as she shouts to her brother that she'll "never forgive" him and runs into the house while the Redcoats drag him off.
On set last October, Donnelly told us that Jenny has a hard time in season three, because she feels very "protective" of Jamie, but she also doesn't know how to help him after suffering through losing Claire.
"[Jamie has] gone through such a huge change and is kind of in a distant state [when he returns], which affects both Jenny and Ian," said Donnelly. "It absolutely breaks Jenny's heart to see Jamie like this. I think Jenny's perspective of it will be quite similar, I imagine, to how the fans will see those first episodes, because that's not the Jamie they know. He's a beloved character and they have to go through the pain of watching somebody suffer immensely and for a long period of time for the loss of something they've also built up a love for as well. This relationship is hugely important to the fans, and with that gone, it's horrible to watch."
So it's understandable why turning Jamie in is so immensely hard on Jenny, even if she knows it's probably the best course of action. The scene, set in the courtyard of Lallybroch, is a nice callback to the season one scene when the Redcoats attack the estate and Black Jack Randall is going to rape Jenny before Jamie defends her and is arrested, then taken to Fort William to be flogged. It's a similar confrontation, but this time Jenny and Jamie are in on it, which makes it all that much harder for them.
This current surrender plot plays out pretty much the same way it plays out in the book, Voyager, with Jamie now hauled off to Ardsmuir Prison. In the timeline, it is now 1753, 10 years after Jamie first meets Claire when she comes tumbling through the stones and falls out in 1743. He has a long way to go before they're going to be reunited.
mardi 11 avril 2017
9 Surprising Truths No One Tells You About Moving Into a Tiny Home
The meteoric rise of the tiny-house movement in recent years has been spurred on by contemporary homeowners' desire for a simpler, unfettered life. While these micro dwellings do come with some great perks - they're inexpensive and low-maintenance, freeing up time and money for other things - they also come with a few lesser-known cons. Before you sell off your belongings and take the dive into the tiny-living lifestyle, get all the information. Check out nine surprising truths of tiny-home ownership below.
Basic Life Functions
Everyday things you take for granted in a standard house, like getting mail and doing laundry, require thought when living in a tiny house. If you decide to downsize, you'll likely find yourself going outside the home to pick up letters at a P.O. box or wash clothes at the laundromat.
Legal Trouble
One of the biggest - and least known - complications of living in a tiny home is the legality of it. Many states have minimum home size requirements that tiny houses don't meet, making them illegal dwellings. There are some ways to navigate around this, such as having the house reside on land where it's a secondary accessory dwelling to an approved primary house or trying to have it registered as an RV. But these are complicated issues that require serious research. Ignore them, and you could find your tiny home with an eviction notice on it.
Clutter Reality
The beautiful images of tiny homes that fuel your daydreams have been styled to Pinterest perfection. In reality, tiny homes get messy just as fast, if not faster, than traditional homes. In such a tight space, it begins to feel cluttered the second an item is out of place.
Entertaining Limitations
Say goodbye to big dinner parties. With a good floor plan, you can squeeze one other couple in, but otherwise you'll need some outdoor space to accommodate company. And when it comes to having overnight guests, you'll need a fold-out chair and an adventurous guest (and yes, that was guest singular). There just isn't room for more.
Forced Intimacy
If you plan on moving in with another person, prepare to get up close and personal. There's no private space to escape off to for alone time. You'll be constantly connected and have to compromise on basic things such as what to cook for dinner (no room to prep two meals) to what TV show to watch (only one set).
Plumbing Considerations
Depending on how often you plan on moving your home and where you plan on moving it to, there are several plumbing options. Homes can be built to plug into sanitation and electricity infrastructure in RV parks, have a pressurized water hookup to connect to a hose when parked in a backyard, or even collect rainwater and have compostable toilets for those looking to go off the grid. All require more work than plumbing in traditional homes.
Health Changes
Before taking the plunge, consider how your circumstances might change within the next few years. Changes in health or a growing family can seriously impact your ability to live in a tiny house; for example, it will be nearly impossible to navigate your way up to a loft bed if poor health causes your mobility to be limited or you're heavily pregnant.
Lifestyle Proclivity
If you're a homebody or one who enjoys decorating the house and tending to the yard on the weekend, you may not be suited for microhome living. Those who prefer being in the great outdoors and detest home maintenance - and generally live their lives outside of their home - tend to fare best in the microhome community, as domestic activities and decorating are extremely limited.
Downsized Belongings
One of the biggest perks is also one of the biggest challenges to small-space living: getting rid of things. On one hand it's very liberating to toss most of your belongings, but on the other hand downsizing means you have to get rid of some sentimental and valued pieces. If you're not willing to part with Grandma's treasured dress collection or heirloom antique furniture, then you might not be ready for a microhome.
vendredi 7 avril 2017
9 Surprising Truths No One Tells You About Moving Into a Tiny Home
The meteoric rise of the tiny-house movement in recent years has been spurred on by contemporary homeowners' desire for a simpler, unfettered life. While these micro dwellings do come with some great perks - they're inexpensive and low-maintenance, freeing up time and money for other things - they also come with a few lesser-known cons. Before you sell off your belongings and take the dive into the tiny-living lifestyle, get all the information. Check out nine surprising truths of tiny-home ownership below.
Basic Life Functions
Everyday things you take for granted in a standard house, like getting mail and doing laundry, require thought when living in a tiny house. If you decide to downsize, you'll likely find yourself going outside the home to pick up letters at a P.O. box or wash clothes at the laundromat.
Legal Trouble
One of the biggest - and least known - complications of living in a tiny home is the legality of it. Many states have minimum home size requirements that tiny houses don't meet, making them illegal dwellings. There are some ways to navigate around this, such as having the house reside on land where it's a secondary accessory dwelling to an approved primary house or trying to have it registered as an RV. But these are complicated issues that require serious research. Ignore them, and you could find your tiny home with an eviction notice on it.
Clutter Reality
The beautiful images of tiny homes that fuel your daydreams have been styled to Pinterest perfection. In reality, tiny homes get messy just as fast, if not faster, than traditional homes. In such a tight space, it begins to feel cluttered the second an item is out of place.
Entertaining Limitations
Say goodbye to big dinner parties. With a good floor plan, you can squeeze one other couple in, but otherwise you'll need some outdoor space to accommodate company. And when it comes to having overnight guests, you'll need a fold-out chair and an adventurous guest (and yes, that was guest singular). There just isn't room for more.
Forced Intimacy
If you plan on moving in with another person, prepare to get up close and personal. There's no private space to escape off to for alone time. You'll be constantly connected and have to compromise on basic things such as what to cook for dinner (no room to prep two meals) to what TV show to watch (only one set).
Plumbing Considerations
Depending on how often you plan on moving your home and where you plan on moving it to, there are several plumbing options. Homes can be built to plug into sanitation and electricity infrastructure in RV parks, have a pressurized water hookup to connect to a hose when parked in a backyard, or even collect rainwater and have compostable toilets for those looking to go off the grid. All require more work than plumbing in traditional homes.
Health Changes
Before taking the plunge, consider how your circumstances might change within the next few years. Changes in health or a growing family can seriously impact your ability to live in a tiny house; for example, it will be nearly impossible to navigate your way up to a loft bed if poor health causes your mobility to be limited or you're heavily pregnant.
Lifestyle Proclivity
If you're a homebody or one who enjoys decorating the house and tending to the yard on the weekend, you may not be suited for microhome living. Those who prefer being in the great outdoors and detest home maintenance - and generally live their lives outside of their home - tend to fare best in the microhome community, as domestic activities and decorating are extremely limited.
Downsized Belongings
One of the biggest perks is also one of the biggest challenges to small-space living: getting rid of things. On one hand it's very liberating to toss most of your belongings, but on the other hand downsizing means you have to get rid of some sentimental and valued pieces. If you're not willing to part with Grandma's treasured dress collection or heirloom antique furniture, then you might not be ready for a microhome.
lundi 5 février 2018
5 Ways an Open-Concept Floor Plan Secretly Sucks
Growing up in houses built long before World War II, I've become quite used to the idea of rooms with a specific purpose. That's why when my husband and I were buying our first home, we had a strict "vintage home only" policy. While open-concept floor plans look beautiful in photographs, living with them is a whole other animal. The idea of the floor plan is to have as few internal walls between rooms as possible. With fewer dividers, the home in turn is more - you guessed it - open.
Being a parent of a toddler, I can concede that there can be some benefit to seeing all the living space from one corner of the house. Certainly it is nice to not have to guess what he's doing and to closely monitor his play. However, outside of that one reason, open concept isn't all it's cracked up to be. In fact, it kinda sucks. Here is why we should consider embracing rooms again and abandon the overused open-plan design.
- Sound makes doing two things at once impossible. So, your partner wants to read that stack of New Yorkers in the living room in peace and quiet, and you want to make a homemade pesto and listen to Dua Lipa. Sorry, no one is getting what they want, at least not without compromise. Simple tasks like washing dishes, watching TV, and playing music consume the whole house. With rooms, each person gets to make the noise that they want without disturbing everyone else. Rooms also provide some distance, so if someone is being particularly noisy, the one seeking quiet can go away and shut that thing called a door.
- It's impossible to keep clean. At a dinner party, guests are sitting down to dinner, and distracting everyone from the conversation is a pile of dishes waiting to be washed, staring them in the face. Open concept means that everyone sees everything, all the time. Even without the challenges of entertaining, it's really difficult to keep a large space clean the whole time. There's always one corner that is off, especially if kids have their way. Stacks of toys and laundry to be folded make even the most kept-up living space seem cluttered.
- Privacy is forfeited. If I have to sign for a package, the mailman can only see into the foyer, since the living room is off to the side and the kitchen and dining spaces further back. With rooms, I have more control over who sees what, giving me greater control over my privacy. In an open-concept situation, guests are granted unlimited access to your home.
- Decorating is challenging. With designated rooms, decor is a lot simpler. Spaces don't necessarily need to coordinate, giving more design power to the homeowner. Open concept pushes its needs on the family, since creating a coordinated look becomes more important. Changing furniture therefore becomes complicated, since the decision to change one thing can cause a domino effect of new purchases.
- It's changed the way we entertain. It's not that open concept is better for entertaining, it's just different. My home was designed in 1915, and we have no problem entertaining with friends. Everyone gathers in different rooms and moves between the spaces. This means that real, more intimate conversations get started, and it allows people an opportunity to find a more quiet space whenever they want. We've managed to throw dozens of fun parties because of, not in spite of, our old-school layout.
dimanche 16 avril 2017
10 Ways to Start Living Like a Minimalist
So, you want to start living as a minimalist? We totally get it - there's so much to love about this lifestyle. Being more with less. Living with intention. Achieving freedom from consumption. Decreasing your carbon footprint. Simple living is probably something that we could all benefit from, but how exactly do you get started? If you are interested in trying this way of living out for yourself, read on for 10 tips to ensure a more minimalistic tomorrow.
samedi 8 avril 2017
9 Surprising Truths No One Tells You About Moving Into a Tiny Home
The meteoric rise of the tiny-house movement in recent years has been spurred on by contemporary homeowners' desire for a simpler, unfettered life. While these micro dwellings do come with some great perks - they're inexpensive and low-maintenance, freeing up time and money for other things - they also come with a few lesser-known cons. Before you sell off your belongings and take the dive into the tiny-living lifestyle, get all the information. Check out nine surprising truths of tiny-home ownership below.
Basic Life Functions
Everyday things you take for granted in a standard house, like getting mail and doing laundry, require thought when living in a tiny house. If you decide to downsize, you'll likely find yourself going outside the home to pick up letters at a P.O. box or wash clothes at the laundromat.
Legal Trouble
One of the biggest - and least known - complications of living in a tiny home is the legality of it. Many states have minimum home size requirements that tiny houses don't meet, making them illegal dwellings. There are some ways to navigate around this, such as having the house reside on land where it's a secondary accessory dwelling to an approved primary house or trying to have it registered as an RV. But these are complicated issues that require serious research. Ignore them, and you could find your tiny home with an eviction notice on it.
Clutter Reality
The beautiful images of tiny homes that fuel your daydreams have been styled to Pinterest perfection. In reality, tiny homes get messy just as fast, if not faster, than traditional homes. In such a tight space, it begins to feel cluttered the second an item is out of place.
Entertaining Limitations
Say goodbye to big dinner parties. With a good floor plan, you can squeeze one other couple in, but otherwise you'll need some outdoor space to accommodate company. And when it comes to having overnight guests, you'll need a fold-out chair and an adventurous guest (and yes, that was guest singular). There just isn't room for more.
Forced Intimacy
If you plan on moving in with another person, prepare to get up close and personal. There's no private space to escape off to for alone time. You'll be constantly connected and have to compromise on basic things such as what to cook for dinner (no room to prep two meals) to what TV show to watch (only one set).
Plumbing Considerations
Depending on how often you plan on moving your home and where you plan on moving it to, there are several plumbing options. Homes can be built to plug into sanitation and electricity infrastructure in RV parks, have a pressurized water hookup to connect to a hose when parked in a backyard, or even collect rainwater and have compostable toilets for those looking to go off the grid. All require more work than plumbing in traditional homes.
Health Changes
Before taking the plunge, consider how your circumstances might change within the next few years. Changes in health or a growing family can seriously impact your ability to live in a tiny house; for example, it will be nearly impossible to navigate your way up to a loft bed if poor health causes your mobility to be limited or you're heavily pregnant.
Lifestyle Proclivity
If you're a homebody or one who enjoys decorating the house and tending to the yard on the weekend, you may not be suited for microhome living. Those who prefer being in the great outdoors and detest home maintenance - and generally live their lives outside of their home - tend to fare best in the microhome community, as domestic activities and decorating are extremely limited.
Downsized Belongings
One of the biggest perks is also one of the biggest challenges to small-space living: getting rid of things. On one hand it's very liberating to toss most of your belongings, but on the other hand downsizing means you have to get rid of some sentimental and valued pieces. If you're not willing to part with Grandma's treasured dress collection or heirloom antique furniture, then you might not be ready for a microhome.
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