The Active Habitat

How to Relieve Tension With A Lacrosse Ball

After a stressful week at the office, do you have painful knots surrounding around the neck and shoulders. Stress does not only affect us mentally, but also causes our muscles to tense up. The most common areas for tension are the neck, shoulder, and upper back. While finding natural ways to relieve stress, we can also message and stretch these muscles to reduce the pain. For pain in the lower back, I would follow this foam roller upper body routine. But for the neck and shoulders, here is a great ways to relieve tension knots with lacrosse ball or tennis ball.

Step 1: Using the fingers, find the pressure points located back of the neck. Locate the soft muscles beneath both sides of the lower skull. These two areas on either side of the base of the skull can feel tender.

Step 2: On a hard surface, such as the floor or wall, gently roll the ball finding the right balance between too much pressure and too little. Start by facing straight forward in order to place the ball in the right spot. Look to the right, sit on the ball for a few minutes and then to the left side for another few minutes. Continuously breathing and applying pressure with every breath. Roll back and forth a few times to work through any muscle knots. Then back to center, resting the neck into the ball and letting the full weight of the head surround the tension area.

Step 3: Roll the ball over to the right upper trap muscle, by looking down to the left foot and pulling the right arm across the body. This will help open up the shoulder muscles. Breathing and allow the ball to dig deep into the tense muscle. Roll the ball up and down few time from the upper traps to the right shoulder. Then do the same for the left side, by looking at the right foot and pulling the left arm.

Keep in mind, muscle tension can come from other causes like bad posture and tightness in chest muscle. Perform these chest stretches and neck stretches at the desk and home.

The Benefits of Matcha Powder

Diet Talk Lifestyle

We have mentioned our love of matcha tea several times on the blog, but have never explained the benefits of matcha properties. I wanted to provide more information on why this powder tea is popular among nutritionist.

Matcha, unlike regular teas, are a powder form that includes the tea leaf remnants and the leaf itself. Therefore you are getting all of the minerals and vitamins tea leaves have to offer.

Here is a quick information guide on why matcha is beneficial for you.

Antioxidants: Matcha tea leaves are packed with one main nutrient called catechins (EGEG) antioxidant. Studies have found that it contains three times the amount of EGEG than a typical green tea. Antioxidants help fight free radicals that can potentially harm the body. (Link)

Speeds Physical Recovery & Boost Metabolism: Studies have found that matcha also speeds up physical recovery since it contains amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and help increase cell strength. Also EGCG helps increase metabolism faster than normal.

Improves Immune System: Matcha tea contains potassium, vitamins A and C, Iron, protein, and calcium, which keep your body stay healthy. Studies have also shown that EGCG are also known to fight cancer, viruses, and heart diseases.

Promotes Zen: The L-Theanine in matcha produces alpha waves that promote relaxation. Although matcha does contain caffeine, it does not create the same jitters that a cup of coffee will. (Link)

Anti Aging: As mentioned, matcha contains antioxidants that fight free radicals. Free radicals can cause damage to our cells, which causes signs of aging. Therefore drinking matcha can help increase your levels of antioxidants to prevent winkles and other signs of aging.

What You Should Know When Having Matcha

As much I love any thing with matcha, unfortunately the only way to get the full benefit of matcha tea is to have it in a hot brewed tea form. Consuming matcha in other forms means you dilute the nutrients. Even drinking matcha in a tea bags means you are only getting around 0.42 to 57.4 mg of EGCG. But this is still more than a regular green tea. Also it’s important to know that the older matcha gets the benefits decrease (Link).

How to make it: Mix 1 tsp of matcha powder into a third cup of hot water (less than boiling). Then whisk until it froths, traditionally with a bamboo brush.

Where to buy it: You can get matcha anywhere now, but the cheapest place is at your local Asian market or Amazon.

Matcha Green Tea Powder – Powerful Antioxidant Japanese Organic Culinary Grade Matcha – 113 grams (4oz) – Increases Energy and Focus – Contains 137x More Antioxidants than Brewed Green Tea – Naturally Supports Weight Loss Goals and Helps Maintain Health Metabolism

Personally I love of matcha tea for the taste as well as the benefits. If you haven’t seen our previous matcha powder recipes posts, check them out:

The Pros and Cons of Macro Counting

Diet Talk Lifestyle

Stocksy/Stuio Firma

For someone who macro counting for a good amount of years, I can honestly say its helpful for losing weight. Macro counting, or better known as IFFYM (if it fits your macros), has made its way from the bodybuilding world to the masses through social media. It’s a method of dieting in which macro nutrients, carbs, protein, and fat, are tracked. These 3 macros are configured in grams and manipulated based on goals. You may decrease the fat and carbs and up the protein to lose body weight or increase the carbs and protein to gain muscles. And while many people swear by this method of dieting, there are pros and cons to macro counting.

For the PROS!

Awareness: The biggest pro to counting macros is the awareness of what going into your body. While counting calories may do the same, this method keeps in count the quality food you are eating. Ensuring that the calories are not empty calories, but high in nutrient. This is why macro counting is great for anyone starting their fitness journey.

Allows for flexibility: Probably the biggest reason for its popularity, is it allows flexibility. If done properly, the majority of macros are from quality, unprocessed foods, and can leave a few carbs and fat for junk food. In other words, every food is fair game as long as it fits within the macros.

Personalize Diet Plan: By figuring macros, you begin to understand YOUR body. You know which foods gives you energy, bloated, or helps with weight loss. So instead of following some guru diet plan, you’ll have a personalized diet that suits you only. To find your macro-nutrients percentage, click this macro-nutrient calculator.

Lose Stubborn Fat: For those looking to lose those stubborn few pounds, macro counting is an easier, and more effective method. It makes it’s easier to hone in and make minor tweets to your diet.

Now for the CONs…

Prioritizing Health: With macro counting it is easy to lose focus on health as oppose to pant size. Essentially the macros can come from junk food vs nutritional foods. For instance, instead of having veggies, fruit and whole grain for the carbs, you can fill it with baked goods and pasta. It is really easy to forget about micro nutrients, the fiber and the vitamins, that keeps you healthy and not just skinny.

Obsession Overload: Counting macros can become an obsession. Forgetting to enjoy the party or dinner dates because it won’t fit into your macros, or only finding places in which macro nutrients are labeled. This method is only effective long term, if you allow breaks from counting and just let go sometimes.

Getting it Right: Harder to access what macros really work for someone, and really takes time. While there are great calculators to figure out the right macro percentage, they are not 100% accurate. Even a great “nutritional coach” will need time to figure what macro percentage work. To figure out right macro percentage it takes time to track weight and body fat, and readjusting as needed.

-Danni

Improve Your Self-Concept

Lifestyle Self Improvement

There is a plenty of information on self improvement, from books, podcasts, seminars, and even YouTube videos. The information is everywhere that you can easily become obsessed and likely overwhelmed. This is exactly what happened to me, so I took a hiatus from all life coaching content. I wanted time to figure out what I really needed to work on. Last month I stumbled about an obvious point, but a good starting place. One of the key ways to improve is to improve your self-concept.

Your self-concept is your pattern of thinking. For example how you handle a situation, what you deserve, what people think about you, and most important who you think you are. This can be applied to your career and where you think you should be at in your field.

One of my biggest problems is constant thinking of all my weakness, and how they hinder me in my personal and career life. I tell myself that I’m being realistic. The issue with this is that until I change my mindset I will never change my actions, and therefore change the way people perceive me. So rather than focusing on past experience that validate my weakness, I should focus on the times that proved them wrong. Then constantly remind myself that those are not my weaknesses, and start doing actions to prove it.

The photos are from our time spent at the Antelope Poppy Reserve in Lompoc, California.

Natural Baked Strawberry Oatmeal Recipes

Breakfast Recipes

When looking for great breakfast to rush out the door, it should ideally be healthy. Also taste good, and probably eat with one hand while running out the door..right? What I like about baked oatmeal, it’s simple to make at night to wake up for a healthy breakfast for entire week. This baked strawberry oatmeal is a perfect healthy meal needed to start the morning.

We both removed refined sugars from our diet for 30 days because our sweet tooth as gotten the best of us. So when trying this recipe, I wanted to sweeten with dates since they are high in sugar, but also high in fiber.

Ingredents

2.5 cups of oatmeal
1/2 cup of dates
2 cup of water
1/4 cup of shredded coconut
1/2 cup coconut oils
1 cup of sliced strawberries
1/2 cup of shredded coconut
1 egg white
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnimon

Preheat the oven 350 degree. Boil 1 cup of water and placed the dates in the boiling water. Stir occasional till dates turn into a jelly, pouring the remaining water as need. Allow the date mixture to cool. In the meantime, in a separate bowl, combine and mix the oatmeal, coconut, baking soda, and cinnamon. Stir in the coconut oil, egg white, and lastly date mixture. In a prepared baking pan, spread half the oat mixture, and a second layer of the sliced strawberries, and then second half of the mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes and let it cool before digging in.

How to Relax Productively on The Weekends

Career Lifestyle

There are weekends where I just want to relax and do absolutely nothing, which is when Netflix syndrome kicks in. While it’s okay to relax on the weekends, it’s also important to stay productive and improve oneself. There are tasks that are not only productive, but also helps you unwind. Here are three great examples on how to relax productively on the weekends:

Slow Pace Workouts

As much as my sister and I preach fitness, there are weekends we can’t find any motivation to workout. For these kinds of days, a way to get moving is an easy long walk or yoga. Your body may not be exhausted afterwards, but you will still burn calories and enjoy every minute.

At-home Spa

These lazy weekends most of us will lounge around make up free. A great way to keep relaxing and help improve your skin is to do a quick home spa. Just steam your face, put a mask on, and do your nails. Not only will you feel at ease, but you’ll also look and feel better afterwards.

Read a Book

I know this one seems obvious, but how often do we make it a point to sit and read. There are so many great benefits to reading such as mental stimulation, vocabulary expansion, memory improvement, and of course stress reduction. Just make yourself a hot tea, sit on a comfy chair, and enjoy a good book. A book I just got from Amazon is Style Love Life from blogger Garance Dore and I can’t wait to read it!

-Denise

My Favorite Winter Items

Fitness Favorites Lifestyle

As Los Angeles is finally was getting rain fall, more than we would prefer, I wanted to share my favorite winter items. I have been loving these items to help me get through the cold winter days. Obviously compared to most places, our winters are more like spring or fall, so I’m not complaining. Here is what I have been loving these past month.

The Body Shop Aloe Lip Care – I bought this lip balm last year, although I didn’t use it much before this year, it has been a life saver. It’s super thick and perfectly moisturizes my extremely chapped lips.

London Fog Trench Coat – I got this trench a few years ago and it’s been sitting in my closet since LA has been drought. Now that there’s finally rain I finally understand the benefit of having good quality trench. Not only does it wick away rain, it also keeps me warm even when I leave it unbutton.

Humidifier – I’m someone who hates being cold, but I’m not a big fan of heaters, since they dry out a room. So this winter I decided to buy a small room humidifier to keep on my nightstand. I helps keep moisture in the room while the heater is on.

Wood Wick Candles – I love the crackling noise that these candles make, almost as if there’s a fireplace in the room. I still burning my pine tree smell from the holidays, so our apartment still has the lingering of the Christmas cheer.

– Denise

When Is The Best Time To Eat Sugars

Diet Talk Lifestyle

These days the idea of sugar is closely link to fat or unhealthy for the body. But like everything in the world, sugar has a purpose. Intake of sugars, from refined sugars in baked good to natural sugars in fruits, are useful when consumed for the right purpose. So when is the best time to eat sugars?

First a quick science lesson to understand the role sugar plays in the body. Carbohydrates are broken down as sugars in our body, or more accurately as blood glucose, and stored as glycogen. Intake of glucose to our bodies will release the insulin hormone. Insulin tells the brain to provide the body with energy, assist in muscle growth, and other important body functions. If the body doesn’t need the excess energy, the body will produce fat for later energy use. In order words, if you don’t use the carbs as energy you store it. Therefore moderating the intake of carbs is important to provide the body with the right amounts energy it needs.

If all carbs broken down to sugars, are they all the same?

No, not all carbs the same, they can either be simple or complex in nature. Simple carbs, are baked goods, soda, white bread, and other refined sugars. These type of carbs quickly break down in the body to increase the sugar levels, i.e. glucose, and ramp up the insulin. Which means you better start burning energy, if not you’ll be storing it. Complex carbs are fiber and starches, such as vegetables, nuts, beans, and whole grains. These are harder for the body to break down, thereby digesting longer and contributing to feeling full. These complex carbs keep the sugars levels steady, so energy can be burn slowly. For list of foods for simple and complex carbs.

So when are simple carbs useful?

Pick the carbs needed for the energy you will be disbursing. If your burning slow amounts of energy through out the day, pick foods with fiber. This will keep you both satisfied and have sustainable energy. If your going for a run, an intense workout, or a quick boost. A simple, high sugar carbs will give you the energy you need.

As for post workout carbs, unlike the popular belief in replenishing body with carbs to rebout energy, it not as necessary. As the body only uses both fat and carbs to source the energy for workout and only used 28% of stored glycogen. So rule of thumb is .25-.50 gram of carb for pound of body weight.

Source: Bodybuilding nutrition, ted ed, fat chance by robert. h. lusting, image via

Our LA Spring Bucket List

Lifestyle Self Improvement

Growing up Easter was a huge holiday for my family. It would include our mom making a dress for us, a basket full of goodies, going to church, and followed by a nice lunch with the family. Now that I’m older there isn’t much to look forward to except the welcoming of spring. The weather starts to warm up, which means enjoying the outdoors again. Here is my spring bucket list:

Picnic in Griffith Park
Finish reading Before Happiness by Shawn Achor
Start running outside again
Take an online course to help me improve in my career
Do a spontaneous camping trip to enjoy the outdoors
Go wine tasting and vintage furniture shopping in Temecula, CA
Finally go have an outdoor brunch with my girlfriends
Explore the exhibits at the Getty museum
Take a day trip to Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve in Lancaster, CA to see the beautiful flower field
Go to a farmers market to buy fresh fruits and vegetables

How to Live A Balance Life

Lifestyle Self Improvement

Its difficult not get caught up with wanting everything, yet still having time for everything. How is it possible to accomplish everything on the to-do list and feel fulfilled at the end of the day? There is a way of managing a career, taking care of the family, fulfilling responsibilities, and still enjoy life with a few tips. So if you’re looking for ways to live a balanced life, here are tips to having it all.

Give Up Perfection

One thing to keep in mind that a work-life-family balance is an illusive dream. No one is capable of being great at everything. Just ask any athlete training for a competition. They will sleep, eat, train and repeat while preparing for it. If balance is what you want, then accept what you’re not capable of doing everything and let go of things that fall short of perfection. Like this work-balance video say, “pick imperfect variety over flawless focus.”

Focus on Whats Important

A great concept from the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is the four quadrant. Breaking down all our task into 4 quadrants. These four quadrant are one “urgent, and important,” two “non-urgent, but important,” three “urgent, but non-important,” and four “non-urgent, and non-important.”

Majority of us consume our time in quadrant three (daily errands, most emails and calls) and four (wasting time, pointless meetings), as they often deceive us or distraction us from things that truly matter. Our focus should be on quadrant one (crisis, pending problems), and quadrant two (building relationship, planning goals) as these will enrich our lives and help us accomplish more in a day. Also don’t be afraid to cut things that are not adding value to your life. If its a friend, a hobby, or a job that adds more stress, and no fulfillment, let it go.

Time Block

Begin blocking time for specific task each day. Our brains are not capable of performing multiple task efficiently. Therefore start by prioritizing your task, break these task into smaller segments (planning, gathering material or data, meetings, etc) and schedule time for each segments. Scheduling first the top prioritizes and fill the rest of time with daily errands, breaks, and other task related to quadrant 3 (explained above). And avoid over complicating or adding task that will interfere with the schedule.

Set Mini Goal

Set goals in four areas in your life: finance, career, adventure/fun, and relationships. Break these goals into mini goals in the beginning of each day, week, and month. These goals can all tie together to a yearly goal or stand on its own. Either way once these goals are set, make an action plan, and add to the time block schedule to better ensure they are accomplished. This will ensure the days will be driven with more purpose instead of aimlessly.

Ask for Help

The only way to find time for everything is to ask for help. Although asking for help is difficult, remember we all will need help at one point of our lives, if we want it or not, so begin accepting it. Find an area or areas where you can benefit from help and ask graciously. This way you can focus on either more important task or those that solely require your attention.

Make me time

Make time to shut off the mind and body. Like everything else in life, the mind and body needs rest in order to run properly. So if its knitting, running, or just watching TV, will give you time for “you” then do so in moderation. Also practicing mediation is helpful way to teach the mind to shut off and focus within. Headspace is a great meditation app to start learning how to meditate.

Neighborhood Guide to Hillcrest by…

A Year Full Of Blessings

Holiday Tradition Mood Board

Neighborhood Guide to Hillcrest by…

A Year Full Of Blessings

Holiday Tradition Mood Board

Neighborhood Guide to Hillcrest by…

How to Relieve Tension With A Lacrosse Ball