Holiday Survival Kit

December seems like the longest month of the year, doesn't it?

There are a million things to do: shopping, cards, parties, decorating...it's enough stress to whip even the most zen of us into a frenzy. Then there's the food. Oh, let's not even get started on the ways you can derail your plans for fitness this month.

Okay, so we're all on the same page- this isn't easy. Luckily, there are a few quick tricks you can stash up your sleeve to stay CLEAR during the holidays.

Relax

 If When your family is grating on your nerves, or that jerk at the mall stole the last sweater in your dad's size, you can sneak away for a couple of minutes and re-center with this breathing exercise found at Dr. Andrew Weil's website.

Sit somewhere that your back will be straight. Place the tip of your tongue against the back of your teeth, just where they meet the gums. You'll keep your tongue here the entire time as you do this exercise. It might seem a little awkward, but give it a try. 

• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
• Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
• Hold your breath for a count of seven.
• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
• This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.

Restore

Try this great pose from Yoga Journal to help you restore:

Viparita Karani (Legs-up-the-Wall Pose), supported

Stack a couple of folded blankets on top of a bolster near a wall. Put a block between the bolster and the wall and a blanket on the floor in front of the bolster for your head and shoulders. Sit on the side of the bolster and roll your sacrum onto it, lifting your legs up the wall. Scoot yourself close to the wall so that the buttocks touch or come near the wall. Gently lower your shoulders and head to the floor. If you slide off the bolster, you can push yourself closer with your hands on the floor. Straighten your legs and press the thighs into the wall as you open your chest. Rest for 5 minutes. To come down, bend your knees, push your feet into the wall, slide away from the wall, and rest your back on the floor.

Or- just come to CLEAR for an hour and fifteen minutes of peaceful bliss in a Restorative Yoga class! 

Apple Cinnamon Water

Ahh, the holidays. They are upon us.

It can be tough to stay on track with a plan for wellness during this time of year. (Trust me, I'm struggling with it myself.) So what do I do when I'm struggling with something? I head to the internet!

Sometimes, that's a giant backfire waiting to happen- but other times, I stumble on to a gem. This is one of those times! While browsing Pinterest a week or two ago, I discovered a recipe for Apple Cinnamon "Day Spa Inspired" water. It touted itself as a detox drink, and I thought, "I'll take all the help I can get!"

So I followed the pin, a couple of different blogs have their take on this, but the two most popular I found were Lose Weight By Eating and Running Away? I'll Help You Pack!

They each have their take on it, and here I'll share mine.

Here's what I use:

2.25 Quart (approx 1/2 gallon) pitcher
1/2 Washington Honeycrisp Apple (my personal favorite, you can pick whatever kind you like)
1 stick of Cinnamon

Slice the apples into thin slices, add the cinnamon stick, fill the pitcher about 1/2 way with ice, then add your water. Leave it sit for a while in the refrigerator, approximately 10 minutes or so. The water needs some time to absorb all the apple-cinnamon-y goodness!

If you are using a gallon pitcher, I'd say double the recipe, using a whole apple and 2 sticks of cinnamon. I find I am able to re-fill the pitcher at least once or twice before throwing out the apples and cinnamon and starting all over again!

It's also nice to hold back a slice or two of apple for your glass. It's a refreshing change from plain old water, and everyone knows getting plenty of water is a staple for a healthy diet.

What you might not realize are all of the health benefits that apples and cinnamon bring to the table!

Apples have been shown to:

• Lower LDL (bad) Cholesterol
• Protect/strengthen bones
• Help prevent several types of Cancer
• Assist in weight loss
• Boost exercise endurance

Cinnamon has been shown to:

• Regulate blood sugar levels
• Boost cognitive function and memory
• Act as an effective natural remedy for headaches and migraines
• Inhibit bacterial growth and food spoilage
• Reduce the proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cells

With these kinds of benefits, it seems like upping your daily intake of apples and cinnamon is a no-brainer!

To learn more about these and other health benefits of apples and cinnamon, visit the following links:

Huffington Post- Eating Well

Health Diaries- Eat This!

Organic Authority

4 CLEAR Suggestions for Better Sleep

My friends and family all seem to have similar complaints lately- feeling tired and run down. My next question is always: "How are you sleeping?"
 

It seems that this is a pretty widespread phenomenon. Many of the people I've been talking to about this have experienced bouts of insomnia. This fall's time change has inspired me to make some changes to my bedtime rituals.
 

Here are some CLEAR Suggestions for battling those sleepless nights:
 

1. Never go to bed after eating.

If you need a late night snack, keep it simple and light. Try chamomile tea with lemon and honey. Delicious, tames your sweet tooth and calms the body, preparing it for a good night's rest.

2. Let go of stress and anxiety before going to bed.

Stress is the natural enemy of sleep. If you feel anxious before you go to bed, you will not sleep well. Simple stretches and deep breathing techniques are a great way to release stress and calm the mind- getting you ready for a blissful slumber.

3. Don't fall asleep on the couch watching TV.

If you notice yourself dozing, get up, brush your teeth and go to bed. If you suddenly feel awake after you get up, it's because you dozed off while being stimulated. Go back to steps 1 and 2 and you will go to bed feeling calm and prepared to rest.

4. Get to bed around 10p.m.

If you are going to bed at or later than 11p.m., try going to bed an hour earlier and waking up an hour earlier. We are hardwired to wake up around 5/6a.m. with the sun. If you are getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep but aren't going to bed by 10p.m., you won't feel as rested. When we force ourselves onto a later schedule, the body is fighting its natural biorhythms.

Give these suggestions a try and see if you wake up feeling more rested and alert. If what you are doing is NOT working, it might be time to change your habits!

A Hard Re-Boot

I'm beginning this entry at around 8:30am on a Tuesday morning. I'm drinking hot water with lemon, something you'd probably never have seen even a month ago. I made this committment to my well-being, and I told Annie that I'd do what it takes, following her advice to a leaner, healthier, happier me.

Right now, I'm embarking on a 6-week re-boot of my system. In the past few months, I have been eating really poorly. Tons of processed food, fast food, all of the other evil that you can imagine consuming- I've been gobbling it down greedily and my body has paid the price.

Not only did I gain weight, I've been sluggish and my digestive system has clearly not been balanced. In other words, I felt like absolute crap. This affected me mentally as well, I was feeling pretty low, and completely unlike myself.

I'm the kind of person who rides momentum like a pro surfer. I will take that wave as far as it will let me go. The problem is, you can't just generate waves. Something has to stir up those waves before it becomes a good day to surf.

I rode the wave of laziness and neglect right to my couch- and I needed a kickstart. Now I am going to re-direct my energy towards a positive change. Annie gave me a nutrition plan to follow- no added sugar, no processed foods, etc. for the next 6 weeks. I am on a 2-drink maximum- NO BEER.

I think I can, I think I can...

Clear-ing Things Up

Now that all of these pesky introductions are out of the way, we can talk about what Clear really is and why it works.

Clear is a wellness studio that embodies a healthy approach to better living:

Clear Your Mind

True happiness lies within us. When we suspend judgment and observe our emotional response with impartial attention we begin the journey toward self-awareness. Meditation, movement, breathing, are all techniques we use to help in the search for clarity.

 

Clear Your Body

The body plays an integral role when one when one is seeking overall well-being. We must strengthen the body daily to build stronger muscles and combat daily stressors. Stretching and moving will increase flexibility, improve digestion, release toxins and restore the body. A strong body leads to healthier posture, improved balance, and increased energy.

Clear your Skin

Environmental and oxidative stress produces free radicals that damage skin cells. Tzone skin care cosmeceutical provides an at-home antioxidant skin repair system to neutralize free radicals and eliminate their ability to damage skin cells. T4 Daily Defense utilizes a balance of hydrators, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, collagen builders, peptides, and sun protection. Tzone can help you fight wrinkles, reduce breakouts and exfoliate the skin for maximum anti-aging benefits and healthier skin. With regular use of Tzone/T4 products, your skin will be better equipped to combat stress caused by sun exposure, pollution and irritants.

Clear Beginnings

So, I suppose we should introduce ourselves.

Writing regularly in this blog: Annie Bolling, Owner and Founder of Clear and Jennifer Day, Online Community Manager for Clear.

And I guess you're probably wondering...What is Clear? Why should I care? I'll hand this over to Annie to explain.

I opened Clear in September of 2011 after running an art gallery selling contemporary and often conceptual art. Well, maybe not selling--exhibiting contemporary and conceptual art. Apparently, it's not easy to sell a chandelier with 36 lbs of raw bacon and fondant roses.

Kris Ebeling- Bacon Chandelier 2010

My two passions have always been art and wellness. I received my Pilates certification, and began training clients privately as a side project.

My clients told me that what they really loved about working with me was the small group setting. Working with my clients in this environment allowed me to use my 13 years of Yoga experience to notice the things that they really needed to work on, including posture and proper alignment.

I had the training, I had the motivation, I had the space...a few renovations later, Clear was born. 

And that's where I (Jen) come in. Annie clearly needed help with the Social Media and Marketing for Clear, and I agreed to lend my expertise. I also agreed that I could use some help in Annie's areas of expertise- so I'm becoming the Clear Experiment.  That's where our blog name comes from. The day I met Annie, she told me "If you'll commit to it, I'll change your life."

My response? "I'm in."