Thought of the week - Life Is Not a Dress Rehearsal

Greetings all! 

I loved these thoughts by Sam Altman! 

“Life is not a dress rehearsal—this is probably it.  Make it count.  Time is extremely limited and goes by fast.  Do what makes you happy and fulfilled—few people get remembered hundreds of years after they die anyway.  Don’t do stuff that doesn’t make you happy (this happens most often when other people want you to do something).  Don’t spend time trying to maintain relationships with people you don’t like, and cut negative people out of your life.  Negativity is really bad.  Don’t let yourself make excuses for not doing the things you want to do. 

The days are long but the decades are short.” 

You can read the full article here: https://blog.samaltman.com/the-days-are-long-but-the-decades-are-short 

Have a great week! Drop me a line!

Catching (Fire)Flies [Mood-Boosting and Stretching Technique]

Greetings all!

If you work at the computer all day, do you remember to stretch? Here is a fun technique I use, except I replace “flies” with “fireflies” in my mind – I think fireflies are a bit more fun and whimsical!

Image from 

https://pixabay.com/illustrations/forest-of-magic-fireflies-firefly-3873713/

When we sit for long periods, we can feel sluggish and mentally dull. Here is a way to invigorate yourself in 10 seconds. Spread your fingers wide and make a grabbing action as if you were trying to catch flies. Do this quickly 10 times. Then do the reverse – flick your fingers out as if you were flicking water off your fingertips. If you are in public, you can do this underneath a table or your desk. If you are alone, do this while moving your arms up and down as if you really were catching flies, which will boost your circulation. ~ Cyndi Lee in the May-2019 issue of Real Simple magazine

To add an extra stretch, imagine trying to reach a firefly on a tall tree. Do this 10 times with each hand and you will feel a nice stretch in your shoulders and upper back!

Hope you have a great and stretch-y week! Drop me a line!

Cute Animal Video: Baby Monkey and Ducks

Greetings all!

It is official – watching videos of cute animals is good for you! A recent study partnered by Tourism Western Australia and the University of Leeds concluded that even a few minutes of watching relieves stress and enhances mood!

The study had 19 participants so I think it is up to us to continue validating the study results. Here is my pick of the week: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7Oyy4bA3Vg&list=PL_9fuQ_YlOxtvUSkEelB-zPlzFJDo_Fsn&index=11&t=6s

You can read more about the study here: https://www.firststopsingapore.com/en/study-quokkas-can-be-good-for-your-health/

What did you think? Drop me a line!

Cocoa Yogurt Cup

Greetings all!

I recently tried a great dessert from a book by Jenna Bergen Southerland “Fit in 10: Slim & Strong--for Life!” Easy, creamy, satisfying – and healthy too!

Ingredients:

• ½ cup of Greek yogurt (ricotta cheese in the original recipe)
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tsp maple syrup or honey
• ½ tsp vanilla extract and/or orange zest

Mix it together and enjoy! I also like adding some berries – raspberries or cherries look very pretty in this! A mint leaf won’t go amiss either.

Now, if you really wanted something fancy and have the time, you can make chocolate cups – this was a bit ambitious for me but doesn't it look amazing!

Image by Tom McCorkle / Marie Ostrosky from 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/chocolate-cups-ricotta-cream-and-raspberries/17713/ 

Bon Appetit! Let me know how you like it!