Easy Tips to Stay Healthy!

The older I get, the more I pay attention to my health.  I’ve noticed that I am definitely not as energetic as I used to be and as a result I feel the need to take better care of myself.   I wish I could say that my diet has changed, but I can’t quite give up the occasional pizza,  bacon,  pancakes,  mac & cheese and cocktails etc.  So to compensate,  I’ve incorporated a few easy rituals into my daily routine to keep me healthy.   ALL of my healthy items come from Annye’s Wholefoods on Nantucket! #shoplocal

Water with LemonlemonwaterThe first thing I do right after I wake up is drink a huge glass of lemon water.  Put a slice of lemon in a glass and pour water over it.  Easy.  I try to wait at least 30 minutes after I drink my glass of water before I have breakfast.  Lemons are a powerhouse fruit – they are packed with so many benefits: cleanses your system, aids in digestion, boosts immune system, helps keep your skin clear, freshens breath, curbs your appetite and gives you an energy boost!

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Um…who could possibly say no to this?  Now I actually take my vitamins!  And now Steve actually takes his vitamins!  I’ve read a few articles that argue gummy vitamins absorb into your system better and faster than pill form.  Whatever – they are a tasty treat!  I take 2 Multi, 2 Vitamin D, and 1 Vitamin C everyday.  If I’m feeling a little depleted I’ll take 2 Vitamin C and 2 Vitamin B12. Sometimes if I’m dragging in the afternoon I’ll take a Vitamin B12.

Apple Cider Vinegar & Raw Honey Teaapplecidervinegar

I usually try to fit this in before lunch.  I put about a tablespoon of RAW apple cider vinegar and RAW honey into a glass.  Next I pour hot water over it, stir it up and enjoy.  It’s a little tangy but I really like the taste.   The health benefits of apple cider vinegar are: help cleanse the body, weight loss, clear skin, rich in potassium, helps balance your pH levels, balances your cholesterol, boosts energy, has anti cancer potential and boosts immunity.  The benefits to raw honey are: boosts immune system, promotes digestive health, helps with allergies, stabilizes blood pressure and calms nerves.  Some people add lemon to this mixture but I prefer to get my lemon intake through lemon water.

Mottomotto

Not to sound like a big fat name dropper, but I know the guy, Tom, who invented Motto.  Yep.  I’ve been drinking Motto before it was ever in this pretty bottle and being distributed all over the United States.  Besides being a refreshing and tasty drink, it is a powerhouse packed with so many amazing health benefits.  We all have heard that drinking green tea is so beneficial to our health, right?  Well Motto actually contains matcha tea, which is the highest quality green tea out there.  Drinking 1 Motto is the equivalent to drinking 12 cups of green tea!  Don’t be alarmed, there isn’t as much caffeine as you think.  Drinking 1 Motto is only like drinking 1/3 cup of coffee. Matcha has more antioxidants per gram than any other natural source, it cleanses your body, helps fight infection, increases metabolism, gives you energy, reduces stress, helps you stay focused, and promotes skin and eye health.  Motto is also made with apple cider vinegar, honey and lemon.  I have a motto pretty much every afternoon and it is the perfect pick me up!  I LOVE IT!

I’d love to hear if anyone has any easy tips for staying healthy??!!

Brussels and Bruges

Last weekend, Hannah and I woke up to catch the 3:50am train to the airport for our 7am flight. We were running on 2 hours of sleep. That seems to be a habit of mine…it wouldn’t be one of our European adventures if I didn’t start it off with 2 hours or less of sleep. There’s just lots to do before trips and time just slips right on by! I can’t help it! Luckily, my excitement and anticipation for our adventures keeps me running pretty strong.

On this particular adventure, Hannah and I headed to the land of waffles, chocolate, and beer…BELGIUM! And I can say that they do each of those things amazingly well. They are also known for their fries, but Hannah and I both agreed that they shouldn’t tell people that because their fries had absolutely nothing on our beloved Chipsy King in Amsterdam. In fact, we threw out our Belgium fries before finishing them because we just didn’t think they were even worth it. Bummer. The waffles however were to die for, the chocolate too, and I don’t know much about beer but what I had was quite delicious and refreshing! So kudos to Belgium for those three things!

Day 1:

We spent our first day in Brussels in awe of the beautiful buildings in the Grand Place, wandering through the streets, finding Tin Tin cartoons on the sides of buildings (the cartoon was created in Belgium!), eating waffles, and going in and out of the shops.

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Of course, we had to stop by the infamous Mannekin Pis and admire its weirdness. This peeing statue is replicated everywhere…in the airport, in the tourist shops, on beer bottles, and everywhere else you could think of. It’s just bizarre.

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And then we ended our day at the Atomium, which was built for Brussels World Fair in 1958.  We went up to the top and admired the view of the city we had just walked all over. And then, we were pretty exhausted so we got an early night sleep.

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Day 2:

The next day we took a train to the nearby city of Bruges, which is a pretty cute little city. So quaint and charming. We started off our morning by climbing 366 stairs up to the top of the Belfry tower, and the view of the city at the top is 100% worth every huff and puff up there.

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bruges4^^It was crazy windy up there!

After that, we decided to break for a bite of waffles of course.

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Then, we took a horse and carriage ride, wandered down every single street in the city, shopped around, ate some delicious chocolate, and ended up at a restaurant for dinner that had 400 different kinds of beers to offer. Don’t worry we didn’t try all 400 of them. Only 2 and they were quite delicious!

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^^Cherry beer…so delicious!

The next morning we were jumped back on a plane and headed back to Switzerland, where we spent the rest of Sunday relaxing and pinching ourselves because this life we are living is just crazy. I feel so lucky and so grateful. And don’t want to waste a second of the rest of my time here because it is FLYING by.

P.S. Oh, I almost forgot…meet Serafina and Genevieve! (Fifi and Gigi for short) Serafina is my piggy on the left and Genevieve is Hannah’s piggy on the right. We found these adorable finger puppets and simply could not resist. They’re going to be our travel buddies! So, be on the lookout for them all around Europe!

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Oh The Olympics!

I can’t think about the Olympics without thinking about this scene from Friends…  and I’m sure I’m not the only one!  I know Caroline would probably agree with me.

Joey’s face at the end is priceless.

I know I can’t think about the Winter Olympics without thinking about this…

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I know Emily would agree with me.  Emily and I used to take skating lessons when we lived in Wellesley.  I think we would even act out this scene for fun!  (My laces!)  We were pretty legit… we could do Waltz Jumps and Toe Loops, and I think Emily could do a Salchow.  Anyways, I know we were devastated that year.  How could Oksana Baiul in that fluffy pink number and curled backed bangs beat our Nancy Kerrigan?!?

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I also can’t think about the Olympics without thinking about when we lived in Sydney and were able to attend the 2000 Olympic Games!  Here are a few throwback pictures of the Ott Family at the Olympics… Go Team USA!

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Note the different flags Caroline is holding in the two pictures above!

 Caroline was having a major identity crisis during those Olympics.  Am I American or Am I Australian!?  She could flip back and forth from her Australian accent to her American accent so quickly.  She would proudly sing the Australian National Anthem when it played and had no clue when they were playing the Star Spangled Banner.  It didn’t even hit us until a medal ceremony at the Olympics that she didn’t know it!  We had to teach her, and by the closing ceremonies she had it.  We did cheer for both though!

Aussie, Aussie Aussie!  Oi, Oi, Oi!

USA! USA! USA!

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Oh, and we can’t forget about the Olympic themed birthday we threw for our Dad!

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I love the Olympics!  This year, I’ve been a little nervous leading up to the games.  Does anyone else have a bad feeling about it?  I just really hope everyone is safe and nothing crazy happens.  All I hear about is cute stray dogs being killed, side by side toilets, mean homophobic Russians, dirty hotel rooms, Bob Costas got pink eye… I mean this is 2014, right?!? Why can’t they get it together? Come on, IOC!

Anyways, the Opening Ceremony will air tonight at 7:30 pm!  Will you be watching?

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Photo Credit: Tanya/Nancy/Oksana/Team USA

AND A BIG THANK YOU TO PATTY FOR LOOKING FOR ALL THOSE OLYMPIC PICTURES!

Best Mama of Bloggers Ever!

Ok, one last one….

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Feel The Rhythm! Feel The Rhyme! Get on up, It’s Bobsled Time!  COOL RUNNINGS!