Month: September 2015

Evening Rituals for a Good Night’s Sleep

Recently I wrote an article about morning routines highlighting seven positive and powerful ways to begin your day (you can read it here), but when it comes down to it, the best way to start your day is by making sure you get a good night’s sleep. Now, we all know that sleep is important for your health: physically, emotionally and psychologically, and that sleep is our body’s way of resting, repairing, and rejuvenating. A bad night’s sleep can leave you feeling weak, tired, cranky, and confused the next day, and overtime sleep deprivation can lead to many chronic health problems such as depression, heart disease, and obesity. Now knowing and doing are two separate things, and unfortunately in our “hectic” world, winding down at the end of the day is always much easier said than done. Many of us turn to alcohol and sleeping pills for a quick way to hit the hay – which in return make us feel even angrier and groggier the next morning. What a vicious cycle it is. So …

the best ways to eat healthy on an island

Published by chelsea

I have discovered through a lot of trial and error that eating healthy on an island is actually pretty easy, even if you cannot grow your own produce and don’t have access to a farmers market. Now it seems pretty straightforward when you have a farmers market or farm stand, and access to all kinds of fruit trees. But this is definitely not always the case, and it certainly depends on what SIDE of an island you actually live on to even make this possible. Okay, yes some of those options are definitely fruitful – grabbing avocados from public trees, and mangos from along the road is very widely practiced in Puerto Rico. But sometimes you have to go beyond just those two fruits, right? Obviously. And occasionally you do encounter a great farmers market with a lot of options for produce. But what about all the other essentials, like flours, milks, nuts and seeds, oats…. Well you can get creative and if you have a lot of time on your hands, you can make …

When the Energy Just Won’t Flow: 5 Ways to Get Yourself Out of a Rut

Published by sunburntandsalty

Most of the time I feel fluid. Most days, that motivated, positive, creative energy inside of me flows naturally, with ease, like a river running towards the ocean. Then there are some days when it seems like that river gets dammed up, and the water runs dry, and I just can’t seem get inspired or productive or pumped up – I literally feel blocked. Some days are a struggle, but hey, that’s real life, and lucky for us through positive, mindful practices we can shake those humdrum moments and learn to tap into that motivated, positive, creative energy that lies deep within each and every one of us. Yes, each and every one of us. Whenever I’m feeling drab, unambitious, or like I’m stuck in a rut, I turn to these five practices to help get my gears going and to reconnect with my energy source. Try just one or maybe try all five. Let these be tools you can use whenever and wherever you feel yourself stuck or overwhelmed. 1 Get disconnected from your …

the most inspiring instagram accounts

Published by chelsea

I am one of those people, one of those who does the Instagramming. I am not addicted to it, but I do like using it to discover new companies, new products and new people to be inspired by. Through Instagram, I discovered my now favorite organic, all natural sunscreen; my protein and greens, my deodorant that I just shared about last week… you get the idea. I’ve also discovered new places to visit, wanderlusted through several travelogues, screencaptured many bikinis to purchase later, and cooked and baked several delicious recipes. So this is my first installment of my favorite, most inspiring Instagram accounts that you should follow today. Of course, since this is an ever growing, constantly changing curated list, there will be future installments. But allow me to showcase this handful of awe inspiring women: @talinegabriel | you may know her as #hippielane . She is creator of the Hippie Lane app, an app of delicious vegan, gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free desserts that make your mouth water. #foodporn @stellacrick | surfer, …

Museli & ALOHA chocolate chip cookies

Published by chelsea

I browse the recipes on ALOHA for new ideas and ways to use their delicious all natural proteins and greens in my daily meals. But nothing hits home harder than a great dessert or snack cookie. So I developed one of my own recipes and I can’t get enough of this sweet treat. I’ve made two big batches already, and the only reason I haven’t made more is because I’m almost out of protein powder. These cookies are a museli + ALOHA chocolate protein powder with some all natural deliciousness packed inside. Here is the recipe: If you have never tried ALOHA protein before, then there is no time to waste. You don’t know what you are missing, seriously. I get tired of putting protein in my smoothies that taste like chalk. I prefer to drink milkshakes. ALOHA gives me the best of both worlds. You can try it today using my code ISLANDLIFE20 to get 20% off your order. They have more than just protein — check out their trail mixes, teas, snack bars …

exploring west-central puerto rico

Published by chelsea

Evan and I celebrated 4 months of marriage on August 18. Starting then, we decided we would take that day off each month until our one year anniversary and use that time to explore a part of Puerto Rico that we had yet to visit. So mid week, we brushed off our hiking shoes, packed a daypack and began our journey to the western-central part of the island. We were headed to the mountains! Well, to a lake in the mountains. Lago Dos Bocas was the destination, and the drive there was quite a sight as well. Twists and turns through the mountains, down into the valleys, along the edges of hills overlooking the lush farms and jungles of Lares and Utuado. Through a bamboo covered road, and out over a dam holding back this man-made lake surrounded by steep sided mountains. We arrived in early afternoon, just as everyone at the Department of Transportation-run office of this park was leaving for lunch. Naturally. So we explored a bit on the roads nearby, returning at …

Primal Pit Paste: an all natural deodorant that actually works!

Published by chelsea

Ok, let me be honest. I have always been skeptical of all natural deodorants because I have never had a lot of faith in them actually working. And I don’t mean working to just keep me smelling nice for a few hours. C’mon… I live on a humid island, I need something to keep me from sweating as I walk from one part of the house to the other. I’ve tried Arm & Hammer’s more natural alternative, and it works decent, but it’s still not 100% natural. I’ve tried Kiss My Face, that lasts a few hours then I can’t stop sweating. I’ve tried Krystal, Toms and Desert Essence. All these are trusted brands, and none of them worked for me. So, naturally brokenhearted and forlorn in this dilemma, I turned to retail therapy for the solution. I stumbled upon Primal Pit Paste, and I will never go back to any other deodorant again. Sorry, Arm & Hammer, you have been replaced. For your hippie Texas cousin. Primal Pit Paste is made in Pflugerville, Texas …

Island Hopping: U.S. Virgin Islands

Published by chelsea

My best friend Morgan just moved to St. Thomas. From Chicago. Big change. Her and boyfriend are blessed with the ability to uproot at whim and transplant wherever their hearts desire (in some sense of the phrase) because their jobs are computer/internet based. Of course not everything has the glamorous appeal that it may seem, they definitely face similar job related struggles that many independent contractors do. But for the next year, they get to experience the Caribbean in the U.S. Virgin Islands. So naturally, after just giving them about a week to settle in, I had to island hop over to pay a visit. At the same time that Tropical Storm Erika was making her devastatingly drunken path up the Antilles. So as we prepped for her demise of the USVI, we watched from their balcony overlooking Red Hook bay and St. John to see….. pretty much nothing. No rain, just lots of wind. Lots of scary wind, but that’s all. St. Croix and Dominica seemed to take the brute of the hit, while …

Got Wood? A Sustainable Toothbrush that You Need Now

Published by papaya_and_lime

Got Wood, an Australian company, encourages their customers to ‘Make the Swap’ and throw away their plastic toothbrushes in favor of their naturally raw Mao Bamboo (Panda Friendly) biodegradable versions. Like so many other gorgeous vegan, sustainable and eco conscious brands I have found and devoted my custom to, I discovered Got Wood via their Instagram page. At first glance I just thought it looked pretty neat to have a wooden toothbrush sitting next to the bathroom sink but a quick read through of the companies goals and ethics on their website soon convinced me to go ahead and ‘Make the Swap’ for ethical as well as cosmetic reasons. I haven’t touched a plastic toothbrush since (and never will!). They are a rather cool little company that offers a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to the traditional plastic-handled toothbrushes that have saturated the market for decades and contribute to our problem of overflowing landfills. Every year over a billion non-biodegradable plastic toothbrushes are thrown away. Furthermore, waste that is not recycled is lifted by rainwater and …