ashleyd /

A Rainy Bowl of Cinnamon Oats

 

Happy Friday!! It’s a rainy one here in New York City but that still doesn’t change my happy mood! Why am I in such a good mood? Well, for starters I enjoyed 9 peaceful hours of sleep last night. I woke up feeling refreshed, invigorated, and ready for the day. I still can’t believe what time the clock read when I woke up.

IMG_0581 Of course, I woke up at 5:30am when my alarm went off but then texted Sara letting her know that my body wanted and needed the sleep. I mean come on, how peaceful is sleeping while it’s raining outside.

The commute to work was a bit of a damp one especially since Bo and I realized that all our umbrellas were at our office desks. Oops!

IMG_0589IMG_0586

Hmm, look how intelligent those ladies with umbrellas look. Oh well, at least my shorter hair dries quickly.

IMG_0584The view from my desk this morning is equally as dreary. It’s like a big cloud landed on top of Manhattan.  I guess we’re lucky it isn’t colder or we’d be getting lots of snow just like Boston and Vermont. IMG_0590 My breakfast this morning was the regular banana and oatmeal, except with a small twist! I added a teaspoon of cinnamon and a dollop of yogurt to the mix which did a great deal for the flavor and health impact! The cinnamon was inspired by my daily fitness tip of the day which I shared on Twitter and Facebook:

Fitness tip of the day: Add cinnamon into your coffee, oats, etc. Studies find that even a 1/2 tsp daily can lower LDL cholesterol! Here are a few more random facts I found about cinnamon’s benefits:

  • Studies have shown that just 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per day can lower LDL cholesterol.
  • Several studies suggest that cinnamon may have a regulatory effect on blood sugar
  • In some studies, cinnamon has shown an amazing ability to stop medication-resistant yeast infections.
  • It has an anti-clotting effect on the blood.

IMG_0592 IMG_0591In fact, a few of my favorite Twitter friends had some great responses to today’s health tip with the ways they use cinnamon on a daily basis!

image Question: What is your favorite way to enjoy cinnamon?

PS- It’s a shameless plug, but I’d love if you’d take a minute to nominate me and other bloggers for the Women’s Health blogroll 🙂

Share Button
Follow:
ashleyd /

A Single Lady Evening..

 

After a long week and an even longer day of work today, I left the office contemplating a couple of options for my single lady evening since Bo had a work dinner.

  • Manicure and a cocktail
  • Manicure
  • Yoga
  • Head straight home and sleep I chose a manicure and relaxing evening at home. Unfortunately, there weren’t any yoga classes taking place at a convenient Equinox location when I finally left the office.  I’m also trying to limit my alcohol consumption during the work week, which made the cocktail portion a bad decision. I also knew that while going home and heading to bed was a nice option, my nails weren’t publicly acceptable anymore. Help was needed immediately!
    I enjoyed a wonderful and relaxing manicure at QQ Nails, my new favorite nail place when I’m looking for an inexpensive but clean manicure.
    IMG_0577

I love the bright color and I may or may not have used a scissors to open the cereal box as I didn’t want to ruin my nails. 🙂

IMG_0573 I’m spending the next hour in this comfortable spot enjoying my current nightstand book and dinner. (Confession, I’ve slept with my blankie for 27 years and am not ashamed to admit it! Though I will say he hid under my pillow during the day in college.)

IMG_0575 My mom and I both wanted to read Ree’s novel so we purchased it at Target this weekend and are sharing it. I claimed it first so I’ll mail it to my mom when I finish it. In exchange, she’ll mail me a book she just finished.

IMG_0574 A good book, relaxing scented candle, a sound machine to mask the street sounds of New York City, and a cozy bed; I’m in heaven!

Last but not least, I’m going to start sharing daily health tips on Twitter  and Facebook so follow me if you don’t already!

Question: Do you sleep with a blanket, stuffed animal, or other childhood keepsake still?

NYC Readers/Bloggers: I am hosting a brunch for are bloggers and readers. I’d love you to join! Please let me know, via comment section, whether March 12th or 13th is best. THANKS!!

Share Button
Follow:
ashleyd /

Are You Pouring on the Pounds?

Happy Thursday! Since it’s Thursday, regular readers know that I met my gym buddy, Sara, for an awesome spin class this morning.

equinspinShaina’s spin class is an hour long on Thursdays which means it pushes us extra hard and allows us to enjoy a few extra minutes of Shaina’s music. Meghann joined us for the class two weeks ago and loved it too! Do you prefer hour or 45 minute classes? I like hour classes as I feel like I get a more complete workout.

My favorite song’s this morning was Lady Gaga’s Born This Way. I know everyone has different feelings about this song and how much it echo’s old Madonna but I love it and it has quickly earned a spot on my running playlist.

Leaving the gym this morning, I noticed that the new Spring fashions have taken over the windows in SoHo! Hopefully they are right and we’ll be able to wear these light, frilly fashions sooner versus later. For now, I’m still rotating my winter wardrobe which is far darker than my bright Spring clothes.

IMG_0563

On the way to work, I had the luck of snagging an empty 6 train. Many days the 6 train is so packed you can barely move but today I was able to sit down and read during my 12 minute subway ride! In fact, the extra room allowed me to notice the new ad campaign, Are you Pouring on the Pounds?  IMG_0566 IMG_0565 IMG_0564While the images of fat pouring out of the fruit punch and energy drink are a bit disgusting, I think this is an effective and strong campaign! Unfortunately, there are still a number of people who don’t realize how unhealthy soda, punch, and energy drinks are if consumed on a regular basis. One of my friends from home recently decided that he wanted to lose a few pounds and the first suggestion I made was that he give up sweet tea. Many restaurants put an unbelievable amount of sugar in their tea! for example, McDonald’s now famous sweet tea has more than 28 grams of sugar in the 32oz size!!

I’ll step off my soap box now to share this mornings breakfast with you. :)  Due to this morning’s intense workout, I brought some fruit to work for a morning snack as I don’t know if my oats and banana will hold me over as well as normal.

IMG_0567 IMG_0568

Question: How do you feel about ad campaigns like the one featured above? love hem or hate them? Are they too graphic?

Share Button
Follow: