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Candice Kumai’s Tips for a Healthier Life

You guys are amazing! You know how to make a girl smile, that’s for sure! Thank you so much for the kind tweets, comments, messages, and texts regarding Sunday’s NYC Half Marathon! My hamstrings are craving some time on the foam roller and after a long day of work on Monday my mind and body appreciated 2 days off. Tomorrow I’m going to jump back into it with an evening workout at As1 with fellow FitMapped Ambassadors. Based on the RateYourBurn reviews and the images on Google, I’m scared!

But, back to tonight’s post! There is nothing I love more than hearing about a person’s health journey or the way they weave their health beliefs into their everyday life. I think you can learn a great deal about a person, their priorities, and personality just from hearing them speak about health. Tonight, thanks to the New York Junior League, I was able to listen to Candice Kumai speak for an hour on her philosophies, favorite New York City restaurants, and some of her favorite workouts. The small group setting presentation was casual enough that the true person came out but formal enough for a slide show and Q&A portion.

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This very talented 30 year old attributes much of her beliefs and practices to her Japanese heritage. In just a short time, the model turned food writer has been a Top Chef competitor, judge on Iron Chef America, authored multiple books, and is now in the new E! Television show, Playing with Fire. This new reality series marks the first time E! has tapped into food. She promises it includes tears, drama, insanity in the kitchen, and a bit of restaurant reality!

The train of thought hour long conversation allowed attendees to catch a glimpse into her daily health practices while she shared some of her top tips with us.

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  • Drink 10 cups of water per day to flush out toxins and negative energy.
  • Avoid highly acidic coffee, soda, or diet soda. Instead, enjoy plenty of kombucha, tea, or lemon water. Her favorite teas include Tazo green ginger and Yogi Detox.
  • Start each day with a positive mantra that allows you to start with a clean slate. Her favorite is to live each day as it is.
  • Eliminate processed foods as much as possible.
  • Practice the 75% rule. Only eat until you’re 75% full and eat a plate filled with 57% produce.
  • She absolutely loves to use coconut oil for cooking and as a moisturizer.
  • Sleep is key for a healthy life.
  • Make your bedroom a sanctuary by bringing candles, relaxing music, soft pillows, and magazines into the space.
  • Her favorite NYC fitness spots include Soul Cycle and Pure Barre.
  • Her favorite NYC restaurants are ABC Kitchen, Hearth, Marc Forgione, Perry Street, Marrow, Catch, Five Leaves in Brooklyn, Soba Totto, and Terroir Wine Bar.

Overall it was a great night and I left with a few great tips and a restaurant or two that we need to add to our list!

How about you? What are your tips for a healthier life?

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ashleyd /

S(egg)xy Food

Happy Hump Day! I don’t know about you guys but this week has been a tough one. There is a lot going on at work and at home. Bo and I are trying to figure out our Thanksgiving plans which is proving to be a nightmare. Flight prices skyrocketed overnight and literally even Amtrak costs over $1,500! Luckily I had a really good conversation with both my parents and brother today about the situation so we’re all working together to do research and find solutions.

While I was sitting in meetings yesterday, Meg was able to represent HHB at a fun lunch event. I’ll turn it over to her to share a delicious recipe and recap of yesterday’s event. Check out the food! Holy food porn!Candice Kumai knows that sexy isn’t just on the outside, it’s also what you put on the inside.
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Today, the folks at Egglands Best sponsored lunch at Bryant Park Grill, where I got a sneak peek at her new cookbook, Cook Yourself Sexy. I had the chance to hear directly from Kumai while getting to know other New York City health and wellness bloggers.

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The book is more than recipes and food porn. Kumai includes lists of kitchen essentials, healthy tips and even a seven day plan to kick start healthy eating habits.

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I ordered the Poached Egg over Mushroom, Spinach and Potato for my appetizer and the Sun Dried Tomato and mushroom Frittata for my entrée.

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The poached egg was perfect. The egg white was hard but the gooey yolk oozed all over the vegetables. My only complaint was that having a whole potato was too much. In fact, the egg could have been served without the potato and I would have still enjoyed the dish just as much. The frittata was delicious, nothing overly special, but a great recipe to have in your back pocket. I love making quiche partly because it’s a great meal to reheat for a quick dinner. The frittata recipe has inspired me to ditch the crust to save a few calories and a little bit of time!

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By the end of the meal I was stuffed, but there was no way I was going to leave without trying the desserts. The crème brûlée was AMAZING! Usually crème brûlée is one of those desserts that I have to split because it is so rich and dense. This crème brûlée was very light and came in perfectly portioned cups. I put a little bit of it on top of my Cherry-Pistachio Clafoutis to add some extra sweetness to the nutty flavor.

The hangover burrito was a big hit at the lunch and after reading the recipe, sounds right up my alley.

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I’m so excited to make the burrito along with all of the other exciting (and healthy!) recipes in this book.
What recipes make you feel sexy?

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