Health & Wellness Archives - Page 2 of 2

Girls Weekend Getaway – Make It Personal

Whether you’re celebrating an empty nest, an autumn wedding, or just extending a homecoming celebration because you want to, girls’ getaway weekends are the perfect way to kick back, relax, and let your inner circle know how much you appreciate them. A special gift to commemorate your weekend getaway; a matching nighshirt or scuffies for poolside, or even a cute cosmetic bag can be a reminder of a fun weekend away, and let your friends know how much they mean to you.

Who Needs a Reason for a Weekend Getaway

There is an endless list of reasons to getaway with your besties:

Bachelorette Party
Last Child Leaving the Nest
Bookclub Retreat
Returning to the Working World
Milestone Birthday Celebration
Old Friends in Town for the Weekend

Abby Draper of The Huffington Post’s Blog reminds us, “every woman needs a good ‘girls weekend’ every so often.” The one thing all the above ideas have in common is a shared history or experience among the guests. If you’re the weekend planner, don’t sweat. It doesn’t need to be a “destination weekend” and can even just be a slumber party in your own neighborhood, as long as everyone is getting away from home, work, and a break from the norm.

Continue reading Girls Weekend Getaway – Make It Personal

10 Reasons to Sleep in Cotton

Do you ever have those mornings when you wake up and just feel so…good? Don’t you wish you could feel like that every morning? There’s a way that you can! The lush feel and ageless beauty of cotton has been used for centuries and there is nothing else that can beat sinking into the sleek and effortless feel of soft cotton sleepwear after a long day. So why not luxuriate in the timeless sophistication of Jacaranda Living cotton as you wind down, relax and go to sleep?

10 reasons why cotton is the only choice for sleep:

Cotton is a lightweight, seasonal material. It is a fantastic conductor of heat and helps transfer unwanted body heat away in the summer months but also easily insulates and keeps your body warm during the cold winters.
Cotton is hypoallergenic. This means it is not associated with any allergies, it won’t irritate your skin, it is great for asthmatics.

Cotton is low maintenance. Unlike many other popular materials, cotton can be both machine washed and machine dried.
Cotton benefits your skin. Cotton is commonly used for facials and applying lotions because of its smooth and soothing powers on the sensitive skin of our faces. Why deny our bodies the same luxury?
Cotton lives a long time. The lifespan of cotton can be up to twice that of other materials. Cotton is durable and strong but it is also very soft and smooth and can be relied on to last a long time without pilling.
Not too much stretch. There is such thing as too much stretch, but you can count on cotton to keep its shape and to not stretch out over the years. Unlike many thinner fabrics, cotton also will not cling uncomfortably to your body.
More wear, less wash. Because cotton is a breathable material and retains smell easier than oil based synthetic fabrics, it takes longer for the material to take in bad odors, so it does not need to be washed as often.
Cotton is smooth and comfortable. Cottons fibers are wound very tightly resulting in the super smooth feel that won’t irritate skin or cause static.
Cotton absorbs moisture easily. Cotton can take up to ⅕ its weight in water before it starts to feel damp. At night the cotton will absorb body moisture and evaporate it into the air allowing you to feel clean and cool in the morning.
Finally, it’s professionally recommended! Cotton materials are recommended by dermatologists for maximum comfort and minimum skin irritation.

Need I say more?

Why you should consider Cotton for your Hypersensitive Child

Little Girls Candy Cane Christmas Dress

It is estimated that 25% of American children have sensory issues. Clothing made of Cotton rich fibers will offer hundreds of different sensory friendly options for a multitude of hypersensitive issues.

Cotton is a soft fiber that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant. Cotton fabrics have excellent absorbing capabilities, does not pill, is not itchy, keeps its shape, is never clingy or causes static electricity and does not irritate the skin, but most importantly it is cool, soft and comfortable for the hypersensitive kid in your life.

Jacaranda Living 100% Cotton Sheets for hypersensitivity

So not only does cotton look and feel great; it’s also a safe choice when choosing Christmas or birthday gifts. You may not know all the health and medical needs of a friend’s son or daughter when looking for a gift, so consider playing it safe and going with a fabric everyone can enjoy.

View a selection of our English Cotton Dresses for girls made from 100% cotton!

Creating a Bedroom Oasis for Better Sleep

We tend to think of making our beds as a routine morning chore, but it turns out the ritual may be more meaningful than that. The results of a recent Bedroom Poll by the National Sleep Foundation found that many people believe clean, neat and comfortable elements of the bedroom environment are important to getting a good night’s sleep.

Not surprisingly, over 90 percent of people said a comfortable mattress and pillows are important to the sleep experience. But more than three quarters of people also believe that the comfortable feel of sheets and bedding are important to a good night’s rest, and 62 percent said that a clean bedroom makes the difference.

People who reported making their bed in the morning were 19 percent more likely to get a good night’s sleep every night. It’s not clear why this is, but perhaps there is a connection between feeling good about where you sleep and your tendency to sleep through the night.

Your bedroom is where you spend lots of time, so it’s important to create a space that’s peaceful, calm, and inviting. We have some ideas to help you make your bedroom a relaxing oasis. See below for ideas on how to get your bedroom looking and feeling as comfortable as possible and help you feel your best!

1-Use some of our fine embroidered cotton sheets for your bed that are 200 or 400 thread count. Crisp, clean cotton sheets are a great pleasure in life.

2-Match with a duvet cover that is inviting and comfortable.

3-Throw pillows add a special touch to your room and can really make you bed look like a one from a luxury resort when you make it up each morning.

4-Use a comfortable throw blanket for extra cool nights.

5-Keep your room clean and organized. You’ll sleep better when every thing is put away and you don’t have to worry about stepping on something or tripping in the middle of the night.

6-Minimize electronics in your room. In order to signal your body that your room is for rest and relaxation, keep computers, TVs and even cellphones out of your room for more restful sleep.

7-Keep your room dark and cool. Light blocking curtains are helpful for creating a dark environment for you to sleep in. Even the street lights can be disruptive to your sleep cycle. Temperature is also important. Keep your room a little cooler at night.

8-Use aromatherapy. Keep a lavender sachet by your bed, or use an oil diffuser. Just make sure that you use soothing calming scents that aren’t too strong.

For more inspiration, check out our pinterest boards!

5 New Things to Try in 2014

It’s a New Year and that means, inspire yourself to try something NEW!

We tried some non-traditonal trends in exercise, food and home management (and yes we even tried them) for you and wanted to write a blog post and inspire you to try some of our recommendations and if none of them are for you, try something new and tell us about it.

Exercise Trend – Bikram Yoga

It’s a growing practice in Yoga, called Bikram Yoga. Founded in the 1970’s by Bikram Choudhury from Hatha Yoga, the practice was designed to heal your body using 26 poses and did we mention a very hot (usually 108 degrees) room.

The Daily Mail just featured the practice noting many celebrities and athletes who swear by the practice including Lady Gaga (and we all know what her body looks like). We can’t guarantee yours will look the same, but you will certainly have fun trying if this heated workout is for you.

This grueling class takes 90 minutes, involves 26 poses and requires you to sweat your you know what off. It’s claim: move fresh, oxygenated blood to one hundred percent of your body. The claimed result proper weight, muscle tone, vibrant good health, and a sense of well-being.

What we found – increases energy, mental clarity, tones and detoxes the body along with helping with joint and back issues. We recommend talking to your doctor before trying. Find out more about Bikram Yoga here: http://www.bikramyoga.com/.

Drink Trend – Kombucha Tea

Kombucha Tea is an ancient and controversial tea that people swear has many healing properties but experts say there is no real proof to its benefits and not to bother drinking it. Made by brewing tea and using a specific bacteria to ferment the tea, the result produces probiotics that help fight bad bacteria that cause havoc on your body. It has a bubbly property similar to soda but tastes almost like apple cider and water. We like it but many people think it’s just plain “gross”.

What we found – helps with digestive issues, reduces sugar, alcohol, food and coffee cravings. We don’t recommend you make it, just buy the commercial blend we like this one. http://www.synergydrinks.com/.

Home Trend – Decluttering and Reorganizing Spaces

People love to collect and people hate getting rid of things. Because stores like Target and Home Goods encourage buying on the cheap we tend to buy more than we really need for our homes. After doing this for a few years, you will find, things begin to collect and clutter…all of a sudden there is nowhere to put anything, you can’t find anything and you have just too much stuff.

Well, 2014 is time for a cleanse in your home! There are so many resources on the Internet about how to declutter and reorganize your home it’s hard to know where to start, but we have found what we think is one of the best sites out there to help you get a handle on how you can nicely design and organize your spaces. A Bowl Full of Lemons has step by step guides on how to tackle the different areas of your home.

What we found – we loved reorganizing and designing the pantry, also found other great sites to follow and pictures to see through this website. http://www.abowlfulloflemons.net.

Cooking Trend – Steaming VS. Roasting

Steaming vegetables and fish is both low fat and one of the best ways to keep vitamins and nutrients in your food. But it is also boring, messy and can even be tasteless. If you want to keep variety in your healthy diet try roasting! Roasted vegetables, fish and meat is another excellent cooking method to keep your foods nutrient rich.

Roasting makes your food more tasty. Try spreading any vegetables out on a pan with salt, olive oil and roast away! Our favorite roasted vegetables include brussel sprouts, red peppers and carrots (yes, stop boiling the carrots please!) You can even add spices, cook using healthy coconut oil (for a sweeter taste). You will really notice the difference in taste as roasted vegetables almost become richer in taste.

What we found – winter vegetables are delicious, but try summer vegetables too such as tomatoes and summer squash. These are vegetables your kids will eat! Here is a great article on how to roast your veggies. http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/09/19/how-to-roast-vegetables/.

Diet Trend – Go Gluten Free

So many health experts are recommending this now, that gluten-free menus and foods have become common place. Elisabeth Hasselback brought Celiac disease and the gluten-free diet to the American forefront with her book the G-Free diet and of course talking about it daily on the View. But many health experts agree, that going gluten-free is the way to go whether you have Celiac disease or not.

What we found – the gluten-free diet is a bit hard to follow, we recommend using non-processed foods so no processed gluten-free grocery items, sorry! If you don’t have Celiac and still want to eat bread the Ezekial Bread (whole sprouts) is low-carb and full of protein and tastes delicious (especially cinnamon with almond butter). One of the best recipe websites is the Gluten Free Goddess.

Please tell us about some new trend you have tried and what you would recommend to inspire our audience to try something new!

Good Luck and Happy New Year!