Posts filed under 'Swellbeing'
Classic reads
Heading to the cottage this weekend and looking for something to read?
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always wanted to read the classics I’ve never gotten around to reading – think Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare — so I’m kind of excited about the new 100 Classic Books, which includes such novels as Pride and Prejudice to be read on any of the Nintendo DS systems.
(now if only the DS could emit that musty weathered book smell — I kinda like that scent, it’s oddly comforting…)
1 comment June 30, 2010
Shop til you drop…
…from an infection, yikes.
Feeling a tad queasy just reading this report on how of 84 reusable shopping bags tested by researchers at the University of Arizona and Loma Linda University, nearly every bag was laden with bacteria, 50 percent of them showed evidence of coliform bacteria (indicating potential raw-meat or uncooked food contamination) and 12 percent featured E. coli.
Shopping shouldn’t make you sick. Add machine or hand washing your super cute reuseable shoppers (we personally love the ones from Blue Q such as this little number here) to the top of your to-do list.
4 comments June 25, 2010
Single ladies
Tuning into some Celine Dion may help you find love faster if you tend to be picky about who you date. French researchers have found that women were more likely to give a man they considered “average” their digits after having listened to a ballad.
2 comments June 22, 2010
Refresh obsessed
The forecast for the weekend: hot and humid. My plans? Stay cool and refreshed–and one way I’m going to do that is to whip up a batch of this incredible cucumber ginger elixir that I discovered in Napa at Trefethen Vineyards.
Post-5k race at this lovely winery, the gracious Trefethen family hosted us runners, serving both some of their incredible wine and this delicious elixir (courtesy of chef Chris Aiken).
Making ginger syrup may seem a bit tedious, but the results are soo worth it!
CUCUMBER GINGER ELIXIR
1/2 cup cucumber juice
1 Tbsp ginger syrup
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 cup ginger ale
2 mint leaves, torn
For the cucumber juice: Peel and puree or blend 2 English cucumbers.
For the ginger syrup: Place equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan. Add 1 Tbsp of peeled and roughly cut ginger. Warm until sugar is dissolved. Let steep for 10 minutes. Remove ginger chunks. Cool
Assembly: In a mixing bowl or medium-sized pitcher, combine all of the ingredients. Whisk or stir until well incorporated. Serve over ice and garnish with a slice of cucumber, mint leaf, or lime, if desired.
Makes 4 pint-sized servings.
2 comments June 18, 2010
Get fit, not angry
Working up a sweat may help prevent and reduce your feelings of boiling up with anger (say, the next time that colleague takes credit for all your hard work again) says a study presented at the American College of Sport Medicine’s annual meeting.
(and if exercise isn’t enough, we’re kinda obsessed with these slightly creepy but kinda cute Makiko Yoshida-designed Cao Maru stress balls.)
Add comment June 9, 2010
Healthy humour
Love this finding: a sense of humour helps to keep you in good health and increases your chances of reaching retirement age.
Does this mean I can use my health insurance to cover tickets to see Mike Birbiglia in the Just For Laughs Fest??
Add comment June 8, 2010
Here’s the rub
Photo: Anna Lisa Sang
I”m not sure why, but when I got the invite to check out Red Door’s new foot massage treatment I wasn’t that excited. I love massages and try to get one every few months, and while I thought a foot rub would be perfectly nice, I just didn’t really get the point.
But after a 20-minute sneak peak into what the spa’s 45-min treatment consists of, you can call me a believer.
It is positively heavenly to have your tired calves and feet being the entire focus, and the spa’s airy space is such a tranquil escape from the city–in fact I had to be asked a few times to vacate my treatment chair as I just wanted to stay parked right there forever and never put on a pair of heels ever, ever again.
I just might have to cheat on my Alfred. (No, never. I just have to carve out a bigger massage therapy budget so I can indulge in this $55 foot treatment).
Available at Red Door (which goes by the name Che Bella Spa during daytime hours), 10 Castle Knock Rd. in Toronto on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings only.
Add comment June 2, 2010
Love, actually
A close relationship with your parents in your early teen years may be associated to having a conflict-free, satisfying adult love life, say researchers from Montclair State University.
2 comments May 31, 2010
