Life & Wellness

Take a Hike

These days, any Vancouverite will tell you that ugly, rainy weather and skyrocketing house prices are topics that dominate nearly every conversation from boardroom to coffee house. While we can’t do much about the housing situation, we do know the benefits of such crappy weather - it means our forests become more lush and everything around us is green and blooming. We do live in a rainforest, after all...

Take a Hike

Fashionably Hydrated

As you know, I’m halfway through my 30-day health challenge and staying hydrated is always top of mind, whether you’re on or off the exercise mat. On the market today, there are so many reusable bottles - ones with beautiful designs in many different shapes and sizes. But what if the bottle itself was more than just a conventional vessel? What if this bottle could make the water even healthier for you?

Fashionably Hydrated

Week 2: Progress of Health Challenge

I thought I would write about my progress after finishing Week #2 in this 30-day self-imposed health challenge. This challenge is a combination of physical exercise and healthy eating. The physical exercise comes in the form of daily 15-minute HIIT, highly efficient workouts that really push your body. The healthy eating comes with the assistance of daily meal plans - recipes that help you focus on eating whole foods, thus maximizing...

Week 2: Progress of Health Challenge

The Real Deal

Authenticity is a big word these days. In a world where people are judged by the number of ‘likes’ and ‘comments’ on a single post, it can be very difficult to sift through the noise and find an authentic voice. As a blogger, my goal is to deliver my form of expression - with no set rules and no governing body trying to frame my story within boundaries. It’s just me and people can either take it or leave it. They can agree with my opinion and like my photos or...

The Real Deal

Workout Motivations

I'm now on Day 7 of my 30-day health challenge and I'm feeling pretty good so far. I know it's just over 20 percent of my goal, but hey - it's 20 percent more than I did over a week ago!! I'm normally not one to stick to workout routines as I find them incredibly boring, but the one I'm currently doing is pretty good. It's only 15 minutes, consisting of three sets of a series of five to six exercises. So three minutes per series means...

Workout Motivations

My 30-Day Health Challenge

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how to be more structured in terms of eating healthier and being more active. As most of you know, going to the gym is useless if you’re filling your body with unhealthy food options. So it’s not just about how often you work out, but what you eat. And sometimes it really helps to have...

My 30-Day Health Challenge

A Moment of Clarity with SUDIO

You’re probably familiar with SUDIO Sweden’s wireless earphones which are super portable and combines form and function: they deliver the sound and performance that I’m looking for while keeping me stylish on the ski hill and at the gym. So when I learned about their new wireless Regent headphones, I really wanted to check them out...

A Moment of Clarity with SUDIO

5 Tips to Practice Mindfulness at Home

Since the BC Home and Garden Show is currently taking place in Vancouver, it made me think about how to be more mindful while at home. Some of these tips are pretty simple. Being mindful is to be aware of the world around you, accept how things are and in turn be able to see yourself more clearly while seeing others for who they really are. And while home life can often be buzzing with children running around, dirty clothes lying around, a blender or other appliance whirring in the background, it can be tough to still and calm your mind...

5 Tips to Practice Mindfulness at Home

I Love You, But I Love Myself More

There was only one thing I recall from the movie Sex and The City - besides it being a terrible movie - was during the break up scene between Samantha and Smith. She said, “I’m just going to say the thing that you’re not supposed to say: I love you, but I love me more." I felt like that was one of the most liberating lines of dialogue I’d ever heard in a romantic movie...

I Love You, But I Love Myself More

Pink and Proud

This week, you’ll likely see a lot of pink around the city. Not because stores and residents are still in the Valentine’s Day after glow, but because it’s to bring awareness to the province-wide anti-bullying Pink Shirt Day, taking place on Wednesday, February 22nd. Wearing a pink shirt helps to show your support for anti-bullying. The idea originated in Nova Scotia in 2007 after a high school boy was beaten up for wearing a pink shirt to school. Shortly after the incident...

Pink and Proud

Skin Deep

Now that Valentine’s Day is over, it’s a great way to start focusing inward. Some of this comes in the form of taking care of yourself not just mentally and emotionally, but physically. I once had a friend tell me that he treats his body like a temple. That includes what he consumes and how he keeps it finely tuned and by getting plenty of rest and exercise. Your skin is the largest organ in the body. To neglect it would be such a disservice...

Skin Deep

Five Creative Ways to Say "I Love You"

While I have mixed feelings about February 14th, it does serve as a reminder to do something nice for your guy. You could take him out for a lovely dinner, get him a nice tie, or even take him out to see a game. There are, however, small things you can do on a daily basis - after the whole Valentine’s brouhaha - that can strengthen a relationship. Here are five ideas to consider...

Wardrobe Recycling

As a fashion and style blogger, you're often feeling the pressure to keep your wardrobe current. That often means constantly acquiring new stuff in your closet, whether by your own means or sponsored through a label or retailer. However it ends up on the hanger though, it's still just more stuff. These last few months as I've been thinking more about the concept of simplification, I feel the need to extend this to my wardrobe...

Gin Girl

I’ve been on a dry month since the first of January and honestly I don’t miss the alcohol at all. Even when I’m out at dinner with friends or stare at the bottle of bubbly waiting for me in the fridge, it’s a dismissible pang in my chest. Just a second of ‘Oh!’ and that’s about it. Every year when I do a dry January, my body thanks me for it and it feels incredible. After a month of celebrating the holidays...

Your Authentic Self

Authenticity is one of those characteristics that you assume you're born with and can exude quite naturally. By definition, it means you are being genuine in your approach to everything you say, do, think and feel. But do we? Truly? Do we go about our daily lives not worrying about how others think of us or afraid of others judging us? 

Packing It Up!

We took down our tree today and it gave me real mixed feelings. Not just because my floor became a carpet of needles. I mean, there were needles EVERYWHERE. But it was a bit of melancholy as I realized how quickly the holidays come and go. So much effort and anticipation leading up to the big day on the 25th - then...

Me, Myself and I: Seize the Day

Seeing as it’s the start of a new year, it usually means reset time. But to reset also means to pay tribute to who you have been up to this point. Understanding how you got here will help give better guidance on the road ahead. So I thought I would spend some time on what I was like as a kid to give you a glimpse of who I am today...