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Earth Day, celebrating environmental wellness, and finding your purpose  Happy Earth Day to our big, beautiful Earth! Earth Day is a reminder that Mother Nature should not just be celebrated for one day, but all year round. Remember, momma knows best. This is the perfect time to evaluate your environmental wellness and find your purpose within your community. Here are 10 tips to help you achieve just that! Reduce 1. Transportation. You heard it from me: It’s cool to carpool. Carpooling not only saves time, money, gas, but the environment too! If carpooling isn’t realistic try walking or riding a bike instead of a driving when you have nearby destination. 2. Scoop the poop. Your dog’s poop that is! Be a good neighbor and pick up after your pooch. Odds are your neighborhood has rules that require you to. Not convinced? Their droppings if left unscooped, have the potential to transmit diseases and get into our water systems. No one wants that! Earth is our home and you wouldn’t want someone dropping off the nasties at your house. 3. Straws. Stop the suck. When ordering drinks politely decline the straw. Most of all straws end up in landfills. Like most other plastic, it can also end up in the oceans and hurt the marine life. Because of their composition, some plastic will not degrade for hundreds of years! Some places, like the Philippines are making a statement (1). However, companies like McDonald's are catching on and doing something about it (2). McDonald's is planning to trial out paper straws which can be composted. 4. Unplug electronics. Your home probably has some energy vampires. For example, do you only use your toaster every now and then, but keep it plugged in all the time? You are wasting your money. All electronics whether turned on or off use electricity if plugged in. Pull the plug when not in use, save energy, and save some money on your next bill.   5. Enroll in online billing. Save the trees and your mail carrier some time by signing up in online billing. This may seem like a small task, but all that paper really does add up over time. Reuse 6. Reusable bottle. Americans alone use over 50 billion plastic bottles a year (3)! Think about where those bottles are now: in the ocean, in a landfill, or on the sidewalk. Save yourself money, save the environment, and invest in your health by carrying a reusable bottle wherever you go. 7. Vegetation. Try your hand at gardening. Start small perhaps with house plants, then try an outdoor garden. Gardening can be a wonderful hobby that not only helps Mother Earth, but can provide you food if you plant produce. Remember, plants release oxygen and intake carbon dioxide. They are literally filters for what us humans output daily! If you have the space, try planting trees in your yard too. 8. BYOB. I’m talking about grocery bags! Get your mind off of the party scene. Reusable grocery bags are all the rage and for good reason! Invest in these bags so you don’t have to use the paper or plastic bags at the grocery store. Even better, due to the material, if you try to bring in all the bags in one trip, they are less likely to break compared to the paper and plastic ones! Recycle 9. Recycle. You’d be surprised how much recyclable material you have. If you don’t have curbside pickup, find a recycling drop off center near you. This simple step could mean what once could have been trash in a landfill will get re-purposed into something else. Ah the circle of life. Now you can walk away proudly with that warm, fuzzy feeling that you did your part. I’m proud of you for it! Replenish 10. Take care of yourself. In all this talk about taking care of your environment remember to take care of yourself first. Your closest environment is the body, in which you live you. Start there, and then treat your surroundings with love and kindness. Before you know it, you will be making big impact with small changes.  We were all put on this earth for a reason. Some people spend their whole life searching for it. Where are you on your journey and how do you want your story to be told? Your decisions and actions now, impact not only your future but the future of those who have yet to come. The power is in your hands. One action today changes the outcomes of tomorrow, and I know you’ve got it in you.  “The world doesn’t want to be saved. It wants to be loved. (That’s how you save it.)”- Unknown References Alicia EveretteA millennial wellness enthusiast trying to figure out life. Coupon Queen. Experimental Chef. Personal Trainer. Aspiring Health Coach.
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A guide to help you stay healthy while you werk (or work), whichever you prefer.   24 hours in a day. 9 hour work days. 2 hours for commute and meals. 7-9 hours of sleep. That leaves us with roughly 4 hours of free time. How on earth are people who work full time supposed to balance it all and be healthy? Don’t get me started if you have kids. You know what I’m talking about. Since we’re already spending a majority of our time working, we might as well make the most of it! Today’s blog will walk you through some tips to help you be healthy while working. 1. Actively commute. Ride a bike or walk if you live close enough to your workplace. If not, try parking farther away. All those extra steps add up. 2. Take the stairs. If you work in a large office, take the stairs instead of riding the elevator. 3. Drink more water. Not only is water the best beverage you can give your body, it will make you take more trips to the bathroom which equals more time being active. Staying properly hydrated has been known to curb hunger as well so keep that water bottle full and close! 4. Use the bathroom on a different floor. You never know what’s changed in a place that you don’t see every day. This will help you get out of your environment too! 5. Talk to a colleague in person. Instead of sending an email or calling, visit someone's desk to ask for that report. They'll appreciate the face to face time as well. 6. Take a stand. Stand up while you’re at talking on the phone or invest in a standing desk. If you use a laptop, try putting it on top of a crate. I did this in graduate school and it was worth it. #Healthyonthecheap 7. Set a timer. Set a timer on your computer or phone for every 30 minutes to remind you to get up or to stretch. Here are some examples of stretches you can do for at your desk. 8. Pack your lunch. Not only will this save you money it’ll give you more time to do the next tip. Packing your lunch the night before so you don’t have to worry about it in the morning is a HUGE load off your shoulders. Never worry about rushing in the morning again.  9. Take a walk after lunch. Who really takes 30 minutes to eat their food anyway? Mine is gone in about 5 or 10 minutes. If it’s a nice day, walk outside and enjoy some fresh air. 10. If your workplace has one, join their workplace wellness program. Mine has Weight Watchers! 11. Last but not least, potlucks. How does one stay on track with their goals when there’s potlucks and birthday celebrations galore?! Simple, be the person who bring the veggie or fruit tray. Lead by example! I challenge you to see how you can incorporate at least 2 of these tips this week. Happy werking! By: Alicia Everette A millennial wellness enthusiast trying to figure out life. Coupon Queen. Experimental Chef. Personal Trainer. Aspiring Health Coach.   What comes to mind when you think of health? Probably fitness, nutrition, sleep, weight-loss, and self-care to name a few. A majority of people do not associate wealth with their health; however, they should. Financial wellness is a dimension that often gets overlooked during the New Year’s resolutions band-wagon. Finances are a HUGE aspect of how the world runs. The lack of financial education in public school systems is alarming. Whitney Houston sang it best, “I believe the children are our future.” So who is going to teach America’s future how to be financially healthy? Not to worry, we are on it. This blog will provide helpful tips to grow your financial wellness, and hopefully the balance in your bank accounts too! A key to financial success is to know where your money is going and keep those expenses low as possible. We will break these down into three categories: housing, transportation, and food. Housing 1. Live with roommates. Living with more people means splitting rent and utilities. 2. Always be looking around for housing. Know what the current market looks like and do your research for the best pricing. 3. Program your thermostat. This will help with heating and cooling costs. Transportation 1. Use public transportation, walk, or bike. Not only does this save money, but it helps the environment. Win- Win for all. 2. Car pool to work. Take turns with a coworker that lives nearby. 3. Take care of your car. Did you know not having properly inflated tires reduces fuel efficiency? Check them regularly as well as your oil. Food 1. Cook at home. Eating out can add up quickly. 2. Loyalty cards. Sign up for a loyalty card if your grocer has one, this will get you special sale prices. 3. Digital coupons. Most stores have digital coupons you can download right to your card. *Usually hundreds of coupons are added towards the end/beginning of a month* Just last week I saved $38 in coupons at Kroger. 4. Plan your meals using the sale ads. If ground beef, tomato sauce, and pasta are all on sale then have it for dinner! Buying on sale items and actually using them will lead to savings.  5. Shop with a list. Know what you are going to buy before you shop and stick to it. This will prevent impulse buying. 6. Stock up on sales. Chicken for 99 cents a pound? Buy a lot and use your freezer to your advantage. 7. Buy frozen fruits and vegetables. Frozen produce actually has more nutritional value than their fresh counterparts because they are frozen at their peak. Whip up a fruit smoothie or vegetables as a side dish in no time. 8. Buy store brand items. When you buy name brand, you are paying for the name and packaging. Most store brand items are just as good. 9. Shop the clearance sections. Almost bad produce? Freeze for smoothies. A box that is slightly disfigured? It’s still okay and it will save you a dollar or two! I encourage you to review these tips, and if there is something you do not already do, then I encourage you to try it out and see how it goes. Best of luck on your financial journey!  By: alicia Everette A millennial wellness enthusiast trying to figure out life. Coupon Queen. Experimental Chef. Personal Trainer. Aspiring Health Coach. |
Who we areJust a team of round pegs in a square hole changing the world one interaction at a time. Look back at it
March 2020
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