Life Lessons to Learn Before 30

Every person goes through many ups and downs throughout their twenties. From trying to decide which career path to take, to forming important, lasting relationships with friends and partners, there is a lot to learn. I’m not quite at that 30 milestone yet, but I’m getting closer each day. And as I do, I more frequently find myself reflecting on how different my life is today versus the day I turned twenty. It’s a little hard to believe!

It's amazing how much one can learn in 10 years.
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Here are some important lessons that every twenty-something should consider as they enter adulthood:

1. If you work hard enough and don’t stop until you meet your goals, you will eventually get there—or to a different, just as worthy, place.
2. To have friends you must be a friend first. The friends who stand by your side through the years are priceless.
3. You are never too old to be a kid and jump into a colored ball pit.
4. Surround yourself with people who make you feel good and motivate you to do better and be better. Keep people out of your life who bring you down.
5. Don’t beat yourself up over mistakes or regrets in your life. After all, some of those “mistakes” could lead to something even better down the road. I try to approach everything with a “no regrets” mindset—I quite literally ask myself “Will I regret it if I do/don’t do this?” Just the simple act of asking gives me so much more clarity when making decisions.
6. Be independent and do not rely on someone else to make you happy. You will eventually have a much stronger and healthier relationship with your significant other if you highly value your own wellbeing and happiness.
7. Create the actual life that you want to have. Stop telling yourself you can’t, and stop settling for less than what you know you could achieve, especially if you know it would lead you to a happier and more satisfied life.
8. Step outside of your own comfort zone and go after something you want.
9. If you don’t like something about your life, it is your own responsibility to change it.
10. Be grateful for what you have in life. Even on the worst days, there is something to be grateful for. Make it a practice to write down one positive thing that happened, no matter how small, each day.
11. If you do not have enough cash to pay for it, you cannot afford it. Put the credit card down.
12. Pay your bills on time, change your oil regularly, file your taxes on time, and be sure to floss. Sometimes, acting like a grownup is so worth it.
13. Be quick to forgive. Don’t hold grudges.
14. Everyone has a story that makes up who they are. Respect differences, because you can learn something new from everyone you meet.
15. Admit when you’re wrong and take full accountability for your mistakes.

Did I forget anything important? What else might you add to this list of life lessons learned before 30?

How to Get Rid of that Dry Scalp This Winter

As we continue through the cold months, most if not all of us experience our scalps and hair being zapped and ravaged by the harsh weather. Winter can cause a dry scalp but luckily there are some things you can do at home to counteract the problem:

There are many ways to get rid of that dry winter scalp.
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• Massage your scalp before washing your hair. If you do this with a boar bristle brush before washing, you will remove buildup of oil, hair products and skin cells. The bristles will lift away dirt and distribute your natural oils. Another thing you can do is purchase a hair mask, and apply to your head under a shower cap. Leave the mask on for 45 minutes for a deep moisture soak.

• Try better shampoo. Experiment with different shampoos and find what works for you. Personally, I like moisturizing or detox shampoos like Moroccan Oil “Hydrate.” If your condition continues to worsen, medicated shampoos are also an option.

• Try applying Hand Salve along your hairline. Take Burt’s Bees Hand Salve and use the botanical oils and beeswax in this product to alleviate flare-ups along your hairline.

• Eat more fatty acids. Try and incorporate more things like walnuts and salmon into your diet, and minimize coffee and alcohol to get rid of that dry scalp. Eating kelp, which is high in iodine, can also help support hair growth and scalp healing.

• Definitely commit to drinking more water. Keeping yourself hydrated will be the complete savior of your skin, especially your scalp. Adding that internal hydration will balance out your scalp issues and is effective and inexpensive. Many of us forget to properly hydrate during the winter months, but drinking enough water on a daily basis should be a top priority in your health regimen.

How to Treat A Horrible Hangover

Although Christmas and New Year’s Eve are behind us, this season is still full of parties and gatherings. The party invites can stack up, often leading to overindulgence in libations. The morning after can mean a headache and damage to all of your body including your skin. Excessive alcohol consumption can severely dehydrate the skin, making it tight, dry and puffy – a hefty price to pay for a night of fun.

Drinking dehydrates the body--so be sure to
hydrate throughout the night.
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Relieve your tight skin with a splash of water. While most of us rely on moisturizer to get rid of dry skin. But did you know that over moisturizing, especially if you are prone to acne, can lead to clogged pores? Instead, try filling the sink with cold water and ice cubes. Once they are melted, splash your face 25 times.

Load up on vitamins. Since alcoholic drinks can deplete vitamins from the skin and body, it is important to load up on topically and internally. Green veggies like kale, spinach, cilantro, mint and parsley contain high concentrations of antioxidants; consuming additional nutrients and electrolytes can also help heal a hung-over body.

Hydrate your body by drinking water. If you get tired of plain old water, munch on strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and watermelon instead. Your body will be able to absorb a lot of water from these fruits. You can also try a sports drink like Gatorade to gain back electrolytes you lost from dehydration the night before.

Practice hangover prevention. Limit your alcohol intake and choose your drinks wisely. Go for drinks with less sugar and you will likely drink slower and less. Try to drink a glass of water for every alcoholic beverage you have as well. This provides the dual benefit of slowing your alcohol intake while at the same time rehydrating.  You’ll thank yourself in the morning.

How to Break Up with a Toxic Friend

It's time to break up with your toxic friends.
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There are many good friends you will come across in life. You know, the ones who will always pick up the phone and sing your praises when you’re not around. As we get older, many people experience their friend groups decrease in size, but the friendships they do have become more intimate. However, as friend groups continue to change, some people will encounter “frenemies” – people who use you as the butt of the joke or make you feel terrible about yourself so that they can feel better about themselves.

Toxic friendships need to be busted. You don’t have to stay in friendships where you are used as an emotional punching bag—because you are worth more than that. Downgrading a friendship isn’t easy, especially if you move in the same circles. Below are some tips on how to navigate a friendship sabbatical.

First take some time to reflect. This could just be a phase in your friendship… or it could be symptomatic of something going on their life. If this behavior continues, it suggests a simmering resentment to you on some level and you will need to deal with it head-on. Evaluate your relationship with this person using a critical lens; if this “friend” is offering nothing positive, it might be time to break up with them.

Second, brave the talk with them. Sit down with this person and be strong. During your conversation, take deep breaths and make direct eye contact. State the facts and address how they are not being kind or respectful to you. Try to be objective rather than hostile. And remember, if they are a true friend, they will show concern and not defensiveness during this exchange.

Then, prepare for the fallout. After confronting them, you might realize that their behavior towards you was just an excuse to blow off some steam, and this conversation could end up making your friendship stronger. You need to be honest with yourself and with them about what you are willing to compromise on and what you aren’t. If this friend isn’t open to altering their behavior towards you, you need to let them know that this toxicity isn’t healthy in your life and that you need some space.

Finally, move on. Sometimes it’s easier to start simple, such as by reducing the amount of text messages and phone calls, invites, etc. until the friendship dies of its own accord. Remember, break-ups aren’t just for romantic relationships, but unhealthy platonic ones too. You’ll be better off for breaking up with a toxic friend so that you can focus your attention on the positive people in your life.

5 Ways Holidays at Home Can Hurt Your Health—and What To Do About It

Try to stay healthy during the holidays by eating in moderation and keeping up an exercise routine--even if it's light.
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Copious amounts of home cooked food, an endless supply of alcohol, and all of your relatives together in one room might sound like a great time around the holidays, but sometimes it can be a bad thing. Despite the good eats and time off from work, holidays can really take a toll on our wellbeing for a variety of reasons.

Don’t get me wrong—I love spending time with my family, and the holidays are wonderful excuse to skip town and get down to see them. But going outside of my normal routine is hard because it’s so easy to miss out on the things that normally keep me healthy—like regular exercise and portion control. Here are some things to keep in mind to maintain your good health this holiday season.

• There are no gyms in sight. If mom’s cabin doesn’t have a treadmill, try weightless workouts to help improve balance, flexibility and core strength. Bring resistance bands, yoga DVDs and maybe a jump rope to help keep your fitness levels from dropping too sharply. I try to get exercise in first thing in the morning when on vacation, because otherwise I just get too busy doing other things. Like drinking eggnog…
• Every holiday meal is enough to feed a small village. The average American will consume over 3,000 calories at a traditional holiday dinner. It can be hard to resist the temptation of high-calorie food when it’s all sitting there on the table. Drink a lot of water, take it easy with the alcohol, and try to stock up on greens and lean proteins. Of course, it is the holidays, so don’t beat yourself up over having a slice of pie or some eggnog—just try to keep things in moderation.
• Don’t mindlessly graze on leftovers and snacks. It’s easy to munch when you have easy access to leftovers and are cozied up inside. Rather than chowing down on whatever crosses your path, try to schedule snacks ahead of time or keep a food journal so you are more aware of what you are eating. I tend to go to the fridge when I’m bored, which is a terrible habit because then I end up eating when I’m not even hungry.
• When traveling and spending all that family time, there is no alone time to decompress. Try to carve out some chunks of alone time, even if you need to wake up earlier than everyone else to get it. I try to schedule ample time between friend & family meet ups, or at least take 15-30 minutes at night to read a book and just be.
• You expect everything to go perfectly and your family to be perfect. Give up hope that all holiday events and gatherings will go as planned. You might think this is finally the time that everything will go right, but you need to realize it won’t. You can only control how you behave and react to others. So take some deep breaths and try to accept your loved ones with an open heart. No one’s family is perfect, which for me means that my dad will drive my sister crazy trying get things ready for dinner, my mom will try to help and will actually make things worse, and my brother and I will sit quietly in the other room while they all get frazzled. But then—this is how the holidays always seem to be, and that’s okay with me. I get to be with family, so I’m happy.

Fiber-Packed Foods to Eat

Artichokes are a great source of fiber.
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Getting enough fiber is no joke. Besides enabling efficient bowel movements, a high-fiber diet can also reduce the risk of stroke, hypertension, and heart disease. But strangely enough, less than three percent of Americans are meeting the recommended fiber intake.

Fiber is something the body needs but can never actually digest. It comes in two varieties – soluble and insoluble – and most plant-based foods contain a mixture of the two. When you ingest soluble fiber, it turns into gel in the stomach and will slow down digestion, which lowers cholesterol and blood glucose. When your body is processing insoluble fiber, it remains unchanged all the way to the colon, making waste heavier and softer so it can run through the intestines. Neither is ever absorbed into the body.

So how much are we supposed to eat? It is recommend for men to under 50 to eat 38 grams of fiber each day and women to consume 25 grams. Adults over 50 need slightly less. So where can you find all this fiber?

Eat blackberries or other dark berries to get your fiber in!
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Legumes and beans are a great source of fiber. Try split peas, lentils, black beans, or lima beans. Also, many vegetables contain a good amount of fiber. Try artichokes, broccoli and Brussels sprouts for about 5-10 grams of fiber per cup. Dark leafy greens, carrots, corn, potatoes with the skin on, and okra are also great vegetable options if you’re looking to incorporate more fiber into your diet. Many fruits also contain a lot of fiber, which can be most readily found in darker berries like raspberries and blackberries, along with avocados and, somewhat surprisingly, apples, pears, and oranges.

When most of us think fiber, we think grains. The highest packed grains with fiber are bran flakes, whole-wheat pasta, pearled barley and oatmeal with 4-7 grams each. Nutritionists often suggest avoiding refined grains such as white flower, white bread, white rice, and white pasta. Instead, replace these with more nutritious and fiber-packed whole grains for better results.

How do you plan on incorporating more fiber into your diet?