We have all seen her, that woman who walks into a room and people can’t seem to help but to stop and take notice. You think to yourself, “What is it? Her outfit? Her hair?” No, it’s that glow that radiates from within her. Today, we are going to let you in on this woman’s secret. That intangible luminescence comes from a healthy mind and body. The right clothing can compliment your body and help express your personality, but you are what makes an ensemble extraordinary.

It is a proven fact that America is the most overworked country in the world, working the longest hours, and having the least leisure time. Obviously this can lead to an enormous amount of stress. According to WebMD, “Stress can play a part in problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety”. Also we discovered the shocking statistic that “Seventy-five percent to 90% of all doctor’s office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints”.

We all know that stress can lead to sleep deprivation but not many of us realize the serious effects that it can have on our bodies. I’m sure many of us have heard coworkers boast about how little sleep they got the night before, pushing the limits of how much of this abuse your body can take has become an admirable trait in our society. Sleep deprivation can lead to blood pressure problems, diminished ability to focus, memory loss, depression, and a greatly compromised immune system. In more serious cases, reports the Washington Post, “insufficient or irregular sleep to increased risk for colon cancer, breast cancer, heart disease and diabetes”. In a recent study by Columbia University, the found that “adults who sleep the least appear to be the most likely to gain weight and to become obese”.

What can we gather from all these statistics? Saying “I’m too busy” or “I have too much work to do” are not logical excuses for ignoring your health. If you are not feeling at your best you are not going to do your best work, you will be much less efficient making tasks take twice as long as they should. If you just make a few simple changes you will be able to get everything accomplished that you want to in less time, and waste less time and money treating avoidable illnesses. If we stop trying to work in opposition with our bodies we will enhance our quality of life, move ourselves forward in our careers, and of course look better!

So the staff at Jia Collection did some research, and share some sites and blogs that have personally helped them in their pursuit of a healthier lifestyle.

 

#1 My Yoga Online

 

My Yoga Online is a staff favorite! It not only offers a variety of yoga, pilates, and dance work-out videos (with a $9.95/month membership) it also makes you part of a whole community. Many people roll their eyes at the prospect of living a more “yogic” or “holistic” lifestyle, feeling that it is a luxury reserved for bored housewives or those who live outside that hustle and bustle of the city. But this site features articles with a wealth of practical advice.

One of our favorite articles is Yoga Break, written by Greg Capitolo, he gives a few simple yoga moves that you can do at your desk whenever you are able to take a five minute break. Capitolo now works a hatha yoga teacher, but after working many years in corporate jobs in finance and IT he is well aware of the toll that sitting at as desk all day can take on your body. He also knows that you can’t always take an hour off to go to a yoga class during the day or break out a downward-dog in the middle of the office. But just by taking a few minutes to yourself like this during your day can refocus you and help fortify your mind so that you can deal with potentially stressful situations without becoming overwhelmed.

 

 

 #2 Fit Bottomed Girls

 

If you’re interested in more than just yoga and pilates check out Fit Bottomed Girls! The original team which was comprised of Jennipher Walters and Erin Whitehead has grown since the site has gained popularity, but they all pride themselves on being “real women” and not fitness magazine models. Get to know they Fit Bottomed Girls  in this funny video (shown below)!

This site gives reviews on workout DVDs, fitness equipment, and even apparel. Another feature that we really like about this site is that they have a whole section dedicated to helping you stay fit while you travel. So, for all of Jia’s jet-setting customers check out theses awesome articles: 5 Tips for Eating Healthy While Traveling (That You Haven’t Heard Before), Three New Workouts to Try When on the Road, and How to Get a Good Workout in the Hotel Pool.

 

 

 

#3 Skinny Taste

 

Deciding what to put in our bodies isn’t always an easy decision, you don’t want to undo all of the good choices that you have made during your day. So we are making that decision much easier for you, just check out this great blog!

Since creator Gina Homolka, started Skinny Taste back in 2008 she has won the Fitterati “Best Healthy Eating Blog” award and been featured in the blogs of many prominent magazines like Fitness Magazine, Glamour, and Shape Magazine. With her delectable low-cal versions of classic favorites, it is no wonder that readers have flocked to her. This blog offers a wealth of recipes so that your taste buds will never get bored during your pursuit for a healthier you. Another great site that she runs is Skinny Bits where you can learn about healthy give-aways and join discussions with the rest of the community about their weight management journeys.

 

#4 Alternative Medicine Zone

 

We are often hesitant when offered a holistic remedy for an ailment.  Reports come to mind of celebrities traveling to Tibet, hanging out with the Dalai Lama for six months to achieve eternal youth and inner peace. We remember horror stories we saw on the evening news detailing the fatal reactions that people have suffered from ingesting untested herbal supplements. Not to worry! Alternative medicine has come a long way in the western world! Alternative Medicine Zone is a great example of this progress.

This blog provides innumerable natural remedies for a variety of ailments. They are also very careful to educate their readers about the risks of using certain holistic treatments to prevent any adverse effects. We found this article about the dangers of unregulated herbal supplements to be very informative. One of the things we like about this blog is that the writers make this topic very approachable for the average woman. Also they don’t advocate forgoing modern medicine entirely, they just offer holistic medicine as a viable alternative. In this article in which they discuss the benefits and risks of holistic healing, they clearly state that “Some serious conditions may warrant immediate treatment by a physician in a conventional hospital or medical setting, prior to holistic examination.”

We believe that alternative medicine deserves some serious consideration based on the various studies about Americans’ abuse of over-the-counter medications such as painkillers. According to interviews that Northwestern University researchers conducted with their patients, “nearly 20 percent of respondents said they took painkillers every day or at least a few times a week. Forty-six percent of respondents admitted to combining multiple acetaminophen products.”

Americans take this behavior very lightly but what they don’t know is that it can (an often does) lead to very serious consequences. According to a study conducted published in Journal of General Internal Medicine, “overdoses of [acetaminophen] account for an overwhelming majority of the country’s acute liver failures”.

Armed with this knowledge, why wouldn’t you try a safer option rather than automatically reaching for the medicine cabinet? In Alternative Medicine Zone’s article Holistic Medicine More Than Autosuggestion, they prove that holistic healing really does work. In the article, a mother decided to use a natural remedy to treat her son’s gall bladder stones instead of putting him through a costly and invasive surgery. After a few (admittedly unpleasant) days, her son was gall bladder free. For all these reasons we think that it just makes sense for modern women to look past the pharmacy aisle once in a while to take care of their health!

 

#5 Morning Coach

We can’t talk about health without addressing one of the most important factors; your mental health. We all feel inundated with the torrent of demands in our lives sometimes. There is no shame in seeking help, occasionally you just need a fresh perspective to see the solutions in front of you. As part of our mission to aid you in streamlining your life we recommend this great website.

Morning Coach is described as a “personal evolution system”, giving people guidance on how to achieve goals in every facet of their lives and keeping them motivated with positivity. With a membership ($19.97/month), you will be given a personalized program which will teach you to prioritize and keep yourself organized for a clearer path to success. It is the first program created of its kind. You will also receive emails, that founder J.B. Glossinger calls “Compound Interest For Your Mind”, which give you encouragement and advice to tackle common issues.

I know what you are thinking, “There are lots of motivational speakers and life coaches out there, what makes this guy so special?”. Well his CoachCast has listeners in 100 different countries and quickly claimed the top spot on iTunes, so he must have something of value to say. Also, the staff at Jia Collection have personally read some of his “Compound Interest For Your Mind”, and no matter how down in dumps they were his words still managed to strike a chord. One of our favorite quotes of his comes from his email about “Manifesting Your Dreams” in which he explores “The Power of Perception”:

“Perception is the lens we see our world through, it is not how the world really is. So perception is just a tool and like any tool it can be used for growth or it can hinder our progress in life.”