Tart Cherry Chai Chia Jam

3 Common Signs That Mean Your Carpet Needs to Be Stretched

Even the most durable carpets wear out over time, but that doesn’t mean you need to invest in new carpeting every few years. Here are some common signs to tell if your carpet needs to be stretched, including: lumps and wrinkles, loose edges and damage.

carpet stretching Curlys Carpet Repairs

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Below are 3 common signs that your carpet needs to be stretched:

Lumps and Wrinkles

There are some obvious signs that carpet needs to be stretched, and there are signs that only a trained professional will be able to determine. For example, you may notice that carpeting appears to be wrinkled, rippled or generally lumpy. Carpet should lay flat and smooth across the floor, and any signs that it is not flat and smooth may indicate the need to have it professionally stretched. You may also notice that carpeting is pulled up at the edges of the room. It should have a tucked in appearance around the baseboards in the room, and areas that are not tucked in may need to be stretched and repaired. If you call a carpeting professional to your home for assistance, the professional can inspect the carpet to look for signs of damage to the seams that you may not be able to notice. Source:  ProGreenCarpetNC

Loose Edges

Carpet is fixed to the floor with tack strips to keep it in place. One way to tell if the carpet is loose and needs stretching is to check the edges or corners. Loose edges indicate the need to stretch and reaffix the carpet to the subfloor.

Conduct a floor test to see if your carpet needs stretching. Insert an awl tool into the center of the carpet and raise it up approximately one inch from the floor. Remove the tool and let the carpet fall back into place. The carpet should snap quickly back into place. If it doesn’t, you need to stretch your carpet.  Source: 651Carpets

Damage

Depending on the carpet’s depth, there may be cuts or other damage to the base structure. If the carpet’s base is damaged in a large area, the surrounding carpet will become loose. It is good practice to look carefully among the carpet fibers for any obvious signs of cuts to the base. If necessary, you can use a flashlight to look even closer into the carpet pile. Finding a relatively large cut should prompt you to stretch the carpet as soon as possible.                                           Source: HomeGuides.SFGate

If you need carpet stretching services, contact us now!

The post 3 Common Signs That Mean Your Carpet Needs to Be Stretched appeared first on Curlys Carpet Repair.

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Taking Small Steps Towards Change At A Big, Traditional High School

It’s easy to hear or read stories of innovation happening at other schools and write them off — those schools won a grant to try something new, or work with a less difficult population, or are charter networks, or are smaller, the list goes on. And while these factors matter, innovation is happening in big traditional schools too. How can administrators and teachers working in more traditional settings incorporate interest-driven, student-centered approaches without letting go of the diversity and broad offerings of a comprehensive school? It’s a challenge, but it starts with small steps.

Many students thrive in big traditional high schools. For some kids, playing on a sports team is the only thing motivating them to continue working hard at school. And big high schools can offer students many more choices including AP courses, foreign languages, arts and musical opportunities like band, chorus and orchestra. All these activities contribute to a vibrant community with many options for students to find a niche. Teachers and administrators at West Seattle High School are trying to hold onto all these good qualities and make shifts in pedagogy at the same time.

“The high schools structure doesn’t work for every student,” said West Seattle Principal Ruth Medsker. Often big high schools like West Seattle require students to be compliant in order to fit in and that can lead to disengagement. Medsker is interested in finding models within her large school that offer something different to students who want it.

“How do we make the system fit the child instead of trying to make the kid fit the system?” she asked. Teachers at her school are exploring this question in a variety of ways, including through a pilot advisory-type program that began with a cohort of 25 tenth graders.

“The idea was these students have promise, they have skills, they have things to offer, but something about our school system wasn’t working for them,” said Matt Kachmarik, who acted as the advisor, social studies and English teacher to this group of students. As much as possible, school staff tried to give these 25 kids schedules that would allow them to take classes together. They also focused on non-cognitive skills using reflection, team-building games and discussion to tease out what was going on outside of school, as well as barriers to learning inside its walls.

“I definitely have some students who are among the deepest thinking of anyone in the entire grade,” Kachmarik said. Some of them are under a lot of stress or have experienced trauma or just don’t have strong executive functioning skills, but they’ve found a home in what they call the Focus program.

FOCUS

The staff hoped that keeping students together with a fewer number of teachers for most of the year would allow them to develop stronger bonds with adults and peers in the school who they could turn to when they needed help. And, because everyone was getting to know each other well, they could explore more interest-based projects and even give students opportunities to shadow professionals outside of school.
“When you start doing these cohorts you’re limiting them to a few classes,” Medsker said. “But you’ve built this capacity for them to advocate and see how their class choices affect where they want to go at the end of the day.”

The students who took part in the initial pilot program no longer have all their classes together, nor is the focused support of advisory built into their day now that they are juniors. But at least some of the students have found more success in the wider school after the experience.

Terrah was struggling after her freshman year. A few years before she moved to Seattle with her mom and siblings from Ohio and the transition hasn’t been easy. She didn’t have a lot of friends in middle school and high school was overwhelming.

“A lot of my teachers told me they saw a lot of potential in me, but my transcript didn’t really show it,” Terrah said. Her teachers could tell she was working hard, but she struggled with math and often experienced anxiety that she said feels like something is pressing down on her, pushing her to explode. She still feels that way sometimes, but when it happens, she asks to visit the tutoring center, where one of her mentors from the previous year works. She can work in her own way when she’s there.

“I have a different learning style than most,” Terrah said. “I don’t like sitting in classrooms and taking notes.” She appreciated that in her Focus program she got individualized attention and formed tight bonds with the other students. “I made new friends through the program. It was just teachers caring about kids individually instead of putting everyone in a box.”

West Seattle has taken many ideas from the Big Picture schools, which focus on relationships, relevance and rigor. A core practice of schools following that model is exhibitions, when students present their work and how it connects to learning goals in front of an authentic audience. Terrah found this assignment scary at first, but also rewarding.

“We took things we were really proud of ourselves and put them together into a project and showed them to everyone’s parents including our own,” Terrah said. At first, she was worried that the work she was proud of wouldn’t be impressive to other kids’ parents. But she said parents were blown away. “A lot of parents were really impressed because their kids had never mentioned school things or said ‘Hey, look at my work.’ ”

RESULTS

The initial years of this pilot program have seemed to show some good results. Students in the program had fewer absences and passed their core classes at better rates. They’ve learned about themselves as learners, including strategies and habits of mind that will help them be effective in school and they’re trying to use those now that they don’t have as much support.

Medsker is also pushing numerous other changes in the school that fit well with the Focus program. She’s asking teachers to do more project-based learning and the whole school is trying to change the grading system. Medsker is pushing for 70-minute periods across the district to facilitate this work and is trying to find ways to let students get credits for internships outside of school.

“We’re using [the Focus program] as a lab for our schools,” Medsker said. “We’re putting teachers in there who want to do the work — teachers who are skilled at relationships and who want to do something different in their classrooms.” The program has helped start some buzz around the school — uninvolved teachers are taking note. Several came to watch the student exhibitions and were impressed. A teacher who declined participation originally is now interested in making her course part of the cohort.

The team is also learning a lot along the way. While the initial exhibitions focused mostly on non-cognitive skills, now teachers are pushing to make them more about academic work. To do that, they are considering a portfolio system to catalogue student work. They’ve already begun to do student-led conferences, but they see portfolios as a step forward to make those conversations more concretely about what the student did. Teachers of the cohort are also thinking through how they might do more interdisciplinary projects.

West Seattle High is also trying to implement a similar program with incoming freshmen, guessing at which kids could use a little more support based on factors like attendance in middle school. The hope is that a program like this will help prevent those kids from falling through the cracks of a big high school in the first year.

Ultimately, kids all learn in different ways and one of the strengths of a big school is the diversity it offers. West Seattle’s program is one attempt to provide a different option for kids who aren’t succeeding in traditional classrooms.

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3 Ways to Stay Fit and Active over the Holiday Season #TryALittleGoodness

It’s the holiday season, which can only mean one thing… no, I’m not talking about presents. Take another guess. What’s the number 1 thing that turns a fitness junkie into junk food guzzler?

The answer I was looking for is laziness.

It’s sad, but true. Once we get out of our daily work routine, stopping gym usually comes directly after. And man, do I agree. Although I’m all about fitness, I know that we all deserve a good long rest at the end of the year. I believe that hard work deserves relaxation and a break from those arduous workouts that go with it. But there’s a difference between relaxing and being lazy.

Let’s get some definitions straight. Relaxation is the state of being free from tension and anxiety. Laziness is the act of being unwilling to work or use energy.

Bottom line: You can relax without being lazy!

I bet you’re wondering how to do this. Well, good thing you started reading this article. Let me give you the lowdown on 3 quick and easy ways to stay fit and active over the holiday season.

3 Quick and Easy Ways to Stay Fit and Active over the Holidays

1. Good ol’ H2O

The easiest way to stay healthy (and the easiest thing to forget on your holiday) is to stay hydrated. Your brain is a strange beast and can sometimes confuse thirst with hunger. Drinking more water can reduce the amount you stuff in your mouth. This means fewer calories, which means less chance of excess baggage around the waist come mid-January.

Before reaching for seconds or ordering a dessert, drink a large glass of water and ask yourself if it’s really necessary. Yes, you deserve some treats, but your body doesn’t deserve a sugar intake comparable to a rich chocolate candy bar.

So remember to have your 6 to 8 glasses of water throughout the day, especially before heading out for large meals or Christmas dinner parties. Make use of your cell phone reminders this festive season.

2. Mindful snacking on the fly

Another way to help yourself stay healthy and in peak dieting condition is to nosh on small treats throughout the day. And by treats, I don’t mean candy cane and chocolate bars. I was thinking something along the lines of nut and fruit bars to satisfy your tummy’s cravings. You can go the old nuts and berries route, or you can cram it all into one delicious snack.

I’m really loving goodnessknows snack squares at the moment. The reason I love them, apart from being delicious (unlike some other snack bars), they’re only 40 calories per square. And unlike your Christmas presents, you get a choice between 3 flavors. They’re available nationwide n flavors ranging from cranberry/ almond, apple/ almond/ peanut, or peach/ cherry/almond and all nestled in a layer of dark chocolate. And for the creme de la creme (no there’s no actual cream), they are gluten free.

 

If you’re looking for a treat these holidays, don’t reach for calorie-packed, processed lumps of sugar, rather grab a quick snack while you’re out and on the go.

Come on guys and gals, let’s replace Santa’s cookies with goodnessknows snack squares… Santa needs some help with weight management, so let’s do our part.

3. Change your mindset

It’s pretty easy to go for an “all-or-nothing” mindset over the holiday season. You worked so friggin’ hard in the year (at your job and in the gym) that you may throw all exercise out the metaphoric window. There are other options than “all work” or “all play.”

You can maintain a healthy and active lifestyle while having fun and enjoying your time off.

One way to do this is to plan your routine. Plan your daily workout for the entire time that you’re on vacation. And remember that a little bit of exercise is better than nothing. You don’t have to furiously do CrossFit every day. Rather include light jogs or a single rotation of your favorite exercises into the schedule. Body-weight exercises or a few kettlebell swings for 15 minutes is a great substitute for not doing anything at all. And don’t forget, having one or two cheat days is perfectly fine, just try not to make it an everyday occurrence.

And try to always work out in the morning if you can. Holidays are filled with amazing activities, family time, and a host of other festivities. If you don’t take the chance of exercising in the morning, to be honest, it will most probably never come.

That’s it guys and gals, three quick tips to stick to during the holidays to stave off laziness. Please have a good rest, but most importantly, stay healthy!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of goodnessknows. The opinions and text are all mine.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of goodnessknows. The opinions and text are all mine.

And to be absolutely clear, this is my disclaimer: “Just so you know, I have been compensated to share my ideas on this topic. Sometimes it is in the form of products, or services or even money… But here’s the thing; I won’t  share anything with you that I don’t fully support. It doesn’t matter what it is, or how much they are willing to give me, if I don’t believe in it, It won’t be on my site. Seriously. You’ll just have to trust me on this.” ~ Coach Moose

from Dai Manuel: The Moose is Loose http://ift.tt/2gByEOB

Baked Pasta with Awesome Sauce

At least here in America, once mid-November hits, time seems to literally fly. It’s Thanksgiving, full of hearty meals and family games. Then all of a sudden: put up the Christmas tree! Plan, shop, sing, party, stress: sometimes Alex and I forget to simply breathe.

The holidays can be beautiful, reconnecting with old friends and scattered family that are just for this moment, together. But the season can also be painful: remembering who’s not here. Each year, we hang an ornament in memory of a sweet babe who we found out wouldn’t make it past 8 weeks in the month of December. The older I get, the more the end of the year brings a nostalgia that makes me want to slow down, honor and grieve the past, and savor the now.

In that vein, here’s a lovely hearty pasta for sharing with family and friends in the chilly months ahead. It’s made with Alex’s “awesome sauce”, savory tomatoes simmered with garlic, herbs, a little butter and olive oil, and a secret ingredient: chopped green olives. They add a savory saltiness to the dish along with some complexity, and if you chop them small enough, olive haters will never know. (It’s true, we made this for an olive-hating friend and she was pleasantly surprised.) Mix the awesome sauce with some cavatappi pasta and top with gooey fresh mozzarella and parmesan cheese, and you’ve got a huge pan of belly-filling goodness. If you can’t find cavatappi, any short shape will do: penne or rigatoni would work well, and feel free to substitute gluten-free pasta for GF diets.

Did you make this recipe?

We’d love to hear how it turned out. Leave a comment below or share a picture on Instagram and mention @acouplecooks.

This Baked Cavatappi with Awesome Sauce recipe is sponsored by Muir Glen Organic. Product opinions are our own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors of A Couple Cooks!

Baked Cavatappi with Awesome Sauce

 

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by: a Couple Cooks

Serves: 6 to 8

What You Need

• 1 pound cavatappi
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 shallot
• 6-ounce dry weight can green olives (pitted)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 28-ounce can Muir Glen Organic crushed tomatoes (original or fire roasted)
• 1 15-ounce can Muir Glen Organic diced tomatoes (original or fire roasted)
• 1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon honey (optional)
• 4 cups baby spinach leaves
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into disks
• ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated

What To Do

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Boil 6 quarts water with 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Add the pasta and boil until al dente, about 6 to 7 minutes, then drain. Pour into a 9” x 13” pan and add a glug of olive oil to prevent it from sticking.
3. Peel and mince the garlic and shallot. Drain the olives and finely chop them.
4. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and shallot and cook gently for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant. Add the olives, tomatoes and their juices, balsamic vinegar, butter, nutmeg, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, pepper, and honey and stir to combine. Simmer gently for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust salt as desired. Add the spinach leaves and cook another 2 to 3 minutes until tender.
5. Pour the sauce into the pasta in the baking dish and mix to combine. Top with slices of fresh mozzarella cheese and grated parmesan cheese. Bake until the cheese is golden, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

3.5.3208

 

A Couple Cooks - Recipes for Healthy & Whole Living

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VEGGIE SUMMER ROLLS with CHIPOTLE PEANUT SAUCE

What is there to say about summer rolls that hasn't already been said? I don't think I can effectively add anything to the conversation about them so I won't. What I will say is: this is simply another delicious, easy, and quick vegan recipe for summer rolls. I know this recipe is not traditional, but it's gorgeous to look at and tastes great. It's a crowd pleaser for when you want to show friends (or others...) that eating vegan doesn't have to be weird and sad like so many folks think it does. 

We just are throwing together some fresh, vibrant veggies in rice paper wraps and pairing them with a spicy, creamy peanut sauce. What's not to love? Dig in. 

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What Types of Sound Experiences Enable Children to Learn Best?

Nina Kraus, a biologist at Northwestern University, has spent the better part of her professional career researching how sound affects the brain. What she’s found has important implications for how adults and children manage the sounds that envelop them. “Sound is invisible, but it’s a tremendously powerful force,” said Kraus. “For better or worse, it shapes your brain and how you learn.”

At Northwestern’s Auditory Neuroscience Lab, Kraus and colleagues measure how the brain responds when various sounds enter the ear. They’ve found that the brain reacts to sound in microseconds, and that brain waves closely resemble the sound waves. Making sense of sound is one of the most “computationally complex” functions of the brain, Kraus said, which explains why so many language and other disorders, including autism, reveal themselves in the way the brain processes sound. The way the brain responds to the “ingredients” of sound—pitching, timing and timbre—is a window into brain health and learning ability.

Kraus has learned that the brain’s response to sound in children as young as three is predictive of their ability to read. Her lab can also identify those children who are likely to struggle to read before those kids show signs of the language disorder. This kind of forecasting, Kraus said, could help schools and parents direct resources where they’re needed most. The brain changes in response to the sounds it’s processing; a three-year-old’s brain can adapt if the sound environment is altered.

Though every brain has its own fingerprint for processing sound, some sound environments are better than others at promoting learning. Parents and teachers should “encourage activities that promote sound-to-meaning development,” Kraus said. She offers several practical suggestions for creating that kind of space, whether at home or in school:

Reduce noise. Chronic background noise is associated with several auditory and learning problems: it contributes to “neural noise,” wherein brain neurons fire spontaneously in the absence of sound; it reduces the brain’s sensitivity to sound; and it slows auditory growth. A study of two different third grade classrooms–one overlooking a highway and the other beside a quiet field–found substantially better learning outcomes for kids in the quieter room. Because income and noise exposure are correlated—the lower the income, often, the louder the environment—finding pockets of quiet are that much more important for disadvantaged children. In school, this means building a quiet classroom, with acoustics in mind.

Read aloud. Even before kids are able to read themselves, hearing stories told by others develops vocabulary and builds working memory; to understand how a story unfolds, listeners, need to remember what was said before. For children growing up in poverty, exposure to the spoken word is especially valuable, as studies suggest that these children tend to hear up to 30 million fewer words by the age of five. There’s no reason to stop reading stories aloud once kids can read for themselves. “Being read to is wonderful,” Kraus said, especially if the bulk of one’s day is spent hunched over a laptop or buried in a book. Hearing well-told stories can take a student away from her routine dilemmas and deliver her to a different world.

Encourage children to play a musical instrument. “There is an explicit link between making music and strengthening language skills, so that keeping music education at the center of curricula can pay big dividends for children’s cognitive, emotional, and educational health,” Kraus said. Two years of music instruction in elementary and even secondary school can trigger biological changes in how the brain processes sound, which in turn affects language development.

Listen to audiobooks and podcasts. Well-told stories can draw kids in and build attention skills and working memory. The number and quality of these recordings has exploded in recent years, making it that much easier to find a good fit for individuals and classes. “There’s a tremendous amount of didactic information in audio format,” Kraus said. Teachers can include listening exercises as part of their curriculum. In Kraus’s course on the biological foundations of speech and music, for example, she assigns a podcast from the WNYC program “RadioLab” The Walls of Jericho, to help students better understand decibels.

Support learning a second language. Growing up in a bilingual environment causes a child’s brain to manage two languages at once. The challenge required to make sense of two different languages bolsters the connection between auditory and neural processes, strengthening the brain’s ability to focus. Second-language learning is also associated with improvements in executive function.

Avoid white noise machines. In an effort to soothe children to sleep, some parents set up sound machines in bedrooms. These devices, which emit “meaningless sound,” as Kraus put it, can interfere with how the brain develops sound-processing circuitry. “A child’s brain is always seeking meaning,” she said. “If you give them meaningless sound, it may have a disruptive effect on their brain organization.”

Use the spread of technology to your advantage. Rather than bemoan the constant bleeping and chirping of everyday life, much of it the result of technological advances, welcome the new sound opportunities these developments provide. Technologies that shrink the globalized world enable second-language learning. Online videos allow aspiring musicians to listen and learn from others who are playing the same piece. The ease of travel invites opportunities to hear other types of sounds that might not be typical in a local environment. Assistive listening devices can help offset hearing loss and language disorders. Judicious use of technological progress can be used to build effective sound-to-meaning connections. And noise-cancelling headphones or simple earplugs can be deployed as needed to shut down the unwanted sounds that some technologies emit.

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Don’t be a holiday weight gain stat – join the #NetZeroGain challenge

The Whole Life Fitness Manifesto is all about building a life of awesomeness. No matter how busy you find yourself, you choose to make time to invest in the areas of your life that matter most to you.

Whether it be family, fitness, finances, faith or just having fun, all the pillars that make up your “life” are important.

But something weird happens right around this time of year…

Holiday weight gain doesn’t have to be your reality

The December holiday season seems to be that time of the year where we throw out all the good habits we’ve created in the earlier 11 months. For many of us, it’s a time to vacation from our everyday, healthy lifestyles.

In fact, data shows that people tend to gain nearly 80% of their annual weight gain (3 to 7 lbs) between American Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.

Wow! But not this year! Not this time! No way!

The December #NetZeroGain challenge has 1 goal for challengers to achieve…

Your challenge, if you choose to accept it, will be to weigh the same on December 31st as you did on December 1st.

Yes, that’s it! Simple enough right?

What does the Challenge entail?

Well simple doesn’t mean easy and so I’ve put together a month-long program to help you make this goal a reality and start 2017 on a high note.

The program will consist of daily emails containing

1. workout options
2. nutrition tips and recipes
3. “feel good” and “pay it forward” community challenges
4. mindfulness and personal development prompts…
5. chances to win some kick-butt prizes…
6. and more!

And, this year we’re very fortunate to have Bulletproof Nutrition as our sponsor. They’ll be providing some unique information and 1 of a kind prizes to help keep us focused throughout the December #NetZeroGain challenge.

Not sure who Bulletproof Nutrition is? Check out my blog post here: First Bulletproof Your Coffee, then Take on the World!

So you ready?

Click the button below and register today!

(note the challenge started December 1st, but you can join us anytime and just pickup wherever we’re at… the more the merrier!)

Register HERE!

from Dai Manuel: The Moose is Loose http://ift.tt/2gMLo7S

Burn your fat fast with a HIIT workout on the fly

The time has come for us to do away with dull, time-consuming aerobic workouts and equipment like treadmills and elliptical, for the age of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is upon us!

HIIT is a form of anaerobic exercise that enables you to make far more efficient use of your time than slogging away on a treadmill, as it provides far more dramatic results than you could expect to achieve with regular old jogging or stepping.

The EPOCalypse is Nigh

The basic idea behind HIIT is that you perform a period of all-out, maximum effort, sprint-type activity, followed by a rest or ‘cruise’ period (which is also known as Tabata training).

This setup allows your heart rate to come back down between sprints, resulting in a phenomenon known as Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) – also known as the “afterburn effect”.

Simply put, EPOC results in an increased metabolic rate for a significant period of time after your HIIT workout, meaning you will be burning more calories throughout the day without doing any additional exercise.

Burn, Baby, Burn – The Afterburn

When performing, say, an hour of aerobics in the form of jogging, cycling, or using an elliptical machine, you may be able to say you burned X amount of calories, but in reality, the benefits stop shortly after you stop working out.

HIIT not only provides lasting benefits after your workout, but your actual workout is shorter too. Even the longest HIIT session will only last 20 to 30 minutes.

The tradeoff of course, is that you’re going to have to work a lot harder in a HIIT workout than you would if you were slaving away on a hamster wheel – sorry, treadmill! However, they can be fun and the time passes quickly. They’re also really fun to do with friends or in groups!

What Does HIIT Look Like?

A standard HIIT session might look something like this:

• Warm up for around 5 to 10 minutes
• 30 second sprint
• 1 minute jog / walk
• 30 second sprint
• 1 minute jog / walk
• 30 second sprint

…and so on. The above example represents a 1:2 ratio and the session would typically last 8 – 30 minutes, depending on your current level of fitness.

Another equally effective approach is to use a 1:5 cadence, which would look like this:

• Warm up for around 5-10 minutes
• 10 second sprint
• 50 second jog / walk
• 10 second sprint
• 50 second jog / walk
• 10 second sprint, et cetera

HIIT Me Baby One More Time

Even though the rest or ‘cruise’ periods aren’t quite as long, the on / off ratio is far greater, giving you more time to catch your breath and get your heart rate back down before beginning the next sprint.

As you can see, HIIT is a great, versatile way for you to exercise more efficiently, and most importantly, more efficiently.

Try adding some HIIT workouts to your routine and you’ll quickly begin to realize just how beneficial this intelligent form of exercise can be for both your time management and weight loss!

from Dai Manuel: The Moose is Loose http://ift.tt/2fos2G4

COCO VANILLA SHAKE with CHOCOLATE SAUCE

There are not actually words in the english dictionary that I know of to accurately describe how delicious this shake is. And I only speak english so I can't look to other languages here. Basically: you need it in your life immediately. Whether you're vegan or not, it's gonna blow your mind and take your taste buds to new heights. Please make it ASAP. If ya want more recipes like this one, I'd suggest checking out N'ice Cream, a beautiful vegan ice cream cookbook full of pretty pictures and inspiring ideas. It got me hooked on using full fat coconut milk (the stuff in the can) in my shakes and nice cream and I will never go back.

Oh wait I wanna add: I am a finalist and nominated for "Best in Health & Fitness" for BC Living's The Social List 2016! Plz vote for me if you want to. :) You can vote here.

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A Couple Cooks Podcast Turns 1!

One year ago, we decided to try an experiment. A Couple Cooks as a website was created to be an overflow of Alex and my newfound passion for cooking after we got married. But we found that over time, it was difficult to communicate the joy of cooking in photographs and words alone. There is something powerful about the spoken word. For example, if someone mentions to me a simple or delicious recipe they made or tells me a kitchen tip, it’s much more likely to stick than if I read the same information. We also wanted to build a new sort of community for people who were interested in cooking at home, a community that extended beyond simple blog posts or an Instagram feed.

So, the A Couple Cooks Podcast was born. With no experience in audio, we were pretty nervous at the start. Also, who likes to hear the sound of their own voice? The editing process alone sent shivers down my spine. However, we wanted to take a risk on something new, so we took the plunge. To be honest at first, it was pretty hairy. We recorded the first episode 6 times (ugh) until finally we felt we could pull the trigger. Alex spent many long nights researching technical details. We had rehearsal upon rehearsal of trying not to Um, Ah, and make weird voice clicks.

Luckily, we made it through these hurdles and in one year, we’ve had more fun than we could have imagined creating a cooking podcast, truly. Some of our personal favorites from Year 1 are:

• The one where Alex mixed a cocktail on the air
• The one where we got to talk to Mario Batali!
• The one about minimalism and cleaning your spice drawer
• The one about the great ramen adventure, where we drove all over Indianapolis
• The one with the charming Rick Bayless, where I almost moved to Baja CA
• The one where we went to our neighbors coffee roasting shack
• The one where we learned to slurp olive oil
• The one where that guy thought “hangry” was an app
• The one where we chatted with our favorite GBBO cooking show contestant
• The one where we interviewed a cow
• The one where we told our story about health, adoption, and more (the hardest one we ever recorded, by far)

We’d love to hear from you — have you listened to the podcast? What would you like to hear in Year 2?

Also to celebrate our 1 year anniversary, we’ve got a couple fun things: an anniversary podcast and a giveaway!

Giveaway

We’re giving away the copper KitchenAid mixer similar to ours above! Click here for details and make sure to listen for the special instructions.

Listen

How to listen to our podcast? We’ve found there’s a learning curve for finding it! Here are a few ways:

1. On your smartphone, open your favorite podcast app (such as Podcasts, Google Play Music, Stitcher, or PocketCasts). Search for “A Couple Cooks”. OR
2. On your iPhone, go to our iTunes page and subscribe. OR
3. For Android, click this podcast RSS feed link and select your podcast app.

A Couple Cooks - Recipes for Healthy & Whole Living

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9 Extra Simple Tips that will actually Help You Clean Up Your Diet

The word “diet” conjures up all sorts of emotions for different people, but we’re guessing that most of these feelings fall on the negative side of the coin. We’ve all been there, going to the dietician or joining a weight loss group, getting your eating plan for the next six months and then jaw to the floor, wondering how you’re ever going to “survive the drought.”

So let’s cast that terrible word “diet” aside and focus on a better, more motivational phrase – consistent healthy eating. The thing about diets is, while they may work for some people, they’re usually just fads – coming and going as quick as the seasonal fashions in Cosmo. The truth to staying in shape (and by that I mean your health AND figure) is to eat the right foods for your body type – consistently.

Want to keep the spare tire in your car and not around your waist? Read these quick tips and tricks gathered from a host of specialists.

9 Clean Eating Tips That Make Life More Awesome (and actually work!)

1) Eat breakfast.

Skipping breakfast will lead to a lack of energy throughout the day. No energy means a hungry tummy.

2) Chow dinner early.

At night, your metabolism starts to slow down. The best time to eat is about three hours before bedtime. Don’t eat that leftover cake at two in the morning!

Notice the difference between hunger and craving. Yes, there is a difference between the want for food and the need for it. Before you guzzle down that chocolate, ask yourself, “Do I actually need it?”

3) Get enough sleep.

We know that’s not necessarily an eating tip, but without enough sleep, the appetite hormone ghrelin increases say the author of Eating Free, Manuel Villacorta. Rest also helps to build muscle, so catching some shuteye is a must.

4) Pack your meals at home.

When you cook your own food, chances are you know exactly what ingredients are going into the meal. When you eat out during the week, you may think you’re eating healthy when you have a salad, but do you know what’s in the dressing?

5) Snack throughout the day.

This doesn’t mean snack on unhealthy glucose-filled candy bars. You should try to eat small bites of healthy, organic foods throughout the day. Mix this with point 3 above so that you stay fuller for longer.

6) Keep a food journal.

This is an oldie, but a goodie. Recording what you eat sounds tedious, but you’d be surprised what you eat throughout the day. You’ll discover how many snacks you’re ingesting from sunrise to sunset.

7) Eat protein and fiber.

Proteins fill us up for longer. Snacking on nuts and seeds throughout the day will keep you from craving foods filled with saturated fats.

8) Limit your carb intake.

Yup, one of the best and hardest ways to lose pounds is to decrease refined carbohydrates. Why? Glad you asked. Carbs have a high glycemic index, this means that they create a quick rise in blood sugar. This sugar is stored in muscle. If you don’t use up this storage, it turns into fat. Simple.

9) Drink water.

This is the simplest trick in the book to losing or maintaining weight. Not only is water amazing for you – keeping you hydrated, creating the proper circulation of nutrients – it also keeps you away from sugary drinks. Add some lemon, orange or cucumber for flavor.

 

from Dai Manuel: The Moose is Loose http://ift.tt/2fRfaHw

4 Tips to Protect Your Carpet During a Party

Holiday party season is coming! If you are planning on holding one, then you should read below for tips on how to protect your carpet during the party.

Image Source: Flickr

Cover What You Want Protected

Chances are, your carpeting and upholstered furniture was expensive. It makes sense you want to protect that investment. It may seem like a needless expense, but it’s wise to invest in a few inexpensive area rugs and couch covers. Before the party begins, take the rugs and place them in high-traffic areas. Protect your couches, chairs and anything that’s upholstered with a decorative throw or fitted cover. It’s an investment, but a minimal one when you consider the money necessary to replace your living room carpet. Source: WorldofFemale

Extra Garbage Cans

Think about putting a few extra waste paper baskets in your living room, and use plastic glasses and paper party plates instead of glasses and your best china. As well as avoiding breakages, you’ll have less washing up to do afterwards. If you shop around you can get some very realistic and fun party sets. They can also fit in with the theme of your party and add a bit of color. Source: RugDoctor

Keep Guests Wrangled. 

Don’t let the party spread, otherwise you’ll spend all night hunting down half-empty wine glasses and dirty dishes. Keep doors locked or spaces decoratively blocked off to encourage company from wandering. Set up the party where you know guests will feel most comfortable. Source: GoodHousekeeping

Remember the Reason for Your Party

In the end, if you’re hosting the kind of casual party where guests will be milling about your home as they eat and socialize, no one is going to expect the dirty dishes and glasses to vanish into thin air. Do what you can within reason to keep most of your rooms tidy throughout the party and you will be forgiven for a few cluttered countertops in the kitchen. Remember, your guests are in your home to spend time with you, not to watch you clean up right under their noses. That would only serve to make them feel guilty for being there and causing you the mess. Source: Entertaining.About

Take care of tough stains and carpet damage before the party to make a good impression with your guests. Need help? Call us!

The post 4 Tips to Protect Your Carpet During a Party appeared first on Curlys Carpet Repair.

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5 Myths About Women Who Lift Heavy Weights Busted

Go pick up the latest edition of your favorite glamor magazine. There’s sure to be at least one title promising a new, spectacular, quick-&-easy guide to losing fat fast and toning your muscles in a few days. They’ll also tell you that lifting heavy will bulk you up. The thing about these articles is that they’re geared toward making money from unsuspecting victims. Don’t let clever marketing trick you.

If it’s fat loss you’re after and you aren’t getting results from the treadmill, maybe something’s wrong. Think about it this way, using the elliptical or running for hours is training you for endurance, not necessarily weight loss. Lifting heavy weights (i.e. weights that make you fatigued after about 6-8 reps) is not only better for fat loss, it’s also a huge time saver. With this in mind, let’s debunk some of the most common myths of heavy lifting.

Myths That Keep Women From Lifting Heavy – BUSTED

Myth #1) Lifting heavy (and doing nothing else) will bulk me up

In order to grow muscle, you need to lift weights that are heavy enough to create micro-tears in the muscle fibers. The tears start to repair when you’re at rest. This is where the expression “no pain, no gain” came from – but this bodybuilding axiom didn’t mention one little thing.

To actually bulk up you need to eat the right amount of calories over and above lifting heavy. If you wanted to build additional muscle you’d probably need to stuff about 9,000 calories down your throat. That’s a dieting regimen of an Olympic athlete. Over and above eating like a horse (or eating a horse at every meal) if you want to grow, you need to do targeted training.

Lifting heavy and eating a normal caloric intake will create healthy looking, strong muscles, not overly exaggerated mountains. Muscle tissue is actually denser than fat, so the recipe to looking lean is decreasing fat and building a little more muscle. You won’t bulk like the Hulk if it’s not your intention.

Myth #2) Lift light to keep toned, lift heavy to bulk up

While the right mix of heavy lifting and sipping MASS protein shakes will most likely bulk you up into a balloon, using a low rep/heavy weight system is actually great for toning muscles. Choosing heavier weights and lifting slowly until depletion increases muscular endurance and strength while increasing your metabolism, which helps with fat burning. You won’t balloon to bodybuilding standards, but your muscles will start to become defined as you strengthen them and lose fat around the muscles. Working to fatigue is, therefore, the best way to get stronger.

Myth #3) Strong does not mean big

Think of contortionists, gymnasts, and rock climbers. Some of them look like they will snap like a twig, but then they shock and awe by doing handstand push-ups. How do they keep light but possess extra-human strength? Well, weight training of course. But what exactly about weight training?

When you do something often enough, your brain starts to make certain connections. So when you lift often enough, your brain will make the connection between mind and muscle. As the connection builds, you will become stronger, but not necessarily bigger. So, pick up heavy things. And when they become light, go heavier! Unless you take supplements and exceed your caloric deficit, you will become toned, not bulky.

Myth #4) Men and women should lift differently

Yes, it’s a genetic fact, men, in general, are stronger than women – but not that much stronger. Keep in mind that men also have 15-20 times more testosterone than women and will, therefore, build larger muscles and bulk up more easily.

So hitting the gym shouldn’t be about stereotypically targeting gender-specific vanity areas (chest and biceps for men, glutes, and abs for women). Each person is different and their workout plan should be specified to their individual abilities and goals, no matter if you are a man or a woman. And this plan should include strength exercises and core training.

Myth #5) Aerobics is the only way to lose those pounds

Strength training is actually a great and efficient weight loss exercise that is equal to cardio (if not better as you save time in weight training). After strength training, you get something called the “afterburn effect,” where your body is burning calories in order to rebuild torn muscle fibers for 24-48 hours after your workout. So you can lose weight even while sitting on the couch.

That being said, aerobics and just plain healthy eating will also help you lose weight. As long as you’re happy with what you’re doing, do it! Just don’t be afraid of lifting.

So, the myth is now debunked, lifting big doesn’t necessarily make you bulky. So look past the pink 3lbs and start swinging the bigger kettlebells. Just remember not to overeat if you don’t want mass.

from Dai Manuel: The Moose is Loose http://ift.tt/2flNqqu