Raines Realm

I've recently been trying to add a lot more hygge to my life. Pronounced hue'gah, the Oxford dictionary defines it as  A quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being (regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture). To put it simply, its the little moments. Its a hot cup of tea by the fire, its a picnic in the woods, its enjoying the sounds of the evening. Its putting the phone down! (After you read this, of course). When you take the time to truly experience and observe your atmosphere, you create a calming and fulfilling effect that benefits you mentally and physically. Our lifestyles can be very demanding and cause us to have to rush around, rarely enjoying life's little pleasures. It is crucial that we take the time to savor those little moments throughout the day. When you incorporate hygge into your life, your mind will start to be able to focus and concentrate in a more productive way,...

The holidays bring lots of delicious treats and and decadent dishes filled with nostalgia. And, we want to enjoy everything which generally means we sacrifice a few pounds on the scale to be able to have a little bit of everything. And that's okay, but now we want the weight gone! Here's the best habit to help you bounce back and maintain your weight. Stop snacking. I know, I know, even when it's not a holiday, we are bombarded with snack foods. Chips and dip, snack bars, candies, cookies, cakes, hand-held foods in every shape, size, and color. No food is off-limits, but you need not eat them in between meals to enjoy them. When you snack throughout the day, you're not allowing your body to truly be hungry at meal times. You're also adding in a lot of extra calories that your body really does not need. In a society surrounded by snack foods and the fourth meal drive thru option, we have become scared of hunger. Hunger is good. Not starving, but being hungry f...