Raines Realm

I know that there are people who are genuinely not morning people. I used to be one myself. Then I started learning about subtle shifts that I could use to make all of the difference. How we start our day is crucial. When we first wake up, our bodies need time to reboot and generally speaking, most people don't get that time. If at all possible, when you first wake up, do some light stretching in bed or lay there for a minutes saying your positive affirmations. Above all else, wait to pick up your phone or device. The importance of mornings should be respected by being present. When you're present in the moment, you are ruling the day instead of the other way around. When your present in the moment, getting dressed, having your coffee or tea, helping your children, you get the opportunity to set a positive tone for the whole day. When your rushing around, stressing about the next thing that you have to do to be able to leave on time, it causes the day to be ruled by neg...

During the holidays, it seems we are bombarded with snacking options. From the baked goods circulating neighborhoods to the "specialty" offerings in every grocery store. Here's what you can do to ensure that your clothes don't "shrink" during the season of eating, I mean giving... 1. Try to limit eating to your main meal times. Let yourself have the cookie or cake, just for dessert. When you save the special items for after your meal, you're less likely to overindulge. By looking at snack foods as part of your meal instead of a filler for in-between, you're allowing yourself a guilt-free indulgence. You may find that this makes it easier to abstain throughout the day. 2. If you want to be trendy while having your cake and eating it too, eat a small slice for breakfast. You can read more about the benefits of that  here . 3. If your holiday traditions involve baking all of those delicious goodies, try to share them with friends and family,...

It seems that every day we are bombarded by some guru or weight-loss program telling us how to measure, weigh, or divide our plates for perfect portion sizes. Honestly, it seems like a tedious task, unrealistic, and I'm not interested in rationing my food out for every meal. While I was re-organizing my kitchen, (clearing out the clutter), I came across our gorgeous China that was sadly, collecting dust. I decided to purge the rest and only use China. Not only do I feel special at every meal, but I have lost weight! The sizes of antique China dishes are considerably smaller than almost all modern dishware. Smaller portion sizes come naturally on these delicate little plates. And, they're so fun! I am a firm believer that meals should be enjoyed. China can transform any meal into an elegant event. Even if you're dining alone, I challenge you to break out the China, and cloth napkins if you have them, and sit at your table to eat. When we treat a meal as an ...