Eat Chocolate, Help Save the World!

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Karen Morse

I love socially-conscious vendors. People who are in it for more than just a profit, thank you! I’m not going to give up my two squares of after-dinner dark chocolate, so I want to support these chocolatiers with a cause!

Rescue Chocolate

Photo courtesy of rescuechocolate.com

With a motto of “the sweetest way to save a life,” Rescue Chocolate (out of Brooklyn, yo!) donates 100% of its net profits to animal rescue groups around the country.

All bars are:

Organic & Fairly-traded
Vegan
Kosher

I haven’t tried these chocolates yet, but their bars called “The Fix,” which is made of 66% cocoa and “Pick Me! Pepper” (mmm… spicy!) are on my list to try next.

Check ‘em out here!

Endangered Species Chocolate

Endangered Species Chocolate (out of Indianapolis, IN) was born out of a desire to make an impact on the growing number of plant and animal species that are disappearing from Earth.

Their darkest chocolate bar boasts an 88% cocoa content (can you handle it?)

Photo courtesy of endangered species chocolate – chocolatebar.com

All bars:

Use Rainforest Alliance Certified™ Cocoa
Non-GMO Verified
Gluten-Free
Vegan
Kosher
Fairly-traded

10% of the net profits go to support species conservation & habitat preservation.

Theo Chocolate

Seattle-based Theo is proud to be the first Organic, Fair Trade, Fair for Life certified Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Factory in North America.

Their chocolates are:

Gluten-free
Vegan
Kosher
Soy-free
Organic & Fairly-traded

In Seattle? Go visit them! I’ll bet they give out free samples I’m hoping to try their new Congo bars (Pili Pili Chili, please!)

Photo courtesy of theochocolate.com

$1 from each box sold will benefit Eastern Congo Initiative’s work with farmers, mothers, and families in eastern Congo.

If you know of other socially-conscious chocolatiers, please share them with me below!

Training Time: Half Marathon, Here I Come

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Karen Morse

I’ve been quiet for awhile, but I wanted to share that I have started training for the OC Half Marathon that will take place on Sunday, May 5th!

The first thing on my agenda was making sure I had the right socks (which incidentally ended up being Wright Socks

I’ve been using the Nike Running Coach Half Marathon Training Plan, which you can see here. Since the race is on May 5th, I had to jump in at Week 5. Luckily, I’ve been doing lots of jogging & walking over the past several months so I wasn’t totally out of my league.

This plan has been working for me. Not too many days per week of running, but a couple of days of short runs followed by one long run each week. It also encourages strength training & yoga plus stretching.

Yesterday, I did some speed training & took a spin around Stanford’s amazing track Cobb Track & Angell field. Pretty awesome to have such a great place to train within walking distance of home!!

Has anyone else every done a half marathon? Any advice for this first-timer?

Baby, It’s Cold Outside! My Favorite Winter Dry Skin Fixes

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Karen Morse

No matter where you live, winter weather can be very drying. Over the years, I’ve tried countless products to keep my skin from getting too dry. Some work, others not so much. Here are a few of my favorites that I think you’ll like too. Your skin (and lips!) will thank you for it!

For hands:

I’ve been looking for a hand lotion that was “the one” for years. Last year, I finally found it – Deborah Lippmann Rich Girl. I’m telling you… this stuff is the business! It’s touted as an anti-aging hand and cuticle cream, has an SPF of 25, and it smells amazing. I wish I could insert a scratch and sniff sticker here, really!!! It is a bit pricey, but if you are looking for a great hand lotion to keep your hands soft and young-looking then look no further – this is it!

For body:

I also discovered my new favorite body lotion last year, Epicuren Lemongrass After Bath Moisturizer. Until then I had always bought lotions, used a third to a half of the bottle and gotten sick of it. This was recommended to me after I had laser hair removal on my legs. I’m telling you, this is the first time in my life that I remember using an entire bottle of lotion (and I bought the BIG bottle) Can’t rave about it enough!

For face:

People are always telling me that I don’t look my age (keep those comments coming, people!). While I know genes account for some of it, I also believe in my skincare regimen. I use La Prairie Anti-Aging Day and Night Creams. The day cream has SPF 30. Both smell nice and are not too overpowering fragrance-wise. I swear by these products. Add a little vitamin C-based serum underneath during the winter months for extra moisture.

For lips:

I find lipstick and lip pencils very drying this time of year. I found a perfect solution to keep a little color on my lips while keeping them from getting all dry and cracked – Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balms (my favorite shade is Red Dahlia).

Those are my favorite products to beat dry skin. What are your favorites? Tell me about them at the bottom of this post.

How To Be Happy

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Karen Morse

Ah, happiness … why does it elude us sometimes? We work hard, we’ve done everything we are supposed to do, but that happiness fix seems just out of our grasp.

When I googled “How To Be Happy” before writing this post, there were more than 2.5 billion search results returned. Seems like we are all on the same quest.

One of Audrey Hepburn’s famous quotes – “The most important thing is to enjoy your life — to be happy — it’s all that matters.”

But how do we do it? Most of us don’t think of happiness as a kind of good health. Getting happy and staying happy involves just as much self-care as scheduling regular visits with our doctors, therapists, and personal trainers.

Part of being a good health coach or wellness coach is the ability to dig deep & figure out what is eating away at us that causes us to overeat or have unsatisfying relationships.

People often ask me, “Why Do I Need Wellness Coaching?” We are all unique individuals, so the solution to health & happiness is unique for each and every one of us. In fact, I’d bet if MORE people had personalized wellness plans developed for them, they wouldn’t need a therapist AND a personal trainer — they’d be setting and achieving goals that broke through both their physical and mental health barriers.

Here are some things you can start doing immediately to Get Happy:

1. Practice gratitude.

Once a week, think of just one thing you are grateful for and write it down. The more specific you are about why you are grateful, the more successful this is. Remember not compare yourself to others. When you do this, negative thoughts creep in. Focus on YOUR life!

2. Experience life.

You don’t have to go far — just get out of the house! Sitting on the couch watching TV isn’t getting you anywhere – literally! – and it’s could be making you depressed. Even if you don’t want to, take a walk and be grateful for the beautiful scenery around you. Or, get up early one morning and go to a place where you can watch the sunrise. It is a beautiful thing to witness, and you have an opportunity to do it every day.

3. Commit to an attitude of gratitude.
Start each day by saying “I am grateful.” My friend has a small bell hanging in one corner of her office at work. Every once in awhile, someone will brush past it as they enter her office, and the bell softly jingles. This is her private reminder to herself to count her blessings. Find something that works for you.

Do You Have a Plan?

Posted on August 2, 2012 by Karen Morse

Having a plan never failed me in the workplace, but sometimes it is hard to translate this to my personal life.

But I do believe this is the bottom line, folks… a goal without a plan is just a wish!

After a year of searching for a new home, we finally found “the one.” I can’t WAIT ’til Moving Day!

My personal goal this week is to pack all my winter clothes, books, and china/glassware from the kitchen. Ok…I don’t know anyone who likes packing. I was actually excited about it, but I’m having a hard time being objective in the “keep this, toss that” conversation with myself – so it is taking WAY longer than I had hoped.

And my helpers? Well…cute.. but not so helpful…

Time to take a page from my own book (literally!) and be a Smart Girl!

Smart Girls set SMART goals! SMART goals is an acronym which stands for Specific-Measurable-Attainable- Realistic-Timely. This was first introduced to me in a corporate environment, and I didn’t learn what I could have from the process because I was using it to set and meet someone else’s goals.

For personal goal setting, I have found a whole new appreciation for it!

S – Specific (Do you use words like “who,” “what,” “when,” “why,” , etc.?)

M – Measurable (Do you answer questions like “how often,” or “how many?”)

A – Attainable (Clearly describe the result you want to achieve)

R – Relevant (Is this goal realistic for YOU?)

T – Timely (Is this something you should be pursuing now, or would it be more appropriate a year from now?)

A task like packing up a WHOLE house is incredibly daunting, so I’m finding this incredibly helpful in breaking up the job into manageable chunks.

A much more manageable approach that is measurable, realistic, and attainable! Surely I can do this by the end of the day?

Do you use SMART goal setting in your personal life? I’d love to hear about how it has worked for you. Leave me a comment below this post!

P.S. Are you getting my FREE Wellness Newsletter that comes out every Tuesday? If not, sign up to receive it here!

Being Inspired By The Ordinary

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Karen Morse

“Things don’t have to be extraordinary to be beautiful. Even the ordinary can be beautiful.”
― Wicker Park

When I was younger, it took something truly extraordinary to inspire me. As the years have passed, I look for inspiration in the little things — the day-to-day.

Some ordinary moments that inspire me are:

1) Driving my car on the open road on a beautiful clear, sunny day. I am truly blessed to live where I do. When I get past the road construction and traffic and find a stretch of road on a clear day, the feeling is something I can hardly put into words. I was driving back from SFO airport the other day on the 280. The views of the citylines and the hills and the sky were just breathtaking. It made me want to go for a run and just enjoy the beauty of the outdoors.

2) The smell of coffee in the morning I am a sucker for a good cup of coffee. I taste coffees like some people taste wine! The smell of freshly roasted beans being ground is intoxicating to me. I think I enjoy the smell more than actually drinking the coffee itself.

3) Bringing home fresh flowers. I picked up the most beautiful dahlias and Bells of Ireland at the Los Altos Farmer’s Market yesterday. It amazes me how something so simple can be so beautiful and put a smile on my face for days. It’s like art in a vase — Love it!

Every ordinary day is filled with extraordinary moments. What ordinary things give you inspiration?

The Ultimate Anti-Aging Fix

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Karen Morse

Why is it that when we talk about aging we tend to focus mainly on our skin? Is it because that is what is visible to us or the only thing we perceive we can control?

When I talk about prevention as the key to healthy aging, I’m not just talking about wearing sunscreen or having the best anti-aging lotions & potions.

In my post, The Science of Prevention, I talked about the basic preventive measures that are important for a healthy lifestyle:

Not smoking
Getting to and maintaining a healthy weight
Being physically active
Consuming a healthy diet
Not drinking excessively

If you are a regular reader of my blog or newsletter, you will have heard me say this before… genetics only accounts for about 50% of the state of your health.
The other 50% depends on your lifestyle and environmental factors.

What are YOU doing to influence the 50% that you can control?

Even if every woman in your family struggles with being overweight or all of your siblings have high cholesterol, it doesn’t mean that YOU have to!

If you take one thing away from this post, let it be this:

Prevention is the key to good health.

Sometimes the only difference in success and failure is getting the help you need. To read more about working 1:1 with me and your very own one-of-a-kind Personalized Wellness Plan, click here.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Karen Morse

I was filming a video today that demonstrated exercises to release tension in the hands, wrists, and forearms, and I started to think about emotional stress and tension.

I was talking to a friend yesterday about how difficult it can be to stand up for yourself when you are a people-pleaser by nature. How is it that the fear and anxiety that comes from saying “no” to someone else can be greater than the stress and anxiety that we are placing on ourselves by saying “yes”? I have wondered this for many years.

I decided to do some research on the “fight or flight” response. While these days we aren’t typically running from wild animals who want to make us their dinner, emotional stressors such as being forced to work 60 – 80 hour weeks for fear of losing our jobs can illicit the same response — rapid heart beat, a surge of adrenaline, stress hormones pumping throughout our body. All of the same things that would prepare us to fight or run away from a predator are engaged, and we lose the ability to thinking clearly and rationally during that time.

In most situations today, once our fight or flight response is activated, we can’t fight or run from these threatening situations. We have to figure out how to regain control and deal with it. In fact, there are so many of these modern day stressors – feeling overworked, missing a deadline, sitting in awful traffic every day – that our fight or flight response can stay triggered for days on end. This leads to aggression (like road rage) and overreaction; every little thing feels like the LAST straw!

So what do we do? How do we deal with this emotional stress?

I have to say, I absolutely learned this lesson the hard way. As far as traffic is concerned … let’s just say I’m still working on that one.

One thing we can do is give ourselves a time-out. Change your environment. If possible, remove ourselves from the situation by going for a walk or stepping outside for a few moments until we feel calmer and our rational thinking returns.

Another option is to surround yourself with positive people, people who are grounded. Discussing the situation with people in the same boat adds fuel to the fire and keeps your anxiety level high. Try talking with someone you trust who is removed from the situation and can offer perspective. Maybe you DO need to change jobs, so “no” to a new assignment that is going to keep you away from your family or go against your values. A reality check from a positive supportive person can be just what you need.

When your nerve cells are not firing out of control, practice mindfulness. Try techniques like taking deep, relaxing breaths or a short meditation. Finding ways to promote relaxation are helpful, as you can cue them during stressful times. You can read more about mindfulness in my post, “Multi-tasking vs. Mindfulness: The Science of Stress.”

How often do you feel your “fight or flight” response kick in? Do you ever wonder if you should stay or go?

I’m sure you have found other ways to deal with the anxiety-provoking feelings. Tell me about it in the comments below — I want to hear from you!

Be a Contributor to the Pinterest Earth Day Love Board!

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Karen Morse

As most of you who have read my posts before know, my mission with Wellness Science is to promote lives that are in balance and include self-care.

To achieve the ultimate balance in life, we must try to limit conflict in our minds, with our bodies, in our relationships, and with our environment.

In honor of Earth Day on Sunday, April 22nd, I have added a new Earth Day Love board to Pinterest.

Source: Uploaded by user via Karen on Pinterest

Do you want to be a contributor? I want to help showcase your campaigns, art projects, pledges, and images of your favorite spaces & places on the Earth Day Love board.

If you want to be a contributor leave your Pinterest URL or username as a comment below this blog post, and I will add you.

Anyone is welcome – so join up, follow, and pin away!

5 Steps to Bring Wellness Into Your Life

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Karen Morse

Who couldn’t use a little more wellness in their lives? It can be hard to prioritize self-care in our busy lives.

Here are five easy steps to start to bring wellness into your life:

When you wake up, give thanks! Start off each day thinking of all of the wonderful things in your life. Do your best think positive thoughts. Positive thinking invites positivity into your life. Try it, and see what happens. It will change your whole day!
Before you go to bed, write down the 5 best things that happened to you during the day. If you make this part of your routine, you will find yourself looking for things to write about during the day.
Discover your Inner Passion. Did you used to dance but haven’t been on the dance floor in years? Maybe its time to try a class? Even you can only spend a few minutes a day doing what you feel passionate about, it can make a HUGE difference.
Do 5 good deeds every day. Doing nice things for other people is hugely rewarding. It can be as simple as holding the door open for someone. Any selfless, positive act can be included.
Embrace a healthy, active lifestyle. Eat healthy foods and drink plenty of water every day. Talk a walk with a friend or your spouse. The more active you are, the more energy you will have.

Try these 5 steps, and you will invite wellness into your life.

“The happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything but they make the most of everything.” – Sam Cawthorn

Category Archives: Environment