Tracy Tutor’s Orange Cardigan on MDLLA

Million Dollar Listing LA Season 13 Episode 8 Fashion

Orange you glad Tracy Tutor was actually on last night’s episode of MDLLA?! Well we sure were because it gave us some cute stuff to report on like this orange cardigan sweater. Which may be sold out, however we’ve found some perfect-for-fall Style Stealers that’ll still definitely give you that same orange crush.

Fashionably,

Faryn

Click Here to See Her Re/Done Cardigan

Hat By @Lidrow.LA

Originally posted at: Tracy Tutor’s Orange Cardigan

Meredith Marks’ Perfume and Body Cream on BravoTV.com

Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Beauty

Needless to say we lovvvve ourselves a good Housewives bathroom tour, and Meredith Marks is giving us just that in this exclusive clip on BravoTV.com. And after spotting the exact perfume and body cream she uses on her vanity (great holiday gifts btw!), we cannot wait to engage with the sensual scent asap.

Fashionably,

Faryn

Click Here to Shop Her Sisley Paris ‘Soir d’Orient’ Perfume

Click Here to Shop the Body Cream

Click Here to Shop the Products in a Gift Set

Click Here to Shop Meredith Marks Robes

Originally posted at: Meredith Marks’ Perfume and Body Cream

Initially, I was skeptical about Laughter Yoga. But I soon changed my mind. Let me tell you why.

I’ve long been a devotee of traditional yoga and no fan of spin-offs. There’s lots of them, Beer Yoga, Goat Yoga and Laughter Yoga, just to name a few.

Then a dear friend became a Laughter Yoga teacher.

“You’d love it,” she said. “At the very least give it a try.”

Still reluctant, one day with time on my hands, I took a class. Honestly, it was fun. Then, I did another one. More classes followed, each fuelling my enjoyment.

So perhaps you’re like me, curious about Laughter Yoga but not quite ready to give it a go. Or maybe you’re uncertain about:

• What actually happens in a Laughter Yoga class
• Where the idea originated from, and
• Whether there are any health benefits (certainly, there are some amazing health benefits).

More information about this and answers to other questions you might have follows.

The Origins of Laughter Yoga

Laughter Yoga is a fun-filled practice, sort of like faking laughter until you make it.

It was created by doctor Madan Katoria from India in 1995. He was researching the subject of “Laughter is the best medicine.” Madan Katoria and his wife, both yoga practitioners, incorporated laughter with yogic breathing practices and relaxation into their Laughter Yoga classes. Since then, Laughter Yoga has spread worldwide.

What Happens in a Class?

The classes I’ve attended have followed the same basic structure (some with add-ons).

First, the teacher welcomes everyone. Gentle stretching throughout the body follows (the classes can be practised seated) accompanied by a voice warm-up.

Playful laughter and breathing exercises are usually next, which often start with rhythmic clapping and chanting. Clapping is said to stimulate acupressure points in the hands and to encourage bodily energy flow. The breathing exercises stimulate the lungs, assisting with being able to laugh for longer.

The chanting involves deep breathing in the belly, and in my experience, repeating ‘Ho-ho, ha-ha-ha.’ Yes, at first, I did find it a little strange (a bit like imitating Santa) and perhaps not every one’s cup of tea. But once I let go of my self-consciousness and tuned into my playfulness, truly it was fun. And everyone laughs along together, never ever at each other.

Other classes have added (simple) dance type movements. Some groups include light stretching exercises between the bouts of laughter to ease sore bits of body, which can be common in over sixties.

All the classes have finished with a ‘yummy’ relaxation to ground the practices.

The Health Benefits

The idea that laughter is health-giving is not new. Norman Cousins, for instance, documented his own laughter cure in his book Anatomy of an Illness. Diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis in the mid-1960s, doctors gave him little chance of recovery.

Ankylosing Spondylitis is a painful degenerative condition of the connective tissue. Cousins checked out of hospital and booked into a hotel room where he watched hours of comedy movies (especially the Marx Brothers films) and took large doses of Vitamin C. Much to everyone’s surprise he recovered from his illness.

Partly inspired by Cousins’ recovery, scientists began researching the healing power of laughter. The many benefits include healthy functioning of blood vessels, regulation of stress hormones, and release of endorphins, the natural pain killers. Laughter has also been identified as a low-cost medical treatment.

Let’s face it, in the current time of Covid and other life events, it’s sometimes hard to find things to laugh about. And that’s where a Laughter Yoga class comes into the mix.

Studies also support the idea that Laughter Yoga (and in essence faking laughter) is good medicine. After a while, practising laughing teaches the body to laugh on demand without having to wait for something funny to happen. The deep breathing, movements and laughter bring the body and mind together, creating harmony.

So, it’s not surprising that a recent review of existing studies on Laughter Yoga concluded there are significant positive effects for older adults. The benefits aren’t just limited to physical function (improvements in blood pressure, cortisol level, sleep quality). They also include positive effects on psychosocial health (life satisfaction, quality of life, loneliness, death anxiety, depression, mood, happiness). No negative effects were found.

In addition, there’s the social connection and bonding that happens especially (where it’s possible) in meeting up for face-to-face group classes.

Where to Find a Class

You can do Laughter Yoga alone or with a partner or friend. Or join a club, there are thousands of groups across the world. A search online will soon find a class to suit.

Have you tried Laughter Yoga? If so, what did you like about it? Do you still do it? What benefits have you noticed? Please join the conversation and share your experiences.

Sitting up straight is one of those things that simply doesn’t seem to come naturally – kind of like eating kale and avoiding donuts.

Especially in your 60s, with the weight of becoming a ‘senior’ bearing down a life of working and raising a family at a plateau, your back can buckle under the pressure.

Bad posture doesn’t just simply look bad, though. It can have real negative consequences on your health and wellbeing.

Dangers of Bad Posture

Understanding the risks of prolonged bad posture habits might be just the motivation you need to sit up straight. Dangers include:

Pain

You might think back pain is an inevitable symptom of getting older. In actuality, bad posture can lead to back pain as well as neck, hip, leg and knee pain.

The more strain and pressure placed on the spine and adjacent muscles when sitting in poor body positions, the more tug and pull the rest of your body will feel as it works harder and harder to keep you upright and aligned.

Additional compression placed on your vertebrae discs can also result in bulging, slips, herniation and pinched nerves – youch!

Diminished Breathing

Give yourself a moment, and try taking a deep breath while you are hunched over the computer. Now take one sitting up straight, with your shoulders back and chest open. Quite a difference, huh?

Over time, rounding the shoulders forward and hunching the back when sitting and standing can place undue pressure on the thoracic cavity which houses your lungs. Deep breathing is necessary to help keep your oxygen levels normal, exercise the lungs and even de-stress.

Reduced Blood Circulation

You hear a ton about the changes in blood circulation that occur as you age. Doctor’s become more and more cognizant of how well your heart is circulating blood through your body.

Everything from heart disease to diabetes can negatively impact blood circulation, which is crucial to making sure all your organs have the necessary nutrients they need to carry out their critical functions.

Poor posture can inhibit good circulation, especially sitting with your legs crossed, cutting off blood flow and potentially leading to spider veins.

Slow Intestinal Motility

All the food, fluids and gas your body transports through the intestines during digestion benefits from a straighter, more open track.

When you spend a significant amount of time sitting, especially in a slumped or slouched position, like watching TV on the couch, your digestive tract can get folded up. That added pressure inhibits the motility you need to ‘stay regular.’

Increased Stress Levels

If pain, shallow breathing and backed-up digestion didn’t already stress you out, a Harvard study found that poor posture can actually increase levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, in your body.

Bad posture also makes you look bigger than you are – especially in the tummy area! – influencing your own self-confidence and how others see you. This may worsen existing anxiety or depression.

Practicing Better Posture

Other than simply remembering to sit up straight, are there effective and simple ways to reverse your bad posture habits for good? Absolutely!

Stretch and Stretch Again

Understandably, tight, stiff muscles are going to make you want to contract, whether it’s leaning against a wall when standing or hunching over when sitting.

Loosening joints and stretching muscles overtime through different techniques can play an important role in boosting your own posture. Flexible, pliable muscles support a longer, aligned spine and allow for greater range of motion and joint movement as well.

Try Yoga

Mindfulness practices like Gentle Yoga and Tai Chi might be your ticket to honing your own flexibility as they incorporate deep breathing, meditation and gentle stretching.

The Cat-Cow pose, for example, is a great way to stretch back muscles, strengthen core muscles and elongate the spine for enhanced posture. Even Yoga styles tailored to seniors, like gentle, chair, restorative and water Yoga, can make a difference in your stretching capabilities.

Lift Weights

When it comes to supporting better body postures, it’s not all about how elastic muscles and tendons are. The strength of supporting muscles can go a long way to benefitting a straight back and balanced hips.

To give you an idea, oftentimes weightlifters will experience rounded shoulders because they spend so much time strengthening arm and lower back muscles and not their chest and upper back muscles.

A weak chest and pectorals can’t support that type of weight and lead to hunching and forward turned shoulders.

Use Support

A myriad of orthotic aids and supports exists to promote better posture practices, including posture back braces and lumbar spine support pillows for the car. Support pillows can be used in the car, in your desk chair, in bed, you name it.

These types of cushions are ergonomically designed to support the natural inward curve of the lumbar spine region, naturally lifting your back and helping you sit up straight and drop your shoulders.

Stand Up

Standing up is a good posture solution. It might seem over-simplified, but it couldn’t be more important in this day and age.

Not only has a recent study from the Annals of Internal Medicine discovered that prolonged sitting increases the risk of early death, but sitting for long periods of time with great posture is just plain difficult.

If you spend hours a day working at the computer, consider investing in a standing desk. You can also sit on a stability ball instead of a chair. Experts also recommend never sitting more than 30 minutes at a time without getting up to stretch and walk around.

When it comes to practicing better posture, no one is accountable to you, except for you. More than simply sitting up straight, good posture will come down to your own health, weight, activity levels and motivation.

What other good posture habits do you have? What’s the easiest way for you to avoid bad posture? Please join the conversation below.

There is salad dressing in my refrigerator that dates back to the Bush administration. And there’s a plastic container in the back that’s growing a chemistry experiment but I’m afraid to look, so I just leave it there.

I know when the milk turns sour it’s time to throw it out, but I’m not sure about the eggs. How can I trust a cardboard container that tells me something fresh will last another month?

Expiration Dates Are for Pancake Mix

I recently rummaged through the kitchen cabinets and pantry searching for cans, boxes, and packages of food that have exceeded their “use by” date.

It’s easy to toss out the old tin of unwanted sardines, but I have a difficult time parting with the gourmet pancake mix. The expiration date is 2016, but it’s a gourmet mix from a famous gourmet company that sends awesome catalogs. I’ll probably keep that mix for another five years, just in case some fancy guests drop by for breakfast.

Expiration dates alarm me because I’m worried someone will slap one on my head. “Elaine is best before 2022.” That would be too much pressure to cram all my quality goodness and usefulness into the next 14 months. I would plead for an extension and then tap dance my way back into being relevant and valuable.

How to Keep from Expiring

Would you want to know your expiration date? I don’t. Instead, I think we should choose to live every day to the fullest just to prove we’ve still got life and mischief.

Each morning, slowly peek out of one eye to make sure you’re still alive. If you haven’t expired, you have another chance to go forth with fresh and worthy confidence that says your story isn’t over. It’s time to start another chapter.

Here are some ideas for staying fresh and unspoiled:

Avoid Frowning

Frowning makes you appear older than you are. Just like fruits and vegetables begin to wither after exceeding their shelf life, try scowling into a mirror and notice the unattractive reflected image.

Now smile, showing off those well-earned laugh lines. Isn’t that better? You might want to do this in the privacy of your room.

Stay Front and Center

The forgotten leftovers mysteriously migrate to the back of the refrigerator where they languish until worthless and discarded. Don’t become an irrelevant leftover.

Protect Your Packaging

Sometimes those plastic food storage containers lose their seal and the food spoils. Remember to use lotion and sun screen to protect your skin. Wear a hat, avoid too much sun, and indulge in an occasional body wrap treatment or luxurious bath.

Laugh to Take the Years Off

Add some pickling spice as a preservative. Laughter is the best medicine. If you haven’t enjoyed a belly laugh for a few days, turn off the news, read a humorous book, watch a funny movie, or play with a grandchild.

Appreciate the Variety of Choices around You

Some days, society will see you as the favorite main course, and other times you’ll be a side dish when everyone is clamouring for the baked turkey. Be the best green bean casserole you can be. The turkey is really under a lot of pressure to be perfect and appealing every time.

After six decades of life, we know the expiration date gets closer every day. But, we can do our best to stay active, eat healthy, enjoy positive relationships, and use our resources to improve our communities. We’re not done yet.

What are your favorite ways to stay fresh and unfrowning? What habits keep you “front and center” rather than languishing in the back? Are there tips you have for maintaining a healthy sense of humor? Please share in the comments.