Yoga is the New Black

Yoga is the new black. At first I thought it was just a fitness fad, but then I have been doing some research and decided to join the wonderful of yoga myself and loved it! At first, I was very intimidated. I thought that I needed to be flexible and super skinny. That was not the case at all. Yoga is for all fitness levels. After my first class I felt very relaxed and loose. I have been going ever since and I love it. It’s a great change from my everyday cardio and weight lifting routine.

Before I entered my first yoga class I had read all these tips on yoga for beginners, but never really believed them. I came to find out that they were true. Below are 3 of the tips that I think are most important.

1. When you go in there relax. It’s not a flexibility contest. Let go of the competitive spirit and connect with yourself.
2. You don’t have to be a certain physic to do yoga.
3. Keep looking for the right yoga place until you find it. It is very important that you love where you go to do yoga.

I really like going to The Yoga Center in Tuscaloosa. I hope these tips help you out! Do you have any other ones to add to my list? Good luck getting started. Once you do it gets a lot easier.

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Depalma’s Italian Cafe – Best Pizza in Tuscaloosa

The food is delicious. The employees are very friendly, the place is clean, and the pizza always hits the right spot. Our drinks were never empty. I had not been to Depalma’s in a really long time. I finally went back this weekend and quickly remembered why I used to go all the time. The food is delicious. The employees are very friendly, the place is clean, and the pizza always hits the right spot. Our drinks were never empty. We just ordered a regular cheese pizza with a few veggie toppings. I love the fact that there wasn’t too much cheese and the pizza crust was cooked really well.

For being in a college town they really do work with a students’ budget. The prices are pretty cheap for the food that they serve. If you haven’t been here I highly recommend it. Their portions are also really big, so you definitely will have leftovers as well. My favorite thing is that Depalma’s is only 2.5 miles away from University Downs, so I can just walk from my apartments to the restaurant.

What is your favorite restaurant in Tuscaloosa?

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A Bad Day That Doesn’t Go Away

Hope everyone had a great first day at UA today! Now that school is back in session, so are the stressful days. I just had one of those days that was just bad and it wouldn’t go away. I was talking to a friend that morning and she suggested a handful of things that I could try to make it better. I didn’t try any of them that day, but now that I look back if I did I am sure I would have been able to snap out of it. I think everyone should have these tools handy so that when they are in a bad mood they can get out of it in no time. Below are 5 of my favorite tips to get through a bad day:

1. Write a gratitude list. Think about what you have instead of what you don’t have.
2. Go hang out at the apartment pool. There is always someone there to chat it up with.
3. Turn up the iPod and go for a run/walk. This will help you get out of your head and think about something else.
4. Do a random act of kindness. This will help you focus on something else.
5. Go to bed 30 minutes early. Chalk the day up as a bad one and get ready for the next.

I love all of these ideas. Number 5 makes me laugh, but if you are at the end of the day still feeling terrible there is no reason to prolong it. I will say my favorite is to go to the pool. I love the pool at University Downs.

How do you get through a bad day?

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Step Out Tuscaloosa Kickoff – Walk to Fight Diabetes

August 21st the American Diabetes Association is kicking off their “Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes” Campaign. It’s an easy and great way to get involved with giving back and the community. The event is from 11am to 1pm at Shelton State Community College. The college is located at 9500 Old Greensboro Rd Tuscaloosa, AL 35405. You can call 205-247-SSCC for more details.

There will be live music, food, and prizes! There will also be success stories being told to give people insight on why fundraisers like this make a difference and the importance of helping. There will also BBQ lunches available for purchase and all the proceeds from this will go to the American Diabetes Association Step Out Campaign.

I did the 3 Day a few years ago and it was one of the most rewarding events in my life. I walked for my mother and several other mothers that I knew who were diagnosed with breast cancer. The feeling after was indescribable. Ever since that I have been doing local walks whenever they come up. I see it as every bit helps.

Have you ever done a walk or run for a cause?

Photo courtesy of flickr

Keys to Sleepiness

Do you ever have those nights where you can’t sleep? I will have nights where I just toss and turn through out the entire night. These nights definitely do not make a fun morning especially when I have to be at work by 7am. I was talking to my doctor about this because I thought something was wrong with me, but that wasn’t the case. She gave sent me this article from Shine on ways to help induce sleep. Below are some of the tips that I have used and worked awesome!

• Tense all the muscles and then release all of them. Doing this over and over will help relax your brain.
• Play memory games. They are generally pretty boring so they will put you to sleep and not stimulate your brain.
• Listen to an evening meditation. This will help calm your mind and body.

Listening to an evening meditation is my favorite one. It helps me reflect on my day and let it go. By the time the meditation is over, I am already sleeping. What other ways do you make yourself sleepy?

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“We Are 1″ Luau Voyage at The Bama Belle

This Saturday you can sail the Bama Belle on the Jack Warner River. There will be free food and drinks provided on the boat. They will begin boarding at 7:30pm. Happy hour is until 8:30pm. Dinner will be served around 8:45pm and the full bar opens at 9:45pm. The event is going to be a blast! They are going to have 2 different DJ’s on the 2 decks. The upper deck will have R&B and hip-hop and the lower deck will have line dancing, Chicago style stepping and some great oldies. I love to dance to all types of music, so I can’t wait to get the best of both worlds in one night.

They recommend dress classy with a casual/comfy feel. To find out about getting tickets call 205-339-1108 for more information.

Have you ever been on the Bama Belle before?

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The Karate Kid

I finally gave in and decided to take my little cousin to watch The Karate Kid this past weekend at Hollywood 16. The movie was very cute and definitely tweaked to match today’s society. I am still biased there is nothing like Daniel son and Mr. Miyagi; that was a true classic. Will Smith’s son, Jaden Smith, does an amazing job. When he cries in one of the scenes you can just feel his pain. It reminded me of Will Smith in the Pursuit of Happiness.

If you have a young person in your family or babysitting this is a great movie to go and see. I probably would have waited until it came on television if it wasn’t for my younger cousin. Check out one of the trailers below:

Have you seen this movie?

Fun for the Whole Family

July 4th Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority is hosting the biggest Independence Day celebration in West Alabama. Independence Day is celebrated due to the victory over England in the revolutionary war, which won America its Freedom.  The events will start promptly at 6pm and end at 9pm, culminating with a fireworks extravaganza.

The event will take place at Sokol Park; the event is open and free to the public. There will be live music, including two youth bands Eat My Beats,  Alabama Blues Project, and headlining the event will be Southern Distortion.

Sponsors for the event include: Walter Energy, Nucor Steel, Buffalo Rock Pepsi, Clear Channel Radio, MVUA-TV, The Tuscaloosa News, Weatherford Printing Company and Bank of Tuscaloosa.

The event has an assortment of fun activities for the kids including sack races, water balloon toss, and the infamous rock climbing wall.

The 4th of July only comes once a year, so get out there and enjoy it. Sokol Park is conveniently located only 7 miles north of University Downs

Try These Delicious Cupcake Recipes

Cupcake boutiques are popping up everywhere.

I think we really like them because they are so simple: Just cake flour and icing. And you don’t have to be a kid to like them! If you’re searching for some good cupcake recipes, check out these 20 Better Homes and Gardens cupcake ideas, including traditional red velvet cupcakes to tangerine cupcakes with coconut frosting.

Avoid Becoming The Office Complainer

There’s a complainer in every workplace. Still, we can all find ourselves getting into the habit of complaining a bit too much while at the office.

Here are some things that you probably shouldn’t complain about:

Salary — We all want to be paid more. Instead of complaining, why not focus that energy on delivering consistenly good work.

Perks — Instead of complaining about the perks such as catered lunches that you no longer get, make it a point to start an office pot luck. You’ll get a chance ot know your co-workers a lot better.

Personal issues — No one wants to hear about your sad and sordid life during their 9-to-5 when they’re busy working. Save it for the cafeteria or your personal friends.

Get more tips from Shine.

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