My Favorite Tonic | An Elixir of Sorts

A tonic is something, sometimes medicinal, that makes one feel better or restores his or her health. This summer, I've (Emily, here!) discovered a new favorite drink of mine that makes me feel refreshed, powerful, and truly cleansed. I'll be drinking this all year long, especially into my crazy busy season when I need to know I'm running at my optimal level. It's prime gold for digestion, staying hydrated, and making skin all glowy and clear. Think spicy lemonade -- yum!

Why I love what's in this tonic: Hydration is so important for getting that glorious glow in our skin -- helps with elasticity of the skin meaning no wrinkles (!). I've already talked up Himalayan salt enough here on the blog, but say hi to balancing pH levels, stabilizing blood sugar levels, and naturally detoxifying the body. Lemon kicks butt by helping to debloat (if that's not a real word, it is now), packing a punch of citrusy goondness - vitamin C, and giving your skin a happy glow. Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is absolutely amazing. Not only is it a digestive kick starter, but it also lowers blood sugar levels, helps with heart function, and contains friendly bacteria, enzymes, and proteins. Cayenne neutralizes acidity in the body, stimulates circulation, is a great anti-agent for inflammation, colds, and other illnesses, as well as a whole slew of other great things. Honey helps with seasonal allergies, lasts forever as long as it's properly sealed, and like cayenne, helps stave off various illnesses. Cinnamon is loaded with antioxidants, helps lower blood sugar levels, may be protective against cancer, and does some other pretty fantastic things.

recipe after the jump.

Feel Good Tonic

+ 2-4 cups room temperature water
+ 1/2 lemon
+ 1 tsp - 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (if you've never had ACV in a drink before, start small)
+ Dash of cayenne
+ Dash of pink Himalayan salt
+ Dash of cinnamon
+ Optional: maple syrup or honey (adjust to taste)

Fill up your cup with water, pour in your apple cider vinegar, squeeze in the lemon, dash in your spices and salt, and if adding, stir in maple syrup or honey. Once combined, drink up! It'll be a zing of energy - cayenne is a hiney kicker! Enjoy! Xx.

+ what do you think? do you have a favorite system-starter drink? share in the comments or on facebook!

Be sure to tune into my snapchat (@efriend216) or follow me on instagram or twitter (both @yourfriend_em) for my adventures and foodie finds! xx

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My life in a series of snaps | Vacation 2015

just a few pretty visuals of the trip so far to new york city after having been in florida. enjoying every day. xx Emily

+ where have you gone so far this year? + if you can't get away, where would you go? + how can you find bits of vacation bliss in everyday life?

| Q & A with Em | What camera did you use?

This is just my phone camera or snapchat camera! Amazing, huh?

Well, how'd you make them look like that?

I use an awesome app called VSCO Cam. It's free for phones, but there is also a computer version that syncs to photoshop lightroom that's supposedly amazing.

Be sure to tune into my snapchat (@efriend216) or follow me on instagram or twitter (both @yourfriend_em) for my travel adventures and foodie finds! xx

Exercising & Eats on Vacay

Why do we do this to ourselves? We workout exhaustively and diet whole-heartedly in the days leading up to vacation, and then once we've jetted away or arrived at our location, it's all been so much that we break down and yell at ourselves for not 'behaving' a proper way. And as a result, we end up not enjoy vacation because of our destructive, limiting, and restrictive thoughts. We are no longer filled with the love, light, and excitement like we hoped for in our vacation planning. Gosh that stinks(!!!). So I repeat. Why do we do this to ourselves?

So I've (Emily, here) come up with a few ideas to help you figure out how to enjoy vacation: eating what your body needs, moving when you feel right, and finally ending the vicious train of thought that weaves it's way into your mind.

So how do we start? Here are three simple steps:

First, let yourself off the hook. Letting yourself truly enjoy vacation is a must and oh so important. How much time do you spend on vacation a year? Do you even regularly go on vacation? Let's say it's one week a year. That's 1/52 of your year. If you don't think you could bounce back in the other 51 weeks of the years, you have another thing coming. Relax and do things you don't do when you're at home on the grind. You have plenty of other days to do the exact same thing, so why not change it up for the week and enjoy?

Evaluate the food sitch for your duration. Where are ya? A hotel? A house? Someone's place? Are you only going out to eat, or can you get yummies to stock up your room, place, etc? The vacation I've escaped on luckily allows me to go out and grab groceries, so I can keep eating what I normally do (minus my green smoothie, darn it). If you're in a hotel, there's likely a mini fridge. My 'kitchen' at school consists of a microfridge, so yes, it's doable to stock it up with fresh goods and keep up with delicious eats. If there is absolutely no way to stock up anything, don't hesitate to invest in your meal plans. Find great restaurants, go out and snag fresh veggies and fruits for when you go out and explore, or run and grab your favorite meals from a local cafe when you can.

You do not have to have a 'perfect diet or exercise routine'. Ever. But mainly on vacation. Okay. So there is no such thing as perfect. If anything, there is perfectly imperfect which is something that all of you are, but there is no such thing as straight up perfect. And there is no such thing as one-size-fits-all whether that's in pajamas, pants, exercise, or diet. Nope. I'm here to tell you that if someone lost 1000 pounds on this kind of diet, it doesn't mean you couldn't gain 50 on the same one. Everyone is different. So stop freaking out because you aren't obeying this perfect ideal. That being said, especially on vacation, stop and smell the roses. You aren't going to lose or gain ten pounds over the span of a week or two. I know that you're saying Gee, Em, if anyone can, I can. But you can't. I promise it's physically impossible (okay maybe there is one percent chance, but not all of you are in the one percent).

In NYC, it's the first time I've ever had a nice, vegan meal in an upscale restaurant. So I let the stereotypical salad finally loose, and I found a great amazing meal. And I'm so glad I did, because those kinds of nights are few and far between. Same thing with working out. I brought my yoga mat and have online subscriptions to my two favorite workout places, but I haven't felt like getting up early and making myself super sweaty and sore. So instead, I pop out of bed, do a few stretches, maybe a couple sun salutations, hold a little plank, or do none of the above, and then go in search of my cup of joe. It's really no big deal, and the sooner one can internalize that notion that you can enjoy your life without making yourself miserable first, the happier and healthier one will be.

Finally, breathe. Take a deep breath in through your nose, and exhale through your mouth. Let yourself relax. Drop your shoulders away from your ears and honor yourself. Have you been pushing yourself too hard? Is your body begging for a slow down? Does it want that extra plate of spaghetti, because you're hungry, and it's amazing, and you feel like you haven't had carbs in an eternity (which is something we could talk about if you need support around a foodie lifestyle that works for you)? Listen to your answers. Listen to yourself. You know what you need, and given half a chance, the body can heal itself. Use this time away to recharge, get empowered, and return to your life invigorated and ready. Like I said above, you won't lose ten pounds or gain ten pounds on vacation, so stop picking on food and your body, telling yourself such things. Enjoy. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy, and breathe. It's only as complicated as you make it.

 So there you have it! Three simple (beyond simple, really) ways to keep perspective and enjoy your vacation, exercise and eats style.

1. Evaluate Your Food Sitch. 2. There is no such thing as the perfect diet or fitness plan. 3. Ya gotta breathe, babe.

Be sure to tune into my snapchat (@efriend216) or follow me on instagram or twitter (both @yourfriend_em) for my travel adventures and foodie finds! xx