Bold & Bella

I'm a teacher. Anyone in the same profession can tell you that one of the quotes we see and hear the most is:  Failing to plan is planning to fail.  Preparation is key in the classroom. If you show up with half-baked lesson plans, the children will smell your lack of preparation, realize they outnumber you, and eat you alive. If you have well-thought-out plans, however, and you have all of your materials ready to go, things (usually) go smoothly.  The same is true for sticking to healthy eating. I know the two things seem unrelated, but stick with me here. If you're trying to make better food choices and your only plan is to depend on your so-far-unreliable willpower, the likelihood of you succeeding is slim to none. On the other hand, if you pre-plan and prepare your meals, you'll always have something on hand when you get hungry and you'll be more likely to turn down the donuts, cookies, and fun-sized candy bars waiting in the teachers' lounge.  T...

You know what the best part about being a kid is? Fearlessness. When my daughter was learning to walk, she would fall. All. The. Time. She'd take a few steps, lose her balance, fall face first, and of course cry her eyes out. Then she'd get up and try it again. When she got bold enough to try to run, it was like she was discovering our house for the first time. Her feet would go too fast for her little mind to keep up and she'd inevitably run into a wall or a table and fall flat on her butt. You would think that it would've taught her to slow it down, pay more attention. Nope. She'd get up and go full speed, again and again. As adults, we are very risk averse. If we were in my daughter's shoes, we'd only have to fall that one time. Our brains register pain and suffering as giant STOP signs and we do not proceed, much less get up and try again. As we grow up, we lose that fearlessness and replace it with extreme caution, bordering on perfectionism. We ...

Losing weight is probably the number one New Year's Resolution in the world. It's a great goal, but it's very vague. The issue with vague goals is that they hardly ever get accomplished. Since there is SO much involved in the process, it's easy to feel overwhelmed, not know where to start, and give up on the whole idea before you even really get started. Big goals need to be broken down into smaller, more manageable chunks. If you're curious about how to lose weight, here are 5 steps that make that giant goal seem more within reach: 1- Set realistic, measurable goals.  Start off by committing to something that both makes sense for your physical capabilities and fits into your schedule. When I first started working out, I committed to a program called T25, which promised to deliver an hour's worth of gym-time in just 25 minutes, 5 days a week. At the time, my workout schedule was sporadic at best, so less than 30 minutes a day during the workweek seemed...

Squats are amazing. They work everything in your lower half and help build muscles in my favorite areas: legs and butt. The problem that many people have with squats is that they aren't doing them properly. Form is everything when it comes to any kind of weight training. Yes, even if all you're using is the weight of your own body. If done incorrectly, squatting can cause pain in your lower back and your knees...two things I'm sure everyone would like functioning properly well into their 50s. Here are some things to keep in mind when working your lower half: 1. Squeeze your abs It's a common misconception that the core is only where the abs live. In reality, your core is everything in your midsection, to include your lower back. Squeezing your tummy gives your lower back support and prevents it from having to work overtime. If the concept of squeezing your abs is foreign to you, picture your belly button and your spine coming together. 2. Put your weight in you...

"Action is the fastest and most direct route to clarity."   -Marie Forleo, Everything is Figureoutable  Most books and articles on career and business-building advise people seeking success to focus on a "niche," a specialty that will set you apart from your competitors. Basically, to be successful, you have to narrow your brand and be the person that people think of when they think (insert industry, craft or trade here). This has always been somewhat of a challenge for me because I have never wanted to do just one thing, nor do I believe that I am only talented and suited for one particular field. I want to do it all, and I truly believe that I can do it well. Of course, like most people, I tried to focus. When I was little and people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I'd spout off whatever idea had popped into my head that day... a ballerina, a lawyer, a teacher, a singer, a model! I figured that one day I'd grow up and just know...

There are people in the world who are perfectly content doing the same thing day in and day out. These individuals thrive off of their routines and are happiest in their comfort zone...I am not one of those people. When it comes to the people I love, I am highly committed and loyal. My RODs (Ride or Dies) have been with me since high school, and even my husband and I have been together since I was 17. But when it comes to my career, I'm all over the place. By the age of 25 I'd already had 15 different jobs, and I didn't start working until I was 16. It's not that I am afraid to commit, it's more that I have got a serious case of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out...I know I just saved 30% of you from having to Google it...you're welcome!). There are SO many things that I want to do with my life that I dabble in a little of everything. The problem with that is that it's easy to take on too much, get burned out, and quit altogether. At one point a couple of years a...

It's that time of the year when everyone is trying to undo the damage from the holidays (cookies, cakes, and coquito...oh my!) There are a lot of very effective products out there that you can buy BUT if you're like me, and on top of the fact that you need to beat the bloat you're also strapped for cash, there's a simple and effective detox water that you can make yourself at home. What you'll need:                                                2 liters of water (about 8.5 cups)   3 stalks of celery 1/4 cup of sliced ginger  The Good Stuff  Ginger has a long-standing reputation as nature's ibuprofen, helping to settle upset stomachs and ease inflammation, but did you know that celery has the same effect? The combination of these two anti-inflammatory ingredients makes this detox water highly effective.  In additi...