Friday Favorites: Wear Love

Today, I am excited to feature the very special company, wearLove®, which is right out of my home base of Easton MA. wearLove® is much more than another clothing company. Rather, it is a lifestyle brand that has devoted itself to spreading the beautiful message to "wear love" everyday. And with today being Valentine's Day, I can't think of a better company to feature .

Photo Courtesy of: wearLove®

The company was created as a movement to spread the two special words; "wear love". Founder, Lynne Payne, had been working on a photo shoot with her friend when they decided to print the words "wear love" on t-shirts for the shoot. Soon, people began inquiring about the shirts in the photos and so Lynne began selling the t-shirts out of her home in Easton. Within weeks, she began receiving orders from  people across the world who were eager to adorn the loving message.




As word of mouth spread, incredible stories began to unfold across the web of how people were "wearing the love". One, in particular, involved a father returning from the war who wore his wearLove® t-shirt to greet his wife and children for homecoming.

Homecoming
Photo Courtesy of: wearLove®

Love at home
Photo Courtesy of: wearLove®

A few weeks later, Lynne received another message from someone who wanted to "wear the love". It was the Today Show alerting Lynne that  Kathie Lee would be featuinrg Wear Love® as her "favorite thing" that morning. (Check out the Today Show clip here. Within minutes of shirts airing on the Today Show, Lynne's website sold out of inventory.

Since then, the company has re-stocked and has created many different designs and styles to choose from. While meeting with Lynne, I had the pleasure to tour her workroom and it was incredible to get a first eye experience of Lynne's creative process. One of my best friend Kelsey always says to me "when you love what you do, you never work a day in your life" and this is immediately what I thought of when watching Lynne discuss her passion for wearLove®. She is so authentic in spreading her message to "wear love" that  it is no surprise to me how quickly the company has become a success.

Photo Courtesy of: wearLove®

Another huge reason as to why I am a big fan of wearLove® is due to all of the philanthropic work they do. A few years back, Lynne and her husband traveled to one of the poorest communities in Africa and were humbled by what they saw. An estimated 30,000 boys in Sengal are abandoned by their families at age 5, where they are placed into schools until the age of 15. Somewhere around age 15, after a lost decade of use and abuse by their street masters, the boys are once again abandoned to a future without hope and promise.

wearLove® has helped to build a vocational school for these boys in which they can build life skills that can combat poverty. In my opinion, there is no better way to give back then to encourage others to find their strengths. I firmly believe in the saying; "Give a man a fish and you feed him for the day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime". By building a school for the children of Senegal, wearLove® was able to inspire the children to create a sense of self-love and empowerment from within themselves. To this day, wear Love® continues to support the children of Senegal, and other impoverished nations, by donating  $3 of every shirt to Restore International, a worldwide organization committed to restoring justice to children around the world by

In addition to partnering with Restore International, wearLove® has  partnered with numerous other philanthropic organizations including School on Wheels, a nonprofit for children experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts, and the Adam Brown Legacy Fund, a nonprofit that was formed in honor of fallen Navy Seal Chief (SOC) Adam Brown.

Lastly, wearLove® makes t-shirts for everyone and I'm really not just saying that. They seriously have a style that fits anyone I can think of in my life. From making tshirts for Jenna's (Tone it Tuesday contributor) little man Henry to being my mom's "go-to" t-shirt company and the designers of my favorite, lightweight hoodie, wear Love® is certainly worn and loved by all.

Henry sporting his Wear Love T-Shirt
Photo Courtesy of: Jenna Klane Nelson

Lynne's daughter Jordan and her bridal party sporting the Wear Love t-shirts
Photo Courtesy of: wearLove®

Fourth of July Cookout, Easton MA
Photo Courtesy of: wearLove®

You can't help but feel that you are a part of a much larger, loving community when wearing their apparel. Even just by going to yoga class in my favorite wearLove® pullover, I feel as though I am setting a loving intention for the class and inspiring others to do the same.

And so I encourage you to head over to their website so that you too can "Wear Love. Put it on. Wear it out".

Create a loving Valentine's Day everyone!

And now for your daily dose of inspiration inspired by wearLove®...

"Use your words for kindness, your ears for compassion, your hands for charity,
 your mind for truth, and your heart for love"
Photo Courtesy of: wearLove®

*For more information about wearLove®, check out their website, Facebook page, Twitter page, & Pinterest.

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Tone it Tuesdays: Pre & Post Workout Routine

The following nutritional advice is from my guest Tone it Tuesday's contributor for the month of January, Jenna Klane of the Training Fix. I'll be sharing Jenna's workout and nutrition advice throughout the Tone It Tuesday series. In today's post, Jenna will be sharing how to properly fuel yourself before and after your workout...

Hey everyone, its Jenna Klane Nelson, the owner of the Training Fix in Easton, MA. There is no doubt in my mind that eating whole foods, improving posture, exercising often, and resting often, are the key ingredients to living a life filled with vitality ! Today, I am going to focus on the first ingredient: eating whole foods.  After-all, a clean diet is non negotiable if you want to reap the full benefits of your workout. 

When you spend time and effort at the gym to reach your fitness goals, you better be sure you’re refueling your body or else you may be wasting your time and energy. Think about the stress you’re putting your muscles under. You need to recover from the losses that you went through and the best time is right after your workout- within an hour.

Recent studies have found that low glycemic foods, which are digested more slowly, eaten before exercise may contribute to increased performance by increasing the availability of nonessential fatty acids during exercise. Examples of these carbohydrates include plain yogurt, strawberries, and oatmeal. Carbs are essential during exercise because it’s the body’s preferred fuel source. Therefore it’s important to not only eat them before a workout but also after to replenish glycogen stores.

 Endurance and resistance training exercise both stimulate muscle protein synthesis, which is enhanced if protein is consumed around the time of the exercise. Eating protein immediately after exercising helps in the repair and synthesis of muscle proteins. If you’re looking to lose weight, then protein intake can help preserve lean muscle mass and allow weight loss to come from fat rather than the lean tissue. Protein not only repairs muscle, but also helps stimulate the development of new muscle tissue.

Different types of protein are better at different times. Whey protein is easily digested and is known for its ability to stimulate muscle protein synthesis. Casein protein is slowly digested and can last in the bloodstream a few hours. If you’re looking for optimum muscle building then one would suggest casein-based protein prior to exercise and whey-based protein during and following exercise. The body has a limited capacity to use protein to build muscle so it’s important to not be excessive in protein consumption. The average person requires .8-1.0kg/body weight and athletes need 1.2-1.7kg/body weight.

One thing you want to steer clear of in your post-workout snack is fat. Fat slows down digestion, and this isn’t something you want after a workout.

If you’re new to exercising then this can seem like a lot of info that you’re not necessarily looking for, but it’s important to have an understanding of why we want you to eat before and after a training session; to maximize your results.

Food Ideas:

• Banana with almond butter
• Plain greek yogurt with fruit
• Tuna on Ezekiel/whole wheat bread
• Sliced turkey and hummus wrap
• Protein shake with banana
• Rice cake with almond/peanut butter
• Hard boiled egg and apple
• Sweet potato with plain greek yogurt
• Quest or Rise Bar
• Chocolate Almond Milk with strawberries

Now that you have an understanding of what and why you need to properly fuel yourself you should be sure that your workout really requires the post-workout snack/meal you’re consuming. A 15 minute leisurely walk, a 30 minute light strength-training session or 30 minutes of stretching aren’t the moderate to high intensity workouts that burn up your muscles and deplete your blood sugar levels to a level where you need a snack to recover. So be mindful of the snacks you’re choosing based on your workout.

Your workout can never make up for a bad diet, so make sure you’re not “rewarding” yourself with a post-workout snack because “you deserved it.” Give your body the proper fuel it needs!

Create a toned Tuesday everyone! Below is your Tuesday dose of inspiration. 

*"Like" the Training Fix Fb page & contact Jenna over on  the Training Fix website

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Take Out Tuesdays-Holiday Edition: a Healthy Strategy for Christmas Dinner

The holiday season is a time of lots of merriment and spending cherished moments with family and friends. For most, this centers around a lot of food & drinks. We plan our family gatherings around what it is to be served and when. 

For me, this means waking up on Christmas morning at my Mamaw's in Indiana and preparing our customary Christmas breakfast of Monkey bread & Lumberjack eggs (a scrambled egg & ham dish). Once the breakfast is complete, we quickly clean up, and proceed to quickly move on to preparing our Christmas dinner. 

For my family, food is a way of showing our love for one another. In fact, this year, I have even given out many  homemade recipes to family and friends, such as the PB Sweet & Salty granola recipe & the Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting recipe that was served in mason jars. I believe that food & the holidays go hand and hand because they can both provide us with the "homey," comfort feeling we all desire to experience again from our childhoods.

Therefore, I think it is very important to not be fearful of celebrating the holiday season with food. So what if you have one cupcake? As someone who grew up struggling with their weight, I can tell you firsthand that I was the heaviest when I deprived myself of certain foods. These past five years, I have maintained a healthy weight by living a healthy lifestyle, heavy on the LIFE.

 Below are 10 easy & straightforward tips to help you to enjoy a healthy Christmas Dinner & New Year's Eve...

Healthy Tip #1: Eat a Snack Before You Go.

 Do not arrive feeling famished. Instead, eat a healthy snack before you arrive, that is fibrous and protein-rich. My go to pre-dinner snack is an apple with peanut butter or almond butter. 

Healthy Tip #2: "Host Assist"

 Offer to help the party-host serve drinks, prepare food, or with whatever help they need. This way you can spend less time feeling tempted to eat the food. Perhaps, this is just a matter of positioning yourself away from the snacking table. For me, this would mean not sitting right in front of the big bowl of Christmas-colored M&Ms, because I know they would be calling my name.

Healthy Tip #3: Wear Your Sunday Best

 Avoid the elastic leggings/jeggings etc. and big, oversized sweater that will provide you with the room to eat like its Thanksgiving all over again. When your clothes fit to your body you can be more aware of when you are full & less likely to go HAM. (I often use this trick when working out, particularly yoga. By practicing yoga, in a tighter tank, I am able to become more aware of my body's movement and alignment). 

                           Healthy Tip #4: Use an Appetizer Plate for your Meal

Have you experienced this scenario before? You go into a grocery store just to buy  a few items, but grab a shopping cart anyway.Suddenly, you find yourself stocking up on a heck of a lot more than you originally intended. However, if you had gone into the grocery store and used a shopping basket, you would have been much more selective and aware of exactly what you wanted. The same things occur when you eat your dinner on a large plate versus a small plate. By using a small plate when choosing your foods, you are much more aware of just how much of the mashed potatoes you are scooping out onto your plate.

                                   Healthy Tip #5: Be Picky

Prior to arriving, think about what type of food you are most looking forward to. Is it your grandmother's wedding cakes, aunt's homemade biscuits, or uncle's famous ham? Determine what food you know you "have to" eat and be honest about it.This way you will have a clear plan for what you want to consume. For example, by identifying the biscuits as a necessary item on your list, you can develop a plan to consume just  just one biscuit. Such a plan will not only make that biscuit more delectable, but it will also place the control of your consumption in your hands, literally. 

                                 Healthy Tip #6: Move On

Whether you are sitting down at a formal table or forming a line around a buffet-style table, put a little bit of the foods you want on your plate and move on. Eat each food once, and enjoy it. Once its over, move on to enjoying your company, or helping with the clean-up.

Healthy Tip #7: Be Last in Line 

This is a tip that I tend to follow, whether at a wedding or even at a store at the mall. You know how a store at the start of Christmas season can look so pristine and beautiful? You see all of these beautiful and flashy items lined up in front of you when you walk into the store. As your eyes drift over each good, you mentally add each item to your list. However, if you went back to the store the day after Christmas when everything is marked down to 75%. You notice that the boxes look slightly squished and that a heated towel warmer is not something you really need, even when priced for only $3.  This is the same occurrence that happens when you are gathered around a buffet-style table for Christmas dinner. You begin to salivate as you look down at all of the delicious food laid out so beautifully onto crisp linens. However, once the meal has received many "spoon-mark beatings" your mind becomes much clearer and you are be able to decipher which foods you actually want prior to sampling.

Healthy Tip #8: Drink & Stay Merry

 Make water your drink of choice. If you want to consume alcohol, alternate 2 glasses of water for 1 alcoholic beverage. Skip the soda entirely. In particular, the artificial sweetener in Diet Soda, will make you crave more sweets. Club soda & lime make great drink mixers. 

Healthy Tip #9: Bring Something Healthy

Whether you stop at the grocery store on your way for a veggie platter or bring a wine spritzer, you can be better prepared for the holiday party by packing a healthy choice. This could even mean slipping a luna bar in your purse. I may  have even broke off pieces of a Luna bar during Christmas Eve church services last year...

Healthy Tip #10: Enjoy Yourself

The most important tip of all is to enjoy yourself today. Do not beat yourself up for having a cupcake. Try not to allow the holidays to feel like a time in which you have to enter the "danger-zone." It is ok to eat outside your house, where you have far less control. In fact, it is even an essential aspect of living a healthy life. Just come up with a game plan before you go to your party and stick with it. Remember that no one wants/needs to  hear about it. Instead, focus all of your time and energy on celebrating the present moment. 

I hope these 10 healthy tips have prepared you for your festive events to come. Create a great Tuesday everyone! 

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