Fun things grown-ass women should always enjoy in life.

Everywhere I turn, someone’s written a new article on things you should stop doing by the time you turn 25, 30, or 40—and still others that basically say “if you haven’t done these things/worn these things/experienced these things by 25, 30, or 40… well, you’re a loser.”

I don’t read these articles for three reasons: One, they’re depressing; two, my family would be out of a job; and three, after you stop doing the things they tell you to stop doing, then what? Watch wrinkles form? I’m not about to carry around some random checklist to make sure I’m doing my 30s right.

It’s because of these so-called “rules” that so many of us have forgotten the little things that make being a woman great—the things we were shitting-our-pants-excited about as girls, but then when we finally became women, we let our responsibilities ruin everything like a red sock in a load of whites.

Here are 9 fun things that should totally make a comeback on your calendar:

1. Do jump in puddles

Contrary to popular belief, jumping in puddles never stopped being fun. We did that all on our own. Besides, I’ve got two words for you: Designer rubber boots… wait, that’s three.

2. Do have sleepovers

Didn’t Jenna Rink teach us anything?

3. Do doodle his name on your homework

You might not necessarily have any scented glitter gel pens on hand, but the fact is this is one of the key reasons guys exist.

4. Do eat what you want

Back in the day, you didn’t know what a calorie was—your only mission in life was to annihilate the entire box of Dunkaroos like a mini-girl boss.

5. Do play dress-up

We’re way better at picking out our clothes and putting on our makeup, yet many of us have lost our appreciation for it. It’s supposed to be fun, not a necessity. Go for that bold red lip or lime green shoes. You know you want to.

6. Do get excited

Remember how crazy-exciting it was to have a new outfit to wear to school or go on a road trip, so much so that sleep the night before just wasn’t in the cards? Now, we buy new outfits and it’s weeks before we take the tags off and the only road trips we go on are to the grocery store. Get your spark back by making sure something awesome is going to happen tomorrow. Like, right now.

7. Do get dirty

Okay, so the context of getting dirty changes when you’re a grown-up, but still. Grrr, baby.

8. Do say what’s on your mind

You turning down a guy at age 10: “Ew, gross!” You turning down a guy at age 30: “Um, well, you see, I’m just so busy… and a lesbian.” In some areas, we don’t get smarter with age.

9. Do put yourself first

I’m not saying become a selfie stick-wielding narcissist, but start prioritizing yourself as much as you do the people you care about. Become the “you” your 10-year-old self always wanted you to be.

What fun things would you add to this list?

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Masturbating is healthy—so why don’t we treat it like the rest of our healthy habits?

There are plenty of healthy habits we work hard to achieve—eating better food, getting more exercise, sleep, and downtime. We talk about them fondly, and often. And even though masturbating is as healthy for your bod as anything else, it doesn’t get as much airplay. On a to-do list, we place it in that microscopic footnote section we pretend isn’t there, like side effects to a medication.

Even though most women masturbate a minimum of once a week, we’re all hush-hush about it like there’s something wrong with us. No, you don’t have to dish on the exact play-by-play, but why get all uncomfortable if it comes up in conversation?

Here are 7 reasons you should (proudly!) enjoy a little menage a moi:

1. It’s a happiness booster

Word is orgasms release endorphins—specifically, dopamine and oxytocin—which can boost your mood and create a natural high.

2. It can improve your self-esteem

Studies have shown young women who masturbate on the regular view their sexuality in a positive light—especially when able to talk openly and honestly about it in a way that emphasizes the normalcy of giving yourself a hand.

3. It can relieve menstrual pain

This is not a drill: Masturbating releases certain hormones that can relieve menstrual pain. It also helps relax the muscles that are causing those icky cramps of yours. Cha. Ching.

4. It eases tension

If it’s been a while or you’ve had a particularly brutal day (or both), it’s a great way to satisfy your libido while relieving stress. Really, it’s multitasking at its finest.

5. It helps you sleep

If you suck at the whole sleep thing, you should for reals consider using masturbation as a sleep aid. Post-orgasm, your blood pressure lowers, your body relaxes and your mind clears—better than any sedative!

6. It improves your sex life

How are you going to have amazing sex with a partner if you have no idea what your likes and dislikes are? (As we already know, guys aren’t exactly mind readers.) If you don’t know how to turn yourself on, your love life’s going to turn into a really bad rom-com trying to find someone who can.

7. Uh, orgasms

What’s not to love about masturbating? As far as healthy habits go, it’s definitely the most fun. You won’t get pregnant. You can’t get an STD. You don’t have to deal with someone else’s needs. You don’t have to snuggle afterward. You can just get to the point and mosey on with your fabulously busy life.

Do you treat masturbating differently than the rest of your healthy habits?

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The post 7 Reasons Why Your Healthy Habits Should Include Masturbating appeared first on EcoSalon.

OK. We’re all busy. Making changes can be a difficult. New routines and practices can even trip you up for a few days. But once you get the hang of your new practices they turn into healthy habits. And if those new habits are green, you just helped yourself while helping the environment.

So, what healthy habits could you add to your life to make your existence greener? We’ve got a few ideas.

1. Buy natural makeup

You can find a ton of organic makeup options if you spend an hour or so on the Internet. There quite a few brands out there that are dedicated to being as natural as possible. This is good for your face and the environment. (Seriously: There is some toxic stuff being produced at makeup companies.) Also: Most organic makeup brands are cruelty-free, too. If you’re concerned about price as many top-tier makeup brands can be a bit pricy, look into Physician’s Formula. They try to be as organic as possible at drugstore prices.

2. Buy vintage housewares

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Vintage, retro, and pre-owned housewares are amazing. There’s no question about it. Antique stores have the best housewares. While vintage and retro stuff is cute as heck, it’s also green as heck. When you don’t buy new, you’re taking money away from all the companies fueling our crazy “over-consumption” lifestyle.

3. Tend your own garden

Get out in your yard or on your balcony and get digging. Growing your own greens allows you to skip going to the store every now and again, and we guarantee the greens and tomatoes you grow will be better than anything you could find at a conventional grocery store.

4. Make your own cleaners

Making household cleaners is easier than you think. Need some guidance? Check out this article for some great advice:

5 Homemade Cleaners: DIY Green Cleaning on the Cheap

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You might not want to make your bed—like, ever—but here’s why you totally should.

Let’s face facts: Nobody wants to make the bed. It’s boring. It’s monotonous. It’s one of those thankless chores, like doing dishes or laundry, where the chore just never goes away. Ever. Sure, your bed looks great once it’s made, but in 12 short hours you’re going to mess it up again anyway.

That being said, there are plenty of reasons why you should join the bedmaker bandwagon. A fluffed pillow here, a tucked sheet there, just might change your life:

1. You’ll save time

Use the time you’d typically use to hit snooze and make your bed instead. Not only will this get you out of bed right away, but you’ll be less likely to hop back under the covers on those icky mornings where you feel like you’ve been hit by a truck. I mean, who wants to mess up perfectly straight sheets?

2. You’ll start your day off right

Within the first five minutes of waking up you’ll have already accomplished something, and that sense of accomplishment will follow you throughout the day. Bam.

3. It may create a domino effect

Making your bed every morning may trigger you to build other healthy habits into your day. In his book “The Power of Habit,” Charles Duhigg explains:

“Making your bed every morning is correlated with better productivity, a greater sense of well-being, and stronger skills at sticking with a budget. It’s not that a family meal or a tidy bed causes better grades or less frivolous spending. But somehow those initial shifts start chain reactions that help other good habits take hold.”

4. It may make you happier

In a survey of 68,000 people by Hunch.com, 59 percent of people don’t make their beds, while only 27 percent of people do. However, 71 percent of bed makers consider themselves happy, while 62 percent of non-bed makers don’t. People who make their bed were also more likely to enjoy their job, exercise regularly, and feel well-rested, while people who didn’t… well, the opposite.

5. You may sleep better

A National Sleep Foundation poll found that people who make their bed regularly were also more likely to say they sleep well. (Yes please!)

6. It looks good, which makes you feel good

When your bed’s messy, so are you. It sounds strange, but there’s something about your bed being in order that prepares you for the day. If you leave your bed in disarray, to me that means you day’s going to turn out that way too. Plus, there’s something therapeutic about coming home from a long-ass day at work and tearing the bed apart to tuck yourself in, no?

7. You won’t waste your bedding

If you’re anything like me, picking out new bedding is kind of a big deal… so why put all of the effort (and money) into finding an extra special sheet and comforter set, only to leave it crumpled in the middle of your mattress? Palm. Meet face.

Do you make your bed every morning?

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Has your mind seemed as cloudy as those winter skies lately? Comes with the territory. Learn how to clear up brain fog and bring back some shiny thinking.

Mental fatigue, brain drain, fuzzy head, cloudy thinking. Sound familiar? You don’t have to live with brain fog. There are simple and effective ways to clear the mind. Let’s take a look at common causes of a muddy mind and what to do about them.

Causes of Brain Fog and How to Clear Up

1 Sleep and Stress // Let’s start with the most obvious. If you are short on sleep or overly stressed, brain fog is an almost guarantee. Sleep bolsters our resilience and sharpens the mind. But even if you are catching proper Zzzs, stress can drain its benefits. Try meditation, journaling, or sharing with someone you trust.

2 Hormones // Yes, we have to go there. Hormones keep our bodies balanced and running smoothly. When in balance we don’t even think about them. Once they go out of balance, we take notice. Pregnancy, PMS, and menopause can all wreak havoc with our bodies and minds. If you suspect hormones are the culprit of your brain fog, talk to your doctor about possible remedies and try our tips to regulating hormones naturally.

3 Diet and Exercise // One of the easiest ways to bring ourselves back into balance, and this includes the mind too, is with diet. Eating fresh, organic, minimally-processed foods keeps body and mind happy and healthy. Keep in mind that low blood sugar rebounds leave the body and mind sapped. Eating healthy protein throughout the day, plus laying off sugar and caffeine, will keep blood sugar levels in check. And you may not feel like working out when you feel sluggish, but it will boost energy and mood. Give yourself a personal pep rally and get moving.

4 Screen Time // If you have kids you’ve likely noticed what too much screen time does to their mood. Grumpiness and irritation are not exclusive to the younger age bracket here. Set specific times to check email and messages, and schedule a time to turn your phone off (or at least put it out of reach) each evening. Research shows that not only does screen usage at bedtime make it more difficult to fall asleep, but affects your energy and awareness the next day.

5 Allergies // Yes, you can experience allergies in the winter too. Mold and dust can cause similar symptoms to spring and fall allergies; headache, stuffiness, eye irritation, and fuzzy head. Try rinsing your nose with a neti bottle and using a humidifier in your home.

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One lucky EcoSalon reader will win $500 worth of prAna clothing from the brand’s stunning Spring 2015 collection! Here’s the 411 on how to enter.

Dear Spring: We are so done with this whole snowmageddon thing, so feel free to pop by and stay awhile. (Preferably forever.) Especially since we’re giving away $500 worth of amazing prAna gear to one of our equally amazing readers. And, well, they’re going to want to wear their new duds. Like, right now. That is all.

(Pssst, want to enter? All you have to do is sign up for our newsletter! And if you don’t win, don’t fret: prAna’s also offering a 15 percent discount code to all EcoSalon subscribers!)

prAna is Sanskrit for breath, life and vitality of spirit, and the brand’s whimsical clothing and gear brings exactly that to their fun-loving, soulful, eco-conscious customer base. prAna’s clothing and accessories are made using fewer toxins and chemicals, and the brand works hard to avoid processes that can cause harm to people or the environment. prAna’s clothing is created with organic cotton, natural fibers and recycled materials.

Not only is the brand celebrating 22 years in existence, but it was the first major company in North America to produce and market Fair-Trade Certified styles! prAna’s fully committed to understanding the full impact of its products and is constantly seeking out solutions that are more sustainable – just like you.

You’ll get to choose pieces from their incredible Spring 2015 line, such as:

1. Karatina Top ($60)

The Katarina Top is made from an easy breathing hemp and organic cotton blend, while the ergonomic seaming contours to your bod for a perfect fit.

2. Juniper Pant ($89)

The Juniper Pant is made of a blend of soft hemp, organic cotton, and stretch material. The bold print and flared leg are finishing touches that make it easy to strut your stuff!

Ready to enter?

For your chance to win a refreshing spring wardrobe from prAna, all you have to do is sign up for our newsletter – and if you’re already a subscriber, you’re already entered!

Go ahead and sign up now! Good luck!

Want to know more about EcoSalon’s giveaway rules and FTC compliance? See our giveaway rules here and FTC compliance here.

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with prAnaLiving LLC, an Oregon limited liability company (“prAna”). As it relates to this promotion, you are providing your entry information to EcoSalon and not to prAna.

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The post Enter to Win a prAna Clothing Collection Valued at $500! appeared first on EcoSalon.

If the whole “66 days” rule to break bad habits is starting to feel daunting, here are some tips to keep you on track.

Confession: I’ve been trying to break the same bad habits for over two years now. While we all work hard to make our healthy habits stick, there are always a few straggling bad habits that become our… kryptonite. Sure, I could feel totally pathetic about my epic failure in this department, or I could feel proud about the fact that I’m still sticking it out after all this time – so natch, I’m choosing the latter. And you should too.

Here are 4 tricks to hide up your sleeve the next time your bad habits are about to break you instead:

1. Shrink it

If your goal isn’t being met in its current form, then make it smaller. Let’s say your caffeine habit is getting out of hand, and your current goal is to cut your intake in half… but you ultimately end up caving in the end to meet your work deadlines. Make your goal smaller, such as cutting back by one cup. Once your body’s adjusted, remove another cup, and another until you’re back to enjoying coffee because it’s awesome, not because you “need” it.

2. Bait and switch

Anytime you feel the urge to follow through with your bad habits – for example, if you suddenly feel compelled to bite your nails – choose a habit you’re going to replace it with to throw yourself a bone. More than that, make it a habit that turns you off your current one. For example, put on lip gloss (the goopier the better!). I mean, who wants lip gloss all over their hands, amiright?

The one habit I have managed to break is my sugar addiction – junk food and I go way back. Now, every time I have a craving that’s about to send me to the corner store, I brush my teeth. Since everything tastes disgusting after you’ve brushed your teeth, by the time the minty taste wears off, so has my craving. Bonus: My teeth are so clean they practically glow in the dark.

3. Build on your good habits

Can the bad habits you want to break be “linked” to healthy habits you’ve already established? Your established healthy habit will then become a trigger to remind you of the next healthy habit you want to put in place. Let’s say you cheat in the flossing department: Use brushing your teeth before bed, an established healthy habit, as your trigger to floss.

4. Visualize, don’t fantasize

When you visualize your goal, you picture the steps involved in accomplishing it. For example, if you want to learn how to play the guitar, you’d visualize learning notes with a teacher or following along to a DVD (wait, do they still make those?). When you fantasize, you skip thinking about the pesky learning process and head straight to picturing yourself nailing the “Crazy On You” solo. While fantasizing is fun, it can also be counterproductive, making you easily frustrated during the learning curve. Visualizing, on the other hand, keeps you aware of the hard work involved, and also decreases your anxiety about it. (Cha-ching!)

What process do you go through to break bad habits?

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They don’t call them the Monday blues for nothing. Here’s how to combat them, Wonder Woman-style.

I’ve always found the Monday blues to be an interesting phenomenon: Even when you lurv your career, they creep up on you like that takeout you risked eating sans expiry date. Seriously, why does coming back to work feel so icky? Like the mysterious popularity of JNCO Jeans (which still give me nightmares), we’ll probably never know the answer – but at least there are things we can do to turn our Monday blues into a lighter shade.

Below, 9 ways to face your Monday blues and make the day a little easier:

1. Get up earlier

It might sound counterproductive, but it’s a great way to ease into a new workweek. You’ve just spent the weekend maxing and relaxing, and the last thing you want to do is get shoved back into the real world before you’re ready. Give yourself time to linger in your PJs, taste your coffee – and if you’re anything like me, remember your name.

2. Build a morning playlist

Routine is everything, and one of mine is listening to a specific playlist as I’m getting ready for the day (Mozella is my jam). Some people make a playlist specifically for Mondays, but I listen to the same one every morning to make Mondays feel a little less… well, Monday-esque.

3. Visualize

One technique that’s been instrumental in me ditching my Monday blues is creating a Sunday-night ritual: First, I lay out what I’m going to wear the next day, plan my meals, and basically make any decisions that’ll irritate my tired noggin in the morning. Second, I look over Monday’s schedule and visualize myself accomplishing everything on the list – it helps to ease the anxiety I used to feel post-alarm. Now when my alarm goes off, I feel centered and prepared.

4. Do something different

It’s a fresh week, so why not shake things up a bit? Wear a fab new outfit, or do your hair and makeup differently. Take the pile of beauty and fashion tips you have bookmarked and try them out on Mondays.

5. Keep it light

Keep the work you need to do on Mondays as non-challenging as possible. Take the time for easier, more routine items and work your way up to the harder stuff. Basically, if you have something on your Monday to-dos that is compelling you to enjoy a nice, tall glass of bleach, move it to Tuesday. Trust me, you’ll rock it on Tuesday.

6. Give yourself something to look forward to

Plan something you’re going to do first thing Monday morning that’ll motivate you to get out of bed – like starting that new book that’s been collecting dust on your nightstand, or checking out what everyone’s up to on Twitter. Next, plan something to excite you right after work, like grabbing a drink with your BFF.

7. Prep for Monday on Friday

It’s tempting – and for some of us, irresistible – to put off certain tasks until Monday. One of the best ways to cure your Monday blues is to go over what you have left to do come Friday, take the tasks that are going to suck the life out of your Monday – and get them over with. Even if you end up working a little later, the trade-off is so worth it. You’ll immediately feel refreshed and ready to take on the weekend.

8. Unplug

It’s tough to unplug entirely, but if you check your email so often you may as well have stayed at the office, your time off isn’t going to help you de-stress (or de-scatter) at all. Set designated times to check your email throughout the day – shoot for a maximum of three times – and give yourself the mental vacay you so deserve.

9. Take it personally

You know those little things you need to do around the house – change lightbulbs, water plants – that are always an afterthought? Make a list of the 10-minute tasks weighing you down and choose one to tackle first thing Monday morning. It’s a great way to jumpstart the week: It hands you an immediate sense of accomplishment, which offers the same adrenaline rush as a cup of coffee.

How do you beat the Monday blues?

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How to be yourself without labels getting in the way.

Labels help us to define ourselves, make sense of our emotions, and connect with others – but on the flipside, they can hold us back from accomplishing some pretty amazing things. Some of us end up revolving our entire life around a specific label, when in fact we’re a cluster of smaller ones all rolled into one fabulous person.

Here are 4 reasons why letting go of labels will (ironically) help you to be yourself:

1. You’ll start living mindfully

Whether we realize it or not, we constantly try to define ourselves as a checklist of attributes. Meanwhile, our personalities evolve every second of every day – who we are one minute won’t be who we are the next. Letting go of who you think you are is the best way to be yourself: All of yourself, not just the parts you’ve labelled.

For example, I have social anxiety, but it’s only one aspect of who I am. If I were to constantly revolve my day around the label of being socially anxious I’d start holding myself back:

Friend: “Want to go for a drink?”
Me: “Can’t. I have to hyperventilate into a paper bag tonight.”

Okay, so the hyperventilating part’s true, but it doesn’t mean I can’t hyperventilate and grab a drink. Being socially anxious doesn’t mean never socializing, but doing so in my own way. Labels hold you back from spontaneity and the freedom to be whoever you feel like being in the moment.

2. You’ll start thinking for yourself

When you label yourself as part of a certain group, it’s gives you a warm-and-fuzzy sense of belonging. It’s hard not to thrive when you have amazing people in your life who really “get” you. But be careful you’re not using your clique as a shortcut for how to think and behave.

Do you dress the way you dress because it truly reflects who you are, or did you buy those boots because your friends love them? Do you listen to the music you do because you actually enjoy it, or are you really a closeted Engelbert Humperdinck aficionado? If there are aspects of yourself you find you’re hiding from your friends, then you’re not only letting labels run your life, but the wrong labels.

3. You’ll start accepting labels for what they are

I’m not saying in order to be yourself you have to ignore the fact that labels exist – they do, and they always will. It’s our brain’s way of categorizing the people we know, the experiences we have, and the emotions we feel. They’re also our way of connecting with each other on a deeper level: If you’ve deemed yourself a “shoe addict,” you can bet you’re the first one your friends are going to call on Black Friday.

And that’s okay. You don’t want to be limited by labels, but you also don’t want to be so anti-label that people can’t figure you out. It’s your job to guide them as to how you want them to “file” you in their lives. I’d rather have a label I created to help others better understand me than be mislabeled. They’ll always be there, so use them wisely – but don’t let them run your life.

4. You’ll stop limiting yourself

You or someone else may have given you a label you don’t want anything to do with – maybe because it reminds you of past mistakes you’ve made, or “flaws” you’re trying to coexist with. By not labeling yourself, you can flow freely from experience to experience, emotion to emotion, without being chained down to any one way of thinking. It’s so much easier to move on from a mistake when you don’t embed it into your DNA.

Stephen Fry said it best:

“We are not nouns, we are verbs. I am not a thing – an actor, a writer – I am a person who does things – I write, I act – and I never know what I’m going to do next. I think you can be imprisoned if you think of yourself as a noun.”

Don’t be. Do.

How do you deal with labels and their impact on your sense of self?

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Authentic happiness comes with good habits and it’s the simple things that can change your life. When life hits you with a set back, go right back to the good habits that brought you happiness and peace in the first place.

Finding happiness and bliss in this life can be difficult with all the distractions that are constantly pulling us off track. But a few simple tried and true methods can change your life.

1. Fake it until your make it.

If you want authentic happiness, act like it. While it seems counterintuitive, it makes sense. I want to be a positive person that sees the goodness in everybody even though sometimes I don’t feel that way. But feelings follow actions so if you act like you love everyone even when want to make a disparaging comment, you’ll feel much better for it. If you want to be peaceful, act like it and eventually, you’ll begin to find more peace and balance in your life.

2. Learn to single-task.

One of the most important good habits that you can have is understanding that multi-tasking is overrated. In the end, you just do a bunch of things ineffectively. If you focus on one task at a time, you’ll end up doing that task much better. I like to start my day with about five things that I absolutely have to get done. I won’t stop working until I’ve accomplished those tasks. I work through my list one at a time. Single-tasking also means that my mind doesn’t move off task at all–that means no Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, texting, or checking my bank account while I’m accomplishing a task. It allows for focus and mindfulness. In a sense, you’re meditating while you’re working.

3. Make every day a holiday.

This is your life so it seems a little depressing that you would only have two weekend days per week. Work is essential for most of us, but authentic happiness is about finding goodness in every day. Find focus and peace in what you’re working on and don’t get caught in a rut. As a writer, I’ll checkout a different coffee shop, take a walk on the beach, or ride my bike to break up the day. In the end, you don’t want your life to be separated into work and play. Find a balance so that there’s a little play in every day.

4. Be positive.

Try and be positive for as much of your life as you can. Don’t say negative things about people or things. Try and find gratitude each and every day. You’ll notice that every time you say something bad about someone else, you feel bad for saying it. While it’s no easy task, being positive will change your life and bring authentic happiness.

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