Corin Krainer, Author at

Your Tongue is Filthy!

Yes you heard me right, and I don’t mean filthy as in “potty mouth” filthy. Your tongue is covered in small bumps called papillae, which help you to taste and feel textures in your mouth, but it also carries toxins and bacteria. If we don’t scrape away these toxins they will get absorbed into the body and cause all kinds of issues.

Now my self-care routine is pretty minimal, I don’t use a bunch of products, and I try to keep it as simple as possible. With that being said last year I decided to try tongue scraping to see what all the hype was about, and I’m so glad I did. Tongue scraping is something that I will ALWAYS incorporate in my morning/nightly routine, it takes less than 30 seconds, and there are a ton of benefits.

5 Reasons why you HAVE to try scraping your tongue!

Bad Breath.

Even if you rock at oral hygiene, if your skipping the step of tongue scraping you may be suffering from bad breath. Most bad breath comes from the bacteria at the back of your tongue, and brushing your tongue just doesn’t cut it. However, studies have shown that scraping your tongue can significantly reduce the oral bacteria from the crevices of your tongue, resulting in clean fresh breath.

Boost Your Immunity.

Your tongue is the first line of defense when it comes to immunity, so regular tongue scraping prevents toxins from being absorbed in your body and boosts overall immune health.

While there isn’t a ton of research on this subject, I can personally vouch that I haven’t gotten sick since starting tongue scraping. Now whether this is all attributed to tongue scraping or other changes I’ve made over the last year, I can’t say. But this is just another perk to tongue scraping.

Fewer Visits to the Dentist.

Tongue scraping (especially the back part) removes bacteria and toxins that are responsible for plaque build up. Because of this you will have less build up of plaque on your teeth, which will prevent periodontal problems such as tooth decay, loss of teeth, cavities, and gum disease.

Get Rid of Aftertastes, and Really Taste Your Food.

You know that aftertaste you get prior to eating ice cream, or drinking beer or coffee, and brushing your tongue just doesn’t quite get rid of it? Well tongue scraping sure will! Your mouth feels so much cleaner after tongue scraping, and it actually enhances your taste buds. When your tongue is coated in a build up of bacteria, your taste buds are also coated, and you can’t quite experience the delicious taste of food.

Improve Gut Health.

Amazingly, the benefits of tongue scraping go deeper than just your oral hygiene. You may have heard me rant over gut health in the past; well tongue scraping also increases healthy digestion ensuring proper elimination of waste. Because tongue scraping enhances taste buds, and digestion begins with taste, this supports the entire digestive process.

If you have seen a functional medicine doctor or an acupuncturist in the past, you may have noticed they take a look at your tongue to examine your overall health. This is because different parts of the tongue are related to the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, intestines and stomach. A buildup on your tongue will indicate a build up of toxins, which affects these organs including digestion.

Bonus Reason.

If this hasn’t been enough amazing reasons to scrape your tongue, remember it only takes a few seconds. When you see all the nasty gunk coming off your tongue and the clean fresh feeling of your mouth afterward, you will never go back!

There are a ton of different tongue scrapers available, and are inexpensive and can be found at your local drug store. However, stainless steal or copper is preferred over plastic because they are easier to clean. In a pinch, the side of a metal spoon is pretty effective also.

My favorite tongue scraper and the one I personally use is a pure copper tongue cleaner. Copper has been used for centuries because its anti-microbial and anti-bacterial, and it also provides different enzymes that are needed for healthy microbes in your mouth to survive (just another reason to tongue scrape).

Brushing Your Tongue Doesn’t Cut It.

Although cleaning your tongue with a toothbrush is better than not cleaning it at all, using a tongue scraper is WAY more effective. Tongue scrapers remove 30% more gunk from your tongue than the bristles from your toothbrush. A toothbrush is made to give and move around the crevices of your teeth, you need a scraper that’s solid against your spongy tongue.

How to Scrape Your Tongue.

Simply hold the two handles of the scraper, extend the tongue, and place the scraper on the tongue (as far back as comfortable). Gently pull the tongue scraper forward, removing all the gunk buildup. Rinse the scraper and repeat this 3-4 times (or more) till you feel you have removed all the coating.

If you have a sensitive gag reflex like me, remember to relax your tongue and exhale while scraping, it gets easier with practice. A tongue scraper should be used in the morning (preferably on an empty stomach) and before bed.

What are your thoughts on tongue scraping? I would love to hear from you, please comment below! =)

6 Ways to Become a More Conscious Spender!

Mindful and conscious spending can be seriously challenging, especially in this consumerism focused society we live in. There is always the latest gadget, new accessory, or that cute dress that we absolutely can’t live without.

This topic is near and dear to my heart, because I haven’t always been a conscious spender. In fact, It’s only in the last year or so that I have been consciously living more minimally and mindful of my purchases, and it’s still a work in progress! I’ve reached a point in my life where I’ve realized that happiness, contentment, and fulfillment aren’t achieved by what I wear, how cute my house is, or what I own.

Gone are the days of living paycheck-to-paycheck, stressing over credit card debt, and living with the guilt of buyer’s remorse. In its place are happiness and contentment, enjoying the little things in life, having cash for travel, time spent with those I love, and generously giving to others.

It all boils down to mindset, recognizing your consumer habits and where you obtain the most enjoyment. Here are 6 ways you can become a conscious spender and feel rich with less!

1. Keep Track of Your Spending.

Tracking your spending habits is the absolute best way to be a conscious spender. It’s so easy to buy a little something here and there, and than your left wondering where did my money go? Trust me I’ve done it many times.

Keeping track of your spending is key, and I like to do this by keeping a little notebook handy and writing down everything I spend in a day. You’ll be surprised at the end of the week, at all the little unnecessary purchases that were made. Check out these 7 Baby Steps Towards Financial Freedom, to get more tips on tracking your spending. Keeping a budget and tracking your spending is key to being a conscious spender.

2. Pause Unnecessary Purchases.

Avoid impulse shopping at all costs! Every purchase I’ve made on impulse, always ends up collecting dust. Whereas the purchases I have really thought about and taken my time to make, are my most beloved items and are worn and used for years.

Avoid unnecessary purchases by staying away from temptation. Aimlessly wandering through the mall or killing time by shopping the net, will only lead to aimless spending. Avoid this by staying away from the temptation! Instead of hitting the mall, take a hike, walk the beach, go to the library or have a potluck dinner with friends.

avoid unnecessary purchases = avoid the temptation

3. Ask Yourself: Does This Bring Me Joy?

Does this sound familiar? I absolutely LOVE Marie Kondo and her excellent book “The life changing magic of tidying up.” If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. Before I make a purchase I ask myself- does this seriously make me joyful? Not just excited in that moment to purchase it, but does it TRULY bring me joy?

By taking a moment to think about it and analyze my reasons for making the purchase, it helps me weed out poor choices and to avoid unnecessary charges to my credit card.

4. Practice Gratitude.

A very powerful antidote to overspending is practicing mindfulness and gratitude for everything in your life! Appreciating the simple pleasures such as the sunrise, a delicious cup of home brewed coffee, or walking your dogs on a beautiful afternoon, can go a really long way in providing contentment.

When you feel satisfied and full of gratitude you won’t rely on spending money to fill the emotional voids. It’s hard to feel sad and empty when you are grateful for what you have. Gratitude has been a serious game changer in my life, check out “The one habit that changed my life” to see how.

5. Choose Wisely.

Instead of that impulse buy, take your time and choose wisely. If your looking at making a purchase, make it a rule to wait at least 24 hours if not a few days to seal the deal. This totally prevents me from buying stuff I don’t need! Most of the time I forget about the item, and if I’m still thinking about it a week later and it’s something I can afford, I make the purchase.

When making a purchase (especially clothing) I’ll ask myself: Do I own something like this already? And if I do, how often do I wear that item? Do I need another piece of clothing that looks so similar to the one I already own? In addition, I’ll ask myself do I have a piece of clothing at home to wear with it? Often times if I don’t have anything to match it at home, it never gets worn. Questioning your purchases really helps you analyze your spending and avoid impulse buys.

Nowadays when I make a purchase, I choose quality over quantity. I prefer to have quality items that I appreciate and will last for decades, over something that will wear out after a year. I avoid purchasing items that are fashionable in the moment, but then will sit in the back of my closet after one season.

6. Take Control of Your Cash!

Have you added up how much money you spend in a week on take out lunch or coffee? I dare you to try it, the number might astound you! Take control of your cash by making a budget and sticking to it. You don’t have to cut out all the fun stuff; you just need to be smarter with your money.

To take control of my cash I use the Dave Ramsey Envelope System. This involves paying your bills, allocating for retirement, savings, etc. and then setting aside an allotted amount of cash (in an envelope) for play money. Once the play money runs out, so does the fun (I kid, I kid=). Seriously though you will be surprised at how conscious you are with cash money, verses using your debit or credit card.

Now I am definitely not opposed to the occasional indulgence or splurge, but I hope these tips will help you to be more mindful and conscious of your spending.

Instant Pot Hawaiian Beef Stew

I have to admit this instant pot beef stew is the best I’ve ever made (not to toot my own horn or anything, lol), and I have had A LOT of beef stews in my lifetime! It’s super flavorful, melt in your mouth tender, and tastes even better the next day.

This recipe makes a very large portion, so feel free to halve the portions if you don’t want as much.

In addition, you can sautée the beef in your instant pot, but I prefer to do it in a separate pan so that the instant pot doesn’t get burnt at the bottom. If you choose to sautée it in the pot, add the broth and scrape the bottom well with a wooden spoon so that the “burn” notice doesn’t come on while cooking.

Ingredients

5lbs Chuck roast (2 inch cubes)
4 TBSP Olive oil
4 TBSP Hawaiian salt
1/2 TSP Black pepper
4 Inch piece of fresh ginger (chopped)
8 Cloves of garlic (chopped)
4 Cups beef broth or chicken broth
16oz Can of tomato sauce
16oz Can of diced tomatoes
6 Medium potatoes (quartered)
3 Medium carrots (1 inch pieces)
4 Stalks celery (1 inch pieces)
2 Medium onions (1 inch pieces)
4 TBSP Cornstarch

Instructions

In a separate pan add olive oil, generously season the meat with salt and pepper and brown both sides. Don’t crowd the pan, you may have to do several batches.
Prepare the vegetables.
Add all the vegetables and meat to the instant pot.
Add broth, tomato sauce, tomatoes, garlic and ginger to instant pot and mix well.
Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes, then allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes before doing a quick release.
In a separate bowl mix together the cornstarch with equal parts cold water and add it to the stew. This will thicken it up, if you prefer a waterier stew, add less cornstarch and water.

3 Days in Edinburgh!

Edinburgh is an amazing little city with so much to see! Explore endless castles, climb the royal mile, become a whisky connoisseur, hike to Arthur’s seat, and so much more. There is something for everyone in Edinburgh, and 3 days is the perfect amount of time to see and do it all!

This was my first trip to Scotland, and we only had 3 nights in this beautiful country, so we wanted to see a little bit of the city and the countryside. Check out some of my favorites from our 3 days in Edinburgh!

The Royal Mile!

Located on an extinct volcano, the royal mile is in the old town of Edinburgh and within a world heritage site. With so much to do along the mile, you just can’t miss it! We started at the top of the mile at Edinburgh castle and walked down, so that we wouldn’t get too pooped from all the walking (make sure to wear good shoes).

Towering over the city, Edinburgh Castle is the centerpiece and should not be missed! With excellent views over the city, the castle dates back to the 12th century and is steeped in history. There are daily tours, however the crowds can get a little crazy in the summer months, so make sure to get there early. If you’re planning on taking a tour, check out some helpful tips at “Edinburgh Castle: Things to Know Before you go.”

After checking out the castle, meander down the royal mile and explore the many shops, restaurants, and attractions. Check out the popular Camera Obscura (fun for families with kids) and Scotch Whiskey Experience (fun for adults) along the way.

End your walk down the Royal Mile with a hike up to Arthur’s seat. Located at the highest point in Holyrood Park, Arthur’s seat is an extinct volcano that gives you incredible views above the city. Take the trail that begins at Dunsapie loch for the easiest hike to the top, and you can get there in about 20 minutes.

Take a Day Tour to the Scottish Countryside.

Edinburgh is a really cool city, but since we were only in Scotland for a few days, I wanted to experience more than just the city, and I’m so glad we did! Our tour with Rabbie’s was one of the highlights of our trip, and their day options from Edinburgh are quite affordable.

We chose the the Castles and highlands tour, and we were able to visit Doune Castle (Where Outlander, and the pilot of Games of Thrones was filmed), Inveraray castle (where Downton Abbey’s Christmas special was filmed), as well as several loch’s (unfortunately no loch ness monsters were spotted). I can’t recommend Rabbie’s tours enough; our guide was a Scottish local and filled our day with traditional Scottish music and stories of legendary fables.

Explore Edinburgh Old Town.

Dating back to medieval times, Edinburgh’s oldest neighborhood is lined with wool shops, pubs, and mom and pop stores. Nothing compares to the old town, there is history everywhere, and the people there are extremely friendly! Considered part of the Royal Mile, make sure not to miss this section where the old colorful Georgian buildings are laid out in a grid pattern.

In Scotland there are more sheep than people with almost 7 million sheep populating the country. So don’t forget to pick up a tartan wool scarf in the old town, where there are numerous quality wool shops.

Hit the Pubs!

One pub in particular we frequented SEVERAL times while in Edinburgh was the chain of Great British Pubs. Now I’m no pub aficionado (being from an island in the middle of the pacific), but they had AMAZING Scotch pies (like a chicken pot pie, but way better). They also had minced meat pies, classic fish and chips, and delicious vodka tonics (my drink of choice). I know, I know, when in Scotland you’re supposed to drink beer or scotch, but I had my fill of free scotch at our bed and breakfast =).

Scottish High Tea.

Traditionally served in the afternoon, in old times high tea was for the affluent members of society and was more of a social thing, enjoyed over several hours. During our visit to Scotland there were some gloomy chilly days, so what better way to warm up than with some afternoon tea.

We enjoyed high tea at Dalhousie Castle located 8 miles from Edinburgh in the countryside, and it was an amazing experience. We each had a selection of teas, champagne, and an assortment of finger sandwiches, scones, cakes and sweet treats. Dalhousie Castle is a 13th century fortress surrounded by acres of woodlands, it looks like a fairy tale castle, and has an aqueous day spa. It’s the perfect place for a relaxing spa day with the girls, followed by high tea overlooking the gardens.

Edinburgh is a magical town with so much to do and see, and I will definitely be back! If you like this write up, please share it on your favorite social media and leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you! =)

Active Recovery vs Passive Recovery!

Whether you spend your recovery day sitting on the couch or getting a massage, versus taking a yoga class or a walk on the beach, all depends on you. While everyone can agree that any type of recovery is better than none, there are differing opinions as to which is better.

Active Recovery.

Let’s be honest here, in an ideal world it would be nice to have all the money and time to go to unlimited yoga classes, cryotherapy sessions (all the rage in the celebrity world) and massage treatments, but our bank accounts just wont allow for that. Often times we only have one rest day and may be crunched for time, but the best kind of recovery is to get your body moving.

Instead of doing absolutely nothing, how about try a low intensity exercise that will help with muscle recovery by increasing the blood flow to your muscle tissue. Personally I love to do something less intense like walking my dogs on the beach, hiking, yoga (skip the pricey classes, and YouTube some recovery yoga), or take a long swim.

Working at a lower intensity as opposed to doing absolutely nothing totally helps your recovery time, and believe it or not you actually feel less sore then if you just sat around! Active recovery gets your circulation going, helping increase the amino acids and oxygen in your muscles so they can repair themselves.

Passive Recovery.

Remember that the whole reason for recovery is to allow your muscles to grow. When you workout you place a lot of stress on your muscles, which causes tiny muscle tears. The soreness you experience 1-3 days after a workout is due to all of those tiny muscle tears, and it’s during recovery that your muscles will heal and strengthen. In addition, amino acid supplementation is super important for muscle recovery.

One of the most important passive recoveries is sleep; it heals you from the inside out. The hormone Prolactin is released during deep sleep, and its anti-inflammatory properties are important for joint recovery. Also, during deep sleep your body will repair any muscle tears that occur during the day.

Listen to your body!

As you can see there is no right or wrong with recovery, neither active nor passive is better than the other. Rather, it depends on your body and what you need at the time. Personally I believe both active and passive recovery is important, I exercise 4 days a week and on my off days I often surf or hike.

Yet there are days that I’m just too pooped to do anything, and that’s when I listen to my body and take a break. I often spend these days binge watching my favorite show and being a couch potato, which is totally ok! The rules are pretty simple, listen to your body and do what’s best for it, and don’t neglect movement completely!

What is your favorite recovery method? Please comment below =)

Author: Corin Krainer