Bikram Yoga Essentials

In honor of my last day at Bikram Yoga of Charleston (tear), I wanted to share some things that I think are essential for a hot yoga class.

It's no surprise that in 105 degree room, Bikram yoga is a hot mess. The right gear can make your experience that much better.

1. The Towel by Lululemon- This nonslip towel is great to throw over a mat to catch all of the sweat cascading from your body. It is absorbent and quick drying so you won't be laying in a pool of sweat during the floor series. 

2. Wide Mouth Stainless Steel Water Bottle by Hydro Flask- A well insulated water bottle is very important. When you are in a 105 degree room, nothing is more refreshing than ice cold water. From experience, I know that a plastic bottle won't stay cold for more than 5 minutes. 

3. Super Yoga Mat Wash- This is an antibacterial spray that cleans your mat without taking away the stickiness it needs to hold postures. There is nothing as gross as layers of sweat built up on your yoga mat. 

4. Boogie Short by Lululemon- Moisture-wicking, tight fitting clothes are the way to go for hot yoga. While these particular expensive shorts are not necessary, they sure are cute. 

5. Pilayo Braided Headband- I don't know about you, but my hair gets all over the place whenever I workout. This braided headband is perfect to keep your hair from getting all crazy and annoying. 

6. Free to Be Bra by Lululemon- I have tried this bra on and it's pretty great. Honestly, I can't justify spending that much on a BRA, so I guess I will just have to keep dreaming. This bra, as well as the Energy Bra, are moisture-wicking and very breathable; perfect for sweaty sessions of Bikram yoga. 

7. The Elite Hot Hybrid by Kulae- This mat is a hybrid between a cushy mat and an absorbent towel making it perfect for Bikram. I hate how thin towel mats are and how you have to put a towel over a regular mat, so this is the perfect compromise. 

8. Everything Fits Gym Bag by Gaiam- I need this right now. How perfect is this bag?? It holds all of your yoga gear, including your mat on the bottom. It has a breathable pocket on the outside for your smelly, sweaty clothes. 

9. Up and Up Cleansing Towelettes- These facewipes from Target are not only budget friendly, but the perfect facewipe. After trying every facewipe ever made, these are my favorite. They are not too soapy but they get the job done. Cleansing towelettes are perfect after a hot yoga session to clean your face and prevent breakouts. 

Now get out there and give em' your best Savasana!

Until next time, 

We are being stalked by an alligator

Charleston is a beautiful place, as I have said so many times. It also has its quarks. Being in the lowcountry area of South Carolina, it has somewhat of a swampy feel. There is extreme humidity; basically being drenched in sweat and hair frizzing up as soon as you leave the house. Bugs are everywhere. Even the cleanest houses have cockroaches, which are endearingly referred to as "palmetto bugs" here. To me, a cockroach, is a cockroach, is a cockroach. The end. In general, there are all sorts of weird bugs flying and crawling around everywhere. If you walk anywhere, you will most likely come across a turtle or frog. Whenever it rains, water pools every where you look. You need rubber boots just to walk in your own backyard. I can deal with the humidity, the bugs, the water, but one thing I will never get used to: ALLIGATORS

When my parents moved here, I was so surprised to find out that alligators in your neighborhood ponds are not only common, but very likely. I thought it was wild the first time I saw an alligator out sunning itself right by the road leading to our house. Going on a walk and seeing a large alligator close to the path still gives me the heebie jeebies. 

Oh hey mr. alligator

This alligator thing has been taken to a whole new level and I don't think I like it. We have a pond behind the house, in which a medium sized alligator lives. You know, a completely normal thing to have in your backyard pond. I used to never see the alligator, until a few weeks ago. Now, I see him every morning. My parent's puppy (or 65 pound brown ball of energy), goes out every morning and sits near the pond and looks out. After awhile, the alligator would start coming over. The alligator must be pretty smart, because he sits right by the bank behind our house every single morning, waiting for the dogs to come out. He sometimes swims back and forth. So, YES, we are being stalked by an alligator. 

It's hard to tell, but you can see his little face sticking up in the water right by the reflection of the window.

Look how close the pond is to our house! The alligator could come into the yard at any minute. 

My mom has been calling around trying to get the alligator removed. Hopefully I will not have to report that the alligator ate our dogs.

Until next time,

5 tips for cooking quinoa

Sophomore year of college, I lived with a friend from California. Californians seem to be ahead of the curve as far as healthy eating goes. She would always eat interesting things that I could not wrap my Kentucky brain around. One night she made quinoa. Of course my reaction was, "what the heck is a quinoa??"

Quinoa is not only a weird word, but a weird food in general. Quinoa, pronounced KEEN wah, is a grain-like seed. It has a weird membrane around that outside of the little seed that makes it quite interesting to look at. Quinoa is considered a "superfood" and one of the healthiest foods you can eat. It has so many health benefits, you are crazy not to include it in your diet. It is high in protein, fiber, iron, lysine, magnesium, riboflavin, and manganese(antioxidant).

I have to admit that I did not immediately start incorporating crazy amounts of quinoa into my diet. I still thought it was kind of weird and wasn't quite sure how to cook it or use it in recipes. Slowly, over the past few years, I have grown to love it and have learned how to make it taste great. It has taken lots of trial and error and advice from my mom, who uses it almost daily. Now, I don't know how I ever lived without it.

I wanted to share what I have learned about quinoa and later down the road share some recipes that include quinoa. Here are my tips:

1. Soak the quinoa before you cook it! Quinoa we buy here in the US has been stripped of saponins that give it the bitter flavor. I have found, though, that soaking it gets rid of any of that bitter flavor that might still be lingering. If you don't have much time, a good 15 minutes will do.

2. Cook it with the right amount of liquid. The right amount is 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups liquid. If you don't put enough liquid in, the quinoa will be too crunchy. Check it along the way and add more liquid if it does not seem to be soft enough.

3. Use low-sodium chicken broth. This seriously is the difference between good quinoa and excellent quinoa. Yes, it might add a bit more calories, but the flavor makes all of the difference.

4. Use a rice cooker. My mom taught me this little trick. Not only does it make fluffier quinoa, but it's so easy! You just throw it in there and don't have to worry about it until you are ready to use it. It still takes about 20 minutes, like it does in a saucepan, but so worth it.

trusty little rice cooker

5. Add flavors while cooking. When you throw the chicken broth and quinoa in your rice cooker or saucepan, throw in some flavor boosters like green onion. This will infuse flavor while it is cooking. You can use white onion, red onion, or even some spices that will compliment your dish (like cumin, my current obsession). 

I hope these tips help you incorporate more quinoa into your diet, especially since 2013 has been declared, "International Year of Quinoa."

Until Next Time,

New Blog Design + Weekend

As you can see, I have a beautiful new blog design thanks to Marquis over at Simply Clarke. I figured I will be posting almost daily as we get closer to our move to Okinawa. I wanted a beautiful and organized space so everyone can enjoy keeping up with our adventures. Look for more posts about health, food, fashion, and PCSing (permanent change of station). Once we are in Okinawa, we will be posting about our daily life on the island. 

Many of you follow along via facebook. That is great, but I will be posting updates less often on facebook. In order to keep up with new posts, follow the blog! You can go to the sidebar where it says "followers" and either follow on bloglovin', Join This Site, or subscribe via email. I would love to know who is following along our journey with us. You can also follow Bell Bliss via twitter, instagram, or pinterest. Thanks!

Anyway, here is a quick snapshot of my weekend

1. My mom and I made Turkey Quinoa burgers with Greek Salad. The burgers were SO good. It was the perfect healthy meal. You can get the recipe for the burgers here. I kind of made up the Greek salad recipe and it turned out great so maybe I will post it on here soon. 

2. Saturday was rainy so my mom and I decided to head to the outlet mall. I of course, found stuff at my favorite store, J. Crew. I also splurged and got a new purse, something I never do. 

3. Saturday we went to the movies and saw Paranoia. It was a pretty good movie and Liam Hemsworth wasn't too bad to look at. I also sported my new sneakers. Yes, I finally made a decision (see this post on my sneaker dilemma). I got these at Target for $12! I know white will get dirty, but I really couldn't pass up the deal. Thanks for the tip, Sam!

4. Sunday we took our usual drive to the beach. It was super high tide, so it was kind of a difficult walk through the sticks and bushes, but the beach is always a great place to be. I would say I was going to miss the beach, but I am moving to a tropical island. 

5. I leave Charleston at the end of this week, so I started packing. This is pretty much all I have lived off of for the past 3 months. I am ready to be reunited with all of my stuff and not live out of a suitcase!

I can't believe this is my last week in Charleston. You can bet I will make every minute count! 

Until next time,