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Let's face it, where you stay when traveling can make or break your trip. We have racked up more than our fair share of frequent flier miles, and over the years have created a short list of secret favorite destinations. In Miami Beach, where even basic hotel rooms can soar upwards of $400, allow us to recommend the National Hotel. This classic art deco hotel, complete with  close to the heart of it all.

 

In Los Angeles, we have a fave on the Sunset Strip. This tucked away property, Sunset Plaza, was built in the 1920's, and is easy to drive by. Located on a sharp turn of the famously-winding drive, the beauty of the Sunset Plaza is the hill which it is built upon. Only one floor from the entry, the property is actually 5 levels, all below the lobby. Each room feautres a pool or city view, and the California ladscaping and foliage is not-to-be missed. Surprisingly quite, and low key, in the heart of it all.

We’ve raved about the benefits of kettlebells before on our blog…which is why we at elements living were extremely excited when we got a chance to review Kettlenetics, the new DVD workout program from kettlebell master Michelle Khai.

Kettlenetics is a 5-DVD set that comes with a unique 4-lb kettlebell (apparently the only one of it’s kind in the world), an instructional wall chart of moves, and several weight loss and healthy eating guides. 

The first DVD teaches you the basic moves, and then each DVD builds on that to include a full-body workout, a target toning workout, a cardio and two 15-minute workouts that focus on Strength & Stretching and CardioFit Ballet.

In addition to being an elements Advisory Board member, Michelle has extensive experience in kettlebell training and dance fitness and injury prevention, so we have a feeling the DVD is going to be fast and fun even before we get it in the machine. 

Michelle does a great job of clearly displaying the fluid motions and showing correct form. While the moves do take a little getting used to since you must do them in one non-stop motion, after a few tries we got the hang of it and were swinging right along with her. All of the workouts (even the demos in the kb elements DVD) got our heart rates up and had us sweating, but the Cardio Balanced workout especially kept us moving!

Touted as “The Most Effective Hand-Held Gym” and highly-recommend by us here at elements living, Kettlenetics is a totally new way to get in shape.  

Visit www.getkbells.com for more information.

Here at elements living, we love taking our work home with us…mostly because our work is creating a healthy, fit lifestyle! And if you’re like us, then you’re definitely taking your fitness outside of the gym, too. (No, we’re not talking about sweaty yoga mats!)

But how many times have you tripped over that rowing machine on your way to the bathroom? Do you even remember how to work that contraption you bought on QVC last month? Toss it.

For a home fitness machine that’s easy on the eyes and easily fits into your home or studio (not to mention also packs a fitness wallop), SoloStrength’s FUSE is the way to go.

Designed by award-winning industrial designer Paul Conder and consisting of a platform, support bar, and “Solo Comfort Grip Bar”, the FUSE breaks your fitness routine down to an almost Zen simplicity: by adjusting the grip bar and changing your exercise position, you can create a variety of movements that work almost every single muscle group.

Programs only take about 20 minutes and are suitable for novice to expert levels. In fact, the whole family can use the FUSE for an all-in-one system to strengthen and tone muscles.

As the company motto states: “One Life, One Body, One Bar. It’s all you need.” Does it get any simpler than that?

Find out more at www.SoloStrength.com . Enter elementsforwomen at Checkout for an exclusive $50.00 savings on shipping!

Royalty may have its drawbacks, but who wouldn’t want to be a queen for a day? While most of us will never be lucky enough to make Queen Bee, some of us, like Miss Florida USA and elements Advisory Board Member Jenna Edwards , actually got to experience the royal treatment (American-style).  

Jenna turned her taste of royalty into a humanitarian mission by founding the organization Queen for a Day, a non-profit group that hosts parties for children in pediatric cancer units. QFAD ’s mission is to let kids be kids again. Showering girls with trinkets, cosmetics and other playtime items (including real tiaras, courtesy of “tiara drives” and donations from former beauty queens), Jenna and her crew give them makeovers, play dress-up and even have a coronation ceremony. Boys receive the “superhero treatment” with badges, fireman and police equipment, and visits from real-life heroes.

Even if you don’t have a tiara to donate or the means to host an event, you can still be a part of QFAD by purchasing some of their sparklier items. Whether it’s the Sterling Silver Charm Bracelet or Stainless Steel Valet Key Chain, all proceeds go directly to the organization.  

So even if you never get a chance to be queen, you can get the bling that makes you look like one (and feel pretty good about it, too).

For more information, visit www.qfad.org .

 

As the hot days of summer come to a close, we at elements look back fondly on those sultry nights we spent sipping a cocktail or two at one of the many cafes and outdoor restaurants we love to frequent. (Okay, so technically being based out of Miami Beach, we can enjoy outdoor cocktails anytime… but that’s beside the point!).

Even though fall is right around the corner, there’s still time to send off summer with one last, great celebration of flavor! Here are a few of our favorite summer drinks (courtesy of Joe the bartender at Nemo’s , one of the hottest restaurants on South Beach) for you to enjoy the whole year.  

Coco-Pineapple Martini

2 oz. coconut rum
2 oz. Bacardi Limon
Pineapple juice
Orange slice (for garnish)

Combine coconut rum, Bacardi Limon and pineapple juice in container. Cover and shake well. Pour into chilled martini glass and garnish with an orange slice.  

White Wine Spritzer with Elderflower Liqueur

1 oz. St. Germain liqueur
4-5 oz. Pinot Grigio white wine
Soda water
Ice
Lemon twist (for garnish)

Combine liqueur and white wine in a chilled wine glass. Top with splash of soda water and ice. Garnish with lemon twist.

Spa Day Spritzer

Sliced, chilled cucumber
2 oz. gin
Ice
Tonic or soda water
Sprig of mint (optional)

Pour gin over cucumber slices and ice in large glass. Top with tonic or soda water. Stir. Garnish with a thin cucumber slice or add a sprig of mint.

Classic Mojito

Mint leaves
Lime, cut into wedges
2 teaspoons household sugar (cane sugar)
Ice
2 oz. white rum
Soda water
Sprig of mint (for garnish)

Muddle (crush with wooden spoon or muddler) mint leaves, lime and sugar in large glass. Add ice and pour rum over. Stir and top with soda water. Garnish with sprig of mint.

Going out without sunscreen during the summer is just asking for trouble. But dealing with bottles, tubes, messy applications and slimy creams can be a nightmare. So what’s the solution? Get your sun protection in easy-to-use wipes, of course!

 

Here at elements we love the convenience of the Shady Day Daily Sun Protection Wipes. They smell great, leave skin feeling soft, and provide long-lasting protection (we very scientifically tested them on a very scientific beach day spent on the sands of South Beach!).

 

Defending skin with an SPF of 30 and completely free of parabens, artificial ingredients and fragrances, the wipes are water-resistant and include natural ingredients like vitamins A and E, organic aloe vera and mango fruit extract. Just wipe one on skin and enjoy long-lasting protection in a snap (not to mention smooth skin and a delicate fragrance). With 15 wipes to a resealable package, you’ll be able to toss a pack into your purse or gym bag and be ready for whatever the day throws at you.

 

How did the Shady Day creators come up with something so ingenious? Simple. By having kids. After dealing with the messiness of applying sunscreen to their non-stop children at the beach, the owners of Shady Day decided to create a better way to apply sunscreen and hit on the idea of formatting it in easy-to-use wipes. Years later, the line has won several awards, including the 2008 NAPPA Honors Award, and been featured in Parents, O, Redbook, Conde Nast Traveler, iVillage, The Big Idea and My Fox Philadelphia.

 

So until the day they finally build that giant umbrella to shield us from the sun, we’re sticking with Daily Sun Protection Wipes.

 

Find out more at www.shadydayinc.com .

Summer’s the perfect time to finally capture that slim, svelte figure. After all, there’s great weather, there’s great beach activities to try out (volleyball, anyone?) and there’s always that  (loved and hated) bikini to get you motivated to lose weight. But when you need that extra push to shed those extra pounds you can always turn to….your computer?

According to recent medical studies, people (and women in particular) were more motivated to lose weight and get active when they received constant support through the convenience of online diet programs….making this the perfect time to try out the all-new, stylish BalanceD diet program.

BalanceD provides members with online 24/7 nutrition and weight loss support. The online portal provides  cool features like access to hundreds of delicious recipes, meal planners, workout tips, exercise examples, and even a Virtual Assistant to show you how to get started. Members are also able to write in to fitness and diet experts and receive a personal answer via email, and also share success stories and tips with other members. The custom diet, fitness tools and diet coaching are all available for a lifetime membership price of $99.

Sure, we might be a bit biased (elements launched this amazing diet program), but with this total approach to weight loss that includes diet, fitness, beauty and mind, who wouldn’t get excited about it?

BalanceD is available online at www.balanceyourelements.com and will also soon be available in elements clubs across the country.

We might already be at the mid-point of summer, but there’s still plenty of time to get the body you want. Are you ready to get BalanceD ?

On a hot summer day, is there anything more refreshing than a sparkling ice cube?

 

A community of ice chewers think not! This large group of munchers have proclaimed their love for the practice of chewing ice (www.icechewing.com) and praise it as a calorie-free treat that they engage in pretty much at all times of the day. Some buy cups and even bags of ice from fast food places. Some have special ice machines installed in their houses. There are even "teeth-friendly" ice cubes being manufactured that are easier to chomp on.

 

It does offer a quick, calorie-free alternative to popping in a stick of sugary gum or sucking on a sugary popsicle. But is ice chewing bad for your teeth? The American Dental Association says that ice chewing can lead to gum and tooth injuries. They recommend sucking slowly on ice or allowing it to melt on the tongue. And many medical professionals now link excessive ice chewing to pagophagia , a type of pica associated with anemia and iron deficiency. (Many people who chewed ice constantly found they no longer had the obsessive desire once iron levels were restored within their bodies through supplements or their diets.)

 

But whether you're new to this trend, a confirmed ice chewer, or think the whole idea is crazy, you can still cool down this summer with an icy treat. Try this cool and refreshing trick: Combine 100% fruit juice with 50% water. Pour into ice cube tray. The next time you have a craving for something sweet, pop one of these cubes into your mouth and savor the natural sweetness without the sugar!

Picture this: a recuperating loved one reclines on a bed, surrounded by sky-clogging helium balloons, wilting flowers and massive gift baskets that contain 90% overripe apples and pears and 10% candy, all sent to help them “feel better.”

We’ve always thought there was something wrong with this scene…and we’re glad someone else did, too. Introducing AntiOXinabox, the “healthy gift alternative”!

Founded by two cancer survivors who were tired of receiving gift baskets crammed with sugary, fatty treats, AntiOXinabox creates gift boxes filled with healthy, antioxidant-rich foods and spa products, which are shipped in recyclable, reusable boxes.

Gift boxes are stuffed full of goodies like Dark Chocolate Antioxidant-rich Cocoa mix, Tulip and Sweet Clover Dark Honey, Organic Acai Berry White Tea, dried berries and fruits, and an array of luxurious RejuvaHeal spa products. (Here at elements, we’ve got a major craving for the Dark Chocolate Covered Dried Cherries and Antioxidant Raspberry Rhubarb Spread!)

Items are also sold individually, and you can even send gift cards or create your own gift box combination for the perfect present.

Boxes start at $25, which is as much as you’d expect to pay for a halfway decent bouquet of flowers. And as if this isn’t reason enough to give them a try, AntiOXinabox also donates a portion of each sale to cancer research.

AntiOXinabox is a great gift idea for friends and family whether they’re sick or not. And maybe they’ll get the hint the next time you’re feeling under the weather (and no, a bad hair day is not enough to get you hospital time). 

Find out more at www.antioxinabox.com and receive an exclusive 10% discount by entering ELEMENTS at checkout. 

Picture this: a recuperating loved one reclines on a bed, surrounded by sky-clogging helium balloons, wilting flowers and massive gift baskets that contain 90% overripe apples and pears and 10% candy, all sent to help them “feel better.”

 

Picture this: a recuperating loved one reclines on a bed, surrounded by sky-clogging helium balloons, wilting flowers and massive gift baskets that contain 90% overripe apples and pears and 10% candy, all sent to help them “feel better.”

We’ve always thought there was something wrong with this scene…and we’re glad someone else did, too. Introducing AntiOXinabox, the “healthy gift alternative”!

Founded by two cancer survivors who were tired of receiving gift baskets crammed with sugary, fatty treats, AntiOXinabox creates gift boxes filled with healthy, antioxidant-rich foods and spa products, which are shipped in recyclable, reusable boxes.

Gift boxes are stuffed full of goodies like Dark Chocolate Antioxidant-rich Cocoa mix, Tulip and Sweet Clover Dark Honey, Organic Acai Berry White Tea, dried berries and fruits, and an array of luxurious RejuvaHeal spa products. (Here at elements, we’ve got a major craving for the Dark Chocolate Covered Dried Cherries and Antioxidant Raspberry Rhubarb Spread!)

Items are also sold individually, and you can even send gift cards or create your own gift box combination for the perfect present.

Boxes start at $25, which is as much as you’d expect to pay for a halfway decent bouquet of flowers. And as if this isn’t reason enough to give them a try, AntiOXinabox also donates a portion of each sale to cancer research.

AntiOXinabox is a great gift idea for friends and family whether they’re sick or not. And maybe they’ll get the hint the next time you’re feeling under the weather (and no, a bad hair day is not enough to get you hospital time).

Find out more at www.antioxinabox.com.