Hope for Americans when Grocery Shopping?

Finally someone with power is taking a step in the right direction and helping Americans receive the information they deserve in a clear and concise way. On February 27th, Michelle Obama announced that the Obama administration wants shopping for healthy food to be made easier by redesigning the 20 year old nutrition labels on food packaging.  While fat content used to be the main focus and concern for shoppers in the past, it is now calories and processed sugars. The OA is working with the FDA to impose a new law on food producers that will require them to label the calories in bold, add a sub-category to sugar and label it “added sugar” therefore differentiating between what was already in the whole ingredients and what was added, and to adjust the serving sizes to what Americans realistically eat now in order to make them aware that they are consuming more than they realize. (Further information can be found here).

I could not be more thrilled by this news! In a nation that suffers from obscene levels of obesity due to increased insulin levels it is important that the government takes steps to aid those who do not understand what they are consuming. Although this small step will not totally eliminate obesity, it is the largest step in the right direction that I have seen in a while.

What I think should be done next?

1. Add a limit to what chemicals and how many can be placed into a food product.

2. Arrive to a more concrete definition for what is “healthy” and “nutritious” and screen products that desire to be labeled as such before they are allowed on shelves.

3.  Instead of simply labeling GMOs I believe they should eliminate them as well as any artificial coloring or over processing.

We still have a long way to go before we can feed Americans what their bodies deserve, and by all means I am no saint! But in my book every day should be like February 27th, because any day where progress like this is made is a good day to me!

Drake Who Will Take Care Of You?

Aubrey Graham, I mean Jimmy, I mean DRAKE, has disappointed and saddened many fans around the world with his response towards Rolling Stone magazine a few weeks ago.  First seen as the character Jimmy Brooks on Canada’s television series Degarassi: The Next Generation, and now known for his gift at rapping as well as producing and writing songs under the name C. Papi, Drake has routinely won the hearts of many with his big smile and confident personality. But a mere 2 weeks ago, right after he had shown the world on SNL that he had yet another unknown talent: comedy, Drake made some very damaging comments that has hurt his polished reputation.

He had been scheduled to feature on the cover of the coveted Rolling Stone when he was suddenly stripped of that opportunity upon Philip Seymour Hoffmen’s death. Rolling Stone made the decision to pay tribute to the great Hoffman due to the tragedy of his accidental overdose. Drake tweeted three comments, two of which have been taken down, calling the press evil and that he was disgusted. From what I have seen following the event, Drake has made attempts to clear up what he meant by his outraged response.  Apparently he was not upset that Hoffman was featured, but rather that his feature was stripped from him and yet the interview was posted regardless with comments he had made about Yeezus in “private”. On Friday February 17th, Drake formally apologized on CNN stating: “I completely support and agree with Rolling Stone replacing me on the cover with the legendary Phillip Seymour Hoffman. He is one of the most incredible actors of our time and a man that deserves to be immortalized by this publication. My frustration stemmed from the way it was executed. The circumstances at hand are completely justifiable (on the magazine’s behalf), but I was not able to salvage my story or my photos and that was devastating.”

A few weeks after the incident, ID-PR, the company that represents Drake, informed the press that they would no longer represent the artist after an increase in differences of opinion. I found it pretty ironic that an artist who hardly ever has any negative press would have their PR team up-and-quit on them just when things start to get interesting.

So where does Drake go from here?

Like pretty much anything that happens in the media, I’m sure this incident will long be forgotten before it creates any serious damage for the artist.  Since he has released a formal apology it will be important for Drake to show that he truly meant it. This will mean acting on any promises he gave and showing that he truly took everything that happened to heart. By being a positive role model to his key audience, they will soon forgive him and all shall be forgotten. When it comes to being such a key figure in the public eye it is important to remember that it takes so much work to climb to the top but hardly any effort to fall to the bottom.

Killin it, Ellen! (Literally)

Talk about the best press coverage and public relations opportunity in the last decade, ELLEN DEGENERES BREAKS TWITTER WITH A SELFIE (read more here). On the night when fingers of Americans are at a constant hyper-speed typing on one keyboard or another about the Oscars, Ellen sets out to break a record of the most retweeted tweet on twitter (try saying that 10 times fast).  What started out with Ellen just simply trying to take a selfie with Meryl Streep, turned into a massive photo opportunity featuring faces such as Bradely Cooper, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Lawrence, Julia Roberts and many more. Not only is Ellen sure to succeed, but she broke something else she didn’t expect to, Twitter itself!

It’s funny to think about how the word “selfie” wasn’t even in our vocabulary a few years ago, and now you can literally break a social media platform that itself wasn’t even around 10 years ago taking one. When I was watching this I could not help but think about all the after effects that this one moment could have on everyone and everything involved.

Here are just a few things I noticed:

1. It was a great moment for Twitter because there is bound to be a demographic that watches the Oscars who do not yet use twitter and may now feel more inclined to try and use it just so that they can be a part of the photo.
2. It was good publicity for the stars involved because it made them look fun, carefree and more personable.
3. The moment was some solid advertising on the part of Samsung which is sponsoring the Oscars and a Samsung phone was used to take the photo.
4. It was a positive thing for the Oscars and ABC Network due to the increase in viewers  who may have heard about the photo and now are reminded that the Oscars are on and may have the desire to tune in and watch.

Over the next few days I will be eager to see what happens with this photo and if it does become the most retweeted, if Samsung experiences a rise in sales, and how the story will change and evolve as it is talked about more in the media. All I can say for now is GO ELLEN! If it were me I think I would be more proud that I momentarily broke twitter instead of being proud of breaking the most retweeted record.

The Desire To Work Out In The Morning Is Like Drinking Red Wine

To me waking up early to go work out first thing in the morning is as mature as drinking a glass of red wine. Coming from a young college student who is just about to turn 22 this weekend, I’m ashamed to admit that I still can’t handle a glass of red wine. The combination of an empty wallet and the pallet of a 6-year old leads me to drift towards the sweet white wines such as pinot grigio and moscato, the 2 Buck Chuck, or if I don’t have a car, the $5 bottle at the local corner store.  Then throw in the personality trait of the worst morning person ever (especially after enjoying that glass or two) and there you have it: ME!

I have heard countless times that working out in the morning boosts your metabolism and leaves you feeling more energetic and positive.  Creating that rhythm of waking up at the same time every morning and letting that fresh morning air greet you does something to the mind and body that is supposed to be better than a double shot of espresso.

An article posted by the New York Times discusses the downfalls of holiday weight gain and a study done in Australia in order to prove that weight gain can be preventable if people commit to setting that alarm and doing a fasted work out (exercising before breakfast).

I have decided to commit myself to waking up early and working out in the morning at least twice a week but will be trying for three times a week. The rest of my workouts I will continue to do during the day wherever my class schedule permits. I hope that these steps will be the building blocks to developing healthy habits and soon I will be able to do more than three.

From my minimal web surfing this is how I have been inspired to plan to follow through and you are more than welcome to join along wih me:

Never Hit the Snooze:  Studies show that it is not beneficial to hit the snooze and sleep for a little longer since your  body will not be able to fall back into the REM sleep. By hitting snooze, you are just delaying the day and the sleep that follows will actually not make it any easier to wake up later.

Get Going Quickly and Don’t Make Your Routine Too Comfortable: Many people enjoy the fantasy of casually sipping a cup of coffee while reading the newspaper as part of their morning ritual. Although that may work for many, for others it will just leave them in a sense of limbo from the world of being awake and the world of sleeping. In order to kick my day I plan to move through my process as quickly as possible and get out the door.

Alternate Your Workouts: By switching up what you do every morning you will be less encouraged to convince yourself you did it the day and can afford to skip a day. If some mornings you go for a walk, others a run, or sometimes a nice yoga session, you will be able to convince yourself that since last time you only walked, today you really need to run!

Plan a Filling and Nutritious Breakfast to Look Forward to: If you start your day off with eating healthy, it is proven that you are less likely to cheat and eat something unhealthy later. I like to make overnight oats which are super simple, healthy, and delicious.

Photo taken from Fit Foodie Finds and although it looks very similar to the one I eat, it is not the same recipe or my photo! Check her blog out though it is amazing!

My Recipe Is:

1/4 cup Trader Joes Gluten Free Rolled Oats

1/4 Cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

1 tbls Chia Seeds

1 tbls Bob’s Red Mill Unsweetened Flaked Coconut

Touch of Cinnamon (can vary to taste)

1/2 Sliced Banana

1/2 Cup Boiling Water.

Place all the ingredients into a mason jar, adding the boiling water last and then shake it all around. Place jar into the fridge overnight and then there you have it! A tasty and wholesome breakfast to help kick-start you’re already turbo kick-started day!

NOW LET’S ALL GET TO WORK! READY…SET…GO!!! 

Ain’t No Coffee Like K-Cup Coffee

Each year at Christmas my family struggles to find new and useful gifts to give my grandmother.  Located in Glendale, CA, my grandmother is known for her house filled from roof to floor with nic-nacs. To help give you an idea of her talent for making something that some people would call low key hoarding into a systematic and beautiful clutter of things, I present you her infamous Christmas tree:

Hopefully you can now understand my family’s struggle each year when they try to find something special for the 86 year old women who not just has it all, but has way too much of it all.

This year they decided to go with a Keurig. At first I thought it was a terrible idea.  My loving grandmother has brewed her hazelnut flavored coffee to which she adds hazelnut flavored creamer in the same coffee maker for the past 50 years. I wasn’t even sure we would be able to teach her how to use the Keurig. Afterall, last time when they bought her a new TV she couldn’t watch anything for weeks because she couldn’t figure out how it worked. 

When they presented her with the gift she was utterly mind-blown and I saw a slight level of panic cross her weathered face as she looked at the contraption.  I on the other hand, was hooked! This was the coolest, most convenient thing I had seen. No mess, 30 seconds, any flavor your heart desired and voila: you have a pretty tasty cup of coffee.

All of a sudden I saw K-Cups in every store I walked into and I was constantly aware if people had a Keurig in their home.  I was even more blown away to go to their online store and see 10 pages of different flavors of K-cups ranging from coffee, to tea, to apple cider, and apparently soon to offer Campbell’s soup. What’s more?…. They are apparently going to start to compete with SodaSteam and have recently partnered with Coca-Cola to “one up” SodaStream.  According to an article titled, Single-Serve Coffee Revolution Brews Industry Change, Green Mountain’s stock sky rocketed by 27 percent after the announcement of this partnership.

When I thought about it more I wanted to weigh the pluses and minuses of investing in a Keurig.

Pluses: 

1. It is much faster to brew a K-Cup than it is to use a traditional coffee maker or french press.

2. It is much cheaper than going to Starbucks every day! Not only is it 65 cents per cup, but you are not paying for the gas to drive to the coffee shop.

3. You have a much wider range of flavors to choose from than traditional coffee grounds.

Minuses: 

1. There is something so luxurious about walking into a Starbucks each morning and being surrounded by the warm atmosphere, the calming music, and the inviting baristas.

2. Sources say that it is nearly impossible to recycle the cups when they are used and it is terrible for the environment.

3.  It is never going to taste as good or fresh as premium freshly ground and brewed coffee does.

In the end it will be interesting to see how this industry continues to sky rocket and if it is just a fad or if it will become as commonplace as any other household item.  Right now everyone sees it as the industry to be in as companies such as Panera, Cinnabon and Swiss Miss all hop on the bandwagon.

An Even Easier Way To Fuel My Shopping Addiction? Yes Please!

Fashion giant, H&M, has taken a step ahead of its competitors with its most recent interactive digital marketing campaign.  The company has broken through the barrier of simply having a physical and online store, and created an easier way for its consumers to purchase items without having to look away from their TV or peel their phone from their hands.  By slapping the always handsome David Beckham, who seems to keep looking better with age, onto a massive billboard, H&M immediately has a head start.

The company takes it further by creating a digital ad campaign involving interactive billboards at bus stops that allow the viewer to scroll through over 40 photos of this season’s lookbook. In addition, H&M is the first clothing company to work with SAMSUNG to create a way for consumers to buy clothes directly through their television. This debuted during the 2014 Superbowl and as the viewer watched David Beckham walk around half naked, a menu popped up on the left hand side describing the item of clothing.  The viewer was then able to use the menu to send that item as a text to their phone with a link to where they could purchase it.

3 Reasons Why This Strategy Could Work:

1. There is already a demand to buy products through the television. This can be demonstrated through QVC’s $8.5 billion in revenue for the year 2012.
2. Many consumers have a “need to have it now” reactivity to advertising. By eliminating the time difference between when the advertisement is seen and when the viewer goes to the mall or even walks over to their computer, they are eliminating the possibility that the viewer will forget about the product or change their mind.
3. H&M’s target demographic is tech savvy and desires to constantly be up-to-date with trends. It will be easy to convince them that using their television to shop is the new “it” thing to do.

3 Reasons Why This Strategy Could Fail:

1. It is one thing to propose a new lifestyle or product and it is another thing to actually have consumers commit to adaption. Often times many people become convinced that what is said to be less work actually is more work to implement and set-up.
2. Consumers will not want to go out and buy an entirely new SAMSUNG television just so that they can have this feature.
3. When the product pops up on the side of the screen during the advertisement, it could potentially distract the viewer. Although they would still be aware of the product advertised, the desired message of the advertisement could be lost on them.

Lululemon’s New CEO Seems Just As Impressive As The Company’s Pants

Its impossible not to have heard about the infamous Chip Wilson, Lululemon’s former CEO and chairman of the board. Many men/women may praise Wilson for inventing a way to make it “okay” for ladies to throw away the jeans and shift towards a version of pants that resemble no pants at all (especially when the see through leggings fiasco went down). Yet, it was probably best for the company that he stepped down this year after repeatedly being hounded in the press for his demeaning and racist comments. His most recent and one of the most controversial comments arose after he was asked by customers why their pants kept pilling, to which he responded that their thighs must be too big and that Lululemon pants won’t work for all body types. In my opinion the comments weren’t hard to see coming, after all, he pointed out in an interview that he named his company Lululemon because people from Asia would often have a hard time pronouncing the name.

In walks Laurent Potdevin, the man who has had dream job after dream job: CEO of Burton Snowboards (15yrs), president of TOMS ( 2yrs 10months), and now CEO of Lululemon. Talk about a business connection I’d like to have in my back pocket. The way Lululemon introduced its new CEO expressed the turning of a leaf for the company, not only because Potdevin first appeared to Lululemon’s publics through a video, but because even in the video it showed Potdevin turning a page in his own life by leaving Burton, LA, and TOMS behind. Without having done some research before watching the video, I may not have realized the true significance of the items placed as props in Potdevin’s early morning routine. The LA mug signifies his transition from Los Angelos to Canada, and when he kicked off his TOMS and goes into a meditative pose he demonstrates his change from president of TOMS to CEO of Lululemon. My favorite part of the entire video was when his whole face finally appears and he gives the viewer a crooked little smile. It showed how personable he was and made him relatable. A far cry from the controversial Chip Wilson. 

Here are three ways I believe Lululemon can use Laurent Potdevin’s successful image to help itself recover as a company: 

• Due to Potdevin’s vast connections with outdoor companies, I believe Lululemon could market to a new demographic of adventurous consumers who love snowboarding, hiking, biking, climbing, etc. in extreme conditions. 
• Lululemon could use Potdevin’s personable introduction to rebrand the company and put to bed the backlash from Wilson’s comments.  One way it could do this is to launch a campaign that tells women to embrace their bodies and unique attributes in order to love themselves for who they are. 
• Finally, the company can continue to post videos in a similar silent movie fashion in order to convey its message through body movement and expressions. This would be a positive approach since it is a company who’s core is centered around physical health and mental wellbeing. 

 

Cleansing the Body May Be Only Cleansing the Spirit

Sixty day, thirty day, seven day, three day cleanse… Master Cleanse, Juice Cleanse, Raw Foods Cleanse, Sunshine and Water Cleanse…  Despite the various answers and suggestions regarding cleansing that publics are internalizing each day, a persistent concern remains: are cleanses good for you and which one should you do?

https://willleathergoods.com/journal/local-spotlight-portland-juice-press/

Since coming to college in the beautiful but raining Eugene, OR.  I have been influenced by the local’s “hippy” ways of eating wholesome diets of complex grains, fruits and vegetables. This diet has been hard to maintain on a college budget, and even harder to maintain as a sugar addict who has DQ and Yogurt Extreme 2-3 blocks away. I constantly kept making every day the infamous “cheat day” until one day I decided I had had anough. I attempted to do a DIY juice cleanse. I went out and bought my very own cold juice press and enough fruits and vegetables to drive my roommates mad. After two days, the green and orange concoctions in my mason jar started to haunt my every thought and the sound of my stomach growling echoed through each classroom. Needless to say, I gave up on that real quick!

I recently came across an article in the Huffington Post titled, Do Juice Cleanses Work? 10 Truths About the Fad.  It highlights some important issues that come with a long-term cleanse.  The article brings attention to the fact that when juicing you are actually getting rid of some key nutrients your body needs, such as fiber that can be found in the peel or pulp of the fruit or vegetable. It also discusses the fact that a cleanse is not cheap and that your body naturally eliminates many of the toxins that the juice cleanse claims it gets rid of.

The IHRSA reported that the total revenue reached by the fitness industry in 2012 was 21.8 billion (Insight) and that over a quarter of Americans were on diets in 2007 (Franchise Help). There is no doubt that the juice cleanse industry is growing quickly and that it is just as much of a money making business as any other diet fad.  The juice cleanse advocates claim that cleanses rid your body of any toxins it has accumulated over time (intriguing to any student who enjoys a “quality” Keystone Light on the regular), it heightens your immune system, prevents cancer, gives your colon a break, etc. All these claims sound absolutely marvelous, and at the same time completely ludicrous.

Despite the controversial materials I had read and my failed attempt before, I decided that if I only committed to 3 days then following the fad wouldn’t kill me. So two weeks ago I walked into the Portland Juice Press. It was a new year, a new me, and I was about to conquer a new obstacle.

I’m not sure if it was all the money leaving my wallet, the wider variety of tastes that this cleanse presented me with (the OM juice was the best which was made out of hazelnuts, vanilla, cinnamon and dates), or the stage I was at when I tried it this time, but I conqured that cleanse like it was nobody’s business! Not only was I not hungry, but I struggled to drink all six of the drinks that I was supposed to each day. I never once felt lightheaded and I was full of energy for a majority of each day.

The main difference I noticed following the cleanse was that my sweet tooth had become a less demanding dragon and I was satisfied by a single piece of chocolate as opposed to the entire bar. I also became full much more quickly and could control my portions even when I went out to eat.

In conclusion I have decided that even if all the articles are right and the juice cleanse is just a dangerous fad, I am happy I did it. If cleansing my body was in turn only cleansing my spirit then gosh darn it I feel cleansed! I would never recommend it for a long period of time, but for a simple three days I would recommend it for anyone who is feeling a little sluggish and looking for a quick pick-me-up.

Food For Thought

When I was growing up I went to a small private arts school that believed that having your children watch TV would ruin their creative mind.  Thus, I was forced to go through one of the saddest transitions of my life between preschool and kindergarten and throw away all of my movies.  You can imagine the tantrum my mother had to deal with as she ripped Pocahontas and Bambi from a sobbing three year old’s hands. As I grew older I would always try to pretend I was sick so I could stay home from school and watch the forbidden television.  My heart would flutter with excitement as I would veg out to reruns of Full House, the Golden Girls and Boy Meets World.  Eventually my mother caught on and decided that in order to prevent me from faking that I was sick she had to take action.  She allowed me a few hours a week to watch the only channel she could think would not “ruin my creative mind” : The Food Network. You cannot believe the joy and satisfaction I experienced as I drooled over Emeril’s lasagna and Rachael Ray’s  30 min. meals.

Photo cred goes to: http://www.runningoffthereeses.com/2011/10/04/spinach-chicken-lasagna-with-alfredo-and-mushrooms/

Now I sit here before you today with the fun “homework task” of writing a blog post based off of one of the ‘kernels’ my teacher, Kathryn Kuttis, has given us. It was hard to choose from all the awesome topics she presented us with, but in the end I naturally had to go with  ‘From Scratch’ Goes Behind the Scenes at the Food Network.  In the article, Carey Polis, discusses the decline in ratings for the Food Network and their evolution over the years.  What caught my attention the most was the idea that the Food Network had created these “celebrity chefs” and made it more about entertainment than food. My first reaction was “Yeah duh! They need high ratings in order to stay afloat, so obviously they are going to lean more towards the entertainment side of things.” But then when I thought about it more I was perplexed with if they really needed to have a “celebrity” on the show in order for it to be entertaining.

I believe that the answer is yes, you do need to have some sort of celebrity on a cooking show in order to get people to watch. Viewers latch onto the familiar face of a celebrity or someone they have seen for countless years, and invite them into their living rooms as if they are family. These chefs become iconic, and regardless of its viewer decline, I can promise that www.foodnetwork.com is many people’s first stop when looking for a recipe idea.

I then thought about what the Food Network could do to improve ratings.  The answer I came up with is to latch on to this health and fitness craze, and to create more shows that help people prep healthy meals that will help them lose weight or stay in shape.  I am aware that they do have shows that are geared towards healthy meals, but if they emphasized weight loss or fitness I believe they could tap into a much larger audience of overweight Americans who are searching for every possibly trick in the book. How they would do this I am not entirely sure, but hey it’s a seed to plant in the back of your mind and I will claim full bragging rights if someday a show like this does appear!

Fitspo, Belfies and “Fitness Trainers” on Instagram

As someone who spends an embarrassing amount of their time on Instagram, I pride myself in being able to recognize different Instagram trends. The most prominent of which seems to be the ever increasing “fitspiration” or “fitspo” accounts.  These accounts feature women such as, Jen Selter (2.0m followers) , Chalene Johnson (297k followers) , Stephanie Pacca (86k followers) and Kayla Itsines (337k followers). Every day they post motivational photos of their washboard abs, their tanned and toned legs, and inspirational quotes telling others to put the donuts down and go for a run.

The hashtag #fitspo has over 6 million photos associated with it and numbers are rising every day. The words “fitspiration” or “fitspo” is a blend of the words fitness and inspiration, and refer to a body or person that someone aspires to look like.  The images these women post make both users shield their eyes in fear of invading their privacy, and yet not be able to peel their eyes away in utter jealousy.

Another term I learned when reading an article in USA Today on this very subject, was “Belfie”. I couldn’t help myself but to laugh in the middle of the library when I learned that it is a blend of the word “butt” and “selfie”. Yup, you guessed it! It is most definitely a photo that someone has taken of their own posterior and then posted as motivation on the internet.

By posting these hashtags and photos, people are attempting to motivate others throughout the world of Instagram.  These women have become so popular that they are publishing nutrition and workout guides that they sell to their followers from anywhere of $19.95 – $150.

It is my belief that this trend is being fueled by many factors:

1. The sexual appeal of seeing women in very little clothing is undoubtably a factor.
2. The world wide push to make citizens aware of what they eat and the amount of exercise they commit to.
3. Instagram users associate these women as “real people”. They aren’t the typical model you see photoshopped in a magazine, but rather someone who has taken a quick selfie with their smartphone.
4. Everyone loves some good inspiration! A story or constant reminder of something that they desire, a goal if you will.