A few of my blogging friends know that a few months ago I Master Cleansed.  That’s because I made the decision after we all had dinner with celebrity stylist Ben Skervin, where he spent half the time dishing about fall hair trends and doing Keira Knightly’s tresses - and the other half singing praises about the Master Cleanse. By the end of dinner, I had decided that was my last meal for the next 11 days and literally spent the next week and a half not putting any solids in my mouth. My skin got clear, my under eye circles went away, I lost 10 pounds (that I never gained back), but most importantly, I lost my crappy eating habits.

Not surprisingly, most people think the Master Cleanse is the most awful, un-healthiest thing.  Nutritionally speaking, I can’t really argue with them.  Yes, I made it through 11 days alive, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to convince anyone that subsiding on maple syrup, water, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper is the best thing you could be doing for yourself. We are not hummingbirds, after all. But I really like the results from doing a cleanse…if only I could find something that wasn’t so extreme.

Enter the Blueprint Cleanse - the IT cleanse that took New York by storm and is now expanding into the rest of America.  Unlike the Master Cleanse, the Blueprint Cleanse offers you a much more nutritionally balanced approach to detoxing.  Also, you are not locked into a 10 day minimum; you can Blueprint for 1 day, 3 days (recommended), 5 days, or if you’re really hardcore, 12 days. Instead of being forced to down 6 master cleanse juices a day, you only have to drink 1 (their spicy lemonade) and the rest of your day’s fuel is a mix of fruit, vegetable and nut juices. Also, instead of putting your body into shock going from beer, steak and cake one day to lemon juice for 10 days (and orange for 1), you can choose to ease into the Blueprint Cleanse as you feel comfortable.  Of course, I went straight for Level 3, but if you’ve never cleansed before, Blueprint offers you a much gentler course. (more…)

I’ve been a long time user of electric toothbrushes - since high school - when my mom decided it would be something exciting to give me for Christmas.  While I don’t remember feeling particularly excited about the gift, it did end up being one of the healthiest habits that my mom put me on. Well, six years and multiple electric toothbrushes later, I got another one as a gift and this time I was really excited.

The gift, and what I am currently using, is the Philips Sonicare Healthy White Toothbrush, which is the latest from the Sonicare family. In addition to promoting general oral health, this toothbrush also claims that you can whiten teeth up to two shades in just two weeks with proper every day use.  (more…)

I just got home from my late night workout.  I’m been doing a lot of those recently since “going to the gym” is on my list of must-do’s every day, but procrastinating on this task is a lot easier to accomplish than actually going.  This means that when I’m scrambling to the gym half an hour before closing, all the classes for the day are done, and I don’t have enough time to get a good weight circuit routine going, leaving me with no choice but to hit the treadmill.

In the past, I used to buy the cheapest brand name sneaker I could find but due to improper fit, I suffered some injuries. So when I heard about ryka and how they are specifically designed to fit women’s feet, I was pretty curious to get my hands on a couple of pairs. I’ve been wearing the MC2 Run almost every time I go to the gym, and I have to say that I’m really pleased with the results!  When I wear shoes that don’t fit well, my feet get really cramped and sore after only a mile.  With my ryka sneakers, I can run 3 or 4 miles, and the only thing that’s sore is my ass the next day. The other shoe I really like is their T2 Trainer, which is super lightweight and worn in the picture by Kelly Ripa - though she doesn’t look nearly as sweaty as I do after a workout.

In order to help you find the right shoe, ryka does a cool “foot shape test” which you can easily do at home. This is great if you like to online shop like me since each foot shape comes with recommended shoes. For those who prefer the more traditional method, ryka can be found at varoius sports and shoe stores in your area.

Up until recently, the only experiences I had with anything resembling “raw” were the vegetables in my salad and Smith Jared from “Sex and the City.”  I thought that raw food was some sort of hokey food trend, sort of like the Atkins diet or South Beach.  I had no idea that raw food could actually be…delicious and nutritious!

A visit to Pure Food and Wine in the Gramercy area of New York cured any misconceptions I had about raw food.  And lest you think that I just happened to visit Pure Food and Wine on a lucky chance of day, I visited Pure Food and Wine three times, and each time left totally happy. (more…)

Taking care of your skin is one of the most important things you can do, but with all the new products and innovations, sometimes it’s hard to remember exactly what you’re supposed to be doing to protect it. Since we’re heading into the summer, we decided to talk to Dr. Tom Mammone, Executive Director, Clinique Research and Development and get his tips on how to keep your skin healthy and looking great. Here’s the scoop!

The Daily Obsession: To protect her skin, what products should every woman wear on a daily basis?
Dr. Tom Mammone: When we think of damage from the environment, we logically think of the sun first. But there are other, less obvious ways the environment can damage your skin. On a daily basis, our skin is exposed to lots of air and water pollution in the form of ozone, smoke, smog, dust and germs, and it’s the daily accumulation of these assaults that lead to skin issues like lack of moisture, rough texture, and looking and feeling less supple. So it is important to use both sunscreen and antioxidants. Clinique always recommends using a daily sunscreen, but you do not need to use an SPF at night. Antioxidants, however, combat not only immediate but also post oxidative damage and are very beneficial if used twice a day. (more…)

Picture this–you’ve just come home from work. Tired and hungry, you look in your fridge for some food, only to find a few cans of Diet Coke and a bottle of ketchup. Sadly, you pick up your phone and order a greasy pizza or some takeout. If this sounds like a typical weekday night to you, then The Little Black Apron: A Single Girl’s Guide to Cooking with Style & Grace is just the accessory that you need.

The Little Black Apron is the perfect cookbook for young women who may not be quite familiar with what goes on in the kitchen. Before delving into recipes, the book discusses grocery shopping for the single girl, kitchen basics, culinary definitions, and essential utensils–all the necessary info that a cooking newbie needs to know. The recipes themselves are healthy and simple, and each chapter highlights nutritional tips and basic cooking techniques. The team of authors, including a nutritonist and a chef, really demonstrate their expertise and do so with clever, funny commentary.

I field tested a few of the recipes with great results. I can finally cook for myself, and I learned enough from the book to tweak a few of the recipes as well. For dinner last night, I spiced up the Fish Tacos with Avocado and Lime recipe for my boyfriend and got rave reviews! Quite an accomplishment for a girl who, in college, did not know what a rolling boil looked like. (True story–just ask my roomies!) The next recipe that I’ll be trying is the Gingersnap and Pumpkin Parfait, which sounds like a delicious holiday dessert.

The Little Black Apron retails for $14.95. Visit thelittleblackapron.com for more information.

New York’s W Tuscany (39th & Lex) is partnering with The S Factor to bring New York ladies a 3 hour workout and cocktail event on October 29 & November 5. S Factor is a workout that combines yoga, dance, Pilates, pole dancing and strip tease for gals who want a good workout that is also something a little sexier and a little different. More information about the S Factor can be found on their website and invites for TDO readers are behind the cut. (more…)

For the past couple of years, I’ve been a huge yoga fan- usually going to practice 5 or 6 times a week. As most yogis can relate, the love of the practice usually extends to an obsession with all things yoga. I’ve subscribed to yoga magazines, bought tons of yoga clothes, obsessively read up everything about the sport, and for a while in college, even worked at a yoga store. I’ve also bought and tried numerous types of yoga mats- from Nike (haha, ironic I know) to lululemon to Yogitoes to my latest favorite Beinjoy.

Beinjoy is a yoga/pilates lifestyle company started in 2006 that has a very simple message “be in joy.” Their mission is to fuse function and fashion into an environmentally safe product that users can be proud of using. I am currently using their love mat and love cushion in plum violet. The mat is super cute, and comes with a center alignment stripe down the middle so you can be sure all your asanas are positioned correctly. The 5mm thickness makes this map lightweight and easy to roll, but still very durable. Beinjoy also creates a love cushion, which is great if you practice on hardwood floors. The 12mm material is double the thickness of most yoga mats and is great padding under joints, heads or hips.

Both the mat and the cushion are made from a highly recyclable material TPE which is very eco-friendly. The best is, the material also provides a nice level of stickiness making it very comfortable to use if you practice any type of hot yoga (my favorite!). While Beinjoy mats are priced higher than your average yoga mat, I do find that the quality is also far superior. They will last a very long time, even if you put your mats through frequent use. Beinjoy products can be purchased directly from their website, and will make a great addition to your yoga collection.