4 Ways To Soften Your Menswear Inspired Looks this Fall

by Sonia Lovett | Oct 29, 2019 | Fashion

Cape it!

I love the simplicity of throwing a mens blazer over my shoulders. It automatically makes the shape softer and more feminine.

Leopard it!

Adding a leopard element to any Fall look is an instant update! These open top booties create a strong long line, don’t you think?

Embellish it!

Adding a little pearl detail never hurt anyone! It adds a feminine and soft touch to this grey oversized overcoat. It is so City Chic paired with my all white ensemble.

Cinch it!

I’ve always been a fan of belting a coat in an unexpected way. Here I am using my favorite leather Obi Belt to tie it all together!

9 Principals For A Happy & Healthy Life | Power 9

by Sonia Lovett | Oct 20, 2019 | Lifestyle, Wellness

Can you believe the average life expectancy in the United States is 78 years old? Yet there are people all around the world who have the privilege to surpass 100 years of age. What are we doing differently than anyone else? I found this great article on Well and Good about this 9 habits of the Blue Zone, which are regions of the world where people live much longer than average.

Where is the Blue Zone?

Barbagia region of Sardinia – Mountainous highlands of inner Sardinia with the world’s highest concentration of male centenarians.
Ikaria, Greece – Aegean Island with one of the world’s lowest rates of middle-age mortality and the lowest rates of dementia.
Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica – The World’s lowest rates of middle-age mortality, second-highest concentration of male centenarians.
Seventh-Day Adventists – Highest concentration is around Loma Linda, California. They live 10 years longer than their North American counterparts.
Okinawa, Japan – Females over 70 are the longest-lived population in the world.

Culturally, these regions are VERY different from this American Life. Luckily, a team of medical researchers, anthropologists, demographers, and epidemiologists researched these cultures and created the Power 9, or 9 principals that you can start incorporating into your daily routine today.

Power 9®

Reverse Engineering Longevity

1. Move Naturally

The world’s longest-lived people don’t pump iron, run marathons or join gyms. Instead, they live in environments that constantly nudge them into moving without thinking about it. They grow gardens and don’t have mechanical conveniences for house and yard work.

2. Purpose

The Okinawans call it “Ikigai” and the Nicoyans call it “plan de vida;” for both it translates to “why I wake up in the morning.” Knowing your sense of purpose is worth up to seven years of extra life expectancy.

3. Down Shift

Even people in the Blue Zones experience stress. Stress leads to chronic inflammation, associated with every major age-related disease. What the world’s longest-lived people have that we don’t are routines to shed that stress. Okinawans take a few moments each day to remember their ancestors, Adventists pray, Ikarians take a nap and Sardinians do happy hour.

4. 80% Rule

“Hara hachi bu” – the Okinawan, 2500-year old Confucian mantra said before meals reminds them to stop eating when their stomachs are 80 percent full. The 20% gap between not being hungry and feeling full could be the difference between losing weight or gaining it. People in the blue zones eat their smallest meal in the late afternoon or early evening and then they don’t eat any more the rest of the day.

5. Plant Slant

Beans, including fava, black, soy and lentils, are the cornerstone of most centenarian diets. Meat—mostly pork—is eaten on average only five times per month. Serving sizes are 3-4 oz., about the size of a deck of cards.

6. Wine @ 5

People in all blue zones (except Adventists) drink alcohol moderately and regularly. Moderate drinkers outlive non-drinkers. The trick is to drink 1-2 glasses per day (preferably Sardinian Cannonau wine), with friends and/or with food. And no, you can’t save up all week and have 14 drinks on Saturday.

7. Belong

All but five of the 263 centenarians we interviewed belonged to some faith-based community. Denomination doesn’t seem to matter. Research shows that attending faith-based services four times per month will add 4-14 years of life expectancy.

8. Loved Ones First

Successful centenarians in the blue zones put their families first. This means keeping aging parents and grandparents nearby or in the home (It lowers disease and mortality rates of children in the home too.). They commit to a life partner (which can add up to 3 years of life expectancy) and invest in their children with time and love (They’ll be more likely to care for you when the time comes).

9. Right Tribe

The world’s longest lived people chose–or were born into–social circles that supported healthy behaviors, Okinawans created” moais”–groups of five friends that committed to each other for life. Research from the Framingham Studies shows that smoking, obesity, happiness, and even loneliness are contagious. So the social networks of long-lived people have favorably shaped their health behaviors.

Go to BlueZone.com for more information.

How I’m Wearing My Favorite Fall Staple | Camel Leggings

by Sonia Lovett | Oct 14, 2019 | Fashion

Every season I get excited to dust off some old favorites and this Fall is no exception. One of my favorite pieces in my wardrobe for fall/winter is these Ralph Lauren camel suede leggings that I got a few seasons past (on a discount of course!). I love to come up with fresh ways to keep them relevant and this season I will be bringing the ladylike back with a classic pussy-bow blouse! I’m keeping the look less stuffy by finishing it off with a cheeky printed bootie in contrasting print. It all works because we stay in the same color family, In this case, the camel and green tones feel very earthly. But you could certainly spice up the look with a hot pink pop like those amazing Paris Texas booties linked below! Let me know what you think!