Diet vs. exercise

I used to be loyal to my workout times. I'd be at gym at least 3 times a week, joined bootcamps and run when I could. Last year when I started the blog I stopped and it wasn't a priority for me anymore. I didn't take time at all. One thing I did do was try to eat healthy. I attended nutrition workshops, and read books about healthy eating and changed most of the seasoning and cooking products at home.

This year (actually, December of last year) I got tired of having celery for breakfast, green juices and following all the healthy rules. I continue to cook healthy meals but I went back to drinking coffee (with cream to be exact) and slowly started breaking adding what some would call "bad habits" to my diet. 

I know I should be doing both eating healthy and working out but when you can't (or don't want to) do one you must push for the other. This is why I started working out again. I joined a new gym a month ago and have been following my goal of 2-3 times a week plus the hubby and I got bikes and started riding this weekend.

How was your weekend? Did you start making changes to improve your health or to look and feel better this year?

Cleaning products that make me happy!

I love to organize things and keep stuff in place (Neat freak? Maybe!) but one thing that I don't enjoy is cleaning. Seriously. I don't like sweeping the floor, and cleaning the bathroom but in the end I have to do it because I don't like being dirty either. My sister suggested two products that have improved my desire to clean because they make my life much easier.

The Swiffer Sweeper Dry Sweeping Cloth Refills is the best thing ever to pick up dust and all my fallen hair. I use one sweeping sheet two times every week and follow up with the broom for small leftover dirt.

The other product that recently made me happy is Mr Clean Magic Eraser Bath Scrubber. I had tried a few things on my bathtub and even my Mom (cleanest women ever) had given up on the stained tub, but this product really worked for me. It's a real magic eraser.

Do you use these products? Are you attached to cleaning products that make your busy life easier?
Share your thought below. Cheers!

Goodbye 2013 and Happy New Year!

What a faaaabulous yearrr! 2013 was great from starting the blog (yes, Cheers! Cristalia will be 1 year in a few weeks) to making new friends, attending design and bloggers conferences, guest blogging at MyFriendBettySays.com, traveling to Hawaii, San Francisco, visiting new places in my gorgeous Dominican Republic (stay tuned for this post), working with great brands, redesigning the site and much more!

In 2014, the plan is to keep growing Cheers! Cristalia focusing more on fashion and home decor posts and to continue to work with great brands.

I wish you all the very best in this New Year. Health, joy and peace!

Love & Cheers! -Cristalia

Christmas Traditions

I usually set up the tree, lights and Christmas decor during early November because it's my favorite time of the year but by the time Santa Claus comes, I'm ready to start packing and organizing my apartment to regular mode.

Yesterday, I asked throughout my social media if you removed holiday decorations after Christmas or after the new year and most of you (if not all) said after Three Kings Day (Three Wise Man Day) on January 6th. It was good being reminded of this Spanish and Latin American tradition but even me being latina, and having grown up in DR, I must say that I am confused and that maybe we should stick to one tradition and give all gifts on Three Kings Day and not on Christmas Day or vice versa.

I'd love to hear more about the traditions you follow at home during the holidays. Please share them in a comment.

I'll try to figure this out before we are ready to start growing the family and passing on traditions but for now, I'll stick to starting the new year with everything back to normal and begin tidying up the home and 2014 goals list.

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Hola from the Dominican Republic!

Hola! I am writing this post from the Dominican Republic. My first home. The country I was born in and where I spent most of my childhood. This beautiful crazy place that I adore. :)

My husband and I came for our parents birthdays and we'll also be traveling to a few places we've never been to. Follow me on Instagram (Instagram.com/CheersCristalia) to see our adventure!

Adios & Cheers!


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Beauty And The Beast: New Hair Style

A week ago I was feeling stressed. I stressed because I had a thousand things on my to-do list before I traveled. I stressed because I wanted to feel prepared for my trip and I wasn't. I cried because even thought my hair needed a serious trim, I wanted it to be long, to stay as it was because it made me feel as myself. Sexy. Cool. Confident. It was part of my personality and I was happy because it was the longest it's been in years.

As I got up from the client chair at the hair salon I couldn't believe how short my hair was - I didn't feel like me. I was lost but told myself to be strong so I paid the bill and didn't look back in the mirror. I walked home with tears flowing down my face (good thing it was dark outside) and when I arrived, I complained to the husband and continued to cry. I made my way to the bathroom to clear my face and when I took a second look in the mirror I cried harder because my hair was much shorter than I thought it was.

The following day I realized that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I started to feel terrible because my hair isn't as long as I wished it was but there are people out there who have lost it all because of cancer treatment. So I decided to get over my issue and try to embrace my new hair style.

My new hair cut

Pamper yourself every day and do things you enjoy. Love yourself. Give thanks for everything. Enjoy life as it is with the perfect and the not-so-perfect things.

Have you had a similar experience with your hair or other beauty routines? Share it in a comment.

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My Bonlook!

I walked around with a new eye prescription for 3 weeks before deciding if I should get new eyewear or use the same frame I had for years. I then remembered about Bonlook.com - a site I came across years ago.

Prior to ordering, I visited a few opticals and searched online (as usual) and while I was really liking a few Ray-Ban styles I ended up with a Bonlook pair not only because they are very affordable and stylish but because their reviews are great all over the web.

My first step was to use their "Virtual Stylist" feature. They created a personalized video and recommended these four eyeglasses.

I also used the Virtual Try-on feature and tested a few other styles I liked.

Finally, I decided to place my order and I am extremely happy with the Honeybadger. All their eyewear has anti-reflective and scratch resistance protections and it's all included in their fixed $99 price and free shipping. Can it get better than that?! What do you think? Have you used Bonlook.com? Share your thoughts in a comment.

Rockin' my new eyeglasses!

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A Short Guide...

Here's some visual inspiration and advice from Lil Blue Boo, a blog I've been following for years now. This short guide to a happy marriage can be applied to all relationships in your life. For me, it's a guide to being a happy person. Click here to download the printable version »

It's Friday - Cheers!

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Someone is Getting Old and Grumpy...Happy 27th Birthday to me!

I decided to visit the allergist a few weeks ago and during my first visit I discovered that my body has an allergic reaction to dust mites, yeast and mold. Last week, during my second visit and a deep allergy and breathing test, I was told that I am allergic to cats and dogs. After two weeks of "I need to avoid eating this and that" I am already sick of it because on top of having to watch what I eat (no beer, wine, cheese, bread, sweets...the list goes on.), I get to swallow a daily pill for the allergies.

So yes, today is my birthday and I am getting old and grumpy. I could have a piece of a coconut layer cake, like the one I made a while back, but I'll try not to. Cheers to a healthier me and and more birthdays and awesome years like this past one. Here is a recap of many great things I captured on Instagram during my 26th year on planet Earth.

Celebrate your birthday every day!
Try to live by that Holstee poster in my living room.
Change is good.
First time I voted! For Obama - of course!  

Started CheersCristalia.com, designed jewelry and gave it away.
Got awesome temporary tattoos.
Traveled to new places: Hawaii & San Francisco.

Learned to dance ballet. My niece Zayra was born.
Attended a professional tennis game for the first time.
Got brave and decided to draw and share my art.

Baked pumpkin pie & coconut layer cake.
Sew a pillow for my living room.
Be thankful for everything, every day & everyone in your life.

I am so glad I shared these on Instagram because I get to look back and see that I had a very happy year even when I wasn't feeling like it as I started to write this post. I can now say I celebrated my birthday all year by doing things that made me happy.

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I'm a ballet dancer!!!...a ballerina.

I have been anxiously waiting for my ballet shoes and leotard and finally got a chance to pick them up at the post office. The best part is that I also attended the absolute beginner class at the Ailey Extension. I thought ballet would be tough and that my feet would hurt today but they are perfectly fine.

Ballet is such a graceful dance! :)

I never had the chance to learn ballet as a little girl so when I realized that I could take classes at the Ailey Extension about a month ago, I didn't hesitate to register for my first class, order shoes and a cute leotard from Amazon. Cheers to ballet!

Me in Ballet Shoes!

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Goodbye Google Reader. Hello Flipboard.

Everyone seems to be talking about Google Reader going away on July 1st. That leaves those of us that use the tool wondering which is the best tool out there to replace it. I don't have the answer but I'll provide a few options.

Some bloggers use bloglovin' and Feedly (I already use those) but there is one other tool that I haven't seen anyone mention. Flipboard works somewhat like Feedly but I've been using it for a long time and it's where I decided to save my Google Reader feeds.

If you want to be safe and, if you have accounts in all of the above, why not save your google feeds to all three? I am a little hesitant on exporting my feed to all three but would like to hear your thoughts and plans. Share them in a comment below.

Goodbye Google Reader. I will miss you.

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Cheers from San Francisco!

I am writing today's post away from home. It's 6:22 AM in San Francisco, CA and I am such a morning person that I am up and ready at the Starbucks Coffee line. The rare thing here is that I just got a bottle of water and an apple. Not hungry nor feeling the need for coffee. 

The reason for my trip is the HOW Design Live Conference. I am blessed with an amazing day job that  is paying for it. Fortunate to work for a company - and have a boss - that care for their employees growth. 

I arrived yesterday and headed straight to the hotel. Setup my stuff and walked to the conference at Moscone West. It's rainy and humid here so I am not very pleased with that because my walk is about 10 minutes. Yes, that's coming from a New Yorker that's used to walking a lot! 

But let me tell you that I am very happy to be here. The opening keynote last night was Austin Kleon, he taught us how to steal like an artist and my take on his talk is this:

Nothing is original because everything is inspired by something else (even if you don't think it is) so, go ahead and make something. Make art. If you think something should be different change it. Do the things that make you happy in life and good things will come. And finally, fake it 'till you make it. Pretend to be what you want to be, or how you want to be, and you'll eventually get there. 

One last thought to those of you who think that art is just designing, painting and drawing, art is whatever you make and connects you to other people. This I learned from Seth Godin's book 'The Icarus Deception' that I just finish reading last week. Do recommend it to anyone.

Happy Monday!

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Judging books by covers...

People say don't judge a book by it's cover, meaning that content is what's important. I agree. What I don't agree on is that as a designer and visual person that I am, I'll be choosing a book with a bland cover from the bookstore shelves.

Most of the books I read are on my Kindle, but I still visit Barnes and Nobles at least once a month and wonder around thinking about what I'll be reading next. A well designed book cover will definitely be picked up by my hands and even if it isn't added to my reading list, it accomplished the designers goal.

Last year I read many novels-including the Hunger Games and the Grey series (Wink, wink) and what made me read them was definitely the buzz that every women I know was already reading the book. That's a proof that content is key but I also want to make the point that content could be discovered by an awesome cover.

One of my goals for this year is to read 12 books and below are some book covers I liked and made the books part of my reading list. Enjoy and feel free to share what you are currently reading in a comment below. Also, please share your thoughts on the books below if you have already read them.

Cheers!

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Best of Oahu, HI

Aloha! This time not from Hawai'i but from my apartment's living room in New York. Depressing? VERY...I miss Hawaii. What is it about vacation, or maybe coming back to work, that makes us feel sooo miserable? I honestly don't know but, third day in the office and I'm feeling sick.

Alright, enough with the complaining. I've been telling myself all day to stop whining and I am doing just that. Let's cheer up with some highlights of my lovely travel to a Hawaiian island.

Oahu is a fantastic place. The rest of the Hawaiian islands are still on my list of places to visit but for now I am checking off Oahu from the list, and recommending my favorite things from that amazing little island.

The Guide: Discover, Honolulu, Waikiki, & Oahu from +Lonely Planet 

This is the first travel guide I've bought and it was perfect.
It's organized by sections (Honolulu, Waikiki, North Shore, Windward Corast, etc.)
which made it really easy to plan every day.

Best Beach: Waimanalo Beach Park.

Beautiful clear water and perfect sand. We visited Waimanalo on a rainy day and it still turned out to be my favorite.

Best Hike: Koko Head.

Aloha from the top of Koko Head! You will get the best workout from hiking to the top of 
this inactive volcano crater. At one point I thought about crawling my way to the top - that's how good it was.

Best Food: Shrimp Scampi from Giovanni's Shrimp Truck.

I don't have words to describe how good this Shrimp Scampi tasted. Giovanni's truck is located on the North Shore of Oahu. Surrounded by many more food trucks all selling delicious seafood but Giovanni's Shrimp was the best shrimp I've ever had...ever.  The shrimp is cooked and served with the shell - I believe that's one of the tricks of such deliciousness but a real hassle when hungry.

Best Dessert: Haupia (coconut) Malasada from Leonard's Bakery

Ooh, yum! This portuguese-style doughnut was the perfect dessert.  Obsessed with coconut I had to order the haupia filling but I've heard the chocolate one is delicious too. 

Best Entertainment: Hula Show in Kuhio Beach. 

Great free Hula show in Waikiki. One of my favorite Hawaiian things is the Hula dance because it's composed of  harmonious wave-like movements. Very peaceful. 

Have you been to a Hawaiian Island? Share your favorite travel foods, beaches, and hikes in a comment below. Mahalao (thank you) & cheers to more vacations!

The hubby & I at Lanikai Beach (North Shore) . My favorite, perfect fit bikini from +Ann Taylor find it here.

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lavender love for the body and home...

Happy April 1st! The months are flying by and I am getting happier each day because the weather is getting warmer in NYC and the flowers and trees will start blooming any minute. 

I've been obsessed with flowers all Winter. First I got a bunch of Gerberas, then a Pascua plant that my husband got me in December (still red and bold.) My latest one is a Lavender plant I got at Trader Joe's. I like this one because it transmits peace and harmony plus the tiny purple flower strands are delicate and romantic.

I love lavender because it's an aromatic plant. Everyday products are infused with lavender oils and the best part is that with this plant at home I don't miss burning candles and oils because it smells so good around her.

To start April with a new color (Bye, bye emerald.) I decided to put together a list of lavender products that I already have at home and love.

1. GapBody perfume in Lavender Tea. I got this one at a Gap store on sale more than three years ago and I rarely used it until a few months ago. I enjoy this scent because it is light for everyday use. (Must say, I also like the simple branding on the package and bottles.)
2. L'occitane's lavender hand cream. This one is really good, great reviews all over. I loved it because it kept my hands soft and hydrated for a while plus I got it for free with a purchase. A better deal for a lavender cream/lotion is Trader Joe's Spa Lavender Hand & Body lotion.  This one is perfect to have at your desk.
3. Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Fabric Softener in Lavender. I like this product because it's delicate on fabrics and claims to be gentle to planet earth.
4. Another natural home care product that I've had for a long time is the J.R WATKINS window cleaner in Lavender scent. This one uses natural lavender and rosemary oil and as all the other products above has a soothing scent. 

There is one more product that I didn't include in my visual board below but that my mom used for years in the Dominican Republic. The Mistolin all purpose cleaner in lavender. I currently use this product at home to clean my non-wood floors in the kitchen and bathroom. This one really gives any place a clean lavender scent. It smells like home to me. :)

The April color of the month at CheersCristalia.com is lavender. Each week I'll be creating a new post all in Lavender.

Cheers!

Click here for more lavender posts >>

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app review: fitness time!

Yes! I've been extremely lazy for the past winter months and it's now time to get back on track. I'll be using the Nike+ Training app with the sensored sneakers that I got last August as a birthday gift from my husband. At first, I was really excited and I immediately followed the program and loved it for one month. Then came Fall and Winter and I stopped exercising...again (this happens every year).

When I started training with the app, I was really into the program for many reasons:
1. It really works.
2. I was going on vacation in three weeks
3. I enjoy exercising because it makes me feel great.
5. Affordable fitness on the go
4. Who doesn’t love to look great? ;)

My goal here is to follow the 4 weeks program and share my experience at the end. At the same time  I'll be passively forcing myself to follow through.

 If you want to join me and train along, here’s what you'll need:

• iPhone or Android device.
• Nike+ Training app (Free).
• Nike Sneakers with sensor.
• A very affordable option is to get the Nike+ Training Club app that does not require sensored sneakers.

Select a Program to workout 3, 4 or 5 days per week for four weeks.

When I did this back in September, I started with the advanced program (5 days) just because I was already training with other programs at home and running a few times per week.

Tomorrow, I will start with the intermediate program (4 days per week) and at the end I will share my achievements.

I really hope you can start getting fit with me but if not, come cheer me along the way.

Note: If you are starting to train with this or any other fitness program make sure you track your progress by writing down your weight and dimensions (bust, waist & hips ) when you start and every two weeks.

Do you exercise with an app? Share your favorite fitness apps below.

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my panera card...

On Friday, as I walked out of the subway station, I decided to go grab a cinnamon crunch bagel from Panera Bread.

The lovely lady at the register asked for myPanera card and I hand it over. To my surprise, she said that I could order a free expresso drink or smoothie until... I don't remember what date. So I said: I'd love to get a latte!

I got the free myPanera card a few months ago, and didn't expect to get more than points but I've already received free pastry (last month) and an expresso drink.

I don't know about you, but this is the most I have received from points or rewards cards besides Sephora samples, of course.

What is your favorite rewards card? Post it in a comment below.

Happy Monday!

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