Author: Ivonne Ackerman

We are constantly bombarded with images that propel couplehood during the holidays. We see couples buying their first Christmas tree, couples at holiday parties, and couples holding hands at the ice rink. We hear stories of couples visiting each other’s’ families and planning trips together. Who can forget all those advertisements on gifts for him and her?

However, there is that other side of the holidays; the side that makes it easy and fun to be a single girl underneath the mistletoe. The girl that is ready to mingle at those Christmas parties and take full advantage of her single status and freedom.

Here are ten reasons why you should not settle and why you should take full advantage of the fact that for the holidays, you can be a big Ho Ho Ho.

1. Although there seems to be a lot of people coupling up during the holidays, there is also that pool of eligible bachelors that are ready to make a trip to the hair salon, nail salon, or just your own blow dry efforts worth it. What was going to be another holiday party that you needed to make an appearance, is now the opportunity to meet a lot of men and take your pick of who is worthwhile of your time. You get to talk to the most handsome one, the cleverest one, or just get your flirt on which is always fun.  

2. Instead of spending money on a gift for him, you get to treat yourself and get that bag or those shoes you’ve always wanted. Hell, you can get that whole new outfit that is sure to turn heads at that famous holiday party.

3. Where do you want to go? Gather up your best single friends and head to a weekend getaway. Where do you want to ring in the New Year? There are tons of parties so take your pick.

4. You decide what you want to do at that party! Do you want to kiss that sexy guy that has been staring at you all night? Do you just want to dance? Or, do you want to do something more than involves candles and sex toys? The point is you decide.

5. If you just got out of a bad relationship or are heading towards another year solo, just think of all those days ahead that you get to dedicate to your wants and needs only. You can set up goals and dreams without having to think for two.  

6. It’s the perfect time to throw on those fishnet stockings and that tight strapless dress to head on a night on the town. The drinks will be flowing and the beats will be popping. Instead of another Netflix and Chill night on the couch, you will be discovering that new restaurant or hitting that cool bar.

7. This Christmas, maybe you get to go home to your family, but instead of all that pressure on when you will get married, you get to just enjoy your family time and see your old friends. You can enjoy your time without worrying about whether your significant other is okay or if he is feeling uncomfortable talking to your intense uncle.

8. Remember that ice rink I was talking about? Instead of lame date nights, you get to go out with friends and just enjoying being single, enjoy being hit on, enjoy rejecting men that think they are all that, enjoy going home whenever you want, staying out too late, or going to that second bar.  And guess what? You get to wake up whenever you want to the next day and enjoy the hangover solo. Who cares if you look like shit? Order in, veg on the couch, and recall how much fun you had last night.

9. You get to use the song “Santa Baby” as the background for the new, exciting sex you can have. Whole new positions, whole new chemistry. There will be no been there done that, but a whole new experience that is sure get start those juices flowing.

10. Instead of being in a bad relationship, or with the guy you could have settled for, you will have the freedom to choose to either meet new men, work on yourself, get to the place you want to be in at work, or simply have the hope that the guy that is worth it is out there and you are not tied down by some loser. You are free to let someone worth it in. In the meantime you get to do whatever you want, have a lot of fun, and Ho it up this Christmas.

I always knew I was lucky to have grown up with you by my side.

We were inseparable, having grown only one year apart. We had the same tastes and liked to play the same games. Our favorite one was playing house. 

As we grew older, we only grew closer. Having the same friends and going to the same parties. You were there for me during my heartbreaks and I was there holding your dress’s train at your wedding.

I moved 3,000 miles away, chasing my dreams but leaving a huge part of me behind with you.

It tore me to pieces to be away from you this year, while you were really pregnant for the first time. We always imagined we would have children together and re-enact our childhood, although this time for real. I guess the universe had different plans.

So for this holiday season, I would like to give you 10 coupons for you to use after the baby is born. You will be a first time mom and I will be miles away from you. Miles away from how we thought it would be when we were two ten-year olds playing dress up and wishing we were grown up already.

1. Free manicure and pedicure. I am sure you will have your hands full and sorry to implicate your hubby on this, but next time it’s his turn to take care of the baby, please escape and pamper yourself. This one is on me.

2. Free hand-me-down outfit. You know that dress I have that you always liked? Well, congratulations for getting your post-baby bod back, here it is for you to keep.

3. Free babysitting. The first item on my agenda on my next visit home is a full day of babysitting. Say you’re welcome to the hubby, he gets his date night and I get to experiment with my first time ever aunt role.

4. Your favorite meal delivered to your door. I know I am away, but I can send you your favorite meal from your favorite restaurant. Thank you Seamless.

5. You’ve got mail! You will receive a New Mom gift through the mail. There is so much to choose from and I know you so well. You will be dying for that new book on parenting or maybe that new book on how to keep your relationship sizzling after giving birth, which reminds me…

6. A Victoria Secret’s gift card. I know you have to wait a couple of months, but I’m sure you want to remind HIM of how hot you use to make those bedroom sheets.

7. One Hour Skype Session. I know how much you loved my stories and my adventures of living far away from home. I will regal you with my tales for one hour while you bounce the little one on your lap. I know there will be interruptions, but I will patiently wait and stare through the computer screen seeing you so at home in your new role!

8. One Recommended Movie Night. I know you won’t have a lot of time to go to the movies, well with your hands so full for the first time. So that one night you get away, it has to count. I will go to the movies as much as possible and recommend the perfect one that I know you will enjoy. That perfect flick that will provide a much needed break from your new life.

9. She’s already 1 year old and I will do all the party planning. You get to relax a year from her birthday. I will plan the party for you. Please sit back and enjoy!

10. This one is a free one. I am sure after the first few months you will know more of what it takes to be a brand new mother. You will be exhausted and sleepless. I am sure you will come up with 1,000 ideas on how you want to use this freebie.

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Ah the holidays, nothing like that festive spirit all around you. The Nutcracker music playing wherever you go, twinkling Christmas lights as far as the eyes can see, the potential of snow on the ground, the abundance of holiday markets that transforms spaces, and the most striking, incredibly elaborate, Christmas Art that can be found in many shop windows.

However, with the holiday season comes a challenging time for a girl that likes her routine. You see a routine makes it easy to be healthy and easy to schedule in that much needed fitness time. During this time of the year there are temptations at every corner and it can be very easy to stray from a typical healthy routine. Everywhere you look there are holiday parties and holiday treats.

Since many people take time off work for the holidays, the weeks leading up to them can be filled with more tasks that need to be done, which means less time to focus on a health regimen and workout plan. Even more, the infectious holiday spirit makes it is easy to eat things that you normally don’t eat i.e. sweets and breads. Also, the typical person consumes more alcohol than usual.

So raspberry truffles, gingerbread cookies, and wine galore, here are some super easy ways to counteract the effects this holiday can have. Not only are they easy healthy choices, but all of them can have the desirable holiday spin!

1. Drink Tea. Make your own holiday custom tea blends (which can serve as gifts too!). You can make your own herbal teas using high quality organic herbs that have endless benefits. You can buy organic herbs online or at health food stores and create recipes such as the one below. The organic peppermint leaf supports digestion by helping to break down fats and reduce bad cholesterol.

Holiday Tea Recipe: Peppermint leaf, hibiscus flowers, rosehips, dried orange peel, cinnamon bark

2. Detox  every morning. The easiest healthy thing to do every morning is to drink warm water with fresh lemon. It is a great way to detox every day! While you are heating that water up and slowly sipping your concoction you can throw on some holiday tunes. This will elevate your spirit and you will start the day off on a happy foot. During the holiday season I love waking up and getting ready for work while listening to Spotify’s Christmas playlists. Favorites like Madonna’s Santa Baby, Brenda Lee’s Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, and Michael Bublé’s All I Want for Christmas  Is You, will make daily stressors way less stressful.

3. Drink a  lot of water. You’ve probably heard how important this one is. However, during this time of the year it is even more important. There will be a lot of Holiday parties, which goes hand in hand with a lot of holiday drinking. Drinking a lot of water will counteract the effects of alcohol and diminish the next day hangover. Why not do something as simple as drink water, if it means not waking up feeling like a truck ran over you?

4. Take a  break with constructive relaxation. Get into the plank pose while watching holiday movies. My favorites are Elf, Home Alone 2, The Santa  Clause, and Love Actually. I will take turns watching Will Ferrell navigate the streets of New York while spreading holiday cheer while holding plank for 1 minute sessions. There are many variations to choose from, side plank, forearm plank, straight-arm plank…This changes the whole Netflix and Chill dynamic but all it takes is a few minutes of your time and you are guaranteed to feel better by the time England’s Prime Minister Hugh Grant gets jumped on by his flame.

5. Consume  healthy treats. There’s a ton of Christmas recipes that are healthier alternatives that still taste amazing, remind us of our childhood, yet we feel good knowing they are made with better ingredients for that rockin’ holiday bod we are trying to maintain. So go ahead and splurge on Raw Chai-Spiced Cookies, Almond Flour Coconut Sugar Bars, and Flourless Brownies.  

6. Remain  Active. Instead of spending the weekend doing some Chillin’ and Netflixing or HBO Ho Hoing, maybe go ice-skating (if you live in a place like New York) or ride a bike through endless streets and admire all the different Christmas decorations and lights around you (if you live in a place like California).

7. Do it  downward dog style. Create your own yoga flow at home to Christmas music. Good holiday songs to downward dog in can be found in the Yoga Pop Ups Christmas Volumes 1 & 2. You can be flowing next to your Christmas tree and you can create your own ambience by lighting up those red and green candles.

8. Keep on  singing and dancing. There is no time like the holidays to sing along to those Christmas songs you’ve known your whole life and mix it up with some rockin’ choreography. This is my personal recipe to remain merry and bright and we all know that a happy self is a healthy self.

Check out my website for more fitness tip and healthy doses of inspiration!

“One day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted. Do it now??? (Paulo Coelho). 

As I approach my 30th birthday and reflect over the past decade of my life, I conclude that the biggest lesson I’ve learned this past year is this:

It is possible to coast through life and not have control of anything that happens to you.

Of course, I arrived at this big lesson out of fear of turning 30.

It is easy to become a passive bystander waiting on the sidelines; waiting for a big break, for something to change, for things to get better. 

On the flip side, it is also possible to take an active role in your life and reach for the things you want. It is ultimately one’s choice.

It is fitting that I learned this lesson this past year since I scrambled to squeeze in or start achieving more of my life goals into this decade before approaching a new era.

Time had flown by and before I could blink twice, I was 29. I quickly learned, out of fright, what from this moment on will be called The Lesson. 

I made a promise to myself that I would take charge of my life and make active decisions every day. Because it is VERY easy for life to pass you by. 

I believed, and still do, that in order for me to take a real active role and never the passive one, I would have to live mindfully every day and be present in every moment. 

I would have to work towards one of my goals every day, even if it was a small step. Something, anything, every single day.

To celebrate my 30th birthday, I gathered 30 sayings and lessons I’ve learned. 

Some can be considered clichés and some I’ve heard (not learned) for as long as I can remember, however, all of them I’ve proven to be true, I try to live by, I’ve taken to heart, they need to be repeated, and I can no longer ignore if I want to live an active life.

30 Lessons by 30

1. The Lesson: Only you can decide whether you want to coast through life or actively participate in it.

2. It is easy to get stuck in what is comfortable, even though there is so much out there waiting for you.

3. Your values, lessons, and the way you were brought up make you who you are today. Don’t forget them but choose your own path and not one other people want you to choose. It can be easy to try and please everyone but yourself. Make your own choices AND take responsibility for them. It is YOUR life.

4. You are responsible for your own happiness and creating your own path.

5. Be grateful for everything you have and everything that you are. It can be easy to overlook when you are constantly trying to achieve more.

6. Don’t sweat the small stuff. My mom bought me this book when I was fifteen years old. I never paid attention to it and instead drowned in my teenage sorrows. Now I realize how much truth there is in it.

7. You are way stronger than you think you are. Life will throw curve balls at you and YOU will overcome them.

8. When a hardship confronts you, you can decide to be resilient, learn from it and move on.

9. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. It is of the utmost importance to always have faith.

10. You can work each day or each week toward achieving a goal. This can make turning any age seem less daunting.

11. It is easy to say what you want to do; it is very hard to actually do it.

12. You can embrace your past mistakes and decide that they made you who you are today. Someone better.

13. You can never learn enough. Ask for advice, read a book, take a class.

14. You can learn a lot from other people, whether it’s from biographies or from face to face interactions.

15. Do not leave for tomorrow what you can do today. Getting started is the hardest part.

16. Exercise is an integral part of life. It does not only make you physically fit but emotionally and spiritually fit as well. It is medicine and it is imperative.

17. Everyone has a passion. You can decide to do something with it.

18. Physically smiling can brighten your day and make any day better.

19. Time heals all wounds. This too shall pass. I was told this repeatedly when I was younger and nursing many heartbreaks; I wish I could’ve told my younger self how much truth is in that statement.

20. Enjoy every minute of the day if you can. Time really does fly by.

21. Happiness can be found in the little things in life: taking a new fitness class, coffee from your favorite coffee shop, cozying up with a good book, a phone call from one of your favorite people on earth, eating avocado toast while writing, catching an impromptu act on the subway from really talented break dancers, catching up with people that make you smile, etc.

22. You can find opportunities all around you and from the least expected places.

23. In the work place and in your personal life, you have to ask for what you want.

24. It is easy to get trapped in your own life and bubble when you are going through hard times and not realize there is so much happening around the world. Get out of your own head.

25. There is truth in the saying Fake it ‘till you make it.

26. Being a confident person is one of the most attractive qualities you can have.

27. Never underestimate kindness and the importance of never judging others.

28. Family is everything. They are the one constant in this life and the people that will ALWAYS be there for you.

29. Jack Dawson’s toast: To making it count sums up many of my birthday lessons. You only get one life, so you better make it a good one.

30. There will never be enough lessons…

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