Despite being a yoga devotee, Im always looking for new workouts to mix in, particularly ones that get me outside. One of my favorites is the Santa Monica Stairs – both the steep, shaded concrete set at 4th & Adelaide and the wider, wooden set a few blocks East (which offers much more of a scene – I once saw a man walking on his hands down the entire flight). The wooden set has 170 stairs and it takes about 1 hour to complete 20 circuits. I approximate my caloric burn for this at 600-700 calories, the same as a 6 mile run. [lightbox link="http://www.seriousdesigner.com/erinsykes/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/stairway.jpg" thumb="http://www.seriousdesigner.com/erinsykes/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/stairway.jpg" width="2400" align="center" title="stairway" frame="true" icon="image"] Not only are the stairs scenic, but they’re open ‘round-the-clock and are they’re free – so much better than a typical gym (ugh, can’t bear to say the word). No matter where you live, bet there is a set close by (think your local high school stadiums!)
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Erin Sykes
NATURAL BEAUTY
Despite significant effort, there have been few truly luxurious, all-natural skin care lines that successfully combine effectiveness and responsibility. Two shining stars, however, are ARCONA Skin Care, a spa brand from Los Angeles and Intelligent Nutrients, a relatively new line from Horst Rechelbacher, the founder of AVEDA. [lightbox link="http://www.seriousdesigner.com/erinsykes/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/arcona.jpg" thumb="http://www.seriousdesigner.com/erinsykes/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/arcona.jpg" width="180" align="left" title="arcona" frame="true" icon="image"] ARCONA has upgraded all-natural, small-batch formulation to include ultra-high concentrations of antioxidants, plant lipids and extracts, sea vegetables, essential oils, vitamins, and minerals. These actives are then cold-pressed to maintain freshness (just think about the LA juicing craze) and the processed using chirally correct technology in order to minimize allergic reactions and enhance effectiveness at a molecular level. [lightbox link="http://www.seriousdesigner.com/erinsykes/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/arcona2.jpg" thumb="http://www.seriousdesigner.com/erinsykes/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/arcona2.jpg" width="156" align="right" title="arcona2" frame="true" icon="image"] Intelligent Nutrients is a ‘global apothecary’ line offering USDA Certified Organic skin care, hair care, lip care, baby care, pet care, love therapy, and functional foods. All Intelligent Nutrients products are created using 100% renewable energy and are 100% food based, safe, and non-toxic. The core of both the skin care and the functional food line is ‘Intellimune’ antioxidant blend formulated with cold-pressed seed extract to create a super-supplement that fights off free radicals and inflammation, protects health cellular activity and growth, and helps thwart premature aging and disease in the process.