Information On Healthy Living & Spiritual Life Balance-Healthy Lifestyle Living Blogs

HiVe

B@meladmin — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:26:46 +0000

For the last two months, I have been on a fund-raising adventure for my new business venture — HiVe. I went to Silicon Valley 3 times, and met with several VCs. I’ve met with Wealth Managers, friends, and individuals locally who want to invest too. It has been a fascinating experience. For someone like me who loves business, and has consulted major media companies over the years, it has been an eye-opening experience. Most of the VCs I met with in Silicon Valley were not interested in any business model, and did not want to talk about advertising or revenues, but rather how the business would scale. I was told “privately” many times…if only you were 17-years-old. That’s right…VCs are looking to invest in “idealist” seventeen-year-olds. The wealth managers and private investors were concerned about the return on their investment. I met many smart people along the way – they just had different points-of-view of what makes a good investment, and most of the VCs did not understand media nor cared to. As of now, we have about five groups who are interested in investing, and everyday brings a new sense of drama or excitement.

Nasty Cold?

B@meladmin — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:07:26 +0000

I have had a miserable cold for the past week. I had to go to bed for a couple of days just so that I could breath. I am not sure how I got sick, but I believe it could be due to a polluted pool I swam in. I am not used to being sick. As many of you know, I am a health nut…so it is strange not to feel full of energy and optimism. I am getting better slowly but surely. I have a double shot of wheatgrass and ginger juice everyday, which helps. The cold has moved into my chest so I am coughing now. No fun. What has been an inspiration is rediscovering some of our melslife content on teas and juices, which makes me feel better already.

Hawaii :: Instagrammed

B@Melissa — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 05:10:25 +0000

Hawaii is truly one of the most beautiful places with the most amazing fruit a girl could ask for.

must. go. back. soon.

Health Nut?

B@meladmin — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 23:15:03 +0000

I often get asked how I stay in shape. Many people know that I am a health nut. One of my key beliefs is that the fountain of youth is exercise. I swim 1.5 hours a day, 4 days per week, and 1 day (for 1.5 hours) focusing on weights, stretching, and aerobics. My other key belief is that one has to live their life in balance, and enjoy what’s available, but in moderation. My hobby is desserts…specifically breakfast-like cakes and pastries, and chocolate chip cookies. I am getting pretty good at cake too. Wherever I go, I sample. Usually I take just a bite, and if it is really good, a couple bites. I derive great pleasure finding a unique, high quality, and good tasting sweet. My healthy daily regiment is:

1 Tablespoon of NuttZo
1 Tablespoon of Lingonberry Preserves (I alternate every other month)
1 Tablespoon of Coconut Oil Homemade Mixture (1/3 Organic Almond Butter, 1/3 Organic Coconut Oil, 1/3 Organic Sunflower Seed Oil, 2 Organic Dark Chocolate Bars over 60% Cocoa), 8 ounces of Organic Raw Chocolate Nibs, 1/3 cup of Organic, Raw Coconut Flakes – mixture lasts at least 2.5 weeks for 2 people)
4 ounces of unfiltered, unpasterized Pomegranate Juice
Green Drink every morning M-F (Trader Joe’s mix, Unsweetened Almond Milk, healthy tablespoon of Toasted Wheatgerm, 1-2 tablespoons of organic Flaxseed oil)
Red Drink (Saturday & Sunday – Trader Joe’s mix, Almond Milk, Wheatgerm)
2 healthy tablespoons of homemade Fiber mixture
1 Fiber Cake (Trader Joe’s Blueberry) nightly (only 80 calories)
1 Emer-Gen-C Vitamin & Electrolite Package (after daily workout)
At least 6-8 cups of Yogi Green Tea

Morning Supplements (change monthly)
Bedtime Supplements (change monthly) & Baby Aspirin
Heavy focus on:
Omega-3s
Immune (mushrooms)
Blood Pressure

I know it looks a bit crazy, but it is actually fairly easy to execute on a daily basis, and I feel great. I actually look forward to all of the above.

Natural Products Show — Expo West

B@meladmin — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:16:41 +0000

The Natural Products Show West was an amazing show expertly managed by New Hope Media. There were hundreds of booths selling everything imaginable in the healthy living space. Many of the mom and pop businesses are now gone – gobbled up by larger, less personable companies – and this is disappointing. As a healthy living believer, I find it disconcerting that many of the founding companies (of the health movement) have been acquired and lost their heart and passion. I sampled many products, but few of the vendors truly knew about these products. They we just hired hands, and they offered no context. Like many mainstream conventions, the larger companies hired pretty girls/women to bring in customers. This seemed to contradict the earthiness and hipness of the healthy living movement. Even Whole Foods does not resort to these kinds of hiring gimmicks. There were a few mom and pop companies left, and I felt bad for them. They bought a booth on hope yet they do not seem to have the resources to secure distribution or be able to produce their products in any great quantity or with efficiency. One chocolate company I met proudly produces everything by hand. There is no way they could ever support themselves or even make a profit. The ingredient and overhead costs are too high and their margins are thin. The product was good, but not “wow” outstanding. I admire these people, but a little naivety only takes you so far. The other companies who began in this space figured out a way to scale and make a profit, and it took them years to do it. They also had passion and an underlying desire to grow the healthy living movement. It was not a business to them, but rather a lifestyle. That is why they were acquired.

New Business…Thank You

B@meladmin — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 19:07:07 +0000

The last several weeks have been crazy. While I have been successful in launching new businesses, I have never made VC pitches before. My new business needs to be strategically funded. Preparing for these meetings has been an amazing journey. I have been practicing my pitch for the last several weeks by showing people — in the entertainment media space — what I have developed. We have a terrific executive team. It’s been a good experience, and everyday, I am learning something new. The response has been tremendous. I do not think I have had a bad meeting – absolutely no negative comments in any of my pitches. Will my new business venture get funded? I hope so, but it’s hard to say. I am optimistic it will, but deals are like buses/trains…they come and go…A few days ago, melslife got hacked and we had to shut down for 3-4 hours. I apologize to all the users that could not get onto our site. We heard from many of you, and the volume of your response humbled me. Thank you.

Second Screen Solution?

B@meladmin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:54:48 +0000

I have been working on a new business project – a mobile app that provides a second-screen solution for people watching television. It has been an incredible 6 months trying to figure out how everything works – the technical specifications and interpreting how the creative works. Without the experience of building melslife, I never would have had the knowledge, understanding, or credibility to even attempt to jump into this new mobile world. melslife was built by several Indian companies and one U.S.-based company, and it took a little over a year to build and another 6 months to perfect. This app prototype took about 6 months to imagine, and another month to design and build. Technology is constantly changing. It felt like some days we were updating our technology – or way of looking at an issue – on a daily basis. Figuring out the user experience was one of the most difficult things to quantify. We combined content with technology to give the user a rich, exclusive, interactive experience. Now we have to raise capital. Within the next 2-3 months, we will know if our work paid off.

A Little Nashville

B@Melissa — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:26:01 +0000

Last year we went to Nashville, TN for my little brother’s high school graduation trip. Though I am constantly daydreaming of where to travel next, I figure that it’s probably a good idea to acknowledge the fabulousness that occurred while traveling last year. And thus, I bring you this post about Nashville—my brother’s most favorite city in the world (yes in the world—personally I would choose Paris or Rome, but by brother has a soft spot for grits and southern charm).

None of the contents of this cute little red basket were vegan, but as a foodie, I can appreciate a good looking piece of cornbread and a melt-in-your-mouth roll. The fam devoured them.

The best part about the south? Being served water in mason jars. BEST idea ever. I think that if water was served this way here, we would all drink more of it. Obvi.

The sign is for corn, yes, but I think we can all appreciate what’s really pictured—a true southern peach. Yum and yum…and more yum.

I love-am obsessed with-can’t live without-jam.

The trip was a good old fashioned southern good time filled with a lot of eating (of course) and some lovely sight seeing. The highlights of the trip are as follows:

1. Eating at The Wild Cow—an amazing vegetarian restaurant where my family enjoyed/devoured some of the best food we have ever had (that is saying a lot, by the way!).

2. Seeing the look of joy on my little brother’s face as he walked around his favorite place.

3. Discovering these amazing little hand-painted bowls with sparrows on them (if you didn’t know, I own a company called Little Sparrow Designs) from this amazing little store called Nest Interiors.

4. Experiencing southern hospitality at its finest—I have never ever seen such happy waiters and waitresses.

5. Getting to hear country music every which way I turned.

Nashville, I will be back!

Happy New Year from melslife.com!

B@Melissa — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 07:47:10 +0000

Happy New Year to everyone!!

The new year is always a good excuse for a fresh start. It feels good to have a clean slate health-wise and an excuse to eat healthy after truly over-indulging during the holidays.

DON’T do what most people do, though, and start the year off right, only to fall back into the same old same old. The best way to avoid this is to not be too extreme to start. If you have some bad habits, cut down slowly; if you eat too many sweets, first limit the amount you eat and then you can eliminate them completely for longer periods of time.

At melslife we always condone treats–who doesn’t want (or need) a treat from time to time?! The important thing is to get in the rhythm of being able to have treats once in a while and then bouncing back to a healthy diet. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll have no problem eating a cookie for dessert one night and applesauce the next.

The smoothie {pictured above} represents a fresh start. It’s the perfect combination of fresh and healthy to kick off a new year.

I made some resolutions, but I think I will save them for another post. For now, what are YOUR resolutions? SHARE BELOW!!

Until next time!

xo, Mel

Happy 2012

B@meladmin — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:19:37 +0000

Happy New Year. melslife is alive and well. This week we are adding dozens of melsReviews for your enjoyment. While I do not spend as much time as I used to on melslife, it is always fun to review the site and marvel at its growth. I love reading some of the emails we receive from around the world, and know – with some confidence – that we have made a difference in someone’s life. Many people make New Year’s Resolutions about their diet. The secret sauce is really quite simple – eat in moderation…as well as balance – avoid fried and processed foods. Your body knows calories in…and calories out. You need to be aware of hidden calories – all foods are not created equal. If you eat too much, you are going to have to exercise, which we recommend anyway. One of my secrets to maintaining my weight is that I consume lots of fiber – it fills me up. I still try to manage eating only 1500 calories per day. Some days I make it; others I don’t. This past holiday season, I indulged in too many chocolate chip cookies, rich foods, and holiday goodies. I was probably lucky to have consumed 4,000 or less calories – I threw caution to the wind, but today, I began my workout regiment and swam an hour and a half nonstop. I will loose those extra, few pounds in no time….hopefully.