RAW THOUGHTS

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” Buddha 

The most important relationship you will ever have is with yourself. So if you find yourself single this Valentine’s Day, embrace it and use the opportunity to connect with yourself on a totally new level. Focus on the positive aspects of flying solo. Find the beauty in solitude. Be brave. Treat yourself. Be completely selfish and enjoy the gift of having time just for you.  

Here are some great ways to show yourself some love on a date night for one.  

• Have a self-care day. Walk in nature. Take a bath. Meditate. Cook for yourself. Take one full day to just care for you with special products that make you smell good and feel good, music that lights your soul and food that nourishes you. 

• Take a new exercise class. Sign up for yoga, dance, pilates or a new cycling class. Try something different and embrace the challenge of moving in new ways.   

• Find a fun workshop, special event or take a cooking class. Trying new things and meeting new people may light a spark that lasts much longer than a day.   

• Get inspired. See art. Go to the theater. See a movie. Art inspires creative thinking and reminds you that we live in a big, beautiful world.  

• Movie Marathon: Snuggle up. Make popcorn, pick a couple of the Oscar contenders and watch the ones you missed.  

• Book a spa day. Getting a massage or a facial will do wonders for your soul. Hang out. Steam. Order a glass of champagne. You deserve it.  

• Do something kind for someone else. Plan to do something special for a neighbor or co-worker. Bake something sweet for friends.  Just showing some love to others is honoring your best self.  

• Sight see in your own town. Make a day of seeing all the sights in your own town you never get a chance to see. Book a table at the hottest restaurant. Take your camera with you for the full tourist vibes.  

• Give your bedroom a refresh. Why not spend a day making your room a prettier place to be? Buy some new bedding or pillows for the bed. An update in an instant uplift.  

• Table for one. Be brave. Eating alone can often feel awkward, but if you really embrace it, make an event out of it and savor it, it can be an incredibly powerful experience.  

• Buy yourself flowers. Your favorites. Bunches of them. You know what you like.  

• Give yourself a mini-makeover. Buy a new dress, go to the makeup counter for new spring colors and then go out for a cocktail at the swankiest bar in town.  

Whatever you do, remember, time alone can be empowering in your quest for the ultimate love affair — the one you have with yourself. Enjoy it.  

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Tips on reusing your Raw Sugar packaging. 

Using eco-friendly packaging is key to helping the environment but if you want to take your love for Mother Nature one step further, why not think about recycling and repurposing your Raw Sugar packaging?  It’s a great way to eliminate waste, cut down on plastic purchases and keep your home tidy and organized while you’re at it. 

Here are some room by room ideas on how you can put your used Raw Sugar Body Butter and Sugar Scrub containers to use. 

Kitchen:  

Use them to plant and grow small herbs for cooking.

Wrap them in burlap, tie a ribbon around it and plant succulents 

Keep loose pens and pencils contained. 

Wash containers and use for holding nuts, dried fruits or candy for the kids. 

Bathroom: 

Contain hair bands 

Toothbrushes and toothpaste holder 

Make up brush holder 

Office/Kids room: 

Pen and pencil holder

Paper clip holder 

Kids crayons or other art supplies such as paint brushes or pens and pencils 

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It’s time to make SPF your new BFF. If you’re not wearing sunscreen with some amount of SPF every day, you need to bring it in and make it a part of your high vibe tribe now.  SPF is like a bodyguard for your face. Just a bit every morning before you go out will help protect you from all the harm lurking in pollutants, the sun and prevent premature aging.   

With the depletion of the ozone layer, our risk of sun damage from harmful UV rays has increased exponentially. Research shows the daily use of an SPF 15 sunscreen can reduce your risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma by about 40%, and lower your melanoma risk by 50%.   

On top of skin’s actual health, using an SPF will help keep it looking healthy too. Daily use can prevent premature aging caused by the sun, including wrinkles, sagging and age spots all making you look older and less vibrant. Make sure you use it even when the sun’s not out, the UVB rays are still present even in cold, windy, overcast weather.   

So who’s your friend now? SPF. Do not leave home without it.

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Dehydration is the devil. For real. Not getting enough h20 affects us in serious ways;  brain fog, headaches, nausea, fatigue, dry and dull skin, loss of elasticity, stress on our vital organs  — and that’s just to name a few. So why is it so hard to drink more water? If you’re like most people, you probably just forget.  

If you’re serious about getting your skin to glow, your mind clear and want to operate at peak performance, keep a reusable glass or carafe on hand and play some creative games to trick yourself into getting more water in your day. It may just be the key to remembering to hydrate. Happy sipping! 

1. Every time someone sends you a text, take three sips of water. 

1. Every time you put on your Raw Sugar, take 3 big gulps of water. (Remember, it helps your skin to glow!) 

1. Every time you check your email messages, take four sips. 

1. Every time you sit down at your desk, or get up, drink five sips.   

1. Every time you make a phone call, drink a full glass. 

The focus on the health of our planet has never been greater. Between fires raging, animals on the verge of extinction, rainforest devastation and a vortex of over 1.8 trillion plastic pieces floating between California and Hawaii, the enormity of the situation and lack of solutions can feel overwhelming. The question becomes what can we do as individuals and how can we empower ourselves to help while living our day to day? With the idea that small consistent action produces epic results, what if we did one thing, consistently to be part of the solution? And, what if we got healthy while we were doing our part to keep the planet healthy?  

Some creative souls from around the globe have come up with ingenious ways to save the planet while getting in shape. Here are a few that are currently trending.  

Plogging: Plogging is really jogging, and picking up litter while you’re doing it. The trend started in Sweden and has since gone global. People have been seen Plogging in Southeast Asia, Japan and other countries around the globe. Why not start a Plogging group in your neighborhood?  

Strawkling: Strawkling is basically the act of snorkeling or diving while picking up plastic straws, bags and even discarded fishing lines that are causing so much harm to our sea life. Any plastic we can get out of our oceans and keep away from sea life is a big deal. If you’re a diver or snorkeler, starting a monthly clean up with your snorkeling or diving buddies could have a big impact.  

#TrashTag Movement: The #TrashTag movement is a social media effort to encourage picking up trash. Sharing it on social media will hopefully create a domino affect and inspire others to do the same. Way better than sharing pics of what you had for #dinner.  

Green Gym Movement: The Green Gym movement is a conservation effort for people who love to work outdoors and in nature. Green Gymers help trim trees and prune bushes in public parks, donating some free time to help the environment thrive.  

The scary fact is that by 2050, experts believe that there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Anything you can do to help keep our planet healthy while you get yourself healthy is a major step, swim or dive in the right direction. 

Trash talk is trending — in a good way. People all over the globe are looking for solutions to living more consciously and eco-friendly.  If you’re thinking about going waste-free, then we applaud you. It’s not the easiest route, but the staggering fact that every day 38,356,164 pounds of trash are dumped into our oceans and 8 million pieces of plastic pollution finds its way into our oceans is enough to make us all want to give up our single use conveniences and opt for a more conscious and earth friendly lifestyle.  

At home, we’re looking for solutions to leave a smaller footprint. Our parks and recreational areas are asking us to “leave no trace” and companies are constantly searching for ways to make packaging and products more healthy for our environment. For example, Raw Sugar bottles are made from 25% recycled plastics and bamboo tops. Formulas are made with plant-derived ingredients with no sulfates or parabens and items like bar soap are completely zero waste.   

If you need a few ideas on how to start producing less trash and more thoughtful action, here are some top tips to get you started. Thank you for being aware and conscious of our beautiful planet.       

Things to Give Up: 

• Plastic Straws
• Plastic, single use water bottles and soda bottles 
• Plastic food containers (Your body doesn’t want the BPA leaching into your food anyway) 
• Plastic utensils 
• Plastic bags and take out containers 
• Plastic toothbrushes
• Tossing food leftovers in the trash (see composting below!) 
• To-Go coffee cups 
• Plastic Tooth Floss 

Instead, Opt for: 

• Glass bottles and containers 
• Refillable water bottles 
• Reusable, or fabric bags 
• Bamboo toothbrushes and other brushes (They’re compostable!) 
• Buy in bulk, store in glass containers 
• Composting organic waste (organics can’t decompose in a landfill because they aren’t properly aerated. 20% of all methane emissions are from landfills. One of the best things you can do for the environment is compost your food scraps!)
• Coffee mugs instead of to-go cups 
• Silk floss instead of plastic coated tooth floss 

Ways to affect change: 

• If you can, start a home composting station or better yet, if you live in a multi-unit building, get your neighbors involved! 
• Participate in ocean or neighborhood clean up days
• Spread the word. Knowledge is power!

We love it as guac and on avocado toast. We love it for all the healthy fats and yummy creaminess when we eat it, but how can such an ugly fruit (yes, it’s a fruit) make us more beautiful? Here are some of the ways avocados benefit us from the outside in. 

• Avocados are full of natural oils that deeply penetrate the skin to nourish, soften and hydrate.  
• The hydrating properties in avocado may reduce help boost skin’s immunity against stress and other environmental factors such as pollution.  
• They contain a ton of antioxidants such as vitamins E and C that protect cells from free radical damage — one of the best anti-aging helpers.  
• Avocados contain lutein and carotenoid that promotes skin elasticity.  
• Oleic acid and chlorophyll found in avocados reduced redness and inflammation.  
• Vitamins B and E help protect hair from dryness and damage and may even control hair loss and repair scalp damage.  
• Vitamin E helps with fine lines and wrinkles. 

Empower yourself with more savings in 2020.  

Weekly savings planners are helping people cut corners, pay off debt and even save up for something nice.

We’ve all learned our lesson from the Tortoise and the Hare. Consistent, steady steps are the way to reach our goals.  This is especially true when it comes to stockpiling your savings. Small weekly contributions to a savings account can really add up and help you reach your goals, whether it’s paying off a credit card or saving for a vacation.  

Establishing a weekly savings plan is all about creating achievable, short-term goals that line up with your long term plans. Short-term goals allow you to see an immediate improvement which, in turn, increases motivation. Without short term goals, it can be easy to lose sight of what you’re working toward over the long term. 

So step 1, decide why you want to save. Step 2, figure out how much you want to save. Step 3, find a planner that aligns with those goals or make one of your own. Weekly savings planners come in all types, from bingo game savings challenges to simple savings charts. The internet is full of ideas and free downloadable charts to help you. Step 4, make your contributions faithfully. You can make it easier by setting up automatic transfers or find an app like Acorn that rounds up your purchases to and saves the difference, SoFi or Wealthfront that make it easy to save and invest straight from your smartphone.  

If you want to spend 2020 painlessly saving, think small steps that lead you to a bigger goal. Every week, you’ll feel a sense of satisfaction and pride at having set a little something aside for your future. Happy Saving!