RiverJournalOnline.com Articles

And Then It Was Over...

am@littleblackdresspt.com (Anne Marie Constanzo) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 22:04:50 GMT

Italy was exactly what one would expect it to be… beautiful scenery, beautiful language, and beautiful food! The vivid images I'm able to bring to mind of coastal towns perched on mountainside cliffs peppered with purple flowers and lemon trees growing lemons the size of my head, help me as I stand here on my terrace, overlooking the destruction and ugliness of death that has consumed my once alive and blossoming plants.

Summer is indeed over.

Off to Italy...

am@littleblackdresspt.com (Anne Marie Constanzo) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:11:59 GMT

… to indulge in all things pasta, wine and cured meats!

Vacation time has finally arrived and Little Black Dress and LuckeYou (which is the name of my husband's business) are off to eat our way through Italy for two weeks.

So don't venture off too far, I'll be back to blog about all things Italy and maybe I'll even pack my sneakers and take a video blog jog through the winding streets of Florence!

I hope everyone enjoys the last few remaining weeks of summer and I'll be back after Labor Day!

Buon giorno!

Pay Attention to Your Posture

am@littleblackdresspt.com (Anne Marie Constanzo) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:50:04 GMT

Everyone knows that good posture can make you look confident and self-assured. It can also keep you healthy as you age, and that’s why it’s so important. However, with so many people stuck in office jobs, constantly sucked into their computer screens, more and more people are suffering from low back pain, breathing problems, pinched nerves, fatigue and many other degenerative occurrences. So how do you know if you’re one of them?

I'm Just Not a Morning Person

am@littleblackdresspt.com (Anne Marie Constanzo) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:41:10 GMT

So I woke up this morning at the crack of dawn, which for me is 6:30, and being well-known as an anti-morning person, this is a struggle for me. (I enjoy my sleep tremendously.) So there is all sorts of crankiness, mutterings under my breath and a total sense of annoyance encompassing me as I stumble into the bathroom… my usual early morning fanfare.

Energy Boosting Tips That Had Me Ask, "Really?"

am@littleblackdresspt.com (Anne Marie Constanzo) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 19:29:47 GMT

In my little, tiny corner of the blogging world, I like to talk about things that can help motivate people in becoming more physically active. I try to give tips, workouts, ideas, recipes... you know the drill. I want to help someone be able to transform from a sedentary existence to one of being physically active, energized and happy with themselves. I have no idea how close or far I am from the mark, but I figure it's my way of trying in a real world kind of way; not in an "OMG, you have GOT to try this new fitness class, OMG! It's wonderful and it will have you GLISTENING and JUMPING for joy once you get through it." I hate that. Fitness isn't pretty. It's sweaty and grueling and there's huffing and puffing, red faces and sore bodies. It's real and it's usually not much fun, but the payoff makes it all worthwhile.

Fish: Who Knew It Didn’t Have to Taste Fishy?

am@littleblackdresspt.com (Anne Marie Constanzo) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 23:08:30 GMT

Recently I finally started to eat fish. All these years I kept hearing over and over again how good it is for you, how it’s packed with omega-3′s and how we all need to be getting more of that in our diets to counteract the overabundance of omega-6′s we’re eating. (It’s always something isn’t it?) Anyway, I have always stayed away from fish because growing up, when we had fish, the whole house reeked of it. I mean, you could smell it from the street. No matter where in the house you were, the fish smell followed you and swallowed you up, we were encased in it. There was no escape. I could only imagine what people must have thought coming into our house, or even just walking past it, on fish nights. I pitied the fool.

A Breakfast Smoothie

am@littleblackdresspt.com (Anne Marie Constanzo) — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 22:07:54 GMT

You know the deal… breakfast is the most important meal of your day. If you want to start off on the right foot, then you need to fuel up before walking out that door.

I'm a smoothie freak and love experimenting with all sorts of ingredients and the fact is, you can hardly screw up a smoothie if you're putting in ingredients you love.

Here's a simple one you can make in the mornings to get you properly fueled up. If a certain ingredient isn't in your repertoire, then replace it with something that is.

It's Only Temporary

am@littleblackdresspt.com (Anne Marie Constanzo) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 21:47:18 GMT

Imagine this: You're in line at the grocery store behind this mad, coupon-carrying woman who is arguing with the cashier who is insisting one of the coupons has expired while simultaneously and oh so surreptitiously checking their phone for a… yup, there it is, a text, aaaaaaaaaannd... there they go texting back while the upset woman continues to fume and then asks for the manager because if the already inexpensive can of Spam isn't marked down as stated in the weekly flyer then she refuses to purchase them, all 10 of them, and wants them off her receipt. Here enters the clueless manager who doesn't seem even vaguely familiar with this weekly flyer thing and has to be shown where the coupon exists, or existed.

Lose the All or Nothing Mentality

am@littleblackdresspt.com (Anne Marie Constanzo) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:19:17 GMT

“Starting Monday breakfast and lunch are protein shakes, and dinner will be salads and water. I’m not drinking wine anymore and I’m hitting the gym at least five times a week. Oh, and I’m going sugar-free too. This is it, I’m doing it this time.” By the following Monday I’m betting that this woman is nothing more than a starved, frustrated and exhausted specimen that thinks life without moon pies are a life not worth living, exercise is evil and wine is the only liquid that can quench her thirst. Actually, it’s her ‘all or nothing’ mentality that’s really her enemy and the one deterrent keeping her from losing weight.

How To Create Your Own Home Gym for Under $90

am@littleblackdresspt.com (Anne Marie Constanzo) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 23:08:38 GMT

Times are tough and the money you may have at one point spent on a monthly gym membership you're now using to spend on household necessities. That's great since it allows for more money in case of an emergency, but what about your overall health? Noticing a few more pounds? A little less fire in your belly to get things done? A little less agility and flexibility? These are all the things you'll lose (and gain - the weight) when you no longer make fitness a priority in your life.