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By Amy Zhang January 25, 2017 in Lifestyle, Style, Wellness 29 Comments

Pajama Dressing + The Importance of Sleep

L'academie The Silk Blouse | The Luxi Look

Let’s talk about one of my favorite things to do:

Sleep.

Specifically, the importance of sleep.

Sounds silly, I know. BUT. Hear me out. In case you didn’t already know, sleep is V IMPORTANT. I know I sound like a snooze (ha, ha) but the older I get, the more I have come to appreciate sleep and everything it does for your body, mind, and soul. In college and my early 20’s I would stay up late, wake up early, pull all-nighters, and do all sorts of other things that completely wrecked my sleeping schedule. I figured: you sleep enough when you’re dead. I knew sleep was good for you, but I never fully processed how vital it is to performance and basically every human function you do.

[ If you’re one of those superhumans that can function off of 4 hours of sleep a night, no need to continue reading. I am officially very jealous of you. ]

The Importance of Sleep

Why sleep is important

+ Improves learning and brain function

When we sleep, our brains go to work. Sleep allows our brains to store memories and learn through memory consolidation. So the smart thing to do in school would be to study consistently and get enough sleep the night before an exam, not stay up all night. Noted.

+ It keeps you healthy

When you don’t get enough sleep, your immune system suffers. I don’t know about you, but I’ve found that I am so much more likely to catch a cold when I’m sleep deprived. And when I am under the weather, getting some extra hours of sleep do the most for my recovery.

+ It’s good for your appearance

It’s not called beauty sleep for no reason. Turns out getting enough sleep has been shown to improve skin texture, blood flow, and overall appearance.

+ It helps your body recover

If you’re working out on the reg, chances are getting enough sleep is helping your muscles recover and grow! And if you’re not getting enough, just know that sleep deprivation has been linked to weight gain due to increased levels of cortisol, which increases your appetite – eek!

+ You’ll be a safer/better driver

Yep, sleep deprived driving is no better than drunk driving. If you’re getting enough hours of rest, consider calling an Uber to work.

Even though at times it seems like being sleep deprived is worn as a badge of honor and a reflection of how hard we work, sometimes the hardest thing to do is simply disconnecting and shutting down. It’s not always easy, but I feel a noticeable difference in my mood and energy when I get at 7 or 8 hours of sleep, not to mention how much clearer my skin is. Fortunately, even our technology seems to agree.

Tips for getting more sleep

+ Utilize the night shift and bedtime settings on your phone.

I have an iPhone, and I LOVE the “night shift” setting (mine is set from 9pm to 7am). This setting shifts the color settings on your phone to minimize the bright blue light that your smartphone emits, making it easier for you to fall asleep at night. You can also set alerts on your phone to remind you when it’s almost time for bed.

+ Disconnect completely.

30 minutes to an hour before bed, put away all electronics. I’ve been trying to read more before bed and honestly, this has been the best thing to help me fall asleep (ha!).

+ Create a sleep schedule.

This one is hard. It’s best to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, but it doesn’t always happen. I’m working on this one, but it’s easy to get off track, especially during the weekends.

+ Drink tea.

I don’t do this every night, but when I remember I like to drink something warm before I go to sleep. Did your mom ever tell you to drink warm milk before bedtime? It’s kind of like that. I especially like Calm and Sleepytime Tea with honey.

In the spirit of getting enough zzz’s, I’m taking the pajama very seriously and literally in this set by L’academie. Full disclosure: I don’t actually wear this to sleep although I’m sure you could, as it was intended for that use. I usually like to mix and match them as separates rather than as a set – I think you could get away with the blouse at work (the ribbon tied around the waist doubles as a scarf) with a skirt or jeans, and I really love the return of the track pant. You’ll definitely get some looks when you wear both at the same time. But hey comfort is key, and who cares what other people think?

Bonus: this set is on sale now! (End of winter sales in January are always SO. GOOD. No better time to stock up on all those cold weather essentials).

xx, Amy

top: l’academie (on sale!) | pants: l’academie (on sale!) | shoes: raye (on sale!) | bag: gucci

By Amy Zhang January 11, 2017 in Lifestyle, Wellness 74 Comments

Learning to Love Me Time

Does anyone else just love spending time by themselves? Go to restaurants and movies alone? Take long walks by themselves? Stay at home on weekends and not make any plans? (I know, I’m a total grandma). In my opinion, there’s nothing better than some “me” time. It took a while, but I finally learned how to be alone (and kind of love it).

Learning to Love Me Time

To be fair, I’m not alone all the time. I do live with my boyfriend and we spend a lot of our free time together. However, he travels a lot and is gone often. I’ve also been in almost 4 years of long distance relationships in the past. So I’m more than familiar with the feeling of being together but apart. It’s a strange feeling/totally sucks (a post for another day?).

Learning to Love Being Alone | The Luxi Look

Learning to Love Me Time

I’m a firm believer in learning to love being alone. I know this isn’t easy for everyone, especially for my more extroverted friends that love being around people 24/7. Me? I love some time alone to cook a good dinner for one, read a book, catch up on trashy TV, and write. It wasn’t always so fun and easy, though. For a long time, I hated being by myself. I hated being in a long distance relationship. I hated being apart and having to spend time alone. #needy?

But over the years, I have come to really appreciate and cherish those moments – especially because I’ve never lived on my own (unless you count living in a hotel half of the week during my consulting days?). I love my relationship, but I also love spending time by myself. It’s liberating to have a night or a week to myself and do whatever the hell I want to, whenever I want. As you know, I am all about self love. The best way practice this is to spend time by yourself! Go to a cafe or wine bar and read by yourself. Go out to meals alone. Take walks. Find new hobbies and learn a new skill. There are so many things to do alone and who knows, you might even learn something new about yourself.

Do you love being alone? Hate it?

xx, Amy

By Amy Zhang November 18, 2016 in Fitness, Wellness 16 Comments

Why You Should Practice Yoga

Happy Friday!

Wanted to quickly chat with you guys about YOGA before the weekend. I’ve shared my workout routine before, but something I’ve been trying to incorporate more lately is yoga. I find exercise to be the #1 form of stress relief for me, but nothing clears my mind the way yoga does.

I know a lot of people think yoga is “boring” and “not real exercise” (I disagree with both statements!) – but I really do believe yoga is one of the best things you can do for your body.

The benefits of yoga are practically endless.

Increased strength and flexibility, improved circulation, posture, bone health, stress relief, the list goes on and on… It’s also a great cross-training option – especially if you run and/or lift weights! I especially love hip opening stretches (LOVE/HATE half pigeon pose).

The key is to find the type of yoga that is right for you.

Here’s a helpful guide to different types of yoga. My personal favorite is heated vinyasa (the heat is so detoxifying), so I stick to that. Although LA has a seemingly endless amount of yoga studios, I had a hard time finding a studio I really loved. Lately I’ve been really into Y7 studio – basically heated vinyasa set to badass music (think tons of hip hop).

Why You Should Practice Yoga | The Luxi Look

In terms of what to wear to yoga, it helps to wear something slightly more form fitted so you’re not constantly readjusting your clothes. There are so many stylish athleisure brands out there today – if you’re looking for a wide selection definitely check out Sculptique – some of the cutest workout clothes out there.

I’ve always wanted to get my yoga teacher training certification – any trained yoga teachers out there with insight or advice?

Happy weekend babes!

xx, Amy

top and leggings: koral activewear from sculptique

By Amy Zhang November 13, 2016 in Lifestyle, Style, Wellness 40 Comments

The Importance of Taking Breaks

I wrote about the importance of loving yourself recently, and have sincerely made it a point to honor my mind and body more. To me, one of the key components of self-love is self-awareness. Also, the ability to recognize when you need a break. We all know the feeling of being on the brink of complete burnout and running on empty.

Thinking that if you push yourself just a little more you’ll be able to truly do it all (which in my mind is a myth, but more on that another day). More often than not, when we try to do too much we end up completely fatigued, exhausted, and sick. As much as I would love to be the person that can do it all, I’ve recognized the importance of taking breaks BEFORE that burnout occurs so that you don’t end up completely out of commission.

The Importance of Taking Breaks

This past week was long and emotional. To be honest I struggled internally with blogging after Tuesday. It didn’t feel right to me. I try to keep things light hearted and positive on the blog, but I just couldn’t muster up the energy. I’ve talked a lot of positivity on the blog, and in general think it’s so important to be hopeful and optimistic. But sometimes you’re just too tired to fake it. Even if you’re trying to find ways to stay motivated. I know this isn’t the normal fluffy happy blog topic BUT I do think it’s important to keep it real and honest. Not every day is going to be sunshine and shoes and trends and it’s ok to acknowledge that.

I had to tell myself – it’s ok to take a break. It’s ok to be tired. It’s ok to want to do nothing and just have a day/night to yourself. So I’m putting the coffee down, hitting the snooze button, and focusing on healing and rest before trying to take on the world again. (Probably going to meditate and get a massage as well.)

On a somewhat tangential note, if you’re looking for ways to take action, here’s a wonderful post written by a friend compiling all the ways to help women and minorities in the wake of last week’s events. Thank you Hayley for more eloquently sharing the words many of us are thinking.

xx, Amy

dress: stone cold fox | poncho: vici | boots: stuart weitzman

jewelry: elizabeth stone jewelry

By Amy Zhang October 29, 2016 in Style, Wellness 7 Comments

Boosting Your Immunity

Happy Saturday my loves!

Taking a rest day today and focusing on something a little different – boosting your immunity this fall. With the changing seasons come seasonal illnesses. If you interact with other people at all, chances are you’re coming into contact with tons of germs and bacteria. I’m not a germaphobe by any means, but I do hate getting sick.

I’m lucky if I can get through the winter with only one cold or sinus infection, in the past I’ve had much worse luck. However, I’ve learned with certain preventative measures and understanding when my body needs a break, I can stay healthy and avoid getting sick.

Note:
I’m not a licensed medical professional by any means, these are just little habits I personally have that help me feel my best :).

Boosting Your Immunity This Fall

Vitamin C

Studies are mixed, but I absolutely swear by vitamin C. I drink a packet of Emergen-C every day and eat lots of citrus fruits. If you’re worried about sugar content there are pills you can take as well. Call it a placebo effect, but sometimes that isn’t such a bad thing.

Sleep

Lots of it. 7-8 hours is optimal. Lack of sleep suppresses your immune system which makes you more likely to get sick. Whatever you’re doing can wait – you won’t be nearly as productive if you’re sick. Get those zzz’s.

Shots

Medical professionals agree that getting the flu shot is the best thing you can do. I like to supplement with B12 shots if I’m feeling a little under the weather or about to embark on travel. B12 shots are especially beneficial if you’re vegetarian/vegan (you likely have a B12 deficiency) or need a little boost in energy.

Liquids

Water, water, water! When I feel a little tickle in my throat I also add in tea and juice. I LOVE this ginger honey tea and will always run to my nearest juice bar to pick up a juice (anything with extra ginger!!) and an “immunity shot.” You can also make one yourself – wellness shots typically include ginger, honey, and cayenne pepper. If you’re in LA, my favorite juice bar is Beverly Hills Juice Club – get the apple lemon triple ginger and feel yourself get better instantly.

Diet

I load up on ginger and garlic (<<yep!!) and avoid sugar. Oh, and everything you’ve heard about chicken soup? It’s actually good for you. Try bone broth too!

Hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween weekend! I’ll be curled up in bed today working on some upcoming projects (blog and non-blog related).

xx, Amy

bodysuit: forever 21 | belt: b low the belt | shorts: similar

jacket: similar | boots: steve madden

photos: jordan zobrist