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By melanieavalon / April 19, 2015

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Check out the first video in my “Winning Wine” series, in which I profile perhaps the most well known red variety: the Cabernet Sauvignon. Fun fact! The Cabernet Sauvignon is actually a relatively new type of wine, which came about from an accidental hookup between the Cabernet Franc and Sauvning Blanc. Who knew they’d have such a famous […]

Personal

By melanieavalon / April 16, 2015

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I’m finally doing it. Launching a YouTube Channel about all of this health stuff! I’ve been too scared to just #commit. (I think it’s literally easier to write an entire book, then start a youtube channel.) However, I recently signed with a Youtube Network, which has given me the confidence to JUST DO IT. Here goes! There aren’t […]

Sleep

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By melanieavalon / March 22, 2015

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Confession: I willingly let something watch me every night while I sleep…which brings us to the next chapter in my Sleep Series! In Part I of this series, I discussed the various sleep stages. In Part II, I analyzed how light and color affect these stages. Now it’s time to look at a way you can actually […]

Acting

Personal

By melanieavalon / March 13, 2015

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After reading this article in LA Weekly, I decided to chip in on the whole Hollywood Extra (AKA “Background”) experience, a surreal world where fleeting royalty-esque moments puncture an otherwise constant “moving prop” cattle stigma. I engaged in a steady relationship with the “BG” world for about a year, every day featuring (no pun intended) a different movie, television, or […]

Social

Wine

By melanieavalon / February 28, 2015

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Eating is a biological habit which ensures survival. Without eating, you simply won’t exist for long. Things taste yummy because they provide energy and nutrients, allowing you to live your magical life. This pleasurable aspect of eating, however, has transformed food from a mere survival mechanism, to a form of entertainment. While this is all fine and dandy in […]

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By melanieavalon / February 11, 2015

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The bubblelicious dental days are over. I began questioning the sinister stigma of “the dentist” circa the age of 5. Viewed through uco y elementary eyes, a trip to the dentist seemed… well … quite pleasant. The reception room featured Disney movies and Highlights magazines, while the actual visit (typically a benign “cleaning”) involved comforting baby words and […]

Calories

Studies

Weight Loss

By melanieavalon / February 6, 2015

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While we may believe we’re in control of what we do each day, an estimated 40-45% of our actions are actually habits. Yep, a large portion of our day runs on an intensely dedicated autopilot, resistant to change. As discussed in Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit, habits function in a cue-routine-reward loop. We experience a trigger for our habit (the […]

Sleep

By melanieavalon / February 1, 2015

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I used to hear stuff about light and color influencing sleep (“Don’t look at TVs before bed!”) and thought yeah…doubt it. After all, why would light exposure PRIOR to sleep affect actual asleep? If the lights were off when I finally got to bed, wouldn’t that suffice? Unfortunately….no. Ya see, light exposure is the key factor influencing […]

Sleep

By melanieavalon / January 5, 2015

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A year or so ago I read Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival, which escorted my laissez-faire attitude of nonchalance towards sleep out the back door. Long gone are the days of college all nighters fueled by Coke Zero and show tunes, adequately overcome via power naps and stances of “I got this.” Today, I place sleep on a pedestal, understanding how […]

Gut Health

Paleo

By melanieavalon / January 3, 2015

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In a previous post, I discussed the precarious support behind a high fiber diet. To briefly recap, a vast and unsupported assumption crediting fiber with colon cancer prevention fueled the “EAT MORE FIBER ALL THE TIME” mantra. However, I would like to add a caveat. Fiber may actually bear an extremely important relation to health, but […]