Happy April everyone! Hope all of your Easter's and Passover's were delightful. Mine certainly was. It was a beautiful day and we spent it in the sun chatting and laughing (mostly at me) and dinner (more like a late lunch) included an incredibly happy, naturally smoked ham and vanilla bean kefir ice cream (thank you Yogalicious) for dessert.

Besides that I've just been hustlin' and bustlin', nutritionizing here and there, making daily messes in the kitchen and doing my taxes. What a nightmare taxes are! Not a fan. I've never been overly good at numbers (just ask my family) but small business taxes are the biggest pain my ass has ever encountered (next to breaking my tailbone). To say they're stressful is an understatement.

And that seems like a nice segue into the stress technique I like to call "Stop holding your damn breath and BREATHE". Did you know that if we didn't breathe we'd die? True story. I'm not trying to be a smartass (maybe a bit) but many of us, when we're in stressful situations or really focusing on something, actually stop breathing. Bizarre, no?! Being cognizant of our breathing is the first step to managing our stress levels as breathing helps to lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone). So next time you catch yourself holding your breath try this breathing exercise:

1. Close your eyes. Doesn't matter where you are - the office, the subway, a restaurant. Who cares? Just close your peepers to block out the outside world. Ideally, it'd be great to find a quiet space but that's not always an option.

2. Scan your body for tense areas. Probably your shoulders, jaw and that space right in between your eyebrows are the first to get all locked up. Consciously relax them. Do some shoulder circles, move your jaw from side to side and stretch your face as wide as it will go and move it around. Yes you will be making a bizarre face. And, yes, everyone on the subway will notice. But who gives a bleep? You're getting your relax on!

3. Breathe deeply. Think of nothing but your breath. Not about the laundry you have to do. Not about how eating that entire bag of chocolate eggs was probably unnecessary, nothing but your breath. Inhale and exhale nice and slow. Think of all your cells getting oxygen when you inhale and think of all tension washing from your body on the exhale. Repeat this for as long as you feel it's necessary but for a minimum of 10 deep breaths.

4. Open your eyes and be awesome again. You've taken a little "me" time, you've washed some of the tension from your body, so now it's time to face the world a little more relaxed and a whole lot more oxygenated. Go get 'em tiger!

Always puzzled by that ingredient? It seems so harmless and so....natural! But it's not. Nope! It's MSG! Yikes! Want to know more deets and how to avoid it? Yah ya do. Here's the lowdown.