Balancing Transitions

One of the two most marked seasonal transitions of the year, daylight savings, is past. But I think that the more subtle seasonal transitions are just as noteworthy.

This year we've had a severely truncated spring season in Boston. The week before last was still rainy and in the 40s, this week is already sunny and (close to sweltering) in the 70s.

Okay, so my heat tolerance level is ridiculously low... #sorryimnotsorry

With reading period and final exams spread out over the next month for many of those of us who are at university, and end-of-semester wrap-ups for professionals with seasonal jobs (ie: teachers) things can get a little hectic.

Life during reading period/exams

Balance Bar and Laurel House, The Quickie Chick, have some handy tips for balancing the transition so that we can all enjoy the time (as much as you can enjoy exams, haha) rather than stressing out too much over it.

A box of Laurel's favorite bars!

In addition to trying to resist burning the midnight candle day after day after day (I'm guilty of that one, come exam time), there are three great tips that I'd like to share with you guys.

1) Fuel Up

Though it's tempting to neglect nutrition (or even skip a meal here or there) when you're really busy and running out of time, that's exactly when you need good nutrition and a steady influx of energy and nutrients more than ever.

The human brain is an exceptionally expensive organ (unique in all of the animal kingdom) and you need to keep it fueled with quality calories so that it can function optimally and allow you to accomplish what you want to accomplish, while staying sane.

Stress is bad enough without added moodiness and irritability from hunger or nutrient deficiency.

There are some foods that, while great to eat all year, are especially great right now.

Rye Bread - I'm half-German, so I LOVE good bread.



Whole rye bread is probably up there with whole spelt bread as one of my favorite varieties! It's also loaded with iron and other nutrients that help keep your brain cells supplied with oxygen - and keep you alert and energized.


Avocado - Fat-fearing folks falter in the face of this food falsely.

Okay, sorry. I just had to get the alliteration in, it was too tempting!

But avocados are full of monounsaturated fats that keep your heart healthy and help with optimal oxygen flow in your body -> ENERGY! :)

Onions - The sulfur in onions helps with blood flow and circulation which, again, promotes sustained energy.

Just don't forget to use mouthwash.

And don't sit next to me in lecture hall, okay? Thanks.

Apple with peanut butter - I'm such a snacker, so I love this! The combination of fiber-packed carbs, protein, and healthy fats helps keep energy levels steady (and elevated!) longer. Double-win.

But if you're reallllly busy, or you need something that you can eat on the go without any prep work, or you just love their taste (ahem, that's me) Balance Bars are also a great option to snack on during this time of transition.

They have their name because the bars all provide an optimal balance between carbs, protein, and fats for long-lasting energy. They're also packed with other nutrients, like vitamin C, to keep you healthy.

Gold Chocolate Mint Cookie Crunch Balance Bar

Because no likes that annoying cougher in the exam. *Death glare*

There are a ton of different varieties of bars, but Laurel House's favorites are the Original Yogurt Honey Peanut Balance Bar, the Gold Chocolate Mint Cookie Crunch, the Bare Sweet & Salty Peanut Butter, the Gold S'mores bar, and the NEW Dark Chocolate Crunch bar.



The great thing about her list of favorites is that she has chocolatey favorites for all of us chocoholics, as well as non-chocolate flavors for the whackadoos people who don't like chocolate.

Original Yogurt Honey Peanut Butter Balance Bar

I like them all, but was really excited to try the Dark Chocolate Crunch bar, as it's one of the three varieties in Balance Bar's new Dark line.

It seemed a bit smaller than the other bars, but definitely not comparatively small for its calories (180) relative to other bars on the market.



The ingredients are neither better nor worse than the other bars, in terms of being natural - a pretty standard list for a non-vegan protein bar.



Flavor-wise, these are great.



The dark chocolate is definitely spot on! I thought it was delicious and it made me want to keep my eye out for the other two dark varieties (Dark Chocolate Coconut and Dark Chocolate Peanut) the next time I'm snack shopping.

Oh, right - I still have two pieces of advice to share!

2) Be Selfish

Take some time for yourself! If you're crazy busy, don't feel like you have to help everyone else.

Maybe you have three final exams next week and still have to ready your apartment for the summer subletter, organize your summer flights, and pack? It's okay to tell a friend that you can't come watch their concert or help them review flashcards.

You just might not want to say it exactly like that...

3) Be Selfless

Contradicting myself? Not so much. While it's important to be selfish at times, sometimes volunteering and helping others can help bring that much-needed balance to your life.

If you can make the time, and you don't think it will bring all of your other spinning plates crashing down, take a few hours out and do something nice for someone else. Whether it's volunteering at a soup kitchen, offering to walk your neighbor's dog, helping your friend move (and getting much more girl talk than moving done), or baking cookies for coworkers, you might be surprised at how much better you feel.

What are your go-to foods when you're really busy?

What's the weather like where you are?

What's the last selfless thing that you did that made you really happy?