Toronto Guardian had a sneak peek last week and we validated that everything The Cheesecake Factory is known for is true. The food portions are abundant, the menu is extensive, and the cheesecake – to die for.

Our favourite entrée was the Chicken Madiera made with juicy sautéed chicken breast, covered in a mushroom madeira sauce with melted mozzarella cheese and asparagus. It was the optimal balance of savoury and sweet. The entrée was served with a side of delicious chunky mashed potatoes, no wonder it’s the most popular chicken dish.

For dessert, our top pick was the Fresh Banana Cream Cheesecake. Not only was it light and fluffy, somehow it was still creamy and heavenly at the same time. Topped with bavarian cream and fresh sliced bananas, we didn’t think it could get any more delightful until our server recommended and brought over the hot chocolate fudge to drizzle over the bananas and cream.

The Cheesecake Factory features over 50 legendary cheesecakes and other desserts. Based on everyone’s Instagram feed, the most popular dessert so far has been the rainbow-coloured Celebration Cheesecake with layers of vanilla cake, cheesecake, strawberry, chocolate and luscious vanilla mousse. The colourful layers of cake are topped with a scrumptious cream cheese frosting and confetti. This is one cake you can order even if it’s not your birthday! Further to that, get in during the holiday season to try out the limited edition Holiday Cheesecakes.

You’ll find The Cheesecake Factory located beside Hudson’s Bay. Come with an empty stomach as you’ll have over 250 signature dishes to choose from, all handmade in house with fresh ingredients. And of course, save room for dessert.

Check out – www.thecheesecakefactory.com

Follow them on Instagram – @thecheesecakefactoryca

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In the morning…

1.Wake up and stretch: first thing in the morning, drink a full glass of water. This will help you rehydrate and kick start your metabolism. Then hop on your yoga mat and sit tall (if you’re feeling extra sleepy, once in a while you can do these stretches in bed). Take a few deep breaths in and out through your nose. Feel your body slowly awaken. Do a top to bottom internal body check. How does your neck feel? Tip your ear to shoulder, switch ears. Gently roll your neck around, it especially feels nice to tuck your chin to chest to feel the stretch through your spine, hold and breathe. Now turn your attention to your shoulders, lift them up (slowly), pull your shoulder blades back (slowly), down (slowly) and round your shoulders forward (still slowly), do that a few times. On to your ribs, make circles to the right while trying to hold your core still. Circle it the other way. Lay down, lift your legs up one at a time, flex and point your toes. Now make small circles and big circles with one leg, and then switch legs. Place your legs back down on the mat, rotate your ankles and wiggle your toes. Lastly, sit up and stretch your arms up to the sky, one final deep breath. This simple set of stretches will get your blood circulating and help you feel more energetic.

 Tip #1: Personally, I like to turn on my Saje aromaOm™ Diffuser to breathe in the therapeutic essential oils while I do my morning stretches. Scents can rouse our senses and help us feel uplifted. My favourite essential oil at the moment is the Yoga blend from the Saje Peaceful Collection. This oil has a citrusy yet woody, grounding scent. Interesting fact I learned from Saje, when you diffuse essential oils into the air, it gives off the same qualities of negatively charged electric ions you experience near the ocean. This helps relieve feelings of stress, anxiety and low energy (the very things we are trying to combat). Negative ions also fortify the immune system, increase metabolism and strengthen the functions of the autonomic nervous system and reinforce collagen. For more details, visit www.saje.com or visit one of their beautiful stores near you.

Tip #2: For those familiar with yoga, compliment your morning stretches with a few Sun Salutations you’ve learned from yoga class. Do 3 x Sun Salutation A. I find the forward fold feels extra nice after a long night of sleep.

2.Take a lavish and uplifting shower. If you’re a morning shower person, notice if you rush through your shower. I’m not suggesting longer showers (I’m a firm believer of responsible water usage), however we can all benefit from being a little more present while we shower. Don’t think about all the things you need to do in the day – that will give you anxiety and can wait till you arrive at work. Instead, notice what it feels like to massage your scalp as you lather up the shampoo. Notice the feeling of the water against your skin. Better yet, try a body scrub that exfoliates and stimulates the skin and blood circulation. I recently came across Vo Bath & Co, 100% all natural bath and body products, locally made in Toronto. My current favs are the Citrine Lemon and Tangerine lotion body scrub and the Coffee Shea and Beans lotion body scrub. Both smell and feel delicious on the skin. According to Vo Bath & Co, the Citrine creates an invigorating and energizing citrus scent that brightens dull skin and fades scarring for radiant, glowing skin. The Coffee is made with fresh Toronto-roasted coffee beans, organic cane sugar and rich shea butter. The combined benefits of these ingredients include improved circulation, combat cellulite and locks in a layer of moisture. Enjoy your morning shower with these lotion body scrubs! Check out vobathco.com

After a long day…

3.Give yourself a break before your evening begins. Our natural tendency after a busy day is to flop on the couch, mindlessly scroll through our phones and/or watch TV. Afterall, it’s been hectic and we’re tired. But instead, take 10 to 15 mins for yourself.

Tip #1: Mud Mask & Day Dream. One of my favourite things to do for myself is a mud mask. Feels great to wash all the grime and pollution off my face and slather on a luxurious mud mask. As the mask is setting, it’s the perfect time to day dream. Eyes closed and relaxed, set a timer or just peek on the mask every so often. If you’re like me, I smile when I day dream and it feels good, but rumor has it that cracking your mask will give you wrinkles! Likely just a myth 😉

Tip #2: Quick Meditation. If your mind is going hundred miles per hour and you can’t let go of your day, take a time-out. Find your yoga mat and meditate. It’s nice to have a comfortable yoga mat to sit on during meditation. My current yoga mat of choice is Jade Yoga™. These mats are earth-friendly and they’re nice and thick. I’ve been looking for a thicker yoga mat that’s not too heavy, and believe me it’s been a challenge to find. Most mats are too thin or the thicker mats are heavy and not ideal for lugging around. Jade Yoga mats are made with natural rubber and the open cell natural rubber guarantees optimum grip. What really won me over was the “Buy a Mat, Plant a Tree” partnership between Jade Yoga and Trees for the Future. To learn more, go to www.jadeyogamats.ca

Back to meditation, close your eyes. Inhale and sloooooowly exhale. With every breath, elongate your spine. Find more space and air between each vertebrae. On your next breath, take a deep exhale to squeeze every last drop of stale air out of your lungs. Now de-clutter your mind. When a frantic thought pops up, just …let… it… go and breathe. If you’re finding it hard to stay focused, try counting to three for every inhale and three for every exhale. Keep counting, it will help quiet your mind and allow you to relax. 10 minutes of meditation may feel quick or it may feel like a long time, but notice how calm you feel. Soon enough you’ll be getting on with the rest of your evening.

4.“Me” time before bed. At the end of the night, right before you collapse into bed, take one more moment for yourself. It’s so hard to find time throughout the day, savour the last 10 mins before you zonk out – you’ll be happy you did. Take this time to read one chapter of a book or listen to your favourite songs to help you unwind. If you enjoyed the Saje aromaOm™ Diffuser in the morning, try it before bed. I recommend a few drops of the Gratitude blend essential oil. Maybe it’s the word gratitude and I know it sounds cheesy, but thinking about the things that made you smile in the day will give you a better sleep. It could be anything, someone held the elevator for you or you noticed how beautiful the autumn leaves were on the ground or your friend, child or loved one said something funny to you. Take note of the positives in life and let go of the negatives. Go ahead, try it. Once you’ve had your final 10 minutes, now you can go to bed. Thank yourself for slowing down, it felt nice. Sweet dreams.

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Meditation is becoming more popular because we could all benefit from slowing down and finding more stillness in our lives. But I’ll be the first to admit that meditation is not easy and anything that helps to encourage meditation, I am open to trying and sharing. So I decided to explore chanting while meditating.

Chanting is the process of repeating a mantra. Mantra is from the sanskrit root “man”- to think, and “tra”- to liberate. Therefore a mantra is to liberate from thoughts. Traditionally, mantras are repeated 108 times, at the end of the article there are a couple of theories behind the significance of 108. Repeating a mantra 108 times is not easy to keep track of, and that’s where the mala comes in handy.

A mala is a string of 108 prayer beads with one head stone (the 109^th) called ‘Sumeru’ or Guru bead. With eyes closed, take hold of the first bead and chant the mantra once. Second time the mantra is chanted, move the fingers to the second bead. Third time, third bead – you get the idea, repeat until the fingers have worked around the entire mala, 108 beads later. The mala helps to keep the mind focused on the meaning or sound of the mantra. By the way, a mantra is a poem, typically from the Sanskrit language. Some mantras are many verses, a good beginners mantra is “Om Namah Shivaya”, meaning I bow with respect to the divine (in me and in the universe).

The first few times you chant 108 mantras, inevitably your mind will wander, your body parts will go numb and you’ll even notice more itches than normal. All I can say is, breathe through it and keep chanting. You’ll feel great when you complete your meditation, I promise.

Once you reach the 109^th stone (Sumera), it’s like reaching the summit of the mala. Take this moment to pause, reflect and give gratitude. You may ask, what should you reflect on or be thankful for? At the start of each practice, it’s nice to set an intention. That way, at the end of each practice the intention can be reflected upon.

By setting an intention and dedicating your practice to something, it gives your meditation a purpose to focus on. Start by asking “How do I want to feel?” It could be as simple as “I want to feel rejuvenated and relaxed”. It can go deeper like “I want to feel happier and free from the sadness and pain.” It could also be more detailed. Whatever your intention is, it’s yours, it’s personal and it’s a goal to reach for, grow into and evolve.

It is suggested to wear your mala during intention setting. That way, every time the mala is worn, you are reminded of your intention and purpose. Malas are sacred and meaningful necklaces. To gain a better understanding of the power of Malas, I reached out to MalaRae – a unique mala and yoga jewelry company based in the Ottawa region of Canada. They offer sustainably sourced mala beads, handmade in Canada.

It’s a common belief that when malas are used regularly for meditation and mantras, they absorb the vibrations of the practice. The more it is worn and used, the stronger the positive energy within the mala. At MalaRae, they believe that even the process of making malas can influence the energy of beads. Each piece is made with love and only during a positive and peaceful state of mind. With MalaRae, their beads are gemstones and between each stone there is a carefully hand-tied knot. They select top quality gemstones that are said to carry healing and beneficial energy. Once the handmade process is complete, each mala is sage-cleansed and moonlit charged. MalaRae’s intention is that their beads bring your mind, body and spirit a sense of true peace and positivity. Personally, I was impressed with their careful and thoughtful process.

When my very own mala from MalaRae arrived, I was thrilled. Delicately wrapped was the Periwrinkle Mala from the blossom collection. Periwinkle is the flower of peace + tranquility. Perfect tranquility is always within our reach. Quiet the mind, breathe deep and be at peace. This mala features Mother of Pearl gemstones to represent happiness + hope + calm + creativity + self love. The Picture Jasper stones are for balance + peace + will power + positivity. The Blue Chalcedony exude peace + vitality + endurance + and more self love. Lastly the Agate is for harmony + concentration + confidence + acceptance. Just reading the meanings of the beautiful gemstones on my mala makes me feel better. It also feels nice and cool against my skin (I’ve been wearing it throughout the summer).

Wearing my mala gives me a sense of peace and thoughtfulness. Perhaps it’s all in my head but as long as it feels good, I’ll keep wearing my mala and meditating. MalaRae also offers beautiful bracelets with many gemstones to choose from. Check out MalaRae.com to see the entire collection. Or if you prefer to see it in person, MalaRae is available at Pure Yoga Toronto studio in Liberty Village.

As promised, here are a few theories explaining 108 malas, courtesy of the MalaRae blog “Why are there 108 beads on a mala?” written by Jewelia Orlick, MalaRae OMbassador. It’s said that repeating a mantra 100 times will purify the body, mind and spirit. The remaining 8 stones are accounted for errors and/or offerings to the divine, god, universe, source, love…whatever you wish to call it.

The Chakras theory: there are 7 different energy points (called chakras) in the body. There are 108 energy lines connecting these chakra points to the heart – the home of love, compassion and kindness. Working with this specific number stimulates the energy lines, leading you straight back to your heart centre.

Another good theory Jewelia writes about is the breath theory: by taking only 108 deep breaths per day, you will reach a state of enlightenment and a form a nirvana – similar to that which one feels while in a deep transcendent meditation.

The last theory is a great reason to meditate every day while using your mala. All it takes is 108 mantras and breaths to reach nirvana on the daily, sounds good to me! Happy meditating with your mala and your mantras. Namaste.

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The RINGLY GO bracelet in blush is my favourite. The full grain Italian leather strap is soft and supple, while adjustable to fit my smaller wrist. The stone is a matte white with marble-like details. This bracelet is delicate and totally my style as it works with any outfit.

So how do the RINGLY bracelets work? It connects to the phone through Bluetooth technology and the key functionality is the mobile alerts and fitness tracker. I was impressed to see how many apps RINGLY could connect with. Not only could the bracelet notify me of phone calls, text messages and meeting reminders, it could also provide notifications from AirBnB, Mindbody, Pinterest, Skype, Uber even Sell on Etsy to name a few. Apparently, RINGLY is compatible with over 100 apps, including social media apps like Instagram, Facebook, SnapChat. But a word of caution, don’t go crazy on the notifications, I would suggest choosing your top 4 notifications. Otherwise your wrist will be buzzing like a Queen Bee and flashing like a disco ball.

To customize your alerts, choose from 1 to 4 vibrations and select blue, green, yellow, purple, or red for the soft light beam. The trick is to notice how many vibrations go off and to quickly glance at the colour beam. I’m still getting used to it.

RINGLY founder and CEO Christina Mercando d’Avignon’s vision is “Whether at the dinner table, out with friends, or in an important meeting, RINGLY allows you to stay on top of your daily activity and mobile alerts so you never miss a beat, but aren’t glued to your phone.” I love the idea of checking my phone less, especially when I’m out with friends or at work. I noticed, even when I left my phone at my desk, I was still able to receive subtle alerts while sitting in a boardroom on the other side of the office.

The fitness tracker feature that RINGLY bracelets offer is step tracking, distance and calories burned. All this can be reviewed on the fittingly pink RINGLY app. One other feature to mention is the guided meditations available on the RINGLY app. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a big supporter of taking a few minutes to clear your mind and breathe deeply. Since I’ve started using RINGLY I’ve noticed they’ve added a few more meditation modules. There’s Hello World and Mid-Day Recess that help you achieve five mindful minutes. The longer modules include Love & Kindness (10 mins), Peace of Mind (14 mins) and Time to Unwind (18 mins). Personally I didn’t like the voice in the guided meditation and wished there were voice options. Also, I would recommend a few more five minute mindful exercises since it’s easier to squeeze in the shorter meditations throughout the day.

With any jewelry, it’s nice to have lots of styles to choose from. The other bracelet I tried out was the RINGLY LUXE Jet Set bangle. No one would’ve ever guessed this feminine bracelet is secretly a smart wearable. Featuring a glimmery purple jade stone and 14k gold plated, this bangle is chic. I appreciate that it’s easy to put on and take off. As for re-charging the bracelets, easy peasy. The bangle can be charged by placing it in the little black jewelry box it came in, while the RINGLY GO bracelet has a charging plate directly on the back of the stone. Both bracelets offer great battery life, lasting two full days (which is longer than my phone lasts).

Check out Ringly.com to shop the full assortment of bracelets and rings. There’s lots of exquisite stones to choose from!

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You might be asking, what is fascia – it’s a bit tricky to explain but here goes. Our muscles are surrounded by a thin membrane of connective tissue called fascia. Fascia runs through our entire body, wrapping around and connecting muscle, bone, nerve, artery, vein and organs. Generally fascia holds everything in place on the skeleton and is one contiguous structure. Over time, more layers of fascia accumulate, wrapping tighter around the muscle, resulting in stiff and tense muscles. Injuries, bad posture and even dehydration will cause fascia to lose pliability. Tight fascia can restrict motion and/or pull the body out of alignment. The goal of SMR is to help relax and lengthen the fascia through techniques of compression, flushing and shearing. The end goal is to ultimately improve posture, reduce tension, and increase range of motion and mobility.

Now that everyone understands fascia and the techniques of SMR, here’s the toolbox. The RAD All-In kit comes with RAD Roller, three different RAD Rounds, a RAD Rod, RAD Helix, and RAD Block. I’ve been using the RAD kit over the past few months and it’s become a part of my daily routine. The RAD kit is particularly effective at relieving my stiff neck, jaw pain and tension headaches. In addition, it’s been superb for tight hips/glutes (where I hold all my tension while working out), sore hamstrings (after a tough yoga class) and achey lats from bouldering/climbing.

The RAD Helix and RAD Rod have transformed the way I roll and stretch. The RAD Helix is the equivalent of a foam roller but better. It is designed with an indented groove in the centre of the roller, making room for the spine so that it’s not rolling directly on the bone. Personally I like to combine the Helix with the RAD Rod which acts as handles. The easiest way to describe the rod is to think of a rolling pin for the body. When using it, I start by lying on the floor with the Helix under the neck, weight pressing down into the Helix. Slowly, I turn my head side to side relieving tension held at the back of my head and neck – anyone who gets tension headaches will understand what I’m saying. When rolling out the back, I do it with bent knees and feet pressed into the floor to help glide the body over the Helix. Once I reach my lower back, I gently unbend my knees to let the weight of my back to fully sink into the Helix for a deeper release (exhale and sigh).

The rolling doesn’t stop at the back, other great areas to roll out are sore glutes and stiff hamstrings. Roll those bad boys out, hurts in a good way!

Another option is to use the RAD Rod without the Helix. I enjoy rolling along the sides of my neck, the quads and the calves, feels like a delicious stretch. For those who like to follow instructions, the RAD kit suggests pulling the Rod towards the heart to promote blood flow. Or just go crazy like I do and roll in all direction, as long as it feels great, right?

The RAD kit comes with three Rad Rounds which are simply balls of different sizes and density. These balls are ideal for compression/point release and flushing out achey muscles. Here are my favourite SMR techniques:

The Green round is the tennis-sized ball and the softest. Green works well on the back by leaning against a wall and pressing sore lats into the green round for a deep release. With bent knees, move up and down along the wall to let the ball roll out every back muscle – feels like luxury. Another good use of the green round is to release tension in sore hamstrings. Start by kneeling on a mat, toes tucked, green round placed behind the knees, gently sit the weight onto the ball. This can be quite painful so be gentle. After 30 seconds, the ball can be re-positioned by moving it down an inch and again, sit onto the ball. Continue down the length of the leg for a full leg massage.

The Blue round is the golf-sized ball and medium density. It’s great for people with tennis elbow/golfers elbow and people on the computer all day or with carpal tunnel. As a climber, my forearms are often tight from over-use. To roll out the forearm, I start on the top side of the forearm and firmly press the ball into the extended arm and hold. By making a fist with the hand of the extended arm and tilting the wrist up and down, it allows the ball to dig “real deep”. Roll the ball up and down and in small circles to flush out the arm muscle. Then flip the arm over and roll out the inner arm.

For anyone that clenches their teeth, the blue round is a game-changer to relieve jaw pain and tension headaches. Place the blue round against the jawline and with an open palm, lightly roll it along the jaw and up towards the temples, even along the eyebrows can feel nice.

Last but not least, the little Black round is the smallest and densest of them all. The black round is my go-to for a lovely massage of the hands and feet. Who knew we held so much tension in the hands? Place the black round on a hard surface like a table, palms facing down, press into the ball and gently roll it around the entire palm. Notice how it feels around the thumb area and the pads near the roots of each finger. After the hands, move to the feet. Fair warning, foot massages are PAINFUL but so beneficial. Those who are pain-sensitive, I would suggest sitting on a chair so that less weight is placed onto the black round. For those who are brave, stay standing, step onto the black round and slowly roll the ball under the foot. Tender spots are bound to be found, hold the ball in those spots and gently release more body weight onto the ball, oooowwwwwweeee! It’s a joyful pain, much like a professional foot massage, the pain sometimes is unbearable but so rewarding and feels amazing afterwards. After a good self-foot massage I swear I have more bounce in my steps. Give it a try, I promise you’ll love it. Hint: if you’re very sensitive, try it with the blue or green ball instead. No one will judge you.

Finally, the RAD Roller is the double attached balls. Many people have tried the DIY two-tennis-balls-in-a-sock to roll out the neck. But no matter how tight the socks are tied, the contraption never holds its shape and could potentially be dangerous when used to roll along the neck and spine. The RAD Roller is a much safer option.

I could go on and on about all the uses I’ve gotten out of the Rad kit but honestly, try it out for yourself. Self Myofascial Release is nearly as good as a massage and much more accessible on the day to day. All the balls and rollers in the kit are sold individually as well. Check out www.radroller.com

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