Steps to Well-Designed Living

I've just started work on my new book! It's going to delve even further into the important aspects of "Well-Designed Living" and empower readers to design their own lives. "Well-Designed Living" is about looking at your health, happiness and home and creating a lifestyle that energizes and inspires you. Below is a simple outline to introduce to the concept of designing your life.

There are three important principles that will help and guide you as you remake your lifestyle to support happier, healthier living: intuition, simplicity and beauty.

1. Trust your intuition! First and foremost, learn to listen to your inner guide. Deep down, only we know what is truly best for us, what will deplete us and what will nurture us. Hone the invaluable skill of trusting your gut.

2. Simplify your life and home! Too often we fill our lives (and homes) with items, experiences and people that drain our energy. The act of simplification is not only cleansing for your house and your soul, it will further get you in touch with your inner guide as you learn to differentiate between things that are functional and beautiful and items that are not contributing to your life.

3. Seek beauty! As you learn to trust your intuition and simplify your lifestyle, the innate beauty of your house, your life and you, yourself will begin to shine through. Make it your goal to look for the beauty in yourself, in those around you and in all areas of your life. If you choose to seek beauty, the more fulfilling and wondrous your life will undoubtedly become.

Happy designing!

New Features!!!

In order to better serve my clients (and potential clients) I've created some cool new features on my website and blog : )

First off, I've designed a few online stores to share products and resources that I have found particularly useful (and fun) on my ongoing quest for "Well-Designed Living". Feel free to visit, browse and offer your thoughts and suggestions. I'd love to hear your feedback. My Amazon store has dvds, books, exercise accessories and more to help you reach your wellness goals http://astore.amazon.com/cailaschdesi-20. My CafePress store has gear that will make you smile and empower you on your journey to health and happiness http://shops.cafepress.com/WellDesignedLiving.

Another great service I'm just starting up is Phone Consultations (see the blue "call" button to the right?). For those of you who are too busy or live too far away to meet with me in person, I'm now offering Lifestyle Consultations via phone. So, give me a call and we'll discuss how you can design your lifestyle to support happy, healthy living. (FYI: It's free to call, and I'd love to hear from you! But just so you know, if you choose to continue with a full lifestyle consultation you will be prompted to finalize payment before continuing. Consultations can be any length you choose : )

I hope that you enjoy and make use of these new features from Cailen Ascher Design. They're pretty cool, if I do say so myself....

Happy, healthy living!

Lifestyle Trends for 2010

1. Lifestyle vs. "Quick-Fix". In terms of the clientele I work with, there has been a strong shift in "dieting mentality". Many more individuals now are looking for healthy lifestyle changes that they can sustain for the long-term. People are much less interested in quick-fix fad diets - Atkins, Cabbage Soup, etc. People are beginning to realize that if they want to truly get healthy, they need to make a lifetime commitment.

2. Exercises that work body AND mind. Yoga is really coming into its own. Though it's been around for centuries and cropped up as a fad a decade back, people are really beginning to understand its true value as a mind/body experience. Yoga links breath with movement which really connects you to your body. People who are looking to lose weight and keep it off often find yoga invaluable as it teaches you to work with and listen to the nuances of your individual body.

3. Whole foods and green living. More so than ever before, people are becoming much more conscious of the ramifications of their actions and lifestyle decisions. People who truly want to live a healthy, harmonious life are beginning to recognize that that means more than just eating well and exercising, it also means being aware of the health of our community and planet. Farmers markets are popping up everywhere and organic produce and meats can be found at just about every grocery store. People are really beginning to think about how and where their food is grown as part of their commitment to healthy living