With just one more day left in our “5 Days of Giveaways” underway, we want to thank everyone who has followed along so far. Congratulations to Jennie who we will be contacting to send out her very own Primavera Moisturizing Lip Balm from Day 4!

Primavera’s Revitalizing Intensive Seed Oil Capsules are biodegradable, vegetable-based capsules that provide your skin with the hydration that it needs. Each capsule is filled with Organic Rose Essential Oil which helps reduce broken capillaries and promotes cell renewal for a radiant, even tone. Also included in each dose is Organic Pomegranate Seed Oil, Sallow Thorn Oil and Organic Rose Hip Seed Oil. The combination of these  oils help repair, restore and condition the skin to help prevent the appearance of wrinkles and visible sun damage. Simply twist open a capsule before bed and massage the contents onto the face. Improving your skin’s appearance and preventing signs of aging has never been easier.

Thanks to everyone for sharing some great recipes, you can check them out in the comment section of  Day 3 Primavera Giveaway.  Congratulations to Heather F. who gave us a yummy  “pomegranate tea” and won her very own Primavera Revitalizing Serum!

With cold weather comes chapped lips. Since there is less moisture in the air during the winter months, your lips are more prone to becoming dry and cracked. To help protect against chapped lips, we turn to a pocket sized product that packs a big punch — Primavera’s Moisturizing Lip Balm.

It’s great to hear that so many of you prefer organic in your lives on a daily basis.  Congratulations to Nikki B. who shared “Whenever there is an option for an organic version I always opt for that! Food, skincare. I even have organic cotton sheets! It’s just a much healthier way of living” and won her very own Primavera Cooling Eye Roll-On.

Primavera’s Revitalizing Serum is just the kind of protection skin needs to keep it looking and feeling healthy and radiant. While some serums leave your skin feeling sticky or greasy, this satin gel formula leaves skin silky smooth. Full of antioxidants, Organic Pomegranate Seed Oil and Silver Tip White Tea help protect skin from the environmental and free-radical damage. Other key  ingredients like Organic Licorice Extract and Organic Rose Water work synergistically calm, soothe, tone and balance sensitive skin while restoring its suppleness. Two to three drops is all you need each morning and evening and you’ll be on your way to experiencing a brighter, more even skin tone.

The real star of Primavera’s  Revitalizing Face Care line is none other than Organic Pomegranate Seed Oil. Now we have all heard what a miracle fruit the Pomegranate is, but what exactly are it’s benefits? In addition to being loaded with antioxidants, Pomegranates can help lower the risk of heart disease, reduce cholesterol and control your weight.  They are also one of the few fruits whose juice is just as beneficial as its edible fruit and seeds. That’s because that beautiful crimson-red peel, (which you can’t eat) contains most of the fruit’s antioxidants. They are released in abundance when the fruit is squeezed for juicing, and the inspiration Chef Bill Wavrin’s Effervescent Pomegranate and Ginger Elixir. We suggest it as prelude for a Primavera facial, to experience the benefits of the beautiful pomegranate and your own natural beauty, outside and in.

Effervescent Pomegranate and Ginger Elixir

by Glen Ivy Executive Chef Bill Wavrin

For both inner and outer beauty, Glen Ivy Chef Bill Wavrin suggests this energizing elixir made with pomegranate, one of Primavera’s signature ingredients, revered for it’s powerful antioxidants and majestic crimson red color.

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh squeezed pomegranate juice
1/3 cup honey, preferably lavender
½ cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon fresh ginger thinly sliced
5 cup sparkling water (or sparkling mineral water) ice
6 thinly cut slices of fresh lime
6 mint sprigs

Method:
In small pot, bring the pomegranate juice with the ginger to a low simmer. Simmer 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Stir in the honey until dissolved. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Strain into a large pitcher.

In the pitcher, combine the chilled pomegranate infusion, lime juice, sparkling water, ice, and slices of lime. Stir to mix. Pour Effervescent Pomegranate Elixir into six glasses, garnish with fresh sprigs of mint, and serve.

Breathe deeply, drink slowly, and awaken your senses to the uplifting scent of pomegranate while ginger’s warmth revitalizes body and mind.

Enter for a Chance to WIN your own Primavera Revitalizing Serum

What is your favorite Pomegranate recipe?
Let us know!

Leave a comment below and you’ll be entered in for a chance to WIN a Primavera Revitalizing Serum (30 mil, $80 value).

Comments for this post have been closed. Check back for the next product and your chance to win.

P.S. We’re giving away another product tomorrow for our fourth day of giveaways! HINT: This product features Organic Shea Butter.

With our “5 Days of Giveaways” underway, we want to thank everyone who shared their favorite way to calm their senses. Congratulations to Heather who shared “My favorite calming end to a hectic day is a pillow spritzed with lavender linen spray” and won Primavera’s Balancing Gel Cleanser!

We all  have our skin care routine and while most of us are familiar with the benefits of a cleanser and moisturizer, the delicate skin around the eyes is often overlooked. Since this area is so sensitive, it’s easy to see why it’s prone to show signs of aging. So what’s the first step towards fighting off wrinkles and puffiness? Incorporating a product into your skin care routine designed specifically for your eyes.

Primavera’s Moisturizing Cooling Eye Roll-On is our go-to product to make the eyes look brighter. The convenient rolling applicator instantly cools as it massages, refreshes and hydrates the eye area. While Organic Eyebright helps to reduce puffiness around the eyes while soothing any irritation, Organic Licorice Extract helps to soften the appearance of dark circles. It’s perfect to keep in your bag for a quick invigorating and hydrating pick-me-up throughout the day.

Enter for a Chance to WIN your own Primavera Cooling Eye Roll-On

You may be noticing the word “organic” appearing more than a few times in Primavera’s list of product ingredients. There’s a reason for that, but one day at a time. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s day-3 blog where we focus on what it really means to be called organic, and one of Primavera’s hero ingredients, Organic Pomegranate Seed Oil.

When is using organic products important to you?
Let us know!

Leave a comment below and you’ll be entered in for a chance to WIN a Primavera Moisturizing Cooling Eye Roll-On (10 mil, $44 value).

Comments for this post have been closed. Check back for the next product and your chance to win.

P.S. We’re giving away another product tomorrow for our third day of giveaways! HINT: This product features Organic Pomegranate Seed Oil.

“Go ahead! Eat whatever you want on Thanksgiving Day! Forget sticking to your diet. Pull up to the table and savor the delicious turkey feast with your family and friends.”

I know, this is not the typical holiday eating advice you might expect to hear from a certified wellness professional like myself. It may even border on being irresponsible–even reprehensible! But this month’s Glen Ivy Challenge, “Practicing Gratitude,” got me thinking: If people who practice gratitude on a regular basis are happier as studies suggest they are, does that mean they are healthier too? And if that’s the case, maybe the practice of gratitude during the upcoming holiday season is a better wellness strategy than depriving yourself of your favorite foods or counting the calories in a slice of pumpkin pie.

As it turns out, the answer to my question is, “Yes!”  According to Dr. Robert Emmonds, a psychology professor at University of California Davis and author of Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier, practicing gratitude or “a felt sense of wonder, thankfulness, and appreciation for life,” is not only good for your mental health, but also improves your physical health as well.  Participants in his gratitude studies showed improvements in their health status like sleeping longer hours and experiencing a better quality of sleep. They also had fewer symptoms of malaise such as headaches, nausea, and pain. The most exciting aspect of his research though, showed that these individuals also made better lifestyle choices. Emmonds explains, “Grateful people take better care of themselves and engage in more protective health behaviors like regular exercise, a healthy diet, and regular physical examinations.”  In other words, people who recognize and feel appreciation for life’s gifts choose to take better care of themselves.

Finding the motivation to choose healthier behaviors is at the heart of lasting lifestyle change. That’s why the “gratitude approach” to better health makes sense to me. Many people I talk to about beginning an exercise program or eating a healthier diet say, “I know what I need to do, I just don’t do it!” They feel at a loss as to why they repeatedly sabotage their diets or can’t stick to their program. Moreover, their confusion is frequently laced with negative self talk that eventually becomes a barrier to their success.

By its very nature, gratitude practice requires you to perform an about face away from focusing on what isn’t working, to an appreciation for what is.  Feeling bad about not going to the gym because you were held up at work, turns into feeling good about the twenty minute walk you took when you got home. And as Emmonds points out, this mental shift gives you a positive framework for living life where you are able to take control over your happiness levels.

So, with the busy holiday season upon us, and those pesky New Years resolutions following close behind, why not take a different approach this year. Lay the foundation for a year of better choices by trying my gratitude practice with a “healthy twist” during the month ahead:

• Connect with the good in your day. Start a simple gratitude journal today with the tips we provided in our recent blog post, Creating a Gratitude Journal. Try including a few entries that recognize the healthy choices you have made during your day–no matter how small.
• Connect with a sense of appreciation and thankfulness for your health and your ability to move about and do all the things you love to do. Begin to think about the healthy choices you can make in the New Year to improve your health status.
• Connect with your support system. Who are the people around you–family, friends and co-workers–who can become part of your wellness team next year? Just think, if they are on your team, you are on their team. Two healthy people for the price of one!

OK, gratitude practice won’t eliminate all the calories on your Thanksgiving plate. But approaching life with a positive outlook and a spirit of thanksgiving could mean that taking better care of yourself in the New Year comes more naturally to you. So, while I did’t really mean “Eat whatever you what this Thanksgiving,” go ahead and enjoy the turkey dressing and sweet potato pie. Just make sure there is a healthy dose of gratitude served up in between.

Meg Root is an ACE certified Advanced Health and Fitness Specialist with over 25 years in the fitness and spa industry.

We are excited about our partnership with Primavera Life Skincare, and celebrating with “5 Days of Primavera Giveaways!” Every day this week we will be featuring our favorite Primavera products here on the Glen Ivy Blog, highlighting the unique benefits of Primavera skincare plus giving everyone a Chance to Win some wonderful prizes.

Let’s start at the beginning—a good cleanser. Your skin care regimen doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated. What is important to know is that not all cleansers are equal and the skin on your face is delicate, be careful to select a product that will be gentle and doesn’t contain artificial ingredients.

The people at Primavera believe healthy skin is all about finding the right balance. That you can create perfect harmony with pure plant ingredients. Primavera’s Balancing Gel Cleanser (featured in the Glen Ivy Facial and the Detoxifying Facial at the Hot Springs) is our favorite cleanser for oily and combination skin and is packed with good-for-your-skin ingredients. It’s gentle foaming action removes dirt, makeup and excess oils, leaving your skin clean, clarified and refreshed. Natural active ingredients include Organic Sage Essential Oil which helps to control excess oil, plus Willow Bark Extract and Organic Chamomile Extract to clarify pores and calm the skin. The result? A perfectly cleansed face, clear complexion and calmed senses.

Enter for a Chance to WIN your own Primavera Balancing Gel Cleanser

One of the defining features of a spa facial featuring Primavera skincare is the harmonizing aromatherapy ritual that begins and ends each treatment. We want to know “What’s your favorite way to calm your senses?” Leave a comment below and you will be entered for a chance to WIN a Primavera Balancing Gel Cleanser.  (50 mil,  retail value $18.00)

Comments for this post have been closed. Check back for the next product and your chance to win.

P.S. Check back tomorrow for our second day of giveaways! HINT: This “cool” product will have your eyes bright!

Our last chapter brings us back to Kate, who is facing her whitewater rafting challenge with her daughter Robin by her side.  As with the other women portrayed in this book, Kate’s challenge is symbolic of her doubts and fears in life; her ability to find strength in carrying out the challenge allows her to release tightly held emotions and frees her to be more of herself.

Now that we have reached the end of our story, I am wondering what is your favorite take away from the book?  Which character were you able to most relate to?  Has the book inspired you to take on any challenges?

Congratulations to one of Glen Ivy’s favorite authors Erica Bauermeister – Joy for Beginners was chosen as one of the top ten books in women’s fiction for 2011 by Library Journal.  As we blogged through Joy we each found pieces of ourselves and our lives reflected in the characters that we were reading about.  For me, this book was not only a good read but an impetus for reflecting on life’s journey and the experiences and people we encounter on the path.  Thank you, Erica, for blogging with us.  We eagerly await your next book and hope that you’ll continue to visit our book club.

Our Winter Book Club selection will be announced in late December and we’ll begin blogging in January.  Until then, happy reading!

Our partnership with German-based Primavera Life Skincare company could not be a more perfect fit. Their certified natural skin care and aromatherapy products for the skin, face and senses, with specialized lines for beauty, wellness, and home complement one another, working synergistically for an individual’s needs, moods and lifestyle. Primavera began over twenty years ago and was founded by Ute Leube, Kurt  L. Nübling and their group of friends who shared their passion for nature and its holistic benefits, becoming one of today’s best known names in aromatherapy. Primavera brings a sensibility that is aligned with Glen Ivy’s own legacy, with a philosophy that every day is a chance to bring nature closer, to discover balance with the both outside world and the world within—their mission, to simply share the benefits of healing plants to the skin and senses.

Executive Spa Director Danny Silva on the new partnership: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Primavera—the preeminent organic skin care line from Europe, and the first skincare company to receive NATRUE certification. We have been working closely with their knowledgeable team to create an exclusive menu of facial offerings that we know our guests will love, not only for the benefits of their plant based products on their skin (our body’s largest organ), but also for the harmonizing Primavera aromatherapy ritual that begins and ends each treatment.”

We can’t wait for you to meet our friends at Primavera, so we are celebrating with “5 Days of Primavera Giveaways!” Fans will learn more about Primavera and have a chance to win some wonderful prizes. Every day next week we will be highlighting 5 of our favorite Primavera products.

How do you win? Make sure to check our blog daily next week, wait for the Primavera product review and details on how it can be all yours! If you need a hint, our first product includes the ingredients Organic Grape Seed and Organic Sage Essential Oil which are prized for their skin clearing and softening benefits.

Join us at the Spa for a Special Book Club Get Together!

At the HOT SPRINGS:
We’ll be concluding this season’s book club together in person with a casual luncheon and enchilada class with Glen Ivy’s Executive Chef Bill Wavrin this Sunday, November 20^th at Glen Ivy Hot Springs in Corona.  The Book Club Spa Day Package includes spa admission, Chef Bill’s class, lunch and the book club discussion all for $75. Get details on Book Club Spa Day or call 888 GLEN IVY to reserve your space.

At  GLEN IVY BREA:
Those in the Orange County area can enjoy a special book club get together at our Brea Day Spa location on Wednesday, November 30^th. Event specials include a 50 minute massage for $79,  and a light spa snack to enjoy as we discuss the book together.  Please call to reserve treatments and to RSVP.

As we near the end of this season’s book selection, we meet Ava.  One of Kate’s most longstanding friends, Ava could not bring herself to be physically present with Kate as she fought breast cancer.  Ava relates to the world through her sense of smell – the first of our human senses to develop and as such the most primal of our five senses.  Ava lost her mother to breast cancer; a memory that is deeply held within Ava’s highly developed olfactory sense.  Ava and the other women initially see Ava’s given challenge as punishment for not coming to Kate during her time of need; Kate says it is not punishment but rather a way to bring Ava home.  For Ava, the task of doing a three-day walk for breast cancer awareness brings an opportunity to face and move past painful memories.

Do you think that the experience of losing her mother early in life caused Ava to “get stuck” in the development of her senses?  In a sense, Ava never moved beyond the most basic of senses – do you think that losing her mother so early was the impetus for this?

How would you react if one of your closest friends was not there for you when you were facing a major life challenge?  Would you be able to forgive them and maintain the friendship?

We’ll be concluding this season’s book club together in person with a casual luncheon and enchilada class with Glen Ivy’s Executive Chef Bill Wavrin this Sunday, November 20^th at Glen Ivy Hot Springs in Corona.  The Book Club Spa Day Package includes spa admission, Chef Bill’s class, lunch and the book club discussion all for $75.  Those in the Orange County area can enjoy a special book club get together at our Brea Day Spa location on Wednesday, November 30^th – this get-together will include special event savings on treatments and a light spa snack to enjoy as we discuss the book together.

Please call 888-GLEN IVY to reserve your space.