Every quarter I start out with the best intention of getting more sleep, and after a couple weeks in I am a complete mess. This year I decided one of my goals for January was to get myself on an actual sleep schedule where (for the most part, see below) I would go to bed and get up at the same time every day of the week, including weekends.

I work in San Francisco two days a week, which means I am up at 6 a.m. to make my train and make it to my desk before 9. The rest of the week I really don’t have to be up at a particular time. In the fall I would get up at 8:30 a.m. on school days, but it made the days I went into the city complete hell. I could never get in bed on time, which was fine when I could set my alarm a little later the next day, but completely disastrous when I had to drag myself out of bed on my early mornings.

For all of January I kept myself honest and stayed on track for my goal (I know January is not yet over, but I only have a few days left and I’m confident). Every night I try to be in bed before 11 p.m., and some nights I even make it before 10:30 p.m., a huge improvement from rushing to make it before 12:30 a.m. I set my alarm for 7 or 7:30 a.m. on the days I don’t have to get up for work. I am slowly working myself closer and closer to 7 a.m. to make it closer to my early mornings. On work days I am up at 6 a.m.

But here is the monkey wrench in my otherwise perfect plan: the newspaper. I work at the school newspaper where we go to print Wednesday nights/ Thursday mornings. This means I can be up until upwards of 2 a.m. on a weekly basis (or later if things really aren’t going well). This means I only have Thursday to recover before I have to be up again at 6 a.m. on Friday for work. To make it easiest on myself, I aim for six and a half to seven hours of sleep on Wednesday nights to make sure I am can make my bedtime (and fall asleep) on Thursday without falling asleep in class.

After a month of progress, I now wake up a few minutes before my alarm at least once a week. I don’t feel like someone drugged me or walk around like a zombie on a regular basis. Here is what I did:

1. Start slowly! Wake up 10-15 minutes earlier for a few days, and then cut back again. Don’t try to wake up hours earlier all at once.

2. Go to bed. No excuses. Set a bedtime and stick to it. My goal is 10:30 p.m., but my hard deadline is 11 p.m. If I don’t make it by then, I know the next day will be rough.

3. Set a routine. I start getting ready for bed at 9:30 p.m. now. It gives me time to do a short yoga routine, foam roll, and get organized for the next day. It also gives me space from whatever I was doing before I go to bed so I don’t get in bed still thinking about it or all of the things on my to do list.

4. Be firm, but not punishing. If you didn’t make your bedtime, don’t just turn off your alarm for the next day or set it even earlier so you are even more tired tomorrow. You have to find the right balance for when your plan just isn’t going to work and you have to just roll with it.

5. Weekends count. Don’t turn off your alarm for the weekends. It will completely mess up all of the progress you have made, and you will have to start over every Monday. Enjoy the start of your week and a full weekend by sticking to your schedule.

6. Good night phone. Good night computer. Good night TV. Put it all away at least 30 minutes before bed. I use my phone for my alarm, so before I finish getting ready for bed I make sure it is set and on my light stand. Leave your electronics behind for a better night’s sleep.

Between CrossFit, running, and yoga I only have one day a week where I completely rest. I am training for a half marathon and I have goals for CrossFit that I am trying to achieve. There are some days where I have two-a-days. Because of all of this I am even more careful than before to make sure I get enough protein as an active vegetarian (at least 50 grams per day), but I will not drink protein powders.

Beyond the fact that I am not trying to be a body builder and that I cannot get over the disgusting chalky texture, I won’t drink protein powders. Years ago I read Michael Pollan’s “Food Rules” I have done my best to only eat things from nature that have not been processed or man-made.

Protein powders, whether whey, soy, or another protein, are heavily processed and full of additives. It’s better to eat whole, natural foods that provide protein as well as other nutrients. In addition protein powders make you more likely to eat more protein than your body needs, which can harm your kidneys. While it may be convenient to get 20 or more grams all at once, it’s better for your body to eat natural sources.

With the flu season ramping up, it seems like it’s impossible to avoid people who are sick. My roommate has been battling something for a few weeks and it seems like every time I go in to work someone else is home sick.

Between the Christmas trees, wet weather, and all of the bugs going around, I spent a few weeks suffering from allergies and/or a minor bug. I have posted about my neti habits in the past, but after seeing so many people suffer I thought it might be time to bring it up again.

Did you know most cleaning products sold in the average store qualify for hazardous waste disposal? How about the amount of chemicals you ingest or inhale from these products on a daily or weekly basis? Every day we are exposed to hundreds, if not thousands of chemicals in our own homes that have been linked with cancer and other health problems.

Worse than any mutant monster lurking in the tub or the possibility of getting sucked down the drain, the toxic chemicals in your shampoo and soap are something to be feared.

A splash of neurotoxins to wash your face, a hint of carcinogens to make your hair really shine, all topped off with a mist of reproductive toxins to leave you sweet-smelling all day.

In the course of a single day, women put 168 chemical ingredients on their skin and men use 85. While these numbers seem inordinately high, the exhausting list on the back of most shampoo bottles alone puts a solid dent in the tally.

But just because these products are loaded with chemicals, does not mean they are safe.

The evidence of the dangers of Bisphenol A, also known as BPA, is piling up. High levels of urinary BPA are linked to an increased risk of childhood obesity, according to a recent article from the New York Times.

More than 90 percent of Americans have BPA in their urine. BPA is in everything from water bottles, aluminum can liners, to even the receipt they hand you at the grocery store.

Although BPA was banned in California from baby bottles and sippy cups last year, the chemical has not been mandated to be removed from all consumer applications like many have called for.

We all know the old adage that beauty is from the inside, but author of “Beauty Pure and Simple: the Ayurvedic approach to beautiful skin,” Kristen Ma, proves just how true this may be. Ma, an Ayurvedic practitioner and esthetician, breaks down complex Ayurvedic concepts and skin conditions into easily understandable chapters. Her solutions to problems like acne, dry skin, sensitive skin, and many other skin ailments are simple to understand and easy to follow.

Ma incorporates the whole body’s health in the belief that the skin reflects trouble brewing underneath. She also explains why conventional skin products and medication aggravate and can create many skin problems. The book details the best skincare routines for every problem or skin type without pushing products or turning into a TV “infomercial”.

This book is a must for anyone who struggles with acne, dry skin, sensitive skin, rosacea, eczema, aging, or who just want to make their skin as healthy and beautiful as possible. Ma guides readers to look internally and find what may be the true cause of their ailment and how to best reach whole body health and a healthy, radiant complexion.

With the recent hype in the media about probiotics, companies are scrambling over one another to tell consumers about how great their product is and how powerful their probiotics are. By now most people know that probiotics support digestive health, the immune system, reduce inflammation, and support overall good health. What most people don’t know is how to find the best sources or product.

Fermented foods like yogurt and kombucha are a good source of probiotics. However, your stomach begins to break down the good bacteria before it reaches your intestine, so it is not the heaviest dose of probiotics. With that said fermented foods are still a great way to increase the amount of good bacteria in your digestive system.

How to pick the best probiotic

If you choose to use a supplement, there are a few things to keep in mind according to Dr. Shekhar Challa, author of “Probiotics for Dummies.” Be certain that the supplement:

1. Has at least five strains of bacteria.

2. Has at least 3-5 billion microbes. If you are currently experiencing digestive system problems or illness than you want to look for 5-10 billion.

3. Is encapsulated to protect it from your stomach and ensure that the microbes make it to your intestines.