Chinese New Year

Mandarin oranges are symbols of luck and abundance during Chinese New Year, which was celebrated yesterday. However, just because the Lunar New Year has passed doesn't mean you have to stop eating the juicy fruit. When you're consuming oranges, you'll usually have peels left over. Here are some ideas for reusing them:

• Cook with them. There are many ingredients that call for citrus peel, one of which is candied peel (get the recipe here). The orange skin is so fragrant and flavorful that you can use it for a variety of dishes, ranging from savory to sweet. It's also good for meats like fish because it tones down the "fishy" scent.
• Clean with them. When making cleaning supplies, such as a vinegar water mixture, soak the peels in the vinegar for a few days to give it citrus scent.
• Stove-top air freshener and humidifier. Heat up a pot of water and throw in orange peels and other spices such as cinnamon and cloves. This will make your home smell good (and humidify it!), which is helpful if your kitchen smells strongly of the meal you just cooked up.
• Cat repellant. If you want to repel cats from an area, such as your plants, surround it with orange peels. Felines aren't fans of the citrus scent.
• Body scrub. Ground up the orange peels and mix them with your homemade body scrub mixture.
• Fire starter. The peels are highly flammable, so the orange skin makes a good kindler or fire starter.
• Garbage deodorizer. Throw a few peels down your garbage disposal and turn it on to deodorize it. You can also throw them in your trash can to deodorize the smells there.
• Bug repellant. Orange peels can repel bugs, and some people rub the peels on their skin as a natural bug repellant. You can also put peels around places in your home that get a lot of ants and mosquitoes to chase them away from the area.

Source: Etsy User CharliesDoggieBag

Just thinking about snakes may make your skin crawl, but Sunday's Lunar New Year also begins the year of the snake, making it an opportune time to practice Cobra Pose (Sanskrit: Bhujangasana). When you hop on your mat this weekend, celebrate the Chinese New Year with Cobra, and receive all of these health benefits at the same time.

Stress reduction: Heart-opening poses like Cobra take an emotional weight off the mind, elevating your mood and helping to reduce anxiety and stress.

Build upper-body strength: Having to hold the torso up during Cobra will help strengthen and tone the biceps, triceps, and deltoids. Just keep in mind that this is a relaxing pose, so to prevent working too hard, keep a slight bend in the elbows.

Reduce neck and back pain: This posture stretches the muscles in the shoulders, chest, and neck, which can help relieve tightness in the upper body and back. Cobra is especially beneficial for those who sit hunched over a desk all day.

Prevent injury: Runners, skiers, and cyclists all rely on their legs, which results in oh-so-tight hip flexors. Stretching this area with Cobra Pose can keep hips flexible, reducing the risk of injury. Cobra also allows the front of the body a chance to stretch and open up, which can reduce the risk of shoulder injury.

Stretches the abs: Just as you do hamstring stretches after a run, it's important to stretch your belly after doing core-focused exercises; Cobra is the perfect pose to stretch your abs.

Relieves sciatica: Tight muscles in the lower back, hips, and legs can cause the pinching pain of sciatica, and doing Cobra Pose will help increase flexibility in this area.

Come Sunday's Chinese New Year celebrations, the world will welcome in the year of the snake. Although you might run away if you ever come across the slithering land animal, people born in the year of the snake are known to be experts at drawing people toward them. Those lucky enough to have the snake as their Chinese zodiac, which includes people born in 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, and 2001, are considered attractive and sophisticated. But there are also some not-so-positive qualities traditionally associated with the snake sign. Let's take a look at the good and the bad.

Snakes Are Charmers
When you consider Grace Kelly, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Audrey Hepburn were all born in the year of the snake, it makes perfect sense that those with the sign are considered exceptionally attractive. In both the personality and looks departments, snake signs have the seductive qualities that draw people to them.

They're Hopelessly Devoted
Those with the snake zodiac are very devoted to their partner — and they expect the same loyalty in return. This devotion can turn dark with jealousy and possessiveness. On the up side, they manage to make their partner feel secure and loved. The best matches, according to tradition, are people born in the year of the tiger, pig, horse, or monkey.

Mystery Breeds Sophistication
The snake sign indicates that a person is private and hard-pressed to show outward emotion. They often think through decisions and keep their plans to themselves, which make them one of the least-trusted signs in the Chinese zodiac. But being perceived as mysterious can also lead to an air of sophistication. Specifically, women born in the year of the snake are considered graceful and fashionable, especially when it comes to details. So when you notice a friend who always has a perfect manicure or interesting accessory, there's a good chance she's a snake!

They're Able to Shed Their Skin
People born in the year of the snake aren't easily unnerved. And after they do face a time of crisis, they manage to "shed their skin" and come back stronger. Makes perfect sense.