Between your increasingly thriving career, familial obligations, and making time for self-care, romance may be the last thing on mind. While you've been focused on living your best life, it's possible that you've been putting bae on the back burner, but according to Steph and Ayesha Curry, your partner should be the most important thing on your to-do list, and their recent trip to Iceland was proof of this fact.
The Currys constantly have their schedules jam-packed with everything from hosting PGA golf tournaments to raising three children, but somehow despite the chaos of both their personal and professional lives, these two always seem to make time for one another. The couple, who spent their weekend in the land of volcanoes, geysers, and lava fields, celebrated 8 years of marriage in July and are a vision of melanin matrimony that is frame-worthy.
While a 7-hour flight to Viking country may not be on your bucket list, this celebrity couple just proved that one of the coolest things you can do is have a hot date on a glacier. Steph and Ayesha spent their baecation at The Retreat Blue Lagoon at Iceland, a luxury resort with floor-to-ceiling windows and lagoon views that starts at $1,300 a night; but there are also Volcano Huts and Cottages available that you can snag at a bargain for an alternatively dope experience.
Although booking a place to stay is a great place to start, Iceland has a lot more to offer than a quaint love nest when it comes to romance. If you and your boo are thinking of booking a trip, here are a few places you should check out while you're there:
Blue Lagoon
Known as one of the Top 25 wonders of the world, Iceland's man-made geothermic spa has been graced by the likes of Beyonce, Jay-Z, Ayesha and Steph Curry, and now, you and your boo! The lagoon's waters stay around 102 degrees Fahrenheit and is open year-round, but due to its popularity, it's recommended that you book well before your trip.
Thrihnukagigur
Climbing into a dormant volcanic crater may not be the ideal date night, but judging from Steph and Ayesha's photos, it sure makes for a fun one. One of the country's top attractions and the only volcano in the world that you can actually go inside, visitors can delve down up to 400 feet down into the volcano's magma chamber for a one of a kind experience.
Experience The Northern Lights At Seltjarnarnes
Aurora Borealis or Northern lights, Iceland
Getty Images
This quaint, mountain-view city is the perfect place for you and your partner to fall in love all over again. From late September until late March, you can experience the Northern Lights, a beautiful display of colors and stars that will set the mood for the date night of your dreams.
Featured image by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
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Okay, but what if you’re someone who, for whatever the reason, can’t stand traditional vitamins? Maybe they’re too hard to swallow. Maybe they taste nasty. Maybe you’ve never really seen how they can truly benefit you. Well, for the first two issues, in just a moment, you’re going to see why gummy vitamins might be the best alternative for you. As for the last point, as I get into some of the benefits of taking gummy supplements, you may see why taking vitamins can be a really good practice overall.
Gummy vitamins have been all the rage for a few years now. If you’re wondering if they’re more hype than anything else, please read on.
Why You Should Feel Good About Enjoying Gummy Vitamins
Photo by Maria Kozyr on UnsplashEven though I don’t have a problem with swallowing vitamins, I must say that about half of the supplements that I take are gummies at this point. I mean, let’s not act like they’re not sweeter, easier to consume, and, all around more fun (I mean, if vitamin taking can be considered an enjoyable activity).
And so yeah, when it comes to the top reason why you shouldn’t think twice — or feel bad — about taking the gummies route for your supplemental health, it’s because gummies make it easier to take vitamins in the first place. Thankfully, there are other reasons, though.
- Depending on the brand (more on that in a bit), vitamin gummies have basically the same nutritional value as traditional vitamins
- Your system is able to process/digest them more easily than traditional vitamins
- They’re super convenient (because you don’t need a beverage in order to take them)
- They oftentimes are branded for specific needs like hair/skin/nails, feminine pH, and others
- Although there are vitamins that also come in liquid form and chewable tablets, gummies tend to taste much better than them all
A deliciously convenient way to get the vitamins and minerals that you need. If that’s not an awesome reason to take gummy supplements, what is, y’all? What is?
What You Should Be Aware of on the “Downside” As Well
Okay, so what if you’ve heard somewhere that vitamin gummies are something that you should do your best to avoid? Is there any kind of truth to that? The short answer (based on the “pros” that I just provided) is “no.” However, before you decide to go vitamin gummies shopping, there are a few other things to keep in mind:
- Vitamin gummies taste good because they have a good amount of sugar in them (oftentimes 2-8 grams per serving) which can lead to tooth decay or, if there are sugar substitutes in the gummies, that could lead to intestinal issues
- Vitamin gummies need additives and preservatives in order to have a decent shelf life and sometimes those aren’t the best for you overall (although the FDA did recently ban red dye in food which makes this less of an issue)
- Although vitamins don’t technically expire, many of them do lose potency after about two years — faster when they are in gummy form; that’s because gummies are more susceptible to moisture and moisture can ruin supplements faster
- Since vitamin gummies taste so good, that makes it easier to take more than the daily recommended amount (which is on the label) — and that can lead to things like vomiting and/or diarrhea
- Minerals like iron are missing from vitamin gummies; mostly because they create a metallic taste that prevents gummies from being as appealing to the palate
So, you know what all of this means, right? Although, for the most part, vitamin gummies can be beneficial for you, 1) you shouldn’t expect them to be total health life-changers and 2) you definitely need to be wise when it comes to selecting the ones that will be best for you.
And that brings me to my final point about vitamin gummies today…
5 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Supplement Gummies
When I first started getting vitamin gummies, I didn’t have this checklist. I wish that I had, though, because it took me a minute to figure out which gummies were going to not just taste good to me but actually be good for me. After a bit of trial and error, this is how I finally got to a brand that I am happy with.
1. Do some branding homework. Honestly, this should apply to both traditional and gummy vitamins because, as far as supplements go, they DEFINITELY are not all created equal. As far as my favorite gummy brand is concerned, it’s probably Nature Made, although OLLY, Honibe, and Smarty Pants are other ones that come highly recommended by health experts.
2. Make sure that the gummies are third-party tested. Basically, what this means is that the product has some sort of certification stamp on it. Speaking of stamps, be sure to check the expiration date on your gummies too. You’d be surprised by how many stores try to pull fast ones when it comes to not staying on top of that.
3. Pay close attention to what the label says. When you’re looking at the back of the label of any edible product, the nutrition is listed by what it has the most of. For instance, if you see vitamin C first, then it has more of that than anything else. And so, please, make sure that the additives and preservatives are very low. In fact, you’d be better off with a gummy that has none of them or has natural flavors and coloring instead.
4. Prefer what’s low in sugar. It’s not that we shouldn’t have ANY sugar in our life, it’s that we shouldn’t have more than 36 grams as a man and 25 grams as a woman on a daily basis. That said, if a gummy contains more than a third of what you should be consuming every day…can you see how that is already potentially problematic? Moral to the story: definitely look at the label for the sugar content too. Because it doesn’t make a lot of sense to take something for nutrition reasons if a ton of sugar is going to jack it up.
5. (Probably) go with bottles. Although gummy vitamins come in different types of packaging, you probably should go with bottles. Why? Because they typically have a seal that lets you know, beforehand, if the bottle has been tampered with or not. Pouches and jars don’t typically give you that kind of reassurance.
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Even if it wasn’t on your bingo card to learn about gummy vitamins today (LOL), I’m hoping that you can feel more confident about them, the next time you see a bottle at Target or your favorite pharmacy. Shoot, being able to consume something that tastes great that is actually good for you — how can that not make reading all of this totally worth your time?
I’m sayin’.
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