Source: http://www.fannetasticfood.com/2016/05/25/on-vacation-see-you-in-june/

Hi friends – Matt and I are off to western Canada for vacation, leaving bright and early tomorrow morning! We’re hiking in Banff and Jasper National Parks and ending with a few days in Vancouver. While we’re gone, I’ll be taking a true vacation and won’t be posting here on the blog until our return on June 6 or 7.

I will be posting photos occasionally on Instagram, though, if you want to follow the action over there. I’ll share some trip recaps here on the blog too once we’re back! I know some of you shared tips for Banff, Jasper, and Vancouver already, but please keep them coming! And thank you for your patience and for sticking with me during this break.

For those of you interested in signing up for my new 6 week intuitive and mindful eating virtual group program, Joyful Eating, Nourished Life, just an FYI that as of today (May 25) we are officially just over 50% full. The first 6 week session begins on June 20 and we aren’t sure how soon the next session will be, so if you are interested, sign up now!

In the meantime, here are some of my favorite recipes (click on the photos to be taken to the recipes) and health-inspired posts (scroll down to see those after the recipes) to keep you busy while I’m gone. Enjoy, and see you in a couple weeks, my friends! I’ll miss you guys!…

Source: http://www.sonima.com/meditation/falling-in-love/

It’s date night. Or date morning, as is mostly the case for me. Time to set aside the world and its worries. Time to sit down and savor someone delicious, someone I love.  We don’t get to spend enough time together.  The kind of time that meanders without agenda or goals or any kind of ideas of improvement; a straight-up hang out session. Sometimes I show up eager and open, other times I’m stressed or scattered with tons on my mind. Sometimes I’m just tired.

But no matter. I can arrive in any state; regardless how I come, I always leave feeling better, happier, more in love.

Our relationship is complicated.  I can be mean, demanding, unsatisfied, and bossy. I’m not always a great listener. This quality time together is meant specifically to soothe and heal all of that. Away from distractions and responsibilities, it’s a time to move out of the (often negative speaking) head and into the joy of the heart.

So I do it everyday. I sit down and practice welcoming myself however I appear.  I soften judgement, criticism and all those imperatives to be better or different than right now. 

Related: Talking and Listening

To meditate is to practice the art of accepting, embracing (oneself and the reality around us) and ultimately, of falling in love. Sitting is so simple when it comes from this place. Listening to the breath…

Source: http://clubindustry.com/profits/property-briefs-blink-fitness-new-york-city-new-golds-gym-locations-orangetheory-fitness-exp

A look at recent notable openings, real estate transactions and renovations in the health club industry.

read more

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Source: http://www.sonima.com/meditation/mindful-living/choose-the-right-partner/

So you’ve been dating someone and you think they’re pretty great. You have a lot in common, you have strong physical chemistry, and all your friends think you’re a great couple. But there’s something nagging you, tugging at you right beneath the surface. You notice that you’re more distracted than before you were dating, and not necessarily as kind or giving with other people. How do you know if your partner is good for your spiritual path—or good for you in general?

There is a beautiful Buddhist text dating back to the 14th century known as the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva. Bodhi can be translated from Sanskrit as “open” or “awake” while sattva can be translated as “being,” so it is an open-hearted being. A meditation master known as Ngulchu Thogme composed these verses so that we could live a full life with open hearts in order to be helpful to those around us. Many of these practices revolve around applying virtue to even the toughest of our everyday situations. For example:

When in reliance on someone, your defects wane
And your positive qualities grow like the waxing moon,
To cherish such a spiritual friend even more than your own body
Is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

At first, this verse might sound confusing. You might think, “Sure I’ve gained some relationship weight, but no need to call me a waxing moon!” Wha…

Source: http://www.sonima.com/videos/sharath-jois-2016-us-tour/

Watch video on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJGicvFr2ZE

In the hour leading up to the 6:30 a.m. led primary class, students are buzzing. Old friends catch up, strangers greet each other, and seem to talk solely of yoga. The energy is high, but the focus is singular. Paramaguru R. Sharath Jois, the lineage holder of Ashtanga Yoga, arrives 15 minutes before class begins, and he sits on his chair at the front of the room. The room starts to hush even though we still have time before the practice begins. Hundreds of students stare up at their Guru, and he looks back, sometimes at individual faces, and other times, seemingly at us all.

“Samastihi,” he says. And everyone jumps to their feet. Class begins on these days, the same way it does for devoted Ashtangis every day. But even though the motions are the same, these days are different. We’re not in our living rooms or in our local shalas, we’re not doing our practice in our pajamas or with kids running around. We’re doing it in community, before the Guru. 

Related: 100 Most Influential Yoga Teachers in America

And though it may seem both grandiose and precious, in fact it’s neither — it’s quite simple. Humbling, even. These moments are the touchstone devoted practitioners return to. A way of checking in with the teacher, a way of connecting to the source. In the fabric of life, this …

Source: http://greatist.com/live/naked-yoga-girl-video-is-even-better-with-the-sound-on?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

Watching a yogi glide easily through asanas is hypnotic, but that’s just one reason we love this Harper’s Bazaar video featuring @nude_yogagirl. Turn your sound on to hear her powerful message: Social media places so much emphasis on what people look like, but yoga is about how you feel. “The most important thing I have learned from yoga is that confidence and loving your body starts in your mind,” she says. Remember that the next time you’re in class.

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Source: http://www.niashanks.com/women-be-more-not-less-infographic/

There’s no shortage of information trying to convince you that your sole purpose as a woman is to value yourself based on how you look. (“Hey, woman! Do you hate how you look? Of course you do — every woman hates something about herself and won’t be happy until it’s fixed. Here’s a solution for your flaws.”)

Media and magazines prey on our insecurities, and create ones we didn’t have in the first place. We’re constantly told to eat less, that we need to whittle ourselves down to a smaller size, and that we’ll finally be happy once we reach those society-approved standards.

Crap. All of it. It’s a gargantuan mountain of steamy crap. And I’m sick of smelling it.

Part of the reason I’m tired of this nonsense is because I once believed every damn word. I know what it’s like to value myself based on my weight and physical appearance. Battling binge eating that developed from restrictive dieting was my reality for years. Spending hours each week working out because I hated how I looked and then punishing myself with extra workouts when I gave into temptation.

I don’t want other women to travel down the same degrading, miserable path. The solution: refuse to swallow the “women must strive to be smaller” pill and choose to be more. Here’s a handy infographic to get you started.

What To Do Now

Simple: be more. Be more in…

Source: http://clubindustry.com/manufacturers/nautilus-claims-patent-infringement-lawsuit-against-icon-health-fitness

Nautilus claims that an ICON Health & Fitness’ FreeStride model infringes on its patented technology.

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Source: http://www.foodpolitics.com/2016/05/weekend-reading-garrett-broads-more-than-just-food/

Garrett M. Broad.  More Than Just Food: Food Justice and Community Change. University of California Press, 2016.

I particularly wanted to read this book for two reasons, one personal and one professional.

First the personal.  The book’s University of California Press publication was supported by the Anne G. Lipow Endowment Fund for Social Justice and Human Rights, established by Stephen M. Silberstein.   Anne and I were friends from the time our children were babies. Sadly, she died in 2004.  Steve, her husband, set up this endowment in her honor.

On the professional side, More Than Just Food is based on Garrett Broad’s dissertation research.  As he explains,

More Than Just Food offers an ethnographic exploration of community-based food justice activism in urban America, using the network of Community Services Unlimited, Inc. (CSU) as a centering artifact of study.  CSU was initially created as the nonprofit arm of the Southern California chapter of the Black Panther Party and today stands as a leading food justice nonprofit organization in its own community of South Los Angeles, with connections to other food justice groups from across the United States and around the world.

To study this group and food justice organizations in general, Broad joined the CSU and participated in its activ…

Source: http://greatist.com/move/abs-workout-barre-routine-for-core-and-butt?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

Despite the fact that barre workouts are inspired by ballet, you definitely don’t have to be a dancer to do them. This low-impact sequence doesn’t feature any complicated choreography or rhythmic footwork like Zumba®. Instead, it’s made up of very small, simple movements that will strengthen your core and butt. It’s short (only 21 minutes), effective, and easy to follow.

Barre instructor Stephanie Villegas starts off with an easy warm-up to loosen muscles and prime your spine. Then you’ll work on tiny, controlled moves, including leg lifts, pulses, and clam shells. They might not look like much, but they’ll really work your muscles. You might shake or quiver, but that’s totally normal—and Villegas builds in a few stretches throughout the sequence for some quick relief.

You’ll need one lightweight dumbbell between 3 and 5 pounds and a chair or countertop for support. A yoga mat is optional.

Looking for more short and effective at-home workouts? Grokker has thousands of routines, so you’ll never get bored. Bonus: For a limited time, Greatist readers get 40 percent off Grokker Premium (just $9 per month) and their first 14 days free. Sign up now!

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