From the monthly archives:
February 2008
Creating a Charmed Life with Victoria Moran
I first discovered Victoria Moran on Oprah years ago and have been enjoying her books ever since. Reading her warm and personal writing on topics of wellness, aging, weight loss, yoga, healthy eating, spirituality and leading a charmed life feels like receiving advice from my long lost spiritual big sister.
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Restorative Yoga for Jet Lag
Restorative Yoga is a perfect antidote for jet lag. I often turn to these poses to feel better following a flight and had the opportunity to share their power with my client Nancy last week, just back from a three week cruise around South America and jet lagged from a ten plus hour flight home. Exhausted, bleary eyed and unsteady on her feet, our typical stretch, strengthen and balance session was not what she needed. I suggested we try some nourishing restorative yoga poses instead.
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De-Stress with Yoga
Yoga is a proven exercise for relieving stress. This magic elixir can help restore hormone balance and calm your nervous system. A powerful pose for simultaneously soothing and energizing your system is legs up the wall pose. It is a mild inversion that uses gravity to help let the body de-stress, and increases blood flow to the brain and can also lessen the intensity of hot flashes. The next time you are feeling overcome by stress give it a try.
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Seven Ways Yoga Helps with Weight Loss
There are lots of reasons that yoga helps with weight loss that go far beyond the physical practice. In fact, calories burned alone can’t account for the the power of this ancient practice. I’m living proof. Yoga helps with all aspects of the weight issue–physical, mental, and emotional.
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Another Great Real Simple Dinner: Turkey and Roasted Red Pepper Meat Loaf
I tried another great recipe from this month’s issue of Real Simple last night–turkey and roasted red pepper meat loaf. It was delicious; by far the best turkey meat loaf recipe I have found to date and pretty straight forward–ground turkey, parmesan, egg, bread crumbs, mustard, parsley and a small jar of roasted red peppers. I added a teaspoon of thyme for good measure. Chopped fresh basil would be a nice variation that I plan to try next time. It was a little salty and will cut back on the parmesan a bit next time too.
I served it with a simple mixed green salad with balsamic vinaigrette, as well as roasted onions, potatoes and sweet potatoes. My guys were in heaven, giving dinner two thumbs up. This one’s going to the top of my meat loaf file. Try it for yourself and let me know what you think.
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Real Simple Dinner–Crispy Shrimp with Garlicky Beans
Real Simple Magazine is a great source for those of us looking to simplify and streamline our lives. I especially like their realistic approach to preparing quick and easy dinners that are usually healthy, utilizing fresh ingredients and uncomplicated preparations.
This month their 5 Easy Weeknight Dinners article offers lots of inspiration for getting dinner on the table in a hurry without sacrificing taste or health.
Last night I made Crispy Shrimp with Garlicky Beans modifying the recipe slightly. I added a bit of lemon zest and lemon juice to the bread crumb mixture for the shrimp and substituted spinach for the arugula that wasn’t available at my grocery store. The beans only required opening a can, giving them a quick rinse, and heating with a bit of garlic, olive oil, water and garlic. I also roasted some sliced zucchini and cherry tomatoes along side the shrimp to boost our daily veggie count even higher.
What’s not to love about dinner that requires minimal preparation, ten-twelve minutes of cooking and delivers a tasty healthy result? Everyone loved it and agreed that it should be added to my ‘Definitely Make Again’ file! If you haven’t read Real Simple you might want to check it out.
For the Crispy Shrimp with Garlicky Beans recipe
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Reconnecting with Food Through Yoga
Friday night I joined twelve women in a Reconnect with Food Candlelight Yoga Workshop led by dietician and yoga teacher, Beverly Price. The session began with a one hour yoga class where poses were held for what seemed to me an interminable amount of time and concluded with a one hour sharing circle complete with talking stick and a mindful eating exercise. It was a great introductory exploration of using yoga and “mindful awareness” to gain a deeper understanding of self-acceptance and self-awareness, especially as it relates to food and eating issues.
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Freedom Yoga with Erich Schiffman
I just finished a great weekend of yoga in Phoenix with Yoga master Erich Schiffman, who refers to his yoga as ‘freedom style.’ Close to 100 people gathered in Phoenix College’s gym to share two days of yoga, meditation and Erich’s message, which is in total alignment with my nourishing-yoga philosophy. Here are a few golden nuggets of wisdom distilled from his lifetime of yoga study and personal practice:
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Two Weeks of Self Care & Integrity: Day One
Here’s a little more wisdom from Edwene Gaines’ book, The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity: A Simple Guide to Unlimited Abundance which aligns nicely with the voluntary simplicity philosophy. This is the first of fourteen suggestions for increasing integrity and self care.
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Priority One: Guiltless Self-Care
I have just finished The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity: A Simple Guide to Unlimited Abundance by Edwene Gaines. There’s a lot of wisdom and inspiration between its pages. One important topic that resonated strongly was the importance of committing to greater self-love, something that can be particularly challenging for most of us. I remember several years ago a life coach/author guest on Oprah being booed when she suggested to the mostly woman audience they take care of themselves first. What are we so scared of? Why does it seem selfish to care for oneself? Why is it so unacceptable?
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