Focus Forward Friday: Eat (or Don't) Before Class

Photo via A Clock Without Hands.

Focus Forward Friday: 

A weekly ritual for deepening your practice.

Today's focus: eating well. What do you eat before class, yogis? Do you have any special foods that go well with a Bikram class, or Vinyasa flow, or yin yoga?

Do you change your eating patterns depending on what style you're about to practice?

I find that what I eat and drink before a yoga class makes a huge difference. For example: no heavy foods for at least 3 hours up to a Bikram class. I usually stick with fruit, maybe a granola bar or yogurt or piece of cheese if I'm starving within the hour of class.

Drinking tons of water and coconut water (plus YogaEarth!) always helps me stay hydrated in the heat, too.

What do you like to eat and drink before yoga? I'm guessing no clam chowder... but that photo looked too tasty not to share :) Makes me miss San Francisco and the Wharf!


Happy Friday, all.

Photos via A Vagabond Bond.

Smart Shopping: Grocery Time

 Photos via Orangette.

Hey all! As part of the Beyond Childhood series, I'd like to offer a few posts on healthy eating and simplifying your work in the kitchen. First up is a guest post from the lovely blogger Marci Gilbert on how to plan ahead for your grocery shopping to make sure you get the most for your money and your time.


Enjoy! And enjoy the calm, peaceful feeling of having your meals ready to go all week. It will give you more time for your yoga or other projects you have going on.

Photo via Trevor Dye of Yogi Uprising.

Marci is totally right about the awesomeness of cooking on the weekend, and then refrigerating or freezing meals ahead of time. I've been doing this lately and it makes life so much easier! You just come home from work and heat up whatever you're having. Easy peasy!

From Marci:


One of my favorite parts of the week is going to the grocery store on Sundays. I try to get all my shopping done for the week in one day, and here are some tips of how I do it. It does involve planning, but not to the extent that I write down five days of dinner menus.
A little background–I only have to feed two people, and my husband eats lunch out, and some dinners out too. When planning and buying, I pay attention to expiration dates or overbuying so things won’t spoil.


How to get your grocery shopping done in one day for one week:
1. Have an old-fashioned list. I keep a list going all the time in the kitchen. Make sure you add things that you run out of right when you run out of it! Jot down new foods to try from things you read. Then at the grocery, stick to your list. It will keep you from overbuying. However, there are some days when I like to browse the aisles and look for new things to try, or produce that is in season.


2. Think about your week. Do you already have plans to eat out? Are you packing your breakfast every morning or will you have time to eat at home? Same with lunch. For me, I always pack breakfast and a snack, and my lunches are similar within a week. Keeping lunches similar keeps your grocery bill down. Buy a bag of cherries one week and then mixed berries the next. Use pantry items to change it up, like buy turkey, and alternate in tuna or beans for salad protein.


3. Get to know your grocery store. The annoying part of wanting certain brands or fresher produce is going to multiple grocery stores. However, I can be in and out of a grocery quickly because I know where things are and what each store may or may not carry.


4. If you go to multiple grocery stores, go to the one that will be cheaper first. By this I mean that I will look for produce at an everyday type store before Whole Foods because I know it will be cheaper. If the quality is poor at Store #1, I’ll get it at Whole Foods.

 Photo via Orangette.

5. Use Costco! (or any big box store). My weekly trips to the grocery are for what we need for the week. We leave our cleaning supplies, some freezer items, dry snacks, and waters to buy in bulk every 6 weeks or so.


6. Plan to make use of your Sunday afternoon. Every Sunday, I hard-boil 6 eggs–to use for breakfast or chopped into tuna salad or on a salad. Sometimes I bake chicken to have for a few days. Sometimes I bake muffins to freeze for breakfast. And then I make dinner for Sunday night with plans to have leftovers for Monday lunch or Monday night. Or if I make chicken, I will use it in a different way during the week.


7. Planning a basic dinner: It doesn’t always have to be about creating a recipe! You just need things on hand to satisfy the carb-protein-vegetable ratio, in my opinion. For instance, sweet potatoes, vegetables to roast (brussels sprouts, broccoli, squash, zucchini, mixed peppers) can always be paired with canned baked beans, 90-second rice, grilled chicken or your protein of choice for a well-rounded meal. I eat more exciting than that a lot of the time, but sometimes that is good enough.

Photo via Emily at JoJoNoodle. She and Jordan are always making beautiful, simple meals.

8. The freezer is for more than ice cream and ice. Use your freezer to store baked goods, then defrost in the refrigerator overnight for breakfast. You can cook soups ahead and defrost before work for dinner that night, and let meats thaw all day. Planning is the hard part. If you make the decisions ahead of time, all that’s left is to execute when you get home at night.


Welcome to the world of extreme wifey-hood! (Or motherhood, womanhood, manhood, adulthood: however you'd like to apply this great knowledge.) May your week night dinners never be the same!


And a big thanks again to Marci for sharing the post. :) Check out more of her recipes here.


PS Want to check out more in the Beyond Childhood series? Try this post on bellies, or this one on adorable handmade toys. Or read more about why I started the series.

Healthy Eating, and a Bubbly Fizzy Brain Trick

La Croix sparkling water images via Flickr (Collinvandyck and ishatter). 

La Croix is the champagne of water: bubbly and effervescent. It brings surprise to what could be considered the most mundane drink around, and that's why I love it!

An afternoon must at the office. I drink probably two or three cans a day and it's great because they keep me away from the tempting sugary sodas that are also around.

On Sunday at our friend's Super Bowl party, he and his wife also served Perrier sparkling water with pink lemonade. Yummy! Reminded me of the champagne punch at a fun Christmas party that the Hubs and I tried a while back, too (it was made with limeade and cranberry juice and champagne). Delicious mixes!

All these satisfying sparkling drinks have me thinking about ways to eat healthy by tricking my brain into thinking I'm getting a fancy treat. All those bubbles but no calories or extra sugar. It's a win-win!

Do you have any special healthy items you like to snack on or drink?

What healthy recipes have you been making lately?

I'm thinking I'd like to try something with kale soon. I know it's a great nutrient boost for a fruit smoothie, but maybe something more savory to go with dinner? Would love your ideas.

Here's to eating healthy! (More posts on that topic coming soon, too.) XO

Oh look! It's my afternoon "champagne" :) AKA sparkling water.

Run, Yoga, Run: The Bikram Athlete

Photo illustration via Blow Up Studios and their ad campaign for Pure Yoga. 

Hey yogis. How is your week going? Are you busy shoveling snow?


Perhaps you've had to mix up your workout this week because of inclement weather. Just this morning the Hubs and I helped push a neighbor's car over a pile of snow, and it got me thinking about those muscles we don't usually use in the Bikram room. By engaging in other core-building or stamina-enhancing exercise, we can improve our yoga practice. 


Sometimes we need to mix it up in order to improve not only our physical health, but our mental health, too. The repetitive nature of Bikram yoga (as a result of the dialogue and our familiarity with the 26-posture sequence) makes it tempting to zone out during class -- to disengage, stop listening, and go with what we know.


At those moments, we risk injury.


Often it can be great to mix up your work out routine by adding different styles of yoga or different cardio activities to your schedule.


Do any of you readers do Bikram on the side? Maybe you are into cross training, running, swimming, or biking -- but you find yoga to be a great complement to your other athletic endeavors.


No matter what your first fitness love is, Bikram can help you build the strength and flexibility you need to perform at your best, and live your healthiest life.

Photo illustration via Blow Up Studios.

One reader of the blog recently contacted me about her work as a personal trainer. Jeozette of MVP Personal Fitness Consulting recommends that athletes balance their cardio with Bikram, as the two can inform each other and provide awesome balance. The rest of this post is adapted from Joezette's article here.

You Gotta Have: Total-Body Conditioning 
(not simply strong quads) 

Consistent running can lead to a lot of tightness and strain in the spine, shoulders, hamstrings, and hips. This is why it is so important to condition and stretch those areas to develop more strength and movement to your body.


Try the following cross-training exercise to build arm strength and flexibility.


EXERCISE: Push-up; one of the best exercise for muscles of the chest (pectorals), arms (bicep and triceps) and core development.


Start face down on the floor with your feet together curled slightly so you rise on the ball of your feet. Place you hands close together so your thumbs and index fingers form a triangle on the floor. Keep your stomach contracted.
Inhale as you raise your body up till your arms are straight. Keep your head and neck level with your body and back straight. Exhale out as you lower your body back to the ground.

Photo via mewall82 on Flickr.

You Gotta Be: Pain Free!

Bikram Yoga will put an end to the tightness that leads to pain by opening up your joints and stretching all your ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Remember that running doesn't use ALL your muscles. You need a pose that will utilize your whole body.


Try the following Bikram Yoga pose to help straighten rounded spines and relieve backaches. This pose will also increase circulation to the spine and strengthen the abs, arms, thighs, and hips.It will improve the flexibility of the scapula, deltoids, and traps.


POSE: Bow Pose; Start lying on your stomach, bend your knees and bring your feet down towards your glutes. Reach back with your arms, take hold of each foot from the outside, grasping about two inches below the toes. Keep your feet and knees six inches apart throughout the pose. Take a deep breathe, look up towards the ceiling and lift thighs and upper body off the floor. Kick back lifting legs higher off the floor. The main goal is to balance on your abdomen. Hold pose for 20 seconds while breathing in and out through the nose.

Photo via creativENERGYoga on Flickr.

You Gotta Have: Agility, Coordination, and Balance

Agility, coordination, and balance are also important factors in day-to-day activities, such as standing and walking or (running). Try the following Cross-training exercise to improve these basic functions.


EXERCISE: Jump Rope; Holding the jump rope handles, one in each hand, the rope should be resting on the ground directly behind your feet. Your head should be up, eyes looking forward, not down at your feet. Your elbows should be positioned in close to your body. During the jump, your body should be erect. A basic jump is straight up and down and about 1 inch high. The rope gets its momentum with a basic swing of the wrist and forearms. The knees should flex and extend slightly with each jump. As you jump, try to develop a rhythm (the speed at which the rope turns).

Photo via kait.rich on Flickr.

Bottom line? Mix up your work out and balance it out with some hot yoga! You'll be happy you did when the winter storm hits and you don't have to pull any muscles while shoveling snow. 

Have any other advice on how to adapt to Bikram as an athlete? I'd love to hear from you, runners, swimmers, bikers, and tri-athletes! Leave a comment below.

Photo illustration via Blow Up Studios.

It's Crepe Time! (Almost)

Photo via 101 Cookbooks. May have to use their crepe recipe too!

I'm super excited about an upcoming review I'm going to do for CSN Stores, an awesome site that features a huge variety of kitchen products, house wares and decorations, and these cool Herman Miller chairs I keep hearing about.


Anyway, I just wanted to give you a heads up because CSN is sending me a crepe maker and I'm totally going to do a fun brunch with friends, or breakfast in bed for the Hubs, or something equally as lovely.


Keep your eyes out for amazing breakfasts here. (And if you have a crepe recipe you love, please do share!)

More Than a List: Reflections on Thankfulness

Hey friends, yogis, families, people! Only a week 'til the Big Family Feast. Have you started planning your menus? Did you invite friends over?

Photo by the talented Sarah Rhoads.

Have you thought about the blessings in your life?

Bright open skies, homemade food, and mittens on the cold mornings. Relaxation. The chance to clear your mind and make it blank. Dogs that thank us just for being around. Friends at work who compliment our scarves. Fuzzy covers. Cuddles, unexpected hugs, and the camera lenses that catch them.


Today, I choose to be thankful for what I have.


The hardest part about gratitude is that it demands thankfulness not only for what's beautiful, easy, predictable, fun. We must also be grateful for our troubles, our pain, our sorrow.


Each of these make us stronger. We are reminded of this every time we practice Bikram yoga.


"Choose to relax," as my studio's owner says. "What if you chose to enjoy the posture rather than suffer?"


What would happen if you chose not to suffer?

Sarah's work inspires me to think about what real love really looks like. There's not always a smile in frame.

Think of the difference it would make if we applied this philosophy to our everyday lives, our work, our relationships.


The other night I was feeling stressed about money stuff and I was cuddling with the Hubs while we talked through it. I turned to him, both of us with a look of anguish on our faces, staring into each other. What if I just let it go? I thought, realizing this was the only way out.


Today, looking back, I am grateful for the struggle. I am so glad that I have to work for what I have. I am thankful that I wasn't born a millionaire, because I enjoy the satisfaction of earning my own paycheck. And as much as it can be a challenge sometimes to make ends meet (and to resist the urge to spend on special treats), in the end, the difficulty provides the reward.


At the start of this holiday season, I am reminded that we tumble along not by luck, but by hard work, grace, and patience.


By exerting 100%, we earn the right to relax 100%.


By enduring pain, we grow stronger.


By thanking ourselves and others, we earn the right to take pride in our work (not boost our egos, but take humble pride in our effort, not only our accomplishments).


And we earn the chance to indulge ourselves. And eat a bunch of delicious food, more than our bellies are even wishing for.

My beautiful cousin Joelle took this one last year at Thanksgiving. Yum!

Hardcore Supplements for the Extreme Yogi

Photo by my talented husband from our trip to San Fran last spring.

Are you one of those crazy Bikram yogis who practices five or more times a week? Do you run before class? Do you regularly do doubles?

Are you currently participating in a 30- or 60-day challenge?

I've got some hardcore supplements you should try. They will make you feel strong, hydrated, and pumped, like this:

Yup, that's me, workin' out for my sister who needed photos as part of her personal training certification.

Plus, they taste great, can be added to a variety of smoothie or drink mix recipes, and allow you to fuel your body for optimum performance.

The first is a line made by Hammer Nutrition, which I've mentioned before on Alive in the Fire. I placed an order with Hammer to try their endurolyte pills (electrolyte replenishers) and they sent me a whole package of goodies, including gel, whey mix, chocolate Recoverite drink mix, and some awesome information on all their products and the athletes who use them.

Hydration is a beautiful thing.

Hammer's got quite a variety of flavors available -- everything from your standard chocolate to espresso and apple cinnamon and Montana huckleberry. I believe they mainly target marathon runners and bikers, but their products are great for any endurance athletes. I probably wouldn't use their stuff everyday unless I was at Teacher Training or doing a challenge, but the endurolyte pills and any of the endurance products would make a double class (or triple, or whatever) a lot easier to survive.

Check out their site for more ideas on how to improve your endurance and athletic performance, the deals and programs they have going on right now, or place a quick order. Their customer service is great and you'll be set to go crazy in the heat!

I also highly recommend CeraSport which carries a line of rice-based electrolyte hydration drinks. Their powder mixes are probably my favorite, ranking up there with Ultima Replenisher and emergenC. The pomegranate acai flavor is fantastic! 

These flavors beat all the other ones I've tried so far.

Their shipment also included some detailed info on the science behind hydration. I decided to try the CeraSport with some frozen coconut water icecubes and a chunk of dark chocolate. What a tasty mid-afternoon treat! It felt tropical, too :)

Fancy and tasty. You can't go wrong there!

If you need more advice on where to shop for kick-ass supplements, I'm your girl. Hope all you Fall 2010 teacher trainees are enjoying your last few weeks of madness!


Enjoy your week and namaste.

Apple-Tastic: A Midwest Adventure

 Illinois in fall is quite beautiful.

Today was the big day: apple picking galore at Apple Holler in Wisconsin! The Hubs, Best Man, and I piled in the car and took off, ready for a little time away from Evanston and the chance to stock up on fresh, crisp apples.

Our journey proved to be a fun experience on its own: we watched the passing countryside, where Canadian geese chilled on the banks of ponds, and all around were open fields and power lines and big power-plant-looking buildings. We were in the land of open spaces, churches, gas stations, used car sale lots, empty time.

I noted a big RV depot and snapped a photo as we zoomed by:

The Midwest is best for RV shopping, it seems.

Next up it was a roadside Pick 'N Pull lot with a meager amount of junked cars...well, in comparison to the one I'm used to seeing back home when I go with my dad. He's a pro at finding hidden treasures among the trash piles. This photo reminded me of how rewarding it can be to find a beautiful gem among what seems to be garbage at first sight.

Then we laughed at the roadside sign reading:

PONY RIDES

PUMPKINS

...and wondered what the people who owned the place would say if we strolled up and demanded to really see those ponies riding pumpkins. Only kids on their backs so far, as far as I could tell from the car window. Dang! 

We also wondered about the menu from Captain Porky's restaurant in a little town called Wadsworth. 

"Sadie Hawkins Dance" blasted through the speakers as we neared the Wisconsin border. It was one of our many songs in the playlist entitled "Sweet Music." (Thanks Hubs!) 

And then, pretty quick, there we were outside the big crowded arena labeled as Apple Holler, fighting for a parking spot and walking down the dusty road to the entrance. 

Kiddos everywhere. Hand-painted signs advertising the farm animals, pumpkin patch, and corn maze. The sound of far-off reggae music. The smell of hay.

Here we were: Apple Holler in all its glory! 

We laughed at the billy goats and their story-high "bridge" (a spot where they could wander from one side of the "farm" to the other, and grab a bite up top on the way. They were pretty smart, scooting the little food barrel closer when visitors weren't wheeling it up fast enough). We finished the corn maze in about ten minutes (the boys ditched me, but I just smiled and kept on wandering around in my boots). Then it was off to the orchard!

We walked over to find rows and rows and rows of... bare trees! No apples around except on the dusty ground. We located one little spot with golden-colored apples and managed to pick it clean. The rest of the fruit we scrounged from beneath the trees, checking carefully for holes and bruises but managing to find several buckets worth. We piled them high, threw a few in our pockets, munched some on the way out, and applauded our successful efforts! It was a lovely experience, wandering between the rows of trees, separate from the city, close to loved ones, surrounded by the fresh air.

I managed to sneak in a kiss or two here and there, too. :)

Then it was time to buy a  half-gallon of cider, and we were on our way. Next stop, an urban-dweller's favorite shopping maze: IKEA! We figured, hey, if it was (partially) on the way, why not swing in for a few Swedish meatballs before returning home? And what a yummy dinner it turned out to be: lingonberry sauce and mashed potatoes and mac 'n cheese on the side, too! Success. 

Our bellies full, we were ready to wander the store. I oogled and ahhed and managed to resist the many items I knew I didn't need, but wanted...but we did find some lingonberry preserves, a plastic bag organizer (woohoo!), and some thin ginger cookies. 

Next it was a sleepy, sunset-filled ride home for me, with the window half-down and the evening breeze blowin' in. I lounged in the backseat while the boys braved the traffic and kept our awesome playlist going. It was a fun fall day to remember, and a refreshing taste of the Midwest. 

Tomorrow's installment: apple crisp! There are going to be pans and pans...

Life in Balance: Bikram Choudhury's Guide

It has been a beautiful cool, crisp fall day!

Photo via Mastin Studio's Blog. Doesn't this couple look sweet?

This evening I enjoyed a eucalyptus sea salt bath. Candle. Icelandic chocolate squares. Bikram Choudhury's Bikram Yoga: The Guru Behind Hot Yoga Shows the Way to Radiant Health and Personal Fulfillment. Great reading on why the yoga's hot:

"We put incredible pressure on you to teach you to break your attachment to external things and go within. Instead of blaming others for your own weakness, fear and depression, you will learn to take resonsibility for your own life. You've got to face yourself in the mirror, every part you don't like, every mistake you make, every excuse your mind creates to limit your potential liberation -- there's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. No escape from reality."

This morning: two pumpkin pies baked. Kitchen cleaned. Chai tea. Bike ride (in the rain) to the Evanston Green Living Fest. Awesome vendors. Passed out all my cards for Alive in the Fire and editZING. Chatted with people who are passionate about healthy cleaning products, composting, and shopping for local produce. Found a new chiropractor that I'm excited to try out.

The sun came out for a few minutes during the festival today.

Last night: Saw The Social Network. Loved this movie. High-quality script, acting, cinematography (especially the crew scene on the water!), music and storyline. Really made me want to invent the next big thing, or at least come up with a cool idea. Enjoyed a frozen yogurt date with the Hubs featuring honeydew flavor and mochi. Delicious!

Jesse Eisenberg rocks a stellar performance in the film. And it does make you wonder about friendships, money, and the value of each.

Tomorrow: Bikram class, more reading, brunch with friends. I'm contributing a tasty egg & sausage casserole (and maybe a slice or two of pumpkin pie!). Strawberries, too. There may be a visit later in the day to Evanston's Bike the Ridge event, perhaps a photo shoot of the leaves changing color. The possibilities remain open!

I hope your weekend is fun, festive, and restful. Do what you love! Do your yoga. Be present in what truly is reality: the mirror right in front of you.