Fitness Friday: What’s Your Favorite Yoga…..

Leave a Comment

It’s Fitness Friday! What have you been doing this week to stay fit?  This week the Hubz and I started a mind body and soul cleanse to help get our bodies ready for a busy summer.  Part of the cleanse is to stay active, here is what I did this week:

  • Friday: 20 cardio workout
  • Saturday: nothing- I spent Saturday cooking, cleaning, demoing chocolate, preparing for a birthday party and hosting a birthday party with only about 30 minutes to sit down and relax. This resulted in my fail of not completing this months challenge.
  • Sunday: 2.5 mile 60 minute walk
  • Monday: off
  • Tuesday: 30 minute yoga burn
  • Wednesday: 30 minute abs & legs Skinny Bitch
  • Thursday: off…..b/c girl reasons had me curled in a ball. TMI.

Days: 4/25 Days  2/15.5 Hours

What’s Your Favorite Yoga….

Mat:

I am honestly a yoga mat hoarder.  My friend came over the other day and walked into our workout room and saw the basket full of yoga mats and stared in shock – asking why do we need so many mats? Well honestly a few are samples that I have received, a few are the Hubz and a few are mine.

  • I have my super old Winsor Pilates Mat which is a thicker spongy mat that I don’t really use for yoga but more for mat workouts.
  • Then I have a Jade Yoga mat that is my favorite however it slips a lot so using it at home is not ideal because we have carpet and when I do use it I always end up at least a foot back from where I started.
  • The next mat I have which I like for power yoga and on carpets is my pRana Mat; it is super heavy, long and is good for more vigorous yoga sessions.  The downfall with this mat is that it weighs a ton and there is no way I could (or would) lug it to and from yoga classes.
  • I also have an Aurorae yoga mat which I don’t really like that much, although many people love it and honestly the Hubz is the one who uses it consistently.  I do however love my Aurorae yoga sport sweat towel and sleep free rosin bag.
  • My favorite mat because it is thin, naturally sticky, light weight and it doesn’t slip is my Gaiam Wisdom Yoga Mat; created from all-natural rubber that’s non-toxic, eco-friendly and biodegradable.   My husband also has  a Gaiam Mat, I’m not sure which one but it is a thicker one and he has a super cheap one he got at Target which is really pretty awful and slippery.

So as you can see I am a yoga mat hoarder; I like each mat for different reasons and use them all for different types of yoga, different floors and depending on my mood. What type of yoga mat do you have?

Type of Yoga:


I have tried Power Yoga, Anusara, Ashtanga, Groove Yoga, Restorative Yoga and community classes which are usually a Vinyasa class. My favorite yoga class to take is  Anusara which is a system based on Hatha Yoga founded by John Friend. I recently just took a Groove Yoga class and it was really an amazing experience.  It incorporates dance and yoga into one class and it gives you a great cardio workout and just lifts your spirit.  Ashtanga is more regimented than I like and after my six week workshop I  have never returned to another class. Restorative Yoga is all about being slow, relaxing, concentrating on the breath and you stay in poses for several minutes.  For me Restorative yoga is my favorite way to unwind, relax and it leaves me feeling like I just had an hour massage.  At home I usually do Rodney Yee Power Yoga, A.M. Yoga, Yoga for Abs and Yoga Burn at home along with some podcasts from yogadownload.com. What is your favorite type of yoga?

Other Posts You Might Like:


I Took The Night Off

Leave a Comment

Last night I took the night off from cooking, from my cleanse and from all other household duties to take advantage of Vermont Restaurant Week.  A month ago before I decided to work on a new cleanse I had made reservations for the Hubz and I at The Bearded Frog for restaurant week and since proceeds go to a good cause and the restaurant isn’t in our normal price range we decided to take advantage of their three course tasting menu.  Here are the details on Vermont Restaurant Week from their site:

Q. What is Vermont Restaurant Week?
A. From April 29-May 5, participating restaurants will offer special, prix-fixe menus showcasing their chefs’ greatest dishes. Those menus will feature discounted, three-course “tasting-style” dinners (e.g. appetizer, entreé and dessert) priced at $15, $25 or $35 per person. The week also includes a special calendar of special, food-themed events.

Q. How does Vermont Foodbank benefit?
A. 10% of the proceeds from event admissions, sponsorships and restaurant participation fees will be donated to Vermont Foodbank. Restaurant-goers can donate $10 via text messageor make a web donation in our Virtual Food Drive will be launched on this website to allow diners to donate to the Foodbank.

Originally we were going to try a few different restaurants but then decided due to the cleanse and the fact that the other restaurants that interested us are ones we visit often that it would be best to choose just one.  After perusing the veggie friendly menus on the Vermont Restaurant Week site we settled on The Bearded Frog, the only menu that actually said they had a vegan option.  We had heard great things about the restaurant but had never visited it due to the fact that it isn’t close to our home and that there is one vegan option that goes for $19 a plate.

We arrived at the restaurant and were promptly seated out our reserved table in the corner, which I really loved because it up’d the romance factor along with the dim lighting and warm colors.  We placed a drink order, prosecco for me and beer for him, and then we got down to business and ordered from the tasting menu (the only vegan options in each category). 

Appetizer Course: The salad was very simple yet fresh and the lemon-herb vinaigrette was truly delicious. We paired it with some fresh bread with oil and vinegar instead of the butter and the blue cheese crostini that was to go with the salad.

Appetizer: Baby Mixed Greens With lemon-herb vinaigrette

Bread with olive oil and balsamic

Entree Course: For our entree we enjoyed the vegan version of Spicy Corn and Black Bean Pudding With blue-corn tortilla, dirty rice, avocado compound butter, tofu tomato purée. Instead of the avocado compound butter we received a guacamole. The dish was really delicious however if that is what you get for $19 on the regular menu I’d rather stay home and re-create it for $5.

Entree: Spicy Corn and Black Bean Pudding With blue-corn tortilla, dirty rice, guacamole, tofu tomato purée.

Dessert Course: I would have to say the dessert was probably my favorite thing on the menu and something that I would definitely spend the money to come back and have again. The vegan dessert option was a trio of sorbets which included avocado lime, strawberry & 30 year old aged balsamic and mango violet. All three were really amazing but the show stopper was the avocado lime. It was super creamy and tasted just like ice cream, the Hubz and I both just couldn’t stop raving about it all night….honestly I still can’t stop raving about it.

Dessert Course: trio of sorbets which included avocado lime, strawberry & 30 year old aged balsamic and mango violet

Overall: We had a really wonderful time at The Bearded Frog and the food was really delicious.  I am not sure that I would go back for dinner due to the high price of the vegan option but I would go back every day just for the sorbet.  On another note I saw a number of really beautiful plates of food coming out of the kitchen and if you are vegetarian try the (unfortunately note vegan) crispy tofu cakes because they probably taste as good as they looked.

Eating Healthy While On Vacation

1 Comment
The Hubz and I love to travel however one of the biggest challenges when traveling is eating. Here are my tips for eating well on vacation:

The Hubz & I in DC- November 2010

Planes, Trains & Buses

  • Plan where you/what are going to en route
    • Avoid fast foods
    • Bring a picnic with you; pack sandwiches, fruit and a vegetables.
  • Pack healthy snacks
    • Who food energy bars, whole grain crackers with nut butter, homemade trail mix, hummus and veggies
  • Avoid becoming dehydrated on flights by avoiding soda, alcohol, juice and coffee; instead sip club soda or water.

Healthy Eats at Jet Blue Terminal at JFK Airport

Road Trip

  • Pack a cooler with healthy foods
    • Fruit
    • Vegetables & Hummus
    • Bean Salads
    • Nuts & Seeds
    • Whole Grain Bread & Crackers
    • Fruit Spreads & Nut Butters
  • Stop at markets along the way and restock your cooler with healthy foods
  • If your only option is fast food look for the healthiest options
    • Order off the kids menu
    • Look for places with salad bars, vegetable sides, wraps or sandwiches.
      • Healthier Fast Food Options:
        • Panera- try the great selection of salads, soups and sandwiches
        • Au Bon Pain- try their great selection of vegan soups and salads
        • Chipotle- stick to the veggie burrito bowls or salads, however avoid the dairy, chips and tortillas.
        • Boloco- they offer brown rice, whole wheat wraps, organic tofu and a great selection of veggies, however avoid sugar and high calorie sauces, instead top yours with a fresh salsa and tons of veggies.
    • Scope out grocery store and health food stores prepared foods and salad bars.

Road Trips Snacks - Girls Weekend 2010

Room Service & Restaurants

  • Enjoy a soup or salad with and appetizer or share an entree- this will help in controlling portions; you can still enjoy delicious food but you will be saving your wallet and waistline.
  • Avoid the mini bar; Stock your hotel room with healthy snacks so you won’t be tempted to eat the high calorie (and high priced) snacks that the hotel stocks in your room.
  • Do research; if you take nothing else away from this post it should be this.  Take the time to research restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, natural food stores and markets before you travel.  You will be able to make more conscious choices if you already know your options.  You will also be able to scope out the best places to eat so you can enjoy your experience to it’s fullest.

Hotel Room Breakfast- Oats w/nut butter & figs

    Cruising

    • Stick to your regular eating schedule; I know I already said this above and it applies to any vacations but while cruising (and visiting all inclusive resorts) this is when it is most important to stick to your schedule.  You will have food available to you 24 hours a day and for many this means over indulging.  Additionally remember to only eat when you’re hungry!
    • Load up on fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
    • Limit your desserts
    • Avoid too may sugary drinks, stick to light beers, wine and clear drinks.  If you want something fruity try seltzer with your choice of clear alcohol and a splash of fruit juice.  Also don’t forget to make sure you stay hydrated! Drink your water!

    Hubz and I crusing- i kept dried fruit snacks in my bag (you can see them popping out if you look hard)

    Top Healthy Eating Travel Tips:

    • Stick to your regular eating schedule
    • Stock up on healthy snacks
    • Make conscious decisions when choosing to enjoy a poolside drink or that special indulgence dessert
    • Do you research! Find restaurants and health food markets at your destination that have healthy options.

    What are you top healthy travel tips?

    Staying Fit: April Wrap Up & May Goals

    Leave a Comment

    This month has flown by, I can’t believe there are only two days left for this months incentive program.  Unfortunately I took too many days of in the last few weeks that I will have workout today and tomorrow to complete the 80% for the month or I will have to do over three hours to complete the 70%….I think I’ll be going with 2 more days of working out. I had taken a break from Couch to 5k due to the fact our weather has been rain, rain and more rain which makes it difficult to get out and run.  The Hubz on the other hand has a beautiful gym at work so he has been doing his C25K on the treadmill at work and is a week ahead of me.  Also in new and exciting news the Hubz an I signed up for our first 5K you can read more about it here. With that being said I am back on the C25K wagon and am taking advantage of the sunny days to get out and prepare for my first 5K.  Okay so lets get to the break down of the past week April 22-28:

     

    • Friday OFF
    • Saturday 1.5 mile walk and power yoga 1hr 35min
    • Sunday 2 miles hike – 1 hour
    • Monday 20 minute Yoga/Abs/Legs workout
    • Tuesday OFF
    • Wednesday C25K Day 2 Week 1 plus walking- total 4 miles in 58 minutes
    • Thursday- 20 minute Ab workout

    Totals: 22/24 days and 14hrs 23minutes/15hours

    April 29th Friday- 20 cardio workout

    April 30th Saturday- nothing- I spent Saturday cooking, cleaning, demoing chocolate, preparing for a birthday party and hosting a birthday party with only about 30 minutes to sit down and relax. This resulted in my fail of not completing this months challenge.

    This equals a giant FAIL for the 80% & 70% rule for April.  It is really unfortunate because it as a matter of 17 minutes and 1 day.  So what have I learned? Those days when I took a day off because I was tired or just didn’t want to workout I should have just sucked it up and done 20 minutes because you can never tell what is going to come up, especially at the end of the month.  Oh well lets move on to this month:

    May 2011 Goals

    • 80%
      • Must workout 25 days
      • Total of 15.5  hours

    OR

    • 70%
      • Must workout 22 days
      • Total of 18.5 hours

    So far off to a good start after yesterday’s 2.5 mile 60 minute walk and plans for C25K and lots of work in our garden plot.

    P.S. Don’t forget to enter my Nathan’s Sports giveaway!

     

     

    Recipe of the Week: White Bean-Caper Dip

    1 Comment

    One of my favorite items at the party this past weekend was the White Bean-Caper Dip.        It pairs great with veggies, crackers and crusty bread.

    Ingredients:

    • 1 (14oz) can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
    • 1 bulb of garlic, roasted (place on a sheet pan and roast at 350F for 25-30 minutes)
    • 1 heaping tablespoon of capers
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Directions:

    Place everything except capers into at food processor and process until smooth.  Add the capers and pulse 2-3 times just to combine.

    Weekend Wrap Up: Demo, Party & Not Enough Sleep

    1 Comment

    From the moment I got out of work on Friday until this morning I have been going and going and going …like the energizer bunny.  However I think someone needs to reload my batteries because the lack of sleep and the running around has made me congested and exhausted today.  Friday I spent the afternoon with the Hubz getting ready for my friend Laura’s Birthday Party, which I hosted last night.  We ran around picking up decorations and food supplies for the party and didn’t make it home until late Friday night.  Once we arrived home we spent a few hours prepping for the party and then finally I crashed from pure exhaustion (key word of the weekend).

    Saturday I spent the morning prepping for the party and then I was off to Healthy Living Market to do a demo for Lulu’s Raw Chocolate.  I had done a review for Lulu’s back this past winter and loved their chocolate so when they asked me to do a demo for them I was all over it.  I love this chocolate and was ready to spread the word.  Honestly best chocolate I have ever had and it’s raw, vegan and made with low glycemic coconut sugar.  After my demo I ran home to finish prepping for the party and spend a few minutes sitting down to relax before my hosting duties started.

    The party was a great time we hung out and enjoyed appetizers and drinks and laugh (a lot).  I unfortunately only snapped one picture at the party and it was of my veggie and dip platter.  In addition to that we had jalapeno “poppers”, stuffed mushrooms, artichoke dip, cupcakes, Zero Gravity beer and sangria.

    After an extremely late night (we didn’t go to bed until 1am) I ended up sleeping in until 10:30 am and woke up congested and still tired.  I ran myself ragged this weekend but it was as great time.  Also it’s a perfect reason to start our new mind, body and soul cleanse this week.  I am not going to reveal all of the details as this is a project I am working on but it is a 4 week  holistic cleanse that helps to create balance, energy and overall wellness.  The first week is the most restrictive and includes eliminating added sugars, soy, gluten and wheat, TV and limits other electronic access (so yes I will still be blogging and checking my email).  It is actually the perfect week to start this because I have to send my MacBook in to get repaired.  I will further discuss my experience with the cleanse during my future weekend wrap ups.

    Fitness Friday & Nathan Sports Giveaway

    42 Comments

    This month has flown by, I can’t believe there are only two days left for this months incentive program.  Unfortunately I took too many days of in the last few weeks that I will have workout today and tomorrow to complete the 80% for the month or I will have to do over three hours to complete the 70%….I think I’ll be going with 2 more days of working out. I had taken a break from Couch to 5k due to the fact our weather has been rain, rain and more rain which makes it difficult to get out and run.  The Hubz on the other hand has a beautiful gym at work so he has been doing his C25K on the treadmill at work and is a week ahead of me.  Also in new and exciting news the Hubz an I signed up for our first 5K you can read more about it here. With that being said I am back on the C25K wagon and am taking advantage of the sunny days to get out and prepare for my first 5K.  Okay so lets get to the break down of the past week April 22-28:

    • Friday OFF
    • Saturday 1.5 mile walk and power yoga 1hr 35min
    • Sunday 2 miles hike – 1 hour
    • Monday 20 minute Yoga/Abs/Legs workout
    • Tuesday OFF
    • Wednesday C25K Day 2 Week 1 plus walking- total 4 miles in 58 minutes
    • Thursday- 20 minute Ab workout

    Totals: 22/24 days and 14hrs 23minutes/15hours

    Friday- TBD

    Saturday- TBD

     

    Nathan REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

    Now that we have discussed the updates lets get down to the good stuff- the giveaway.  I think that this giveaway is perfect for this post and in honor of my first 5k. Nathan Sports just sent me one of their Speed 2 Hydration Belts and Zebra steel 700 mL to try out. The details about the Speed 2 Hydration Belt :

    I have been wearing it for running and on our first hike of the season.  I have used other hydration belts before for hiking specifically and they have been uncomfortable and floppy but this one fit perfectly.  It fit snug on the hips to prevent any flopping and it was great because the storage pocket allowed me to carry my ID, car keys and digital camera.  I loved the water bottles; they were easy to access and drink from.  For our short day hike it held the perfect amount of water for one person.  I really am looking forward to using this more on afternoon hikes.  In addition to using it for hiking I also used it yesterday on my run because it was nearly 80F here and water was necessary for my 3 mile run/walk. Again I loved how it fit and didn’t shift while I was running.  I was able to carry my keys, ID and my iPhone which I use for C25K and music.  My only complaint is that I have to place my iPhone in the back pocket which makes it hard to use my headphones because the cord isn’t long enough.  Since  I don’t have another place to hold my iPhone unless I carry it in my hand or wear my SPIbelt (which seams silly)  I guess I will have to get a headphone cord extender.

    The second item that I have been trying out is the Zebra steel 700 mL to try out. The details about the Zebra steel 700 mL :

    I have tried my fair share of reusable water bottles including Nalgene, Sigg, Clean Canteen, and EarthLust however none of the models of these that I have tried compare to this style of water bottle.  This bottle is perfect for the elliptical because a) it fits in my water bottle holder (my other ones don’t) b) it has a great stray feature which means I don’t pour water all over myself or fall of the elliptical trying to drink oh and c) it looks pretty and has a fun design.  The mouth piece is different too it is very soft and flexible and perfect for to sip through.  I also love that it comes with 2 extra straws so you can switch them out while you are cleaning them or if you need to replace one. The other feature I love is the clip on the top; I haven’t used it yet but I imagine it will be great for hooking on things when traveling or even hiking.

    Now that you have fallen in love with both of these items (you have right?) Nathan Sports is going to give one lucky reader both of these items.   Now here is how you enter, oh and this is open to US and Canadian residence and you can enter until May 2nd 10th at 8pm EST.

    THE WINNER IS LAUREN!

    Mandatory: 

    1. Visit the Nathan Sports website and tell me something you learned. (leave a comment below)

    Additional Chances to Win (you must leave a separate comment for each)

    • Follow Nathan Performance Gear on Twitter
    • Follow me on Twitter
    • Follow my health counseling on Twitter
    • Tweet “I want to win the@NathanPerfGear giveaway on @cookveganlover http://wp.me/pFVWo-21j”
    • “Like” Nathan Performance Gear on Facebook
    • “Like” Cook.Vegan.Lover on Facebook
    • “Like” Get Healthy With Lindsay on Facebook
    • Leave a Facebook Comment on Nathan Performance Gear saying that you want to win and include http://wp.me/pFVWo-21j