The Beauty of Beets

I had my first beet at the age of 48 when my husband and I were celebrating our 20th anniversary. These beets weren't ordinary. They were roasted, tossed with a little olive oil and salt and sprinkled with crumbles of blue cheese. I couldn't get over the simple, sweet and interesting taste of these beets not to mention the color they brought to my plate. How satisfying!

Beets have many health benefits which is why my husband has taken to drinking beet juice on a regular basis. To learn more about the benefits of beets, click here.

Here's how I prepare my beets at home:

I do peel my beets first - oops! The previous website says not to, but I do it because it's easier. So...I wash and peel my beets. I have a wonderful vegetable peeler from Cutco Cutlery that I bought from a friend. Then I place them in a shallow pyrex dish, add about a cup of water and then roast at 350 for about 45 minutes to an hour. I remove them, drain them, let them cool, slice them and then toss in some olive oil and salt and - you guessed it - sprinkle them with blue cheese crumbles. Sometimes I eat my beets just like this and sometimes I add them to a bountiful salad. Leftovers keep nicely in the refrigerator and I do try to finish off every bit.

So...if you haven't tried beets lately, give it a go!

Diet is Cure for Cancer

Interesting article on how a plant based diet can prevent, reverse or even cure cancer:


Read Here

Become Savvy! Naturally!

This is a website after my own heart and mind! If you want great information about health, vitality and living organically, this is the place to visit. Check out all the great information available for FREE on this website!

http://www.naturallysavvy.com

Holy Yoga!

Wow! I have been to a lot of yoga classes, but this one is amazing! If you are interested in fitness but don't want to go to a regular yoga studio, this could be for you. Holy Yoga is a hatha yoga class with a Christian message. That's it! A simple message from the Holy Bible that is woven through a class that will make you feel refreshed and renewed. This is a gift from God.

Holy Yoga offers classes around the country at a variety of churches and to find one near you, click on www.holyyoga.net and see if there's one in your area. If there isn't one near you, keep reading.

There is a need for Holy Yoga teachers. Many people are searching for stress relief, a new routine and spiritual guidance. Biblical scripture offers what we need to connect to God, Christ and ourselves. Since the body is the temple, Holy Yoga seeks to help you care for your temple while dwelling in the presence of God. This is truly a body/mind/spirit practice. Some people aren't comfortable learning about the Eastern philosophical roots and practices of yoga. At Holy Yoga, you can be certain that your mind and heart will be focused on the Lord. With an increasing awareness of the body, we can prevent disease, reduce stress and allow the Holy Spirit to shine from our being. If you are fitness minded or have been practicing yoga, you might want to consider teaching as a way to share the word of God and be more fulfilled.

My experience of Holy Yoga so far has been with an amazing yoga and fitness instructor, Alisa Keeton. Alisa's love for Jesus is evident in her teaching and serving.

Go ahead! Check out Holy Yoga and give it a try.

5 Reasons to Try Yoga

If you are one of those people who hasn't tried yoga but has thought about trying it for a while, go ahead! Give it a try. Ask yourself, "What is holding me back?". I will tackle the reasons people hold back in another entry, but here I want to encourage you to give it a go and get into a class as soon as possible!

1) Yoga reduces stress. How often do you stop, deepen the breath and take note of how your body feels - particularly the tension that builds up in your neck and shoulders? Ever notice your blood boiling after a rough day at work? Practicing yoga temporarily moves your thoughts of the day into your body and the moment at hand, greatly reducing anxiety and stress from the day. You may experience stress on a daily basis, but with a regular yoga practice, you can find the balance that allows you to enjoy your week instead of only looking forward to the weekend.

2) Yoga teaches you self-control. A friend of mine recently had a water leak under her house and had to endure what I would call "House Surgery" to repair the leak. As you can imagine, her house was torn apart and all kinds of issues have to be resolved now - including placing new tile and repairing walls, etc. She reminded me that her practice of yoga - especially the breathing - helped her tremendously. Through the practice of calming down with the breath and placing events in proper perspective, we are able to swim through the current of life a bit more easily.

3) Yoga is really fun! When was the last time you did a headstand? How about a handstand? Balancing poses are challenging and rewarding because they remind you that at the core of your being exists a powerful source of energy - playful energy! When you are doing a handstand, you are thinking of nothing else except concentrating on keeping your arms strong and your body upside down. What makes this practice so thoroughly enjoyable is that a person can do these things at any age. I did my first handstand after 25 years at the age of 43! Now at 51, I am able to hold it for a full minute!

4) Yoga makes you stronger AND more flexible. Many people think that yoga is mainly stretching and provides only flexibility. I'm here to tell you that you have to use muscular energy in yoga and that tones the arms, legs and core of your body. In yoga, we contract muscles while stretching them so instead of having bulky muscles, they are toned, but long. Elongating the muscles while hugging them in provides the balance of strength and flexibility which offers the most effective blood flow and balance of body weight.

5) Yoga makes you think. Because yoga includes a study of the self, you are asked to inquire about how you think. You are encouraged to get clear on reality by becoming aware of your own thoughts. One truth posed by the great sage Patanjali is that we are often in error in our thinking. We make assumptions and neglect to clarify information so that we have a complete picture of reality. Hatha yoga gives us a good start by getting us to notice what we think about during class. We are taught that we can change our limiting thoughts about ourselves and become more of the person we are capable of becoming.

The practice of yoga clearly has health benefits that relate to mind, body and spirit. If you are looking for a change in workout and want to delve deeper into a relationship with yourself, I highly recommend you give it a try.

You may or may not notice that I am following one of my favorite yoginis - Brenda Bryan. Check out her blog at http://poserepose.blogspot.com/

10 Ways To Naturally Lower Your Blood Sugar

Here's a great lens on Squidoo. It addresses how you keep your blood sugar balanced and offers great tips and resources for better health. Check it out!

http://www.squidoo.com/balancebloodsugar

Swine Flu Prep

No, this is not a yoga pose, but rather a call to action. I found a great site that has all the information you need about Swine Flu. Since I have two children with asthma, I am concerned about this flu as well as other viruses my kids might get. Check it out and get prepared for this upcoming season of frustrating infectious diseases.

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance_homecare.htm

Legs Up the Wall Pose

If you need energy during the day, try this restorative yoga posed designed to relax and renew. 10 to 15 minutes and you are good to go for another several hours.

Stop Huffing, Start Breathing!

Since I am a yoga teacher, one of my best methods for calming students down and preparing them for a physical yoga practice is to do a breathing exercise. I call the breath Your Best Friend in times of stress. If you can notice your anxiety to begin with, it's much easier to begin implementing a breathing practice, so I recommend learning to recognize stress when it starts. What are the signs of stress? Rapid breathing, inability to sit still, tightness in the chest, worry, being in a hurry, high blood pressure, snappy temperament, etc.

Here's the easiest way to calm yourself: You can do this sitting up or lying down, either way. If you are sitting up, sit tall with shoulders up and back (good posture). Ground down through your sitting bones and move up through the crown of the head. If lying down, bend your knees and start by placing your hands on your low belly.

Begin with a deep exhale and then on the inhale, release the low belly, then expand through the ribcage, then expand into the upper chest. Exhale slowly and evenly until you have moved all the air out that you possibly can without forcing it. Repeat for several rounds until you are so concentrated on the breathing that you begin to notice your mind calming down. Your breath should be about 2 to 3 times its normal length when breathing naturally. It takes a while to master this breathing pattern, but once you do, it can bring you from utter chaos into momentary bliss.

Did you know people sell CDs that cost big bucks for this simple little exercise? And you got it here for FREE! Do it once a day for a week and see if you don't notice a difference.

I Love this Article by Glamour

http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2009/08/on-the-cl-the-picture-you-cant.html

For a change there is one picture of one woman who looks like most of us - some belly fat and more body mass than most magazine pictures ever reveal.

This won't last long though because our culture is obsessed with looking thin. Forget about it!  Begin to enjoy your curves - belly fat and all - and count your blessings.  Focus on your general health and well-being and your inner radiance will shine through.  

Why Choose Stainless Steel Bottles Over Plastic?

Here's an article from an expert in Green Living, Greg Peterson:  

Why Choose Stainless Steel Bottles Over Plastic

Great tips for going green:

www.YourGuideToGreen.com

Sometimes it's difficult to make changes and my response is - hey - just try to incorporate one thing at a time.  

Hip Hop Mania

Well, I just went to my second hip-hop class at the gym and I have to say this is much more fun than calisthenics.  Remember jumping jacks?  There's a little jumping, but it's to tunes like "Beat It" and the music alone makes me want to exercise (excuse me, dance) all night.

Standing right behind my daughter I follow the best I can and I admit there remains a bit of coordination from my cheerleading days.  Some of the dances are a little fast, but I just do the best I can and feel happy when the teacher yells, "Good job!"  

After sweating for an hour and feeling really good, I am content knowing that the chocolate chip cookie I ate today was at least partially burned off by some good old fashioned fun.

Incorporate it!