Let me tell you – that girl can stand on her hands like nobody’s business. It was impressive. The workshop started promptly at 5:30 and ended at 7:15 pm. Rachel moved us though a challenging sequence that was peppered along the way with lots of handstand options and preparatory work. The room was full and, unfortunately, I did not procure a space by the wall. This made it difficult for me to try many of the handstand variations she instructed as I needed the wall for “back-up”. There was another yogi in the room that I know from various workshops and she graciously let me try some things out using her mat and wall space so that was very helpful. But I do think I could have gotten more out of the practice if I had been near a wall. Otherwise – the evening was great. Its always fun to experiment with new or more advanced poses especially when they are taught with safety and fun in mind. Rachel had a great energy and spirit about her and seemed to make everyone feel at ease. If you are into yoga at all I encourage you to check her out on Facebook. The photos alone are very inspiring.

A couple of other items I wanted to note:

Recently we got a new couch for our family room. Its a BIG sectional that I thought I would never buy – but I (we) love it ♥. It’s super comfy and we all love to lounge around on it – the three of us fit comfy cozy and the dog can join us too. The only drawback is that it’s so big there is nowhere to place a drink/remote/cell phone when your sitting on it. The sectional is so long that you seem to always be far away from an end table. And if you have the legs out (reclined) you cant really reach far enough in front of you to conveniently place an item (or retrieve it) from the coffee table in front. Does that make sense? Anyway – the contractor we are using for our renovation (posted about here:http://fitandfabyogi.com/?p=277) helped me make the BEST little table for the couch. We designed it together and his superstar finish carpenter – Scott made it to perfection. Its a lifesaver and it looks great. I am very happy with it. If you have a sectional or very large/long couch you would love this! Email me and I will put you in touch with the carpenters.

And lastly – College Football Season is coming up ya’ll! I’ve been poking around on Etsy to locate some cute and unique gameday attire and accessories and I made a great find. I purchased these adorable garnet and gold beaded rings from Denise at The Beaded Sister. The are really cute and well-made. I ordered three – one for me and two gifts. When they arrived Denise had them packed up so neat and she even included a FREE FSU bracelet for me. How nice is that!?! Check our her shop on Etsy or look her up Facebook

Check out this website as there were many other adorable items in various team colors.

Go Noles! I bought three of these rings and they are so cute!

Question for you guys: Who else is a big college football fan? What team do you follow?

On another note – is anyone very familiar with Tapping? Tapping is also known as EFT or Emotional Freedom Technique. I first heard about it through Marie Forleo who I have mentioned on the blog before. As I have said previously, I really love her and if she mentions something she advocates – I listen. She interviewed Nick Ortner about Tapping on one of her Weekly Q and A Tuesday videos. You can check that out here. http://www.marieforleo.com/2013/04/tapping-eft/ Nick has a book out called The Tapping Solution – A Revolutionary System for Stress Free Living (available on Amazon of course).

According to Wikipedia – here is what Tapping is:

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a form of counseling intervention that draws on various theories of alternative medicine including acupuncture, neuro-linguistic programming, energy medicine, andThought Field Therapy. It is best known through Gary Craig’s EFT Handbook, published in the late 1990s, and related books and workshops by a variety of teachers. During a typical EFT session, the person will focus on a specific issue while tapping on “end points of the body’s energy meridians“. This is thought by practitioners to treat a wide variety of physical and psychological disorders, and has the advantage of being a simple, self-administered form of therapy.^[1]

Other than what I have researched on the internet I don’t have any real experience with Tapping. But, from my yoga training and background I do believe that the energy meridians in the body can be very powerful and if you can access those via acupuncture, yoga postures, Reiki, tapping or any other method you can affect major change in the energetic as well as physical body. I’m curious to try Tapping to relieve anxiety. There are lots of YouTube videos out there if you want to take a quick lesson with me.

Lastly – check out this guy. On the way home from the kennel last weekend. So happy to be headed home with the fresh breeze in his face. Our little “Gizmo” makes us smile!

I’m free!

Question – Have any of your ever tried Tapping? If so – I’d love to hear your thoughts! I think it takes a pretty open mind to explore some of these concepts but it never hurts to try new things, right?

Pretty in PInk

Its called pH Matchmaker/pH Powered Lip Gloss. The box says it instantly matches you in 60 seconds. And boy does it! I was really impressed with the nice pink color it gave my lips. I didn’t even need a liner or “base” color underneath. It wasn’t tacky or overly sticky and it had some pretty good staying power too! The CVS closest to me only carried one color choice – light pink – which I love. But, at another CVS I found two other colors – a peach and a darker pink which I have yet to try but am planning on it.

Back of box – pH Matchmaker Lip Gloss

Front of box -pH Matchmaker Lip Gloss

Another aspect I adore is that the little tube comes with not only a mirror which is so handy for on-the-go touch ups but also a light! So clever! The gloss is $9.99 but of course you can get it cheaper if you can remember to use your CVS bucks Since finding the gloss I have also purchased some eyeliner as well as concealer from the same Physicians Formula line. I’m curious to see how these products rate – and will keep you all posted.

There is a mirror on the side -with a light! So handy!!

Earlier I mentioned that another blogger was the one who originally got me headed to CVS for beauty products. That was Emily Eddington over at BeautyBroadcast.net. I started following her about 4 months ago and she has great information and some really helpful videos and product reviews. You can check her out at www.Beautybroadcast.net or on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/emilynoel83. I am making my way through her videos now and I love how she works with alot of the more affordable lines as well as some of the more pricey “luxury” brands. Check out her site and her YouTube channel – but beware you’ll be sucked into the vortex of beauty for hours!

This month they published an article entitled “Fooled by Food” that I thought was very insightful. It discusses the ways in which our food choices and levels of consumption are affected by packaging, labeling, positioning, even lighting. Brian Wansink, Professor of Marketing in the Applied Economics and Management Department at Cornell University ,is head of the Food and Brand Lab and the article summarizes an interview with him regarding his upcoming book Slim By Design. Professor Wansink explains that many things can affect how much we eat and what food choices we make. Inherently, I believe we already know this but you might be surprised at some of the industry “tricks” used to manipulate your choices. Some of the more interesting findings include:

1. Choices are more affected by height than width. Studies show people assume a taller package contains more than a wider package. So, if you offer a child a box/bag of candy they will almost always choose the taller package even if the wider one contains more.

2. Larger utensils and serveware equate to more eating. This one is failry well known – but the studies that Professor Wansink conducted showed A LOT more  - up to 53% more calories were ingested when utensils and serveware were larger.

3. Medium is king. Turns out buyers naturally gravitate toward the “medium” size. But medium is determined based on the other sizes offered. So – if a small is already 8 oz, the medium is 10 oz and the large is 12oz – we pick the medium. But if the small is 4 oz, medium is 6 oz and the large is 8 oz – we still pick the medium ( 6 oz this time) and eat/drink 4 fewer ounces. Seems we think the middle of the road is the safest bet without much consideration as to its actual size relative to others offered.

4. This one was really interesting and geared specifically towards women. Research shows that we tend to follow examples set by others. When women went through a buffet line they were more likely to serve themselves larger portions if the woman in front of them did the same. If the woman ahead of us eats more from the buffet studies show we will too! Sort of like nutrition peer pressure – I’m sure many of us have ordered a salad at lunch because our girlfriend did. If she had “splurged” on a burger we would have too. Women are like pack animals – we go the to the bathroom in groups and we over/under eat together too

5. What is described as the “health halo” was also discussed. This is the idea that when foods are labeled organic, low fat or pesticide free most consumers assume that also means lower calories. So, they tend to eat more of that food. Sort of like when we assume all the expensive foods sold at Whole Foods are healthy – when in reality they may not be.

6. Slim by Design also highlights the best places to SIT in restaurants. Turns out that when we are relaxed we eat less and make better choices. So sit in a relaxing space, enjoy some nice music, chew slowly- by now you should know the drill. Sitting at the bar, watching the TV, chatting with the bartender all result in greater intake.

Other tips that you may or may not have heard include – don’t keep a candy jar on your desk at work, beware of dishes with really fancy names as they tend to have more butter/sauce/oil, dont save the good china – eating off your expensive dinnerware causes most people to eat less overall, if you grocery shop when hungry you dont necessarily buy more food – but you do tend to buy more packaged and processed food that can be eaten quickly, and (this one is sort of gross) if you order chicken wings you’ll eat more if the server takes away those nasty bones. If they leave the plate of bones in front of you – you’ll eat less wings overall. yuk…

But lets end on a high note shall we – this week I got to see one of my very dearest friends in the Whole Wide World. Laura and I go WAY back and she lives in Baltimore now but she was in Orlando with her hubby (also a bestie from way, way back) and their two perfect children and we all got together for a short dinner and visit last night. So wonderful to see her – makes my heart just sing! Here’s a couple of pictures to share.

Me and Laura – happiness!

Can they stay this age forever?!

This was my first month ever participating in the “Foodie Pen Pal” program organized by Lindsay over at the Lean Green Bean (www.theleangreenbean.com) and boy was it fun. My Pal was Mary and she provided me with a great box of goodies. While the box I shipped off to my Pal was sort of sampler pack with several varieties of snack items that I love and purchase often. Mary organized a MEAL for me and sent it with a receipe and all the ingredients I would need to prepare. I thought that was very unique and well thought out. Here is the rundown of exactly what I received.

Recipe for Fettuccine Carbonara – Mary made a few notations for me of substitutions she suggested which were very helpful!

Fettuccine pasta

Boars Head Fully Cooked Bacon

Fusilli Puttanesca Pasta

Green Olives

Genoa Salame

The recipe called for a few other ingredients such as parsley, salt, pepper, oil, eggs and parmesean cheese. The only thing I did not have on hand was heavy cream (which would have been virtually impossible to ship!). Its so funny because after like 5 years of basically avoiding pasta we have just been getting it back into rotation at our house. The past two Sundays we have enjoyed a pasta dinner at home and now I have all the preparations for a third dinner we are looking forward to. Thanks Mary for a terrific Pen pal box and also to Lindsay from The Lean Green Bean for organizing the program. I suspect its ALOT of work to manage. I look forward to participating again soon!

1. Family comes first!

2. Your To-Do list can wait – most of that crap isnt really important in light of #1 above.

3. You are stronger than you think!

4. This too shall pass… although surely not as soon as you would like!

Has this been your experience too?

Time for an update on our little remodel project I mentioned a week or so ago. You may recall we are re-doing our “mudroom”. Well, its almost done and the built-in organizer cabinet I helped the Finish Carpenter design turned out fabulous. I am so over the moon about it. Scott did a wonderful job as he always does and I thought you might like to see some photos.

Lower drawers designed for shoes

slotted upper cabinet for shopping bags

Charging Station!

Below Charging Station is a big cabinet with shelves

Right tall cabinet with organization and memo board

Tall left side cabinet with storage for an upright vacuum and cleaning bottles

Pretty nobs and pulls

Right now the cabinet is painted a lovely off white base.  But we are working on some faux painting ideas to jazz up the exterior a bit. Also, the remaining walls of the mudroom are getting some chalk paint. When thats all completed I’ll take some more fun photos to share. I cant wait for the grand finale’ – I think its going to turn out awesome.

Want to see something else pretty? I ordered the cutest flip flops for my daughter and me. They are from Flip Out Sandals – www.flipoutsandals.com. Its a california based company that sells flip flops you can customize with various snaps that screw in at the top of the toe separator. We ordered a pink pair for both of us and an additional black pair for her. Then we got three different snaps that match with either pink or black. They are so cute and we love the fact that we can be match-matchy! Before long she surely wont want to wear anything that matches mom so I am thrilled we can enjoy these together this summer. The shoes were not very expensive – about $24.00 each. Not to bad considering they are very unique and pretty. Plus – with the various snaps you can create several looks with just one shoe.

Hey – an extra foot?!

the lips are soooo cute

hearts – go with everything!

butterflies

more snaps

Anyway… The book is right up my alley and I have been enjoying purusing it. I was shipped to me from amazon last week – a pertinent detail. And today while I was reading the chapter on relaxation techniques I turned the page only to find a crisp new $2.00 bill inside! Isn’t that fun!? I took it as a good sign. Pretty neat right – free money- a book gifted to me by friends- located in a chapter on relaxation- I think that’s good karma all the way around. Reminds me I need to pay something forward myself.

This weekend I have some fun stuff coming up. I’m excited to see master yoga teacher Max Strom. He’s coming to my local studio Guruv Yoga (www.guruvyoga.com). I have never seen him before but I have heard only GREAT things. You can check him out at www.maxstrom.com. Max focuses his teachings on creating a meaningful life through philosophy, breath work, asana postures, meditation and self examination. I’ve watched his Tedx talks on YouTube and am definitely intrigued. Getting to see master teachers in a workshop setting is such a wonderful way to be exposed to different teaching styles, philosophies, techniques, etc. Generally, you get to hear the teacher lecture a bit as well as guide you through one or more asana practices and meditations. Recently, the same (Guruv Yoga) studio hosted Steve Ross for a weekend event. This was another new to me master teacher and he did not disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed the 3 weekend sessions I was able to attend. I posted about Steve earlier if you want to review. http://fitandfabyogi.com/?p=307

You can check Max out via YouTube

On the eating front I’ve got a couple of new things to share with you. # 1 -Quest bars! I learned about these from sweet Katie over at Healthy Diva Eats (www.healthydivaeats.com). She mentioned how good they are and she was not kidding! Wow – super yummy. Today while I was enduring “leg day” with my weight training I was reminding myself that a Quest bar with its great protein profile was waiting for me at home. Hey – everybody is motivated by something different, right?! I tried the chocolate chip cookie dough flavor and it rocks. I even gave two to my brother so he good enjoy them. There are lots of other flavors as well if cookie dough is not your thing.

Quest bar stats

Quest Bar

#2 Another delicious treat I’ve been making lately is a simple concoction of lite cool whip and PB2. I know most of you in the healthy living blogosphere are very familiar with PB2. But in case you are not its a powdered version of peanut butter with 1/2 the calories. It’s fantastic for adding peanut butter flavor with 50% less calories. You can use it for baking, smoothies, parfaits, all sorts of deliciousness. It’s available on amazon, iherb and many other sites. To make peanut butter flavored whipped topping just blend a couple of tablespoons of each together in a small bowl and enjoy. Makes a great dessert topping for yogurt parfaits, rice cakes or a Vita Top (www.vitalicious.com).

Vita Top

#3 For sandwiches I’ve been using Toufayan Smart Pockets. They are a nice chance of pace from my regular sandwich thins and English muffins. These are just 80 calories with protein, fiber and omega threes included! I find these “pocket” breads are always a little hard to get stuffed. If you are not very careful the little pocket breaks open. I’ve been eating them for lunch/dinner but I know they would be tasty for breakfast with eggs inside or even banana and nut butter. But seriously – when is nut butter not good? I say NEVER!

Toufayan Pockets

Lastly, let me mention a book I highly recommend. It’s called Turning Pro, written by Steven Pressfield. Seriously, if you want to live life to your fullest potential this is a must read. It’s all about creating a life that is impactful and full of integrity and purpose. It’s very motivating and an easy ready to boot. I learned about this book from my absolute favorite women’s business “guru” Marie Forleo. Please promise me if you don’t know who this is you WILL check her out. You can find her at www.Marieforleo.com. I can’t say enough good things about Marie, her message, her delivery or her overall style (and she lots of style trust me!). Amongst many other offerings she hosts an online business school (B School) which has a session starting soon. I signed up for BSchool last year and loved it. I’ve been a working girl a long time but have only really transitioned to the web based world in the last couple of years. Her training was fantastic and a really effective way to ramp up with a new business venture or simply re-evaluate an existing one that perhaps needs a shot of adrenaline. Creating a web based business and aligning it with my vision and goals isn’t easy as most of you already know and Marie’s training was spot-on! If the BSchool training program is not in your budget then you can just sign up for her emails and weekly Q and A Tuesday videos. They are a super way to get to know what Marie is all about. Seriously – you will love her!

Thats all for today – hope you have a wonderful end to the week. Remember to stay Fit and Fabulous!

Turning Pro

(Created for Link up with Healthy Living Blogs February Link Up Party)

 There are many things I love about making healthy choices.  To me living healthy means MUCH more than just healthy food choices (although as a R.D. this is HIGH on my priority list) – but it also means

 * Staying  “functionally fit” with cardiovascular fitness, strength and flexibility     training.

* Maintaining healthy relationships with family, friends and people I interact with.

* Continuing to engage and improve my mental fitness

* Living life with intention, purpose and integrity

 When it comes to the “heavy hitters” – here are my loves….

FAMILY – my family is my main Healthy Love – I want to be healthy so that I can be around long enough to be a burden to my wonderful 8 year old daughter and, hopefully, her kids as well.  2013 will be 20 years of marriage for me and my hubby Shane and I definitely want to make sure my health will stay strong for another say – 50+ years. We’ll both be pretty old geezers by then!

Also, I want to be healthy so I can set a good example for them as well as my other family members. If I can inspire others in my family to make healthier choices by providing a good example of that myself then everyone benefits.

 PRIDE AND ACCOMPLISHMENT

Maybe its my upbringing or my Type A career mindedness – but I LOVE  to have a professional as well as personal sense of accomplishment and pride. When I am living a healthy life and feeling good about myself inside and out I carry with me a feeling of integrity that comes from living  in accordance with my core values

ENERGY

Healthful living keeps me energetic both physically as well as mentally. I can do more, go more, engage more and live with vitality and zest! Sort of like at the end of a vigorous yoga practice – when you lie in shavasana and can feel your body buzzing with prana! Its an awesome sensation and it carries you throughout your day/life.

SELF CONFIDENCE

Being healthy makes me feel confident.  I am strong, healthy, able to move and do things as I please, able to wear clothes better and carry myself with a sense of ease and grace.

 And in addition to these more lofty ideals there are plenty day to day sources of  healthy happiness that I enjoy without an ounce of shame. Just a few of these are:

LULULEMON – I don’t care what anyone says – its great quality and style and provides motivation as well as inspiration to reach my goals!

 GREAT MUSIC – The 8 tracks app for my iphone is my newest fixation.

RAWXIES – These are great all natural snacks created by a woman. Healthy, Delicious and shaped liked hearts! www.rawxies.com

BAI DRINKS – Great flavored water with only 35 calories and a touch of caffeine each. www.drinkbai.com

CHOBANI – What can I say – I know I’m not alone here!

SIMPLY SNACKIN BEEF JERKY – available online. Great, easy source of protein, low in calories too! www.simplysnackin.com

FIBER ONE CEREALS – Love these for the high fiber, low calories, portability and fill-me-up factor!

360 BAGS – The most well organized work out/gym bags I have ever seen. They are a splurge but so worth it.  The design is so well thought out – think perfect pockets for all your needs. www.livewell360.com

Healthy Living is like LIFE – its a journey you should ENJOY!

Namaste – Jessica

Robert Emmons did a study where he took three groups of folks and asked them to write down one of 3 things. One group wrote down what they were grateful for, a second group wrote down what they were unhappy about and the last group wrote down just something factual about events that occurred in their life. At the end of this 10 week daily trial – the group who were logging down things they were thankful for were 25% happier than the other two groups. Twenty Five Percent!

Trust me – this is worth your time and will have such a positive impact on your life and how you view it. Try it today and make 2013 the year you commit to this practice.

Below is a link to a journal I recommend. This is one of my favorites for those of you just starting out.

http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Abundance-Daybook-Comfort-Joy/dp/0446563595/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1352740279&sr=8-3&keywrds=sara+ban+breathnach

And if you are looking for something more – check out my website for a book I have designed. It’s a daily calendar and gratitude journal all in one. Its bright, cheery and fun to use – you’ll love it!

All the best –

Jessica

First of all let me say there was alot of love in our house for the entire Valentines Day Week! We had a celebration that lasted several days and spoiled each other silly. We had gifts, flowers, chocolate, ate dinner out and enjoyed lots of cuddling with one another. You might notice in that second photo a small “pinkish” bottle on the right? Thats my special Watermelon Flavored Vodka that I put in pretty jars and give to my friends. Its killer!!! So yummmy – and sort of dangerous if you know what I mean We are out Valentines Night with our dear friends Bruce and Jane – along with their kids and Hannah. We went to a local sushi/teppan place and let the chef cook “Kobe Style” for us. It was fun – the kids loved it and it was a nice way to celebrate with the family. Plus the food was good – and we even stopped by Coldstone on the way home for a small ice cream treat. A perfect night!

Flowers from Daddy to Hannah

Cards and such

Fun Friends!

Even signs in the Yard so the whole world will know how much love we share!

Family Tree Purchased from Judy at ByDesignWeddings (easy shop)

This past weekend I had the pleasure of spending some time with a master yoga teacher – Steve Ross. This was my first experience with Steve and he lived up to all the great things I had heard. This guy is a superb teacher and a wonderful SOUL! Seriously – some people are so genuine and nice they just exude happiness! And Steve is definitely one of those people. The awesome Yoga Studio where I practice – Guruv Yoga (www.guruvyoga.com) hosted Steve for the weekend and there were events from Friday night through Sunday afternoon. I was only able to attend Friday and most of Saturday but it was well worth it! One of my favorite things is a rockin playlist and let me tell you Steve Ross had that covered. Both Friday night as well as Saturday he had the best music playing! There were 30-60 of us each day flowing to really fun beats. Both flows were challenging for sure but the fantastic music made it all the more fun and motivating. Plus, Steve has a great dry wit and cracked us up the whole time. Additionally, I got to hear him speak about meditation and practice a few types of mantra and breathing techniques AND do a Yin Yoga class as well. In Yin yoga you hold the poses for longer periods to get into the connective tissues and really loosen things up. Its 100% different from a flow class  but still very challenging in its own way! I was feeling it by Saturday night for sure! Steve is highly accomplished and his teaching background is quite impressive. But I found his demeanor and style of communicating to be my favorite things about him. I hope I get to see him again someday.

Steve Ross
www.steveross.com

Steve’s Book – Happy Yoga – highly recommend it!

Happy Happy Me

Steve was so kind to everyone and I am so glad I got the chance to practice with him! If he comes to your area – please treat yourself and go get to know him! He even signed my book copy.

Other weekend highlights included a movie and dinner with friends and a trip to the mall with my favorite stylist – Hannah!

Oh, and we had salads and soup from Panera last night for dinner and copious amounts of peanut butter m and m’s. Today -construction continues!