READ: Yoga Body Beautiful – Fabulous Food Combining by Adrienne Kelly-Durys

Have you ever started your day out feeling great with lots of energy, a good appetite and a nice flat tummy…and then throughout the day as you eat what you think are healthy foods, your waistline begins to slowly expand until at the end of the day you are feeling tired and bloated and thinking “what the heck did I eat?”. The truth is it may not have been exactly what you ate, but how and when you ate it.

When we eat a meal (or even a snack for that matter), our bodies produce digestive enzymes in order to effectively digest and assimilate our foods.But the human body is not designed to digest more than one type of food at a time, and it is difficult for our bodies to produce multiple different types of enzymes to break down different foods. For example, foods such as melons that turn into simple sugars require only 15-30 minutes to digest while the proteins in nuts and meat could take up to 4 hours to digest and assimilate. Improper food combining is one of the major causes of digestive discomfort. The results of poor food combining leads to: bloating, indigestion (and heartburn), poor assimilation of nutrients, lack of energy, weight gain, bowel discomfort and toxic build up in the colon. The following are some easy-to-follow guidelines for proper food combining for optimal digestion and health:

Combinations that work:

• Leafy greens + veggies + proteins
• Leafy greens + veggies + fats
• Leafy greens + veggies + starches
• Fruit and desserts should be eaten alone

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Combinations to avoid

• Starch + Fruit
• Starch + Protein
• Protein + Fruits

If you are stuck feeling bloated and heavy after a meal with any improper food combinations, try sipping on a peppermint or ginger tea. This will help soothe the stomach and help in the digestion process. Wishing you happy and healthy food combining!

 Adrienne Kelly-Durys is a Certified Nutritional Practitioner, 500Hr RYT and lover of feeling good in mind and body. She teaches Yoga and wellness classes at Balanced Life Yoga and specializes in detoxing and nourishment. Classes include Power Hour Yoga, Core Yoga and Strength Therapy, Power Hour +Bonus and Holistic Nutritional Consulting. http://www.balancedlifeyoga.ca

 

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Yoga Body Beautiful – Dispelling the “Magic Pill” Myth by Adrienne Kelly-Durys

I worked in a Health Food store for over four years, and I recall each year right after the holidays there would be a rush of customers who would come in to the store asking the same thing: “Do you have anything that can help me lose weight?” As an employee at the store, it was my job to suggest a product that would help them shed some pounds, whether it was an herb to help suppress their appetite, or a supplement to help increase their metabolism. But these products never really addressed the elephant in the room that was asking “what about changing your diet, or how often are you exercising?”

Healthy and Tasty Memphis Eats by Carolyn Scott-Hamilton

Memphis, the birthplace of rock n’ roll, home to Elvis and famed Beale Street, this music city right on the banks of the Mississippi River. Known for it’s bbq, I was beyond delighted with incredible food that was abound for a little ol’ vegan. The city is rich with history and boasts some famous folks but now, it’s quickly becoming a hub for great special diet culinary finds!

 

Technorati Tags: Adrienne Kelly-Durys, balanced life yoga, Body Beautiful, food combination, Holistic Living, inspiration, nutrition, vivid life, wellness, yoga

READ: Why Resolutions Fail and How You Don’t Have To by Shasta Townsend

Happy 2012! There is something wonderful about the turning of the calendar into a new year. It is that feeling that anything is possible. It is that feeling of getting a second chance. It is the feeling that this year finally I will get it right.

So many people make New Year’s resolutions just hoping that maybe this year they will make the changes they want for themselves and their lives. And so many people will fail.

I love New Year’s but I know resolutions don’t work.

Resolutions are based on the idea that there is something wrong with you and your life – that there is something you need to change and if you can change then and only then will you be happy. Resolutions require a lot of hard work and this hard work is often based on the idea of unworthiness, self-loathing and lack. If only you could lose that last ten pounds or stop smoking or eat better then you would be worthy and happy. Resolutions don’t work for you because ultimately they make you feel bad, they are overwhelming AND they are not based in an uplifting energy. No one wants to feel bad or overwhelmed so you get gung-ho for a while (like a week) and you don’t smoke but then it feels hard so you have just one cigarette and then you feel bad and overwhelmed which only makes you want to smoke more so you do and then before you know it you are smoking a pack a day and it is only January 15. Whoo.

Rather than resolve how about you use the new year to REMEMBER…

Remember your truth…You are an infinite, powerful, amazing creator who is supported by an infinitely loving Divine Source. In other words there is nothing wrong with you. This doesn’t change because you smoke.

Remember your value…You are a wonderful person whose smoking, over-eating or whatever action you don’t like does NOT determine your value. Live a great life based on your value. Quit smoking because you want to feel good not because someone says smoking is bad.

Remember your joy…Life is not about being perfect. It is about having purpose, joy, love and ease. So maybe it is time to find deeper purpose and joy so that you don’t even want to smoke.

Once you REMEMBER then ask what is my intention?

For me when I REMEMBER my truth and I begin to let go of the voices, ideas and thoughts that keep me small and contained. The same voices that tell me something is wrong with me and I need to change. We all need evolution and expansion but what if we sought it from a place of possibility rather than self-loathing?

When I remember my truth I say, YES, anything is possible. Then from this standpoint of possibility I ask myself what do I INTEND to create this year? What do I want to step into? What fun do I want to have? What do I want to gift myself and the world with this year?

THEN…I have a clear intention.

THEN…Actions follow naturally and not because I am forcing it.

Feel the difference in these statements:

I need to lose 10 pounds so I will force myself to go to Yoga everyday and put over 5 kilometres on the treadmill each day.

OR

I intend to feel alive, whole and at peace in my body so I will commit to healthy practices that help me do this such as daily Yoga practice, eating more alive food and walking over 5 kilometers everyday. I use these tools to help me celebrate my body.

So what is your remembrance, intention and natural actions?

For me…

My remembrance is anything is possible because I am Divine.

My remembrance is life is about play, joy and expansion.

My remembrance is I am a creator who seeks to BE love and light here now.

My intention is let’s see how far we can take all of the above in 2012 and truly be possibility!

Stay tuned for the actions. I know it will be a great year and a great ride!

Wishing you all deep remembrance and love,

Shasta

Remember to tune into Shasta’s Vivid Life Radio Show Possibility 101 every Wednesday at 4:00 pm eastern standard time on www.vividlife.me.

A celebrated transformational leader and a leading pioneer in embodied spirituality and Yoga, Shasta has inspired hundreds of people through her breakthrough methods for awakening and empowering your inner voice and divine power. Director, founder and senior teacher with Balanced Life Yoga, she delivers public talks, seminars and trainings on evolution and empowerment. She draws on a wide variety of techniques including Yoga, Shamanism, meditation, energy healing, coaching and the Law of Attraction. She is especially appreciated for her passionate way of allowing individuals to make sense of their world and embodied, holistic means to become the change they wish to see. As early as in her teenage years, Shasta embarked on her journey as a spiritual explorer which led her to India, where she studied yoga, meditation and energy healing. She has studied with many remarkable mentors and she has undergone thousands of hour’s intense practice of meditation and spiritual studies. Shasta has taken every opportunity to become adept in her field through her own practice as well as through extensive training in yoga, group dynamics, meditation and spiritual counseling. www.balancedlifeyoga.ca

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Do you ever find you are just keeping quiet to keep the peace? I try to practice a high level of self-responsibility and sovereignty. I try to be present to my emotions and thoughts so that I am not reacting but responding. I don’t want to have temper tantrums or take everything personally. I want the freedom to decide how I will

Lilian Cheung: “Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life”

Lilian Cheung, editorial director of The Nutrition Source website, is the co-author of new book, Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life, written with world-renowned Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. In this video, Cheung describes the seven practices of mindful eating.

Good Dog – Downward Dog Yoga Video from Balanced Life Yoga

Feel the stretch and opening with Adho Mukha Svanasana or Downward Facing Dog. This pose calms the mind and helps relieve stress while bringing openness to the shoulders, hamstrings and calves. Feel the strengthening and lengthening in the wrists, arms, back and legs as the ankles start to release towards the mat. Connect to the earth and your own breath in this very accessible, stress-relieving pose.

Join Angela and Mariah as they help you melt into downward dog!

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Learn from Angela in person. Check out our updated schedule or join us at our Inspiring Spirit Teacher Training Program.

Open Up to Your Joy…Inspiring Spirit Teacher Training – July Intensive

Now taking registration for our July 4-29 Monday to Friday offering.

Picture yourself happy, whole and in tune with your highest potential.

Yoga is a wonderful means for creating peace, prosperity and well-being and Balanced Life Yoga’s Inspiring Spirit 200 Hour Teacher Training Program will show you how.

Ask how you can get it for free!

Learn more or call 905-428-2300

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Angela Ryan: RYT 500 and Asana Technique Instructor, Inspiring Spirit 200-hour Teacher Training

Angela loves helping people come to an awareness of the energy and empowerment they can find in yoga – especially seeing the way people feel at the end of a practice – like a little weight has been lifted from their shoulders. She was initially drawn to Yoga I as she was just looking for a form of exercise that wouldn’t be hard on her joints but she got hooked on all of it! “The benefits, both physical and mental, took me completely by surprise as they unfolded, and keep unfolding with each practice,” says Angela. “Even now, though I have a greater awareness of all of the wonderful changes yoga can bring, I continue to be amazed as each one manifests itself in my life.” Angela completed both her 200 Hour and 500 Hour Yoga Teacher Training certification at Balanced Life Yoga and is now one the lead teachers. She loves meditating, nature and has a great sense of humor.

Technorati Tags: downward facing dog, how do the down dog, how to yoga, instructional video, yoga

The Weight Loss Warrior that Lives Within You

I have in the past written about the difference between being assertive and aggressive – and advocated for the assertive side of life – stating that there’s no need to bring the police into the picture!!!!  (Referencing an incident I had –or created, depending on your point of view – in an Italian restaurant in Little Italy, at which time I specifically said at a minimum of three times, “NO BUTTER!”  Nevertheless, when served, my food was swimming in butter! It got ugly!).

However, I was WRONG. True enough, although it is the first time that I’m wrong!  But I’m woman enough to admit it.

There is nothing wrong with being AGGRESSIVE.  In fact, it is the RIGHT PATH!!!  It is the WAY of the WEIGHT LOSS WARRIOR!!!!

AGGRESSIVE ENERGY
Aggressive energy is an essential part of being human.  Aggressive energy will always be with you.  It is an integral and meaningful part of you and it is up to you whether or not you use it for good or ill or even worse, deny it altogether.

When you deny aggression, you are abdicating tapping into this natural and vital well of energy and power.  It is your natural resource that can make all the difference.

The aggressive energy that rumbles through you is simply the Warrior within that is thirsting to accept responsibility, wanting to come out and lead YOU to victory!

You have, in our time together, made the decision to permanently remove your excess weight; you have looked into your future; filled up on confidence; spoken words that energize and motivate; fed the soul and the body and now …

It is TIME!!! To let YOUR WARRIOR OUT!!!!

YOUR WARRIOR … gets things done!
… gives you a sense of yourself as Champion of Your Vision.
… slays the dragons of fear and doubt.
… is inspired and optimistic.
And when your warrior runs into obstacles your warrior recognizes them as tests and does not abandon her Quest …
… YOUR WARRIOR … battles on.

Your warrior … perseveres in the face of difficulties, in the face of temptation.

Good Intentions Are NOT ENOUGH. Sacrifice is necessary.

How you and your warrior bond together now will determine the outcome of your story.

Will you live your best life, or will you remain in bondage to food, emotional eating, and the circumstances that life throws in your path?

Your Warrior actually enjoys discipline, planning, and boundaries.  Your Warrior does not stamp its feet and act like a 4 year-old; your warrior sees the above as opportunity to live life to the fullest.

Be a Warrior.  Be a Weight Loss Warrior.

Spread the word … NOT the icing,

Janice Taylor
wise * fun * utterly useful

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For the best in wellness and weight loss wisdom, visit Janice:

Our Lady of Weight Loss
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Technorati Tags: Gentle Warrior, Healthy Living, inspiration, Janice Taylor, Weight Loss Motivation, Weight Loss Success Coach, Weight Loss Warrior

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