When I went to list my top ten favorite nutrition things, I realized that I only have three so far. We will call this list a work in progress. For now, here are my top three:
1. Vita-mix - makes eating raw MUCH easier...everyone in my family has one (well, me, my mom, and my brother...still working on dad).
2. Pomegranates - packed with antioxidants and burst in your mouth...need I say more?
3. Living Raw Food - Okay, so the author of the book is smoking a cigarette in one of the first pages of the book. That is not so cool. However, the recipes are tasty and are motivating me to include more raw foods in my diet, so I figure, as long as I am not the one doing the smoking, no harm done.
My blog on attempting to live a clean, simple, and healthy life in the fast-paced modern world
About Me
- Lauren Beth
- I am a walking oxymoron...an attorney and a yoga teacher...a runner and former dancer. I love to travel and experience new things but, at the same time, hate to miss a workout, have horrible allergies, and get sick when I eat wheat, dairy, and most processed foods. This blog chronicles my journey toward healthy living. My hope is that I learn a few things about better taking care of myself and help a few other Type A personalities out along the way...
Friday, December 31, 2010
Top 10 Favorite Fitness Things
Over the years, I have collected lots of fitness related gear. The following are my 10 favorites (in no particular order):
1. Vibram Five Fingers - These shoes are amazing for all sorts of things. For instance, if you live in an apartment building and find that home workouts in clunky sneakers do not go over so well with your downstairs neighbors, these shoes should lighten your load and keep the neighbors from banging on your door. If you are looking for shoes that are amphibious, these are without a doubt the way to go. Last year, my friend used these to hike to Angel Falls in Venezuela and then jumped in the water under the falls upon arrival. I had not yet bought my five fingers and had zero traction with my bare feet...slipped on a rock and the current dragged me to the other end of the pool - face to face with a dead snake - yuck! If you are looking to increase your balance and flexiblity, five fingers are fantastic. Click here for a Yoga Journal article that explains what I am talking about. I could probably write a blog entirely on Five Fingers, but I think that you get the point. Bottom line: yes, these shoes are hideous, but they are also awesome.
2. Mizuno Women's Wave Ascend Running Shoes - lightweight and comfortable. Easy as that.
3. Manduka Mat - This mat is heavy and thus not the best for traveling, but beyond that, I have no complaints. Unfortunately, my boyfriend got ahold of it for his p90x workouts and has no plans to let me have it back.
4. P90X - Speak of the devil. I hate it, but I love it...
5. Shiva Rea, Fluid Power DVD - The yoga matrix allows you to mix and match asanas, so this is the one yoga DVD that does not get boring and let's me match my practice to my energy level/focus on specific areas.
6. Lululemon - Until recently, you could not buy Lululemon Athletica attire online. I only just found out that you now can when adding the link to their sight to my blog. While pricey, their stuff lasts forever and is extremely high-quality. I tend to favor their yoga attire over their running attire.
7. iPOD Nano - I can't run alone without it.
8. Kor ONE Hydration Vessel - Depending on the color you choose, your purchase will go toward a global water crisis, ocean protection, watershed protection, or container recycling program. I personally love these bottles because you can see how much you drank. Sigg bottles are great too but I tend to stay hydrated when I can watch my progress. Also KOR ONE bottles are BPA free.
9. Nike Women's fit dry Tempo running shorts - I have 5 pair for the warmer months (yes, this is probably a sign that I need to clean out my closet).
10. SPI Belt - Keys, money, ID, phone...once I bought a running pouch, I never went out for a run without it.
1. Vibram Five Fingers - These shoes are amazing for all sorts of things. For instance, if you live in an apartment building and find that home workouts in clunky sneakers do not go over so well with your downstairs neighbors, these shoes should lighten your load and keep the neighbors from banging on your door. If you are looking for shoes that are amphibious, these are without a doubt the way to go. Last year, my friend used these to hike to Angel Falls in Venezuela and then jumped in the water under the falls upon arrival. I had not yet bought my five fingers and had zero traction with my bare feet...slipped on a rock and the current dragged me to the other end of the pool - face to face with a dead snake - yuck! If you are looking to increase your balance and flexiblity, five fingers are fantastic. Click here for a Yoga Journal article that explains what I am talking about. I could probably write a blog entirely on Five Fingers, but I think that you get the point. Bottom line: yes, these shoes are hideous, but they are also awesome.
2. Mizuno Women's Wave Ascend Running Shoes - lightweight and comfortable. Easy as that.
3. Manduka Mat - This mat is heavy and thus not the best for traveling, but beyond that, I have no complaints. Unfortunately, my boyfriend got ahold of it for his p90x workouts and has no plans to let me have it back.
4. P90X - Speak of the devil. I hate it, but I love it...
5. Shiva Rea, Fluid Power DVD - The yoga matrix allows you to mix and match asanas, so this is the one yoga DVD that does not get boring and let's me match my practice to my energy level/focus on specific areas.
6. Lululemon - Until recently, you could not buy Lululemon Athletica attire online. I only just found out that you now can when adding the link to their sight to my blog. While pricey, their stuff lasts forever and is extremely high-quality. I tend to favor their yoga attire over their running attire.
7. iPOD Nano - I can't run alone without it.
8. Kor ONE Hydration Vessel - Depending on the color you choose, your purchase will go toward a global water crisis, ocean protection, watershed protection, or container recycling program. I personally love these bottles because you can see how much you drank. Sigg bottles are great too but I tend to stay hydrated when I can watch my progress. Also KOR ONE bottles are BPA free.
9. Nike Women's fit dry Tempo running shorts - I have 5 pair for the warmer months (yes, this is probably a sign that I need to clean out my closet).
10. SPI Belt - Keys, money, ID, phone...once I bought a running pouch, I never went out for a run without it.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Feeling Blue...
For years, I felt tired as soon as I woke up in the morning, constantly complained of stomach aches and migraines, had trouble concentrating, felt so dizzy at times that I could not even stand, and considered it a miracle if I went a day without crying. I had acne, chapped lips, dandruff, and experienced hair loss.
While retinol and benzol peroxide did the trick on the acne front, I could not seem to shake any of these other symptoms. I put "symptoms" in italics because generally we associate symptoms with sign of some sort of disorder or disease or at least something that a doctor can identify and possibly help us to cure; however, after numerous doctors visits, tests, misdiagnoses and medications nobody seemed to be able to pinpoint what was making me feel so lousy.
"Chronic fatigue", one doctor proclaimed. "If you stop exercising so much, you will feel a little better." "Anxiety," another explained. Bipolar disorder, stress...pregnancy? - No, no, and definitely NO!!!! The list went on. Thousands of dollars in medical bills later, I could still barely get myself out of bed in the morning, could not concentrate enough to read my law school assignments, and saw no end in sight.
Changing my diet and taking vitamins seem to be the only things that have made a difference. In fact, sometimes, if I eat an extremely restricted diet and take supplements, I have no symptoms at all! Of course, this can get a little exhausting and does not lead to the best social life.
More on that later...
For now, this is my first post on my blog, documenting the road I am taking from life in the blue to life in the pink.
While retinol and benzol peroxide did the trick on the acne front, I could not seem to shake any of these other symptoms. I put "symptoms" in italics because generally we associate symptoms with sign of some sort of disorder or disease or at least something that a doctor can identify and possibly help us to cure; however, after numerous doctors visits, tests, misdiagnoses and medications nobody seemed to be able to pinpoint what was making me feel so lousy.
"Chronic fatigue", one doctor proclaimed. "If you stop exercising so much, you will feel a little better." "Anxiety," another explained. Bipolar disorder, stress...pregnancy? - No, no, and definitely NO!!!! The list went on. Thousands of dollars in medical bills later, I could still barely get myself out of bed in the morning, could not concentrate enough to read my law school assignments, and saw no end in sight.
Changing my diet and taking vitamins seem to be the only things that have made a difference. In fact, sometimes, if I eat an extremely restricted diet and take supplements, I have no symptoms at all! Of course, this can get a little exhausting and does not lead to the best social life.
More on that later...
For now, this is my first post on my blog, documenting the road I am taking from life in the blue to life in the pink.
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