Eat Dance Live

The food plan for the next three days is going to be all about Green Smoothies. Why? Because it's hot, because they're cooling, and because I feel like it. Also, every time I eat a vibrantly green smoothie Andrew says it's to help keep me human. If I forget to have a green smoothie... I might turn back into a monster. Shhh, don't tell anybody. (this monster is from here ) I came up with the idea thanks to the Green Smoothie Queen who has a free introductory 3-day course on Green Smoothies. While I know all about how nutritious and yummy they are already, I'm always up for learning and getting new recipes! So I signed up to her intro on Sunday and have been getting snazzy new emails in my inbox every morning with tips, tricks, and recipes. I love it! I am still taking my tinctures, though I've given up the Rejuve Powder because I don't feel it's been doing anything for me digestion-wise (aside from making me nauseous). I started my day with a green smoo...

This week was all about Gina's Summer Shape Up Week 1. It's been awesome, and with the humidity and heat out, it's been a killer... in a good way! All workout days include a 2 mile walk to the gym. Her Speed Day really kicked my a**. For the first time in years, I pushed through the workout like the out of shape 13 year old struggling to laps in PE that I used to be... scary stuff, and I know I have the oppressive weather to thank for that, but by the end I was super energized and felt amazing. In fact, I felt great every day. Because of dentist appointments, parental visits, and the like, I had to switched things up just a bit (plus I added stuff), so here was the run down, but do visit her blog if you're interested in knowing more! Also, I know I should be doing yoga more regularly. Last summer I got into the habit of getting up early and doing 20 minute Yoga Download sessions every day and I felt amazing, my back never hurt, and I was energized throughout the whole...

Sahasrara , or Crown Chakra, is the seventh and final chakra making up the last day of my week of chakra feasting. I always believed that if your six other chakras are not balanced, opening your seventh chakra would prove very difficult. The Crown Chakra is the one dedicated to unbridled, unchecked, and pure consciousness. It is at the center of our entire nervous system through the hypothalamus. By releasing the physical, it is the birth of our consciousness and inner wisdom, and the death of our attachment to ego and the body. As the universe flows down through the Crown Chakra, it enhances and enables six lower chakras. The one cannot live without the other six but the six are fed by the one. Opening our Crown Chakra means tapping into the universal source of truth. It connects us and allows to communicate with our higher self, who knows no ego but only truth and compassion. Our Crown Chakra allows us to know reach the timeless and the spaceless far beyond the realm of the physical....

The Brow Chakra, the center of our "Third Eye", is our connection to the wisdom the universe has to offer. Through the experiences we have, we gain knowledge, and through that knowledge we gain perspective. It enables us to separate the real from the imagined, the vital from the unimportant. It allows us to become intuitive, optimistic, and knowing. Ajna in Sanskrit, the Brow Chakra is located between our eyebrows on the forehead. It is said that the Brow Chakra resonates at a higher frequency than your other chakras, and can be activated through the key of A. Linked to the pineal gland, our sixth Chakra is particularly light sensitive and helps regulate the production of the melatonin hormone which regulates sleep and wake. It is also linked to the pituitary gland that regulates our endocrine system, including places like major portions of our brain, eyes, and ears. Because of its focus on visualization, a balanced Brow Chakra enables foresight, intuition, and clairvoya...

Did you all catch the gorgeous full moon tonight? We just came back from an evening walk during which we admired its glowing yellow luminescence, it was even perfectly framed by curly blue-gray clouds. It was worthy of a Chinese painting or, according to Andrew, the opening scene of Gargoyles. It seems a perfect end to my day focused on opening my throat chakra, the one which determines how I express my creativity and thoughts. The Throat Chakra, or Vishuddha, is about speaking one's truth. Obviously, Vishuddha is located at the base of our neck, and affects the proper functioning of our vocal cords and our thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is associated with hormone production that is key to physical growth and maturation. Spiritually, that growth is that of our consciousness and wisdom. The Throat Chakra incites us to live ideally, be surrounded by beauty, expressiveness, through our self-expression and ability to make our feeling and emotions our reality. It is the center of our...

Man, am I feeling good today! I don't know which of the many variables I've recently changed in my life is causing this (it might be all of them), but I'm truly feeling amazing. I'm happier than I've been in days, I'm awake, alert, and am finally finding some much needed inner peace. Because this is a longer post about today's Chakra, I'll simply say that herb-wise, I've taken all my Gaia Herbs as required and the taste doesn't affect me nearly as much as on Day 1: The heart Chakra (or Anahata in Sanskrit) is, well, associated with the heart but also with the thymus. The thymus keeps your immune system and more specifically your endocrine system functioning. In other words, it helps to fight against disease both physical and emotional. And your heart, well, it's kind of a big deal. The main work people usually do on their heart chakra is to heal from emotional hurt and to foster greater love and compassion from and for others. Today's ch...

Located between your navel and the base of your sternum, the Solar Plexus Chakra supports a good deal of your vital organs including your spleen, pancreas, liver, and stomach. Called Manipura in Sanskrit, its major emotional and spiritual focus is on the self, like our sense of power, our ego, and our desire for authority. Our capacity for discipline and self-control are also based here. My desire to go on this feast and my recently flagging self-confidence would indicate that this was something I definitely needed work on today. While an aligned Manipura is associated with self-esteem, self-confidence, self-respect, and a strong will, an imbalance is obvious through a lack of any of the previously mentioned traits, over-competitiveness, or a desire to manipulate others. Other issues may include fear, hate, indifference, and stress. Also residing in the solar plexus chakra are our "gut feelings" and intuition. Self-love and respect allow us to better understand our real and...

First off, have you entered Averie's latest nut butter giveaway ? Another go at a Sacral Chakra feast today focused on all things sweet. I started with my usual glass of lemon water and then it was time to start my cycle of powders and tinctures that I now have to take for 13 more days. After yesterday's nauseating experience , this one went much better. Instead of 2 heaping teaspoons of Rejuve Powder, I only took one and while it was still vile and did give me a little bit of the shakes, it went much more smoothly. Breakfast wasn't quite a juice but was more focused on balancing my chakra using sweetness, aka. a cherry banana whip (with spirulina of course!). A post-workout lunch (thanks again to Gina for an awesome start into her 2010 4-week Summer Shape-up ) were two Vitamix-ed oranges with a 1/2 C of kombucha. Then I descended into kale chip making madness. I'm working on two different recipes right now that I think they may be my best yet! Throughout the day, I to...

Yes, I've been lazy posting these lately, but I'm back on track: Monday 2 mile walk 30 minute swim Tuesday 5 minute warm up 3x12 shoulder press 3x12 assisted dips 5 minutes of hills (incline increase every 30 seconds) 3x12 lateral raise 3x12 chest press on stability ball 5 minutes of sprints (30 second sprint, 30 second jog) 3x12 crunches 3x12 bicycle crunches 20 minute cardio on stair climber 5 minute stretch Wednesday 2 mile walk 30 minute swim Thursday 5 minute cardio warm-up 3x12 stability ball double leg lift 3x12 calf raises on step 3x40 seconds of plank 3x12 side lunges with medicine ball 3x12 straight leg glute raise (this without the resistance band) 3x30 seconds of walking lunges 20 minutes of cardio hills 5 minute stretch Friday 3x12 recline crunches 3x12 recline oblique crunches 3x12 'normal' crunches 3x12 straight leg crunches 20 minutes of HIIT on elliptical

Day 1 of juice feast, my reaction is very mixed. I started my morning with a couple sun salutations and began my first day of my juice feast with hope. One glass of warm water with the juice of 1/2 a lemon and my daily dose of MSM followed the salutations. About 15 minutes later I opened up my new toy for the next two weeks: Gaia Her bs 's Super Cleanse Kit. I have full faith in this company because of their ethics. I wanted to try out of one the detox kits they have at the Whole Foods, but didn't know which one to choose. I settled on Gaia Herbs because they are one of the only organic ones. On top of that, they are certified by Oregon Tilth , currently the most stringent organic certifier recognized by the USDA. They have a beautiful farm in NC and I really support their research and environmental efforts, so from the get go, the company got two thumbs up in my book. The cleanse is made up of 3 parts and lasts 2 weeks. There is a morning fiber powder, called the Rejuve Powder...