I LOVE baked goods, but they are not always the healthiest snack or after dinner treat.
These quick swaps will make your baking an option you wont feel guilty about!
Avocado – I LOVE Avocados and I tend to eat at least one each day! Living in Sunny California that’s easy to do, lucky us, we have Avocados Year round!! Mash some into your baked goods instead of using oil or shortening for healthy non saturated source of fats. Making avocados a healthy baking substitutes.
Beets – are a great way to add sweetness and color to brownies and red velvet cake. I don’t know about you but I love beets and I never seem to have enough recipes to use them in. Make sure they are fresh and shred them finely before adding.
Kabocha Squash – high in beta carotene kabocha squash will add sweetness and much needed moisture to muffins and cakes. To use De-seed and steam, and leave the skin on, its packed with nutrition!
Bonus – kabocha squash is a great substitute for pumpkin in your seasonal pies. I like to incorporate it in WITH my pumpkin for an added nutritional punch.
Pumpkin – pure canned pumpkin (NOT Pumpkin pie filling!) is full of antioxidants, beta carotene and fiber. Added to cakes, cookies and muffins they add moisture, a beautiful flavor and sweetness.
Sweet Potato (or Yams!) – This stuff is great in breads and you can replace most of the sugar and shortening with it! Beta carotene rich, just steam and puree before you add to your favorite bread, cookie, pie and cake recipes.
Zucchini – with TONS of vitamin C Zucchini is great to add moisture to breads, cakes and cookies. Grate is as fine as you can and your family will never even know its there!
I have had a Fitbit since 2008. In fact, I have had just about every Fitbit as they have evolved. I love the data, finding out how much restful sleep I have had, and making sure I keep active all day. Its a great way to really know how sedentary you are, and where you can make small changes that will make a big difference in your fitness.
Fitbit – I am currently using The Fitbit Charge HR. I upgraded from the Fitbit Charge, which I upgraded from the Fitbit Zip, which I upgraded from the original Fitbit. First and most importantly, ALL of my Fitbit’s are still working with the exception of my Charge.
I don’t know what happened there, the button on the side must have been faulty. But even my original Fitbit is still going strong. I have passed them on to my family members and they are all happy with them. I prefer my Charge HR to the other wearable that clip on, I have lost the clip on kind more then I can count, they just do not stay on me, so strapping it to my wrist is preferable to me. My daughter however dose not like the watch type ones, and is happy using my old zip. Another reason why Fitbit is my favorite tracker is because of the amazing web site they have. You can track all your food, set goals and see all your data in one place. When I was using Basis, I still used the Fitbit site or my fitness pal to track my food. You can set alarms to silently wake you up, it does steps, calories, my heart rate, floors I have climbed and my distance in miles. I basically only take it off when I am in the shower.
Pros- data, easy tracking and pairing, and the web site is the bomb!
Cons- Loosing the clip on kind, and having to wear two watches or take it off if I want to dress up.
iwatch– I thought this would retire my Fitbit. I was wrong. I have not been to impressed with the fitness tracker on my iwatch. I spent one entire week wearing both the Fitbit and the iwatch and the steps were completely off, it only logged about half of what Fitbit did. If you are trying to watch your calories in/calories out you need another app for logging your food and steps like my fitness pal or Fitbit. As of today I would not recommend iwatch to use as a fitness tracker, but I will keep my eye out for new updates, and new apps!
Spire – This is a different little guy from your run of the mill fitness tracker. Spire is all about managing your stress and staying active. Its a clip on, so right away I wasn’t exited, but, the clip is way better then my Fitbit’s, it just feels more secure, and it has never gone missing. The app walks you through clipping the spire on correctly, and it monitors your stress level and activity all day. What make it different – as your stress changes the app will walk you through different meditations or relaxation techniques, with the idea, that being active and managing your stress will keep you healthy. I love it, I must say most days I just like comparing my stress levels with my husbands, lol, I do not always do the exercises. What can I say I am working on it. But knowing is half the battle right?
Basis – I was sooo excited for my basis. We were on a waiting list when it first came out, so this review is based on the first model. It has since had at least one incarnation, and been purchased by Intel. The data you get from Basis is top notch, I found it the same or better then my Fitbit. BUT, that’s where we go wrong, that’s all you really get, accurate data, when compared to the Fitbit, where all that data is synced to an amazing web site that helps you work towards a goal Basis is lacking. Again I found myself wearing the basis, but logging all my info on Fitbit. So unless Intel changes something, it makes no sense for me to use one tracker and log my data into another one.
Hands down Fitbit works for me the best. I like to have all my data merged with my goals. For those with weight loss goals, you can input all the food you are eating, and it will tell you based on the goals you set how many calories you can eat that day, and how you did working towards that goal all week, month etc. If you are serious about getting healthy, buy a tracker. If you like data and easy use, buy a Fitbit.
Good music makes every thing better! Nothing beats the feeling you get when your favorite song comes on. You get a burst of energy and the feeling like you are on top of the world. I love making new playlists for my workouts, long trips, and time by the pool. When I was still teaching I remember I made a play list for free time and when Ice Ice Baby came on, yes, I still love this song, the whole room started singing and dancing, clearly every one likes it as much as me. Some of my favorite memories are connected to specific songs, I love the thought of the endless hours my best friend Tracy and I used to spend making up dances in middle school.
Whether you are getting ready for a night out, cleaning your house, or jogging around the block a great soundtrack can get you motivated. Here are some of my faves, sure to get you moving!
“Let’s go Crazy” Prince
“Sugar” Maroon 5
“One More Time” Daft Punk
“Rebel Yell” Billy Idol
“American Boy” Estelle Ft. Kanye West
“Sweet Child Of Mine” Guns and Roses
“Baby I’m a Star” Prince
“Let’s Stay Together” Al Green
“4 minutes” Madonna
“Kiss” Prince
“Love on Top” Beyonce
“Brick House” Commodores
“Sexy Back” Justin Timberlake
“Super Freak” Rick James
“Locked out of Heaven” Bruno Mars
Under Pressure Queen and David Bowie
“Naught Girl” Beyonce
And any thing on The Pitch Perfect sound track, especially “Please don’t stop the Music” by the Treblemakers.
I think I could keep this list going forever! What are your favorites to listen to to get your work out going?
If your reading The Ahimsa Life, odds are you are either thinking of adding healthy changes to your lifestyle, or you are actively living a healthy, happy life. But don’t forget about your furry friends!
Any one who knows me, knows how much I love my Little Jack Russel, Olive. I am pretty sure she is the best dog in the world, and I would do just about any thing to make sure she is healthy, happy and safe. Olive makes sure I get up, get my 10,000 steps per day, and stay active. I want to make sure I keep her healthy too so we can be healthy together for a long time to come.
I make sure Olive gets enough activity. For a 1 year old JRT that’s A LOT of walks, and tossing the ball around the yard. Different breeds and sizes require different activity levels, check with your Vet on how much your dog needs. For Olive her twice daily walks are the highlight of her day. She loves meeting new dogs, and saying hi to all our neighbors. Which brings me to my next point.
Mental activity. More then just walks around the neighborhood or time in the yard, make sure your dog is keeping his/her mind sharp. Problem solving toys, learning new tricks, training, and visiting new places all keep your dog curious.
Healthy Foods. Do you know whats in your dogs food? You need to read the label for them just like you do for your self. Make sure they are getting the best meals, and treats. Try and make your own, Olive loves these pumpkin treats, they are quick and easy to make and save well.
Healthy Skin and fur – Olive is active, very active. One of her favorite things to do is dig up my garden. She loves mud and dirt. She loves to bury those treats I just hand made for her. She gets a bath pretty much every week, so, I consider myself an expert on dog shampoos. My favorite is Burt’s Bee’s Oatmeal Shampoo. Olive is pretty scruffy, so I always use a conditioner as well. Its natural, organic, and makes her fur soft and smell great.
After a bath its time for a brushing! I love this Dog Grooming Brush. It gets through all of Olive’s thick fur, cuts through any knots in a snap, and helps a lot with the shedding!
Regular check ups. Olive never misses a appointment with her doctor. She loves getting in the car and visiting every one so that helps a ton. We go at least twice a year (Vets recommend at least once) just to check in and make sure shes as great as I think she is!
Keep those chompers clean! Dental health is so important for your dog. Get regular cleanings, and make sure they have safe things to chew on.
What do you do to make sure you and your dog stay healthy?
Repost from 2015 when I got my Peloton bike. 2017 update – I still love it! They update constantly and its a great work out!
Yes, I love yoga, and try to practice every day. But, I am a sucker for a nice sweaty spin class. I have done classes at my local gym or YMCA, but I don’t really have a studio close by. When ever I travel to a city that has a SoulCycle I book my classes before I even leave for the airport. At $32 per class, plus shoe rental (if you do not own a pair) its pretty expensive! and not convenient at all. Whats a girl to do?
Enter Peloton. I spotted their add on Pintrest and clicked over. I fell in love. A spin class in my own home. I could not get my credit card out of my purse fast enough. But is it worth it? I have had my bike for just under a week, here is what I think…
First off if you have not heard of SoulCycle or Peloton this is the scoop, imagine if you where at church, an amazing church where the entire congregation was totally into the sermon, and that church was in the hottest club, amazing music, fantastic lighting and every one was moving in sync. That church club also got you into amazing shape and you were dying to become a member and wanted to worship there every day. That’s how a great spin class feels, and SoulCycle/Peloton has mastered it.
Most of these studios are in major cities, so if you live in suburb, or in a city hat was not blessed enough to be chosen you are pretty much out of luck. Peloton has created a spin bike, with a monitor attached where you can watch a library of classes, or the best part, join in live classes at their NYC location. You can stream the live classes as they happen or do a ride any time from their library which includes spin classes and long distance lance Armstrong kind of rides.
The only thing the video does not capture is the excitement of the rides, it can be really high energy and lots of fun! Below id some pros and cons.
Pros –
I don’t have to drive forever to find a class. I can join my favorite teachers and classes live, or ride any time of day.
Bike cleats- you clip in, hard to get used to if you have never done it before, but once you have other bikes do not make sense.
Its fun! Whether you want a pop diva themed class or a chill ride, they have it. The music really is amazing and keeps me going!
Endless choices. The computer on the bike came pre loaded with tons classes, and they are releasing more all the time. if you add that with the streaming classes, you can rise a different class every day for over a year.
Your shipping fee includes set up! The bike was delivered via UPS freight and Peloton arranged to have it put together and set up, I literally could start a ride as soon as the delivery guys left.
Cons –
Its expensive the bike is $1995, plus a monthly subscription ($39) for streaming. But for us, its lower then a gym membership, or paying for a spin class 3x per week. And I share with my hubby and my daughter, so per use it makes sense for me.
Cleats – you need to purchase spin shoes. Peloton gave me a 20% discount on any accessories, I took advantage of that, but you can buy them on amazon as well. If you have never bought bike shoes before try them on! Or read the sizing carefully, my normal size was way too tight.
Space – I am lucky enough to have a fitness centric family, so we all were happy to make our loft into a home gym, if you don’t have a designated room you are going to need space for the bike. You have to allow space to stand next to the bike as well, each session ends with stretching, in studios a lot of people leave at this point, don’t do it, its so rewarding after a long ride, and adds only about 5 minutes.
Wait time. It took over a week after I ordered it. I was told it would be 4 days. To be fair she said 4 day shipping, which to me was after I paid, but to them, the clock didn’t start ticking until the order was “processed” which meant from the day I ordered it to delivery was 13 days including weekend.
So far I am in love, and the bike is getting a lot of use. I will update and give you more details on riding at home, and pics soon!
If you read my post on Fitness Trackers you know I love my Fitbit. Wearing a fitness tracker really lets you know how much you are NOT moving! I was pretty surprised to find some long periods of complete inactivity. Since then, I have really made an effort to increase how much I move every day. Its amazing how many calories you can burn during the day with out hitting a gym. Here are some simple ways to break up those sustained sitting periods at work and home:
Take phone calls standing up. If the phone rings, stand up! You will automatically find your self walking around.
Rather than email office colleagues, walk to their desks to communicate with them. On that note, don’t yell for your kids, walk to their rooms, or where ever they are to talk to them.
Create a standing workstation. My husband just changed over his work and home offices to this standing desk, it lowers so he can sit at it too, if needed, but its really amazing how many steps he has added not changing any thing about his routine.
Wear a pedometer or fitness tracker to encourage taking steps. I check on mine through out the day, reach for at least 10,000 steps.
Set a timer on your home computer or phone to alert you to get up every thirty to forty minutes and break up sitting with short bursts of activity, like running to the mailbox.
Have a dog? Try and increase you walks by 10 minutes, or take time to toss a ball in the yard, your puppy will love you for it!
Bonus tip – At home, stop multi tasking! Are you setting things on the stairs to bring up the next time you head that way? Stop, bring it up right then and there. I have found I doubled the amount of flights I climb each day just by doing that.
Olive is my Jack Russel Terrier, she is arguably the sweetest dog in the world. Any one who knows me or follows me on Social Media knows that my dog Olive is my life!
Just like I strive to live a healthy balanced life, I try to get her lots of activity and feed her natural healthy foods too. Which includes making her healthy nutritious foods. If you have a dog, take a peak at any label for the treats you have in the house, make sure you are not filling those precious bellies with chemicals and preservatives. When I have a long lazy weekend I like to make her some home made treats, they are much healthier for her, clean ingredients, and they save great.
Olive’s favorite Pumpkin Treats
1/2 cup Natural Peanut Butter
1 cup 100% Pure Pumpkin Puree, canned (Do NOT use pie filling)
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Stir together peanut butter and pumpkin. Add the flour 1/4 cup at a time just until dough is no longer sticky.
3. Roll the dough out between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/4″ thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out the dough, then place on the prepared pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
Let cool completely.
Store in an airtight container or freeze for up to 3 months.
If you have ever thought of joining one of my group cleanses, or signing up for individual Health Coaching but still had questions this article is for you! Here are some reasons why working with a Health Coach like me can help you!
Accountability –Did you make a promise to yourself to hit the gym more, loose those extra 10 pounds, or maybe revamp your entire diet? Working with a Health Coach can help keep you on track to achieving your goals. By setting Specific, measurable, attainable, time bound goals, and giving you with the tools you need to make your goals a reality.
You don’t know where to start – GMO’s, organic, Paleo, confused as to what is the best diet for you and your family? let me help you. By assessing your goals and lifestyle I can help you transition to a healthier life! As a Health Coach, I can give you a customized plan to help you meet your goals, one simple step at a time. Whether you want to loose weight fast, cook healthier food for your family, or get ready to run your first marathon I can help!
Retrain the way you think:Taking a holistic approach, Health Coaches understand the emotional, physical, behavioral, nutritional and lifestyle factors that are needed to make a lifestyle change. Let me help you diffuse anxieties and identify misconceptions that may be standing in the way of you reaching your goals. Become self-reliant:While this may seem counter intuitive, the ultimate goal of a health coach is to help you to become self-reliant to increase your motivation to adopt healthy habits. From helping you create or maintain an environment that fosters success to finding and implementing a support system, as a health coach, I am committed to arming you with the tools you need to succeed in reaching your goals. Make it a lifestyle:Health coaches enable individuals to see the value in reaching their health-related goals. By building a true connection between exercise, nutrition and and all of the normal daily activities you need to get done, you will learn to take ownership of your experience and create positive, lasting lifestyle changes that enhance everyday life.
Have more questions? Want to join a Guided Cleanse or sign up for individual Coaching? Leave a comment, or contact me at pamela@theahimsalife.com
Every one love Kale chips! They have been a favorite in our house for a while. Normally, my go to recipe is to just add a little Olive Oil and some Himalayan Pink Salt, bake and yum!
Of course I have seen many recipes online. I make sure I save them and swear I will give them a try. But when it comes to making a batch, I always think, if its not broken, don’t fix it and make my old stand by recipe. That was until now.
A few weeks ago I dragged my hubby to Las Vegas to see Elton John. (He was AH-MAZ-ING!) I seem to be in Vegas all the time work, and since its a quick flight, the hubby goes with a lot. Las Vegas is unbelievably easy to eat Vegan in. We have become pros on the best places at eat and drink in Sin City. This trip we went to the Canyon Ranch Spa in The Palazzo. The spa is the best, and they also have a small restaurant and bar offering some amazing healthy options. We had just stopped by for a quick bite, and chose the Spicy Kale chips to tide us over till dinner. Which is what inspired this recipe.
The Canyon Ranch chips, were dehydrated, my normal go to chips are baked, but I loved how crunchy they were, with out all the extra oil. They added a chili powder mix of seasonings which gave it a great kick! It came with a ranch dip, which I avoided. Once home I set out to re create these spicy little numbers, and dug out my dehydrator. Here is my home version, I like it spicy, so I added a little extra heat, use less seasoning if you don’t!
Nice and Spicy kale Chips
1 bunch Kale ( I prefer curly for chips, all those nooks and crannies really hold on to the seasoning) I have used dinosaur kale before and it turned out well.
2 Tbsp Olive oil ( I love Calivirgin. It is simply my favorite EVOO. It’s local to me, but they have a great Olive oil club you can join even if you live far away)
That’s it!!
I am using a dehydrator for this recipe,- if you don’t have a dehydrator, bake at 400 degrees for 10-20 minutes until crispy, and add a little more oil. Check on it from time to time since oven temps vary.
1)Rip apart and wash kale very well! Leaving out the hard stalks and veins. Its really important that you take the time to wash thoroughly! I use a fruit and veg wash to make sure I get every thing off and always buy organic.
2) Dry kale, if you want it crispy this is a MUST. I use a salad spinner, if you do not have one just pat between paper towels until dry.
3) In a large bowl add kale, and oil and use hands to mix it through, making sure oil is evenly disbursed.
4) if using a dehydrator, lay out kale on trays evenly, not letting ends touch. you do not have to leave that much room, they will shrink. I am currently using a round dehydrator, and I use about 5 trays for 1 bunch.
If you are baking lay out your kale evenly with out touching on a cookie sheet. When baking not letting the sides touch is even more important for crispy chips.
5) Sprinkle with Lucifer seasoning, using more or less based on how hot you like it!
6) Sit back and let your dehydrator do its thing! Although you can eat them any time, and I do, as I check them, I like mine to be as crispy as possible, which equals about 4 hours in the dehydrator.
Not too long ago, I traveled extensively for work, flying to different states a few times a month. Since I worked in the beauty industry I was expected to show up looking just like I walked out of the pages of a fashion magazine, which can be difficult when you are on 5 hour flight from California to New York, or only got 4 hours of sleep on your uncomfortable hotel bed.
I have developed a few great tips over my years of traveling, on how to not look so jet lagged and take care of your self in flight.
Tip #1 – Do not travel in make up. Yes, I know. But its important. Your just going to read your kindle or watch a movie any way, no need to have a full face of make up on. The air in the plane tends to make your skin dry and dehydrated, adding layers of foundation and powders will only make that worse. I pack a little bag of Josie Maran Bear Naked cleansing wipesto make sure I have a clean face on the flight. You can also use them to freshen up mid flight, which is super important on long overseas travel.
Bonus Tip! Use those cleansing wipes to wash down the arm rests and tray prior to use. Believe me it helps get rid of all those germs, so you don’t get sick.
Tip #2- Moisturize! – Makes sense after tip #1 right? I take it to the next level by using my night cream no matter what time of day it is, instead of a daily moisturizer. The air is so dry, you will need the added little extras and thickness of a night cream.
Tip #3 –Buy a water before you get on the plane and ask for another when the beverage service starts. You can not get enough water on the flight, make sure you drink at least 8 oz before you land.
Tip #4 -Speaking of drinking NO alcohol! It dehydrates you, so all the tips above would be for nothing is you ask for that Chardonnay. Remember dehydrated skin = wrinkles.
Tip #5 – After you land break out one of your wipes, or get the hotel asap, what ever you do, washyour face as soon as you can. That plane was full of germs and recirculated air, lets get all of the above off your skin as soon as humanly possible.
Tip #6 – First night at the hotel – I always apply a moisture mask.You can do it as you unpack, or as you are relaxing or prepping for the next day. Trust me this one will make a difference.
