Thursday, November 6, 2014

Homemade Pineapple Juice With A Cinnamon Twist

  
Summer is here, and what better way to enjoy it than with a refreshing homemade pineapple juice?

This recipe calls for the pineapple skin and core, not the actual fruit. It's a healthy twist, and delicious way to use the leftovers that you would normally throw away.

All you need is a whole pineapple, spices and water.

Homemade Pineapple Juice With A Cinnamon Twist

Serves 10-12

Ingredients

1 whole pineapple
10-12 cups of water
1-2 cinnamon sticks
10-15 cloves
(optional) 1/2-3/4 cup of panela*, brown sugar, or whatever sweetener you like.
*Panela is also known as piloncillo, raspadura, chancaca, or brown sugar cane.

Directions

Cut off the pineapple skin and cutting the pineapple in half.

Cut out the core.

Combine the skin and core into a large pot with water.

Bring to a boil and simmer partly covered for about an hour, stirring occasionally.

Let cool down, then strain.

Refrigerate to allow the spices and pineapple flavor to concentrate.

It's quick and easy and a new way to enjoy pineapple juice.
source:mindbodygreen

Are You Buying The Best Green Juice For You? Here's How To Tell

  
Greens. You have heard your whole life that you need more of them. We rarely go a week without being reminded that green is the magically healthy color we should consume whenever possible.

Enter green juice, the magical green beverage that everyone seems to be talking about. And when it comes to buying green juices, you’ve got so many more options than you did a few years ago. But with all of these choices, how do we decide what is best for us? Which ingredients are most important? And, what information will help us make the right decision? Fear not! We are here to provide an easy how-to for choosing your green juice soul mate.

What to Look For In a Green Juice

As you stand in front of your grocer’s cooler, you may find as many as 10 green juice options available. The first thing to decide is: what you are looking for in a green juice. Assuming you want something that’s very healthy, tastes pretty good and will make for a natural pick-me-up, here’s what to look for:

1. Sugars: Look for green juices on the lower end of the total sugars range (we use 12 grams of sugars per 8 oz. serving as a guide post). Generally speaking, a higher sugar content may make a juice more palatable. So if you are new to green juice, a slightly higher sugar content, usually provided through the use of fruit juice, may help you ease into that leafy greens taste. If you’re a green juice maven, there are green juices with less than 7 grams of sugars per 8 oz. serving to meet your needs.

2. Leafy Greens: It’s green juice, so it should have leafy greens on the ingredient list, right? Not necessarily. Read the ingredients, which are listed in order of predominance. If a leafy green doesn’t appear in the first four ingredients, you may be looking at a juice that is more fruit than vegetable, with fewer leafy greens.

3. Other Ingredients: See anything there that doesn’t sound like a fruit or vegetable on the ingredient list? We recommend juices that derive taste and nutrition from ingredients sourced from the ground or a tree.

4. Cold-Pressed: Look for juices that are cold-pressed using High Pressure Processing. This process helps to protect flavor and nutrients and allows for green juices with a vibrant taste that may remind you of the produce itself. Processes that require the application of heat – like pasteurization – may produce a different taste profile.

A Green Juice Recipe to Get You Started

For those of you just beginning to experiment with green juice, see below for a make at home recipe that balances sweetness and that leafy green taste. If you don’t have a juicer, fear not! Check out our Juice Without A Juicer article.

Serves 1 - 2 cups

Ingredients

½ a peeled cucumber
½ a cored pear
1 cup clean spinach
1 cup cleaned romaine
½ cup clean kale
¾ cup coconut water + extra in case you’d like to make your juice thinner
2 ice cubes
1 Tbsp. of lemon juice
Directions

Line a strainer with two layers of cheesecloth, leaving plenty of cloth around the edges. Place the strainer over a mixing bowl or a measuring cup.

Blend all ingredients on high for 90 seconds, adding additional coconut water (or filtered water) if the blend is not liquefying.

As soon as your slurry is the consistency of a thick tomato soup, pour into cheesecloth-lined strainer and let the liquid filter though.

When the juice slows to a trickle, gather the edges of the cheesecloth and squeeze so the remaining juice is pushed through the cheesecloth. Repeat if necessary.

Drink and enjoy!
source:mindbodygreen

How To Detox Your Body (No Willpower Or Deprivation Required)

  
Have you been searching for ways to aid your body's natural detoxification process? Well, here are four simple tips that you can incorporate into your diet to help cleanse your body.If you combine these simple steps with eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, you will reap the rewards. You'll feel healthier, younger and have more energy almost instantaneously! The best part is that you'll feel so wonderful that this will quickly become daily practice, and these tips will become lifelong habits.Here are four steps to aid your in your body's detoxification process:
1. Hydrate as soon as you wake up.Start your morning with lemon water. It supports your lymphatic system (which is vital to detoxification), it supports liver function, aids in digestion and helps with weight loss.Drink at least 24-32 ounces first thing in the morning. But drink it slowly! Sipping (not gulping) is the way to go.
2. Have a green vegetable juice.Green juice is easy on your digestion, and allows your body to stay in a cleansing mode, while providing you with an array of nutrients.Chlorophyll (found in green vegetables) also helps regenerate the blood, and has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. It also helps fight candida.Once you finish drinking lemon water, make yourself at least one-two cups of freshly pressed vegetable juice. You can start with this delicious green juice recipe.
3. Have a green smoothie for breakfast.Green smoothies are packed with fiber, which helps keep your digestive system running smoothly. Though easy on digestion, fiber also helps keep you feeling full and satiated. Try with this delicious green smoothie recipe for a start.
4. Snack on fruit before lunch.If you get hungry before lunch, eat some fruit. Fruit is rich in vitamins, antioxidants, enzymes and fiber, and will allow your body to continue eliminating toxins.Try these four steps at least for a week, and you’ll feel so much more energized and light on your feet! As a bonus, your skin will clear up and will be glowing and you'll probably end up shedding some extra pounds without even thinking about it!I personally follow these steps every single day, and it has not only helped me shed 40 pounds, but also has helped me keep them off.A detox doesn’t need to be some extremely torturous event. Just incorporate these simple detox habits in your daily life, and be amazed as you learn how easy it is to be healthy!
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com

10 Habits To Give Up If You Want To Be Happy

  
While happiness may not be possible all the time, in many cases our happiness depends on choosing to be happy. It's as simple as that.

Unfortunately, we complicate our lives to the point that we're unable to recognize happiness when it appears right in front of us.

So how to clear the slate? Here are 10 things you'll need to give up in exchange for your happiness.

1. Give up caring what other people think of you.

I know it may feel counterintuitive, since humans are social animals, but spending time worrying what others think is a waste of energy. You'll never please everyone, and it's none of your business what others think of you.

2. Give up trying to please everyone.

Unless you're living life to the beat of your own drum, your tribe won't be able to find you. Be the best version of YOU you can be, and you'll naturally attract the people who are supposed to surround you.

3. Give up participating in gossip.

Those sharing gossip with you will gossip about you, 100% of the time. Believing gossip is like gambling everything on a horse sight unseen. It's naive.

4. Give up worrying.

Where thoughts go, energy flows. When you worry, you invest time and energy in something you don't want to have happen. Learn to let go and trust.

5. Give up feelings of insecurity.

When you take yourself too seriously, you think everyone else does too. There's one version of you on the planet. Be it, own it and quit worrying about it. No one really cares or watches you that closely.

6. Give up taking everything personally.

Truth is, most people are too consumed with their own life to really consider what you're doing. As my first boss said so well, "The world doesn't revolve around you. Most people's reactions have nothing to do with you, so let them go."

7. Give up the past.

We've all been hurt, we all had parents who made mistakes and we've all been through hell. Every experience in life has taught you something or made you stronger.

8. Give up spending money on what you don't need in effort to buy happiness.

Living simply allows the space for life to flow. We complicate our lives by spending too much money and filling our home with things. Less is truly more.

9. Give up anger.

Anger burns a hole in the hand of the person still holding on to it. Move it out once and for all.

10. Give up control.

Control is an illusion, as we live in an out-of-control world. Learn to embrace the new and welcome change; otherwise you'll grow old through your own rigidity.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock
source:mindbodygreen

Fall Fitness: MBG Staffers Share Their Favorite Autumn Workouts

  
Fall is in full swing here in New York! For the Brooklyn-based MindBodyGreen team, crisp temperatures, beautiful leaves and the fear of (another!) impending polar vortex this winter means there's no better time to take advantage of the outdoors for our health. Below, our staff shares their favorite ways to get moving, get fit and get motivated outside. Whether it's on the streets, court or in the apple orchard, get out there and take advantage of this beautiful season — we are!

Andy Santamaria, Account Executive

"If I'm in NYC: I'll walk through TriBeCa or Central Park. Sometimes I'll literally go from the West Side Highway all the way down to the Financial District, a route that's all along the water. It's fun but very flat. If I'm in San Francisco: Stairs going up and down Pacific Heights because they have really pretty views of the bay, or I'll walk through the Presidio."

Kerry Shaw, Editor-In-Chief

"I'm 40 weeks pregnant, so my favorite activity these days has been prenatal yoga at a studio near my home in Brooklyn. No matter how heavy or tired I am when I walk into class, I always leave feeling energized and lighter on my feet. That's not a particularly seasonal answer, but I do love looking out the window and seeing the leaves and walking home in the brisk weather!"
Carver Anderson, Co-Founder & COO

"With a two-year-old, I'm still without a regular workout routine. But I love going to the park with Leo and running around!"

Jason Wachob, Founder & CEO

"Fall in New York is one of my favorite times of the year. I'm not a runner but I love to walk. I live and work in Dumbo and walking in Brooklyn Bridge Park is one of my favorite fall activities. Between the changing of the colors, watching a pickup basketball game on the pier, or checking out and all the cool photography they have on the fence, there's always something great to see! I track my steps with my Jawbone UP and try to hit 10,000 every day."

Anthony Schneck, Editor

"There aren't any gyms near where I live, but I actually prefer the outdoor playground gyms found in many NYC parks. The seemingly random assortment of bars and benches apparently scares off a lot of people, so it's almost never crowded. The best part is that you get the benefit of doing pushups, pullups, dips and whatever else you can dream up without having to breathe the stale, sweaty air of the gym in winter."
Colleen Wachob, Head of Revenue

"My fall cleaning is on the mat and not in my closet. I'm excited for a mind-body fall 'clearing' at The Class. I love the combination of high intensity conscious cardio and deep relaxation and meditation at the end of class. Taryn, Jaycee and Natalie are all inspiring instructors that get you out of your head and into your body."

Allie White, Associate Editor

"After a summer of telling myself I was walking around outside enough that I didn't need to put much effort into actually working out, I'm really trying to get back on track with my fall fitness efforts. I'm not a runner per say, but the upcoming New York City Marathon has really inspired me to sign up for a race (maybe the Brooklyn Half Marathon in 2015?) and get my butt in gear! The feel of crunching leaves under my feet while I jog certainly doesn't hurt either."

Charlotte Lieberman, Associate Editor

"When going from place to place in NYC, I try to get out of the subway a few stops earl to take some time to see new and different city blocks, breathe the autumnal air and get some exercise in without feeling like it's a chore."
Jake Sussman, Account Manager

"My favorite fresh-air fitness choice this fall is playing basketball. The best place to play are the courts way downtown on the West Side Highway: the competition is good, the courts are nice, and they overlook the Hudson River which is always a plus. I don't do it nearly as often as I'd like to, but every time I play I enjoy myself."

Andrea Rice, Associate Editor

"I love renting a Zipcar and driving out to New Jersey for some apple picking during prime leaf-peeping season. The air is fresh and crisp, the trees are bursting with color and the orchards are teeming with myriad apples of all varietals. With a bushel of apples weighing in at nearly 50 pounds, I'd like to think my arms are getting a bit of a workout as I haul my hand-picked harvest over to the pumpkin patch. At this point however, a wagon comes in handy."

Heidi Pashman, Social Media Manager

"After completing the New York City Marathon last year, I have a newfound appreciation for running in the fall. Now I know all my favorite paths in Manhattan and Brooklyn, which are complete with amazing views of New York City, orange and yellow trees included. The best runs include at least one bridge and a few different New York scenes: the Freedom Tower, Statue of Liberty, the Highline, Dumbo, and Williamsburg, for example. The crisp, cool gusts of wind on the bridges keep me pushing through the miles, and of course, the view of the Manhattan skyline doesn't hurt either!

Emi Boscamp, Editorial Intern

"My favorite autumnal fitness activity is definitely hiking. When I went to school in Ithaca, this time of year was the most beautiful, so you'd be too distracted by all the colors to realize you're walking at a pretty steep incline. At my family's house in the Catskills, too, I know a bunch of trails and I led my friends up my favorite one this past weekend and we had a picnic at the top."

Photo Credit: Shutterstock
source:mindbodygreen

A Breathing Technique To Bring Mindfulness To Your Workout

  
After a long day of coaching clients towards self-transformation, I need to take some time for me. Part of my self-care routine includes a breath-based exercise workout. Admittedly, it's a love-hate relationship, but as soon as I begin to enter the body, all that unnecessary mind-chatter disappears.
On the drive home from work, my mind begins the usual tug-of-war game — a battle to ditch my workout or not. And if there is traffic you can bet my mind will try to take advantage of that too, as further attempt to justify my excuses.

But despite all the back and forth, my highest self laces up my sneakers and the next thing I know, I'm sitting on the exercise machine. As I grab the handle, I begin to slow down my breath and prepare for glorious mind/body union. I can tell my ego is still trying to control the moment, as my mind is now tempted to tell me how long we're going to row, how hard I need to pull, and of course to set the timer so I can monitor my speed.

My entire day until that moment has been dictated by schedules and time constraints, and I'm fighting with my ego to enter a place that fosters a stronger sense of self for my overall health and well-being.

I've been here before. I know what to do. I come back to my breath.

This is my therapy. My yoga practice deeply influences my exercise as I row for my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.

So I come back to my breath and stay focused on my breath alone, throughout the entire workout. As I weave various yogic breathing techniques into my workout, I can feel myself introverting. I'm moving into that space that allows me to move within the symphony of my body, not my mind. I allow my body to dictate the pace and duration, instead of my ego.

I'm here now. I'm in the space where my mind is calm. I can feel my body and direct my breath to support the movement. It's effortless and I'm free to connect with the deeper aspects of myself.

The practice of Pranayama (conscious breathing) has taught me that all movement is yoga. Linking breath with movement yokes the body to the mind. The same is true with traditional exercise. Exercise is supposed to create health for us, however, if we're exercising with TVs, cell phones and other forms of external media, we're not connecting the body with the mind.

Here's a simple breath routine to bring mindfulness into any cardiovascular workout:

Seated or standing, warm up with alternate nostril breathing. Repeat for 5 to 10 minutes.
Begin your activity and engage in Ujjayi breath ("ocean sounding breath"), increasing intensity. Repeat for 5 to 10 minutes.
Inhale through the nose for five counts, retain breath for 10 counts, exhale through the nose for five counts. Repeat for 5 to 10 minutes. Build up to lengthening the exhale to 10 full counts.
Now inhale for six, hold for 12, exhale for six. Build to counts of 7-14-7 and then 8-16-8, if you can. Repeat for 5 to 10 minutes.
Cool down and continue with your activity at the pace your breath (not your ego!) is suggesting. Pay close attention to your heart rate.
Free yourself from the constraints of the mind during your workouts and other fitness training. Use mantra, chanting and breath work to focus the mind away from traditional Western mindsets based on time, distance, and ego judgment. Give the heart what it wants first. Peace and personal growth will follow. Don't forget to cool down and unwind with Yoga Nidra after any physical movement. Enjoy a spiritual workout!

Ed Harrold will be speaking at Aspen Sports Performance for Performance Breathing For Athletes on November 7th, and at The Peaks Resort & Spa on December 6th & 7th.

Photo Credit: Stocksy
source:mindbodygreen

Get Strong, Sexy Legs With This Workout

  
There are two secrets to looking toned and fierce in skinny jeans:

Burning fat to slim down and tone your body.
Working your butt and legs to get curves in all the right places.
By doing high intensity exercises between toning moves, you'll sculpt your legs while burning fat and toning your entire body. Try not to rest between exercises, and see if you can complete the entire circuit twice in around 20 minutes. Aim to do this workout twice a week and you'll be rocking those skinny jeans all winter long.

Remember: You can do it anywhere, so not even bad weather can keep you from looking your best.

High Knees

While standing, hold your hands out in front of you, level with your shoulders.
Run in place, lifting your knees high enough to lightly touch your hands as they come up.
Touch each hand 15 times.
Squat Kick

Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart and squat until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
As you press through your feet to come back to the starting position, raise one leg as high as you can to your side in a controlled kick.
Return your leg to the ground and repeat the whole movement on the other side.
Squat and kick 15 times on each side.
Mountain Climbers

Place your hands on a bench or step and get into a push up position with your feet on the floor.
Bending your leg, quickly bring one knee up to your chest.
Return that foot to the floor and repeat on the other side. Move from one leg to the other quickly, as if you're climbing.
Bring each knee to your chest 30 times.
Single Leg Circles

Standing, life one leg about 12 inches off the floor.
Begin "drawing" circles in the air with your raised foot. 10 clockwise and then 10 counter clockwise.
Switch legs and repeat.
Jump Squats

Stand with legs shoulder-width apart and squat until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
Pushing through both of your feet, spring up into the air as high as possible and land in a squat position.
Repeat ten times.
Lunges

Stand with one foot in front of you and one behind.
Bend both knees and squat down until your front thigh and your back shin are parallel to the floor.
Push back up to the starting position.
Repeat 10 times on each side.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
source:mindbodygreen
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