LULULEMON TRUNK SHOW and GRAND OPENING PARTY!!

It's happening folks! Lululemon Trunk Show and Grand Opening Party at Studio-R! Tell everyone because it's going to be quite the event...

DATE: Sunday, December 4th from 1pm-4pm

LOCATION: Studio- R 1600 Lena Street suite A6

See you there! More details coming soon...

xx

r

Eat like a Swede

I just stumbled upon a great (albeit hideously designed) blog called "Eat like a Swede" that is all about lower carbohydrate, higher fat (LCHF as they call it) dietary movement that is apparently all the rage in Sweden right now. They give a breakdown of what it means to 'eat like a swede' and it goes long with what I often recommend people so I thought I would repost it here. Here is their advice in their own words (picture is of ABBA, the other thing Swedes are famous for ;):

Are You Ready To Eat Like A Swede?

Have you decided to join the ever-growing LCHF (Low-Carb, High-Fat) movement that is going on in Sweden? You don’t have to be a Swede to eat like one! Here’s a simple plan for starting your own low-carb, high-fat plan that will help you lose weight and get healthier than you ever thought possible:

Foods you want to eat often on your healthy LCHF plan include–
Full-fat meats, eggs (preferably organic), non-starchy vegetables, butter, cream, full-fat hard cheeses, cream cheese, coconut oil, olive oil

Foods you want to eat in moderation on your healthy LCHF plan include–
Nuts, seeds, berries, dark chocolate, wine

Foods you want to avoid on your healthy LCHF plan include–
Sugar, rice, corn, grains, pasta, bread, fast food, artificial sweeteners, root vegetables, processed foods, seed oils, starchy vegetables, potatoes, margarine, beer, fruits, skim milk, anything “low-fat”.

Eat until your hunger is satiated and don’t feel guilty about eating fat which becomes the fuel for your body in the absence of carbohydrates. Don’t try to eat a low-fat, low-carb diet! The high-fat part of LCHF is an essential element to making this work for maximum impact! And you’re certainly not counting calories if you are eating when you are hungry and allowing the fat and protein to satisfy you.

Beverages you want to include as part of your healthy LCHF plan include–
Coffee with heavy cream, black coffee, tea and water

For more detailed information about starting your own LCHF plan, read the recommendations (in English) from Swedish low-carb physicians Dr. Annika Dahlqvistand Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt.

John Hopkins study affirms that low carbohydrate, higher fat diets more efficient for weight loss and DO NOT negatively impact cardiovascular health!

SEEE???? I been sayin it! In all my years of being a trainer I have never seen a low fat diet to help anyone efficiently (or happily) lose weight. Low-carbohydrate/ low-grains diets with unrestricted quality fat intakes, however, have proven to be effective for my clients over and over again. People may look at me like I've lost my marbles when I tell them I eat bacon and eggs for breakfast but it looks like the research may finally catching up with me...

check it out here.

STUDIO-R Is now OPEN!!!

YAAAHOOO!!!!!

I am pleased to announce the opening of my very own fitness studio in the Lena Street Lofts! Its a gorgeous space full of light and fabulous things and I encourage you all to stop by and check it out. I will have a video or at least a few pics to share with you soon. For now I wanted to post the october class schedule and simply let you all know that the PARTY IS ON in unit A6 in the Lena Street Lofts.

Hope to see you there!

SEE LINK ON RIGHT TO SCHEDULE YOUR CLASSES! First class is FREE!

note: if you cant read the schedule because it is impossibly small (not sure why :) click the scheduling link on the right to see a weekly view of classes and sign up online.

Bison Chili and Gluten-Free Corn Bread

So tonight my beloved brother, his wife (one of my favorite people in the world), and their two lil' girlies are coming to visit us for a couple of days. I figure there is roughly 100square feet per person with them in our tiny house but couldn't care less! Im so excited! Anyway, so they get in pretty late (its 11pm now and they aren't here yet) and I reckoned they would be pretty hungry (we generally tend to be in my family :) so for dinner tonight I whipped up a big pot of chili and some crusty corn bread since it's the kind of thing that will be as tasty later as it was at 7. Having never made chili before in my life I tried my hand at a batch a few weeks ago and have been making it (upon popular request) on a weekly basis ever since. My basic recipe came from SmittenKitchen, a food blog I adore, and have since made a few tweaks that seemed to render it worth posting up here for y'all. The gluten-free corn bread is a slight variation on my (southerner) mom's classic recipe in which you heat the oil in a cast iron skillet before mixing it in to the batter and it makes you the tastiest crusty corn bread you ever did try... Those of you who are avoiding gluten will appreciate that it tastes no different (if not better) than most with gluten, although those of you on the 4HB diet will have to save this part for binge day.

So! On to the recipes!

Bison and Red Bean Chili (with secret zucchini and cocoa powder)

- 2-4 strips pasture raised bacon, chopped into little pieces

- 1 large shallot (mine was huge- an onion can work too)

- 3-5 cloves garlic (your choice)

- 2lbs ground bison

- 1c beef broth (extra points if you make a bone broth and use that)

- 1 14.5oz can organic crushed tomatoes

- 1 large zucchini, grated

- 1/4 C chili powder

- 1T ground cumin

- 1T unsweetened cocoa (strange? perhaps, but SK swears by it and now I do too)

- 2 15oz cans of kidney beans (rinsed and drained)

- 1 T apple cider vinegar

- salt (I like smoked salt for this one but kosher works too)

optional toppings (which are, in my opinion, hardly optional):

- chopped fresh cilantro

- sour cream*

- sprinkle of grated cheddar cheese

1. In a large stock pot cook the bacon until done through or even a little crispy (depending on your preference)

2. Throw in the chopped shallot and/or onion and cook till translucent (add a dash of olive oil if needed)

3. Add the bison and brown

4. Stir in crushed garlic, chili, cumin, and cocoa

5. Add in grated zucchini and cook for 1-2 minutes

6. Add tomatoes and simmer on low for 10 minutes

7. Add beans and vinegar, season to taste

8. Eat it all up! YUM!

* If you are going to eat dairy, try your best to find diry from pasture raised organic cows. SOO much tastier and much much better for you and the planet. I've just discovered this company, Kalona Super Naturals, and oh my gawd, is there stuff great! I still cant do much of it but when I chose to I make sure it's good!

Mama's Best Cornbread (made gluten-free!)

- Olive Oil (and/or bacon drippings if you are so inclined)

- 1/4C Pamela's Gluten-Free baking mix

- 1 1/4C Cornmeal (I like to mix textures but if you can only chose one choose smooth ground)

- 2 1/4t baking powder

- 1/4t baking soda

-1t salt

- 1c buttermilk (milk with a splash of apple cider vinegar works too)

- 1 egg

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 450F. Fill the bottom of a cast iron skillet with approx 1/4" of oil and put in oven to heat.

2. In a large mixing bowl mix dry ingredients (note- if you have a 2c measure you can measure all the flours in it like this:

3. Measure out the milk then add the cup to the cup and beat till mixed (saves a dish!)

4. Add the wet to the dry, mixing only very BRIEFLY

5. Once oil is hot in oven, pour excess into the batter, stir until just incorporated, and immediately pour back into hot skillet.

6. Spread batter out to edges and bake for 20-30minutes or until golden brown.

7. Cut into slices, spread with pasture butter and honey and enjoy!

MyPlate Remix

While researching industrial strength D-rings and carabiners this evening (hopefully I will get to show you why soon... :) I somehow found myself on the Precision Nutrition site reading an interesting article about the gov's new MyPlate food campaign. For those who aren't familiar with the MyPlate campaign it was the government's recent redux of the food pyramid (that cost lots and lots of money to do and somehow isn't all that different from the trusty pyramid).Precision Nutrition's writer John Berardi discusses the shortcomings of the MyPlate campaign and offers an alternative I happen to fully agree with... Check the article out for a more in depth look at the pros and cons (and potential reasons behind the government's selections), and use his handy re-dux of the MyPlate to guide your meals...

A few plates to ponder...

Note: to see them bigger check out the original article where they have a link to download a large version for print..

NIKE does it right

Ok. So for several years now the primary thing NIKE has been associated with in my brain is tragic (in my case entirely made-up) images of smokey sweatshops where small children slave over cheap shoes till their fingers bleed... From what I now understand this may be a bit overdramatic and (hopefully) not even accurate, however, I have yet to personally visit one of their factories so to be entirely honest I just can't know for sure (though apparently they have been doing a lot of work to improve this image). One thing I do know is that their new NIKE-Women campaign is about ten kinds of awesome. Not saying that this justifies sweat shops, but I have to say, this is one thing they really are doing right. The ad campaign uses 7 world-class athletes and some flashy interactive media to inspire, educate, and unite female athletes everywhere. My personal favorite part? That they are planting an image of female athletes in the collective consciousness as beautiful, driven, and completely kick-ass. I take it as a good sign of the times when women are admired who are muscular, fierce, and passionate. The idea that strong women are ok, is a relatively new one (think back to fainting couches or bound feet) and portraying them as attractive and enviable is definitely a new thing.

So, Yey Nike! Thank you for supporting women around the globe to 'make themselves' and empowering them as athletes. Keep cleaning up your manufacturing practices and I may just start sportin' your pants...