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Tips for Healthy Living

August 23, 2012

Over the years I have become healthier by choice, not because of some grave diagnosis, but because I wanted to feel good on a regular basis. Plain and simple. When I look back, I smile at my evolution and it continues to surprise me.

Here are a few tips for healthy living that I have learned over the year. Perhaps you will find one or two of these ideas useful.

  1. Behave in ways that feel good. If it doesn’t feel good, don’t do it.
  2. Sleep 8 hours each night. Minimum 7 hours. Do an experiment and pay attention to how you feel after six hours of sleep vs. eight hours. See if your mood and energy level improve with more sleep.
  3. Meditate. Take time each day, even if it’s only for five minutes, to be quiet and still. Just sit and breath.
  4. Get organized. Clear out the crap in  your life. Even if you live with someone who is messy, you can get your own stuff organized. Do what you can.
  5. Eat mostly whole foods.
  6. Minimize alcohol and caffeine.
  7. Get active. Don’t just exercise. Find a physical activity you truly enjoy. (Turn off the TV. At first you might miss it, but that will pass.)
  8. Stretch your body regularly. Call it yoga or just plain stretching. Either way, just do it. You will be thankful when you are old.
  9. A few close friends is better than a lot of kinda-close friends.
  10. Simple moments make me happier. For instance, a picnic is better than a fancy restaurant. I can focus more on who I’m with rather than get caught up in all the fanciness.
  11. Drink a lot of water.
  12. Smile more. Notice how you feel when you smile. It feels good, right?
  13. Dress for the weather and bring layers. You can be fashionable and comfortable. (Wear a hat when it’s cold and mittens will keep your hands warmer than gloves.)

I often think of healthy living as taking care of my body, but it’s more than that. Be sure to take good care of your mind too.

What tips do you have for healthy living? Share in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you.

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Dear Omnivores, Cooking for Vegans is Easy!

August 15, 2012

This page originally appeared last Fall. I was inspired to write it after a conversation with my boyfriend. As I have mentioned, I left my corporate job recently and on my last day, my team had a going away lunch for me. As the only vegan at the table, the topic of cooking for vegetarians and vegans came up. I think it is fitting to repost this as the It’s Easy Being Vegan audience has grown quite a bit since Fall.

When do you think “so and so” is going to invite us for dinner, B asked while cooking vegan mac & cheese.

You’re going to have to get a new girlfriend before that’s going to happen, I said.

Continue Reading →

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Update: Vegan Yoga Instructors and Retreats

June 15, 2012

Yoga with a View

Update: I have learned of a couple more vegan yoga instructors and retreats since I wrote this Ask-A-Vegan post below.

  • Jasmine Tarkeshi from Laughing Lotus Yoga Center in San Francisco (and New York). If Jasmine had a DVD (hint, hint), this would be the one I would recommend.
  • Dharma Yoga in New York City (DVDs available)
  • VegNews Yoga Retreat in Mexico (I attended last year’s retreat and it was AWESOME.)
  • More instructors listed on the The Compassionate Cook website under resources (wellness practitioners).

Hi Christine,

Thanks for your helpful website. Can you recommend some vegan yoga teachers on DVD? I would just like to follow and support someone in line with my perspective.

Thanks,
Mike in Arizona

Hi Mike,

Thanks for writing. This is a great question! As a fellow yogi, I understand why this would be important to you. I wrote about this several years ago in terms of why veganism goes hand-in-hand with yoga. Surprisingly there aren’t as many vegan yoga instructors as you would think.

Sharon Gannon and David Life of Jivamukti Yoga are dedicated vegans and master yoga teachers. A few years ago I attended a yoga retreat at Esalen where Sharon and David taught yoga and inspired yogis to eat compassionately. They have a yoga studio in New York City but  you can buy their yoga instruction DVD’s and CD’s at their online boutique to use at home. They also offer a teacher training program once a year and you can find certified Jivamukti instructors all over the world.

Sharon Gannon wrote Yoga and Vegetarianism and you can watch her give a talk on this subject here. Another book that may be of interest that I’m reading is The Inner Art of Vegetarianism by Carol Adams.

In the recent Food for Thought newsletter by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, she sent out a call for vegan wellness practitioners including yoga teachers. She will be building a list. This will make it easier to find instructors in your area, because there are vegan yoga instructors, who are not Jivamukti teachers, such as myself.

Lastly, for all the yogis out there, the World Peace and Yoga Jubilee combines veganism and yoga into a weekend festival. Although I haven’t attended (yet!), it sounds amazing and you are sure to find your tribe there.

 

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Making Vegan Easy Week 23 Round-Up

June 11, 2012

Vision Board Snapshot

Seven more tips for living an easy vegan life. Enjoy!

Tip #155: Practice 5-minute activism.

Your voice counts. Do it now.

Tip #156: Eat to Live.

Dr. Fuhrman, author of Eat to Live, was on the Dr. Oz show last week. His guidelines for losing weight work. Plus, you will eat healthier than ever if you follow his plan.

Tip #157: Share your recipes with others.

If you often cook with local ingredients and have a recipe of your own that rocks, then enter this contest ASAP. Sunday at the farmer’s market I noticed that the longest lines were for bread, cheese and meat. This contest is an excellent opportunity to get people focused on veggies.

Laptop with a Message

Tip #158: Spread the word.

Use message stickers and wear t-shirts to raise awareness for veganism. Here is my newly decorated laptop.

Tip #159: Get the “Eat to Live” Cliff Notes version here.

Read the rules of Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat to Live program without reading the book plus you will find a bunch of eat-to-live-worthy recipes.

Tip #160: Summer’s here.

Learn how to grill vegan-style.

Tip #161: Give gifts that keep on giving.

A vegan cookbook would make a great graduation gift. I also think John Robbins’ Healthy at 100 is a nice, inspiring option.

Hey friends, have you shared these tips with your family and friends yet? If not, do it today. Join me on Facebook to read these tips daily and to learn more about what’s going on in the vegan world.

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Making Vegan Easy Week 22 Round-Up

June 4, 2012

I’ll say it again and again. It’s easy being vegan! Follow my “making vegan easy” tips and soon you will say it too.

Tip #148: My favorite raw cookbook is Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen.

Try the Wakame Hemp Power Slaw.

Tip #148: Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World may not offer the healthiest recipes, but they sure taste good.

If you want vegan cupcakes, you can’t miss with this book.

Tip #149: Being vegan is fun.

Let’s move the world past the old stereotype of the “humorless vegan.” It’s fun living compassionately. Don’t let all the sad stuff get you down. Focus on the positive, so we can be good role models for the world.

Tip #150: If watching videos of animal cruelty makes you sad or depressed, don’t watch them.

This does not make anyone a bad vegan. Be grateful there are folks who can handle this work of undercover filming, however, so that this information gets out to the public. I watch these types of video occasionally–maybe once or twice a year as reminder of why I’m vegan. The rest of the year, I just enjoy living vegan. What’s your strategy? Share in the comments below.

Tip #151: Exchange your favorite recipes with friends.

Let’s start here with online recipes. Do you have a favorite recipe that’s online? Share it with us today. One of my favorite vegan recipes online is from veganyumyum. This blog is no longer updated but there are a wealth of good recipes here. I have been making this one for years.

Tip #152: Attend a veg festival this summer.

Meet new friends, listen to vegan speakers and, of course, EAT!

Tip #153: Save money by making food at home.

I found this website by The Gentle Chef that offers up a number of vegan cheese recipes. I know I will be trying some of these recipes over the next few months!

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Hey friends, have you shared these tips with your family and friends yet? If not, do it today. Join me on Facebook to read these tips daily and to learn more about what’s going on in the vegan world.

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