Life Yoga- How To Make the Best of What You've Got

OK, so you are all on board with the healthy, organic food train- your grocery list is made, your recipes are picked out, and then you realize you have a problem: you don't have a store that provides everything that you need (as in a Whole Foods or natural food store). What do you do at this point? This is a question that I get all of the time- especially from my mom who is limited to a few choice stores and is a dedicated gym member and healthy eater! I have been coaching her through this for a few months- so I thought I would share what I have been helping her with. And this may save you a few dollars in the meantime too!

Here are my top 10 tips for making the best of what you have:

1. Buy as many unprocessed foods as you can! Processed foods are more expensive than whole foods and if you stick to the main food categories (fruits, vegetables, dairy, and grains) you will save a lot of money and your grocery list will immediately start to eliminate all of the unhealthy items on its own.

2. Shop seasonally! Fruits and vegetables that are in season will be cheaper, fresher, and also better for your body. Plus if you eat in-season you will always be switching it up and never get stuck in a food rut! Here is a website that will help you with what is in season.http://frugalliving.about.com/od/foodsavings/tp/Cheapest_Produce.htm

3. Pick the most important fruits and vegetables to buy organic! Fruits and vegetables where you eat the skin are the most important thing you can buy organic. So if you have to make the choice choose these.According to The Environmental Working Group, this includes: peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, imported grapes, pears, spinach, and potatoes.

4. Shake the hand that feeds you. AKA: Buy from a farmers market! This is not only the cheapest way to buy your groceries, but the most reliable way to know exactly what you are buying and eating. You will be closer to the producer of your food than ever before- which is a wonderful and empowering feeling. Most farmers market's end in the month of September but when they are accessible this is a MUST!

5. Join your local co-op. Many co-op's have programs where you sign up and each week you receive a different box of fruit and vegetables. You will receive what is in season and it will also force you to try different vegetables that you would have never bought before (once again helping you out of your food rut)! Many co-ops also offer locally produced meat! (Which means no hormones or additives AND no mistreatment of animals!)

which brings me to my next point...

6. Buy meat from a local meat market. Now- most people know that I do not eat meat- but I also realize that people do eat meat and there is a relatively humane way to eat meat- and it is from a local farmer. So find your local meat market to buy any of your meat products from now on. And cut out ALL meat from fast food chains. And from anywhere that the meat is provided by a factory farm. Period.

7. Buy frozen fruits and vegetables- not canned! If all of my other rules have failed you and you HAVE to have some blueberries (or whatever you crave) out of season (which is completely fine- I crave avocados and bananas all year round) you must buy frozen! There are so many less preservatives in frozen foods than canned- and a lot of times you can find them for the same price or even cheaper!

8. Tofu! I know that a lot of people are afraid of tofu- but don't be! It is SO delicious and SO good for your health. Tofu has more protein ounce for ounce than beef. I know that they sell tofu in every grocery store- and I have a ton of yummy tofu recipes that I will be posting soon.

9. Find a local farmer to buy eggs from. In every town there are farmers who's families depend on their crops- including their eggs. Support your local economy and find a farmer who is selling eggs from their own chickens. These chickens have been fed grain (not corn), gotten to live outside and take little dirt baths and live the life every chicken would dream of! They will taste fresher and be MUCH better for your health- and they are accessible wherever you are!

10. Grow your own! The best way to find out if something is fresh or in season is to grow it yourself! Starting a garden can be fun, educational, and delicious! This is a great activity for kids, and a way to get the whole family involved in the food that they eat. This way you have all of the vegetables that you want in your own backyard!

Hope these few tips help you to make the most out of every situation so that everyone can access the healthy, delicious foods that we all crave!

For more information about healthy lifestyles please visit our website or blog- OR become a fan on Facebook.

Hillary Wright

Life Yoga

580.304.6241

Life Yoga- Using Your Vote

A few months ago I watched the movie Food, Inc. - which is an absolute MUST see. The movie explores the ins and outs of the food industry- from mass meat production to the overuse of corn in every product in the supermarket. But there was something that I heard in this movie that really stood out to me: "Every time you purchase something, you are voting for that product. You are saying 'I approve of this product and it is worth my money.'" So let me ask you this: what are you voting for?

I recently had a little bit of a revelation (it was more like a breakdown and I thought I was going crazy- but we will call it a revelation.) I went to Walmart with a list of ten things. I went to the first thing on my list- a carton of eggs. When I first got to the egg section I began to look at all of the different brands of eggs and I began to think of all of the kinds that I had bought in the past. But due to a lot of research, I now knew where a lot of those eggs were coming from. They were coming from chickens who had never seen daylight and were crammed 6 or 8 chickens in a coop built for one chicken. And so I looked at the organic and cage free and they just didn't seem good enough. I wanted eggs from a local farmer who I know fed them grain (not corn) and that their living depended on selling these cartons of eggs. So I could not, in my right mind, purchase any other kind of eggs, even if that meant making a separate trip.

So- without eggs in-tow- I moved on to the next item, bread. And after reading the ingredients set it back down and moved on to the next, and the next. And before I knew it- I was leaving Walmart with one item on my list: a box of trash bags that were made of recycled plastic. I thought to myself, "Am I going crazy? I used to buy every single thing I ever needed at Walmart." So I drove to Whole Foods and continued my shopping there- where I found products that I approved of, and I felt were "worth my vote."

I used to think to myself, "oh they don't have the kind of bread (or whatever product) that want, but I will just get this for now and hopefully they will have something different next time." But then I realized, if I am buying the product, they don't know that I was looking for something different- all they know is that their product is selling, so they just continue to produce more of it and not try other products in its place.

One example used in the movie was the use of growth hormones in dairy cows. Enough people refused to buy milk that was from diary cows who had been injected with growth hormones that WalMart eventually took it off the shelf and now only carries non-growth hormone milk. So for those of you that were skeptical- look what our "votes" can do.

So my advice to you is use your vote wisely. Use your voice (your money) by choosing products that are good for animals, good for our bodies, and good for the planet. No one will ever know that you are unhappy with products unless you stop buying them. If enough people stand up for what they believe in anything can happen. So stand up for what is right- what is right for you- the animals- and the planet and use your vote to make this happen!

For more information about healthy eating tips, great new exercise ideas, and yummy recipes please visit my blog, or for more information about Life Yoga please visit my website or become a fan on Facebook.

Happy Voting!

Hillary Wright
Life Yoga, Owner
hillary@lifeyogatulsa.com

Life Yoga ~ An Intro

My name is Hillary Wright and I am the owner of Life Yoga. Life Yoga specializes in private and small group yoga classes. I founded Life Yoga on the idea that yoga is more than just a fitness routine- it can be incorporated into your whole life. By this I don’t mean you have to base your entire life on working out- I mean that yoga can transform your life into what you want it to be. Whether you are looking for relaxation, muscle toning, cardio, or just a new fun thing to do with your friends, Life Yoga is for you.

My goal though this blog is to help you find ways to incorporate yoga, fitness, and health into your everyday life. I want everyone to realize how simple it is to stay fit, healthy, and happy no matter what your budget or your time constraint. Through healthy holiday eating tips, ways to stay sane during these stressful economic times, or even with healthy recipes and popular yoga poses that conquer stress, I will help you guide your way into a more peaceful and healthy existence.

Right now Life Yoga is offering a Saturday group class at 9 a.m. as a way to get incorporated into the yoga world. The class is only $10 a person and is the perfect way to start your yoga practice. If you have any questions that you would like me to answer through this blog please contact me at Hillary@lifeyogatulsa.com or visit the Life Yoga website.