Sunday, December 20, 2015

After meal delight... #FitHolidays

As we speak (well, as I type), I'm fighting the urge to dip into my giant bag of dehydrated mangoes, my addiction! In the grand scheme of things, it's not the worst addiction to have. But I'm not hungry . That's the thing. I was always a nibbler as I studied, and it's no different now. Put a bowl of something next to my elbow as I work, and I'll keep munching.

It actually takes about 20 minutes for your body to realize that you're full. But how can you realize you've had enough if you just keep eating?! Enter, MealEnders! These lozenges satiate your taste buds while your mind catches up to the fact that you're full! They utilize a dual layer system (it's TM-ed, people!). The first layer rewards you. It gives you the sweet taste of dessert that usually signals the end of the meal. The second layer is cooling and tingles as it engages the trigeminal nerve to distract you from overeating. Read more details about how they work here.


Due to the fact that I'm a chocoholic and obsessed with coffee, the chocolate mint and mocha flavors most appealed to me! Before my mango phase, I always always always had chocolate after my dinner. A day wasn't complete without chocolate. These little lozenges give me that satisfaction of having had dessert without overeating chocolate chips or a chocolate bar. Or mangoes. Each piece contains 15 calories and 2 grams of sugar. MealEnders doesn't use any stimulants or other harmful "diet" ingredients!

The holidays are a wonderful time! Snow, hot chocolate, white elephant gift exchange, mistletoe, quality time with friends and family, and tons of holiday parties. I love this time of year! However it is SO easy to eat too much of all the goodies (aka butter and cream and sugar and more). These little packets are easy to slip into a clutch bag for a night out. Why not have a little cinnamon lozenge rather than 5 sugar cookies covered in Santa frosting...  Just make sure you pack a few extra for your friends!


Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by MealEnders, and any and all opinions are my own. I truly appreciate all of the brands that support the Sweat Pink community. 

Thursday, December 3, 2015

#365handstand

It's been a year. Yesterday marked a year since I embarked on the #365handstand challenge! I'm not going to lie, there were some days that a cool handstand picture was difficult if not impossible to take. Sometimes it was due to injury or illness, sometimes it was because of a crazy day that didn't lend itself to a handstand shot. But overall it was a genuine pleasure to handstand and document every day! It was a great way to memorialize big days and travels, to have fun with friends and on the tops of mountains, to keep track of progress within my practice.

On this the first day after a handstand every day challenge, or as close to that as my body allowed, I take a look at some of my favorite shots!

Studio life
I always love to take a yoga picture when I'm visiting new studios, or playing before or after class, or just having fun with some pretty wall art.

The Grinning Yogi PDX
     

Asheville Yoga Center

Yoga with friends
Yoga with friends is one of my favorite things! It's just so much fun!

Under construction in our studio! Coming soon to PDX!


Twinsies with Amanda
At Multnomah Falls when my parents visited Portland
Funky pants handstands
Riverfront in Portland with Jamie
Monumental moments and special occassions
What better way to commemorate a special moment than with a handstand picture?!

Christmas 2014
Before assisting Rachel "Yoga Girl" Brathen
Morning run around the lake with the bride before Sam's wedding
Leaving Colorado after 3 and a half years
First day in Portland after moving

Travel
One of the reasons I love yoga pictures in general is that it spices up what would normally be a simple scenic or traditional tourist picture. This challenge gave me an instant pose to jump into to document travels!

Smith Rock, OR
Black Butte, OR
Crater Lake, OR
Mohawk Lake, CO
Middle of Nowhere, Nebraska while driving cross country
Seattle, WA
Santa Monica, CA
Vancouver, BC, Canada

Scenic tour
Sometimes there was just a gorgeous background that called for a handstand: a sunset, a trail run, a mountain top, fall foliage...

Erie Canal, Rochester, NY
Rocky Butte Park, Portland, OR

Rowena Crest, OR at sunset

Cannon Beach, OR
Breckenridge, CO
Trillium Lake, OR

Cannon Beach, OR


Hopedale, MA
Cape Kiwanda, OR

Yoga in the city 
One of the major life changes I had this year was moving to Portland, OR. I've absolutely loved exploring my new city! 




Vancouver, BC
Asheville, NC

Transformations
One of my favorite things about yoga pictures is being able to compare recent shots to older ones and see the changes, trends, and progress in your practice! 






Just because...



Out on a SUP board! Thanks for the encouragement, Dad!

Man on man, what a year it's been! I can't wait to see what the next year has in store...

Day 1, 2014
Day 1, 2015 (aka, Day 366)
You guys didn't really think I'd stop handstanding, did you?!