Last night I went to my very first official Yoga class, while at the gym, it still was a really nice experience and much more interactive than the DVD’s that I’ve been doing at home for years. It was a really generic Hatha class with most poses being familiar. Plus I actually had to give Four-Limbed Staff Pose - Chaturanga Dandasana full chance since I was in public and what not. Out of all the poses, that one and Prayer Twist - Namaskar Parsvakonasana gave me some strength and balance challenges, so those are the two poses that I hope to get stronger at. My second class is thursday!

Technorati Tags class, DVD, experience, Four-Limbed Staff Pose - Chaturanga Dandasana, gym, Hatha, hatha yoga, Limbed, night, Pose, Prayer Twist - Namaskar Parsvakonasana, Staff, yoga, yoga dvd

There’s few things as good for the soul as yummy ice cream, except maybe knowing that when you are eating the good stuff AND proceeds are giving BACK to the very core of how you got the yum in the first place. Or simply put, Hagen Daaz’s new Vanilla Honey Bee Ice Cream is giving back a portion of the profits to aide in figuring out how to  save the honey bee population that is struggling to stay alive

Technorati Tags causes, hagen daaz ice cream, honey bees, ice cream, organic, save the honey bees

Let’s face it. Kids can’t take themselves to McDonald’s or any other fat-food place…it’s YOU that is driving them, it’s YOU that is feeding them, and it’s YOU that is paying for their food.

Morning after morning, I hear these insane stories about how doctors are recommending cholesterol medications for children, stories of how much trans-fat is in fast food places and how kids these days are more obese than healthy. This morning’s story? Happy Meals have over 1000 calories, with other fast food chains offering over 930 calories PER MEAL. Dud. Let Us Pray for God to Open Our Eyes.

Technorati Tags cholesterol medication for children, happy meals, healthy fast food, mcdonald's

yeaaa baby - perfect for the hot summer we are having, plus no added sugar or high fructose corn syrup! Click here for your coupon, call a friend & have a half price smoothie-meetup! Be sure to check out the ingredients list (I like the Mango Mantra) if you are obsessed with your antioxidant & sugar intake like I am, or go for the gold if you’re a skinny bitch and don’t have to worry about that kind of stuff. Happy Smoothie Day!

Technorati Tags jamba juice

Don’t believe all the ‘100% organic” labeling in the grocery stores? Dude, me too! Everything these days seems to be labeled ‘green”, “earth’s best’, “100% farmer certified” “organice” blah blah…but how on earth can everything in the store which wasn’t previously labeled organic, be organic with slick green and yellow pigmented glossy labels? Well, here is an option to know you are really getting the earthliest organic stuff: and remember this key phrase, they are sure to start popping up all over the place!

Community Supported Agriculture: featured here is the Tierra Miguel Foundation. The way it works in a nutshell is you pay the farm foundation around $700 for weekly delivery, or $350 for bi-weekly delivery per season - which includes a box full of fruits, veggies & herbs free of pesticides and chemicals. This particular farm delivers in spots from the North San Fernando Valley down to San Diego & alot of places in between. You can also visit the farm and take some gardening classes, kids classes etc.

It does sound pricey, but it is actually pretty competitive when you break down the pricing from pesticide, chemically enhanced fruits from the local market, but of course you have to come out the pocket once per season rather than the weekly trip to the store. But, you do gain the benefit of tastier, non-pesticide ridden produce. I’m going to try it out for the fall season, since the whole stepford-fruit phenom that is going on at the local markets.

Technorati Tags blah, delivery, Don, Dude, earth, Everything, farm, farmer, foundation, grocery, local farms, North San Fernando Valley, organic produce, organice, Organified, pesticide free veggies and fruits, San Diego, season, store, Super, wasn

Be a part of the progress…all you do is call your local clinic and make an appointment for a 1-hour massage session for the day of our Massage for the Cure event. Instead of paying us for the massage, 100% of your donation for the massage goes to benefit the local affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Massage Envy works with local Komen affiliates so the majority of the money donated stays in your community, helping give back to our friends and neighbors. Locations from Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Phoenix and more - check the schedule for your city & eligible dates & relax towards a good cause!

Technorati Tags breast cancer awareness, massage envy, susan g. komen

Ok so in the last month, Georgie, Rosalinda and now Carmen have or are doing the Master Cleanse. Rosalinda has always been in the bomb shape with super glam ways, so it is difficult to pinpoint the success and or outcome of the cleanse, although she swears she feels better, but is having difficulty eating french fries again due to the impurities of the fried food & grease. LOL.

Georgie…well he says he feels good. I saw him on his 3rd day, he was super grumpy, yelling at his friend on the phone and argumentative which is totally out of character for him  - but he swears he feels good. I have an appt tomorrow to see him so Ill follow up on his progress. The last I heard he was still partying it up…Im just saying.

Carmen is on day 4 of the Master Cleanse. She has daily updates on her facebook page…so far she seems to be holding it together.

Hats off to all of you, friends…Sylvia will not be cleansing anytime soon. xoxo

Technorati Tags master cleanse

You know what? They just opened a new Pinkberry pretty close to the house, and I just KNEW it was going to be uber-crowded…but it’s not. I haven’t actually been, because I’m committed to my active live cultures for general well being and basically assuming that frozen yogurt doesn’t contain any (total assumption mind you) BUT upon doing some research, found this shocking info that somehow totally escaped my nosy character!

Frozen yogurt CAN contain active live cultures, its just that pinkberry didn’t, but now, after the class action lawsuit was filed & settled, it does.

In an e-mail message, Pinkberry’s chief executive, Ron Graves, said: “In the company’s early days some of its point-of-sale material contained the words ‘all natural’ — which was an honest mistake by the founders. The yogurt used was ‘all natural,’ which was the source of confusion.”

Pinkberry’s fiercest competitor, Red Mango, uses 14 ingredients in its frozen yogurt, the first of which is water. It also lists four types of active cultures. (Red Mango’s Web site has always listed the product’s ingredients.)

Both companies use nonfat dairy products, sweeteners, emulsifiers and acidifiers, but only Pinkberry’s frozen yogurt includes artificial colors and flavors. Guar gum, another ingredient, is commonly used in frozen desserts to slow the melting process. (Pinkberry’s Web site touts the product’s “pouty peaks,” which guar gum helps to achieve.)

Pinkberry and Red Mango now enjoy the Live and Active Cultures seal of the National Yogurt Association, certifying that their frozen yogurt contains at least 10 million live cultures per gram at the time of manufacture.

But the specific health effects of live cultures — now called probiotics — and how many of them are needed to provide a beneficial effect have not been determined.

In January another yogurt-related class action lawsuit was filed, against Dannon, challenging the company’s claims that the benefits of its trademarked probiotics were “clinically” and “scientifically” proven.

So there you have it…at the end of the day, you don’t really know who is lying, who is telling the truth, who’s stuff is good for you, or who’s stuff will dry your liver out or some other randomly horrific stuff. Happy go-gurting!!!

BTW- Staci had mentioned perhaps totally going hardcore and getting greek style plain yogurt and mixing in fresh fruit through a straining process or something to really eliminate all the additives and gunk that they put in there to get the slimy-smooth feel of the ‘gurt.  And so now I know why Pinkberry is empty. There is a RedMango near my gym too - must try them out! Stay tuned!

So now, Pinkberry will have to be revoked from the SuperFoods category and be placed in a different one that is labeled more appropriately and house some other items who mislead consumers into buying into their marketing spiel. Not this time homies! We’re not gonna let that happen!

Technorati Tags pinkberry gets sued, pinkberry goes sour, pinkberry is not being honest, pinkberry is not natural, pinkberry settles out of courtcase, redmango yogurt is better

Ohhh I have had wayyy too much fun and irresponsible eating/lack of exercise these past few weeks - due to a combination of being overly zealous with the new warm weather, lots of family get-togethers & plain and simply fiesta-overload…and I feel kind of gross this morning.

I’m going on a 2 week ‘wellness bootcamp’ program that I am completely making up on a day by day basis. I’m going to incorporate everything that I already know to be healthy, valid and effective based on my past experiences, and will be posting my progress here on spa-view.com to stay focused. I’m feeling so gross and bloated (probably from the blue air-brushed batman birthday cake, or maybe the home made margaritas & deep fried fish tacos or maybe from the super sized extra chewy peanutbutter cookies) that I’m even going to plan this to take place during two detrimental and difficult effects in a woman’s life…’that time of the month’ AND the July 4th holiday weekend where I will be staying at my parent’s house for a weekend. Woo Ha.

Bring it on baby, I’m ready to get well. Stay tuned.

Technorati Tags detox, spa-blog, wellness bootcamp

Get ready for the warm temperatures - it gets SUPER hot here in the valley! I’m going to start posting a bunch of stay-cool spa tips that I have found bring some relief on the days when I simply want to go nuts with the heat! First off - the Mango Batido. A Batido is native to Spain, Portugal & Guatamala and many other Latin American countries, and it basically is what we call a ’smoothie’ so drink up, cool down, and most importantly, it’s not gonna make you fat!

Mangos originated from India & Phillipines and are rich in fiber, antioxidants A, C and E, and potassium.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups chopped peeled mango

(I got mine frozen from Trader Joe’s)
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 89(4% from fat); FAT 0.4g (sat 0.2g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.0g); PROTEIN 3.5g; CHOLESTEROL 2mg; CALCIUM 121mg; SODIUM 49mg; FIBER 1.2g; IRON 0.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 19.5g

Technorati Tags Batido, batido de mango, bunch, cup, drink, gonna, Guatamala, heat, Latin, low calorie recipe, make, Mango, mango smoothie recipe, mango smoothies, Portugal, relief, spa, Spain, Super, valley

Bethany Frankel’s infamous Skinny Girl Margarita recipe:

On the Rocks
What you’ll need:

• 2 oz of clear Tequila (100% agave, Patron Silver)
• (count 1, 2 while you pour, no need for measuring)
• A splash of fresh lime juice
  
• A splash of Cointreau, Grand Marnier or Triple Sec

Combine all ingredients over a glass of ice
Garnish with a lime wedge and salt (or sugar) if you’d like.
Makes one serving

check out more of Bethany’s Recipes on her official website.

I do have to add thought, that Brianette and I had our own version of the ‘wannabe skinny girl party drink” which consisted of Diet coke and rum over ice. However, neither one of us ever got skinny. Totally off topic tho. kinda.

Technorati Tags bethany bakes, bethany frankel, healthy recipes, margarita low calorie recipe, real housewives of new york city, skinny girl margarita

If you still haven’t learned from the American obesity crisis, maybe some chillaxed groove music and a swanky ad campaign will change your mind.

McDonald’s has embarked on a successful campaign for it’s $2 Iced Coffee drink, sounding especially tempting during an economic time when a $5.00 Starbuck’s iced drink seems a trivial purchase. At 90 calories (medium) and absolutely no nutritional value whatsoever, you may be saving 3 bucks, but filling up on McDonald’s fluff which no doubt, will cost your body much, much more, as opposed to drinking a Starbucks iced Skinny Latte which will cover 25% your calcium daily recommended allowance and 7-9 grams of protein, which your body will work off by itself within your daily activities.

McDonald’s drink has 1 gram of protein, approx 6% of the daily recommended allowance of calcium and basically means that you will have to do around 500 extra crunches to work it off. Ingredients in the McDonald’s Iced Coffee drink include: sodium phosphate, sodium polyphosphate, DATEM, sodium stearoyl lactylate, tetra sodium pyrophosphate, sodium hexametaphosphate, sodium citrate, carrageenan. * from McDonald’s official nutritional guide information online.

And that’s not even counting the chance that you don’t order anything else while in the drive through lane!

Technorati Tags allowance, body, calcium, campaign, Coffee, crisis, drink, Exposed, groove, haven, healthy-eating, Ice, McDonald, mcdonald's ice coffee calories, mcdonald's ice coffee drink, mcdonalds is gross, music, obesity, protein, starbucks-skinny-latte

Bethany Bakes is a great video blog by Real Housewife (even though she’s not a housewife) of New York City

If you watched the show, you know 2 things about Bethany Frankel - she’s skinny and she likes to drink. So it only makes sense that she has a video recipe book on youtube where you can get the infamous Skinny Girl Margarita, some guilt free pina colada and other skinny girl recipe ideas. Not too sure about the Faux Pancakes, but the alcohol drinks sound pretty good

Technorati Tags antioxidants, bethany, bethany bakes, bethany frankel, faux pancakes, natural chef, pomatini, pomogranitini, real housewives of new york, skinny girl margarita

I saw this story featured on one of the NYSE shows with Ted Turner, who ironically was speaking on the importance of internet connectivity and was promoting a fantastic program which users can donate $10 to purchase mosquito nets to aid in the campaign against malaria in Africa, but he announced the wrong domain…twice. So here is my attempt in spreading the word: Click here to send your net.

• For just $10 we can buy a bed net, distribute it to a family, and explain its use.
• Insecticide-treated bed nets can keep a family safe for up to four years.
• Nothing But Nets has partnered with the Measles Initiative to deliver the nets to even the most hard-to-reach areas of Africa.

Instead of buying your designer mascara this time around, buy some cheapie stuff at the grocery store and send the difference to make a difference! The difference between designer mascara and drug store mascara is approximately 10 bucks.

Technorati Tags Africa, bed, connectivity, designer, difference, family, importance, internet, malaria fundraising, mascara, mosquito, mosquito nets save lives, Nets, Nothing, nothing but nets, NYSE, program, store, story, Ted Turner

Native to North America,  blueberries played an important role in North American Indian food culture. They work their protective magic by preventing free-radical damage, inhibiting enzymes from cleaving the collagen matrix, and directly cross-linking with collagen fibers to form a more stable collagen matrix. Bottom line? Eat blueberries on a regular basis. Not only will you have firmer skin for longer days, but you can also fuel your health by their ability neutralize free radical damage to the collagen matrix of cells and tissues that can lead to cataracts, glaucoma, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, peptic ulcers, heart disease and cancer. Throw a few on your cereal, in your smoothie or even better yet, by the handful - yummy and delish!

Click here to read more on the amazing properties of the super blue miracle berry!

Technorati Tags anti-aging, antioxidants, basis, Blue, blueberries, Bottom, collagen, culture, damage, Eat, firmer skin, food, line, magic, matrix, Native, North America, North American, phyto, role, Skin, Super, wrinkle solutions