FREE Happiness and Beauty

When it comes to taking care of your health and well-being, of course we know that exercise is important. We hear about all the latest and greatest in exercise equipment, videos, classes and contraptions to get us feeling and looking a certain way, but most of it can cost a lot of money and can be complicated or intimidating. Sometimes the simplest things in life are the best.

Daily brisk walking really does wonders, and it's FREE! Not only is it excellent cardiovascular exercise which builds and strengthens your muscles, but your heart, lungs and circulatory system LOVE IT. Wake up early in the morning and start your day with something better and more energizing than a cup of coffee.

Go outside in your sneakers and walk.

Spend an hour with yourself outside, breathing fresh air. Think and gain clarity or rest your mind and let it wander with the gentle breeze that flutters Autumn leaves around you. Observe how nature subtly changes day-to-day. Let your endorphins take over and make you feel happy, relaxed and energized. Let this time for yourself make you more balanced and beautiful.

Better yet, combine your walking routine with eating whole grains (like brown rice) and leafy green vegetables daily, for a natural face-lift. Your skin will be tighter and firmer from eating brown rice because of  it's contracting qualities, the leafy greens will help to nourish your skin with moisture, suppleness and give you look of freshness and the walking oxygenates your blood which energizes the skin and gives it a glow. Top off your regimen with a daily body scrub to smooth skin, and your health and natural beauty will radiate from your being.

Nurture yourself by spending time investing in your physical and emotional health so you can give a better quality YOU to the world. Experience happiness and beauty spill over into everything you do. It really is worth it.

Cozy Autumn Menu

Now that the Autumn season is quickly approaching, it's time to start thinking about switching from light crispy salads to warming and more nourishing dishes. Autumn is the time to slow down your pace by emulating the slower pace of nature, as trees begin to lose their leaves, we feel drawn to cuddle up with a good book and some hot tea. We start craving introspective soups, comforting chewy rice and sweet roasted root vegetables.

In honor of the upcoming changes, we decided to have a cooking class on how to cook for this beautiful season- to help us feel great from the inside out and synchronize our own rhythm with the changing energies around us.

The organs stimulated by Autumn are the lungs and large intestine, so it is often common for people to experience symptoms of detoxification associated with these organs, such as respiratory or digestive issues. Some great foods to eat to help give these organs some extra TLC are white foods, such as daikon radish, turnips, lotus root, cauliflower, white beans and sweet brown rice. Leafy green vegetables and root vegetables are also excellent for nourishing these organs.

Check out the menu from the class to get some helpful ideas for your own meals during this season:

• Sweet Potato Cauliflower Miso Soup
• Brown and Sweet Brown Rice with Tan Gomashio
• Navy Beans with Sauteed Leeks and Onions
• Toasted Sesame Oil & Soy Sauce Nishime with Carrot, Butternut Squash and Onion
• Steamed Cabbage
• Poached Apple Stuffed with Roasted Tahina, Walnuts, Raisins, and Cinnamon

Enjoy!

Vegan is Virtuous

We all know about the benefits of being vegan and eating all natural whole foods- increased vitality, better functioning of your internal organs, and feeling just plain AWESOME.

But did you think about how being vegan can support a virtuous lifestyle? According to Hideki Kawai, expert Natural Healing & Healthy Living Chef and Educator, being vegan can help you tame your sex drive. This makes it easier to be celibate- whether it's for spiritual or personal reasons, or if you are just waiting for the right person.

When we eat energetically strong foods like meat, eggs and fish, we intake not only the nutrients from those foods, but also the energy from those foods. Many fish, like salmon, have strong energy- salmon are powerful enough to swim upstream, against the current through rugged rivers to lay their eggs. If we do not have super active lifestyles to burn off this kind of energy (and increase in sexual desire), then we have excess that we need to get rid of. When these urges go unexpressed, they can lead to feelings of frustration and uncomfortably.

So, really, it's another reason to go vegan- at least until you decide to embark on a new career in manual labor or are in a healthy, committed relationship.

Co-opportunity in Santa Monica

If you are ever in need of a fun shopping experience and great quality food and health products in the Santa Monica area, check out the Santa Monica Co-op. They have a wonderful selection of organic and natural foods, eco-living products, as well as a well stocked and varied natural body care department.

Since they are a co-op, they are owned by their customer members, instead of a corporation. As it says on their website, "Every true co-op operates according to the Seven Cooperative Principles." These principles are: voluntary and open membership, democratic member control, members' economic participation, autonomy and independence, education, training and information and cooperation among cooperatives. Check out their website to learn more about co-ops in general or to find out about the Santa Monica Co-op.

Seven Cooperative Principles
Santa Monica Co-op

Great Selection at Erewhon

Erewhon Natural Foods Market has an great selection of all kinds of healthy food to stock your kitchen. It is also a "one-stop source for macrobiotic staples." They feature excellent brands of miso (over 30 varieties), seaweed, soy sauce, umeboshi plum products, teas and Japanese foods. They even have a macrobiotic consultant available to provide you with recipes and advice and on site cooking classes. You can even check out their website for more free recipes. 

 

 If you are already feeling hungry when you get there, you can check out their full service deli, salad and soup, sushi bar, and another prepared foods section.

Erewhon is located close to so many great things in LA, such as The Grove and Farmer's Market for outdoor strolling and shopping, and CBS Television City, where you could check out the live taping of shows like "So You Think You Can Dance."

Erewhon Market