Happy Vegan Fitness and Health

Can You Accept Your Body & Still Want To Improve It?

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 12:14:08 -0500

The world is filled with conflicting messages, right? Body acceptance in the world of fitness is a topic where conflict often arises. Many people struggle with the messages that they should love and accept their bodies as is, while simultaneously they feel pressured to improve the body they have (lose weight, get stronger etc). It becomes murky territory for those of us who support people on their quests to implement change in their lives, while also trying to make sure they love themselves and stay realistic.

There are people on both ends of the spectrum (though most of us fall somewhere in between). I’ll go into examples of two extremes here, but there are many more types of people out there (don’t want to box anyone in). You may fall into one category or the other, have bits from each, or neither.

Some people are firm body acceptance believers: they see and preach that there’s no reason to want to change your body to fit a certain standard. People in this group often have a hard time seeing weight loss or fitness as anything more than trying to be something you’re not (although they tend to forgive athletes and those being active for health reasons alone). Fitness magazines & advertising can be threatening to this message, so occasionally (not always) you can see a rebellion towards fitness & weight-loss in this group. However, when a person in this group is unsatisfied with their body, they feel it goes against their belief system to want to make changes: therin lies their conflict. They find it hard to reconcile wanting to make changes while simultaneously preaching that no one should fit a standard. It’s tough to be in this group.

On the other end, you have individuals who hate their bodies and feel complacent if they’re not making changes: they’re constantly trying to fit a standard that’s not realistic and lies outside of themselves. This group believes firmly that changing and striving towards the standard they set for themselves is what life’s all about. They don’t feel happy or satisfied with their bodies unless they’re working towards that goal or diligently maintaining it. Often (but not always) people in this group might see body-acceptance as an excuse to be lazy. They find it hard to reconcile body-acceptance while simultaneously feeling as though they’re giving up if they adopt the philosophy that their body is good enough as is.

These are extremes: most people lie somewhere in between, or struggle with aspects of each.

You can love your body AND want to improve it: many people do. :) Here are my thoughts on loving your body AND being okay with wanting to change/improve it (taken from a question earlier today).

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fitvillains: Heart Wide Open - 18 minute yoga sequence. This...

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 12:05:31 -0500

fitvillains:

Heart Wide Open - 18 minute yoga sequence.

This sequence, created by Amy Ippoliti, will stabilize your base and strengthen your arms, helping you to expand ecstatically into Wild Thing.

fitvillains: Weekend Workout: The Dirty Dozen! Time: 30...

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:50:23 -0500

fitvillains:

Weekend Workout: The Dirty Dozen!

Time: 30 Minutes

Warm Up: Run in place, squat, jumping jacks, dance ANYTHING. Move for 5 minutes before you start. Cool down with a march in place before stretching.

You’ll need: A mat, a timer, a wicked playlist and a KILLER attitude!

Goal: Complete as many rounds of these exercises as possible in 30 minutes.

12 exercises, 12 reps each. No breaks scheduled in between, but take them if you need it (Push!)

Beginners: Aim for 3 rounds

Intermediate: Aim for 4-5 rounds

Advanced: Aim for 6+ rounds.

Remember, modify the moves to your level! It’s YOUR workout: no need to jump if you’ve got bad knees! This is for time, and the goal is to keep your heart rate up by engaging your muscles and moving as quick as YOU can. Feel free to use modifications if you’re slowing down!

Basic Tips/Modifications

Squat jumps: Sit down and BACK in a squat. Keep the weight in the heels of your feet (you should be able to wiggle your toes). Explode up, reaching your hands to the sky and jumping off the feet. Land softly, back in the squat and repeat. Modification: You can squat, stand, THEN jump, and squat down again. This can help if you’ve got knee problems. You can also eliminate the jump all together.

Air Jacks: Like a regular jumping jack, except you lift your legs out to the side and off the floor (think like a firework or an X). The jump can be quick, but sink down to get more power before each jack. Modification: regular jumping jacks.

Pushups: In plank position, lower and push yourself off the ground. Since we’re going for speed, ANYONE can feel free to use the modification from your knees (advanced peeps: 6 rounds of 12 modified pushups is intense too!)

Lie Down, Stand Ups: Exactly as it says. Lie down with your hands and feet outreached in one line (like someone is pulling on your feet and hands in opposite directions). Bring your knees and hands in, and rock up (or use your hands) to a squat position, then stand. Reverse the movement by LOWERING yourself down first, and using your hands to get back to the ground. Contract your abs and protect your back during this movement. Modify by going slower.

Plank Jacks: In plank position, hop your feet out and in like a jumping jack. Keep your hands DIRECTLY under your shoulders. Modification: Step your feet out one at a time, then back in. Beginners, you can be on your knees for this one, and step your hands out instead.

Lunges: Lunge forward, alternating legs. Weight should be in the heel of your lunging foot, and push off that foot to return to standing. Knees should stay over the top of the toes, and not past. Think about lowering your torso to the ground, instead of propelling it forward.

Reverse Lunges: Same as the lunge, but step backwards instead of forwards. Catch yourself, and keep the weight in the front heel. Alternate with each lunge.

Cobra To Plank: Get on your belly! Extend your hands and feet out (like someone’s pulling on them) and lift your chest and legs off the ground (like superman flying). Hold for 1-2 seconds, then return to plank position. Repeat.

In & Out V-Sit crunches: On your tush (use a pillow if you need to), draw your knees into your chest. Hands can be off the floor, or by your sides and behind you for balance). You should look like a V from the side, so keep your abs tight and back should be at about a 45 degree angle from the floor. Draw the knees in and push them out. Keep your back flat, think ‘good posture’, and keep your core contracted. Modification: Basic crunches are fine here.

Split Squat Jumps: From a squat position, step one foot out behind you just a few feet. Keep most of the weight in the front foot, and watch those knees! Sink low into your front heel, and ‘wind’ your arms up by bringing them behind you. Explode off the front foot, jumping in the air and bringing your arms up to the ceiling. Switch legs in mid-air, and land softly on the other side. Repeat. Modification: Do a mini-lunge forward and then jump up, or eliminate the jumps and do another set of lunges instead.

Squat Kicks: Squat down low, and as you raise up lift your leg and kick forward. Use the ball of your foot (the part right under your toes) to push OUT during the kick, and remember they don’t have to be high. Repeat changing sides.

Tricep Dips: Off a bench, chair or couch, position yourself so that your bum is OFF the seat, but scrapes it as you lift and lower. Hands behind you for support, weight in the palms and facing forward. Lower your body down to the ground until your arms are parrallel to the floor and form a 90 degree angle. Raise up quickly. Repeat.

KILL IT!

xo

Recipe "Healthy Lettuce Wraps"

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 22:32:39 -0500

goodmood-food:

Ingredients

1/2 cup almonds (you can also substitute pecans or any other nut)
1/2 cup walnuts
1 T ground cumin
1 T ground coriander
1/3 cup olive oil
2/3 t sea salt
1 t nama shoyu or soy sauce

How to do

Process almond and walnuts and put aside in a bowl. Add other ingredients and mix well with a spoon. Keeps for 4-5 days in the fridge.

I put the nut mixture in a romaine lettuce leaf & topped with a sour cream alternative, salsa & guacamole.

Nothing Is Impossible: Dorm Room Workout Routines

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 22:11:44 -0500

Nothing Is Impossible: Dorm Room Workout Routines:

health-heaven:

Put your desk to use

Shape your arms with a challenging variation of the standard push-up. With your desk up against a wall, place your hands on the edge a little wider than shoulder-width apart. Keep your feet on the ground, back flat and chest in line with the edge of the desk. Slowly…

Photo

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 21:12:29 -0500

thinfitskinnyit: losingmeaway: skinnymindset: this is a great...

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 20:42:22 -0500

thinfitskinnyit:

losingmeaway:

skinnymindset:

this is a great workout to start off your morning with

my summer vacation warm up routine right here.

This is taken like word for word including the title from mine which I had to invent for my Cert 3 + 4 fitness assessment :\

Nothing Is Impossible: Vegan Breakfast Burrito

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 19:26:58 -0500

Nothing Is Impossible: Vegan Breakfast Burrito:

health-heaven:

makes 2-3 burritos

saute:
1-2 Tbsp vegan butter
3/4 cup diced bell pepper
1 cup diced mushrooms

18 ounces firm tofu, drained/pressed/diced
1 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp tumeric
3/4 tsp truffle salt (or plain sea salt) - or to taste
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp…

health-heaven: veganskinnybitch: yackattack: Breaded Seitan...

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 15:03:06 -0500

health-heaven:

veganskinnybitch:

yackattack:

Breaded Seitan with Grilled Asparagus & Mashed Cauliflower

This is a three part meal that is really good for a weekend dinner, if you have a little extra time during the week or if you have some people around to help you out! :)

For the Seitan (it makes roughly 5-6 patties, so I saved some for later meals)

Ingredients:

1 Cup Vital Wheat Gluten

1 Cup Water

1 1/2 tsp. Onion Powder

1 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp. Lemon Pepper

1/2 tsp. Sage

1/2 tsp. Sea Salt

—-

Breading:

2 Slices of Stale Bread

2 Tbsp. Nutritional Yeast

1-2 tsp. Sesame Seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix dry ingredients together with a fork, then add water and stir until everything is combined. Knead the seitan blob for 1-2 minutes then slice into 6 fillet looking pieces. Bring a medium-sized pot filled with roughly 4-6 cups of water/vegetable broth to a boil. Place seitan pieces in pot and try not to let them get stuck to each other.

Boil the seitan until it floats or around 10 minutes; take out pieces and place them on a clean towel to dry and press. Leave a little moisture in them so that the crust can stick to the outside. For the breading, put bread, nutritional yeast and sesames into a food processor and pulse until it is a fine texture. Coat seitan pieces in it and place on baking sheet covered in foil.

Place baking sheet into oven and bake for approx. 20 minutes, or until it is as firm as you prefer. Serve warm!

For the Mashed Cauliflower:

Break a head of cauliflower up into chunks and steam; once soft, place in food processor with 2-3 Tbsp. Nutritional Yeast, 2 tsp. Earth Balance, and salt & pepper to taste. Process until smooth, or a little chunky and serve.

For the Asparagus: I used a recipe from food.com.

Fantastic.

Yum!

tumblrgym: The impact of soft drinks on your health While I do...

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:58:45 -0500

tumblrgym:

The impact of soft drinks on your health

While I do have soda now and then, I mostly like to pretend I am a superhero and it is poison.

Nothing Is Impossible: High-fructose corn syrup is poison

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 02:51:08 -0500

Nothing Is Impossible: High-fructose corn syrup is poison:

health-heaven:

Experts are finding that “high-fructose corn syrup” (HFCS) is making us fat. Scientists at nutrition research centers are saying that it’s a huge problem.

High-fructose corn syrup contains 55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose. In contrast, table sugar (also known as sucrose) contains a…

lowcalorierecipes: healthyhotandfit: My new favorite meal. I...

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 02:39:18 -0500

lowcalorierecipes:

healthyhotandfit: My new favorite meal. I wanted to make a healthier version of my favorite thing to get at Chipotle, minus the white rice and adding a bit more nutrition.

1/2 cup of quinoa

1/2 cup of kidney beans

1/4 an avocado

Diced tomato and onion

Hot sauce

265 Calories, 13 grams of protein, 12 grams of fiber, vegan & super filling!

health-heaven: roasted carrot and avocado salad

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 02:37:09 -0500

health-heaven:

roasted carrot and avocado salad

Photo

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 02:27:52 -0500

Nothing Is Impossible: 7 Weirdly Amazing Things to Add to Smoothies

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 02:23:40 -0500

Nothing Is Impossible: 7 Weirdly Amazing Things to Add to Smoothies:

health-heaven:

Tofu: It makes smoothies taste really creamy and adds extra protein!

Cinnamon: It adds a subtle sweetness and tastes so good bonus, it can help stabilize your blood sugar to keep you feeling full longer.

Avocado: Surprising ingredient? Maybe, but it’s really good, and you will love how…

Recipe "Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Falafel"

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 02:10:14 -0500

Recipe "Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Falafel":

goodmood-food:

Ingredients

1 red pepper

1 entire bulb of garlic

4 cups cooked chickpeas

1 cup of finely minced onion

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup + 2 tbsp chickpea flour

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

How to do

Before doing anything else, roast that pepper and that garlic bulb!

First, peel the outer layer of paper from the garlic bulb until the individual cloves can be seen, but are still connected. Chop off the pointy tops of the garlic bulbs and the bottom of the bulb so that garlic is exposed on both sides but all is still connected to the base…. then wrap loosely in foil.
Once the red pepper was blackened on all sides, I removed both the garlic and pepper from the oven.

Next I peeled the outer layers off of the garlic bulb and left just the yummy roasted cloves. Then I de-skinned/de-seeded the red pepper, chopped it up and set aside.

Okay, so once you’ve done all that, the rest is easy:

In food processor, combine roasted garlic cloves (I ended up with 8), canned chickpeas, minced onion, cumin, salt and baking powder. Pulse together until mixed, then scrape down sides. Repeat until all is combined into a thick hummus-like consistency. (You may need to add a touch of water to the mix to get it smooth enough).

Transfer chickpea mixture into a large bowl and stir in chickpea flour… making sure to only mix it just enough to combine. Fold in parsley, cilantro and chopped red pepper.

Chill mixture in freezer for a few minutes…or in the fridge if you have an extra hour or so. It needs to be chilled until workable. In the meantime, get your oil ready to go.

I used a deep fryer to cook mine, but a nice deep pot of oil would work well too- since I’m not too good with giant pots of hot oil, I’ll keep the directions to what I did with the deep fryer.

I heated my vegetable oil until it reached 360 °F. Once the oil was ready, I tested it by dropping a small amount of batter in the oil… once it rose to the top and started cooking I dropped in a tester falafel ball. This gave me a cooking time of about 8 minutes until perfect done-ness was achieved.

I made about 5 falafels at a time, and I fashioned them each like a stout patty. Mine were about 2″ x 1″ patties. Use a little extra chickpea flour to shape them if you find them to be sticky, but try not to “coat” the patties in it or it may give it a weird texture.

Cook falafel for about 8 minutes in your deep fryer. Transfer to absorbent paper bag/paper towel/ cloth and serve. Repeat the cooking process until all falafel batter has been used.

Serve hot!

fuckyeaheatingwell: Vegan Pasta with Bacon, Leeks, and...

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 02:08:38 -0500

fuckyeaheatingwell:

Vegan Pasta with Bacon, Leeks, and Peas.

Trying to think of something to do with the leeks we got in our CSA I decided I wanted to make something pasta-y. I looked around for recipes and came across a number that used bacon and leeks in a light cream sauce. So I decided to come up with my own version.

Serves 4

8 oz farfalle

1 tsp olive oil

1 package Smart Bacon, chopped

1 leek, white and light green parts, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced

1 cup snap peas, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 cup raw cashews

1/2 cup water

1 Tbsp lemon zest

parmezano sprinkles for sprinkling

pepper

Soak cashews in water for at least 30 minutes. Put cashews and soaking water in blender and blend until smooth. Cook farfalle according to package directions. Meanwhile, clean sliced leeks by placing them in a bowl of water and swishing them around to remove dirt from between the layers. Drain and set aside. Heat olive oil in a non stick pan over medium heat. Add chopped Smart Bacon and cook until crispy. Add leeks to the pan and sautee until soft. If necessary add a bit of the pasta cooking water to keep the leeks from burning. Once the leeks are soft add the peas and cook until slightly tender. Then add blended cashews and cooked pasta, if necessary adding some extra pasta cooking water until a thin sauce is reached. Mix in lemon zest and top with pepper and parmezano sprinkles.

Enjoy!

Photo

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 02:07:38 -0500

gpoy

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 02:06:28 -0500

gpoy

Nothing Is Impossible: 3 Fall Superfoods That You Should Be Eating

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 02:02:50 -0500

Nothing Is Impossible: 3 Fall Superfoods That You Should Be Eating :

health-heaven:

Pumpkin: Want to keep your immune system strong this fall? Load up on squash like pumpkin! Loaded with Vitamin A, experts say that pumpkin can help your body produce white blood cells to help you fight off illness. (And, don’t forget to eat the seeds (roast ‘em up!)—they’re loaded with…