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For more details go to www.natakiwellnesscenter.com

mention Calivegans blog for huge discount!

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Early Bird Special ends April 20th.  Place your deposit to reserve your spot!

nataki wellness center retreat

It’s more than just yoga and body cleansing.  Get ready for an adventure!  And don’t worry if you’re new to yoga we have a class for you.  And don’t worry if you are advanced in yoga, we have a class for you too!

Just come, take time for yourself, be a part of something great!

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Its that time of year, New Years Resolution!  

This is when the gyms get overly crowded.  All the trainers and sales staff are rubbing there  hands together ready for a new customer but slightly smirking at the same time.  They know that half of these overly excited, pumped up new comers swearing they are ready for real this time aren’t gonna make it past March.

I know, its a harsh reality.  Especially for the ones who really believe in their hearts they are gonna do it this time.

But the ones who really suffer are the dedicated gym rats who have been coming faithfully 2-5 times a week since last year and the year before that.  Look at their angry and frustrated faces as they unsuspectingly walk toward the next machine with their heart-rate still racing, only to be let down when they realize its being used by someone who clearly doesn’t even know how to use it.  “Their range of motion is way too wide for that machine!”  The gym rat yells to themselves.  The poor gym rat looks around to find the alternative to that machine, only to see that its also taken. “Ah!”  “I’ll just use the free-weights.  Sure my heart-rate has gone down a bit but I can get it back.  I should be free-weighting it out anyway.  Let me quit being lazy.”  The gym rat thinks.  But just as they go to the barbell rack, they notice everything is taken.  After scanning the room in frenzy, they see 2 skinny teenage boys struggling to use the size barbell they wanted.  “Oh come on!  Are they even old enough to be here?”  They look towards the dumbbell rack.  “Taken!”  “I hate January.”  They Gym rat bellows.  “I’ll be glad when March comes and everyone gets over their stupid New years resolution!”

If your a trainer, gym employee or gym rat, you know what I’m talking about.  If you’re a January-March fitness buff, you should know this is whats is going on behind the scene.

Don’t let this turn you away from the gym or your resolution.  Maybe you can just let this be motivation for you not to be so predictable this year.  Keep your commitment.  Be strong, then come June, look that gym rat right in the eye come and give them a  nod like “Yeah Homie, break yo self, I’m here to stay!”

You can do it!

Tip to not being a January-Marcher:

Pace yourself.

If you haven’t been doing hardly any working out the previous year, don’t try to be a super hero now.  You are not gonna make up for what you did over the holidays by going crazy at the gym all of a sudden. Start with 2 days a week.  Sustain that for a month, then go to 3.  If you do too much too fast you will only burn yourself out.  This goes for nutrition too.

Don’t diet.  

Simply come up with healthy manageable adjustments.  Start planning ahead what your gonna eat.  Before you get hungry.

Introduce yourself to a healthy new dish once a month.                                                 Experiment with different spices and vegetables.

Also try out a new way to get active.  Maybe a dance class, swim lessons, ooh how about   YOGA!

And if you need help with what to do or accountability, then get it!  Be honest. Invest in yourself.  You are worth it!

Don’t be that person done with their goals after 3 months.

Be better than you were last year.

~Ayana                                                                                                                                                                 The Nataki Wellness Center

 

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I really don’t understand when talking about eating healthy why people say “we all got to die sometime, and if I’m gonna go I’m gonna go happy.”  I just don’t see a lot of depressed, angry miserable healthy people.  And if eating poorly makes people so happy then shouldn’t America, with our consumption rate of fast and processed food be the happiest  place on earth?  Shouldn’t we just eat a big mac to cure depression instead of those prescriptions that cause all those side effects?  And If those people really don’t care since we all got to go sometime, why do they rush to the doctor to get toxic prescription to prolong their life.

Do we forget that a lot of times dying from diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure usually doesn’t go in order from happy to  fun to a peaceful death?  It usual starts with tiredness, pains, lots of medication, side effects, missing out on fun out doors with love ones, death, then love ones possibly repeating the cycle… I’m personally not sold on the fun. 

Of course there’s things we cant immediately control, like pollution in the environment but the things we eat, the amount of exercise we do, the level of stress we take on, the positive or negative vibes we keep around is mostly u to us.  

Living a life whether short or long that is free, happy, full of energy, exploration and adventure in my opinion is priceless and no BBQ rib, fried chicken, mac n cheese, Big mac, taco bell, Carls Jr. meat lovers pizza, Baskin and Robbins or grand slam breakfast is worth taking that away. 

Decide what living your life is worth to you.  If you need help get it, don’t be ashamed.  Start somewhere, it’s not going to go away.   A great place to start is the Nataki Wellness Center.  Start with a 15 day detox or a consultation for a plan that’s right for you.  Virtual personal training is available.

~Be good to yourself.

~A

 

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Do you know what preservatives to really stay away from?  Let us shed a little light on that subject.

Click on the video or link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpnvYytPEbA

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First a quick trip down anatomy lane-  

 

The gallbladder is a small pouch(organ) that sits just under the liver. The gallbladder stores bile produced by the liver.  It aids mainly in fat digestion.

First understand that sodium is a primary contributor to the bicarbonate buffer system which is one of the systems that keeps the body from being too acid.   When the gallbladder takes sodium out of the bile, cholesterol(which is usually in liquid form) is left behind to fend for itself.

But why would the gallbladder take sodium out of the bile, you may ask.   Great question!

If a person doesn’t eat enough fruits and vegetables to provide organic sodium to work with the bicarbonate buffer system, the body will take sodium from the gallbladder bile.

With the sodium gone, cholesterol is left high and dry to turn into stones.   Gallstones are almost always made up of cholesterol, or a mixture of cholesterol, bilirubin and protein.

So most important lesson of today is:

EAT YOUR FRUITS AND VEGETABLES!  EAT A LOT OF THEM.  JUICE IF YOU HAVE TO.
P.S.  This all has to do with alkaline vs acid.  Alkaline= good, too acid = bad.  Fruits and veggies= alkaline.

Oh and sodium from table salt won’t cut it.  It isn’t the same.  Good try though.

 

~A

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Did you know that vitamin A can be used to treat asthma and allergies?

It has been suggested that a dose range of 28,000 to 75,000 I.U.  of vitamin A per day, along with a dose of 5000 I.U of vitamin D  has been used to treat asthma.

This if from the Orthomolecular Nutrition concept, which is using optimal nutrition to combat, heal and prevent physical and mental illness.

I have to say, more and more its being proven that nature has everything you need to heal and be well.

 

~Lady A

 

 

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“Go to your happy place.”  I’m sure you have heard that before.  Do you know where yours is?  What the heck is a happy place anyway?  Are you suppose to just zone out with a gaze look on your face  and start visualizing balloons whenever you feel stressed?  Maybe, if that’s what it takes I guess.

I can’t say I have a particular happy place I go to.  I mostly just try to maintain my current happiness.  So when something or someone attempts to get in the way of that, I zone in. Not zone out.

Did you know that it takes only 90 seconds for your biochemistry to capture and release your emotions?   Whatever you feel after that is up to you.  So that’s why it is a good idea to consciously breathe for a moment when you feel upset.  Allow your brain and nerves have a moment to process the information it’s receiving.  Then you can have a clear thought on how to respond.  If someone starts yelling at you and walking away isn’t your automatic response, just stare at them for a moment as you tell yourself to breathe.  Then maybe you can sympathize at the fact that they don’t even have control over themselves at the moment.

I try to catch my stress level before it gets too high, that way I will be more patient with situations and people.  Like bad drivers.  When I feel my happiness slipping, I take some time for myself.  That could be going for a jog,  pampering myself with a candle light bubble bath, spending some time with friends or meditating.  Honestly, the more regular I meditate, the less I need to worry about my happiness.  But as much as I know how effective it is, I still manage to not do it sometimes.

The good thing is, I know what tools work for me.  Make sure you know how to keep your own peace and joy.  Remember no one has the power to take that away from you.  Your happy place should be your normal everyday life.  If it isn’t maybe there is some changes that need to be made.

~Lady A

 

 

 

 

 

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 You have to have pie, right?  Well here’s a great vegan Sweet Potato Pie recipe, compliments of Matt from Down to the Core Training.

You will need:

2 large sweet potatoes or yams                           1 cup almond milk      3 tbsp of flour

3/4 cup Earth Balance® Coconut Spread or vegan butter

1 cup brown sugar                              1/4 tsp Nutmeg          1  tsp vanilla flavor       2 pie crusts

(optional) 1 1/2 tsp Egg Replacer.  (Egg Replacer will make pie more firm, without you will need to let the pie cool overnight)

Preheat oven to 400°

Boil and peel  sweet potatoes.  Then mash potatoes.

In a large bowl, combine mashed sweet potatoes, almond milk, vanilla, nutmeg, sugar, flour and melted coconut spread and egg replacer.

Mix well with mixer until all lumps are smooth.  Pour mix into pie crust.

Bake for 15-20 min or until brown.

Let cool and enjoy.

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Welp, it’s that time of year again.  The holidays are upon us.  Oh how I love sinking my teeth into warm mac and cheese, and drizzling gravy over my fresh carved turk-oh wait, I’m a vegan.  Scratch that!

Since we know the holidays can be quite a challenge for us vegans, we here at calivegans got to the kitchen and got to work.  Worried about your options on Thanksgiving?  Well, worry no more.  Calivegans made some quite delicious soy free vegan versions of your Thanksgiving favorites.  Check out our recipes!

Stuffing/Dressing

1 cup corn meal                                                    2 tsp sage

3/4 cup cornbread mix                                          1 1/2 tbsp sea salt

3/4 cup wheat flour                                               black pepper

1tsp salt                                                                2 cups vegetable broth

1 2/3 cup almond milk                                            1/8 cup olive or coconut oil

2 tbsp Earth Balance® soy free spread                 2/3 cup almond milk

garlic powder                                                         1 1/2 stalks celery chopped

1 tbsp rosemary                                                     1/2 green bell pepper chopped

celery salt                                                               1/2 onion chopped

3/4 cup water

Cornbread for stuffing/dressing:

Preheat oven to 400°.  Combine cornmeal, cornbread mix, wheat flour and salt.  Melt soy free spread.  Add soy free spread and almond milk.  Mix.

Grease baking pan.  Bake for 20-25 mins.

Stuffing/Dressing:

Preheat oven to 400°.  Break up cornbread in baking pan.   Add rosemary, sage and sea salt.  Sprinkle garlic powder (sparingly), celery salt and black pepper.  Mix evenly.

Add vegetable broth, oil, almond milk, celery, bell pepper, onion and water.  Mix well.  Bake 30-40 mins.

Kale Greens

25 oz of Kale (we used 2 1/2 bags from Trader Joe’s)   2/3 cup diced onion

2 tsp salt                                                                        garlic powder

1 slice of onion                                                               everyday seasonings

1 tbsp Earth Balance spread                                          water

2 1/2 tablespoons hot sauce                                      1 tsp mesquite season

Fill 1/2 pot with water.  Add salt, slice of onion and kale.  Bring to boil.

Once kale boils down add mesquite seasoning, 1/4 cup of diced onions, Earth Balance spread.  Sprinkle garlic powder and everyday seasonings.  Let boil for 10 mins.  Add remaining diced onions.  Add more water if needed.  Simmer for 40 mins.

When kale is 8 mins from being finished add hot sauce.

Field Roast® Celebration Roast

Preheat oven to 325°.  Place in greased baking pan.  Rub with olive oil, rosemary, garlic, poultry seasonings and everyday seasonings.  Bake for 25 mins.

Vegan Mac & Cheese

3/4 box of noodles

1/3 cup almond milk

1/3 cup Earth Balance® soy free spread

1 tbsp black pepper

2, 8oz bags Daiya® Vegan Cheddar Cheese

1/4 cup vegan bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400°.  Boil noodles.  Drain water.  Add soy free spread, almond milk, 1 1/2 bags Daiya® cheese.  Mix.  Stir in black pepper evenly.

Pour mix into baking pan.  Top with remaining cheese and bread crumbs.  Bake 15-20 mins.

Enjoy!

All recipes make approx 6 servings.