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I know....this sounds like one of those "lose 5 lbs in 5 minutes" ads you see on the internet with a banana on it. (And why the banana? That's weird...)

Seriously, adding this one move to your daily routine can alleviate back pain AND shave inches off your stomach at the same time. 

And nope, we're not talking about crunches. Hoorah!

I like to call it "the transverse draw."

First, let's talk about the muscles involved.

In your core, there are 4 sets of muscles:

• Rectus abdominus (the six-pack muscles that get overworked in crunches)
• Internal obliques
• External obliques (both responsible for rotation of the trunk)
• Transversus abdominus (the 'corset' muscle that wraps around the entire torso, from the front to the back, also known as TVA)

The transverse is the most overlooked, yet most important, muscle in the core. It 'sucks in' the core, and you can feel it contract when you sneeze, cough, and also when you're trying to suck in to button those tight jeans.

These muscles wrap from the front of your torso with strong connective tissue, all the way around to your back where they connect directly to your spine.

It's this connection that creates stability in your lower back. When the TVA is strong, you have a strong 'corset' holding your spine in perfect alignment, and your spinal disks have room to breathe!

Unfortunately, our posture tends to create a slack transverse core, creating back pain right along with it.

Maybe you've heard someone say they 'threw out their back' just by sneezing. Sounds crazy right? It's more common than you might think, and it's caused by a week transversus abdominus.

If your TVA is weak, the force of a sneeze can be enough to overwork your (weak) TVA and pull directly on the nerves and discs of your spine. Voila, a pulled or herniated disk. From sneezing.

And the best part about this exercise? Besides the fact that you can do it anywhere - standing, sitting, laying down - it can literally whittle inches off your stomach.

By tightening the corset muscles of your core, you're cinching your waist every time you work them. Eventually, the muscles get so toned that your waist is naturally smaller! Now that's a nice little side effect, huh?

So now that you really want to know how to strengthen these muscles, it's super simple:

• With your hands wrapped around your belly (really wrap them!) take a deep breath in
• Purse your lips and exhale fully through your mouth, like you were blowing out a candle across the room.
• Blow all the air out and at the bottom of the exhale, you'll feel your core muscles engage, even around to your back.
• Repeat the exhales 20-40 times, focusing more on a forceful exhale and letting the inhale come in naturally.
• You should feel your transverse abdominals contract every single time you exhale. Think about blowing out the candle across the room.
• Repeat this exercise 3-4 times (20-40 reps per set), or as often as you'd like during the day. You can also just pull the TVA in without coordinating the breath, in case you want to do it on the subway without strange stares...

Give it a try, and leave a comment below to let us know how it feels, and when you see results!

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By Cora Poage, Sexy Soul Wellness

You’ve heard of the Ab, Calf, and Groin Muscles, but have you heard of the Hatch Muscle??

My 64 year old Mother, who retired from her last career as a Clinical Psychotherapist three years ago, has recently decided to attend Seminary to attend seminary, and is likely to become a Presbyterian minister.

Through scripture reading, prayer, worship, group discernment, spiritual direction and quiet contemplation, my beautiful Mom, began to hear the message, the Calling, loud and clear.

Now is the needed Time.  This is my path for you.  You were born for this. 

Some might call her crazy; some did! She will be 67 when she graduates, possibly to begin her life as an ordained Pastor.  Yet MOST of those who know her, well sense how aligned this is for her, and support her fully.

MORE importantly, I have witnessed my Mom come even more alive with this new decision and life path.  She is spreading her wings, going outside her comfort zone, evolving, and expanding.  My mom is THRIVING. 

Recently, she shared a quote by C.S. Lewis, “It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for a bird to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.” She told me that if she had ignored this sense of calling in her life, she indeed would have “gone bad” and probably would have created quite a stink!

Allowing ourselves to grow, evolve, expand, to HATCH is one of the HEALTHIEST gifts we can give ourselves, even when it feels scary. 

Here are 3 ways to cultivate your Hatching Muscle.

1)   Spend time alone and in Silence.  My mom shared that it took three years of quiet contemplation (in solitude and in community) to truly hear her next step.  It is challenging to listen to the voice of our Intuition, our Inner Guidance if we are distracting ourselves with a plethora of commitments, responsibilities, and distractions. Slow down and Be.

2)  Consistently Reflect on how aligned (or not!) your life feels to you Six years ago I woke up and realized that my life felt like a shoe that didn’t quite fit.  I started to make shifts and changes and with time, my outer life came more into alignment with my Inner Calling and Truth.  Yet, I make a habit of reflecting on this at least monthly, sometimes even daily.  Then, I take ACTION on my realizations. 

3)   Make it a habit to take trips OUTSIDE your Comfort Zone The ONLY way to grow, expand, and HATCH is to risk venturing into the Unknown. Make this a habit in both small AND large ways.  Take a different path to the Grocery Store, try a new class at Barefoot Tiger, or make an effort to get to know and learn from strangers.  You will feel your Hatch Muscle gain strength and confidence. 

True Health comes from an evolving Mind, Body, and Spirit.  Listen to the still small Voice within you whispering your next steps.   Take Soul-Centered action in Alignment with your Inner Guidance.   Allow yourself to Hatch.  It can feel scary, yet a life of THRIVING, not just surviving, is completely and totally worth it.

Now is the Time.  This is your Path. YOU were born for this.

Cora Poage is a Board Certified Wellness Coach and received an MD in Spiritual Psychology in 2011. Cora’s specialty is guiding her clients in co-manifesting the body AND life of their dreams through intuitive eating, exercising and living. She guarantees that her clients will love their bodies, own their power, and live their dreams. She is a writer and speaker, and is also a guest teacher for her alma mater, the Institute of Integrative Nutrition where she leads classes on Soul Centered Coaching and Business. Cora spent her late teens and early 20’s struggling with a diet and weight control addiction. Her dream and passion is to assist other people in finding freedom from weight and body concerns.

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It’s always a pleasure to eat with the seasons. Not only is seasonal produce less expensive, it is fresher, more flavorful and much more nutritious. Springtime brings my first salad cravings of the year.

This Fennel & Black Chickpea salad is a cinch to make. It combines all of my favorite salad qualities, fresh, crunchy and filling. Make it for yourself as a quick lunch or dinner, or serve it to friends for an impressive first course.

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Did you know that your immunity actually starts in your gut? Yep, that place we think of as a giant garbage disposal (and possibly that it looks like one too) actually consists of 80-85% of our immune system.

When the 'good' bacteria of your gut is prolific, your immune system is humming. But when it's not, things can get ugly. And you get sick.

Unfortunately, it's very easy for healthy levels of intestinal flora to get depressed, causing us to get out of balance and sick.

What to do? Here are a few (easy) tips for keeping your gut armed and healthy, and a few 'bet ya didn't know' tips:

1. Choose a refrigerated probiotic. Most probiotic bacteria can't survive at room temperature, unless it's labeled "stable at room temperature." Even then, I only use the room temperature option when I'm traveling and refrigeration is not possible.


2. Look for enteric coating. This will help the delicate flora bypass the acidic environment of your stomach to make it into your digestive system.


3. If you're feeling a little sick or run down, pop a probiotic or two and rest. It will help you get back on your feet faster! Check with your physician about dosage for you, but in general a refrigerated probiotic with 40-50 billion (yes, billion) cells is great.


4. Ate some bad take-out food and feeling queasy? Knock back a probiotic or two and let the little bacteria police do their job. It's amazing how well this works!

Go out and get some now, you'll be happy to have them!

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This is ridiculously good. And ridiculously easy. It is my go-to recipe for a great healthy, filling meal that's ready in a few minutes. RAVE reviews will come from your family!

Ingredients:

1/2 package of soy or flax tempeh
1 whole avocado
2 cups organic baby spinach leaves
Brown rice tortillas, slightly warmed in the oven

BBQ Sauce:
1/2 cup Ketchup
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp honey or agave
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together for the BBQ sauce. Add more seasonings to taste. Crumble up half a package of tempeh into the BBQ sauce and mix well so tempeh is fully covered. Heat BBQ tempeh mixture in a skillet for 5-10 minutes, until it's warm.

Meanwhile, scoop the entire avocado into a separate bowl, mash and add a dash of salt.

Using warm tortillas, spread avocado mixture down the center of each one. Top with a layer of BBQ tempeh, then top with a generous layer of spinach. Roll, and devour!

Makes 3 wraps.

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If you're trying to lose weight and working out regularly (read: not training for the Olympics), research has shown that eating a small meal before exercise can actually HELP your body use fat stores post-exercise.

Score one more for the 'eating a small meal before you work out' camp! 

Our advice: nosh on an apple or small banana about an hour before your workout and avoid high-fat, high protein meals. Even cereal (and milk) can do a number on your stomach, so stick with a simple fruit or veggie snack.

What are your favorite pre-workout snacks?

International Journal of Sports Nutrition (2011;21(1):48-54).

* Source: ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal; Sept - Oct 2011 ~ Volume 15 ~ Number 5

 

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This is a take on Isa Chandra Moskowitz' delicious Cornbread Waffles, with a little added somthin' on the top! It's very filling, and delicious!

Makes 8 waffles.

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Our super-fab friend Jenne Claiborne of The Nourishing Vegan shared one of her favorite recipes with us!

If you’re looking for a super delicious, healthy and easy-to-make plant-based meal, then look no further. Fluffy quinoa, spiced with cumin and cilantro, nestled within a warm baked sweet potato.  This Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potato is going to rock your world!

This dish is simple enough to take to work for lunch, yet exciting enough to serve at a dinner party.

Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potato serves 2

2 sweet potatoes
1 ½ cup quinoa, cooked
¾ cup chickpeas or black beans (canned is fine)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
½ cup cilantro, chopped
squeeze of fresh lime
salt and pepper to taste  

Preheat oven to 400°. Rub a tiny bit of olive oil on the outside of each sweet potato, then wrap them individually in aluminum foil. Place on a baking sheet, and bake for 45 minutes, or until soft.

In a mixing bowl combine the beans, quinoa, cilantro and spices. Season to taste with salt and pepper. When the sweet potatoes are done, remove them from the foil, slice in half and spoon the quinoa mixture into the center. Squeeze fresh lime onto the sweet potato and quinoa right before serving.

Jenné Claiborne is a health coach, vegan chef and cooking instructor based in New York City. She helps her clients unleash their inner vegan- that vibrant, confident and healthy part of themselves- with delicious, beautiful and nourishing food. On her vegan food blog, Sweet Potato Soul, she shares delicious healthy recipes inspired by her Southern upbringing and world travels. She also has a vegan cooking show on Youtube. Follow Jenné on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Pinterest. 

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By Barefoot Tiger Pilates teacher extraordinaire, Lauren Alzamora!

I have been drinking an expensive raw turmeric beverage now and again that I found at Whole Foods which is marketed as a sports recovery drink.  But at $5.99 for an 8 oz bottle, yikes! Too expensive. 

Turmeric is an acquired taste, but after experiencing how good it makes my body feel and discovering some wonderful I am seeking out ways to incorporate turmeric at home.  I decided to adapt some recipes for Turmeric Tea that I found online so I can still enjoy the positive health benefits of turmeric without breaking the bank. 

Turmeric tea is great because you can drink it hot or cold (and there is fresh ginger in most recipes).  I hope it spices up your life like it has mine!

Ginger & Turmeric Tea Recipe

Adapted from Recipe source: RawCurious
Serves 4 | Vegan

Directions:

5″ piece fresh ginger root, chopped
2 teaspoons ground turmeric (powder)
1 lemon, juiced
32 oz. water
agave nectar to taste (or your preferred sweetener), optional

Place ginger and water in a sauce pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add turmeric. Simmer on low for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and steep for 10 minutes more, lemon juice and sweetener (if using), stir vigorously, strain (or not) and serve immediately.

Alternatively, for cold version, set aside and allow mixture to cool completely. Refrigerate to chill or serve over ice.

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Did you know slouching may actually cause you to crave sugar?!

According to research, slumping in your chair decreases blood flow and glucose to the brain, causing sugar cravings (the easiest form of energy available.)

A quick remedy?

Stand up, clasp your hands behind your back and pull your chest open for a few breaths. Instant energy, and no sugar attack!

© Photographer: Daniel Gilbey | Agency: Dreamstime.com