Nutritious Life: Healthy Tips, Healthy Recipes, Exercise

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SoulCycle Superstar Stacey Griffith’s Spiritual Spin on Healthy Living

stacey griffith soulcycle interview

Stacey Griffith is a SoulCycle superstar, but her first book, Two Turns From Zero, is not about spinning. Fitness is a theme, of course. But her many fans (and there are many) wouldn’t be surprised by the fact that she gets the most excited when talking about what motivates her—and how she then uses that supercharged stamina to motivate others. “I care about every person’s experience in every situation,” she says. “I watch out for people as a general rule. It’s who I am.” Griffith’s book is no fairy tale, either. It gets gritty about her past personal struggles—from drug problems to career stumbles—while painting a picture of how each failure drove her to succeed, both on and off the bike. RELATED: 3 Goal-Setting Tips to Succeed at Anything Here’s how the celebrity Soul instructor lives well—from spirituality to Skinny Pop. How Does Stacey Griffith Live a Nutritious Life? What’s your go-to breakfast? Oatmeal with chia seeds. Your go-to workday lunch? Sweet potato, avocado, baby greens, one sunny side egg on top. RELATED: Amazing Avocado-Egg Recipes to Make Now What’s the one food you always have in your fridge? Blueberries and Bai Bubbles. The one food you’d never buy? Liver, ew. The snack you always have with you when traveling? Skinny Pop popcorn, plain flavor. Your favorite food indulgence? Too many to list: PIZZA, Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding, Bill’s Birthday Cakes. How often do you exercise, and what’s your workout of choice? I teach 18 classes a week. After running around the floor, I have little energy for myself on the weekends to ride at SoulCycle, but I also love cross-training and doing Michelle Brugal’s studio workouts. Rumble is super fun, XPT training when I can get to it. And surfing now that summer is here and my ocean fear has passed…and lot’s of SUP boarding! What’s your go-to tool for managing stress? Listening to Deepak Chopra and Eckhart Tolle’s Youtube’s. They’re the best. RELATED: A 2-Minute Calming Meditation to Manage Stress How do you pamper yourself when you need it? Facials at Tracy Martin, massages with Makaila and Lisa Hoffman, and baths with my spiritual bath salts SBbySG…coming soon in June!! Do you have a favorite health gadget? I’m a gadget girl but not for health. I find them to sometimes to be disappointing. When you think you killed it and it says, “eh… you only burned 200.” I think we’ve gotten to the age where you rely on a gadget to gauge your performance, and sometimes it’s more rewarding to just know in your gut you really had a fantastic training session. It’s crazy how many people are addicted to that little thing. I personally think they get in the way and can be very distracting in a dark room. Which healthy habit do you wish you had more time for? Working out. I’m so tired from my job, I don’t have the energy for myself. I give it to all of my students every day, 900 classes a year. Lightning Round Meditation or massage? Massage. A hot shower or a soothing bath? Bath. Almond butter or peanut butter? Almond. Coffee or tea? Coffee. A long run outside or a dark spin class? Spin class. Photos: Instagram/staceygnyc

There’s a Difference Between Exercise and Movement—and It Matters

exercise and movement benefits

“We don’t understand the difference between exercise and movement,” explains Katy Bowman, a whip-smart biomechanist based in Washington state who’s made changing that fact her personal mission. Bowman’s company Nutritious Movement (great minds!) and books—like Movement Matters, Move Your DNA, and Don’t Just Sit There—all take aim at the problems of living a sedentary lifestyle. In other words, running on a treadmill or hitting a strength training class are both good for you. They can’t, however, counter the negative effects of sitting still (hunched over a computer, no doubt) for the other 15 hours you’re awake. Most forms of exercise also focus on one part of the body: muscular quads are not going to help you stay active into old age if your core is crazy weak, for instance. RELATED: Why Your Pelvic Floor Needs Strengthening Now Instead of imagining you need to stop everything and step out of your life to exercise more, Bowman says there are simple ways to “engage in low-grade, constant movement” throughout your day, utilizing natural movement patterns like walking and squatting. Here are a few ways to add more movement into your life right now. 5 Ways to Move More Sit on the floor. Ever notice how often you have to adjust your position when you’re sitting on the floor? That’s a good thing. Bowman suggests sitting on the floor instead of the couch while watching TV or even during meals. In her house, the dining room table is just off the floor, and her family sits around it on the floor or on wood stools that force them to engage muscles to sit upright. Carry (and play with) your kids. Bowman skipped getting a stroller and carried her kids everywhere. Depending on where you live, that may not be practical, but when you can swing it, it’s the most natural form of strength training there is. Chasing them around and across the monkey bars at the playground is a great idea, too. Take (a lot of) walks. Schedule walking meetings, take a walk during long phone calls, and turn coffee dates with friends into sip-and-strolls. Example: Bowman tells callers via voicemail that she does all of her calls during a stretch in the afternoon. While on said calls, she walks a mile to get her mail. Squat for pots. Store something you use regularly in a low drawer or cabinet that forces you to squat every time you reach for it. Dishes, for instance, or the pot you use to make oatmeal every morning. Just make sure you engage in a proper squat—no hunching over and bending. Go barefoot. Your feet need to move, too. (They support, well….your whole body.) Go barefoot to engage muscles along the bottom of your feet more. If you can add pebbled mats to spots in your house to walk on, even better. Foot, toe, and calf stretches are also key.

How Yoga Star Caley Alyssa Follows an “Awareness Diet”

Caley Alyssa yoga instructor

You may be surprised to learn that Caley Alyssa hates the gym or loves face massages. But this is something that probably won’t shock you about the influential yoga teacher, who inspires women all over the world on a daily basis during her classes, on Instagram, and via the monthly speaker series Women Catalysts. When we asked her to describe the habits that make up her Nutritious Life, a major theme emerged: mindfulness. Living consciously, she said, means being constantly mindful of “where the products you’re using come from and where they will go when you’re done, AND not just to know, but to care.” And that ethos seeps into all of her habits—from yoga and meditation to eating with awareness. Find out how, plus other fun facts about the superstar yogi, below. How does Caley Alyssa Live a Nutritious Life? If you had to name your healthy diet, what would you call it? The awareness diet! It’s simple. Be aware of what you’re eating, how it was grown, how it makes you feel when you eat it, when you’re actually full and satisfied, anticipate thirst, prepare for performance, and recovery….I could go on! What’s the one thing you always have in your fridge? Kombucha. The one food you’d never buy? Meat. The snack you always have with you when traveling? Nut butter packets. Your favorite food indulgence? Honey Mama’s raw vegan chocolate. It’s basically healthy fudge. I’m obsessed. RELATED: 5 Healthy Reasons to Eat Chocolate How often do you exercise, and what’s your workout of choice? Every day! Other than yoga, rock climbing is getting to be on top of my list. I also really enjoy Pilates and hiking. How do you stay active outside of the gym? I never go to the gym! It’s my least favorite place in the world. What’s your go-to tool for managing stress? Meditation. RELATED: A 2-Minute Calming Meditation to Manage Stress How do you pamper yourself when you need it? I go to the Olympic Spa and get a massage and scrub down! It’s amazing. Do you have a favorite health gadget? I use meditation apps like Getting into the Vortex and One Giant Mind. How do you express and spread love? Touch, clear communication, inspiring confidence! What’s your weirdest healthy habit? Face massage! It’s changed my life. I get the massages from an amazing woman, Natalia Armonik. She’s trained in a very special method. Basically you never need Botox. It relaxes the tense muscles of your face and reduces wrinkles. It also tightens your skin and boosts collagen production. Which healthy habit do you wish you had more time for? Massages. I really need one a week. Lightning Round Meditation or massage? Both. A hot shower or a soothing bath? Bath. Almond butter or peanut butter? Almond butter. Coffee or tea? Tea. A long run outside or a dark spin class? Long run. “How Do You Live a Nutritious Life?” is a recurring column. Featured guests complete a questionnaire and select answers are then chosen and edited to share, here. Are you a wellness pro interested in sharing how you live a Nutritious Life? Email lisa@nutritiouslife.com to be considered.

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