Vegan Bodybuilding

Even though I am not exactly a follower of the bodybuilding circuit, I was excited when I saw this article posted on the home page of the New York Times this morning. Traditionally, bodybuilding has been associated with the stereotype of steroids and steaks. On the other hand, the stereotype of a vegan is that they are skinny, lacking muscle and strength. These bodybuilders show that you can, in fact, build muscle on a plant based diet. Just remember that everything has protein in it! I think people forget that vegetables and fruits have protein, and that protein is important but it is not the be all end all in food nutrients.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/sports/vegans-muscle-their-way-into-bodybuilding.html?_r=1&hp

A Healthy New Year

What does it mean to be healthy?

To be honest with you, my own definition changes from time to time. There are times when I feel unbelievably healthy because of the way I am eating and exercising. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I did a version of the vegan juicing cleanse we did back in February. I felt fantastic! It was amazing to go into the holiday season cleansed of sugar, processed crap, caffeine and alcohol. I practiced yoga every day, did moderate but challenging workouts, and meditated at least ten minutes every morning. The perfectionist in me swore I would never put a drop of refined sugar in my body again because I felt so amazing living and eating the way I was.

But really? I should know myself better... and allow myself some moderation and balance. Because let's face it, I love my coffee... and it's okay to have a tall soy no whip peppermint mocha... and I enjoy a glass of wine now and then.

So does true health come only from drinking green juice, holding down dog for a good length of time, and rejecting all cookies that come your way? Can you only be healthy by eating all organic produce and spending your whole paycheck at Whole Foods? Of course not! Such a way of life would cause so much stress that it would counteract any health benefits you might receive from your healthy habits.

The key is to find balance and moderation. Since we're starting the new year, I would like to find something to focus on for 2012. I'm not necessarily calling this a resolution, but I do want to focus on finding balance and moderation in my nutrition and exercise and let go of those silly perfectionist tendencies that cause too much stress. Finding health in 2012 is going to be synonymous with finding balance.