Today the neatest thing happened … I was reading a book given to me by some great friends. The title is Aveda Rituals and it’s written by Horst Rechelbacher (what a name!) the founder of Aveda. The friends who gave me the book are Aveda salon owners and they know I am always interested in natural products, healthy living, aromatherapy, ayurveda and looking my best! Turns out these are all things included in the philosophies and tenants of Aveda.

Anyway… The book is right up my alley and I have been enjoying purusing it. I was shipped to me from amazon last week – a pertinent detail. And today while I was reading the chapter on relaxation techniques I turned the page only to find a crisp new $2.00 bill inside! Isn’t that fun!? I took it as a good sign. Pretty neat right – free money- a book gifted to me by friends- located in a chapter on relaxation- I think that’s good karma all the way around. Reminds me I need to pay something forward myself.

This weekend I have some fun stuff coming up. I’m excited to see master yoga teacher Max Strom. He’s coming to my local studio Guruv Yoga (www.guruvyoga.com). I have never seen him before but I have heard only GREAT things. You can check him out at www.maxstrom.com. Max focuses his teachings on creating a meaningful life through philosophy, breath work, asana postures, meditation and self examination. I’ve watched his Tedx talks on YouTube and am definitely intrigued. Getting to see master teachers in a workshop setting is such a wonderful way to be exposed to different teaching styles, philosophies, techniques, etc. Generally, you get to hear the teacher lecture a bit as well as guide you through one or more asana practices and meditations. Recently, the same (Guruv Yoga) studio hosted Steve Ross for a weekend event. This was another new to me master teacher and he did not disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed the 3 weekend sessions I was able to attend. I posted about Steve earlier if you want to review. http://fitandfabyogi.com/?p=307

You can check Max out via YouTube

On the eating front I’ve got a couple of new things to share with you. # 1 -Quest bars! I learned about these from sweet Katie over at Healthy Diva Eats (www.healthydivaeats.com). She mentioned how good they are and she was not kidding! Wow – super yummy. Today while I was enduring “leg day” with my weight training I was reminding myself that a Quest bar with its great protein profile was waiting for me at home. Hey – everybody is motivated by something different, right?! I tried the chocolate chip cookie dough flavor and it rocks. I even gave two to my brother so he good enjoy them. There are lots of other flavors as well if cookie dough is not your thing.

Quest bar stats

Quest Bar

#2 Another delicious treat I’ve been making lately is a simple concoction of lite cool whip and PB2. I know most of you in the healthy living blogosphere are very familiar with PB2. But in case you are not its a powdered version of peanut butter with 1/2 the calories. It’s fantastic for adding peanut butter flavor with 50% less calories. You can use it for baking, smoothies, parfaits, all sorts of deliciousness. It’s available on amazon, iherb and many other sites. To make peanut butter flavored whipped topping just blend a couple of tablespoons of each together in a small bowl and enjoy. Makes a great dessert topping for yogurt parfaits, rice cakes or a Vita Top (www.vitalicious.com).

Vita Top

#3 For sandwiches I’ve been using Toufayan Smart Pockets. They are a nice chance of pace from my regular sandwich thins and English muffins. These are just 80 calories with protein, fiber and omega threes included! I find these “pocket” breads are always a little hard to get stuffed. If you are not very careful the little pocket breaks open. I’ve been eating them for lunch/dinner but I know they would be tasty for breakfast with eggs inside or even banana and nut butter. But seriously – when is nut butter not good? I say NEVER!

Toufayan Pockets

Lastly, let me mention a book I highly recommend. It’s called Turning Pro, written by Steven Pressfield. Seriously, if you want to live life to your fullest potential this is a must read. It’s all about creating a life that is impactful and full of integrity and purpose. It’s very motivating and an easy ready to boot. I learned about this book from my absolute favorite women’s business “guru” Marie Forleo. Please promise me if you don’t know who this is you WILL check her out. You can find her at www.Marieforleo.com. I can’t say enough good things about Marie, her message, her delivery or her overall style (and she lots of style trust me!). Amongst many other offerings she hosts an online business school (B School) which has a session starting soon. I signed up for BSchool last year and loved it. I’ve been a working girl a long time but have only really transitioned to the web based world in the last couple of years. Her training was fantastic and a really effective way to ramp up with a new business venture or simply re-evaluate an existing one that perhaps needs a shot of adrenaline. Creating a web based business and aligning it with my vision and goals isn’t easy as most of you already know and Marie’s training was spot-on! If the BSchool training program is not in your budget then you can just sign up for her emails and weekly Q and A Tuesday videos. They are a super way to get to know what Marie is all about. Seriously – you will love her!

Thats all for today – hope you have a wonderful end to the week. Remember to stay Fit and Fabulous!

Turning Pro