Gray’s Anatomy – No. Not the ABC show (though a little McDreamy and McSteamy action is ALWAYS good for the heart). I’m actually talking about ‘The Anatomy of the Human Body’ by Henry Gray. Originally published in 1918, it remains the quintessential book on the Human Body. With exquisite drawings and comprehensive detail, you’d be hard pressed to find a better source of information. MAYBE not the best beach reading, but great to develop an awareness of your own miraculous human body.

OrganicEating.com – a great healthy resource that provides important information on the benefits of an organic diet. While on both coasts, farmers’ markets and organic foods are in huge demand, the middle of the country may find it more difficult to regularly find access to organic foods. This site can help! Despite it’s name, the information on the site applies to much more than just food! Learn how to be environmentally friendly AND get healthy at the same time.

CookingLight.com – their mission statemnt is: “making healthy taste great”. Now THAT is the kind of “AND” I am talking about! I have made myriad recipes from this site, and they remain some of my perennial favorites. From beef stroganoff to peanut butter cookies… learn the lighter versions of all your favorite comfort foods, and start to live healthier without sacrificing flavor or the food you love!

Check out these places that I find to be very helpful in staying fit and healthy all year round!

* fitnessmagazine.com
* SHAPE.com
* Healthybitchdaily.com
* Gray’s Anatomy
* OrganicEating.com

To your Health!

~ Elise

We all need a little help along the way when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. My philosophy is to help you create a life of ‘living well’. This means eliminating the OR, and trading up for the AND. Learn how to eat foods that are healthy AND delicious. Find workouts that are effective AND fun. Choose workout clothes that are functional AND fashionable AND budget friendly. Here are some of my favorite sites that always help me find my “AND”!

fitnessmagazine.com and SHAPE.com are excellent and easily navigated sites that offer tips on everything from quick workouts you can do at your desk, to affordable running shoes. They focus on REAL people with realistic goals and provide advice that is accessible and easily implemented no matter what your fitness level or schedule restraints.

Some days…. and for some reason it seems to be particularly MONdays… life can seem exceptionally overwhelming. You know the feeling when you wake up in the morning (sometimes before the sun even rises) and you just want to pull the covers up over your face, hit the snooze button & hide from the world? Well on THOSE days, I need a little extra motivation to get moving, and to choose to face the world with open arms and an open heart. Even before my first cup of coffee.

Some days…. and for some reason it seems to be particularly MONdays… life can seem exceptionally overwhelming. You know the feeling when you wake up in the morning (sometimes before the sun even rises) and you just want to pull the covers up over your face, hit the snooze button & hide from the world? Well on THOSE days, I need a little extra motivation to get moving, and to choose to face the world with open arms and an open heart. Even before my first cup of coffee.

Here are some of my favorite places to find ONLINE inspiration:

specialolympics.org – My dad started coaching a special olympics bowling team in Virginia about 8 years ago. Whenever I was in town I’d go join in on their practices. Despite the fact that every kid out there easily beat me by upward of 60 points, I always had a blast. It is incredible how much courage and joy I saw in each of these extraordinary young athletes. A great reminder of how very much this life has to offer! Check out this site to learn how to get involved. Nothing feels better & more rewarding than making a substantial difference in someone’s life. Bring JOY to your community and your World.

yogaeverywhere.com
 – Sometimes you just need to BREATHE! This website is filled with great information from the yoga sutras, to words of wisdom, to locations of studios near you. Now, there is no excuse! Trade your couch and your bag of potato chips (even if they’re “fat free”- yuck!) for a mat and a smart water! Get out there and live!

epicurious.com – their logline is “for people who love to eat”. Come ON! Now WHO can’t get on board with that? Get creative, and channel your inner “Julie & Julia”! learn to make a meal that is also a work of art. Pick up delicious tips on healthy eating, or grab your friends and learn how to entertain. This site has great tips on how to make life more tasty. What are you still doing here? Get going!!

www.hautehealth.blogspot.com Ok… THIS site is near and dear to my heart. It is created and maintained by my dear friend Suzanne, who also happens to be one of the world’s most AMAZING women, and most inspired chefs! Suz uses her love of yoga, food, cooking and inner beauty to help you become the “whole, healthy, happy person” you’ve always wanted to be! Suzanne’s style is easy, accessible and fun. Best of all, I can tell you from experience that the main ingredient in all of her recipes…. is Love. In short, This site is absolutely delicious!

nytimes.com – Let’s face it. Smart is Sexy!! Staying informed, and developing educated opinions about current events is IMPERITIVE to being a good citizen of humanity. Being a born and bred New Yorker, I am an absolute devotee of this paper (even though I have been living in LA for almost 4 years now). It’s easy AND “green” to view it on-line, so grab your cup o’ joe and your fluffy bathrobe and read up on the issues that affect you, and the lives of those around you. You can also try CNN.com for all the latest headlines

ww5.komen.org – Most of us know someone, or know someone who loves someone who has fought breast cancer . For the past 2 years I have been a part of “pilates for pink”, a charitable organization which benefits breast cancer awareness, and encourages women to get & stay healthy with diet, exercise, and regular mammograms. Check it out at http://www.shapeonline.com/pfp/ . My feature in the October Issue of SHAPE Magazine was in honor of breast cancer awareness month, and proceeds benefitted the cause. From science, to stories of personal triumph, both of these sites give you ALL the info on how to run, walk, strut, or curl for the CURE!

Thelifestyleboost.com (COMING SOON!) – This is a phenomenal site started by another one of my incredible friends! I am SO lucky to be surrounded by people who are out there changing the world, one iPHone click at a time! Ipsita Paul (actor/ dancer/ singer extraordinaire) started this daily feed to help us learn how to live GREEN without loosing our fabulousity! As the fitness expert for the site, I can promise you that the health & wellness tips you’ll get here will be BRILLIANT!

Healthybitchdaily.com – yes. I am also the fitness expert for this fantastic new site! (I know, I know…. “how do I do it?”….. well, I am just so excited about being green, being happy and living well, that my wise words of wisdom cannot be confined to merely ONE fantastic daily feed experience!!). This site is specially designed for women of all ages, shapes, sizes, and locations. Think “sex and the city” meets ‘vegetarian chic’, and you’ll get the idea!

OnDemandBooks.com – My friend Johnny (who, by the way, I have known since we went to Paul VI catholic high school together and both survived the suffocating reading list of Fr. Lyle’s history class) is very busy in NYC saving the world of book publishing. Continuing on with our theme of ‘going green’, On Demand Books uses the “Espresso Book Machine” to create made to order books! This way, you can have the best of ALL worlds. Because, let’s face it, you saw “an inconvenient truth”, and you want to reduce your carbon footprint, but at the SAME time, you LOOOOOOOVE the smell of books, and you like to turn pages, and underline important symbolic passages. I know. Me too! Now… you can do both. Thanks Johnny! Looks like Fr. Lyle taught you something valuable after all!

It’s that time of year!  Jack Frost is not the only one nipping at our nose as the wafting fragrances of roasting turkeys & Christmas cookies start penetrating the cold winter air.  During the Holidays we are enticed…. or dare I say…. bombarded by the decadent temptations of the Season.  From candy canes, to hot cocoa, to stockings filled to the brim with delicious treats, December is flooded with glorious opportunities to overindulge.  Holiday Parties and events abound, each offering more delicious and decadent treats than even Santa himself could dream possible.  Travel home can tempt us out of our healthy routines, and into a diet comprised exclusively of gingerbread houses & honey baked hams.  No one wants to be a Scrooge, but before we know it, being TOO “merry & bright” can lead us to an intense struggle with our favorite pair of skinny jeans.  And let’s face it…. No matter how deeply we inhale, the jeans ALWAYS win!  As we face the onslaught of revelry ahead, here are some simple ways to tackle temptations at “home”, without giving up our holiday cheer!

The “If you love me, you’ll eat my deep fried turkey” dilemma:

Whether it’s Aunt Marge or Mommy Dearest, families often cook their way into you your heart this time of year, showing their love for you in the form of fruit cakes & jell-o molds. Before you know it, a week has gone by and you’ve consumed thousands of extra calories in chocolate reindeer alone!!  Don’t let your trip home for the holidays derail the year’s hard work!  Here are some ways to avoid the pitfalls of your holiday vacation!

1)      “shopping” in a winter wonderland:  If mom packs the fridge with crescent rolls and butter, make a quick run to the local grocery store & stock up on fresh veggies, fruits and whole foods.  This way, you have something hearty & healthy to snack on instead of reaching for the leftover gingerbread dough!

2)      “It’s a marshmallow world”:  It’ll break Mom’s heart if you don’t eat her twice baked sweet potato & marshmallow casserole.  No problem!  It’s all about portion control!  Take a small 2-spoonful scoop instead of piling your plate. Think ‘tasting’ rather than ‘gorging’, & satiate your senses by trying just a little bit of everything your heart desires.

3)      “I triple dog-dare you!!” You & I both know how easy it is to set up camp on the couch under layers of cozy blankets and snuggle up to an endless marathon of “A Christmas story”.  I’m all about holiday R&R, but balance it out by carving out some time to move!  Dare yourself to a challenge, no gym required!  Go into your little brother’s room where you & your spouse are sharing the world’s smallest twin bed, and get your movement on!  All you need is 6 ft x 4ft of floor space.  Try taking a few sun salutes from yoga, some pushups, for-arm planks, squats, lunges & curls. In less than 20 minutes, you can effectively fire up some strength for the whole body…  and all before Ralphie nearly shoots his eye out!

4)      “Curl” up by the fire: instead of lounging around by the fireplace, get your OWN heat on by doing a minute (of curls to your favorite Christmas music.  When you finish that, dance around the room to your favorite holiday ‘jingles’ (and I promise not to tell anyone that you prefer ‘A Chipmunk Christmas’ to ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.)

5)      “Let it Show, Let it Show, Let it Show-Off! Holidays are about sharing, so why not get the whole family involved?!?  Give the greatest gift of all…. Endorphins!  (you thought I was going to say “togetherness” didn’t you J Boost everyone’s mood by showing off your favorite Burn Bliss moves!  Laugh together (ho ho ho) as mom tries to do 30 seconds of quadricep work. (did you know laughing actually burns calories and helps tone the abdominal muscles?) AND remember all those times dad made you shovel the driveway??…. EXTRA curls for him!! It’s all in good fun as you inspire yourself AND your loved ones to make smart & healthy choices!

SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOW DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWN!!

No question about it…. Eating healthfully is a major part of a mindful lifestyle.  Let’s face it: as much as we’d looooove to survive on a diet of mashed potatoes and butter cream frosting, we simply cannot attain wellness without a healthy style of eating. Plain & simple.  Today%2 we are dealt an obscene amount of temptation to contend with! Fast food ‘restaurants’ are endlessly popping up, enticing us with the aroma of their deep fried sinfulness.  Gluttony lurks around every corner with portion sizes nearly tripling in the last 15 years alone!! Not to mention the fact that careers, families, & our all around fabulousity don’t leave us with much time to sit still and actually ENJOY our food!  Instead we are forced to quickly grab something wrapped-slash-packaged and scarf it down at stoplights on our way to [fill in the blank].  Life is a veritable obstacle course preventing us from wellness!  How can we possibly fight back against such formidable foes as the Big Mac and the “To Go” meal? ? Well, I’ll tell you!!!  By making a conscious, mindful effort to embrace a few small lifestyle changes that not only help us rediscover our ideal waistline, but might even lead us to learn a few things about ourselves along the way…..

Get Fit Fast by Slowing down! Let me guess: you’re “too busy/ too rushed/ too tired/ too fierce to cook a healthy meal”.  Whaddaya know!?! Me too!! But an important part of a wellness-based lifestyle is balance.  And that means balancing the chaotic madness of your life & responsibilities with time for YOU and your family.  The internet is absolutely brimming with recipes for healthy, inexpensive, 30-minute meals that couldn’t be easier to concoct.  In less time than it takes to devour 3 Krispy Kreme donuts, you can sit down to a well BALANCED meal.  (did I mention we need balance)??  Whether it’s just you & some Vivaldi by candlelight, or you have a houseful of kids, sitting down to eat without distractions or television or conference calls (or stoplights!!) is a great way to appreciate your meal, savor your food, & reconnect.  Mindful eaters tend to consume FAR fewer calories because they acknowledge their intake, rather than haphazardly reaching for food without consideration.  Remember all those “just one bite”s, or “handful of candy coated honey roasted peanuts” you consumed without even thinking?? Yeah. Those.  They add up. Fast.  Need another good reason?? In addition to combating childhood obesity, studies show that families who sit down to dinner together share much more than food… they share their thoughts, ideas, and lives.

Less is More! If you’ve ever given in to the dark side & gulped down a McMeal, you were more than likely asked if you wanted that meal “supersized”.  If you had said yes, you would’ve gotten Idaho’s share of French fries, and enough soda to rival the volume of Niagara Falls!  As a society, we have completely gotten away from the idea of eating to simply nourish our bodies, and replaced it with the notion of eating because we are bored, depressed, celebrating, giving in to peer pressure, or just because it plain tastes good.  Now I am in NO way suggesting we take a page from the Matrix & live on barely enough gruel to maintain our motor functions, but we do have to find a happy medium.  Forget those childhood nightmares where you aren’t allowed to leave the table until you “clean your plate”.   A quick & easy way to take a giant step toward wellness doesn’t even require that we change the foods we love to eat!  We just have to cut down on the portions.  Put less on your plate at the start of a meal. Savor each bite.  Enjoy the flavor sensations. Take time to TASTE your food. Relish the quality of your meal, rather than the quantity.  The brain takes TIME to register fullness, so we often scarf down SO much food before we realize we are satiated, that we end up feeling nauseous & bloated.  If after 15 minutes you are still hungry, go back for seconds with an emphasis on the veggies & salad… the high fiber content will help you feel fuller longer.  Cutting down portions of the very same foods can save us hundreds of calories a day! SO… don’t eat to pass the time, or drown your sorrows.  EAT to THRIVE!!!

Hey Winter Lovers!  Put down those barbells & step AWAY from the Stairmaster!!  It’s a winter wonderland out there, and all good “green” girls know how to flirt with Jack Frost & make the most of the Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrisk weather!  The COLD air can lead to a HOT bod!! Didn’t Santa ever tell you that braving the low temps can actually help you burn more calories? Ho-Ho-Hold on a minute!!  It’s true!  That gorgeous body of yours needs a lot of energy to keep its core temperature warm.  And energy is calories!! So ditch your fair-weather friends & grab your true blue mates to help you heat up that chill in the air!  Brave the bitterness and battle the Winter blues with these fun, fabulous, outdoor activities that sooooooo don’t feel like working out.

It’s A Wonderful Life:  Sledding

Remember those carefree childhood days, when the rose in our cheeks came from the wind in our face (and not the pricey blush in our Marc Jacobs bag)?! Who says kids & blondes have all the fun?!?! Reduce your footprint on the earth, by making footprints in the snow!! Be ever-“green” AND Give in to your nostalgia with an old school wooden sled.  You’ll be a buff modern update of a classic ‘Normal Rockwell’ as you take a running start & fly away without ever leaving the ground.  The trek back UP the hill is the real cardio/strength training!  You’ll fire up the heart rate, boost metabolism, and at the same time feel the burn in the quads, calves, core, & booty!! Now that’s OUR kind of aerobics!

Frost Bitten:

Snowball Fights:

You’ll need your partners in crime for this one, so grab your arctic allies & Create 2 armies. Get your cardio on & go breathless in NO time at all, dodging snowy missiles & throwing powder puffs! Wage a relentless war against fat, lethargy & boredom as you reconnect with friends and family & make the most of the flurries. And don’t forget about the tremendous upper body workout you get hurling those snowballs!! I mean… have you SEEN A Rod’s biceps???  How’s THAT for frost bite?

Snowman & Snow Angels:

Stretch your muscles both physically & creatively with a fun series of blizzard based activities! Work off that Organic Tomato Soup & Grilled Soy Cheese sandwich you had for lunch by creating ‘heavenly’ works of art!  You’ll streamline your side body & oblique’s while also getting a great stretch for the arms, back & legs. Get taller and leaner, simply by creating length in the spine & strength in the core.  Or, get your heart rate up by challenging your friends or family to a ‘snowman building’ race, with points for speed, creativity, & execution.  Melt away fat, without melting away your  new snow-friend J. Yet ANOTHER way the (organic) carrot can help improve our bodies!!

Ice Ice Baby!: Ice Skating

Whether you reside on the CA coastline, or in the middle of Wisconsin, you can enjoy this perennial winter favorite. Grab your argyle gloves & hat and hit the local outdoor skating haven… YES! Even Sunny Santa Monica CA has an al fresco option! Work your favorite moves along with your inner & outer thighs! Skating is a great full body workout no matter what your level of coordination.  Remember, falling burns calories too! Just be sure you channel your inner Michelle Kwan, not your inner Tonya Harding!

“36-24-36 HIKE!!!”: Flag Football

No snow needed for this activity! Fight gender lines AND get healthy while giving guys a run for their money!  Throw on your faux-fur bomber & hit your friendly neighborhood park for a day of straight up cardio cleverly disguised as friendly competition.  Maybe Guys vs. Girls?!?! And no tackling allowed, (we’re not that kind of girl!!) so have fun, suit up, & literally run your booty off!!

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?: Shovel the Driveway

Interval training is ALL the range, but we don’t need an elliptical or a sweaty gym to do it!  Why not get the optimal fat burning workout WHILE being a Good Samaritan AND making the world a better place.  (WOW! We are seriously AWESOME!!).  Build upper body, lower body, and core strength by getting down & dirty (you know you want to) and shoveling your own driveway.  Then be neighborly and gather your posse of pals to shovel all the driveways in your development.  Live in a big city apartment?? NO problem! Plenty of sidewalks to keep clear there!! Gosh, we are such a GOOD person!! …. With such WICKED abs!!

So there you have it!!! Ditch the dreary indoors this winter, and make Mother Nature your new Best Friend!!

The genesis of Burn Bliss came about in a very organic way. I wanted to infuse my love of mind body strength training with the power of hear t pumping cardio…..but MOST of all , I wanted to give my clients a format that would be safe, fun & effective , and would CELEBRATE the joy of movement! In teaching yoga and core classes for many years, and I absolutely fell in love with the connection of breath to movement , the balance of mind to body , and the combination of strength and flexibility. I was noticing , however , that people ALSO wanted more traditional cardio work to round out their practice , and would usually seek it out in the mundane & time – consuming form of hours on a treadmill or elliptical machine . I just knew there was a better way!! A way to bring the connection of BREATH and presence of mind to cardio work, rather than disconnecting by slapping on a pair of headphones and mindlessly struggling a long on a machine. Also… let’s get practical!! We are all incredibly busy, and don’t have time to take a 90 minute yoga class then head to a gym for more hours of work . I wanted to create a discipline that would balance absolutely EVERYTHING we could ever want or need in a 60 minute class!

I envisioned a unique format of “mind-body interval training” for optimal efficiency & fat – burn! I se t my mind (and heart) to work… finding all the BEST moves from my background in yoga, pilates, dance , martial arts , core work , fitness , and sports….. seamlessly inter twining these disciplines in to the ultimate JOY of MOVEMENT workout!!

And Voila! Burn Bliss was born! In addition to scorching calories, streamlining the body, and building lean muscle, Burn Bliss also boosts the metabolicrate, improves bone density, and focuses on creating length & suppleness in the spine, which keeps us youthful & vibrant! Burn Bliss also tones the core, protects the back, & strengthens the

connective tissue that supports our joints. Perhaps BEST of all… Burn Bliss (and my style of coaching in general) encourages people to BE PRESENT and ENJOY the moment… to “move like themselves” and cultivate individuality & a pro found belief in the “power within”. The class was instantly a HUGE hit, debuting at the prestigious Equinox Santa Monica Club, and quickly spreading to clubs all across California. As I began teaching sold out classes to ALL kinds of people from celebrities to grandmothers, to elite Olympic athletes, I quickly realized that everyone, no matter what their fitness history, was able to work at their own individual level…. Finding both ultimate challenge (Burn), and supreme joy of movement, breath, and inner strength (Bliss). Immediately people were getting unbelievable results!! And not JUST physical results!! People were connecting radiating open hearts, vibrant minds & joyful energies!

They were literally finding their BLISS! And THAT, my friends, is the ultimate reward!