Yoga Camp Day 1- I Accept

So YOGA.

There was a time on my LDS mission that I was really stressed out. (Okay so like the whole 18 months...) But from about 9 months to 12 months, my missionary companion that I had been assigned to really loved yoga. There's a really great YouTube channel called Yoga With Adriene. This certain mission companion's mom had downloaded some of the videos from that channel and put them on a DVD, and she was given permission to use them while exercising every morning. At first, I was hesitant and would just do my thing while she did hers. But after a while, I joined sometimes, and learned how to love it. We focused a lot on cardio in my mission, so we didn't do yoga very often, but I learned that it was something I wanted include in my life.

So now here I am! I get to do as much yoga as I want!

I decided to start with the YOGA CAMP - 30 DAY HOME PRACTICE, which turned out to be a very good choice for me. I hope y'all can find some joy from taking care of yourself as well. I've found that yoga is great exercise, but also helps me feel more connected to my body, mind, and spirit. While I believe that other forms of exercise are important to have in addition to yoga, there are some serious benefits to including it into your routine.

What I absolutely LOVE about Yoga With Adriene is she has her practices organized according to what you need. For example, if I only have 15 minutes, I can still do a practice. If I need help winding down before bed, she has a playlist for that too! The possibilities are endless, I hope you check it out!

Remember to be nice to yourself!

YUMMY VEGGIE BOWLS!

   OKAY so the other day I was watching a couple of documentaries on Netflix. "Fed Up" and "Food Choices." If you ever need motivation to eat well, I highly recommend those two documentaries! I was scared straight... straight into the local Sprouts to buy some healthy food. My goal was to have as many colors in my meal as possible. This is sort of a recipe, but I didn't really measure everything exactly. In the future, I will be sure to measure out more exactly and take more pictures:)

These bowls can be made with any variety of vegetables & grains, but I used:

-Carrots

-Red onion

-Brussels sprouts

-White sweet potato (they are a thing, I promise--it was an accidental purchase, but they are pretty yummy!) (about 1/3 cup maybe?)

-Red bell pepper (1/2)

-Seeds of Change quinoa and brown rice with garlic (1 package)

-Green lentils (1/2 cup)

Step 1: cook the lentils (I used half a cup)

Step 2: Start cutting and cooking veggies

It's best to start with what will take the longest. I started with the sweet potatoes, onions and bell peppers. Then I actually microwave steamed the carrots and brussels sprouts before throwing them in with the other veggies and oil to save time. Not ideal, but I was in a rush.

Step 3: Microwave the quinoa and brown rice

Since I would be cooking it more later, I only microwaved it for 60 seconds.

Step 4: Combine grains

Put it on low heat and wait for veggies to be done. Add spices--garlic salt, salt, taco seasoning, or whatever sounds good to you!

Step 5: Forget to take pictures because your little sister is going to be late for dance and can't find her ballet shoes so you have to go find yours.

Step 6: Mix together in a medium bowl, add cilantro and lime juice.

Step 7: ENJOY!

Welcome to My Blog!: An Introduction

I recently returned from serving an 18-month mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While I was out in the foreign lands of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas (*wink wink*) I learned a lot about myself, and it was a wonderful experience. I learned how to treat others better, and see them how God sees them. I learned how to find joy in the journey and how to choose happiness! There was one thing I learned that I was not expecting--but I was SO blessed to learn it. I learned that our bodies are truly gifts from our Heavenly Father. That being said, when we treat our bodies with love, it increases our spirituality and overall happiness.

"Health" is such a broad term, and I understand that it means something different for every single person on this earth. Now that I am home, I have a new world of possibilities concerning what I can do to help my body to be happy. This blog was created for the purpose of documenting my journey, while perhaps helping and encouraging others who are bogged down by the overwhelming magnitude of the many options for health in the world. The plan is just to take it one day at a time. Hopefully this blog will increase my feeling of accountability as well :)

HAPPY HEALTHING!,
Kiara