Welcome to my Lolë Podcast of Mommies-to-be fitness!  My name is Nikki Atzori and I am a certified Personal Trainer and Zumba Instructor.  As you can see I am pregnant but that hasn’t stopped me from staying fit!!  In my PODCASTS you can expect to do some light strength exercises done on a  yoga mat and a chair.  The cardio exercises will incorporate my favorite fitness program…. Zumba!  Zumba is a latin inspired dance program which will have you salsa’ing and doing some Bollywood inspired moves!

In this clip Nikki will guide you through an abdominal breathing exercise with a cat pose stretch.

Some benefits of exercising while pregnant include maintaining muscle tone and cardiovascular fitness, reducing the risk of developing gestational diabetes and preventing excess weight gain.   For me staying in shape while pregnant helps me strengthening the muscles needed for labor and delivery, which can ease delivery and labor time!

1- Stay Longer

Instead of taking multiple vacations throughout the year, which result in several different car trips, plane flights or train rides, save up your vacation days and take one long luxurious trip to a single destination. Or, if you want to go to more than one location, you can figure out the most efficient way to travel between each destination on your extended trip. Not only saving energy and money when it comes to travel costs, but you will also come home feeling more rejuvenated than if you had traveled for just a few days.

2- Relax

Sometimes by trying to pack too much into a vacation we can make them feel more hectic than work. Relaxing is not only good for your body, but good for the environment. Instead of running all over town trying to visit every sight in the guidebook. Schedule a few days to just stay put, get a massage, read a book, or take a nap.

3- Unplug

It is hard to really enjoy your vacation if you are constantly checking your cell phone or i-pad. Take this opportunity to unplug from your mobile device. You will save energy by not constantly charging the electronics. If you know you will be tempted, then sometimes it is best to leave technology at home. Most hotels and resorts have a business area that you can use if you absolutely have to check-in.

4- Experience More

After a trip to Africa, I came home bragging to a friend about the beautiful handmade scarf that I purchased. Then she pointed out it had a made in China tag on it. As much as we love souvenirs, sometimes it is better to purchase services than goods. A lot of gift shop paraphernalia is not made locally and is shipped in to your vacation spot. If you purchase a guided hike, hot balloon ride, or spa treatment, you will not only create a wonderful memory, but you will also support local individuals. After all, a few pictures weigh a lot less than a suitcase full of novelties.

5- Be Authentic

If you are searching for the perfect gift on your retreat, or you want to experience regional food, then ask at your lodging where you can go to find the best local products. You can also research online (before you leave) whether or not restaurants use local produce and perhaps find a farmer’s market or bazaar that features local craftsman? Perhaps there is something unique to the region such as a local vineyard or microbrewery that you cannot experience anywhere else. Remember anything that is shipped into the region consumes energy – and can probably be enjoyed back at home.

Ces jours-ci, je travaille très fort sur mon prochain livre de recettes, mon cinquième. Il partira sous presse dans quelques semaines et c’est très excitant ! En attendant, je vous propose une recette en primeur : un couscous citronné aux crevettes. C’est frais, c’est coloré et c’est parfait pour les belles journées qui commencent à se pointer le bout du nez.

Écrire un livre est un vrai travail d’endurance. Ça fait plus d’un an que je développe, test, goûte, reteste et rédige mes recettes. Ensuite vient le temps de prendre en photo de chaque recette, de travailler la maquette des pages intérieures, de rédiger les textes complémentaires, de travailler la page couverture, de réviser les épreuves… Bref, chaque étape est excitante et me rapproche du résultat final. J’ai très hâte de pouvoir tenir ce nouveau livre entre mes mains, et j’ai surtout hâte de vous le présenter.

À bientôt !

Geneviève

P.S. Ne me demandez pas sur quoi portera mon prochain livre, c’est encore un secret ! Motus et bouche cousue… vous devrez patienter jusqu’à l’automne !

RECETTE

Couscous citronné aux crevettes

Par Geneviève O’Gleman Dt.P. Nutritionniste

4 portions | Préparation : 15 min | Cuisson : 10 min

375 ml (1 1/2 tasse) d’eau bouillante

250 ml (1 tasse) de semoule de blé entier (couscous)

2 branches de céleri en petits dés

1/2 poivron rouge en petits dés

1/2 poivron jaune en petits dés

2 oignons verts hachés (parties verte et blanche)

125 ml (1/2 tasse) de basilic frais haché

450 g (1 lb) de crevettes nordiques cuites

Zeste et jus de 1 citron

30 ml (2 c. à soupe) d’huile d’olive

Poivre du moulin et sel

1. Dans un grand bol, verser l’eau bouillante sur le couscous et laisser reposer 10 minutes.
2. Pendant ce temps, couper et préparer le reste des ingrédients.
3. Lorsque le couscous est gonflé, ajouter les crevettes surgelées, le zeste et le jus de citron, l’huile, poivrer généreusement et ajouter une pincée de sel. Mélanger pour permettre au couscous de tiédir.
4. Ne pas ajouter les légumes si le couscous est encore chaud, ils seront mous à l’heure du lunch.
5. Lorsque le couscous est tempéré, ajouter le reste des ingrédients, mélanger et servir.

© Geneviève O’Gleman 2012

Crédit photo : Sophie Carrière

Hi, I am Laura Warf, the Lifestyle and Community Manager with Lolë. We would like to help make your next yoga practice more enjoyable by offering some helpful tips to some of the most popular poses. In this next series of videos, join me to learn how to safely and effectively move in and out of some of the most widely recognized postures. Today I will address Downward Dog -Adho Mukha Svanasana-.

Some Benefits of Downward facing dog:

Benefits
•    Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression
•    Energizes the body
•    Stretches the shoulders, hamstrings, calves, arches, and hands
•    Strengthens the arms and legs
•    Improves digestion
•    Relieves headache, insomnia, back pain, and fatigue
Cautions
•    Carpal tunnel syndrome
•    Pregnancy, do not do this pose late-term.
•    High blood pressure or headache: support your head on a bolster or block, ears level between the arms

•    The true Master resides within. The best advice is to listen to your body and the signals it gives you.

Do you have a passion? A dream to do something great that you love? In some way we all do. In my case, it is music. It wasn’t until the summer of 2011 late July that I wondered where this dream came from. When was I first inspired to play and sing my song to the world?

I was sitting inside an open-mic night in Reno, Nevada living out of a back pack and of course rocking the little bar off the street known as the “Strega.” As soon as I was done playing, singing, and dancing my feet off, I stepped out for some air and a drink. The owner of the bar was standing outside and we struck up a conversation about

the music. He asked me something I had never been asked before,  “So when do you first remember really hearing and seeing music, and feeling inspired by it?” My response was instantly, “ I have always heard melodies and since I was a baby I have always been around music.”  However I thought to myself, when was my first memory of really being affected by music? Baffled by the thought I looked up at the stars and it all flooded back.

There I was, barley two years old and sitting on my mother’s lap watching my very first music video on MTV.  I had no idea that something people carelessly see every day was about to affect me forever and change my life. The video was “Give it away” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, one of their grooviest jams; it sent all 20 pounds of my extremely energetic body flying all over the house. At this age my memories aren’t clear yet this moment in time stands out to me for two reasons. First, this was the first time I heard music and actually saw how it was made. What was that many-stringed thing in Flea’s (the bass player) hand?! How were they having that much fun?!

Their funky beats and bass lines had sent my little legs dancing all over the house, and into the freshly mopped kitchen, with socks on, which brings me to the second reason why this day was memorable> It just so happened to be the first time I learned the lesson that socks on a clean kitchen floor can only be bad news and after hitting my tiny little head on the kitchen table you can bet I put a memo in my book of safety guidelines. Having the energy of twelve kids packed into one was already a bit challenging for a single mother and in that moment you can imagine that force was tripled. However, after all the hype of a two year old boy crying with a hurt noggin, my mother, a well known classic rock radio Dj and with a deep passion for music, turned on a calm Led Zeppelin song and sat me back on the couch. I seem to recall her explaining softly to me the power of music and how it can help you to dance and have fun, as well as calm you and offer comfort when you are sad. I simply looked up at my mom and said “Sounds like magic mum.” I now feel as if something changed in me that day. That night, as I drifted slowly into sleep, my little dreams were filled with images of me playing on the stage in my heart.

As I faded back into that moment outside the bar I recognized a feeling I hadn’t felt since that day as a kid. A feeling that anything is possible. It was nice to be reminded of such a time with the help of nothing but a question from a stranger. We finished our drinks and I walked “home” for the night. To a warm patch of grass under a bridge in town, I fell asleep singing “Give it away, Give it away, Give it away now.”