Set Higher Standards by YogiRavi

Starting tomorrow morning I will be embarking on a 30-Day Raw Food Challenge. I’ve done the raw food thing before, most recently as part of a 3-day fruit feast and also for a few months last year as well.

The issue is, last year I wasn’t 100% raw, I did cooked food meals now and then – usually at dinner time. I also wasn’t nearly as educated in terms of what to eat, and such ended up not eating enough calories or nutrient dense superfoods (like goji berries, cacao, maca root, acai, etc.).

This time I am more educated, more motivated and have experience at my side from past successful and not-so-successful experiments with my diet.

I’ll also note a few of the reasons why I am doing this challenge. At the end of the day, I am a big believer that the motivations for doing something are the true driving force for any positive and lasting change.

So why am I doing this 30-day Raw Food Challenge?

1. There are numerous studies and articles that point to raw or mostly raw food diets as a key factor in positively impacting overall human health and longevity.
2. I personally know several raw foodists that are not only surviving, but thriving on a raw food diet.
3. During my last raw food experiment, while I had some breakthrough and positive experiences – right now I am much more well-informed and better prepared to not fall into some of the traps/issues I ran into last time.
4. Primarily raw and water-rich foods are important factors in helping the body naturally cleanse and detoxify.
5. My diet right now features a high percentage of raw foods – about 30-50% on most days. Moving to 100% will be a big challenge but is doable – and will help me dislodge some unhealthy eating habits that I have developed lately (eating too late, eating fried foods, eating too large meals, etc.).
6. During past experiences with fasting or eating raw foods, I experienced a profound heightened sense of mental performance and a deeper ability to meditate and connect to the present moment. I am interested to see how the 30-Day Raw Food Challenge impacts my meditation practice.
7. I am curious to see how my yoga practice is impacted through a Raw Food diet. In past experiences, I’ve noticed increased flexibility and a higher strength-to-weight ratio when eating a raw or mostly raw diet.

For reference, my current body weight is 142.0lbs and body fat is 11% (as measured by a Tanita-brand body fat measurement scale). I’ll be tracking this throughout the challenge.

So there it is. The journey starts tomorrow. If you have walked down this path before and have any tips, please do share in the comments! If you are willing to take this journey with me (even for a few days, a week or the full month) – that would be cool as well!

People ask me all the time about what I eat (since I am Vegan) and what kind of smoothies I drink and why. Most people ask me these questions because they want to loose a few pounds or gain some strength, but in almost all cases I think the real motivation for the question is something deeper.

People are really looking to have more energy to live their lives. I’m not just talking about being able to keep your eyes open during a boring meeting at work. I’m talking about having the energy to perform at a high level both in mental pursuits (working on a hard problem at work or in school) and physical pursuits (like a power yoga class!).

I thought it would be good to share my top 5 tips for energizing your life. These are things that I do on a regular basis – and they work. I think experience is the best teacher – and I have learned well

1. Avoid Caffeine. I know I know – sacrilege! Despite the supposed health benefits of drinking coffee (and even tea), the reality is that when you borrow energy you need to pay it back. This might not be what you want to hear, but it is the truth. If you are serious about energizing your body – cut the caffeine. Or (as I do right now), limit it to 1 serving in the morning.
2. Hydrate. Your body is 75% water. Your body also has 2-3x as much lymph fluid in your body as it does blood. Lymph is the watery substance in between your cells that allows nutrients to flow in and toxins to flow out of your cells. Staying well-hydrated is critical to proper energy transfer into and out of the cells. A great way to stay hydrate is not just to drink water, but to avoid dehydrating your body with caffeine, refined sugars and other highly processed (and dehydrated) foods.
3. Eat Nutrient Dense Foods. I’ve written a great post about this. In summary, you should focus on eating plenty of fresh fruits and green/bright colored veggies that have high water content and high nutrient contents on a per-calorie basis. Did you know that broccoli has more protein than steak on a per-calorie basis? The truth is sometimes surprising but it is the truth nonetheless.
4. Eliminate Refined Sugars. If it says “cane sugar,” “brown rice syrup,” “corn syrup,” or any other kind of processed sugar on the package, don’t eat it. This includes most energy bars! Your body will just experience a sugar rush and crash cycle when you consume these things. Instead, eat fresh fruits. The sugar in the fruits is processed differently by the body and they won’t cause the same spike in blood sugar. You’ll also help your body to stay hydrated.
5. Breath Properly! This is perhaps the single most effective thing you can do. I wrote a long post about the importance of proper breath work. If you are at all committed to having more energy in your days – you should read this post. Essentially, cultivate a practice of consistent and deep nasal breathing – especially under times of stress and while sleeping. It may take some practice but the benefits are well worth it.

Have any other tips to share? Please let me know in the comments!

You are what you eat.

This statement is so simple but true. I’ve written at length about the importance of eating a wholesome diet full of fresh and organic plant-based food. I’ve also written a bit about the power of an alkaline diet – a way of eating that focuses on supplying the proper nutrients to the body so it can naturally cleanse and provide you with sustainable power.

I’m really happy about today’s post, featuring an interview I recently finished with Ross Bridgeford – Co-Founder of Energise for Life, Europe’s #1 alkaline diet and nutrition store (check out his Energise Blog for more great tips!). Ross has been living the alkaline lifestyle for a while, and has a ton of great insights on how to live a healthier and more energized life.

I think you’ll find this interview incredibly informative. Enjoy!

Ross and Callum (Left to Right) – founders of Energiseforlife.com

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The deadline is quickly approaching for those of us in the United States. In preparing my taxes this year, I realized a curious little truth. There are two sets of tax rules in this country. One for the educated and another totally different set for the uneducated.

This has nothing to do with one’s actual level of schooling. It has everything to do with one’s actual understanding of the tax codes themselves. They are arcane at times, stupefying at others, but those who take the time to understand them stand to make a solid bounty every year.

This is not about trying to get out of paying one’s dues and evading fees. It is simply about being smart and not overpaying where you don’t need to.

Let me give you a personal example. I am happily employed with a great career as a Product Planning Manager at a large software company. As part of this job I incur a large tax burden – as would anyone in a professional career. I made donations to charity and have a few deductions – but nothing too extreme. However, I also pursue a passion outside of my day-job, in the form of yoga. Last year I took the step forward and actually started teaching.

As part of my journey to start teaching yoga, I applies for a business license (very easy to do) and this year I filed my taxes not only for my day-job, but also for my yoga business.

Since I am now in the business of yoga, that opens a number of doors in terms of tax savings. I am able to write-off all the yoga trainings I attend (many thousands of dollars worth in the past year), my yoga clothing, travel and meals related to my training and other books and supplies for this business. I can even write-off auto mileage incurred while traveling to teach or attend workshops and classes.

The simple fact that I took the step forward and turned what was a serious hobby into a real business with the intent to make a profit (I do get paid for teaching!) opened the doors to a huge bounty of write-offs – saving me many thousands of dollars in taxes.

You might be thinking that I probably didn’t enough from teaching yoga to exceed all those expenses. Here is where it gets interesting. You see, even though my expenses were far more than what I made as a yoga teacher this year, I am able to write off those expenses from the income from my day job! This is a really big deal – and something I would guess that most of the American public is completely unaware of.

The same could hold true if you choose to become a “professional” blogger, writer, teacher, fitness instructor, etc…..with a business license and an intent to earn a profit – you open the door to a host of tax savings by offsetting income you make through another career.

If you haven’t taken the time to study the tax code – it is well worth it: www.irs.gov.

This is a great detoxifying drink. The apple takes a bit of the bitter edge off of the Kale, without making it too sweet. It is failry thin and easy to drink down.

Recipe = 5-7 large leaves of organic Kale (with center stem removed) + 1 small organic red delicious apple + 16 ounces water + Vita-Mix! Blend on high for 30 seconds.This makes 3 tall glasses. Total calories <100.

The mixture separates pretty quickly. So drink one glass and then turn on the Vita-Mix blender (low speed) for a few seconds before pouring your next glass.

It is oh so simple but oh so good. Anywould would LOVE this. Adults, kids, people who don’t like to eat fruits and veggies, health freaks, EVERYBODY.

It looks good and tastes better. I am drinking this right now before heading to work (after teaching morning yoga practice). You don’t even need a great blender (like a Vita-Mix) to do it (though I think everything tastes better in a Vita-Mix!).

Recipe = 1/2 pint of organic strawberries + 3 medium sized organic bananas + 12-16 ounces water

Makes 3 tall glasses of smoothie goodness. About 350 calories or less. Plenty of fiber, vitamin C and other natural antioxidants. More potassium than you could ever hope for.

Who says vegan meals can’t be healthy and incredibly tasty? This is one of my dinners from a few weeks ago. My mom and sister were visiting and made this wonderful meal. You’re looking a lightly sauteed kale and rice curry, a shredded carrot – cilantro and seaweed salad, and a pumpkin and coconut soup!

Behold, the power of the Vita-Mix! I had a green smoothie after yoga class today. It consisted of one-half of a medium sized organic pineapple and 4 large leaves of dino kale. I strip the thick stem out of the kale, and just throw the dark green leaves in.

This tastes really good. The sweet and tangy-ness of the pineapple is the over-riding flavor, but the slight bitterness of the kale also comes through. What a great way to get greens into your diet!

Put the raw ingredients in the Vita-Mix + 16 ounces of water (depending on how thick you want it to be). Blend it for 60 seconds and you are good to go. It comes to about 250-300 calories in total, almost all from the fresh organic pineapple. In fact, some feel that pineapple is practically a negative calorie food due to it’s digestive enzymes, high fiber and vitamin content.

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I am a big fan of not creating problems that I will need to solve later on. I do not love cleaning, but I do enjoy a clean home. The best way I’ve found to keep my house clean is to not make it dirty or messy in the first place! This sounds incredibly intuitive and simple – and it is – but it amazes me how many people still don’t actually do it.

For example, let’s suppose the dishes pile up, the carpets get tracked with dirt, clothes are lying all over the floor, laundry is left half-dry in the dryer, food is spoiling in the fridge, receipts and mail are littered about the counter, etc.

This is quite a mess, but not out of the ordinary for the typical home every. Just think about how frusting it would be to live in this kind of environment. Cleaning once you hit this breaking point would just add another layer of frustration to the mix.

Instead, consider the following changes:

• You don’t put dishes in the sink, but directly in the dishwasher
• You slip off your shoes when you enter your home
• You have a hamper in your bedroom for all your dirty clothes, and another for the clean clothes that are yet to be folded
• You eat what is in your fridge first before dining out, and get in the habit of freezing things you know you won’t eat in a few days
• You have a shoebox for receipts, maybe a few shoeboxes if you have a home business
• You immediately throw all junk mail out before you set the mail down on your counter (and then take steps to stop junk mail for good)

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Small changes made consistently can transform your life.

We tend to think in terms of big things. Big breaks at works, losing massive amounts of weight, gaining a lot of strength, making a lot of money – we are great at thinking big and stretching ourselves to do a lot to get a lot in a short period of time. Unfortunately, consistency is often underrated.

We forget that sometimes making just incremental improvements on a regular basis will result in utter and  complete transformation of our current situation. For example:

Many people want to want to be a millionaire, and will spend a lot of time thinking about ways to get rich quick, but few will setup up a regular direct investment program that puts some percentage (however small!) of their paycheck into a savings account.

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