fithiphealthy

LAUREN'S PEP! SMOOTHIE.

 

Ah, sleepless nights.  Mars is teething and instead of relying on excess amounts of caffeine, I turned to my Vitamix and created a peppy, green beauty.  This green smoothie is filling (high fiber and 3.5 grams of protein just from the chard alone) revvs your metabolism, stabilizes blood sugar via Chard, curbs the appetite and energizes thanks to black tea, guarana and Maca (No need for coffee!).   It's fresh, sweet and slightly peppery so adjust your pink pepper to taste.  Enjoy! 

Images via Lauren

LITHE LOVE.

DEAR LITHE {LOVE LETTERS}.

Dear Lauren,

I recently celebrated my six month "Lithe Anniversary" and wanted to share this photo with you, along with a Lithe Love Letter!  I really want to Thank You and all the amazing Lithe Instructors for such an inspiring, effective, and transformative program! 

I began Lithing in May as a way to get in shape for my wedding.  I've been doing yoga for years and love it but I wasn't getting the workout I needed to see results and tone up.  I've never considered myself a "gym person" so I was looking for a program I could get into and stick with.  Lithe has been more than I ever expected!  Not only are the workouts fun, but they leave you craving more.  It didn't take long for me to see muscles I never even knew I had!  Every week as I checked off classes in my Lithe passport, I gained a new confidence knowing that I was working so hard to reach my goal. 

I lost almost ten pounds leading up to the big day.  My arms looked well-defined and most of all I felt great.  I'm continuing to take classes and it's rewarding to know that I'm doing something so good for myself.  Lithe really is a community – of amazing, inspired women!  And I feel fortunate to be a part of it.  Thanks for creating and running such a wonderful program!  Best of luck as you continue to expand your business.  And much appreciation to you, the amazing Lithe staff, and fellow Lithers everywhere!

Jackie

Image of Lither, Jackie N. via Jackie

LOVING (VALENTINE'S DAY)!

Pastures of Heaven Rose Confiture (coming to Lithe soon!), my slimming smoothie (I'll share the recipe tomorrow), a sneak peak at my husband's light box furniture and the way that Lithe's leather leggings crackle with age.

Images via Lauren's Canon Rebel EOS

"THE RULES"

for beginning a new romance with a mysterious stranger

Thanks to Hallmark, February is associated with a very commercial, “ready to buy” idea of love. Like “diets,” boxes of chocolate and tacky lingerie promise a simple and cheap solution to a process that takes time and care.  Too often, these solutions seem like a sarcastic or cruel commentary on what they are actually supposed to represent. 

This Valentine’s Day, dump the lazy, cheap, and thoughtless boyfriend of mass-marketed foods and beauty ideals. A mysterious stranger and a new and exhilarating romance are waiting for you. This dashing prospect is your current health goal. A charming date leans in and listens closely. Do the same to your goal. Read between the lines as you would with post-date and follow-up text messages. What does “I want to lose 15 pounds” really mean? What is different about the version of me who accomplishes this task? What does our life look like together?

Have a flirty first journal date with this question. Take it slow. Making this process into yet another crash diet is like sex on the first “date”: fatal to the relationship. Like a Lithe challenge or earning 30 lunge stamina, exploring, questioning, and deciphering your wellness and weight-loss goal takes time and dedication. And, your efforts are rewarded with lasting gifts that go beyond a smaller and tighter body. The more you listen, the more sensational the love affair with yourself and life, year round. Hallmark and Godiva can never compete with that.

Ali Shapiro is a 20-year cancer survivor and regular NBC Philadelphia contributor. Her Truce with Food program, which simplifies and revolutionizes your nutrition goals, begins March 6. Details and sign-up at http://alishapiro.com/group-programs.

Image of Ali Shapiro via Ali and Lithe Instructors, Krista DeNofa & Melissa Weinberg via Dom

DEAR LITHE {LOVE LETTERS}.

 

Dear Lithe,

I always get a little teary-eyed when January turns into February. I remember Feburary 2009 and how I decided to spend a month focusing on getting healthy.

As I planned the project, I thought it meant I would work out nonstop, barely eat, and just drop pounds and pounds of fat and then go on with my life.

When I thought about loosing weight, I believed that it was okay for me to hate my body. I believed that it was okay for everyone else to hate my body and me. I was just one big ball of hate towards my body and I thought that was how I was supposed to see myself.

I signed up for the Lithe immersion.

I thought it was just to lose weight.

Instead, three years later, I have found myself.

It is never okay to hate my body, or expect my body to be hated. It could weigh 1000 pounds and still would deserve respect and love.

It's not about the numbers on the scale.

It's not about the size of the jeans.

Instead, I learned it is about lunging through a workout.

It's about smiling even on tough days.

It's knowing that health is really a super long marathon.

So, three years, thousands of crunches, lunges, sumos, learning to run, and completing races later, I am happy and Lithestrong.

Right now, I am in the middle of a job search and I know deep in my heart that the confidence and support I gained through Lithe will carry me through any challenge.

Lithe is amazing. Not because I lost a lot of weight.  Not because I kept off most of the weight. Not because its totally cool and hip.

Lithe is amazing because it is a space that is positive without being preachy.  It's shows a new way forward as long as you show up and work hard.

 

So, again, as I enter a new year of being healthy, I am thankful to be able to pause and send a love letter to Lithe. 

Hope to see you all in the studio on my next visit.

Melissa B

BRING BACK THE BAGS!

So many of you have asked about recylcling your meal plan bags.  Yes, please do!  Feel free to bring your large, Lithe Cooler bag and small blue bag back to us.  Just drop them off at the front desk and we'll deliver them back to the kitchen.  Thanks!  P.S.  Don't forget to recycle your plastic! 

Image of Lithe's Detox Meal Plan via Stuart Goldenberg 

PAIGE'S RETREAT!

 

While I finish planning out the details of our next Lithe Escape, I'm heading out of town to one of my favorite places in the world (Jake's, Treasure Beach, Jamaica) to spend some time with some of my favorite people at Paige Chapman's Jamaican Yoga Getaway.

Think: Yoga, spa treatments, delicious food from Jamaica's bread basket, snorkeling, quiet nights, ocean breezes, sunshine and salt air.  There are a few spots left. Who wants to come with?  April 19th-23rd.  If we overfill Jake's we can stay at the beautiful Hope House!

Download Info Sheet

Rates:

$1400 shared room

$1600 single

Images from last years retreat at Jake's via Paige

LIGHTER LITHE QUICHE.

Have you tried our newest, lighter quiche?  We've cut the potato crust in half (and the carbs!).  It's SO light and airy you won't believe it's not the real deal.  I'm addicted!  Add in a basic green smoothie or Lithe Greenie for a perfect breakfast!  Ingredients: egg, potato, kale, mushroom, onion, whole wheat pastry flour, extra virgin olive oil, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, water, salt, pepper, oregano   166  Calories, 7g Fat, 15g Carbs, 10g Protein  Price:  $6

Image of Lithe's lighter quiche via Lauren

LITHE'S HORCHATA!

Horchata is typically a rice-based Mexican (or Spanish) milky drink made with rice, condensed milk, cinnamon and a boat load of sugar.  Folklore says that Horchata is the drink of the gods and our Horchata gives you that heavenly flavor and all the ritz without putting an ounce on your hips. Shake it up!  Ingredients:  Almond Milk, Tofu, Agave, Almond Extract   223 Calories, 9g Fat, 26g Carbs, 12g Protein  Price:  $7