The Fit Girl's Kitchen

Some of you may have heard, but I am hosting a Yoga Retreat in France this May! This is one of those incredible right place-right time, listen to your heart opportunities that kind of fell into my lap last year. And I've been given the opportunity to share it with YOU.


This retreat will take place May 21 - 28th at the beautiful Chateau Bardouly in the Dordogne region of France (i.e. wine country, castles, rolling hills and breathtaking beauty). This 400 year old chateau was built in the reign of Henry IV and has been restored into one of the most beautiful homes I have ever seen.

I had the opportunity to spend a long weekend at Bardouly with the owners and some other wonderful people last October, and it felt like I was living in Downton Abbey.

THE CHATEAU

The drive up to the estate is breathtaking, surrounded by large trees and nearby vineyards. Each room is meticulously decorated, the large windows open into a serene garden and we enjoyed pre-dinner cocktails in the parlor room each night before dinner.

CUISINE

And the food. THE FOOD. This is true farm-to-table. The caterer Bardouly uses is the most delightful woman who picks food from her garden and the local farms each day to prepare insanely delectable dishes every night. I ate SO much while I was there, and didn't gain a single pound. You can truly taste the quality of the food, the freshness. the wine...it's honestly my version of heaven.

Which is why I am so excited to host a retreat here in May!

YOGA LIFESTYLE

This retreat will not be about traditional cleansing, detoxing and deprivation. This retreat is about enjoying LIFE.

Loving our bodies, taking care of our souls and feeding ourselves inside and out. We will detox the mind of negative thoughts. We will cleanse ourselves of feeling guilty for having dessert. We will deprive ourselves of the mayhem and chaos of city life for a serene, relaxing week in the French Countryside.




Bardouly played host to last year's YTT for Yoga Works, and has recently partnered with The Travel Yogi (one of my sponsors!) to host yoga retreats beginning this year.*

*My 2016 Bardouly retreat is not affiliated with The Travel Yogi, as I am working privately with the owners.

ITINERARY

Each day will begin with tea, fruit and coffee, followed by a morning meditation + yoga class either in the gorgeous studio or brand new outdoor yoga deck.

After yoga, enjoy a fresh and local breakfast and then excursion of your choice:

• Day trip to famous Issigeac market
• Bike to a nearby French town (which are the most adorable places I've ever seen, we will be providing bikes!)
• Shopping and foie gras sampling in Bergerac
• Wine tasting at a local vineyard
• Canoeing on the Dordogne River
• Strolling the French Countryside
• Chill by the pool
• Trip to The Hanging Gardens of Marqueyssac 
• Visit to The Caves of Lascaux  

Our afternoons will have an optional yoga workshop or restorative practice (napping is also welcomed and encouraged!), followed by cocktails in the parlor and the freshest farm-to-table dinner you've ever had. Every single night.

It honestly sounds like a dream and I thought I was in one while I was there. But it exists, it's real and because I am working directly with the owners, I'm able to offer this trip at a fraction of the cost that is available on most yoga retreats.

DATES:

May 21 - 28, 2016

PRICING: 

Double Occupancy : $1,250 pp
Single Occupancy :$1,790 pp

*Price increase after March 1, 2016 ($200). $500 non refundable deposit to hold your place.

Price includes:

• 7 nights accommodation 
• All meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks) 
• Special wine tasting evening 
• Guided hikes 
• All taxes 
• Twice daily yoga with Kat 
• Not included: airfare, airport/train station transfers, additional excursions, gratuities

I honestly don't think I could find accommodations in Europe anywhere close to this for that price, especially ones that include food and wine! And we get to practice yoga together every day too.

So come join me! I only have a few spots left, so please email me if you are interested or have any questions - kat@fitgirlwellness.com. This will truly be the experience of a lifetime!

HUGE thank you to the owners of Bardouly for hosting me and offering this experience - you can see more on their website http://bardouly.com/ and learn more about my retreat here - Yoga at Bardouly.

I have a really hard time waking up in the morning - I'm a night owl. Give me a snooze button and I'll hit it 10 times before I get my buns out of bed. Now that we are getting into shorter days (and DARK mornings!) I'm trying everything I can to get my day off on the right foot (pun intended).


If you saw my instagram post yesterday about this AH-mazing light therapy wake-up light from Philips, it is my favorite way to come out of a restful sleep. I will honestly say I wake up feeling less groggy and is much less jarring than the scary alarm tones on my phone. (I also sleep with my phone downstairs now).

I also like to meditate first thing when I wake up - the mind is open, and it's a great way to start your day off with intention. But something was missing in between waking up and getting into a comfortable seat...movement.


Today I'm partnering with Casper mattress (aka "a bed that loves you back") and sharing some easy yoga poses you can do right from the comfort of your very own bed, in your very own pajamas, and in between snooze buttons if you so desire.

These yoga poses take us into a yin style, or more restorative style of yoga. They are great for getting the respiratory and circulatory systems going, and are nicer on your body than doing the underwear shuffle to the bathroom and using a hot shower to wake up.

AM Yoga Routine

1. Knees to Chest

Begin by bringing your knees into your chest. Gently roll a little side to side, massaging the spine. Hands can come onto the knees to help make some circles as you gently start to wake up the hips. Begin to deepen the breath, drawing long inhales in through the nose, exhaling out through the nose. See if you can extend the breath for a count of five in and out. Hold for at least 10 breaths.

2. Supine Twist

On an exhale, take the knees across the body and let them comfortably rest on your bed. Your opposite arm can extend long, and your gaze can go over that arm if it is ok with your neck. Legs can also be extended. Hold for 5-10 breaths and switch.

3. Reclined Bound Angle Pose (Goddess pose)

Bring the knees back into your chest and bring your heels together. Gently let the knees open toward your bed. Keep your tailbone extended toward the end of the bed. Bring one hand to heart and the other to your belly if you want to feel the breath and feel more centered.

This pose can also be taken with a pillow underneath the back for support.

4. Supported Fish Pose

Take a pillow and place it horizontally beneath the upper middle of your back, where your shoulderblades come together. Knees can be bent, or legs can extend long out in front of you. Allow your head to fall back and throat to open. Allow your shoulders to fall back and the chest to open.

You may feel a bit more constricted on breath here. Focus on opening up the throat (5th chakra) and not fighting it.

5. Legs up the bed

Slide your elbows to your sides and remove the pillow. Turn yourself toward your headboard or wall behind your bed and reach the feet up toward the ceiling. A pillow can be placed under your back/bum for additional support. Relax - this pose reverses the bloodflow and is FANTASTIC for people with lower back issues.

6. Supported Forward Fold

Now this is going to feel amazing. Take your pillow and put it lengthwise down your legs. Allow your body to GENTLY fold forward. Ease yourself into the pose, letting your hands fall wherever they do naturally* (my hands to not naturally reach my toes on first try in the AM).

Rest your head on your arms, the pillow or even bring one cheek to the pillow to allow your body to melt into the fold. You will be shocked how much deeper you start to go by just relaxing. Hold for at least 10 breaths.

7. Seated Twist

Slowly lift yourself out of your fold and come to a comfortable seat. Inhale both arms up overhead, and on your exhale twist to your left, bringing your right hand across to your opposite knee. Use your back arm to support the twist, growing taller on your inhales, twisting a little deeper on your exhales.

Inhale the arms back through center and repeat on the second side.

8. Breathe/Meditate

Now the only other thing you will need to complete your morning poses is a supportive bed! You'll notice right away if your mattress is unsupportive or sinking a towards the middle. The right one has just the right sink, and just the right bounce.

If you realize you may be in the market to replace yours, check these guys out. Casper mattress has a unique one-model-fits-all design that ships in a box - right to your door. Old house with narrow doorways? No prob. Tiny walk up apartment in Manhattan? Casper offers same day NYC delivery and is ready to rock in 60 seconds.

Sounds pretty zen to me.

Tee - Spiritual Gangster / Elephant Tattoo - Flash Tattoos / Bedding - Gilt Home

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We're coming to the end of the final week of the #fiveorless challenge with Tartan & Sequins, and this last chapter is all about creating balance.


If you have played around with switching up your shopping routine, you already know that it's not sustainable - or realistic - to eat 100% clean all of the time. The key is to find the balance that works for you and your body. I'm still figuring mine out!

Case in point, as I wrap up this weekend, I had a little bit of a food hangover today. I ate some stuff that I know my body doesn't tolerate (red onions, hummus, white bread, LOADS of sugar) and I basically spent most of Sunday feeling like garbage.

I put it in my body, I knew what was going to happen. But I enjoyed eating every morsel of that sourdough.

Noticing the Change

If you have REALLY stuck with the challenge, you will have noticed by now how absolutely freaking fantastic you feel NOT eating processed stuff - and how shitty you feel when you do eat it.

Despite how this may be received, I'm going to do an alcohol analogy here...


Basically, think of processed food as you would booze. Tasty going in, wicked waking up the next day. Because alcohol is toxic to the body. Your body doesn't know what to do with it, so your liver, stomach, organs, heart, brain, everything have to work overtime to rid the body of this foreign substance. It can't use it to nourish the body - because there is no nutritional content.

Processed food = same as alcohol

You know what a hangover feels like. You feel off. Fatigued. Foggy brain. This is how you will begin to feel when you eat clean all of the time and then overindulge in processed junk.


The alternative - feeling a little bit shitty every single day. Think about it - if you put a small but substantial amount of alcohol in your system every single day, you will always be a *little bit intoxicated*. You may not feel TERRIBLE, and you also may not even be aware that anything is wrong. This is just how you are - sometimes tired, a little cloudy, bloated sort of, but still operating on 90%.

If you were to remove alcohol completely from this scenario and allow the body to completely detox itself back to square one, you would notice the difference - Energy, clarity, lightness, operating 110%.

This is why people who do cleanses and detoxes talk about how freaking amazing they felt on them. Because you get a taste of what it feels like to not put shitty fuel in your gas tank.

The Fuel You Choose Matters

Our bodies are machines. Meat suits. They need top grade fuel to perform at 100%. You can cheap out and put the crappy gas in your car all you want, but just don't expect it to operate at the highest level.

When you eat food with chemicals and preservatives that have been added in to increase shelf life/make those soybeans taste more appealing, you are putting junk in your trunk.



I wasn't able to identify my intolerances to things like red onions or hummus (tahini, garlic, chickpeas are all my enemies right now) until I started eating real food all of the time. I was just always somewhat bloated and foggy in the morning. I had a "sensitive stomach."

When I removed the garbage, I was able to pinpoint VERY specific ingredients in things I ate and made for myself and how they affected my body. I can avoid them, when possible. Prepare to feel a little "hungover" when not possible.


But this is all a choice.

How to Begin

Ready to not feel sort of crappy all of the time? Follow the #fiveorless challenge. You didn't miss anything, here it is again:

• Week 1 - Mind your labels 
• Week 2 - Pantry purge 
• Week 3 - Cook 
• Week 4 - Find your balance 

I'm also here for support 1x1 as a health coach with any questions or guidance you may need. I've done this myself - it's a journey. Not an overnight fix. It's a lifestyle change but it's FREE - no points, no crazy cookbooks. Just eat real food.

My friend Heather has a beautiful blog - eatrealfoodnyc - completely dedicated to this topic, full of delicious recipes and other clean eating inspiration. Check it out and follow her on instagram for daily inspo.

(Pssst - the word is out. I'll be joining Heather in hosting a balanced lifestyle retreat at her newly renovated house in East Hampton in Spring 2015! For more information on The Treehouse, sign up for her newsletter here.)

Clean Eating Love

A huge thank you to my other blogger partner in crime for her help in making this campaign a reality. If you haven't read Julia's take on her month-long #fiveorless journey, check it out here on Tartan & Sequins.


We know it’s not realistic to eliminate all processed foods completely from your diet. So the question becomes, what is the ideal balance for YOUR body? You are the only one who can answer that.

xo,
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I had the amazing opportunity this past weekend to participate as a vendor at Bright Pink's signature fundraising event, FabFest 2014.



I participated as a fundraiser in the all-day fitness event last year, and really loved the organization's passion and goal of enlightening and empowering young women to be proactive with their breast and ovarian health.

The team I worked with was exceptional, the energy at the event SO powerful, I was still vibing on it all day yesterday. Everyone who participated was affected in some way either personally or had a loved one affected by breast or ovarian cancer. These women came to sweat, support each other, and educate themselves on how to better detect and prevent these diseases from happening.

What is Bright Pink?

I LOVE this organization because Bright Pink is the only national NPO focusing on the prevention and early detection of breast and ovarian cancer in young women, while providing support for high-risk individuals.

They have amazing outreach and education programs for both women and medical affiliates, including some fantastic resources on their website.

Check out Tools to Be Proactive and take a quiz to determine your Risk Assessment for Ovarian and Breast Cancer here >>



I just took mine and was excited to see all of the great resources throughout the quiz that enforced healthy diet and lifestyle - including specific cancer fighting foods and nutrients like Vitamins D, A and E for breast and ovarian cancer specifically.

I also really like their approach of encouraging women to speak up if they don't feel their issues are being evaluated enough or to demand more information from their doctors. Read more about Bright Pink here...

What is FabFest?

FabFest is Bright Pink’s signature mission focused fundraiser where hundreds of women gather for a day of fitness activities, wellness seminars, life-saving breast and ovarian health education and more. It's kind of like a race or marathon (sponsors, donations, fundraising) but instead of running a 5k, these ladies came in for a full day of getting their sweat on with yoga, barre, pound and other signature fitness classes from Chicago's creme de la creme of instructors.

Image courtesy of Bright Pink's FB page

This year, Bright Pink tapped renowned yogi Kathryn Budig to headline the event with a special Aim True practice to kick off the day.

She shared that one of her close friends had just been diagnosed with breast cancer in the last few weeks. It's scary - it's terrifying - she said. But we have to move past the fear, and onto the fight and being positive that this can be beaten.



Kathryn is truly an inspirational speaker, talented yogi and just all around authentic and genuine person. Take a class of hers on Yoga Glo and you'll see what I mean.

My Experience

So what the heck was I doing there? Great question. In addition to fitness classes, the event also offered other wellness services - everything from bra fitting to nail painting, hair braiding to psychic readings - including goal coaching sessions.

I attended under my new venture, FitGirl Wellness which is my offshoot for health coaching & yoga from this blog, the Fit Girl's Kitchen ;)



I am no stranger to tradeshows, setting up booths, working the room and putting together print materials. When I left my last company, I did a little dance. No more conferences! No more booth setup and teardown! I truly never thought in a million years I'd be rolling out another sign.

Six months. Apparently some weird part of me missed it.

I posted this on my instagram account that morning, because it took the words right out of my mouth:


I had such a rewarding experience talking to many of the participants there, meeting other instructors and learning a little bit more about myself and what I want for this new venture.

My booth offered a goal setting exercise designed by IIN called the "Circle of Life" - in which you rate your level of satisfaction on different areas of your life under topics of career, physical wellness, relationships and spirituality.


I had so many inspiring conversations with people regarding career aspirations, cooking, and my favorite being one woman who began our conversation with her guard totally up. She rated her career success - high powered finance field - as very satisfactory. Joy, creativity - low.

I asked her what made her feel creative, what made her feel alive - and she brightened. "You know, every day after work, I used to come home and play the piano for 20 minutes. And that brought me such happiness."

There's one of your goals, I told her. You don't have to do it EVERY day, but try 3 days after work each week, I will play the piano for 20 minutes.

"I'm going home after this and that's the first thing I'm going to do!" she said. She thanked me and floated away smiling.

And that to me is everything.

Thank You

A huge thank you to Bright Pink for allowing me to join the event as a vendor this year! Follow them on Facebook and Instagram for their latest activities or for more details on how to get involved.


Donations are still being accepted for FabFest 2014 until October 7th if you are so inspired to contribute. (My girls from Jugs & Kisses are currently in 2nd place so you can help them out here or donate to the overall campaign here.)

And now, onto the next adventure...

xo,

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