I know that this blog is mainly about food, but I strongly believe that a healthy lifestyle also means being active most days of the week. I have always been an active person, I did track and field most of my adolescence, and these days I try to go for a run at least every other day. I love high intensity sports like HIIT or tabata, but I have come to appreciate yoga, too. It took me a while to get used to the idea that workouts can be calming and relaxing instead of exhausting and sweaty, but now I would not want to miss my yoga workouts. Luckily I have a friend on the other side of the world, who is a talented Yoga teacher in Australia. For my first blog birthday, she brought us a relaxing Yoga frequence that everyone can do at home. 

Now on to Yara…

Yara lives in Dunsborough, Australia, where she works as a Yoga and SUP-Yoga teacher. If you live in the area and have a passion for movement and yoga, be sure to stop by UP SUP DOWN.

The World Exists To Set Us Free

Practicing Yoga is a process for being present in the moment with a lasting sense of freedom and wholeness that allows us to feel fully alive and energized.
Yoga has taught me to listen to my body and to connect the postures to the breath. The appearance of our breath is a mirror of what is going on in our body, with yoga and meditation we can learn to bring awareness to it even in stressful situations. Yoga can be beneficial to everybody as it is a practice of progress, not of attainment.

Soothing Starter

Before jumping into your favourite pose, make sure to warm up your entire body to prevent injury.

1. Come into table top, hands below shoulder blades and knees below hipbones.
2. Inhale, extend right arm and left leg away from the body.
Reach hand and foot away from the body
3. Exhale, draw elbow and knees toward each other, no need for them to touch.
Repeat 5 times.
4. Inhale, extend left arm and right leg away from the body.
Lengthen through fingertips and toes, keep hips square.
5. Exhale, draw elbow and knees toward each other, no need for them to touch
Repeat 5 times.

If you’re already an advanced Yogi, then here are some more yoga poses for you:

Marichi’s Pose – Marichyasana III
Besides stimulating the digestive system this seated twist variation massages the abdominal organs, including the liver and kidneys. While relieving mild backaches and hip pain it strengthens and stretches the spine.

Half Moon Pose – Ardha Chandrasana

This standing asana challenges ones balance but with some input it will stabilize your physical and mental focus. Learning to stay in this position for 30 seconds up to 1 minute can improve your coordination and sense of balance.

Warrior II Pose Virabhadrasana II

Practicing Virabhadrasana II will also train the warrior within and will support us in dealing with more difficult times. It will create a foundation that can help us maintain balance when life seems out of control.

Camel Pose or Ustrasana

Ustrasana is a strong pose that opens our heart chakra and makes us more open to giving and receiving love. It is also an important preparation for further more advanced backbends.

Tree Pose or Vriksasana

Balancing poses demonstrate our state of mind. Practicing to keep a steady balance increases our ability to focus and think clearly.

Thank you, Yara, for this wonderful article and those beautiful photos!

Since I do not live in a big city, my access to good Yoga classes is limited. However, I found this extremely amazing online platform called Do Yoga With Me. The platform offers hundreds of free Yoga videos for beginners, intermediate and advanced Yogis. Fiji Mc Alpine is my favorite Yoga teacher in case you want to give it a try. She just released a 14 Day Yoga Challenge, which I can highly recommend. 

The post Fitness: Yoga for a healthy mind and body appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.

There’s probably no better season to enjoy green smoothies than summer. Don’t get me wrong, I love green smoothies all year around, but I just love them especially in the summer, when everything is green and bright anyways. I also love to start my day with a big green smoothie bowl more in the summer than winter because it’s such a nice and light breakfast opposite to a rather heavy warming winter porridge bowl.
This green smoothie is especially refreshing because it uses a different kind of green leaf than most smoothies: radish leaves. If you’ve been following my blog, then you may have noticed that I am a big fan of radishes and particularly their leaves. They taste amazing in soups like this cleansing green radish soup.
Radish leaves are a great alternative to commonly used greens such as spinach or kale. They have a wonderful lemon-y taste and give smoothies something really refreshing and cleansing. You can also use them as greens in your next salad – they are unbelievably versatile.

The greens are actually the most nutritious part of the radish plant, even more nutritious than the radishes themselves. The leaves are packed with minerals such as potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, folate and vitamins such as vitamin A, C & K. They are also a great fiber source which makes them the perfect addition to green smoothies. Fiber helps slow the absorption of sugar into fruits in the green smoothie, which prevents our blood sugar level from piking fast. Thus, green radish leaves are one of the best green leaves that you can add to your smoothie. The other real superfood in this smoothie is bee pollen.

What are bee pollen?

You might have already heard of them, but some of you may be totally new to bee pollen. They are called superfoods because of their high nutrient density that results in many health benefits. The list of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids and healthy fatty acids is so long that it would take forever to write them all down. They contain the entire list of B vitamins and all 22 amino acids that your body needs to make a complete protein (think muscle building). Moreover, they are one of the rare plant-based sources of the vitamin B12 that is usually only found in dairy or meat. B12 is one of the most important vitamins for a healthy nervous system and many metabolic functions.

Pollen are the fine powder that is found on the stamen of a flower. As bees fly from one flower to another, they collect this fine powder with their little feet and store it in their concave area. Here, the pollen are mixed with bee saliva, traces of honey and digestive enzymes and then formed into bee pollen. They are the most amazing superfood of all, because they have so many health benefits that it would take forever to write them all down. Just remember that they are an absolute beauty-food for our skin, fighting signs of age and acne on our facial skin. They are also known to cure allergies such as hay fever or help relief symptoms of PMS or joint pain. This area is, however, not widely studied yet.

Note: If you’re allergic to bee or suffer from severe allergies related to pollen, then please do not eat bee pollen before consulting a physician. Please use common sense before consuming bee pollen in any way.

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There’s simply nothing better than creamy, spicy guacamole with a side of crispy crackers or yummy sweet potato fries. I could eat guacamole with anything. I  love it in my salads, on top of a veggie burger, or on my chia superfood bread or swedish crisp bread. It’s also so easy to make and the secret is that there is not secret. There are a few basic ingredients like avocado obviously and fresh lime juice but other than that you can individualize your guacamole however you like. I love adding veggies like red bell pepper and cherry tomatoes, but I guess green bell pepper or carrots might work just as well. Classic guacamole is the best dip that you can enjoy with anything, but the healthiest way is to use it as a veggie stick dip. Think carrots, celery, cucumbers, broccoli or cauliflower. Every vegetable tastes better when dipped in fresh guacamole. The Mexican dip is also really good for you as it combines only healthy ingredients. Avocados are the best plant-based source of omega-3-fatty acids you’ll find. They have awesome anti-inflammatory benefits, are packed with vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, C or K, and iron, magnesium and potassium. The fat in avocados also increases nutrient absorption of the vegetables that you enjoy it with. So the avocado actually helps the body absorb all the goodness from the red bell pepper and cherry tomatoes. If that’s not a good reason to dig in then I don’t know what is.

Ingredients:
– 4 ripe avocados
– 1 cup (150g) cherry tomatoes
– 1/2 red bell pepper
– 2 limes
– a handful of fresh coriander (cilantro)
– 1/2 red onion (optional)
– 1/2 tsp chili flakes (optional)
– 1 jalapeno (optional)
– salt

Cut the avocados in halves, remove the stones and scoop out their flesh with a spoon. Place the flesh into a bowl and mash it with a fork. Leave some avocado chunks for texture.

Then wash and dice the tomatoes (I like to cut them in quarters) and do the same with the red bell pepper. If you are using a jalepeno, then cut it into very tiny cubes. Remove the skin of the onion and finely chop it. Do the same with the coriander (cilantro).

Squeeze the limes on top of the mashed avocado, add all the other wonderful ingredients, mix it well and sprinkle with some salt.

Enjoy! 

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It’s finally summer time in Germany and I have been loving this strawberry watermelon smoothie, and soaking in some Vitamin D this week. Since it is supposed to get extremely hot at the end of the week, I just wanted to post this quick and delicious way to stay hydrated during the upcoming warm weather. Smoothies are probably the best quick energy boost you’ll find and they are such an easy way to fuel your body with some much needed vitamins and minerals.   

This strawberry and watermelon smoothie is packed with amazing goodness. It’s filled with antioxidants from the strawberries, which is why this smoothie has many anti-inflammatory properties. Strawberries also help to prevent various chronic illnesses such as heart disease or some types of cancer. With 92% water content, watermelons are one of the best hydrating fruits you’ll find. The other 8% are boosted with nutrients such as vitamin A and C, which help strengthen our immune system and simply make you feel energized and alive. You literally can’t go wrong with this smoothie – it’s the perfect health boost for the summer.

Enjoy!

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE OR HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

Feel free to leave a comment below, and don’t forget to tag your creations on social media using #heavenlynnhealthy.

I’d love for this blog to be a dialogue.

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Oh how I love these summer smoothie popsicles. They are the perfect treat in the summer because they are so packed with incredible goodness. I do not even know where to start when describing them – every single flavor tastes so heavenly, that I don’t think that anybody would not like them. When I made these, I couln’t decide on just one flavor, so I made three: blueberry acai, mango coconut and classic strawberry. They are all so refreshing and hydrating which makes them the best summer treat. The popsicles are basically frozen smoothies which is such a great way to intake your daily dosis of vitamins and nutrients in a creamy and delicious for. They also last forever when stored in the freezer so you can totally make a whole bunch of them right now and always have something exciting waiting for you at home during the next three months of hopefully warm and beautiful weather. The smoothie popsicles are also incredibly easy to make.

All you need is a semi-strong blender or food processor, the one you would normally use to make smoothies. I promise you that you won’t be disappointed in them. The only thing that I might need to add is that there’s banana in all of them. That’s because I absolutely adore banana ice-cream, and because bananas are an incredibly healthy and natural sweetener. If you don’t care so much for bananas, then you can totally leave them out by increasing the amount of blueberries, mango or strawberries. You will also need to increase the amount of coconut milk accordingly, so you get the same creaminess.

Ingredients:
Each flavor makes about 4 or 5 lollies depending on the size of your mold

Blueberry Acai:
– 1 Banana
– 1 cup (120g) of blueberries
– 1 tsp acai
– 1 tbsp water

Mango-Coconut
– 1 Mango
– ½ banana
– 4 tbsp coconut milk (the full fat kind)
– 2 tbsp water

Classic Strawberry
– 1 Banana
– 1 ½ cups of fresh strawberries
– 1 tbsp coconut milk (the full fat kind)
– 1 tbsp water

To make the smoothie lollies simply place all the ingredients for one flavor into your blender or food processor and blend until it smooth. Pour the smoothie into your popsicle or ice lolly mold* and freeze them for at least 6 hours. The great thing about this recipe is that you can enjoy left-over smoothie “dough” right from the bowl.

In order to remove the lollies from the mold, just place them under running warm water in your sink for a few seconds. They should then come off easily.

Enjoy and happy summer!

*Affiliate-Link: When you purchase the ice lolly molds through this link, I get a small reward, which will help me cover the costs for running this blog. There’s not higher cost for you when you make the purchase through this link.
xo Lynn

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Berry “Pudding” is a very traditional German dessert that is usually enjoyed in the summer when fresh berries are in season. It is a delicious dessert with a jello-like texture, which is usually served with milk or a creamy vanilla sauce. Berry  chia pudding is actually quite a healthy dish, because its main ingredient are berries, which are one of the healthiest fruits in the world. I love berries in all sorts of ways, not only because they taste amazing, but also because of their great nutritional value. Berries are extremely high in antioxidants, which safe your body from all sorts of illnesses by fighting harmful free radicals. The little fruits really are the perfect healthy snack, and strengthen your immune system with their high vitamin C content.
What makes this berry chia pudding even more nutritional are the chia seeds. The little seeds from South America are insanely good for your health. They’re loaded with healthy fiber that keeps you satisfied and energized for hours. I always add tablespoon to my oatmeal in the morning, and the energy that comes from only a handful of those tiny little seeds is amazing. Chia seeds are also highly anti-inflammatory and let your skin glow from the inside out, due to its high omega-3 fatty acids content. Of course chia seeds are also a great source of minerals such as calcium, which is crucial for strong bones, as well as iron, which is important for energy. Boosted with chia seeds, this berry chia pudding is really one of the healthiest desserts you’ll find this summer. It also shows that German food can be healthy if you want it to be. I hope you’ll love this sweet taste of my home.

Health benefits in this Berry Chia Pudding:
– calcium (important for bone, teeth, muscle and nerve health)
– fiber (important for heart health, lowers cholesterol levels)
– iron (important for healthy red blood cells that transport oxygen through your body)
– magnesium (important for a healthy nerve system, muscle health, energy production)
– omega-3-Fatty-Acids (prevents heart disease, lowers cholesterol and blood pressure)
– protein (important for a healthy metabolism, immune systems, production of enzymes)
– vitamin A (antioxidant powerhouse, anti-aging benefits, maintenance of good eye-sight)
– vitamin C (good for your immune system, tissue health)
– zinc (important for growth, skin, and a healthy immune system)

Ingredients:
For the berry pudding:
– 6 cups (about 1 kg) fresh or frozen berries
– 3 cups (300g) fresh or frozen rhubarb
– ½ cup (120ml) fresh apple or berry juice
– 4 tbsp maple syrup
– 4 tbsp chia seeds

For the vanilla almond milk:
– 1 vanilla bean
– 2 cups (500ml) of almond milk
– 1 tbsp agave

Start by washing and cutting the rhubarb into small pieces. Be sure to cut off about half an inch of the ends, as well as the green part of it as this tends to be quite sour in taste. Then add the berries, rhubarb, juice and maple syrup to a large pot and bring to a boil on medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and stir in the chia seeds. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes while continuously stirring and breaking down the berries with a fork or spoon until it has thickened and reached the desired jello-like texture.
Remove the pot from the stove and pour the berry chia pudding into a large enough bowl. Then set aside to cool.

To make the vanilla almond milk, simply slice the vanilla bean and remove the inside with a knife. Place the sticky vanilla and all the other ingredients into a blender and mix well for a couple of seconds.

Enjoy the berry chia pudding with about ¼ cup (60ml) of the vanilla almond milk per serving. Stored in the fridge, the berry chia pudding lasts for about two days.

I hope you’ll love this very German berry dessert.

Guten Appetit!

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