Unlimited Resources

Lately I have been thinking how fortunate I am to be surrounded by such wonderful wellness resources.  I have the most informative and charismatic, yet off-the-wall professor.  He is an Italian physician, licensed acupuncturist, Taoist practioner, and Visla (that's a Hungarian dog breed for those of you who don't know) enthusiast, who is a well of knowledge on everything from macrobiotic cooking to environmental factors affecting health.  In every class (I have two courses with him) he suggestions on average three books that we simply must read! You can imagine the backlog I have by now.  In addition to Dr. Borgna's tangential anecdotes and tidbits about the harms of excess estrogens and the superiority of wild caught fish or grass-fed beef to farmed protein, every course and corky professor at my college is abundant with practical and applicable health information.

With every product I represent for Lite Wing Naturals, I discover more and more about the 

items we consume and their effects on our health and environment.  For instance, representing Justin's Nut Butters, I have become better informed about the differences between natural and organic products, and the reasons why organic peanuts have become too expensive to use in the production of peanut butters (i.e. High organic cotton prices are forcing farmers to grow cotton instead of peanuts, organic peanut farmers caught spraying fields with pesticides, drought decreasing yields).  Working with Maggie's Organics, I have come to appreciate the  signficant distinction of being Fair Trade Certified.  And representing Bhaktiveda, a body and skin care line created with Ayurvedic principles in mind, has provoked me to educate myself on Ayurveda, a.k.a the "Knowledge of Life."  

At work, popping into all the Whole Foods Markets in Manhattan, I meet the most well informed foodies, with still more recommendations on must-reads, and must-tries, from recipes, to websites, to restaurants. I can't wait to share them all with you! 

Life is filled with infinite opportunities for education and growth.  I invite you to seize this opportunity to learn along with me, from the professional educators, the ecoprenuers, the foodies, and all the other unassuming sources I encounter in the Big Apple.  

Adventures in Wellness

Having only lived in NYC for a few months now, I am already discovering that my pursuit of wellness will be a challenging one.  For starters, NYC is chaos, for better or worse.  It's loud, crowded, intrinsically stressful and unavoidably polluted.  Yes, the streets are decently clean, by my standards, but blow your nose into a tissue at the end of the day and tell me your thoughts on the state of our air.  The chaos of NYC, which many condemn, is also what makes it so alluring.  Clubs are open until 4 or 5am, but certainly the party doesn't have to end there when you can continue the revelry at a 24 hour diner, or in someone's apartment (although there may be some noise complaints/fines in the morning).  There are so many temptations, and yet I feel I have so little time in a day. For these reasons, although this is by no means an exhaustive list, NYC presents many challenges to pursuing optimal health. 

However, although NYC provides many obstacles, it is also abundant with information, products, people, and opportunities that can guide and support me on my quest for wellness.  I can't seem to go 5 blocks without passing a fitness center or yoga studio, or 10 blocks without passing a health-conscious grocery store, while fast food restaurants seem to be few and far between.  Granted gym memberships cost on average $150 per month, but fortunately you can't get anywhere in NYC without walking!  Even to the fast food restaurant, if you so desire.  There are cooking courses, wellness lectures, and farmers markets nearly everyday.  Everything a person needs to get on the right track to wellness is available here, so there's no excuse, even on a budget.  A statement to which I, a graduate student with a part-time job, can certainly attest.  

Here's the catch, with everything being so accessible, it is easy to get sucked into the vortex of wanting everything, now, all at the same time.  We want unforgettable, unending nights of revelry, but we also want to wake up the next morning feeling fresh and renewed.  We want giant servings of pasta, pizza, burgers and french fries, but without the indigestion, heartburn, and lethargy.  We want to do a million things a day and we simultaneously want peace of mind.  Let's get real- we can't have it all, at least not at the same time, because so much of what we want is mutually exclusive.  It requires making a decision and a commitment.  On any given Saturday we can make the decision to party all night, but we have to accept that we may not be feeling they way we'd like to on Sunday.   No decision is intrinsically right or wrong.  More accurately, it may or may not be compatible with our goals for ourselves.  With health as our goal, it is up to us to make appropriate choices to get us there.  

So welcome! Join me and please feel free to add your own opinions, suggestions, and experiences, as we embark on this adventure together!