Fitness Friday: Travel Fit with Hyatt Chicago and The Barre Code

Posted on April 24, 2015 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

Music festivals, street food, Summer Dance, Taste of Chicago, baseball games: Chicago is a tourist’s dream. Even us natives like a good hotel staycation to explore all that this great city has to offer. But after all those donuts, Chicago dogs and Malort, you may need a good workout!

As travelling and fitness aren’t always synonymous, the Hyatt Regency Chicago is giving your health a helping hand with heart pumping in-room workout videos from the Barre Code. Started in Chicago, the Barre Code has expanded across the country due to its’ poppy music, female friendly environment and muscle shaping moves. Instead of Bearing Down (Chicago Bears!), you can barre up with specially created sets of body weight based strength training and intense cardio. Each video unexpectedly uses common in-room items like towels, chairs and pillows to add functionality. Guests can pump up the difficulty by borrowing free weights and yoga mats for no extra cost. The 24 hour availability of workouts insure that business or pleasure doesn’t barre fitness endeavors!

Hyatt Chicago is seated downtown at 151 East Wacker Drive near Mag Mile. This Sunday, April 26th 11 AM – 2 PM, Hyatt Chicago and The Barre Code are hosting a complimentary fun-filled fitness.

The Barre Code has studios throughout Chicago and is opening a new studio in Oak Park, IL at the beginning of May. Studios also exist in Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Texas with more to come!

Get Sauced with Chicago’s Underground Culinary Culture

Posted on April 21, 2015 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

Two mysterious events this week entice those strong of heart and sound of mind. Darling, will you wander down dark hallways to weave your culinary wants?

Tonight! The Sauced Night Market makes its way to Emporium Logan Square. This night market takes place once a month on a Tuesday and hops from hip spot to hip spot (how hop hip). Meander through aisles of local vittles like Bang Bang Pie and Biscuits while you sip on a apertif (a·pe·ri·tif noun an alcoholic drink taken before a meal to stimulate the appetite) from Chicago Distillery. Get sassy (or saucy) to DJ beats and peruse the fine elixirs of Windy City Beard Co (works for your mustaches too ladies and gents!).

Do you dare to join us!?

Sauced Night Market
Tuesday April 21st

6 pm – 11 pm

Emporium Logan Square

1366 N. Milwaukee Avenue

Free

Wait, you don’t dare? You prefer to prep for an impending apocalypse? Build your emergency fridge ideas with Sauce and Bread Kitchen’s event: The Stew Survivalist Supper. After all, if your last moments on earth are filled with culinary delights perhaps you can eat away the memories of those zombie attacks. Sauce and Bread Kitchen outlines it best

“Cooks Anne Kostroski (Crumb Chicago, SBK) and Mike Bancroft (Co-op Sauce, SBK) are digging back into this freeze dried genre after a 5 year hiatus with wide mole eyes. They will wow you with a multi-course menu that without advance warning, one would never know could have come from canned, foraged, dried, or fermented foods. If you are going to survive the apocalypse the least you can do is rock it in style”. And rock it, you shall. Hunker down and bunker up.

The Stew Survivalist Supper
Wednesday April 22nd

7 pm – 10 pm

Sauce and Bread Kitchen

6338 N. Clark Street

Fit, Free and Fun for Spring

Posted on April 14, 2015 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

Finally! Events are starting to pick up and Chicago is bringing it’s S game. Super. Spectacular. Spring.

We are so excited to share some of our secret spring events this week to put that sprang back in your step.

Tuesday April 14th (Lincoln Monument) and Thursday April 15th (Pritzker Pavilion) and every Tues, Thurs in April

North Face Mountain Athletics

We got our first taste of Mountain Athletics at the kickoff event at the end of March on a clear 50 degree day and man, we didn’t know what to expect. Our duo of personal trainers explained that each week focuses on a different body area all while integrating the core. We went through a series of intervals all using our own body weight. Exercise sets can be modified to fit your level of fitness which makes the workout approachable yet challenging. We loved the partner exercises so bring a pal and get ready to sweat.

Tuesday 4/14 (and Tuesday nights each week)

BENDER FLAVOR LAB

Calling all house heads slash yogis! Bender Flavor Lab serves up a hot serving of unique fitness and jams each Tuesday at the Lab Dance Studio. Each week holds a different theme and DJ set but always gives you snacks and water in an urban street art styled loft space.

Bonus: Free Cone Day at Ben and Jerry’s on Tuesday 4/14!

Wednesday April 15th

Big City Blonde and Goldplaited presents a trivia and pampering event: “Blondes vs. Brunettes”. Get competitive, red heads and dark locked people can rock the trivia too. Participants can win glam make up prizes, indulge in styling and make up tutorials from Goldplaited, and obvs flex their hair color knowledge. We need to study up! Rsvp here.

Friday April 17th (through Sunday April 19th)

Pure Barre is is partnering with Real Simple for a “Beauty & Balance” Weekend April 17-19. Stop by any of the participating locations to take a “Pure & Simple” specialty class. To register for one of these special classes, please visit the local studio page and find the “Real Simple’s ‘Pure & Simple’ Class” on your studio’s schedule and click “Sign Up Now.” New clients are welcome to try a complimentary class using the promo code “REALSIMPLE” – make sure to select the “Real Simple Class” option and enter this promo code upon checkout.

Saturday April 18

It is time to Live Out Loud Everyday with Lole Activewear. In celebration of the new Lole Southport location, they are having a grand opening party and fashion show brunch across the street at the Yoga Loft located at 1350 W Newport. The store is directly across the street at 3434 N Southport Ave.

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image borrowed from Lole

Lole Spring/Summer Collection Preview Fashion Show
Doors Open: 10am
Show Time: 11am
Mimosa’s and brunch from Kitchfix, a $15 Lole voucher, and a Goodie Bag. $10 Ticket donation going to CTF Children’s Tumor Foundation.

Giveaway: Getting Fly with the April Flywheel Fitness Challenge!

Posted on April 3, 2015 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

Are we the only ones who threw on bikinis under our parkas in the 70s Chicago weather Wednesday? Yes, us Chicagoans are weather obsessed because dang it! Our favorite very short spring/summer season is finally on the horizon. With that in mind, we have been picking up the fit pace by trying new workout options in the Chi. On Monday, we were honored to be invited to Flywheel Old Town for an intro to their Spring Flywheel Challenge. Starting 4/20, Flywheel will be offering a support system to help you meet whatever your health and fitness goals are. So if you want to throw off the parka and prance around the Maggie Daley water slides, now is the time to focus on those goals.

What is the Flywheel Challenge?

Allison, our Flywheel instructor and a challenge coach explained that the challenge can be whatever you want it to be. Whether you want to lose weight, gain endurance or speed or build muscle, the staff at Flywheel will cater the plan to meet your needs. The basic skeleton is this:

There are 3 options for the 4 week challenge – The Flywheel Challenge, FlyBarre Challenge and FlyPlus Challenge (both Barre and Flywheel).

(Below description of Flywheel Challenge is described by the Flywheel promotional team)

Flywheel Challenge
· 4 classes per week / 16 classes total

· Optional weekly weigh-ins with designated Flywheel Coach

· Kick-off event with a nutritional seminar and a Flywheel technique workshop that addresses proper bike set-up, positioning, arms and more to ensure that participants understand how to get the most out of their workout

· The Flywheel Challenge is optimal for those looking to burn calories, increase endurance and improve cardiovascular health

FlyBarre Challenge
· 4 classes per week / 16 classes total

· Includes optional weekly measurements with designated FlyBarre Coach

· Kick-off event includes nutritional seminar and a FlyBarre 101 workshop where various portions of a FlyBarre class will be highlighted (at a broken down pace) to ensure participants have a better understanding of movements and technique

· The FlyBarre Challenge is optimal for those looking to tone and sculpt, improve core strength, and increase muscular stamina

FlyPlus Challenge
· 3 Flywheel classes and 3 FlyBarre classes per week / 24 classes total

· Includes optional weekly weigh-ins and/or measurements with designated FLY Coach

· Kick-off event includes nutritional seminar, a Flywheel technique workshop and a FlyBarre 101 workshop

· The FlyPlus Challenge is optimal for those looking to burn calories, increase endurance AND tone and sculpt

All Challenges include other perks like community discussions with other challengers to get peer motivation, professional nutrition support and meal plans as well as a kick off and closing party.

Our Experience at Flywheel:

So spinning…is somewhat intimidating for those who have barely done it. You have these shoes that strap you in and bike pedals that lock and load so it’s best to know what you are doing. We liked Flywheel’s friendly front desk staff and sleek studio space. The studio had support gentlemen who helped us get the perfect bike set up while the instructor was preparing to start class. The atmosphere during the class was less competitive and more like a fun dance party. We definitely needed to towel off the sweat and were challenged by the intensity of the interval portions of class.

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Interested in getting a taste of the challenge? WIN WIN WIN

One lucky winner will receive a free Flywheel class* to prep for summa summa timeeee. Just comment on this blog post and tell us what your health and fitness goal are in preparation for the warmer months.

*Winner will need to set up a (free) account and username to access the class.

Free Real World Training with North Face

Posted on March 30, 2015 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

Are you ready for a challenge?! North Face, maker of the crazy lightweight jacket that somehow keeps you warm in the windy city (magic, we say!), is putting Chicago’s fittest and finest to the test with their new and FREE Mountain Athletics training program. We are pumped to get pumped for a few reasons:

1) The invite says “rain or shine”. This is serious business, people.

2) Workouts are held on Tuesdays by the Lincoln Park Monument and Thursdays at the Jay Pritzker Pavillion, both gorgeous locations in case of “shine!!”

And the most essential one-

3) Your body changes when it’s challenged! Stop doing the same ol’ treadmill tread and take these 6 weeks to learn how to train your body and excel at outdoor running, climbing or skiing. You can review all the particulars here and follow along online with sport-specific training programs, a Mountain Athletics App, hard core athlete exercise tutorials, and chances to earn badges for making your goals.

Move your Bolly-licious Body with Doonya

Posted on March 27, 2015 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

It’s Move It March! Yeah, March is making us mad so we are reclaiming the month in efforts to leap off our comatose couch-bound status. Sadly, there is snow AGAIN on the ground and, with the irresponsible nature of Chicago Spring, indoor workouts are a must. As we all need variety (or vari-itay as one could say), we jumped at a recent invite to sample a unique world dance inspired fitness class, Doonya. Khushboo Rami, our fearless instructor and 1 of 2 Doonya instructors in the whole Chicago area, warmly welcomed us to the River North Gym for our first Doonya experience.

Some of you probably have an inkling of what Doonya is all about from some alluring TV commercials. Seriously, we had our debit card in one hand and the remote in the other debating on whether to buy their streaming online classes. Doonya has actually been around since 2005 when innovator and super fit co-founders, Priya and Kajal, aspired to develop what they were doing in their Indian dance troupe to a replicable dance fitness method. Khushboo was the 4th trained instructor in D.C. and carried the brand with her when she moved to the Chi. So, what can you expect when you lace on your Reeboks and get ready for your flash dance moment?

Khushboo explained that Doonya has some major components that are present in every class, no matter where you attend. There is always a mix of high and low energy cardio and 4 major dance styles are weaved throughout the class: Indian folk, Bhangra, Classical Indian dance/conditioning, and Bollypop (Indian popular dance sometimes mixed with mainstream Western pop/rap). The signature moves, like the Bollytap, glute lifts and knee lifts, crunchy standing ab moves and the heel flick, you will be able to catch the rhythm after a few songs. Once you have a few favorite numbers, you can request your best Bolly-shaking tunes on Facebook or directly to your amicable Doonya instructor.

So how did our first class go? Well, although we both work out (yoga, running, dance), our bodies were still challenged by Doonya’s high impact cardio sections. Khushboo broke down basic moves before beginning routines which made it less intimidating for us newbies. Near the middle, we found our sweaty spot but weren’t too concerned as the infectious dance music keeps you moving. We really loved the M.I.A. “Bad Girls” remix and were super surprised by the challenging nature of the classical moves at the end. Your thighs will shake!

Ready to throw on a kurti and give it a try? Khushboo teaches on Thursdays at 5:30 pm and drop in classes are only $15. You can also sign up for a free 3 day pass for River North Gym and try your first Doonya class for nuthin’. The gym is hiding on the 10th floor of the Merchandise Mart so take the Brown or Purple line if you don’t wanna mess with parking. We can’t wait to go back to work on our shoulder shimmies.

Here are a few of our fave Bollywood jams to get you in the bollymood for Doonya. Do you have a secret Bolly-jam? Let us know so we can expand our collection!

Dilli Wali Girlfriend

High Heels

1, 2, 3, 4 from Chennai Express

YogaWorks Guest Post: 5 Yoga Poses for Jump-starting a Home Practice Sequence yoga

Posted on March 25, 2015 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

We’ve had this lingering intention…the intention of rising with the sun and doing yoga to get the day started right. This intention turns into slapping the snooze button for 30 minutes and then grumbling out of bed. As the sun’s coming out a little more these days, we thought we’d seek some expert advice on a sequence that might give us the structure we need to make daily yoga a habit! Enter Sarah Ezrin, a Los Angeles based yoga teacher, Lululemon brand ambassador, purveyor of joy, and our guest yogi! Sarah also teaches for YogaWorks and the online MyYogaWorks platform which offers over 500 online classes and 24 hour access so you can get that at home yoga guidance.

Sarah offers 5 starter poses to help us and you build your home practice! Pictures are courtesy of photographer, Julia Heredia, are were taken during Sarah’s Costa Rica retreat (jealous….).

5 Yoga Poses for Jump-starting a Home Practice Sequence by Sarah Ezrin

Child’s Pose – Child’s pose is no child’s play. A great posture for grounding one’s energy, it creates a conscious shift inward as one is literally folded in upon themselves. Come to kneeling on the floor big toes together, knees slightly apart and sink the hips back toward the heels, laying your belly over the top thighs. This pose can be restful with the arms relaxed by your sides or made more active with arms forward reaching energetically. Elevate the head with a block or even stacked fists is as it will align the spine and create space for the neck and shoulders. Feel free to repeat throughout the sequence as needed.

Cat/Cow Breath – Open the heart and awaken the core with this pair of postures. Practiced dynamically (meaning moving with breath) this set warms up the spine. Start in a table top position, aligning wrists under and shoulders and knees below hips. On an inhalation, create a backbend by lifting the chest bone up towards the ceiling and gently taking the gaze up, back of the neck long. Exhale round the back tremendously by pushing the palms into the floor and hollowing the bellybutton. Gaze toward the naval. Repeat five times (with an inhale/exhale counting as a single rep) following the natural flow of breath.

Downward Facing Dog – Probably the most notorious of yoga poses, no practice is complete without a down dog! Lengthen the spine and release the entire back body, which gets stiff from hunching over those iPhones. Start in a table top position, pressing the hands evenly into the floor. Tighter shoulders will benefit from having the hands slightly wider than shoulder’s width. Curl the toes underneath and begin to lift the knees off the floor while extending the hips up and back. Start with the knees slightly bent and work lengthening the spine. Straighten the legs and press the heels toward the floor. You are looking to create an inverted “V” with your body. If the spine feels rounded, the lower back or hamstrings (muscles at the back of the legs) may be tight, so keep the knees slightly bent to get more length. Make a long spine priority over straight legs. Beginners may experience wrist pain. Be sure the entire hand is pressed into the floor at the knuckles and fingers lengthen forward actively.

Reverse Warrior – Feel both beautiful and strong with this expansive standing pose. Tone the outer hips and lengthen the inner legs, while the added side stretch expands the lateral body improving breath. Start in a wide stance, arms out shoulder’s height and feet as wide as the wrist (about a leg’s distance). Turn the right leg out from deep within the hip and the back leg and hip facing inward slightly. Bend the front knee until the thigh is level to the floor, tracking the front knee and ankle. This is Warrior 2. On an inhalation, lean back placing the left hand lightly outside the left leg and stretching the top arm overhead. Hold for eight full breaths or play with the pose dynamically moving in and out from Warrior 2 with breath.

Supta Baddha Konasana – Often, the most potent poses in yoga are the quietest. Soothe the mind and nervous system, while also releasing the hips. Start lying on the back with the knees bent and feet flat onto the floor. Allow the inner knees to fall open like the wings of a butterfly and gently place the soles of the feet together. Pulling the heels inward toward the groin will create a stronger release of the inner thigh. Rest one hand on the heart and the second on the belly for more grounding or take the arms overhead and grab elbows to stretch the side body.

Just for the record, #5 is a Chi Organic Girls go-to pose for relaxation. Check out this sequence to find your zen (and maybe find a reason to get out of bed earlier) or share your favorite yoga sequence with us.

Cooked: Your Best Veggie Pre-Cooked Meal Delivery Service

Posted on March 8, 2015 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

We have ambitions of getting in touch with our inner culinary geniuses every week when we head to the grocery store…and then we end up passed out on the couch with a half eaten Morning Star Burger falling out of our hands after work. Like it or not (who really likes it), American culture is one of the most overworked cultures in the world. We need a break! Don’t you often muse about have your own personal chef? Chicagoans, rejoice! There is a pretty fantastic option for you to get your personal chef wishes fulfilled, even without a genie!

We were so excited when Erin Winston Silva, the co-founder of Cooked, reached out to us to sample their pre-cooked meal delivery options. Cooked promises “Nourishing Meals for Busy Folks” and we are 2 very busy ladies so we jumped on the opportunity. We were particularly intrigued as Cooked seemed to have more veggie options than many delivery services that we’ve seen. We also love the values of the organization. Chef Jona Silva’s own health journey inspired him to create local and nutritionally rich (not calorie rich) foods to promote wellness in others. One can tell from menu offers, which change weekly, as well as Silva’s transparency in where ingredients come from. The focus is local partnerships and he is also sensitive to food allergies like gluten or dietary preferences like vegan, vegetarian and T-Rexian. Ok, enough blabbing, we know you wanna know what you get to eat!

For $76 (tax and delivery included) dollars, we got ALL the foods below!! Delivery was timely and Erin was available throughout to deal with a multitude of blogger questions like: “What about Monica’s chickpea allergy” and “Can you change our delivery date? We forgot, we won’t be home!”.

Freshly Pressed Juice: Pineapple Cooler

Loved it! It was refreshing and green-licious with kale, romaine, spinach, coconut water and a sweet touch of pineapple.

Lunch Bowl #2: Organic POWER grains with black beans and salsa ranchera

We split this, yet there was enough for a full lunch for both of us. This puppy is only $5 and is rich in superfoods like quinoa, amaranth and other ancient grains with mysterious origins. The salsa added a nice kick to the mix.

Lunch: Kale, Wild Rice and Cranberry Salad

Again, the portion was plentiful. We enjoyed the sweet touch of cranberry and the kale and rice mix was tender and garlicky with a rich balsamic dressing.

Dinners:

Soup: Kabocha Squash and Apple Soup

Admittedly, we had to google what the heck a kabocha was. Turns out it’s an Asian winter squash! Last week’s weather was considerably still miserable so this warm rich soup hit the spot. It reminded us of a sweet potato bisque with light creamy touches of spices and cinnamon.

Sesame Crusted Tofu

The 2 tofu cutlets came with zuccini noodles and vibrant red and yellow peppers, dressed with a light a soy sauce.

Cauliflower Tacos with Roasted Poblano Salsa

Cauliflower is a vegetarian delight as it has a chunky texture. The taco mix also included cilantro, quinoa, and pumpkin seeds with a side of fresh salsa.

Walnut loaf with Roasted Squash and Broccolini

The squash and broccolini looked ultra fresh and colorful with bright orange and green hues and they were both cooked to perfection. The walnut loaf was a gray meat like color and was hearty for those of you who are familiar with the texture of meatloaf. We really liked the dressing that was provided and it seemed like it had a tahini base.

The meals are supposed to stay fresh for 3 days but we stretched them out until Thursday and basically had enough deliciousness to stave off any grocery shopping for 2 people for the work week. It was like a cooking vacay! We highly recommend Cooked. Meals change weekly to provide variety. This week features a tantalizing coconut dal (aka lentils) and chickpea zuccini fritters. Ready to order? All Chi Organic Girl readers can get 10% off their first order with the promo code: chiorganicgirls so skip the shopping this week and eat cooked!

*We were not compensated for our opinions but were provided with a gift card to try Cooked meals.

Eat Local: Burger Point Restaurant Review

Posted on March 6, 2015 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

Do you ever wonder where your McDonald’s cheeseburger meat came from? Unless you’re subjected to some kind of food coma induced nightmare, you probably have avoided being “in the know” on fast food meat origins. “But burgers are so delicious”, you say. Yeah we get you, (well the dabbling meat eater one of us, aka Kate, does and the veggie burger fiend one of us, aka Monica, may have an inkling too). Burgers, in all their glorious forms, are special sammiches. But as we are grown people, we like grown and sexy sammiches with ingredients we can name…and we LOVE food that’s locally sourced and not only tastes fresh but is fresh.

Recently, we visited the South Loop to try a locally owned burger slinging business, Burger Point (with no creepy clowns, bonus!). Owners, co-founders and couple, Asha Mathew and David Esterline, pride themselves in providing consumers with grass fed beef as well as organic chicken, turkey and veggie burgers. Asha and David started Burger Point about 3 years ago and used to gaze at the space across from their condo and dream of opening their own business. They often craved a juicy organic burger a ala North side DMK burger so they snatched up the corner spot on State and Archer and started their own burger revolution. Local sourcing is their priority and many produce items come from David’s produce shop. 95% of the menu is house made. Meat is ground, formed into fresh patties in the restaurant and meals are made to order (take that, Burger King!)

The menu hosts 17 specialty burgers, wangs (or wings as some might call them) with house made sassy sauces, and side options like house cut sweet potato fries. We started our culinary experience with hearty samples of the vegetarian chili. A toasty bowl of chili is definitely the thing for a Chicago arctic winter. It had a healthy amount of cooked “just right” beans, a perfectly thick consistency and a nice kick of spice. We liked the bits of tofu floating around in the mix as it added to the filling nature of the chili. This dish could make your meal and Burger Point gives you free toppings like cheese, sour cream, olives and onions to boost it’s fill factor.

For the main event, Kate got a little meaty and tried the #7 hamburger, called the Dirty South, with aged cheddar cheese, double smoked crisp bacon and BBQ sauce on a homemade pretzel roll. The flavor of the bacon and burger was juicy, not greasy, and Kate noticed a markedly higher meat quality than chain restaurants. Kate’s fave part was the PRETZEL BUN!! “I know me and gluten are iffy but this was a homemade pretzel bun”

Monica tried the #14 with the moniker the Best Damn Veggie Burger Ever, which sports a homemade veggie patty with chipotle aioli, havarti cheese and avocado on a sesame seed bun. She liked the balance of beans and rice, simplicity combined, but needed more kick from the chipotle aioli to counterbalance.

Becoming a Burger Point Superfan can have perks. Customers can use the delivery ease of Grubhub or Ordersnap to ensure no leaving of one’s bed is necessary, crumbs be damned. If you do choose to wear pants and leave the house, Burger Point is located on the quiet corner of Archer and State. Frequent Feeders can join a rewards endeavor called the 5 Star Program. Every $5 spent gives the user a point which can eventually lead to free point earned foods. One customer even racked up so many points that there is a burger named after him, the #17 Saigon Johnny, featuring fresh ground chicken, sliced cucumber, jalapeno and cilantro with sriracha aioli and soy sauce. The couple and their manager, Ryan, like to let their minds run wild with new monthly recipes. Their salmon burger is very popular for the Lenten season and now they are working on the aptly named Heart Attack consist of 5 different types of bacons. We are guessing it features pork, beef, turkey, chicken and tempeh bacon (haha we actually have no idea. Is there such a thing as chicken bacon? Chicky bake for short?)

The South Loop neighborhood is close to popular Chicago locales like Soldier Field, the Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium in addition to public transportation making it an accessible choice for tourists and locals alike. If you want a relatively quick and tasty meal that doesn’t challenge your moral meat values, leave those golden arches behind and taste Burger Point!

Easy Peasy Omega 3ies! The Healthy Fat for your Brain

Posted on February 20, 2015 by CHIORGANICGIRLS

We’re sure many of you have heard about the benefits of fatty acids. Yahhh fat isn’t all bad!! But you have to choose the healthy fats to keep your body happy (so back away from those processed cupcakes and chips). Some fats, such as Omega-3 fats, can combat heart disease, dementia, depression, ease the pain of arthritis and more. Omega-3s are your brain’s super friend!

SO…where do you find them? Your body doesn’t produce Omega-3s so you can only get them through food or supplements. Fish contains two forms of Omega-3, DHA and EPA, which seem to have the best benefits. But what if you don’t like fish or you’re concerned about mercury ingestion? We certainly aren’t seafood peeps due to personal preferences. Luckily, a vegetarian form of fatty acids, ALA, can be found in flax seed, spinach, walnuts and vegetable oils. Although supplements are not ideal, sometimes they work better for a busy lifestyle (especially if they are tasty and in gummy form). We aren’t big fans of chalky pills or burping up fishy oil flavor (eww) so we recently added Be Bright to our regimen.

Be Bright, a Coromega product, is a non-GMO superfood oil blend with coconut, avocado, chia seed, hemp seed and black cumin. Even with it’s rich coconut flavor and pudding like texture, it is still plant based, dairy free, vegan AND gluten free, all tucked into a squeezable eco friendly package. Be Bright can be integrated in your morning smoothie, stirred into your oatmeal for a sweet touch or just eaten off the spoon as we like to do for a quick fix in the morning rush.

Coromega sells other Omega-3 products such as gummies for the candy chewy type of person as well as tropical, mango or orange flavors for the sunny citrus types. You can find these Omega-3 goodies online or at GNCs and Vitamin Shoppes throughout the Chicagoland area. Free one week samples available on Coromega‘s website. Happy Squeezin’ for Brain Pleazin’! (yeahhhh we did that :P).

*We were not compensated for our opinions but were provided with a free sample of Coromega’s Be Bright Superfood Oil Blend.

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Tuesday April 14th (Lincoln Monument) and Thursday April 15th (Pritzker Pavilion) and every Tues, Thurs in April

Tuesday 4/14 (and Tuesday nights each week)

Wednesday April 15th

Friday April 17th (through Sunday April 19th)

Saturday April 18

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5 Yoga Poses for Jump-starting a Home Practice Sequence by Sarah Ezrin

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