Happy Friday Friends!
While the rain has been coming down here in SF, the snow has been falling in Tahoe and I can not wait to hit the mountain this weekend! Phil and I are heading up to celebrate a friends birthday so the house is going to be packed – which means lots of eating, drinking, and general ridiculousness in addition to skiing! Before we go, I wanted to share this month’s Foodie Friday restaurant feature, Top of the Mark. You may recall Phil and I enjoyed a wonderful Valentine’s Day brunch there last weekend, and it was so good I had to share. 
While some locals may say this is a bit of a tourist thing, I would disagree – from the food, to the service, to the view, everything was wonderful! Top of the Mark is located on the top floor of the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental Hotel in Nob Hill and boasts unparalleled views of San Francisco. Phil and I took our time and coursed out our meal, sipping some delicious California sparkling and taking in the city scape…talk about relaxing.
Especially since we moved to San Francisco we try to make our dining out experiences special…back home we went out to eat 5-6 times a month but with the higher cost of living out here, we’ve cut that back to about 1-2 a month. Since we don’t do it as much we try to go places we haven’t tried, make each experience unique, and use food as a way to get to know our new city a little better. If you’re an SF local or if you’re just visiting, you’ve got to check out brunch at Top of the Mark or even just pop into their bar – you won’t be disappointed!
’til next time, keep smiling! 🙂
The fun of the weekend spills over into today for Phil and I since he has off from work and I have a few more weeks until I start teaching regularly Monday mornings! We’re starting the morning with protein shakes and a jog, followed by some rooftop yoga, and some spring cleaning! With the weather improving day by day we’re taking this time to do a little head to toe cleaning of our mini home.
The indulgence from this weekend definitely takes the cake! Phil and I shared an amazing brunch at Top of the Mark around the corner Sunday, we ate an amazing dinner Saturday night (prepared by yours truly), and indulged in lots of bubbles! It was GLORIOUS…but after I finished teaching my yoga class last night I felt like a big tub of lard, hahaha! I am fairly confident I put back on 2 of the 5+ pounds but I’m not worried: I am taking probiotics for the next couple of days, drinking apple cider vinegar & lemon tea, and being more conscious of my dairy intake (cheese is my weakness 
)! 
We’re in week 7 which means we’re almost half way through and it hasn’t really felt like a struggle to be honest…maybe at the half way mark we need to kick it up a notch!
I am over the moon and so excited for today you have no idea! In a few hours I will be giving my first corporate wellness presentation here in San Francisco. I have been prepping like a mad woman while balancing the family visit and thought it would be fun to share some of the tips I plan to talk about today.
Since the target audience is modern business professionals I’ve included 10 tips to energize your day without an energy drink or excessive coffee consumption.
While my family has been in town we’ve been keeping busy with long walks around the city, bike rides over Golden Gate Bridge, 
We have one more day until Mom & Dad fly home which isn’t keeping us from staying committed to kicking butt and keeping healthy for the 4th of our 16 exceptionally motivated weeks. My day started bright and early with a bike ride, yoga class, and some meditation. Then its a little more family time and crossing my fingers the weather holds out for my parents. I also have to squeeze in some work because there are some great projects in the works this week that I am super excited to share with you…soon!
For now, you’ll have to be satisfied with another week of healthy eats and awesome exercises to stay healthy, motivated and feeling like your best! There is nothing quite like time with family to leave you feeling full of energy and ready to tackle another week!
In the coming weeks there are lots of exciting things happening! Everything to come has to do with growing in my career, so I couldn’t be more excited that I have time with some of my family beforehand; which brings me to today’s Wellness Wednesday topic, balance. 
When I mean balance, I don’t mean the kind I do on my head or in the picture above 😉 I mean happily and effectively managing all the different aspects of life. I used to get this tunnel vision when it came to the different aspects of my life: I would focus on whatever I wasn’t happy about and figure out a way to fix it or make it bend my way. Sometimes I would succeed but most of the time I wouldn’t and I would end up mor
e unhappy than when things started. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I was really able to make a sift…things just were not working. Now, my focus is on finding time for the little things, working smarter, and allowing myself downtime. I know as life continues and children are added to the picture, things will get even more exciting and the challenge of balancing things out might become more tricky but in the end, its ALL doable. Whatever your priorities in life, you’ve got time for all of them and the stuff you want to do too, it just takes a bit of balance. If you’re not sure where to start, begin by taking 5-10 minutes to be silent, alone, and just see what pops up.
As a teacher and a student of yoga it is very easy to slip into a routine…just move through a sequence without paying attention, follow the same ques, repeat the same things, etc… I know yoga is supposed to help you be present, focused, and all that jazz but trust me, it happens to the best of us, haha! I really started to feel that way yesterday; as I was teaching the 2nd of 3 classes for the day it felt like I was saying some of my ques just simply out of habit, not necessarily because there was any intention behind it. It occurred to me I didn’t have a focus…I was just showing up. And while that may be enough for some, for me, it just isn’t. So, with a few more classes to teach this week, and a whole lot of 
With my classes I chose to focus on thoracic spine opening, and for myself I am focused on being present, staying motivated, and breathing through the tough stuff. There is much more in life to love than you can possibly imagine…you just have to focus! ❤
traveling for business and me working the yoga journal conference but we’re committed to sticking with our routine. If you are in the bay area and haven’t gotten your passes for Yoga Journal Conference this coming weekend use code NEW YOU at check out to get 15% off your passes. I am so excited to be a part of everything and I hope to see some of you there too!!
I am excited to kick off the new year with a new vision for Livingleen; which starts with 16 weeks of diet & exercise regimes every Monday. Both Phil and I are committed to sticking with the posted weekly routine as best as possible…making adjustments, of course, when life calls for it.
This week we’re hitting the ground running with 2 days of lifting, 3 days of cardio, and yoga (at least a few minutes) every day. We’re partnering our workouts with a lower sugar, high protein diet to fuel our fire and have us feeling fierce in no time. We’ve definitely been indulging in holiday decadence and feeling the extra pounds, so this shift is much needed.
In an effort to stay motivated and keep things interesting, we’re taking this a step further and turning the next 16 weeks into a bit of a competition…best results gets a prize! We’re going to choose a certain amount of money and the winner gets to decide what we do with it…it should be fun! Below is the diet and exercise we’re sticking to this week…let’s get to it!
It’s official…Phil and I have survived our first Christmas away from family. While there were definitely tears and sadness, we also managed to laugh a ton and have a lot of fun! 
We enjoyed LOTS of champagne and delicious food, as well as fun and shenanigans with friends around the globe. Between FaceTime with the family and yoga challenges with friends in other time zones, the Christmas weekend has been a testament to how technology makes friends and family feel closer. It was great to watch my Godson opening his first Christmas presents, and equally delighting to share holiday fun with my yogi family across the globe – posting videos and photos as part yoga challenges made me feel more connected to the people I love, even though they’re all miles away. 
I loved this amazing year with all the incredible milestones and adventures 2015 has offered. I think the most important take away from 2015 is to live in the moment. Life is a crazy roller coaster of excitement, blessings, heartbreak, happiness, love, sweat, tears, and lessons, AND if you are looking too far ahead or behind you’ll miss what’s happening right in front of your face…life is too precious to miss even a moment! 
I’m making a point to take it all in for 2016…really absorb and appreciate every sunset, hike, bike ride, adventure, restaurant experience, and moment the year has to offer – and if you find me deviating from my mission, please call me out in the comment sections below! 2016 will be the best year for Livingleen yet and I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds and what lessons I’ll learn along the way!
Livingleen 