**Power Naps** **Flow Yoga THIS WEEK** **Grilled Balsamic Steak**

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DEAR FRIENDS AND YOGI’S! SUMMER YOGA CLASSES START ON JULY 12TH!

Join Lisa Kellert every Tuesday & Thursday from 8:00AM – 9:00AM at the Los Gatos Lodge. This flow class is designed for beginners or regular practitioners, all ages, all sizes, all bodies!

FIRST TWO CLASSES ARE FREE!! The cost for your future classes is the same great deal as our Custom Fit Boot Camp. Only $15 dollars a class for 12 sessions that can be used at any time!

Meet under the large, tented area. Mats and blocks provided or bring your own.
It’s with great pleasure I’m introducing my friend Lisa as our new and amazing Yoga instructor. I trained Lisa for her first marathon and we’ve been great friends ever since. The last few years she has been living and teaching in Hawaii. This month she is moving back to California and we can’t wait to have her back. Lisa’s first love is Yoga!

Upon taking her first official yoga class in 2004, Lisa fell in love! She immediately enrolled in a yoga teacher training and was hired by her local gym. Less than a year later, Lisa moved to Santa Cruz, immersing herself as a yoga student, learning more about the practice, philosophy, and history of yoga. After over a decade of practicing regularly, traveling around the world, and giving up her career as a high school counselor, Lisa took the plunge to live a life of yoga. She completed a 200 hour teacher training and is enrolled in a 500 hour program at Breathe Studio in Los Gatos. She hopes to connect with others by empowering and enriching lives through the joy of yoga.

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POWER NAPS. WHY YOU NEED THEM!

My favorite time to exercise, and my favorite time of day is the early morning. No matter what happened the day before, a new day promises a new opportunity, a new beginning or a fresh start. The challenge to being an early riser is getting adequate sleep after a busy long day. This morning during my team run, one of the topics of conversation were naps. For many years I thought taking a nap would only slow me down. Cutting-edge, productive people don’t take naps, do they?

Actually, they do.

It turns out that a nap is exactly what you need in the afternoons when drowsiness takes over your body and mind. I read a few years ago that Olympic athlete’s take naps every day. From N.B.A. players to Google employees, high-achieving people are turning to naps to recharge.

Sleep experts have discovered that naps can improve stamina and motor skills, and enhance creativity. In fact, Dr. Sara C. Medick, author of Take a Nap! Change Your Life and Assistant Professor of Department of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside says,

“…without a midday rest, we are not able to perform at optimal levels throughout the day. In fact, our performance falls apart. Napping maintains and even boost our skills.”

When you are running on empty and slugging through your projects, wouldn’t it be great to have a fresh burst of creativity and energy? That is what a power nap can provide. No, a Snickers bar will not help you! 🙂

There are measurable physical benefits from napping as well. The risk of dying from a heart-related complication decreases in nap-takers (37% for those who nap at least 3 times per week!), and the release of growth hormone aids in weight loss.

How to power nap:
15-30 minutes seems to be the sweet spot for the best power nap. Berkley biology students report that naps must be short in order to be most effective. When naps exceed 45 minutes, the benefits begin to disappear. Just a 30-minute snooze can improve cognitive faculties by about 40%, according to NASA researchers.

Many people naturally wake up after 15-30 minutes of napping. But if you tend to be a longer nap-taker, set an alarm to awaken you so you do not over sleep. Keeping your nap at 30 minutes or less will also prevent you from being overly groggy upon waking.

Here are some tips to have a successful power nap:
Try to be consistent. The best time for napping is between 1 and 3 in the afternoon, or approximately 8 hours after waking in the morning.
Darken the room. Darkness causes your body to produce melatonin, which helps you fall asleep. If you can’t be home, even resting your head on your desk or sitting in your car, parked in the shade, can work.
Control noise. If noise bothers you while you sleep, turn on a a fan or white noise machine. A friend also told me about the iPhone App Mind Tuner. It’s great for napping, waking up, enhancing creativity and increasing focus!

Sources:
1 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/07/sports/basketball/07naps.html?_r=4

2 http://www.geek.com/articles/gadgets/google-uses-high-tech-nap-pods-to-keep-employees-energized-20100618/

3 http://www.saramednick.com/

What’s for Dinner?

Grilled Balsamic Steak with Tomatoes

Grilled Balsamic Steak With Tomatoes And Arugula
This recipe was adapted from the Malibu Farm Cookbook & Skinnytaste.com.

Flank steak is a family favorite and this grilled balsamic flank steak with tomatoes and arugula from my garden is an easy weeknight dinner solution. Marinate the steak overnight with balsamic vinegar and fresh herbs, then fire up the girl and serve with a simple tossed arugula-tomato salad, on the table in less than 20 minutes!

INGREDIENTS:

1- 1/2 lb flank steak

1 teaspoon kosher salt

FOR THE MARINADE:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 garlic clove, grated

1 tablespoon fresh mixed herbs (rosemary, basil, sage)

FOR THE SALAD:

1 -1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1 bunch (6 cups) baby arugula

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 small clove minced garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl or blender and pour over the steak. Marinate overnight.

Combine the cherry tomatoes with salt. Stir in the vinegar, garlic and olive oil.
Heat the grill over high heat, spray the grates and grill a few minutes on each side, until cooked to your taste. Let it rest a few minutes before slicing.
Toss the arugula with the tomato mixture.
Slice the grilled skirt steak into thin slices and place on a platter, scatter the arugula-tomato salad over the steak and serve right away.
Nutrition facts take into account most of the marinade gets tossed.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Yield: 6 servings, Serving Size: 3 oz steak,

Amount Per Serving:

Smart Points: 5

Points +: 6

Calories: 215

Total Fat: 12g

Saturated Fat: 4g

Cholesterol: 57mg

Sodium: 327mg

Carbohydrates: 3g

Fiber: 1g

Sugar: 0.5g

Protein: 24g

Have a great week and I hope to see you soon!

Much Love,

Lori

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