Spring has sprung...and so have the markets!

It has been a short while since the last post went up, and Spring in all its windy glory is fully upon us. You know what that means?! The market season is here! This last Saturday, my husband and I, and our baby boy, ventured downtown to our city's Farmer's Market, and it was glorious. Covering several city blocks, there was everything from fresh herbs and spices to local wines, fresh bread, and several artisan booths. For only the second official weekend, the crowds turned out in mass. It was such a great experience to be in the middle of local vendors, doing their thing, and local consumers supporting them. This particular market brings in several million dollars for the city every year, which speaks to the health of supporting your local economy whenever possible. I am so grateful to live in a city that celebrates diversity and creativity in local business!

Green Tip!

Stop throwing away plastic!
Plastic water bottles are a bad idea. They take thousands of years to decompose in a landfill, and if left in heat or in the sunshine (say, in your car...) the chemicals from the plastic will leach into your water, causing you to consume cancer-inducing poison. Oooh goody. Besides all that, they are so not hip.

Here is a much more stylish (and sustainable!) option: STAINLESS STEAL!
They are easy peasy to use, refillable, and hello? They come in all kinds of fun colors! You can find them everywhere- I purchased a lime green one on clearance at Target, and love it! Go grab one!

Yoga...a pain in my butt.

Alright people, we are taking a step back from the focus on clean eating...to talk about excercise! Oh boy. The truth is, and I am sure that most of you are aware of this, you can lose or maintain a healthy weight simply by eating correctly. It's true- excercise is not required to fit into those awesome jeans. (This tells me that I really do eat crappy sometimes. Yikes!) However, as you well know, there are so many other health benefits to consistent excercise that we would be foolish to leave it out of our daily routine. Heart health, bone health, core strength...I could go on and on.

With this in mind, and since giving birth to my first little one, I have been working at getting back in shape...for 6 months now. Sometimes, I would rather just poke myself in the eye. There have been more than enough discouraging moments, as well as a few lazy ones thrown in the mix. Training yourself to expect more out of yourself is a daily task- inside and out. That being said, I would like to spotlight my new favorite indoor (or outdoor) practice: YOGA.

A few weeks ago, I began running again, and soon after, began to develope what could have potentially turned into a knee injury. Simply because I was doing too much with too little strength behind it. So, with instruction to give my knees a chance to get strong before I hit the pavement on a consistent basis, I sulked to Walmart, and found a Jillian Micheals DVD. (Don't judge.) Now, I have attempted Yoga before- but it always came across BORING. I enjoy pushing myself, and at a fast pace, so you can imagine me, in my living room, falling asleep mid-camel pose. (SNORE.) Leave it to Jillian Micheals to wrench me from my naptime. She adds reps to different poses, and in the end, you are sweating  your tush off...literally.

I felt like a moron when I discovered what little core strength I actually posessed. It was pathetic. Here I was, attempting to do these (INSANE) Yoga style push-ups, and I am sucking carpet. The dog and the cat kept coming over to make sure I hadn't died. Now, to be fair, that was my first time, but still. I have been a proud athlete all my life, and that day, I was humbled by a Yoga DVD.

I have heard it said a number of times recently that our bodies were made to do much more than any of us ever even attempt. We were created to be strong, healthy machines- not flappy and floppy couch potatoes. Now this doesn't mean that everyone should be a certain size, with all the same outstanding abilities. What it does mean is that we are all capable of achieving physical strength that most of us never dreamed of. Do you have to run an Ironman to prove it? Not necessarily. Could you if you really push yourself? Absolutely.

My mom was telling me about an article that she had read which talked about a study on the human body. This particular research showed that every individual is made with a bent toward certain physical activities- ones in which they will naturally do well. Some are natural swimmers (NOT ME!!!), while others are what they call, "built-in runners". Irritatingly enough, my husband falls into that second category, while I huff and puff behind him. Still more are physically more capable of sprinting shorter distances, and the list goes on. Every person has a physical, muscular make-up which allows for different activities to come more naturally. I found this very interesting, as well as encouraging. Our society typically just tells everyone what they should be able to do, when really, our job is to be in the best shape that we can achieve, doing things that we are most inspired by...and maybe even enjoy on a good day. 

I have made it a personal goal this year to find this core strength (physically) and push myself past limits that I may have previously set for myself. You can do the same! It is different for every individual, so you have no one to compare yourself to but yourself. With that encouragement in mind, try different things every week! Change it up! Not only will this help you get into shape faster because you will be confusing your muscles, but you may also stumble upon your 'niche' as it were. Once you find that place, push yourself a little more each day. For me, this means tackling that crazy Yoga DVD. Creating core strength simply by pitting my muscles against one another- sounds like a party. (NOT!) Yoga is a great starting point to achieve better physical strength because you don't need lots of knowledge with machines, or any other equipment, and you can do it anywhere. It teaches focus, perseverance, and mental stamina- all good things to practice. If you're looking for a fresh start for Spring, try yoga. I have only been at it now for about three weeks, and I can already tell a big difference. I am much stronger than I was just a short time ago, and I am continuing to push myself mentally as well.

So, to kick off Monday with a bang, I will leave you with a quote from our beloved Jillian..." GET COMFORTABLE WITH BEING UNCOMFORTABLE!"

Well alrighty then.

Announcement!

Hope you are all having a fabulous week! Spring has sprung...well mostly. With it, new growth, and new things are happening all around us. In the midst of all the budding, GreenBean would like to announce the official launch of its new product line! To further promote sustainable living, GreenBean will now be offering funky, hand-made products that are fun to use, and easy on our planet! Take a minute to take a look...

Each piece is individually hand-crafted and unique- no two pieces are exactly alike! To maintain the individual designs, there are only a few of each item available. GreenBean will always be releasing new designs, patterns, and recycled fabrics! The design/product that you choose will always be uniquely your own!

Coffee Sleeves

Tea Satchels   

                                                                            

Burlap Tealight Holders

That's just a preview- keep your eyes peeled for original tote bags, and loads more!

You can stay up to date by becoming a fan of GreenBean on Facebook. You can also visit our official website at

http://gogreenbean.vpweb.com/ !