“Soup is cuisine’s kindest course”-Virginia Woolf
By the look of the forecast around much of the country, it appears it's still very much soup eating season. Soup is a food with both strong emotional as well as culinary appreciation: I can't think of any dish that resembles a warm hug as much as a bowl of soup does, and fortunately there are so many varieties that there truly is a soup for every taste.
A great perk for those who are trying to maintain a healthier meal plan, soups are incredibly customizable and adaptable to any dietary requirement. The New York Times Food section always comes through with some noteworthy soup representation, and this recent feature on 17 Vegetarian Soups (all posted with recipes!) is pretty comprehensive. Not a vegetarian? I'm sure a few of these recipes wouldn't be ruined by a little chopped chicken or a boiled egg.
[photo of soup]
Vegetarian soups: click here for the article
(if the above link doesn't work, try this one)
Which soup looks yummy to you?
Disclaimer: occasionally, I will post info about goods and services that contain affiliate links, and I may receive compensation if you purchase or subscribe. When I do, I'll let you know.
In the case of the next two apps, I am not an affiliate and am simply sharing because I think they're helpful. Just FYI!
Are you Centr’d yet?
It's been brought to my attention that the Centr fitness app is still offering a 7-day free trial. Unless you're new to my newsletter (in which case, welcome!) you've heard me mention Centr MANY times.
Why? AM I an ambassador? Do they sponsor me? Do I get perks for referring people? NOPE. I was simply introduced to Centr by a friend a few weeks before the lockdowns began last year, and it was one of the single most helpful choices I've made in the past eleven months. It's literally helped me maintain a solid home workout routine, as well as hang on to a few remaining shreds of sanity (hey, health coaches get frayed nerves too).
Billed as "Workouts and Meal Plans by Chris Hemsworth and his team of experts", Centr has a wide range of equipment-based and bodyweight workouts, pilates, yoga, meditation, and a daily planner with recipes and shopping lists to keep you eating and moving toward your goals. It also has an incredibly positive online community, if that type of motivation helps you.
I love trainers Luke Z, Ashley Joi and Da Rulk, but these days my fave workouts are led by Bobby Holland Hanton, currently Chris Hemsworth's stunt double!
7-day free trial: http://www.centr.com/join-us
New App Alert: the Mindful USC app
Speaking of apps: here's a free app that I've recently become (healthily) obsessed with:
Full disclosure: I graduated from USC's graduate school of Education, so I'm a little biased (and thus got a sneak preview of this app, since I'm an alum). The University of Southern California has always been on the cutting edge of research in health and wellness (among other fields) and the Mindful USC app is part of "a service from the Provost’s Office with a mission to empower the USC community to make positive change in the world by building a culture of mindfulness and compassion. It offers ongoing training, practice groups and special events throughout USC" (Mindful USC Website).
The app is available for both Android and iOS, and features meditations, a daily mood check-in, and access to mindfulness classes. I imagine they will continue to develop the interface; but for now, it's still user-friendly enough to be useful and offers a great alternative for those who, due to the pandemic or other reasons, are unable to pay for these services.
Call for Collaborators!
I know there are some of you reading who work in a similar or analogous field: fitness, wellness, nutrition, personal training, yoga, sports medicine, meditation, reiki, biohacking, and so on. I'm looking to expand my health coaching podcast to include interviews with professionals and entrepreneurs in the field: recording will be done remotely, and no special equipment required! Contact me at laura.rebecca AT pm.me or DM me at @laurasyogaclass on Twitter if you're interested!
I'm also looking to start hosting rooms on these topics on the Clubhouse app, and would love to work with some co-hosts. You will need to be a member of Clubhouse; and no, I don't have any invites to give out (not yet, anyway). Same contact as above if you're down to co-host or be "on stage"! You can also just…
What happened to my Instagram?
If you found my newsletter/podcast via my Instagram account @laurathehealthcoach, and then noticed it's no longer there, fear not! I haven't blocked you (or anyone); a few weeks ago, I took inventory of my social media accounts and decided that my health coaching IG wasn't reaching my target population, nor was it achieving the outcomes I wanted based on the work that went into it. I felt that my time and energy would be better spent on this newsletter, my podcast, and working directly with clients.
But what if I was wrong?
Would you like to see health and wellness content from me via Instagram again? Are there maybe some types of content that wasn't featured before that you'd get value from now if I posted it? I'm totally open to this discussion if you have any feedback or input. My goal is to bring wellness guidance and information to anyone who is willing and open to making positive changes in their lives through movement, eating well, and practicing mindfulness--is Instagram a good vehicle for that? Let me know in the comments (click the button below)!
That's all for now. Stay safe, wear your mask, wash your hands, and...Be Well!
Laura the Health Coach
Thanks for the soup recipe link! Mmm...mmm...good!