Stop Thinking, Just Do It!!

This is the best advice for me. I can think and think and analyze and get anxious and get overwhelmed and then go hide in my thoughts of "its too much", "I am too tired", "who really cares anyway", etc. etc. which then snowballs into questions of my existence, life purpose and on and on. When really I could have just done the thing a long time ago. So today my thoughts were on juicing. I have a million things to do today! Leaving for 2 weeks tomorrow- which means I had 3 workmen here today working on our new door, I have to pack for myself and baby, get my 3 animals squared away (multiple trips to pet store, meet with pet sitter, etc.), go to storage to get suitcase, get last minute presents, work on website, brainstorm for logo, arrange car seat rental and the list goes on and on. We ALL have a ton on us all the time but especially around the holidays. Thats why I usually like to stay home and be quiet. Love it when the city is empty and still. But we are going to Aspen tomorrow which will be very busy and "scene-y" but we will love being outdoors and cooking and being near the fire. Will do the down-home version of Aspen. ANYWAY...the point of this blog was that I looked in the fridge at all of my veggies and decided I should juice it all up. Because the ONE major thing that I KNOW will make me feel so good inside is FRESH JUICE. Amid my busy busy morning I got tunnel vision to get it done because the pay off will be awesome and worth it. Got to power punch my bod before I get on the germy plane tomorrow! I drank about a quart of it and now I am revved up!!!! Full on energy. Getting it all done today! And feeling really positive about it all instead of dreading it. So the advice I give to you and myself, is stop the monkey chatter in your brain and just do it already! Follow your dreams, make them happen! Follow Love! Let fear go. Take the extra time to juice, it doesn't really take thaaat long. or go to whole foods instead of getting the cookie and latte that you really want...just shut up and order a large veggie juice. Just do it. I know you want the sugar but believe me you will be having your fare share in the upcoming days during holiday festivities. Get the good stuff in now. Fill your body and mind with plant blood. Get that transfusion!! Happy Holidaze!

xoxoxmc

Mama Juice

Now that I am getting back on the juice train...I look at it differently. Its mama juice!!! To give me, as new mama, some energy!!! Yes, its always been great for me and healthy BUT now I NEED it to get through the day. Natural stimulant. Gives me sustained energy and immunity builders that I need from so little sleep. And feel that it truly is the best way to get vitamins and nutrients. Plus as an added bonus feel that the baby will get passed along a lot of great stuff through my breast milk and hopefully will love vegetables through this process :)
Today's mama juice was made of 1 head romaine lettuce, few handfuls kale, handful parsley, small bag of carrots ( approx. 10), 2 apples, 4 lemons, 1 orange, 1 pear and a whole bunch celery. Ended up leaving out the red pepper that is in the photo bc made more fruity.
The big jar is the end product which I will pack up with me when I leave in a bit to get me through the day. I am leaving around 9:45 am and probably will not be back until 430 pm or so. Going to meet my girlfriends and their new babies!! All 4 of our babies were both within a month of each other, then my last appointment with the midwives, then to go rent a breast pump 9mine broke this morning), then to return our new vacuum cleaner (wrecked our floors!! Long and sad story but oh well, they are just floors in the end). Have a lovely juicy day!
xoxmc

Morning Time

Its astonishing to say but rarely do I have even 5 minutes to get on my yoga mat and stretch. And I need it desperately. But the day just starts and becomes a whirling dervish with newborn stuff and laundry and constant nursing, grocery shopping, making a quick juice or meal. But last night the baby slept for a big chunk which allowed me to sleep. So I have now been wide awake since 4 am. We fed, changed diapers, folded some laundry and then when she fell back asleep I did some yoga in the dark. Slowly stretching to the sound of her deep breathing and little woodland creature whimpers. And I feel so much better. During pregnancy it was the lower half that needed help and now it is the upper half. My chest, shoulder, neck and back need a lot of help to stretch and open. My shoulders tend to slope forward anyway but now with breast feeding, holding the baby for many hours a day, getting in weird positions to get her in and out of the car, etc. the upper portion of the body gets wrecked. My neck and shoulders are like rocks and even my forearms have these tight sinewy muscles that almost make me cry when I start to massage them. Now that we are at the six week mark and things are becoming easier and more routine I am going to start making more time myself and my body. I did forward bends, triangle, shoulder stand and plow (yay I can finally do these without the pregnant belly!!!), back and shoulder openers with the block, cat/cow, down dog, and off purse childs pose. Nice to not be in a rush but to enjoy each stretch luxuriously. A true gift. More of that to come. The sun is now up. The husband is stirring and I am drinking tea and ready for my packed day that lies ahead.
xomc

Baked Tofu and Sauteed Lentils, Mushrooms and Onions

Dinner tonight:
1. Tofu- I baked some tofu yesterday and I have to say its awesome. Which is a pleasant surprise because I generally do not love the things that I cook. Love my juices but the food not so much. And baking...forget it. So I actually marinated the tofu overnight and baked it yesterday and it tastes even better today. The skin has a chance to harden more. I took extra firm tofu and cut it into thinnish slices. Then I covered it in a marinade of amino acids, tamari, a bit of hot sauce and TONS of nutritional yeast with some clean water. Then I put the the slices on an oiled baking sheet. Baked on 350 for 45 min. or so.
2. Sauteed whole white onion in a bit of olive oil with salt and pepper. Let them get tender then added mushrooms. Then poured on some tamari and let them cook down.
3. Then added cooked lentils (trader joes) and some organic grape tomatoes. Blended together until cohesive and hot.

This is a very easy, low fat, high protein vegetarian dinner. Tastes meaty from mushrooms and lentils.
Enjoy!
(Sorry briefly typed. Holding baby with one hand and typing with one hand that is hurt).
xoxxmc

Juice away the germs

Its that time of the year when seemingly everyone seems to be catching something. Now that I have a baby I am even more paranoid than ever about getting sick. I have been fighting off a sore throat for two days which angers me. I think a lot has to do with major sleep deprivation and breast feeding but also am around people and hence germs. Doing tea with raw honey and lots of veggie juice!! Today I made a big batch of celery, romaine, kale, ginger, orange, grapefruit, apple, carrot, and lemon juice. And I also just juiced 10 pounds of oranges which surprisingly does not go that far. I am doing all I can to flood my system with nutrients and antioxidants. Also, that will pass along to the lil one through my breast milk. Other sick defenses I use are large amounts of vitamin C powder, vitamin D, probiotics, rhodiola rosea, and astralagus. Back on the juice track after veering off of it during my pregnancy. Feels so good to be back. My body is literally drinking it up. Goodluck out there through this sickie season!

xoxxmc

Dream Big Fund- Please Vote for Me & help my Career dreams come true!!

Hello Friends- Never have asked for voting help before but I am trying to win the "dream big fund" for mamas who have started their own new business. The winnings will help me get a bit of money to put towards marketing as well as truly help to get my name and business out to the masses in Los Angeles. It takes 1 minute to go to the link and help me realize a new dream! Would be greatly appreciated.  The new and exciting part of my business that I am adding to the Nutrition Consultations and Yoga/Pilates is working with moms to be in preparation for pregnancy even 6 mos. to 1 year out from conception in order to prime and prepare the body. As well as working with women during pregnancy and postpartum. Thanks! xoxox


Click here to vote:

Dream Big: Fund a Mom Project - bellysprout

www.bellysprout.com


Here is my proposal info.-

I started my Nutrition business last Fall so I have been officially in business for just under or around a year. The name of my business is simply my name, as I offer both nutrition consultations as well as yoga/pilates instruction. My website is www.mcleanmcgown.com. The reason that I am applying for this dream big fund is because since I became pregnant and had my little girl (just 3 weeks ago) I realized that moms to be, pregnant mamas and postpartum moms need help and useful guidance!!! Real deal things that work in preparation for growing a baby in the healthiest body possible. It is now my absolute passion to cater to women who are a year or six months out from wanting to become pregnant. I was my own guinea pig. I prepped my body for a year before conceiving and it made a world of difference. I have always been obsessed, intrigued, and passionate about health and healing. I grew up as a dancer and started practicing yoga at the age of 15 which then led me down the path of becoming both a Certified Pilates and Yoga teacher right as I hit my 20’s. As my own passion grew for ways of eating I naturally began sharing my knowledge with friends, family and clients. Soon friends and friends of friends were emailing and calling me for nutrition advice. In 2010 I became a Certified Clinical Nutritionist and also completed an advanced course with Natalia Rose (raw food guru).

When I knew that I wanted to start down the road of conception I decided to take my cleansing to the next level. I became committed to preparing and drinking large amounts of fresh vegetable juices daily for a year. I pretty much at a raw vegan diet but ate healthy cooked food when I felt my body needed it. All of the issues that I was having with my body cleared up. I had boundless energy, my skin was radiant and I was at my slimmest while also being my healthiest and most balanced. The first time that I “tried” to get pregnant I conceived. My husband is 17 years older than me and we were pretty shocked that it happened so quickly. I was elated and grateful. I know it was because my body was as healthy as it could be. I have to say that my pregnancy was not easy. I was nauseated and sick for 5.5 months. I lost weight and could not work much. It was difficult and very frustrating to not be as active as I always had been. The one thing that kept me going was the fact that my body was full of nutrition from the past year to grow a healthy and vibrant baby!! That is when I truly realized how important it is to prepare the body in advance. Basically fill the tank with as much live organic food as possible because you never know how your pregnancy will be and what food you will actually be able to get down. I was sick on and off throughout the rest of my pregnancy and at some points my midwives were worried that my baby was not growing enough. Well, I just birthed a 21 inch 7.8 lbs. baby girl who is thriving!! I have lost almost all of my baby weight in 3 weeks, am healing well and feel great (aside from lack of sleep). I spoke with and guided quite a few women throughout my pregnancy who wanted advice on how to prepare and get through their own pregnancy. My main focus is on raw juicing, unprocessed food, and meeting clients in a way that fits their lifestyle. I am all about helping women find their middle path, to steer away from the extremes and diet dogma.

 

If I were to win this dream big fund I would use the money for marketing purposes. I put a lot of time, energy and money into redesigning my website a few months ago but need to get myself and my message out to the masses of LA to really start making my dream a reality!!! I believe that I have something apart from other nutritionists to offer as I have years of training and personal experience. I will help women on their journey from pregnancy preparation to postpartum. I can help women and families learn to make healthier choices, juice, grocery shop, and menu plan. As a side perk I can also help women through pre and post-natal yoga as well. The mind and body are interconnected and one realizes how true that is during their own pregnancy. I am compassionate towards and passionate about helping women feel empowered, strong and honest about their pregnancy and health experiences. I hope that you will consider me for the winner of the dream big fund. For information about me and what I do, please visit my website atwww.mcleanmcgown.com.

 

In peace and health,

McLean McGown 

Prenatal Yoga Video Shoot

Today was a first for me, of being a yoga model for a video shoot. It was fun! Anusara based prenatal workout for a new yoga mat. We were there almost 8 hours. Not always moving but barely slept a wink last night so pretty tired. Was fun to be back in front of the camera. Its still in my blood. More on that later. Must figure out how to combine all of the passions I have to pave my own way and make some money. Brain wheels are spinning. Anyway, had a really fun day being on set, being with awesome pregnant mamas and our great teacher Jessica Jennings. Will be fun to show the baby how she did yoga in her mama’s belly. When the product comes out will let you know. Should be pretty cool. Grateful and full of baby love today. Not anxious :)

xoxo,mc

Um....I am now officially F-ing Huge.

This is me today. 34 weeks. I now officially huge and although I love having had her inside me, I am over it and ready to have her on the outside. Literally, in 2-3 weeks. Thats it. Done. Not trying to be ungrateful or controlling or pressure her exit but really enough is enough. No sleep, nausea is back, hard to eat much and nothing looks good to me except for random drinks and sweet things. Feeling swollen and hot and want her in my arms!!! Visited with a new friend today who was in my birth class. She had a very short labor. Something like I’d like to have. Was only at the hospital with her midwives for an hour before baby Belle was born. Amazing. Anyway, newborns are teeny weeny!!! I forget how tiny. She was so precious and slept for the 3 hours I was there in her mom’s arms. So sweet. And her mom was so chill and relaxed, not hyper or neurotic. Really nice to see. So curious what our labor and birth will look like. Hard to even imagine. My life is really about to change. I have been super gung ho nester today. Awoke to have the AC guy come fix something. Then packed up a big load to cart off to storage. Luckily it is literally next door to our loft so my wonderful neighbor let me use her push cart. Took mason jars, 10 teapots, bowls, books, and other things we don’t use daily in order to make more room in our cupboards. Our loft is minimal and we do not have a lot of storage space, and what we do have is very streamlined and orderly. Feels really good. Rearranged the book shelves, de-cluttered A LOT. Now just to get the baby room door built, sell a car and buy a car! Must go shower, chant and get ready for bed now. Shooting a prenatal yoga DVD all day tomorrow. Sweet dreams!

xoxox,mc

Learning a lot about Boobs today

This morning I went to my first La Leche League meeting and tonight I have a 3 hour breastfeeding class. So basically my day is all about boobs. I still haven’t quite wrapped my head around the fact that my little boobs (now not so little and growing…) are going to be another human’s only food source for a longtime. How crazy is that?!!! Anyway, I really loved my class this morning. I am trying to get and stay as supported as I can throughout my new mommy time. I know it will be really important to have a network of moms for support. Because its all so new and there are so many ways to do everything and so much to learn!!! I think I have reached my reading quota. My doula actually told me to put down the books. It all becomes a bit too overwhelming. I like hearing stories and learning from people first hand. There were new and old moms, newborns to toddlers, all giving and receiving support. Really beautiful. And as I was the only new and expectant mother, they all went around the circle and shared their top advice for post-partum with me. Words of encouragement, tips they had learned. I felt honored to be immediately part of a nice new network. Normally I would be super shy to just turn up to a new meeting but the leader was my Bradley Method teacher who I love. Still strange to see strangers boobs but I think I will probably get used to that very soon, when my boob modesty goes out the window. Breastfeeding is obviously the most natural thing ever but also can be way more complicated than one thinks. I have heard horror stories and some things people said today did in all honesty freak me out, like being sleep deprived for YEARS. But hopefully my lil’ girl will latch on easily and we’ll be off and feeding immediately. I also set up her first pediatrician appointment today which made this all super real!!!!! Getting excited and trying to just get out of my head and go with it. The more I think, the more neurotic I become. And I cannot control any of it anyway, so think I need to enter into a bit of lala land about it all. I know the info. and now I just need to let wash over me and let it go….

xxox,mc

Iced Green Tea Chai

I love iced drinks. Always have. I was once known as the beverage queen. If you opened my refrigerator all you would see were condiments and drinks and maybe some teeth whitener. My poor mom when she would come to visit, would joke that she was on the McLean starvation diet. I did eat. I just did not keep food in my house. Or much food. But always beverage, and lots of em’. I did not always feel “safe” having food around which is “normal” if you have issues with eating, and therefore food. But thats a whole other topic altogether. My point today is that its awesome to have yummy cold drinks on hand for when the desire strikes. I must admit that I have spent too much money this summer on iced green tea lemonades at Starbucks. I just want big cold drinks all of the time. And while pregnant, it really hits the spot. Iced drinks and smoothies are two of my very favorite things. This morning on my way out to temple, I brewed a few cups of green tea chai, added a bit of agave, then poured some over ice for the road and put the rest in the fridge. It is extremely low in caffeine but gives you the taste of subtle yummy chai. Its the Yogi Tea brand. Happy drinking it right now. Have a lovely Sunday everyone!

xox,mc

Choline! If you like Eggs you're in luck.

So I am usually not an egg eater. But as I have chronicled, have had to give into the protein gods and put my desires and food ego aside. But I have actually grown to love a hard boiled egg with a bit of salt and pepper. They are the perfect snack or meal. For whatever reason, my preggo body is responding well to them. The protein keeps my baby growing well and developing her brain while also keeping my body unbloated. Protein is great to eat if you are a sweller. It keeps the bloat and edema down. Anyway, came across this article about choline and what an important nutrient it is. So if you like eggs and are having a baby girl, you could be doing her a world of good. There are other ways to find choline in foods as well as supplements. But I am sticking by my organic, grass fed, omega 3, brown, hard boiled eggs for now.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081201144603.htm

xoxxo,mc

Hitting the Preggo Wall

Every pregnant woman hits their wall. And very likely they do so a few times. Well, I have hit mine. Just being honest here. I am barely sleeping through the night, at all. I have to get up 5-6 times a night to go to the bathroom. And napping has been near impossible because ya know I have a life and a lot on my plate. Even though I am trying not to have a lot going on, there are a lot of various things that pull my hours and days into different directions. The afternoons creep by with nary a nap. Last night was bad, barely slept at all. Therefore I thought and thought and worked myself into an anxiety tizzy. I know this is "normal" at this time. I am about to birth a human. Not only that, because really thats only one event, but the big thing is keeping it alive. My mind was full of rational and irrational fears. I wanted to throw up. So fearful. I guess this is the new part of becoming a mother. The worrying never will really cease. My hormones are going nutso. I feel huge and hot and things are hurting. I want to have her on the outside now, over the inside part. But still have to fix up her room, buy a new car (!), buy rugs, get the animals ready, build a door to her room, find her a doctor, etc. Its a lot. Plus still trying to work some and see people and friends before my life becomes way more harried. Not that I am complaining. Or I am not trying to. Just stating the facts. Its a lot. Was talking to a mom friend of mine today who said she knew exactly where I was. You wake up one day and go "Okay, I am finished. Over it. Lets do this". I guess it is the genius plan to get women to let go of their fears and actually want to give birth. Because lets face it, birth is scary as hell and pretty gross. I have just come around to embracing the birthing process. I am kind of a prude and have always been grossed out by it. Sorry, its true. In birth class my husband is saying "look how beautiful" as we watch the birth videos and I am the one in fetal position looking disgusted and muttering "Fuuuuck"! But the more I have watched and learned, the more empowered I have become. Our society definitely does not show or talk about positive birth experiences. The one birth I have (partially) witnessed, I fainted. All of our books, movies, and reality shows show fear, drugs, emergency, etc. Why would we embrace it? Anyway, I have a good 6-8 weeks left and I am not sure exactly how I am going to get tehre. But I know I will. I need to draw deeper into my spiritual practice, let go, give in, surrender my control and trust this baby girl and the process. But I would be very happy if she came happy and healthily on the early side of things ;)
xoxox,mc

I Heart Swimming BIG Time

I love to swim. I am a fish. Always have been. I will whore myself out for a pool, invite myself to pool parties where I will be one of the few actually swimming. Swimming in the ocean or pool just makes me super happy. Always has, and I assume always will. One day I would love to have my own pool so I can swim throughout the day as I see fit. Want my kid (s?) to grow up swimming too. We belonged to a pool in Nashville where I pretty much would stay all day during the summer. Swimming and playing tennis and eating slushies. Good old fashioned summer fun. Then every summer we would also go to my great grandmother’s beach house where I would spend ALL day going back and forth between the ocean and the pool. I have been on a pool search since I got pregnant. The baby sickness slowed me down for a while and I wasn’t doing much extra exercise at all. But now that I am feeling good I am swimming. I joined the Santa Monica College pool which has me ecstatic. It is awesome! If you are a S.M. resident you get a super deal of 20 swims for $40. But you can also just pay as you go. The lap pool is huge and seemingly lanes are pretty open. I went during lunch time today which was busy but I easily found a lane. Swam for 30 minutes. Felt amazing. Could have gone longer but I seem to have pulled a groin muscle. Yesterday was my first day swimming but I think Monday I overstretched my groin doing yoga and now I have it a bit overworked. But swimming during pregnancy is something that I hope to continue to do until I give birth, in the birthing pool. It is great as you get bigger and as the relaxin opens up all of your joints. Swimming is low impact but works you out and really gets into all of your muscle groups, stretches and lengthens them. The breast stroke is awesome to do b/c it contracts and works the back muscles while opening up and stretching the chest and arms. The front of your belly gets a great stretch too without feeling uncomfortable or too much. And as I get bigger I know that the buoyancy will feel wonderful. I am still not too huge so the side stroke and front crawl felt great too. Felt good to work out my side and back muscles. But obviously just listen to your own body and see what works. The paddle boards are also great for the legs. There is also something scientific that happens when a preggo gets into the pool. When you submerge yourself into the water, the pressure affects the swollen tissue filled with fluid (edema) by sucking it back into the cells which reduces the swelling. So the more you swim, the idea is the less swelling you will have. I feel a lot less swollen after swimming. It is awesome! Plus you feel like yourself b/c you are floating and weightless. I always feel like a kid when I swim. As of now, I am rocking the bikini. Feels better than a huge tent one piece. I am just letting the belly hang out. It’s actually kind of funny b/c in my normal body I loathe wearing a two piece, but am actually loving it right now. Feel super sexy and like I don’t give a F***. So to everyone out there, take advantage of summer and get some fun swimming exercise. And for those preggos out there, give it a try and treat yourself if available to you. You will not regret it.

xoxox, McLean

Organic/ Non-Organic Lists

This list I have taken from the Mind, Body, Green website. They post it regularly and I always seem to forget all of the details, so thought I’d repost it. Obviously we would all love to buy organic produce straight off of the farm but most of us to do not have the time, money, or interest. But for some people its a non-negotiable part of their budget. I do get annoyed when people get all victimy and blame the fact that they do not buy fresh veggies or fruits on the fact that they do not have a ton of money. If you go to the markets, it is plain to see that not everyone is rolling in the dough. I mean it is expensive, I get that. BELIEVE me I get that. And I get annoyed too!!! But also its about priorities. I chose to buy good food with my money. That is what is important to me and my husband. Especially now with the baby growing. We do not eat out a lot, never go to bars, do not drink alcohol, or buy cigarettes, I rarely shop, I do not get my nails done or color my hair. I buy mostly organic, thats my “vice” but one that is well worth it. In LA we are lucky because there are so many markets around in pretty much every neighborhood (except for the “hood”). But it takes effort and time to go to the farmer’s markets and sort through the stalls to find the best foods for the best prices. And it takes upkeep. In other words, you can only buy what you will use up quickly as the food has no preservatives and thus a short self life. When I am being good about going to the markets exclusively, I end up having to go at least twice to buy new veg and fruit. However, I fully believe in supporting your local farmers markets. Its one way we can say F-you to the food corporations that seduce us with their processed packaged goods. It’s a way to take back some control over what you put in your body and who you want to give your hard earned money to. It is also a great way to show your kids where real food comes from. Okay enough from me. Jeeeez. Here is a list of the dirty and the clean. Try to buyorganic from the dirty list. You can get away with buying conventional from the clean list if need be. Organic all the time is the best but hey we gotta pick our battles…

xoxox, McLean

The Dirty Dozen:
1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries
4. Peaches
5. Spinach
6. Nectarines (imported)
7. Grapes (imported)
8. Sweet bell peppers
9. Potatoes
10. Blueberries
11. Lettuce
12. Kale/collard greens

And on the flip side, here’s the “Clean 15” list of produce with the lowest amount of  pesticides. If you’d like to save some money on produce and not opt for organic, this list is a good place to start.

The Clean 15:
1. Onions
2. Corn
3. Pineapples
4. Avocado
5. Asparagus
6. Sweet peas
7. Mangoes
8. Eggplant
9. Cantaloupe (domestic)
10. Kiwi
11. Cabbage
12. Watermelon
13. Sweet potatoes
14. Grapefruit
15. Mushrooms

Legs Up the Wall

If you don’t know this pose, you should. It is in my opinion possibly the best yoga pose ever. Because it involves zero effort and offers amazing benefits. I learned about this pose as a youngster, as my mom was badass and did legs up the wall every night before bed, for decades. And nary a varicose vein ever landed on her legs. It works. It is so relaxing and and is actually a great way to unwind after your day. If you have been on your feet all day, then it is really important to do in order to flush the fluids out of your lower extremities. Think about it. When you stand all day your heart has to pump a lot of blood constantly down to your legs and feet. When you invert the legs above the head, you give your heart a rest. You let the blood from the legs and feet flow and settle somewhat up into the upper body. It also is a great break for your muscles, tendons and ligaments. When you get pregnant you will soon see how your body begins to hold onto more fluid. When you carry a fetus, you not only have to pump your blood but you now have to make and support the babies blood supply too. Your blood volume will DOUBLE!! How crazy is that?!!! And it happens pretty early on. That’s one of the reasons why pregnant women get dizzy and get a rapid heartbeat or out of breath easily. Your body is working overtime and triple time to make a healthy baby. I tend to be a sweller and now being pregnant I am really feeling it. I generally try to do legs up the wall everyday but now I HAVE to do it or my legs hurt. I was on my feet for 8 hours today, which is way too much when 24 weeks preggo, and therefore have legs up the wall on my brain. Been doing it for the past hour. It is great to do after exercising, if you ate too much salt the night before and are bloated, before and after you travel by plane, after a long and stressful day, and most importantly when you need a little nurturing. I even teach my 4 olds this pose and they love it. It just makes you feel good! You can do it in bed with your legs against the wall. Can prop yourself up in pillows while doing this and reading, watching tv, meditating or just unwinding. Can also do lying on the ground with your bottom pressed against the wall and legs straight up the wall above your head. Arms can be however you like but my favorite is to have them open down to the sides, palms up. To get into the pose, sit next to the wall, hips and shoulder flush against the wall. Then gently lie down onto your side, roll onto your back and bring one then two legs up the wall. Voila, there you are. 5-30 or more minutes is great. Just feel it out. Should feel good, if it doesn’t then stop. Do not do until the legs go numb. Having the legs above the head is technically an inversion just like headstand, handstand and shoulderstand. You get a lot of the benefits while not really having to do any of the work. Anxiety washes away, the breath becomes slow and even, depression lifts and the good hormones swim throughout your body. So give yourself a big treat and give it a try.

Xoxox, McLean

Trust

I went to sleep late and awoke early so am now a mix of tired and totally jacked up. Brain is jumping. My birthing class was awesome last night. Learning new stuff but mostly reviewing things I already now at least a bit about. But the cool part is how D. and I are becoming parents. Now. We are learning how to work as partners on this crazy ride. We are taking classes called The Bradley Method which I highly recommend. It is based on the principle of husband coached birth. Which is awesome because when you find an amazing partner, you see how they all they want to do during your pregnancy is protect you and the baby, but don’t really know how to do that. It can be frustrating and alienating for both of you. The classes teach you how to communicate physically and emotionally with an emphasis on natural birth and relaxation. But the tools you learn can be applied to hospital births if you so chose. It is all about knowledge and empowerment, 2 aspects that are often taken away from women. The more I am learning the more excited and somewhat angry I feel. We are fearful about birth and do not trust our bodies. I will admit that I had about a week during my pregnancy where I freaked out and was like “maybe I do want drugs and a C-section”. But that wasn’t me talking, that was fear. I had been in denial over the whole birthing part of pregnancy and then boom the reality hit. But my midwives talked me through everything and I began reading more and even looked at the vaginal birth photos which before grossed me out. It all is freaking miraculous. I feel strong now. I trust my body. And that is big. I haven’t always had love or trust for my body. This baby inside is helping to change that. If you have not seen “The Business of being Born” go rent it today. You can also stream it on Netflix for free. I had seen it before but now that I am pregnant the stakes are higher. I stayed up way too late watching it, getting fired up and wanting to rise up and help things change. It will blow your mind. Ladies, we have been sold a bill of goods. We have been made to feel that we are not strong enough. Not brave enough. Not entitled to a glorious birth experience. It has to change. And it can when each one of us reclaim our bodies. Inform yourself. It is so empowering for the baby, you and your partner. It is trust. This goes for all things really. We look outwardly to get changed, heal, healthy, more centered, etc. But each one of us holds the answers. If we can quiet the mind, move the body, eat good food, listen to our inner knowledge, we can have and do it all. 

xoxox, McLean

Yoga, even in small doses can do Wonders.

Sometimes I forget how much I love yoga. I know that sounds strange coming from a yoga teacher. But I do other things as well, so each day my focus does not revolve around yoga- practicing or teaching. Especially lately where my own practice has become subdued and exercise in general has taken a bit of a back seat. I have been so busy lately working on other things. The days start early and end late and then I collapse into bed. Yesterday I was on my feet for most of the day (which now when pregnant is A LOT). By the time night time came around my legs were swelled up to the gills (nightly thing) and my feet were soooo achey. I quickly did some household stuff, made my husband dinner (lentils, quinoa and sliced persian cucs) and then scurried upstairs to put my legs up the wall. Ahhhh relief. Its better than drugs. 30 min. there was like a dream. The pain began to subside and all tension began draining out of my pores. My anger at having just noticed how our housekeeper had scraped up my gorgeous and highly sensitive floors lessened. I mean, they are just floors right? Then keeping that boozey yogic feeling, I slid onto the floor and did some great stretching/poses- cat/cows, downdogs, lots of side stretches, standing forward folds, shoulder and neck openers, normal and supta baddha konasana, pigeon, and lots of block supported shoulder/back openers. I felt everything shift. That sense of connection and relaxation is so key in all of this and so important for the baby too. I can feel her feel happiness. Often she gets into it when I practice. Giving me little kicks. But last night she was super relaxy and just going along for the ride. Then I took a hot shower, washed and conditioned my hair and felt so happy and alive. Stretched out, calm, floating, clean. Some of my favorite things. It was yet again a lesson in doing what you can. It doesn’t have to be a sweaty hour and a half practice to be yoga, or beneficial yoga. It is all it needs to be for different times of your life, mood, day. Feel the shift. be the shift. Have a lovely day.

xoxox, McLean

Pregnancy is...in a word...weird.

Sorry my dear (8) blog followers for my long and shameful silence. I am turning that around now! Here's the deal....I got pregnant on New Year's Eve and was in bed for the better part of 4 months with horrible baby sickness. Now at 5.5 months preggo and feeling much better I am going to start blogging about my personal experience as well as share information that I have picked up along the way. I am still on the fence as to whether of not I should start an entirely new blog or just funnel it through here and have a daily blog mix. What do you guys think?
I don't want to bore/alienate people who are not interested in getting or being pregnant. But I also want to share my life, nutrition practice, lifestyle views, etc. in order to bolster up and help other women. And as of now, its all part of me.
My goal is to shed some REAL light on this crazy ride of pregnancy and not just be the happy Polly Anna or the negative Nancy. For women that want to have their own baby, pregnancy is generally part of the process. And I have found it alienating when women only discuss how amazing it is and how they felt sexy beyond belief and happy everyday. Cause guess what? I felt fucking sick as hell for 4 months and had days when I really didn't know how I'd push through. But I did. And we as women do and you will too. I had times of fainting spells, crying in public at the airport because I couldn't walk without fear of fainting (cringe), the worst nausea I could ever have imagined, vomiting, acne, severe constipation...and the list goes on. Pregnancy is A LOT of different things all mashed into one strange and new experience. When my friends ask how it's going, the one thing I can honestly say in a short answer is WEIRD. It is fucking weird. My body as I have known it for most of my life is changing on a daily basis. Its like a science experiment. Even starting from week 1 of being pregnant my body began shifting and reshaping itself. My husband and I nightly look at my naked body to see what has changed. Its trippy as hell! And pretty cool. Somedays I am scared and feel out of control, but most days I am excited to see and feel this little girl growing inside of me. It has been a real learning curve for little miss controlling (moi) to not be able to dictate to my body what my mind wants. My dream of juicing and eating raw vegan throughout my pregnancy fell to the wayside at week 5 when the sickness set in. For 4 months I could not look at a fruit of vegetable much less eat one. And this is coming from someone who normally juices 1-2 liters of veggie juice a day. My ego took a second seat and I realized through the ups and downs that pregnancy is a finite time and that to get through it as calmly and safely as possible I would have to ease up and let my body and new baby guide me. Again its about finding my middle path. Why is it so hard?!!! So I am taking it day by day. Feeling out what my body wants and needs, literally on a day to day basis. What I was able to eat yesterday I cannot eat today. It does not define who I am as person. So for all of you pregnant mamas out there, please be kind to yourself. It is an important time to be as healthy as you can be but try not to create more anxiety by judging yourself too harshly. Because afterall it is a 9.5-10 month period which yes is huge. but also is just the beginning.
To Love, Health & the Middle Path!

- Please email me at mcleanmcgown@gmail.com if yu have questions that you'd like answered ;)

xoxxMcLean

Green Tea Chai = Happy Mornings

Hello my dear blog readers. I have been meaning to tell you about my somewhat new favorite tea discovery. It is made by Yogi Teas and it is a green tea chai. I love the flavor of chai in the morning with high grade raw honey and a dash of coconut creamer or almond milk, delish! It is low in caffeine but you  get a bit of pep plus the antioxidant benefits of green tea. I lost my taste for coffee immediately upon becoming pregnant and most green or black teas make me vomit if I drink them first thing in the morning. But this tea is the best of all worlds. It is flavorful, decadent, good for you and not so strong that it turns your tummy. I actually just ran out of my stash today and am not looking forward to my morning without it. This is a really great tea if you are transitioning to a lower caffeinated tea or trying to quit coffee. For you pregnant ladies out there, listen first to your doctor, but most scientific research shows that 150-200 mg per day of caffeine is fine, just stay mindful. If you can do without it, great. But if you need to hold onto a little morning happiness with a touch of caffeine, I say do what makes you happy. Remember it's all about happiness in the mind, body, soul and finding your own way.
To Love, Health & the Middle Path!!!

ps- Starting a pre-pregnancy/ pregnancy/ baby blog....so if you have any questions that you want answering please email me at mcleanmcgown@gmail.com.

xoxMcLean

Spicy Cheesy Kale Chips

I finally made fabulous kale chips! I am so excited because I have failed miserably at this task, many times. And its pretty frustrating when you waste high quality and expensive ingredients only to produce a shitty outcome. So...I tried to follow a recipe (http://www.rawfoodrecipes.com/recipes/spicy-cheesy-kale-chips.htm) but being me, didn't really follow it. I have been working on this recipe-phobe issue for a while now, and it's not really getting better. I don't know, I may just accept this about myself. Jury is still out.

I used a food dehydrator (http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/) for this recipe so I can only speak of how it went down that way. Not sure if the cheesy recipe will work in the oven. You can make very easy kale chips in the oven by just washing, de-stemming, tossing with olive oil and salt/pepper and putting on cookie sheet for 15 min. or so in a 300-350 degree oven. Just wait til they get crispy but not burned!

All of the healthy enzymes will not remain intact but at least you will be getting in a whole bunch of greens. With dehydrating all you are doing is getting rid of the water so everything that is in the fruit or veg. stays in. You get the benefit of eating raw fruits/veg but with a brand new texture. However, they are pricey and not absolutely needed unless you are pretty determined to eat a raw diet. If you have been raw for a while the same foods can get pretty boring so a dehydrator can definitely open up a brand new world (cue Little Mermaid music).

Here's what I did:

THE NIGHT BEFORE- put 1 cup of raw organic cashews into a bowl and cover with healthy clean water. Let soak at least 6-8 hours. Then drain off water.

Assembly:

-wash 2 big bunches organic kale

- shake off water and dry a bit

- rip leaves off of stem into chip size pieces. Not too small b/c remember they will shrink

- put in a bowl and drizzle with a bit of organic olive oil and pepper and a bit or high grade salt, I like Himalyan

- massage oil into leaves

- In food processor or badass blender, blend up cashews until a smooth hummus consistency. If you have a food processor use it, much easier. Then add 4 raw garlic cloves, pepper, cayenne to taste, chili flakes to taste, bit of garlic powder and a ton of nutritional yeast. I probably used at least a half cup or more. Mix everything up til blended. Poor onto kale and massage.

- Then spread out kale onto dehydrator trays. I have a 4 tray machine, but I only use 2 at a time since the leaves are bulky and the trays are skinny.

- Dehydrate overnight. I did 12 hours b/c I like mine crispy!

- Then watch them disappear

xoxoxx McLean

Junkie Car

I am a bag lady on wheels, socially accepted but embarrassed all the same.
I loathe making New Year's Resolutions. They either seem too brutal or too lame. Either way I usually feel pretty ick about it. So this year I decided on no more "resolutions" but more of "ideas" or "desires" for the upcoming year. One of which is to learn how to treat my car better. Specifically the space within my car.
I am not proud to admit this, but I do not have a great track record with car cleanliness. In fact, a dear  friend of mine got in my car a few months back and her immediate response was "wow, you have a junkie car". And she meant it. And she knows. She was A) once a junkie and B) once lived in her car. So coming from her I took this seriously. A few days later when my shame fully settled in my bones I began to pick through my junk. Twine, hats, broken CD's, old bottled waters that were surely full of melted plastic chemicals, date pits, lots of clothing, Ikea bags, plastic bags, paper cups, coffee mugs, notebooks, broken glass, dog leash, birthday cards, etc. You get the idea. Not great for a 2 door Toyota Yaris. My mom has always told me that the state of your car represents the state of your mind, which means I need help fast. So I am trying to weed out the trash as it begins to collect. My car is full at the moment because a great friend just gave me a full car load of needed baby hand me downs but I will be organizing it all very soon. At least it is on my mind daily and hey....knowing you have a problem is half the battle.

LA Japan Relief Event 4/2

Hello Lovely People Out There,
Sorry I have been absent as of late. I have good reason which I will go into soon. BUT what I really want to talk about is this coming Saturday April 2nd from 1-4 pm there is an awesome event with lots of cool prizes to win, all of which go straight to Japan to offer relief. 100% of all proceeds go to Japan!!
So please come check us out this Saturday. All ages are welcome for haircuts, arts and crafts, cool raffles and a chance to win a private yoga session with me.
Lets help those who need it the most! While still having a bit of fun ourselves.

With open hearts and enough love to send to those in need,

 xoxxx McLean

Oh Gwyneth...How we Love to Love and Hate You...let me count thy ways...

Okay so by now everyone is on to GOOP. Either love it or hate it, or vacillate violently between the two. I am of the later. Gwyneth brings out my bi-polar disorder.
When it first came out, a year...two years ago...can't quite remember, I really liked it. I totally viewed it the way that Gwyneth wants it to be viewed. A helpful guide for those of us who are not millionaires. To save us time and money and frustration by pointing us in the right direction for healthy recipes, soap from France, restaurants in Spain, organic kiddie clothes, etc. I liked how she was upfront and honest, saying "look, I get that I am a rich movie star with everything at my finger tips and I am lucky and grateful for that. I want to share all that I have been lucky enough to learn and stumble upon and share it with the masses". Okay so there are some amazing tips and most of the time I enjoy getting the email. Especially if I am having a compassionate filled Buddha loving day. Grateful for all that I am and have and seeing the good in everyone.
However, then there are the days that I am a disgruntled snarky biatch, and I hate her. As in really loathe the perfect blond rich bitch with the perfect kids and rockstar husband and homes in 3 countries and a pool and and and.....
Like who is SHE to tell ME about such and such! Like I give a damn what she has to say. Okay so you get the idea. When I am feeling less than I get jealous. Green with envy. I want my perfect London townhouse and an outside pizza oven (who cares if I don't eat pizza!) and a POOL. And for brevity I am not going to even discuss her new country singing career (cringe...).
But today, in prepping for a clients' detox I followed a GOOP recipe. And for those of you that know me, this was a BIG deal. I despise recipes. Never follow the things, at least for myself. But perhaps by helping others, I will learn to help myself and save time and groceries by actually learning to follow direction. We'll see, that sounds like a lot. So I made the Detox Broccoli and Arugula Soup and it was pretty darn good. Bright green, brimming with nutrition, ridiculously easy to make, smooth as butter.

So in closing today, Gwyneth thank you for sharing your recipes and not giving into the haters (which I am not one of today). 

xoxoxMclean

Broccoli and Arugula Soup

ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced 1/2 yellow onion, roughly diced 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets (about 2/3 pound) 2 1/2 cups water 1/4 teaspoon each coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper 3/4 cup arugula (watercress would be good, too) 1/2 lemon

preparation:

Heat the olive oil in a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté for just a minute or until fragrant. Add the broccoli and cook for four minutes or until bright green. Add the water, salt and pepper, bring to a boil, lower the heat and cover. Cook for eight minutes or until the broccoli is just tender. Pour the soup into a blender and puree with the arugula until quite smooth. Be very careful when blending hot liquids; start slowly and work in batches if necessary (you don’t want the steam to blow the lid off). Serve the soup with a bit of fresh lemon.

Gilty Nail Pleasures

Quick! If you are a Gilt member go on today and buy the NON- TOXIC Nail polishes by Deborah Lippman. Tons of colors, buy in pairs for $20. As I stated in a previous post, these are free of all of the bad yucky chemicals and it feels good too. Great colors, stays on, and you know that toxins aren't leaking into your nail beds.
http://www.gilt.com/sale/women/deborah-lippmann
xoxxmc

Veggies Galore

Falling back on an old favorite tonight. The veggie stir fry. Ages 14-16 when I first went vegetarian I ate some sort of stir fry nightly. The key is to stock your fridge constantly with veggies. If you are already into juicing, you are used to this. Tonight I made a bit spicey as I bought those hot little red peppers from a thai lady at the farmers market last week. Diced up very small 1 pepper and sauteed in a bit of high grade olive oil. Then added an entire onion (as I adore cooked to death onions), about a cup of mushrooms diced, a package of skinny french green beans and 3 red bell peppers. So after the hot pepper and onion get browned in the oil I add water and let it steam down a bit. Then add all the veggies. Add tamari, or amino acids or soy sauce to taste. And presto you have a very healthy and yummy and bright colored dinner. I used to eat it with huge piles of white rice, but tonight serving plain with salad and beans. You can also make with quinoa, brown rice, rice noodles, soba noodles, or a white fish if you eat it. Super simple. Its just about having the ingredients on hand and throwing whatever you have into the skillet.
Its not raw, but its still veggies and when you want something cooked and comforting this is a nice choice.

xoxmc

Breville Juicer Users

Hey Friends who use Breville Juicers-
Not that you would, BUT just don't wash any part of the juicing equipment in a heated dry dishwasher. It will melt in places and be very sad ;(

Curry Fever

I always wanted an Indian wedding...but I will have to settle for cauliflower curry. Actually, it's not settling at all, I am OBSESSED. Its good roasted but best RAW. As I refuse to follow recipes (I know its juvenile) it changes a bit depending on my mood. But this stuff makes me crave, make and inhale a copious amount of cruciferous vegetables, and therefore is a winner to me.
The basics include a head of caulifower, curry powder, cayenne pepper (if you want spicey), some bragg's amino acids- to taste, and then cover in nutritional yeast and mix well. Nutritional yeast is my new BFF. It must be the B-12 that I am needing. As an added deliciousness add an amazing Curry spread by the brand Majestic Garlic. It is sold at whole foods and probably most health food stores. It is completely raw vegan, made of omega 3 oils, garlic, spices and sea salt. Thats it! They have a lot of great flavors (adored by raw foodies and meat eaters alike) but the curry is my favorite. This serves as the fat to coat and bind all of the ingredients together and perfectly coat the cauliflower. If roasting instead, omit this spread and instead use a bit of oil to coat the cauliflower and baking pan. Cook to your desired taste and crunchiness.
I also just found the Indian mustard bath mix that I have been searching for for the past 2 years!!!! Sunday after a wonderful afternoon at the beach, the hubs and I dropped by whole foods. And there in the soap section was Dr. Singha's Mustard Bath mix (http://www.drsingha.com). It is amazing. I first used it 2 years ago while staying with a friend in Brooklyn. I was tired and had a high fever and felt myself getting very sick. I was 2 days out from flying back to LA and jumping on a plan with my old friend (now husband) to go to Japan and China. Sickness was not an option. I took a steaming hot bath with the Mustard bath, wrapped myself up and passed out. Next morning, was good to go.
Just ate a huge bowl of the curried cauliflower and I am now off to my mustard bath.

Take care of you.
xoxoxx, McLean

My Ass Doesn't Look Like It Used To...and other disappointments.

Okay, so getting back to "reality" post-holiday sucks. This past Sunday night was like the mother of all Sunday night blues. There is no easy way around it (except for denial and that isn't so easy longterm). You must walk right into the fire and face all of the things that you managed to ignore for the past 1-2 weeks. But don't worry! Day by day we'll get "it" back. We always do. And of course in my head I know that I have to have the stressy work time to appreciate the downtown fully.
So right now you may not be liking how clothes fit or what you see staring back at you in the mirror (try to stick to Low lighting). We over-induldge over the holidays. It's okay its what we do. And at most you might have gained 3-5 lbs. which is not a horrendously daunting task to undo. I for some reason thought that it would be a great idea to don a bathing suit today at the Y, which coincidentally has horrible lighting. Not a bright moment of my day. It helped that there were old very fat ladies surrounding me, but not much.
Things and parts are not where I am used to seeing them. I have been eating a large amount of crackers over the holidays and way too much sugar, so now its back to veggies, juices and smoothies!!! I share this because it serves as a reminder about how we want to live. What foods make us look and feel vibrant. Its fun to slack but its also important to get back on track and not spiral out into a 3 month binge. So be kind to yourself but also stay motivated. Try a new workout routine, get a group of friends to go walking or hiking, finally start making smoothies or juicing. Make it a priority to keep your house stocked with healthy foods that will be easy to reach for and prepare. And I always tell my clients this, keep snack bags in your purse, in your car, in your diaper bag...at all times. Raw almonds, gluten free crackers, dried fruits and my favorite dates. Try to never let yourself get the crazy hungries. Strive for action without guilt. Inspire yourself to be all that you know you can be.

xoxox, McLean