Higher temperatures typically bring on higher hemlines. If you feel like winter sidetracked your fitness and diet goals, Jennifer Aniston’s go-to yoga guru, Mandy Inbger, has launched a new book (Yogalosophy for Inner Strength: 12 Weeks to Heal Your Heart and Embrace Joy, $16; amazon.com) to help get you both physically and mentally on track. InStyle.com spoke with Ingber for the scoop.
What do you think is the biggest mistake people make when trying to get fit?
People tend to go to extremes, thinking that starvation or over-excercising will do the trick. The best plan is moderation—aim for daily movement, a healthy diet of unprocessed whole foods, and plenty of downtime and sleep for recovery.
What’s your top tip for getting your body in shape for summer?
Move your body in a different way for 45-60 minutes daily. This can be a hike, run, yoga class, barre class, hot yoga, yoga with weights, or dance class. The variety will keep your body working different muscles and will keep you interested. Add a neighborhood walk after dinner each night to help unwind mentally and metabolize your food. Try for a bit of daily meditation and yoga, too, which will help you to relax and sleep better, thus lowering cortisol levels.
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It can be hard to fit working out into a busy schedule. If there’s one yoga move one should do every day, what would it be?
The Sun Salutation series of movements (found in Ingber’s book) would be my desert-island yoga move. It works the cardiovascular system and strengthens and stretches your muscles. Aim to do this series 10 times.
What’s your go-to meal or drink if you feel like you’ve fallen off the wagon and been indulging too much?
The best thing to do is just start fresh with a healthy diet, but water helps to reset your body. Try variations like water with lemon, or 20 ounces of water with 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar. Also, add a green vegetable juice to your diet daily. This will purify your blood and ensure you’re getting at least 2 servings of vegetables (ideally, you should consume 5 servings of fruits and veggies per day).
Editor’s Note: Ingber also shared her vegetable rich green soup recipe from her new book, below.
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Glorious Green Machine Soup
(Serves 2–4)
1 cup chopped curly kale
1 cup chopped zucchini (or packaged julienne-cut broccoli)
1 cup chopped dandelion greens (or dark leafy green of your choice, such as chard or watercress )
1 ripe avocado, halved
1/2 lemon
salt to taste
pepper to taste
2 cups water
coconut oil, for drizzling
Boil 2 cups of water. Put the curly kale, zucchini, and your choice of greens in a heat-safe blender. Squeeze in half a lemon. Pour 1–2 cups boiling water over the vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste. Blend for 30 seconds and then add half the avocado. Blend to desired thickness. Pour into the bowl. Slice the remaining avocado and add to the bowl to give it texture. Drizzle coconut oil over the soup and serve.
