In this undated photo, residents participate in a class at Arden Yoga, located at the Georgetown Square in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Photo submitted)
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Most New Year’s resolutions aim for healthy lifestyle changes or weight loss, and this year, local businesses are doing their part to help ensure those goals are attained.
Eating healthy begins with the basics, like fresh fruits and vegetables. Not everyone is a fan of raw kale or apples, but with a little help from Pa Bunk’s Natural Market and Café, getting that daily dose of fruit and veggies just got easier.
The downtown health food shop added a juice bar to its list of yummy fresh sandwiches and made-to-order coffees. Patrons can choose a base of apple, orange, pear or carrot, then select two or more add-ins, ranging from ginger, kale, lemon, spinach, cucumber, garlic or other seasonal items.
“The juice bar is a great way for people to get greens and fruits and veggies – that they don’t normally enough – in the form of a juice,” Pa Bunk’s Owner Corey Williams explains.
“Kale is getting more and more popular, but most people don’t know what to do with it, or they don’t like the taste of it. Kale is the most nutrient-dense vegetable, and with one juice drink, you can get one to two servings of it.”
A juice bar was originally planned for Pa Bunk’s during its grand opening one year ago, but Williams opted to add it in later by removing one of the registers.
He also created two concoctions for customers on-the-go or who have never tried a juice. Cowabunga features pear, apple, orange, ginger, kale and lemon, while The Cure offers full servings of carrots, orange and ginger.
Shots of wheatgrass or ginger are also available for those wanting a boost of vitamins, minerals and amino acids.
The new juice bar continues Pa Bunk’s mission of making healthy, locally grown options available to local residents. And because the shop’s selection of produce comes from local farms (Rocky Glade Springs provides fresh kale), fruits and vegetables maintain their nutritional value.
Physical fitness is just as important as a healthy diet, and Arden Yoga provides guidance and classes to achieve those resolutions.
Located in Georgetown Square, Arden Yoga offers a full schedule of classes ranging in length and intensity, explains owner Kira Whitaker.
While the studio opened back in September, it shared space with another fitness company. Now in its own home, Arden Yoga is able to offer a broader array of counseling and yoga classes.
Arden Yoga has a class for everyone, says Whitaker. One type of yoga class is at a slower pace with more stretching and the transition from pose to post is a little bit slower.
“My husband comes into that before he golfs to stretch, and it’s good for older (clients) with arthritis,” she said.
“We also have power yoga, which is my favorite,” she continued. “It’s pretty fast-paced and is definitely a workout. At the end of classes, we always do an apex pose, where we work on headstands or maybe a trickier pose. And the instructor can come by to help with that. It is 45 minutes of nonstop yoga at fast pace, holding poses for long time, with an apex.”
The sculpt class features yoga with hand weights and one or two minutes of cardio intervals.
“We’ve tried to make it (for clients) who want to get in a workout, but don’t feel like the yoga class is enough by itself,” Whitaker said, adding they can try out an hour-long Pilates class to focus just on the seat and core.
In addition to all the classes, Arden Yoga offers wellness consultations to help clients reach their goals, whether that means eating healthy, working on meal plans or just being held accountable.
“We tryt o help them meet that goal in the most convenient way for their lifestyle,” Whitaker says.
“Some people have a crazy schedule and want to eat better, but don’t have time to go to Whole Foods or Trader Joe. We show them how they can do it in Murfreesboro. They can get healthy stuff without feeling like they have to go to those stores. And I always tell people, rather than meeting a friend for lunch or coffee, go to the Greenway and take a walk with somebody.”
She listed Pa Bunk’s Natural Market and Café, Sunshine Nutrition, Rutherford County Farmers’ Market and the Saturday Market as great, holistic and green-friendly options in Murfreesboro. Blue Coast, Pei Wei and Jimmy John’s all have gluten-free options on their menus.
“People just don’t know what we have here,” she said. “We have a lot. When you look in People Magazine and see (famous people) running out of Whole Foods, you think that’s what you need – that store, that brand – to be healthy. We have those same things, just under a smaller name or a smaller brand.” |
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