Heading to South by Southwest Music and Media Conference this week? We've mapped out the best places to eat, drink and sweat while in Austin. Borrow our supplementary SXSW itinerary - for this year or next. 

Austin, Texas is one of America's best kept secrets. (Shhh. Don't tell.) It is the birthplace of Whole Foods (with an 80,000-square-foot flagship store to prove it) and home to Black Swan Yoga - a donations-based studio that will leave you feeling, well, much better than you felt after watching the film with the same moniker. (Sorry, Natalie Portman.)  There is no shortage of amazing things to see and do. Let's get started.

There's a whole lotta Whole Foods to enjoy in Austin
image courtesy of Whole Foods

do yoga

All good getaways involve a little time on the mat. We already mentioned Black Swan Yoga. It's a great choice if you want to get in and out quickly (no paperwork, nothing to sign up for and classes starting almost every hour until 10:30pm). Remember, classes are by donation, so give generously. There's something for everyone so check out the schedule in advance. We're dying to do the MP3 Power class.

Yoga Vida  has been partying in Austin since 1999. It's a Baptiste studio, meaning all classes are power vinyasa flow in a heated room. Either location is great but if you hit up the studio at 707 West 7th Street, you may run into Dean, Zoe, or Sanieh (all lululemon ambassadors) or Bekah, the Assistant Manager at our Austin store.

Speaking of the store, we've always got complimentary events lined up at all our locations and Austin is no exception. Stop by our store at 6th & Lamar to find out the schedule for their weekly in-store yoga classe and run club.

eat

After working up a healthy appetite, we plan on heading over to Annie's for breakfast. It's a toss-up between the organic steel cut oats, garden omelet and brioche french toast.  After all the yoga, hiking, and swimming, we may even tip-toe over to one of Austin's famous food trailers. The Mighty Cone and Crepes Mille come highly recommended.  We've been told we can't leave town until trying the Spaghetti Carbonara at La Traviata. Blue Dahlia Bistro has some great options for vegans and carnivores alike and if you want to go all out, check out Driskill Grill. We have our eyes on the three-course "Farm to Table" menu.

go outside

Next it's off to Town Lake Trail for a walk around the lake (3, 4 and 5 mile loops available). Want to walk on water? Do the next best thing: rent a board at Stand Up Paddleboards. If you're feeling more in a hiking mood, head over to the Greenbelt for a wide selection of hiking trails.

drink

The word on the street at our Austin store is that you won't be disappointed if you hit up Daily Juice on your way out. Why? Three reasons. First, they have house specials that look incredible. Second, raw vegan fare is also on the menu.  We plan on walking to dinner and drinks but if your feet hurt, jump into one of the hundreds of Pedicabs zooming around the city. (FYI: All are cash-only and most charge $5-$10/head regardless of destination.) 

Put your feet up in a pedicab
image courtesy of citrixonline

swim

If it happens to be Texas-hot outside, we're hoping to break in a new swimsuit at Barton Springs by taking a dip in Austin's famous swimming hole. It remains a balmy 68 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, much nicer than the chilly Pacific waters here in Vancouver.

image courtesy of Austin Parks & Recreation

shop

If you like locally owned shops, great views and lots of "weird" Austin stuff like we do, stick around in SoCo. (We automatically like places that call themselves "weird". Bravo, Austin.) If that doesn't do enough damage, head back across the river.  There's lots of great shopping to be done in the 2nd St. District and MOSS on South Lamar has incredible designer consignment and vintage finds. Don't say we didn't warn you. 

party

There will be no shortage of fun to be had during SXSW. There's more than 80 venues for music, many of which are downtown. Browse the music events for this year's celebration. Outside of SXSW, we plan on owning the floor at Barbarella on Red River. (They post their playlists online. That means we can recreate the magic at home.)

want more?

• Get all the latest on SXSW. Sign up for one of their several RSS feeds.
• Plan your workouts in advance. Read Kristina's tips for fitness with a busy life.
• Set some travel goals of your own. We're not stopping at Austin. Neither should you.

If you're SXSW-bound, travel safely and don't forget to leave the convention center for some fresh air and a good stretch. The possibilities are endless, just don't get lost in Whole Foods. Where are you planning on going in Austin?

With all the yoga and running that goes on around the office and at our neighbourhood stores, we get mighty hungry. Snacks that are natural, portable and delicious are always in high demand. Ever get hungry for a little healthy competition? We do.

we love bliss in ball-shaped treats

Many people here are either kitchen-savvy or have goals to be. What better way to encourage everyone in the pursuit of their goals than to host an energy ball cook-off? We scouted around for people's favourite recipes and hosted a taste test after an afternoon yoga class led by Tedi Martin.

the contenders

Bev nominated The Four o'Clock Bar, courtesy of Baker's Balance.

Tedi nominated the Chocolate Earth Ball recipe by Whole Foods.

Pam suggested the Energy Ball recipe from Shelley Adam's Whitewater Cooks At Home cookbook.

I submitted an original recipe inspired by my hearty oatmeal breakfasts.

We had a healthy turnout of very qualified judges. (Just so you know, hungry and opinionated equals qualified.) The ballots were cast. The people have spoken. Whole Foods' Chocolate Earth Balls win.

here's the thing

Each recipe was uniquely delicious. Depending on what you crave, you probably would choose one recipe over another.  Here's what we learned:

If you love peanut butter, you'll probably love the winning recipe. The consensus was that most people wouldn't reach for it before a workout but it was definitely the perfect reward after their afternoon yoga class.

If you're a chocoholic, the Whitewater Cooks Energy Ball recipe has the cocoa fix you're looking for. This runner-up is loaded with other tasty ingredients like sunflower seeds, rolled oats and raisins, so it's a balanced treat.

If you like eating breakfast on the go, you'll enjoy the original recipe from yours truly. It's basically a spin-off of my favourite oatmeal breakfast: oats, dates, ground flax, almonds, coconut, sesame and sunflower seeds and real maple syrup.

If you like simple recipes with minimal ingredients, grab a food processor and whip up the Four o'Clock Bar. All you need is dates, almonds, peanuts, peanut butter and sea salt.

the recipes

First place: Whole Foods' Chocolate Earth Balls (below)

Second place: Shelley Adam's Energy Balls, from the beautiful Whitewater Cooks At Home cookbook. (below)

Third place: Elissa's Portable Breakfast Balls (recipe below)

Elissa's Portable Breakfast Balls

• 1 cup each: oats, coconut, sesame and sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, all toasted
• 1 cup ground flax
• 2.5 cups chopped dried dates
• 2 cups almond butter
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 additional cup toasted coconut, for coating
• love

Preheat your oven to 350F. Soak the dates in warm water to soften them. Spread the first five ingredients on a large cookie sheet. Toast them in the oven for ten minutes. Remove and cool. Drain the dates. Squeeze them to remove excess water. Put dates, toasty ingredients, flax, syrup and almond butter in a large bowl and combine well with your hands. Roll into balls (you choose the size) and roll in coconut.

Fourth place: Baker's Balance's Four o'Clock Bar (below)

lessons from our kitchens

We seize every opportunity to learn, whether we're on our yoga mats or in our kitchens. The big one? Making delicious energy snacks from scratch is ridiculously simple - and fun. We recommend you store your creations in an air-tight container in the freezer to prolong the enjoyment of your time in the kitchen.

Here are some of the other lessons we learned along the way.

Use organic ingredients wherever possible.

Get the most flavour out of your ingredients and toast them in the oven.

If you're getting creative and making your own recipe, write it down as you go.

want more?

• Pull out your blender. Make some of our favourite smoothie recipes.
• Celebrate your personal best in style. Try your hand at this simple pavlova recipe.
• Set some goals for your culinary pursuits. Get tips on our goal setting page.

Special thanks to Alana & Ali for prepping the feast and everyone who helped make our taste test a success! What are you busy making?

Beet, Carrot, Apple and Ginger Juice photo (okay, not quite a smoothie) from Goop.com

smoothie shortlist

Here are some great, easy, healthy, and fast smoothie recipes:

• 5 Holiday Smoothie Recipes from The Healthy Happy Life. Includes a Sweet Apple Pie smoothie that is healthy - and vegan!
• Winter Smoothies from thekitchn.com. Smoothie recipes using common winter ingredients around your kitchen, like oranges.
• Holiday Cranberry Smoothie from Greenlemonade.com
• Green Monster Movement: Easy to make green smoothies by Angela from Oh She Glows.
• Smoothie Bowl: Ever heard of SIAB? FitSugar explains this acronym.
• Almond Banana Smoothie from Epicurious
• Detox smoothies from Goop.com (scroll down for smoothie action).
• Get Your Greens Smoothie from Whole Foods. Only three ingredients!
• Paradise Found Smoothie from Whole Foods. Try adding some silken tofu for a punch of protein.
• Stay Young Smoothie from marthastewart.com is loaded with long-term health boosters.
• NY Times Smoothie [video]: Mark Bittman makes smoothies and goes over some dos and don'ts of smoothie making.

whitney's proteinacinno

I'm a vegetarian, so finding protein is sometimes a challenge. I came up with the Proteinnacinno to get my day started off right. This recipe is delicious, makes me happy, and is without question better for me than just a cup of coffee for breakfast.

proteinacinno recipe

• 1 Scoop Chocolate Designer Whey Protein Powder (or any chocolate protein, I hear Vega is good for Vegans)
• 1 1/2 Shot of Espresso (brewed on the stove is the best), or a packet of Starbucks Via
• 1 tbsp of almond butter (I prefer raw)
• 4 ounces or so of water
• 1 tsp. of unsweetened organic cocoa powder
• 6 or so ice cubes depending on if you want a frappuccino or an iced latte version
• *Optional 1 tbsp of coconut milk creamer

A little bit of coffee, a little bit of protein and a lot of deliciousness in one cup. Sip and enjoy!

According to myfitnesspal, the iPhone app I use to measure my daily calorie intake, this recipe is about 215-235 calories, 23 grams of protein and only 3 grams of sugar.

What's your favourite smoothie recipe?