Blogger's Holiday!

Most of you know that my background is in hotel sales and that I only embarked on my fitness career in May of this year. Like mana from heaven this incredible opportunity has come up for me to work on an interim basis at a beautiful Embassy Suites in La Quinta, California. And have I mentioned that my one and only child moved to California in March of this year?

While this is an awesome opportunity for me it does mean a temporary disruption to my blog and to my fledgling fitness business. But that's ok as I will be back with a vengeance in 60 to 90 days so don't you dare go anywhere - just stay tuned!

In the meantime, check out the beautiful Embassy Suites La Quinta - Hotel & Spa. It's surrounded by mountains, graceful palm trees and seasonal flowers, and has an incredible amount of meeting space compared to a typical Embassy Suites! Not to mention a beautiful, nurturing, relaxing spa. . .. . . . ahhhhhh. . . . .

If you're reading this and plan meetings or you want a leisurely get away or you travel to the area on business, do yourself a favor and check out this beautiful hotel which may be the best kept secret in Palm Springs! Ask for me!

I Am All About "The Mediterranean Diet."

I thought it was just a new "spin" on healthy eating.  After all, who doesn't know we're healthier when we eat, fruit, vegetables, fish and grains?  If nothing else it's another ringing endorsement for why we should nourish our bodies with food that is health giving and avoid the processed, fast food pattern that Americans invented!

Here's the definition of a Mediterranean diet: "a modern nutritional recommendation inspired by the traditional dietary patterns of poor coastal regions of southern Italy, Crete, and Greece in the 1960s." Wasn't it in the 60's that the golden arches started springing up everywhere in the U.S.?

So it was in the 90's that the Mediteranean diet gained widespread recognition after Dr. Walter Willett of Harvard University's School of Public Health presented the Mediterranean diet food pyramid.

The lowest food group (the one they indulge in the most) in the pyramid is full of breads, pastas, rice, cereal. And olive oil is right there in the middle.  Not to mention daily cheese and yogurt.  My personal recommendation would be to move the pieces of the Mediterranean pyramid puzzle around so that the breads and grains are closer to the top and fish and poultry move closer to the bottom. But what I really think is that there are many healthy options for eating. We need lean protein, healthy carbs and healthy fat. Pretty simple.  It gets complicated however when we substitute lean protein with McAnything, and get our carbs and fats from processed, packaged foods.  What is common in healthy diets is whole food, cooked in your kitchen or at least in a restaurant that is about healthy, local, sustainable, whole food.

A trip to a remote island in Greece to experience first hand their culture and diet would be my recommendation:

Pump up Your Skin!

Healthy skin, like beauty, comes from within.  Why do expensive Botox when you can grab what you need for that healthy youthful appearance at the grocery store? One of my previous posts encouraged you to try new foods so here are 5 foods for you to experiment with. Three out of these 5 foods have never seen the inside of my grocery cart. That will change on Friday when I go to the market!

Guava

Guavas have 4 times the amount of Vitamin C than an orange. Vitamin C builds collagen in the dermis and acts like a natural botox injection. Two Cups per week will do the trick.

Wheat Germ

Wheat Germ is loaded with Zinc.  Zinc is used for wound healing, and will repair damaged skin cells to give us that healthy youthful appearance.  Very anti-oxidant rich and 1/2 half cup per day is all you need.

Brazil Nut

Brazil nuts are an awesome source of selenium. Selenium (I love this) is a trace mineral that acts as a natural building block to our bodies natural and most potent antioxidant, Glutathione. It only takes two a day and plain and simply slows the aging process not to mention boosts our immune system. Get you some Brazil nuts!

Romaine Lettuce

Who knew? Romaine lettuce is the highest in vitamin A of your typical salad leafy green.  It's vitamin A that creates cellular turnover turning sallow, old looking skin to renewed, bright and healthy skin.  Six leaves a day is all you need.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes provide us with that well rounded, helps everything antioxidant, lycopene. It works on the skin by acting as an extra protection against UV rays.  STILL USE SUNSCREEN!! Your body absorbs the lycopene much better if the tomatoes are cooked.  Ten tablespoons a week will be sufficient.

Fully nourished skin is plump and robust.  Don't let those cells in the skin shrink and shrivel! Fight back with Guavas, Wheat Germ, Brazil Nuts, Romaine Lettuce and Tomatoes. What could be easier?

When it Comes to Healthier Living Everyday is a New Opportunity.

If you're struggling with losing weight or maybe you know on an intellectual level you would just plain and simply have fewer aches and pains if you improved your diet and started an exercise program, try making small changes.  Baby steps.  Once you've mastered a couple of positive changes you can move on to incorporating another. There is such a sense of accomplishment when you know your actions are creating a positive impact, it motivates you to continue.

Try new foods:  I'm really bad about this.  I have a healthy weekly diet plan, it's easy and so why not stick with a good thing.  But on the other hand why limit myself when I can expand my nutritional benefits by trying something different.  A diet that includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, and oils also includes lots of vitamins and antioxidants. If a banana is your token fruit, try picking up blueberries or kiwis and have with breakfast or an afternoon snack with some almonds.  Shoot for sampling one new ingredient per month.

Cook dinner more often: 

After a long day it's much easier when dinner time rolls around to rely on takeout, or a restaurant or throwing together an assortment of packaged foods you've picked up at the grocery store (been there done that.) Tomorrow decide you will plan, shop and cook one meal a week from fresh, whole foods.  When you make your own dinner you control the ingredients and the portion sizes and it will be healthier for sure.  Preparedbypaige blog has been an unbelievable resource for me. Her recipes are easy and always with fresh, whole ingredients. She does the work for you as far as trying out new and different foods.

Eat breakfast every day: 

You may skip because you're short on time but there is a reason it is called the most important meal of the day. People who eat breakfast everyday are leaner and more alert and attentive at work. It gets your metabolism cranked up and ready for the day.  Eggs are quick and easy to cook, whether you boil in advance or scramble so try having a egg with whole wheat toast and some fruit. Breakfast options are endless so get creative and find something that you like and can be prepared in your timeframe.  If you're not eating breakfast let this be your FIRST baby step.

Snack more healthfully: 

Little meals between meals keeps your metabolism stoked, keeps your blood sugar levels stable and is also a good way to round out your day's total nutrition. For example, snacks offer an opportunity to add healthful lean protein if it will not be part of lunch or dinner. Keep peanut butter on hand to have on apple slices, or mixed nuts.

Whatever you choose make sure it is not an empty calorie but one that provides nutritional value. For example, a pretzel isn't high in calories but it's not adding to the total nutritional picture so why fill up on foods that offer nothing but calories when you can fill up with foods that "nourish" your body.

The Swing

This can be done with a dumbbell or a kettlebell and will work your glutes, hamstrings, quads, core and shoulder.  There are a couple of variations which gives you options. My preference is holding the weight with both arms as you see here.

Form as always is important and especially with this move as it is easy to default to your back when swinging the dumbbell up.  OUCH! Please don't let your back do the work here - you should be driving up using you legs while swinging the weight up with perfectly straight and strong arms.  Set your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Keeping your lower back slightly arched, bend at your hips and knees and lower your torso until it forms a 45-degree angle to the floor. Now swing the dumbbell between your legs.

Keeping your arms straight (very important! no bending elbows!), thrust your hips forward, straighten your knees, and swing the dumbbell up till arms are in vertical alignment to your body and you are in a standing position. Reverse the movement and swing the dumbbell back between your legs again. That's one rep. Continue to swing the weight back and forth forcefully. I personally like to start at the end position with weight above head.  It helps get the momentum going. 

The next option is a one arm dumbbell swing.  You might want to start with this option using a lighter weight until you get used to the movement.

Notice he stops at shoulder height which is fine to do.  Continuing the movement to overhead allows you to engage more of the shoulder's front, middle and rear deltoids.

Here are more compound moves that combined with The Swing will give you a full body workout.

Chest Press: works your triceps, chest and front deltoid

Push Up: Just can't beat the push up - works your chest, back, shoulders, triceps, core

Lunge to a biceps curl:  Do your stationary lunch with a dumbbell in each hand as pictured in my October 5th post "Blast Your Glutes and Legs!"  First do your lunge completely and once in the upright position of the lunge then and only then execute a perfect biceps curl.  


Run through these four moves by doing 20 reps of each exercise (if 20 push ups is too much do ten then take a 10 second break before doing another 10) and repeating a complete set three times.  Between sets do jumping jacks or jump rope for two minutes then take a 60 second recovery (or as long as it takes) before starting the next set.  

Get more muscle for your moves when exercising!

Try compound movements which you might also hear referred to as functional training. CrossFit is a brand that licenses workouts based on this concept. It involves kettleballs, medicine balls, jump rope and various "compound" moves. 

Compound movements are different than your typical isolated strength training exercise. A perfect example of an isolation movement in strength training is a biceps curl.  Elbow stays at waist, shoulder doesn't move as it stabilizes your arm, next you bend your elbow allowing the biceps only to lift the weight up.  You're really isolating your biceps when you do this move. No other muscles are involved in lifting the weight.  

Compound movements are just as they imply. They involve more than one joint and muscle group.  A couple of classic compound movements is the push up and the squat. Think about it.  A push up requires many muscles to be engaged in order to properly do this exercise.  It works your chest, shoulders, triceps back and core.  A properly executed squat works your core, quads, glutes, and hamstrings and involves your ankle, knee and hip joint.  

There are benefits to isolating a muscle and obvious benefits to doing a compound movement that works many muscles.  Let's look at benefits of compound movements first:

• simulates real-world exercises and activities
• allows you to get a full body workout faster
• improves coordination, reaction time and balance
• improves joint stability and improves muscle balance across a joint
• decreases the risk of injury during sports
• keeps your heart rate up and provides cardiovascular benefits
• allows you to exercise longer with less muscle fatigue
• allows you to lift heavier loads and build more strength
• burns more calories during exercise

My last series of exercise posts were primarily isolated moves requiring you to spread your workout over 3 or 4 days to hit every muscle group.  Starting tomorrow we'll look at compound moves that you can do at home with little equipment and allows you to do a full body workout in one day. I'm all for that!

One Light Bulb at a Time!

If you read my blog you know I'm all about organics, and local, seasonal, sustainable food. 

So while the following information is not about diet or exercise it is about something that just makes such good, solid sense that I couldn't resist sharing it with you.  It's an email from my dear Aunt Dot.  She is my Mother's only surviving sibling and very cherished in our family.  Hope you like this as much as I did.

One Light Bulb at a Time

A physics teacher in high school, once told the students that while one grasshopper on the railroad tracks wouldn't slow a train very much, a billion of them would. With that thought in mind, read the following, obviously written by a good American ..

 Good idea ... . one light bulb at a time . . .


I was in Lowes the other day for some reason and just for the heck of it I was looking at the hose attachments . They were all made in China . The next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked the hose attachments there. They were made in USA . Start looking ...
In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do
affects someone else - even their job . So, after reading this email, let's get behind USA products!

My grandson likes Hershey's candy. I noticed, though, that it is marked made in Mexico now.. I do not buy it any more.

  

My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico  ... now I have switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything ..

This past weekend I was at Kroger. I needed 60 W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets . I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off-brand labeled, "Everyday Value .. " I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats - they were the same except for the price ...  The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was
made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in - get ready for this - the USA in a company in Cleveland , Ohio .

So throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use every day that are made right here ..

So on to another aisle - Bounce Dryer Sheets . .. . yep, you guessed it, bounce cost more money and is made in Canada  . The Everyday Value brand was less money and MADE IN THE  USA  ! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for years and at almost half the price!
My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA - the job you save may be your own or your neighbors!

If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time! Stop buying from overseas companies! (We should have awakened a decade ago .. . .. . . . )

Let's get with the program . . . .. help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the U . S . A .. 

Work the Chest!

Working all muscle groups is essential - legs, glutes, shoulders, biceps, triceps, back and last but not least chest.  Men have a tendency to really work their chest hard with less attention paid to their back. You'll notice they are the ones with somewhat of a rounded or hunched back but big chest and arms.  You don't want that kind of imbalance so run through each major muscle group in a coordinated way when you plan your work outs.  Chest/back one day, biceps/triceps another day and legs/shoulders another.  There are plenty of variations of above combinations but working opposing muscles is a good place to start.  So here we go with Chest Press:

A chest press can be done on a bench, on a mat or as you see here, a stability ball. Begin with the weights in each hand straight up over the chest, palms facing out. Bend the elbows and lower the arms down until the elbows are just below or even with the chest (arms should look like a goal post). Don't drop your arms any lower than chest level as it will begin to involve your shoulders and not in a good way. If you're doing these on a mat lower your arms just short of of letting them touch the floor. Raise the arms back up without locking your elbows.

For a really good burn do 15 chest presses and immediately go to Chest Flys:

Starting position is same as above but shift your palms from facing out to facing each other. Once again begin with weights in each hand straight up over the chest. With palms facing each other and elbows slightly bent, lower the arms out to the sides and down until they're level with the chest.  Squeeze the chest to bring the arms back up as though you're hugging a tree. Do 15 chest flys.  


So you've done 15 chest presses and 15 chest flys back to back without a break. Wait 60 seconds and repeat for 3 total sets! 


Remember when using a stability ball you want to keep your abs and glutes tight to form a bridge.  No sagging!

Work Your Back

Notice my headline for back is "work" not "blast."  It's very important to keep a strong back so protecting your back in all exercises can be done by engaging your abs and strength training moves targeting your upper and lower back will build that strength you need for a strong back.

Let's start with a dumbbell pullover: 

If you have a stability ball - great ! You will work your back plus your core and lower body since you're holding yourself in a bridge position.  However, if you don't have a ball, no problem,  lie flat on a mat for a good back exercise. It just won't have the added bonus of core and lower body. The start position is to extend your arms and weight straight up over the face.  As always you want to keep your elbows "soft" but not bent.  This is as close as I will ever come to suggesting that you "lock" your elbows.  It's not going to have the same affect if you keep your elbows bent.  Next, slowly lower the weight behind you, and stop just short of the floor.  Contract the back muscles to pull the weight back up over the face to the start position. A couple notes if you're using the ball: don't let the weight go below your head, and keep your glutes contracted to hold the bridge position - no sagging.

Dumbbell Row:

The photo is a great demonstration of the move and proper form.  Flat back, opposite arm supporting you while you move the hand with the weight straight back keeping your arm close to your body, bending the elbow keeping it pointing straight back.  An alternative is to not step up on a step or platform as shown but use a bench or chair to prop one knee and the non working hand, keeping a flat back. With weighted hand hang the weight down towards the floor. Next, bend the elbow and pull it up in a rowing motion until it is level with the torso or just above it. At the top of the movement squeeze the back while keeping the hips square and the abs engaged. Lower down and repeat 10 to 15 reps, then switch sides.

Let's not forget about the lower back!  Back Extensions are more subtle and targets the lower back. Many of us work our abs, but neglect to work the lower back, which can lead to muscle weakness and imbalance.

Lie face down on a mat and place your hands on the floor or behind your head (more advanced)
Contract your abs and keep them contracted throughout the exercise
Squeeze the back to lift the chest a few inches off the floor
Lower and repeat for 1-3 sets of 10 to 15 reps
For added intensity you can lift the legs off the floor at the same time
Word of caution: Do Not Hyperextend Your Back Think about gently lengthening your torso as you lift your chest.

Let's talk GMO's. . . . . again.

I will finish my series on strength training beginning Monday with chest and Tuesday with back - can't leave those out!

However,  today I feel compelled to talk again about GMO's (genetically modified organisms) in our food.

It's been a while since I posted on this insane practice and I found a really great site that I wanted to share with you that lists those GMO foods to avoid and companies and products that are GMO free or "non-GMO". But first a brief explanation at my dismay over this practice.

I find it disturbing that plenty of our food (fresh and packaged) comes from seeds in which the seed has been genetically modified.  What that means is the seeds used to grow corn for example have come from a lab in which they are injected with pesticides. These seeds are labeled "resists pests" but it means of course that they "contain their own pesticide."  So when a pest takes a bite from the plant the toxins kinda split their stomach open killing the pest.  No matter how these large companies rationalize why we can resist these toxins in our stomachs - I say why should I knowingly eat toxins? Don't we get enough in our environment without choosing to eat them?

As a quick summary I've listed 3 Tips in avoiding GMO products.  But here is a great brochure that lists everything from protein bars to fish that are non-GMO.

Tip #1 Buy Organic - Certified organic products are not allowed to contain GMO's
Tip #2 Look for "Non-GMO" labels
Tip #3 Avoid "at risk" ingredients such as Corn, Soy, Canola

I like what Jamie Oliver is doing with his talent by helping schools develop a healthy lunch program. Plus, I just like him and miss his show "The Naked Chef."  Did anybody every watch that?  Maybe it's still on?  Anyway, not really anything to do with GMO's other than to celebrate the positive that some people and organizations are doing!

Blast those Biceps!

There is a belief among some (I'm not necessarily one of those) that focusing on your shoulders and biceps is a shortcut to great arms.  My belief is you need to stay balanced and work all major muscle groups which I am in the process of posting about each. I started with triceps and after today's biceps will hit the last two which are chest and back.  A word about all of these exercises: Think about your abs with every exercise you do.  Keep them engaged as it keeps your core strong, "works" your core and also protects your back. Ok, so now onto biceps:

Stand with feet hip width apart and hold dumbbells in front of the thighs with palms facing out. Focus on the biceps muscle and bend your elbow while squeezing the biceps to lift the weight. Elbows should stay at your waist without moving out. Leave about a fist distance between the weight and your shoulder. Going further usually brings your elbow out and takes pressure off the biceps. We don't want that.  Now slowly lower the weights, keeping a slight bend in the elbows at the bottom. In general, you want to protect your joints by not locking them out or hyper extending them. 

Here are a couple variations to work you biceps.  First the "hammer Curl"

The hammer curl will challenge the muscle in a different way, so you can do these in combination with regular curls. The principles of the hammer curl are the same as the above biceps curl except you are turning the palms so that they are facing each other.









Do this next one last.  The "concentration curl" will really get the blood to your muscles for that "pump" or "burn".  Once again to really break down the muscle for new growth and definition it's important to fatigue the muscle.  That's when you're getting the most intense work.

The picture is pretty self explanatory - just bend forward keeping the abs engaged and prop the right elbow against the inside right thigh. Contract the hand towards the shoulder without moving the elbow. Lower all the way down and once again keep a very slight bend in the elbow at the bottom of this move.  

Blast those Shoulders!

Well defined shoulders are another group of muscles that adds definition to the arms (and for the ladies is a great natural accessory to a strapless dress!) There are three muscle groups you want to target when working your shoulders.  Basically the front, side and rear "deltoids."  A word of caution about the shoulders.  They are what is considered a "ball and socket" joint.  The hips are also a ball and socket joint. The difference in the two is that the "socket" part of the shoulder is shallow when compared to say the hip socket.  So focusing on form and appropriate weight will keep you pain free with beautiful shoulders. So that we strengthen those small muscles surrounding the rotator cuff let's start with a simple, short move for you to do with light weights or a resistance band:

Start with hands a few inches apart with palms up either holding light weights or a resistance band. Keeping elbows locked in at your waist rotate your forearms out until you feel your shoulders engage and then move back in.  Repeat this 10 to 12 times.  This will work those small muscles that protect your rotator cuff.

Building strong shoulder muscles is the best way of course to protect your shoulders from injury plus giving you added strength to do the everyday activities or sports that call upon your shoulders.

As noted above there's a front, side and rear muscle and we want to include all three in our work out so let's start with a side or "lateral" raise. Test your strength by starting with a light weight say a 5 lb dumbbell in each hand. Palms facing in and arms at your side.  Keeping elbows soft but not bent lift your arms straight out to your side . Go for 15 raises and do 3 sets before
moving on to front raises:

Once again start with a light weight as you want to be able to execute each of these moves 15 times with perfect form. Hold a weight in each hand with palms facing toward you and arms straight down to your sides.  Lift weights straight out and to the front stopping a shoulder height. If executing the move with 5 lb dumbbells is a piece of cake increase the weight and complete as many as you can with perfect form . Once you feel your form slipping stop and stay at that weight until you have progressed to 15 reps with perfect form and then continue in that pattern - slightly increasing weight, stop when form falters, stay at the weight until you've mastered it for 1 reps.

One last move to give you a complete shoulder workout and that is a rear fly to work, you guessed it, the rear deltoid. Sit on a bench or chair and bend from your hips as if you want to touch your chest to your thighs.  With a weight in each hand and palms facing each other raise your arms straight out from your shoulders.  Bending your elbows will make this move easier so start with elbows bent and if  you want more straighten them.

One last comment on weights.  Your last three reps should be intense.  If you breeze through 15 reps then the weight is too light. It's those intense moves that are the ones to break down muscle fiber so that they build back stronger and give definition. It's more important to go for those few intense reps than to do 3 sets of an exercise. Do only 2 sets but make the last 3 reps of each INTENSE! 

Blast your Glutes and Legs!

This is another area that I like to stay focused on.  The years seem to make the butt just poof - disappear.  I like that the norm is no longer pencil thin but more curves and an accentuated derriere is considered attractive. So working the glutes, and legs is what is going to give you that "lift."

Try doing glutes and legs only on one day so that you can do multiple leg exercises with 20 reps each exercise and three sets each exercise.  Start with a series of squats to get your heart pumping and blood flowing to all your muscles and joints.  Do three sets of 20 squats and progressively add  weights to each additional set. Here are a couple of positions for incorporating weights into your squat.

A couple of points to keep in mind.  Notice her chest remains upright and back is in a straight line (not rounded with head and shoulders  slumped). Also it's important to keep your knees from extending past your toes so keep your weight in your heels as you move your rear directly back as if it has a string attached to it and someone is pulling it straight back.  With all exercises keep your abs engaged as it protects your back plus works your core.

Do three sets of twenty squats and then move on to lunges.


When you're doing a stationary lunge have your feet hip distance apart and take a giant step backwards with your right foot.  From this start position think about keeping your torso in line with your back (right) knee as it drops to the floor.  That movement will naturally create a bend in your front knee and it is your front leg that you should engage when you push back to the start position. Repeat this "up and down" stationary lunge 20 times for each leg and do three sets.

Notice in the picture that her back is perfectly in line with her back leg.

This next move is  great ab work as well as glutes and legs.  If you don't have steps you can use a chair that you have moved against a wall so that it does not slip when you step up on it.  When you "step up" on the chair or bench make sure every square inch of your foot is completely on the chair.  Using the leg planted on the chair raise yourself up until you have fully straightened the leg that is supported by the chair.  As you are on the rise use your abs as well as your glutes and leg to lift you up.  Do 10 to 12 lifts on each leg and repeat this exercise three times. Weights are optional.

Blast those triceps!

Triceps are that group of muscles that make up the back of your upper arm. You know, the ones that can keep waving long after you've stopped.  I compartmentalize my workouts so that each day I work two muscle groups (i.e, biceps/triceps - chest/back -shoulder/legs) for three consecutive days and then fill in the rest of the week with yoga,  group sculpting class, body combat and a day off. However, because I have a significant predisposition to carrying extra skin (surely it's not fat) in that area I'll sneak in a few triceps exercises on my chest/back or shoulder/legs day.  It's a life long challenge to keep my abs and triceps in check! The good news is I have finally accepted that my arms are my arms. They fit my body and they're never going to look like someone who was born with a lean upper body.  But I'll keep fighting the fight so they don't look like dear Aunt Mazelle's.  If this too is an area of concern for you try this.

Do your dips:

or kick backs:

or extensions:

 and then immediately drop to the floor and do as many pushups

 as you can.  It will give you an extra burn and exhaust your triceps muscles. Also think about using a weight that you can successfully complete 10 to 12 reps with perfect form.  Once you're there increase the weight ever so slightly so that you can now only complete 5 or eight or even 3 with perfect form.  To get the results you want it takes a weight heavy enough to challenge you to complete 10 to 12 reps.  Once you've met the challenge it's time to increase the weight.  And women if you're reading this thinking you don't want to look all bulked up - don't worry, you can't.  We don't have the testosterone for that which is why for toned and sculpted arms you need the weight! Trust me on this.

This is the Coolest Site!

This is a great site if you want to know who and where are the local farmers, farmers markets, restaurants, sustainable cattle ranches, chicken farms, egg producers.  It's all about organic and locally produced food.

LESS IS MORE - less miles, less fuel, less pesticides equals MORE YUM, MORE AHHH, MORE MMM

FOOD IS LIFE, and one should consider every bite a pivotal decision.

http://www.georgiaorganics.org/foodguide/LFGguide.pdf

Bookmark it, save it to your Favorites, start a revolution and support these advocates of health!!

We've Been Super Sized!

Bear with me here.  Quite some time ago the FDA did a survey to understand what was the customary amount of food people 4 years of age and older consumed per eating.  From that they established the RACC or "reference amount customarily consumed." Those established amounts are still used on packages. For example, one serving of oreo cookies is "x" number of calories - based on one serving being 2 COOKIES.  So that stat probably doesn't look bad when you're checking labels, but who eats two oreo cookies?

Problem is we've been super sized and there is a huge distortion between the recommended serving size and the actual serving size.  Pair that with generations of kids who were told to "clean your plate" and processed foods sweeping the Nation in the (was it the 50's or 60's?), it's no wonder obesity is a problem.

So let's think "Super Shrink." (and I'm not talking about my therapist)

As you can see, without us really noticing, our expected portion sizes have ballooned (and so have we.)

Think about filling your gas tank. You wouldn't consider continuing putting gas in your tank once it's full.  Our bodies are no different.

We can thank food establishments (mostly fast foods) for this over sizing of our portions but the key is to not be fooled by "portion distortion." The best way to avoid this is to avoid establishments that super size our portions and prepare fresh, whole foods at home.  Or frequent establishments that promote sustainable, whole, locally grown food. There are plenty out there and it's so refreshing to read about chef's that are totally into serving us healthy, unadulterated, good food.

A little tid bit about "Home Remedies"

In my August 31st, "Invasion of the Body Toxins" post,  I listed some natural cleaning alternatives to the traditional VOC (volatile organic compounds) ones that you find in your grocery store.  When you need to protect your self in the home with rubber gloves and open windows it's as if you're handling bio hazardous material.  And the truth is you are! I also mentioned in one of my recent posts that my son Andy is coming home for a visit so naturally it's time to deep clean my house. Thank goodness for company! Fortunately I only had one or two toxic sprays of Scott's Liquid Gold left  to use on my wood floors and furniture.  Knowing there had to be an au naturale alternative I went on a search. And there it was - so simple and trust me it works great!

1 Cup olive oil mixed with 1/2 Cup lemon juice (put lemon juice through strainer so your sprayer doesn't get clogged with bits of the pulp.)   Put in a spray bottle, shake before spraying and don't even think about suiting up with the rubber gloves, your hands will enjoy any olive oil or for that matter lemon juice they come in contact with. Now when you breathe in that lemony smell it will be from real lemons not chemicals.  Love it!