Feeling Blue?

How do you shift your mood from negative to positive? You may have learned to put on your game face, when inside you're feeling blue. Even though you may be good at that,  probably deep down you really just want to shift your mood.  There are some tried and true strategies for us to keep in our arsenal so that we can shift our mood when needed.  Feeling optimistic and positive about life and the world is important in creating success in your life.

Let's start with what NOT to do:

• Complain - this turns you into a victim and turns solution thinking into powerless thinking.  Just don't do it.
• Gossip - saying negative things about others that you wouldn't say to their face reflects poorly on you.
• Yell - yelling is a symptom of anger and fear so force yourself to lower your voice and regain control.
• Over-indulge - eating, drinking, or drugs only provide a temporary escape not a solution to a problem.

Ok, on a more positive note, here's what YOU CAN DO to shift your mood:

• Smile - experts say that even the gesture of smiling and curving your mouth up can shift your mood!
• Move - get some exercise to release serotonin.
• Write - journaling moves out the busyness of your mind chatter, providing serenity and inner calm.
• Sing -  just sing 
• Dance - dance is a proven antidepressant. Studies show dance boosts happiness and benefits overall health. Don't wait to feel good to dance.  Dance to feel good!! 
• Breath deeply - Oxygenating your lungs and your body is calming, improves the detoxification process, relieves anxiety, and lowers blood pressure 
• Create - research has shown that being creative alters us by improving our mood, self esteem and socialization. 

End of Season Sale!

On organic cherries!  $1.99 per pound at DeKalb Farmer's Market.  Previously $4.99 per pound.   I may have gone overboard on the amount I purchased today but Hey! I hear they freeze well.

Here are seven good reasons to eat cherries:

Great anti-inflammatory! One of nature's most powerful anti-inflammatories, which means they're beneficial for many different conditions (inflammation is a hallmark of most disease from colds to cancer).

Arthritis Benefits! Due to their, you guessed it, anti-inflammatory properties.

Heart Health! Lowers inflammation, body fat, and cholesterol.

Cancer Protection! Due to their high level of an antioxidant called cyanidin. Cyanidin is an important free radical scavenger that promotes cellular differentiation, an important process in the body's fight against cancerous cells.

Memory Booster! Anthocyanin has also been shown to improve memory.

High in Beta Carotene! Cherries contain 19 times more beta carotene that blueberries or strawberries!!!!!

Sleep Aid! Cherries contain melatonin, a hormone that regulates the body's sleep cycles.

Good News Bad News

I have been posting very infrequently as of late.  I'm always encouraged when I speak with someone who mentions reading my posts and then feel bad that I haven't been posting every day or even every week.  That's the bad news.  The good news is that since starting my fitness business and my blog in May of last year my business and client list has grown tremendously.  That means I'm spending more time with clients and less time at my computer.  But I love researching and posting about health and fitness topics so I am not giving up my blog! Just slowing down.

Here are 4 simple diet tips to stay healthy and keep Father Time from gaining a foothold.



Eat Healthy Fats!


They help prevent memory loss (among other things - like youthful, dewy skin). It's the Omega-3 fatty acids that are the brain's building blocks.  Without them your brain becomes weak, and brain function (memory) suffers. Here's the recipe for getting enough Omega-3's:

• Eat 3 1/2 ounces of wild salmon plus 3 1/2 ouces halibut, herring or sardines each week
• Add 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed to cereal,  or shakes daily
• Garnish your salad with 1 tablespoon of walnuts
• Have 9 to 12 almonds 4 times a week
• Cook with olive oil
• Reduce your consumption of refined and processed foods 

Eat Whole Foods!

The opposite of whole foods is processed food (food that comes in a bag, box or obtained from a drive thru window).  Packaged foods are high in sodium which increases blood pressure while fresh fruits and vegetables lower blood pressure.  In addition to packaged, high sodium foods increasing blood pressure they also lower your body's potassium (potassium also lowers blood pressure).  The combination of a high sodium diet and too little potassium in your diet increases the toxic effects of excessive salt intake. This double whammy is worsened when the kidneys try to flush out the salt causing you to lose even more potassium. All this imbalance damages blood vessels and drives up blood pressure.

The fix:

• Limit sodium consumption to 1,500 mg per day and eat seven to nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily. 

Eat Animal Protein!

It's full of B-12, which is essential for energy, helps regulate your metabolism, energy production and helps maintain a healthy brain and nervous system. 

The recipe:

• Have two servings of fat free milk or nonfat yogurt or other nonfat dairy products
• Have 3 or 4 ounces of lean protein daily. Fish, clams, oysters, beef, pork, chicken are all good sources of B12

Take a "Bio-available" Multi Vitamin!

You won't be able to get enough of certain vitamin and minerals from food alone.  Examples are manganese and copper. These help prevent joint pain by maintaining joint cartilage and flexibility.  Beef, nuts and spinach are good sources but again you'd have a hard time eating enough of these foods to get all you need.