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.

Healthy Diet equals Healthy Skin

I was on line trying to determine which night cream to buy next.  I want one with hyaluronic acid, some retinol would be good too.  Finding the perfect, least expensive moisturizer has been a quest for quite a few years. I've tried many otc creams and also have used prescribed Retin A for many years. But the quest never ends.  So while looking for something that matches all of my criteria I came across an article in Everyday Health "The Healthy Diet-Healthy Skin Link".  If you believe you are what you eat then you might also believe that the skin is the window to the entire body.   Makes sense.  Healthy skin is basically avoiding the foods (saturated fats, processed foods) we know are bad for us and eating the foods we know keep us healthy.  But let's drill down to a few specific foods that promote glowing, healthy skin:

Blueberries show up in most eating healthy articles.  They are rich in vitamin C providing the antioxidants that help fight the signs of aging skin.

Fish that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon. While you want to cut fat from your diet you need some fat. Without it your skin will suffer.

Whole Wheat breads and pasta are smart food for the skin. They are the healthy alternative to refined white bread or pasta that create a spike in your insulin which is not good for the skin.  The fiber in whole grains promotes healthy digestion. Digestive problems is reflected in unhealthy skin.

Water! Of course. There are molecules in the skin that actually bind water and "plumps" the skin.  Dehydration provides the reverse affect.  Sugary beverages aren't the same as they can cause insulin levels to rise and then fall dramatically.

Green Tea is my morning beverage of choice. You get a double whammy with green tea as it provides antioxidants which fight the effects of aging and it also keeps you hydrated. Anytime is a good time for a cup of health giving green tea

Low Fat Yogurt made the list for it's "healthy" bacteria which are beneficial for digestive health.  Digestive health can improve skin conditions such as rosacea or skin inflammation.

Sweet Potatoes give you a healthy dose of vitamin A (retin "A").  Vitamin A reduces wrinkles and other signs of aging.

Broccoli and other green vegetables help fight fine lines. The richer the color of veggies and fruits, the more likely they are to contain the nutrients you need for a healthier diet.  Broccoli provides more vitamin A and C,  and both of these vitamins help fight fine lines and wrinkes.

Avocados are almost perfect for enhancing your skin.  They have the healthy fats, vitamins A and C, and fiber.

Vitamin D slows skin aging.  It isn't found in abundance in the diet but you REALLY need it for healthy skin (not to mention it helps your body absorb calcium to keep bones strong!) You can usually get enough through sun exposure but healthy skin and sun exposure seem like a huge oxymoron! "Synthetic" Vitamin D may be toxic. Synthetic vitamins are difficult for your body to absorb and end up being stored in fat.  Bioavailable D3 and other vitamins can be found on  drmercola.com or defensenutrition.com.  I trust both of these whole and bioavailable products.

"Our Muscles Have The Ability To Grow and Get Stronger From Birth Until We Die." Mime Nelson, Ph.D.

It's never too late to get the body your want.  The body you "had" is still there just waiting for you to let it out! Or better yet the body you never had is there just waiting to take shape!

There are three primary components to being fit at any age.  Diet, cardiovascular exercise and strength training.  As a personal trainer I spend most of my time with clients working on their strength training program.  I incorporate diet and cardiovascular exercise into our overall plan but these two components are ones that each individual manages daily.

Doing some form of cardiovascular exercise 30 minutes a day is recommended. A diet rich in lean protein, fruits, vegetables and lacking in processed foods is key to optimal health. But let's talk about strength training and its benefits - as there are many.  Strength training can be the means to an end if you  want to change your body's shape.  But it is so much more! Let's take a look at the many benefits of strength training:  

1. Increases metabolic rate which increases calorie burning (the stronger the muscle the more energy (calories) it burns even while sleeping) 
2. Increases bone density (helping to prevent and reverse osteoporosis)
3. Strengthens tendons and ligaments protecting our joints from injury
4. Improves posture which increases mobility
5. Increases strength and endurance improving our work, favorite sports and day to day activities
6. Strong muscles have more protein stores to make antibodies which combat germs and cancer cells that enter our bodies everyday
7. Improves balance (strong core and leg muscles stabilize us)
8. Reduces blood pressure and cholesterol levels
9. Last but not least you feel and look good which can't help but build confidence!

What are you waiting for? What's not to love about strength training?

Vegetable of the Day!

I'm such a fan of Dr. Oz who recently highlighted 3 "vital" vegetables for women.  Butternut Squash, Brussel Sprouts and Avocado. Two out of the three of these were vegetables that I haven't seen on any of the publicized "super" foods lists.  It made me want to dig deeper into "a" vegetable rather than list many.  So today the focus is on . . . . .

Butternut Squash  

Dr. Oz offered up Butternut Squash as vital for vision because of its abundant vitamin A.   Vitamin A is a powerful antioxidant that is great for not only vision. . . . . . but skin, preventing inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, lowering cholesterol levels,  the prevention of lung cancer, artherosclerosis, diabetic heart disease, and more.  Not bad.   One cup of butternut squash contains only 63 calories and almost 150% of your daily recommended amount of Vitamin A .

In addition to Vitamin A, 1 cup of butternut squash contains 32% of your daily recommended amount of Vitamin C.   We probably all know the role that Vitamin C plays in slowing the rate of free-radical change.  It's those nasty free radicals that dry our skin and damages the collagen causing  fine lines and wrinkles.   Research also suggests that Vitamin C may reduce sunburn caused by ultraviolet B radiation and prevent the consequences of long-term exposure which can lead to skin cancer. 

That's not all. . . . butternut squash offers fiber (6 gms),  potassium, manganese, omega 3 fatty acids, several vitamin B's and copper.  It's no wonder Dr. Oz's opening comment on this segment was "I believe vegetables are as powerful as drugs."  I'm with you Dr. Oz!

P.S. I viewed pictures of butternut squash and most of them were accompanied by recipes.  I was excited at the many many recipes and variations there are to preparing a butternut squash -  from sweet to savory.     

I Don't Make This Stuff Up.

I have a wonderful doctor that I've been going to for a loooong time and he once said to me "if it doesn't hurt and may help, let's do it."  That has always stuck with me so it is in that context I present to you.

The Ultimate Antioxidant - Grounding With Mother Earth baby! Can you dig it?

Recent research has shown that your immune system functions optimally when your body has an adequate supply of electrons, which are easily and naturally obtained by barefoot contact with the Earth. Electrons from the Earth have antioxidant effects that can protect your body from inflammation and its many well documented health consequences.

The Earth maintains a negative electrical potential on its surface (not to be confused with direct or alternating currents present in our homes and environment!) . When you walk, sit, or lay down on the earth's surface, the electrons are conducted to your body, bringing it to the same electrical potential as the earth.  Living in direct contact with the earth grounds your body, inducing favorable physiological and electrophysiological changes that promote optimum health.

So the Earth is a natural source of electrons which are essential for proper functioning of our immune systems, circulation, and may actually be the most effective, essential, least expensive and easiest to attain antioxidant.

grazin in the grass is a gas baby can you dig it. . . .

Are you being served?

By yourself that is.  Change and transition can be difficult yet necessary for growth and the key that keeps us moving forward.  I believe it was Einstein who said "insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."  He was a pretty smart guy.

What makes change and transition difficult is the fact that we have to call on a drive within us to push through discomfort, letting go of familiar habits and strategies that no longer serve us. Many times these routines have been with us for so long that we feel lost or out of balance without them.

The good news is that human beings have an innate ability to adapt to change.  We only need to embrace that part of ourselves  and in the words of Nike "Just do it!"  Whatever it is, however inconvenient it is, just do it. Start with small changes and see how it feels.   Start eating breakfast, spend more time shopping for food and preparing your meals, make time to exercise, change your exercise routine. Start with asking the question, why am I still doing the same old routine when it no longer works for me?

And most importantly keep pushing through the discomfort and know that discomfort is usually a sign of the next big breakthrough. You can do it!