Power to the Honey Bee!

Not too long ago I did a post on raw, organic honey as a super food.  In it's raw state it maintains its richness in antioxidants & antibacterial qualities plus enzymes that help with digestion.  I also mentioned that Australia's medical profession uses it for wound healing.   The wound healing was a plus but I really didn't elaborate or dig deeper. . . . . until last night.

I roasted some pecans in a large pan with a handle as opposed to the usual baking sheet which was housing my chicken.  I pulled the pecans out of a HOT oven and decided to sample one to make sure it was toasted just right and decided they needed another 5 or so minutes.  I guess it was the sight of the usual friendly handle that made me forget it had just been pulled out of a HOT oven and I grabbed the handle to put back in the oven. Needless to say the pan ended up on the floor with the pecans everywhere.

For hours I alternated putting my hand under running water, holding a baggie with ice (FYI - not supposed to use ice on a burn), putting my hand in water and vinegar (the ph in vinegar neutralizes the skin and draws out the heat), even tried lavender oil (forget why that helps but I was trying everything I had on hand) I'm sure all that helped but my hand was still on fire hours later.

Decided to google burn wound "healing" and up popped honey (raw honey of course as the processed kind loses its healing properties.)  I immediately lathered honey on my hand and I am not kidding when I say within minutes the pain subsided completely.  Ahhhhh such relief.  If you've never had a burn trust me when I say they are painful.  This morning my hand is sticky and maybe still a small sense of what happened but basically it's business as usual.

Not that I wish anyone will need honey for anything other than pure enjoyment but Trader Joe's carries their own brand of raw, organic honey.  It's great.  You can find it at Whole Foods and Kroger as well but you'll pay a few dollars more.  

Power to the Honey Bee!!

Spice up your workout with Kettle Bells

Keeping your work-outs fresh and challenging not only keeps you interested but keeps your body and muscles on their game.  Kettle Bells are iron balls with a handle, and if you're looking for something to jump start your exercise program, pick up a couple.

They originated in Russia and have spread throughout the world. They're great for increasing your functional strength which transfers to better daily life or athletic enhancements. AND in most kettle bell exercises the all important CORE is highly involved.

Let's start with one of the basic kettle bell exercises - the SWING.  It develops the lower back, hamstrings and shoulders.   Three muscle groups in one move. You gotta love that!

Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width.  Hold a kettle bell in both hands; let it hang down in front of you. Using perfect "squat" form bend you knees so that the kettle bell hangs between your legs. Keep your back and arms straight, and swing the kettle bell up away from you until it finishes directly above your head. Control it back down to return it in between your legs. Complete 10 to 15 repetitions. A couple of tips - drive up with your legs and use the momentum of the upward swing of your arms to complete this move.  At no time should you use your lower back to initiate the swing and you want to keep your arms straight throughout the move - no bending the elbows.

To Eat or Not To Eat!

And the answer is - of course! One must eat and eat often.  Clients frequently ask me if they should eat before a work out and/or how long after they workout should they eat.  There was a school of thought (I believe back in the 90's) that you should work out on an empty stomach so that you burn more calories.  Turns out that's not true.  Your body needs glucose for fuel (in addition to those fat stores). If you don't have any blood sugar available, your body will eat the muscles' glycogen. Plus low blood sugar will make you tired and sluggish during your training session.

Best to have a light meal approximately 45 minutes before your workout.  You'll have more energy for your workout, more endurance to work harder which will burn more calories, and improve muscle tone. After your workout there is approximately 45 to 60 minutes that your muscles absorb the most nutrients, and glycogen is replaced the most efficiently.  So it's just as important to eat something immediately after a workout.  Something with both protein and carbs - like yogurt, protein shake or peanut butter and banana.

Think of your body like a car.  You wouldn't (couldn't) run a car on a empty tank and your body is no different. Fill it up with premium food AND just like you wouldn't keep putting fuel in your car's tank once it's full , learn to also keep your metabolism stoked by frequent small meals so that you do not overeat.  Your body will thank you and the reward will be a sleek, smooth running machine.

Are you good at "letting go?"

Sometimes something catches my eye that captures my thought and I ponder until I get it.  This happened recently when I ran across, quite accidently,  inspirational words from Buddha,  "The Greatest Meditation is a Mind that Lets Go." Huh?

At any given moment I'm thinking of what I need to do, what I want to do,  but the need stuff is getting in the way of the want stuff. Oh, and then a thought crosses my mind of some past transgression or hurt that I wish I had said this or handled this way. Ahhhhhggggggggggg!!

So the process of "letting go" seems very liberating to me.  Here's why. It brings us into the present moment, and confirms that there is nothing we need to get and nowhere we actually need to go beyond the "now".   When your mind is clear you're not influenced by events and emotions of the past but trusting what makes "perfect" sense in the moment, regardless of the outcome.

Letting go clears your mind allowing you to trust and invest in your ability to live in the present and increase the odds that you will make decisions that are right for you.   So learn to let go by meditating, taking a deep cleansing breath, reboot, get in the now and trust you are exactly where you need to be at the moment.

“If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace.”

When is enough, enough?

First of all, my post today comes from listening to Dr. David Cooper's sermon this morning at Mt. Paran Church of God.  I'm not exactly committing plagiarism.  Not really. But it was such a universal message and can apply to so many areas of our lives that I had to share. For the last two Sundays he has talked to us about change.  Real change.  It made me think of many areas of my life but it certainly brought back memories of a Saturday in 2002 when I said to myself - "if I do nothing else today I am going to the gym and sign up with a personal trainer."  I was 30 some pounds overweight and had had enough.

I've never looked back or slid back into a pattern of not putting diet and exercise high on my list of priorities.  I actually look forward to going to the gym and challenging myself.  After a hard workout, a meal of seasoned broiled chicken, rice and roasted broccoli (made so simply from a recipe I found on PreparedbyPaige) is quite delicious.

Back to Dr. Cooper's message today.  There are 3 necessary components for real change.  Number one is pain. You've hit rock bottom, whether it is with food addiction, chemical addiction, a relationship, a health scare, you name it as there are many things that cause us pain.  Pain can be good in that it screams at you - enough is enough!  So you decide to do something.

Second is hope.  When I decided I needed a personal trainer,  I had hope that I would finally get results.  Weight Watchers just wasn't doing the trick, and I was discouraged. Now however, with the prospect and commitment of working with a trainer, there was hope.  I started seeing improvement immediately and nothing breeds success like success.   Now my goal was in sight.

Last but not least is a strategy to reach your goal.  Feeling the pain, feeling the hope was all good but I also needed a strategy.  My plan was to work with a trainer 3 days a week and to modify my diet so that I was choosing healthier foods.  (Know that there's a difference between "modifying your diet" and  GOING ON A

I had a strategy that was born out of pain and hope.  I stuck with the strategy and it became a way of life.  Change happened.  Simple. Start today.

Home Sweet Home

"Always keep Ithaca in your mind. To arrive there is your ultimate goal. But do not hurry the voyage at all. It is better to let it last for many years; and to anchor at the island when you are old, rich with all you have gained on the way, not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches. "
                       from the poem Ithaca by Constantine Cavafy

I am so happy that I've learned to enjoy the journey. It's taken me most of my life to learn to appreciate the things you do each and every day to reach your goal, whatever it might be.  So much more peaceful to embrace each day rather than stress because you're not yet there.  However, there is a big BUT coming.  When it comes to travel (as in planes, trains and automobiles) - BEAM ME UP SCOTTY!

Amazing place California.  But getting there. . . .MARTA, schlepping through the airport, the plane, transportation to the desert.  Not sure which is worse MARTA or sharing a very small space with perfect strangers on a 5 hour plane ride (curse those First Class passengers.)  I find myself casing the people at the gate wondering who will I be rubbing elbows with (not in a good way) for 5 hours.  I was lucky for most of the trips in that I sat next to interesting men and one sweet, sweet 82 year old American woman reading a book in French (her life's work) that made the time well, fly by. 

So it is so nice to be home after two months in California that included a trip home for Thanksgiving and an awesome extended family get together in South Georgia.  Nothing like family. California just as soon be another country when you compare it to the ATL.  The ocean, the desert, mountains, wine country, cosmopolitan areas with wonderful farm to table restaurants, upscale farmers markets that include olive oils,  rich creams and soaps made with goat cheese or avocado, along with the usual toothless farmers with their guavas and berries. Or hippies with canes and baby boomers in biking shorts with some pretty impressive quads!! Now that's what I'm talking about.  I really love California.  It is also where my most favored (and only) son lives. Have I mentioned that? He drove down to La Quinta for Christmas and we took a ride to San Diego through the Santa Rosa mountains.

 Gorgeous!  The hotel I worked with was nestled right at the base of these amazing mountains.  Truly one of the most beautiful Embassy Suites I've seen.

I am SUPER excited to be home!  I'll need to get back in the groove here with my blog and my diet and exercise regime.  Couldn't wait to get to the gym today and sweat as my workouts and diet have been seriously compromised while living and working in a hotel for two months.  But bear with me and let me hear from you as you are a huge reason for my excitement at being home!

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!