Is an Apple a Day Enough?

How many of us grew up learning the food pyramid... grains on the bottom, followed by fruits and vegetables, dairy, protein, and fats on the top. I was raised on the idea that if you follow the pyramid, your body will get the nutrition it needs to be healthy. I am not going to delve into the validity of the pyramid; however, what is interesting to me is the nutritional value of the food we eat TODAY.

Consider this...

• "The quality of our food is declining with mass farming, soil quality issues, transportation and artificial ripening. Plus, our food now contains other chemicals like preservatives and pesticides that may affect our health."

• "According to the USDA and Nutrition Security Institute, the amount of calcium in an apple before 1992 has now decreased by 50%. That’s means you would have to consume two apples to get the same amount of calcium."

• "How about chicken? Not so good either… The amount of Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, and other minerals has decreased by 60% or more over the last 18 years."

• "...if you are getting enough vitamins and minerals from your food, you may be eating too much. Talk about a catch 22!"

So, how does the average woman living an active life ensure that she is getting complete nutrition- not just hitting the minimum standard, but getting the right nutrition to help PREVENT chronic disease? The Journal of the American Medical Association recommends that "all adults take one multivitamin daily. This practice is justified mainly by the known and suspected benefits of supplemental folate and vitamins B₁₂, B₆, and D in preventing cardiovascular disease, cancer, and osteoporosis and because multivitamins at that dose are safe and inexpensive."

So, an apple a day is a start, but don't forget a high quality multi-vitamin.
Source Supplemental Science

A dirty little four letter word...

We all know the usual four letter words that are banned on network TV, and our 10 year old boys will blurt out just to see our reaction, but there is one four letter word that I am eliminating from my vocabulary... BUSY! Ask any mom, dad, single lady, person on the street- how are you? and I am willing to bet the answer is "busy".

Being BUSY is a great excuse for just about anything... I can't work out- too busy. Sorry I didn't call you back- too busy. I want to run a 5K- too busy.

Is there something that you really want to do, but find yourself saying I am too busy?
To me, busy implies lack of focus, overwhelmed, never having a moment of peace. I am not suggesting that we do no work, pull our kids out of activities, and not clean the house. What I am suggesting is that we learn to focus our energy on what is important. Just as a disclaimer, I have not mastered this art- I am a work in progress.

• What are your priorities? Identify them and commit to them. My husband is a great example of creatively fitting exercise into his day. He decided about 6 months ago that he would exercise 20 minutes a day- no matter what! In order to make that happen, he has had to be flexible in what defines exercise. On cold nights it meant walking up and down the stairs; sometimes it was a walk during his lunch hour. Now that it has warmed up, he walks/ runs outside and almost always has one kid with him.
• Learn to say "no". If you are the mom who is the room mom, committee head, PTO president elect, you are allowed to say "no". I believe in volunteering, but there comes a point when you are spread too thin.
  
• Learn to live in the moment- Kids are great examples to follow. I love watching my kids when they are completely engaged in an activity. Sometimes I will catch my daughter playing with Barbies and for the moment, she has brought them to life. I try not to break the magic spell that she has cast.
• Understand that you are not superwoman, and that is ok. I don't know if you remember the ad about a woman who can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan... This ad suggests that a woman can work full time, cook a complete meal, and have the energy to "never let you forget you're a man". Any woman that is doing two of those three is pretty amazing. A woman who is doing all three deserves a gold medal!
  

Rather than live a busy life, I am going to work on living a full life; Full of moments of laughter and love.

I Like to Move It, Move It

The other day I was reading a e-newsletter that addressed the issue of training for a triathlon with limited time and how to incorporate training into our already busy lives rather than seeing it as a separate event, and it got me thinking. Americans live a life of paradoxes; we pay people to clean our houses (physical activity), so that we have time to go to the gym to "work out". We drive to Spin classes- couldn't we ride a bike to Spin class and get a work out that way? Our urban friends walk to get the groceries and mail a letter, while we drive to the park to take a walk. Physical activity doesn't require lycra, spandex, and specialized shoes. Your body doesn't know the difference if you are running through the airport to catch a flight or if you are in a conditioning class. All your body knows is that your heart is pounding and your muscles are working.

Check out these activities and how many calories they burn to get an idea if you are "movin' it". The calories burned are approximate for a 150 lb person.

• Bicycling 12-13.9 mph- 576
• Golf, carrying clubs- 396
• Walk 15 minute mile- 324
• Water Aerobics- 288
• Gardening- 324
• Lawn Mower- power push mower- 324
• Heavy Cleaning- 325
• Sitting and reading- 81
• Sleeping- 45

Dance with your kids, walk to the store, clean your garage, dig in the dirt... just MOVE IT!

This is One Good Egg!

Healthy Lifestyle Tip: The Good Egg
Get thin, get smart. One little oval package helps make both happen. Eggs were reinstated as a health food a while back when major studies cleared them of increasing heart attack and stroke risk. Now there is evidence that people who scramble, boil or poach one for breakfast, as opposed to eating a bagel with the same number of calories, will bypass junk-food cravings and eat fewer calories for at least 24 hours. While eggs are a good source of nutrients and protein, they also make your body feel fuller for longer.

Not only are you smart, waist wise, for eating them; they are good brain food, too. Eggs are packed with selenium, a nutrient that can help keep your memory sharp and your thinking fast. In fact, people who get at least 55 micrograms (mcg) a day of selenium have cognitive test scores that put them in a league with people 10 years younger. Eggs are a nutritional powerhouse – the incredible, edible egg.
Source: realage.com

Mini Meals to boost your metabolism

Wow! I just listened in to a nutrition class that focused on the relationship between what you eat, when you eat and how that has a direct impact on your blood sugar and your metabolism. Here are a few key concepts that I picked up.

• Carbs are not evil- if you do not fuel your body with carbs, your body will turn to muscle to find energy
• Do not go more than 4 hours without eating.
• Being hydrated can help you boost your metabolism 30% (10-12 glasses a day)
  
• Every meal should have no fewer than 10 grams of protein and no more than 30 grams of carbs.... so, what does that mean you can eat?
• brown rice cake and 3oz of sliced meat (get it sliced at the deli counter- your meat SHOULD expire)
• 1/4 Cup of strawberries and 1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese.
• 1/4 Cup of diced apple, mixed greens, 2 Tbsp of almonds, 4 oz of chicken breast
• 1/2 Cup of Greek yogurt and 1 scoop of Advocare Muscle Gain
• 4oz of salmon, 1/4 cup of brown rice, 1/2 cup of veggies
• 25 almonds

I have got some more suggestions which I will continue to pass on. You can email if you have specific questions about how to incorporate these principles on a daily basis.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall....

This weekend I was flipping through a glossy magazine that largely featured advertisements that had to do with health and beauty for women. There were ads for skin treatments, hair extensions, plastic surgeons, personal trainers, etc... all in the pursuit of helping women feel better and look younger longer. What really caught my eye was a series of books that a local plastic surgeon had written that defined ideal beauty in regard to face and body.

This kind of frightened me. As a mom of four, and in particular two daughters, I am very aware that young women are already measuring themselves against unattainable standards of beauty in the media. As my daughter transitions into a young woman, my hope for her is that she is able to keep her focus on her health and fitness, and not worry if her thighs look fat. I am very proud of her. She has taken it upon herself to pack her own lunches and has started joining her dad for nightly runs/walks. As the mom, I feel it is my responsibility to model a healthy lifestyle and take the focus away from the endless barrage of images in the media. Look at any beauty magazine- the front page focuses on "parts"... how to have a flatter tummy, a deeper cleavage, a shapelier tush, cellulite free thighs. There is a great danger that women will equate their beauty with their "parts" when in fact (to summarize Aristotle), we are all greater than the sum of our parts.

He brain /She Brain

Last night I had a 7:00 meeting which means I had to go into event/ food coordinator mode prior to my departure. I had to ensure that my husband would not only pick up my son from soccer practice, but know which field he was on. Then my husband was to deliver our oldest daughter to a meeting. In the meantime, I felt compelled to have a relatively nutritious dinner on the table for everyone. As I was making arrangements, I would call my husband to let him know who was where. When I called him I would start with the conversation with "Hi, honey how are you?" He would reply "fine- why are you calling?"... Huh??? It seemed like a rather curt reply.
He had no time for casual conversation and was only interested in knowing which child he needed to pick up, what time, and what location. Where was the "Hi, honey- how was your day?"

I then had to remind myself that the male mind communicates very differently than the female brain. I base my observations on unscientific findings that I have collected in almost 19 years of marriage and having grown up with three sisters.

• women think have circular thinking- maybe you are talking about your friend in the hospital and you stopped by to bring her flowers. Speaking of flowers reminds your friend about her friend who is picking center pieces for her daughter's Bat Mitzvah. Now instead of talking about your dear friend in the hospital you are talking about a wedding where they had fabulous floral decorations... see how that works?
• Men have linear thinking- If I call my husband to tell him about soccer games, that is what he wants to hear about.
• Women share to share.
  
• Men share to get solutions

I could go on and on, but I believe this video articulates what I am trying to say...