Family Fitness Challenge

Spring is almost over and summer is just a few weeks away. The goal to improve on our health and wellness continues as it has moved on to another level in the form a family fitness challenge. The Beast (my husband) has placed a call out to the family to join us as we work to shed the excess weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle. It all began the day after Memorial Day we submitted our weight and the goal weight. The challenge is to get in a workout everyday, make healthy choices when we eat and we get one day to relax. On our relax day, we can indulge a bit in the thing/s that we love. On my relax day, I enjoyed a slice of apple pie and a bowl of ice cream after dinner on Sunday.

We check in daily, sharing our workouts of the day and cheer each other on. It's actually a fun way to hold each other accountable to stick to the challenge.


While we're all in this together, there's a bit of a competitive spirit that lies within us. Almost everyone has claimed to be the winner at the end of the challenge.

Here's an example of one of my workout sessions with The Beast
3 miles of running
3/4 miles walking
50 mountain climbers
20 Jumping Jacks
20 Jump Squats
20 Squats
30 Burpees

Needless to say, I think I know who will be the winner in the end ;-) How about you? Wouldn't it be great to encourage your family to join you in a fitness challenge?

What's Really Good With The Wine?

What on earth is going on? That was my reaction this morning while I watched the CBS Morning Show. There was a segment with Kevin Hicks who founded Beverage Grades his own laboratory and began a process to test wine.

According to his findings, there were very high levels of arsenic. What he discovered shocked him.

Now here is where I am sitting up and paying close attention. Not that I'm a wine connoisseur but I have had many conversations/questions pertaining to wine and it's benefits. The benefits vary from heart health to the prevention of cancer. Yes I've heard it all. On a personal note, there are times when we would sip on a glass of wine in celebration for a celebration or with an occasional meal. It all seems healthy and harmless. Needless to say, this news report was not good.

The segment continues as Mr. Hicks stated that he analyzed more than 1,300 bottles of wine.
Here's the kicker --> Almost twenty-five percent had levels higher than the Environmental Protection Agency's maximum allowable amount of arsenic in drinking water: 10 parts per billion.



Interestingly, there was a pattern. Sadly, it has to do with the price. Yes indeed - the lower the cost per liter basis, the higher the amount of arsenic. What's even more alarming, is that you could have purchased it at your local Trader Joe's Two-Buck Chuck White Zinfandel - with flying marks at three times the limit. For the fun, feisty and seductive bunch who purchases a bottle of Ménage à Trois Moscato for the giggles, well that was four times the limit. The arsenic winner here is the Franzia Blush, this had five times the EPA limit for drinking water. Whew, let's take a moment to let that sink in, give thanks that we are still alive to read this and proceed with caution from hereon in.


Get this, naturally these findings must surely be something that the wine companies would be interested in knowing. After all, their goal is to sell wine not poison its consumers. Mr. Hicks shared the test results to some of those wine companies and as you'll see here's the outcome.



Before you panic, please note that wine is still good for you, the adventure is to know which one can you really trust.

Soups On - Savor the Moment

Winter is in full swing. The temperatures are a great reminder of the season. After having a few weeks of snow, snow storms, blizzards mixed with freezing temperatures, the need to be warm and cozy extends to the craving for a warm bowl of soup. Here are a few soup recipes that will surely be a treat. Martha Stewart and Laura Vitale share some tips worth trying.

Here's to a delicious and warm remedy for the winter.

Chicken and Dumplings Soup


Roasted Tomato Soup


Pumpkin Soup

Keeping It Farm Fresh

Picture it - sunny warm days, blue skies, green grass, flowers blooming, trees offering shade, sandals, T-shirts, shorts etc., love is in the air - summer is almost here.

The thought of enjoying healthy and delicious fresh fruits and vegetables makes my heart leap for joy. I can recall having the most delicious and juiciest tomato ever that we purchased at the market in Nevis, West Indies. I had no idea that tomatoes could be so sweet. Thank goodness, there are many farmers market throughout New York even in the city - yes it's true. Stroll on through Union Square and there you will find a fabulous farmers market.

Tom Vilsack, the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture has an initiative to promote the farmers market. Do you know your farmer? If not, get to know your farmer and learn more about the food.

Is That Food Backing Up?

Have you ever had that uneasy feeling where there is a burning sensation traveling from your stomach to your chest or throat? How about that bitter or sour taste of acid surfacing up to your mouth?

Here are some symptoms of acid reflux:
**Bloating
**Bloody or black stools
**Burping
**Chronic Sore Throat
**Dry Cough
**Dysphagia
**Hiccups that don't let up
**Hoarseness
**Nausea
**Vomiting with blood
**Weight loss that occurs without a valid reason
**Wheezing

Here's the Doctor's take on Acid Reflux

Where Do You Stand - High Blood Pressure?

One in three adults has high blood pressure and many are unaware. It is very important to get your blood pressure checked, it is good to know where you stand. The Center for Disease Control has created an animated series that explores the importance of understanding your blood pressure levels and how important it is to follow the instructions on lowering and control high blood pressure - preventing life threatening outcomes. Hypertension - be informed.

Hold Up - Wait A Minute

Are you aware that taking drugs with certain foods and beverages may have some dangerous outcomes? It is important to also discuss with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before you combine any drugs with over the counter medications.

Here's an example, many of us know the great benefits of grapefruit. Grapefruit known as a super fruit is packed with fiber, nutrients, vitamins, minerals, helps to reduce chronic diseases, improves skin health, boosts the immune system and also helps with curbing the appetite. On the other hand, one should be clear about having grapefruit in any form while they are on certain medications/drugs.




Remember, what's good for you may not be good for YOU...... Discuss everything with your doctor.

What Have You Done For You Lately?

How are you doing? When was the last time that you took a moment to check in on your health and wellness?

It's so important that we listen and have a keen sense of our bodies to know the signals and symptoms that are gentle memo's to take note that something needs to be checked on.

Although you may be working to improve on your health and wellness through diet and exercise (which is excellent) you need to get a physical. In addition, it is important to know your family health history as well as your own. Some screenings may be more important than others based on your family's health history. No need to panic, your family's health history serves as a guide for the illnesses/diseases that may place you at a high risk level for the illness/disease.

Other suggestions are to treat yourself to a day at the spa. You can also place an order for some specially made to order spa products from Smell Good Spa They have a wide variety and great specials/sales.

But wait, there's more....
Yoga
Meditation
Healthy Eats/Treats

Oh The Scandal of it All - Breaking Bread News!!!

It's that sick feeling you get when you see a news report on the food that we enjoy contains a dye from insects and that the health department allows for a certain amount of rodent and insect droppings in food - now to kick it up a higher notch - we're eating fresh, tasty yoga mat sandwiches and burgers. It turns out that we're enjoying azodicarbonamide, the chemical used to make the bread whiter and bouncier. Just what we need, a bounce in our bread. Well, at least there's an explanation to the reason of biting the sandwich and having to give an extra pull for the release to chew.

Here we are working to improve on our health and wellness. In deciding what to eat, we weigh our options. Want to eat healthy and fresh? Head on over to Subway and indulge in their healthy menu, a sense of pride settles within as you have made a great choice. Thankfully, Subway decided to announce that they will no longer use azodicarbonamide in their bread. Needless to say, that caused a wait up, hold me back (kind of moment), what did they say was in their bread???!!! But wait, there's more, many of the other fast food restaurants are using the same chemical in their bread/buns.

So once again, we are left to wonder, what's really good for us? Who do we trust? Why would these products that are dangerous for human consumption be allowed in our foods? How could they determine that there should be a safe amount, considering that our health is not a one size fits all kind of deal? Who approves this and is there a financial incentive to gain from approving these unhealthy chemicals/products?

Perhaps it's time for us to bake our bread from scratch, purchase our fruits and vegetables from the local farmers markets, raise our own chickens, cows, etc., and do the work ourselves. For now, I may have to sprinkle holy water, read a scripture and pray that my food is safe each time I prepare to eat a meal.

Hip, Hip Hooraaaay!!! Cheers to CVS

Turn up the music and let us get our dance on. It's time to paaaaartaaaay (party). CVS has taken the bold step to forego Two Billion Dollars in annual tobacco sales and focus on providing quality health care to it's customers.

Hopefully, many will drop their buts (cigarettes) and join us in the dance as we continue to work on improving our health and wellness...... Here's to living a longer and healthier life :-)

Holidays Healthy Days.........

With the festivities in full swing, parties at every turn, one cannot help but to be concerned about their health - we hope. 'Tis the season of waistline awareness ♬ fa la la la la ♬ la la la la ♬. Have you ditched the watch what you eat compass and traded it in for the not so reliable or good idea of "I'll begin working out in the New Year?"
Oh yes, we all know how that goes :-)

Some of us have actually taken on the head start of working out now so that we can enjoy the full on feast of the season. While others are maintaining their workout throughout the year, watching their intake at every turn. There has to be a balance.

Off to finding healthy choices for the holidays so that we can enjoy a guilt free celebration time. How about trying something new :-)

Let's see what we have here..........




Yummy, yum, yum --> Dessert

Pop, Pop...... Stop Popping Microwave Packaged Popcorn

There was a time when things were simply delicious while we all waited less than five minutes for popcorn. There's something special about homemade snacks and desserts, they're just tastier and now we may be on to something especially with popping popcorn.We would get a nice size pot, pour in oil to lightly cover the bottom of the pot, add some kernels cover the pot and listen for the popping to begin, at times the cover lifted as the popcorn fluffs it way to an overflow. We would pour it into a large bowl, add salt and enjoy - all within five minutes.

Once the microwave popcorn hit the shelves, the patience for popping popcorn or perhaps the ease of preparation of placing the bag in the microwave became the most convenient way to go.

As reseach studies go, time and observation has determined that this fantastic convenient method of the microwave packaged popcorn is unhealthy, which may cause cancer and other health related illnesses. Thankfully, all is not lost. We can still pop our popcorn within minutes in the microwave as demonstarted in the video below.



And now for the old fashion homemade popping with tips to add your own fancy toppings :-)



Here's to a healthier and tasty treat :-)

♬ A Change Will Do You Good ♬ Bye, Bye, Trans Fats :-)

Hooray to the Food and Drug Administration for improving our health and wellness. The media is all a buzz about the latest move by the FDA to ban trans fats. While arteries rejoice :-)

Dr Thomas Frieden the director of the Center for Disease Control sits with PBS Newshour Judy Woodruff to explain this very important health change. Change is good..........

Happy Healthy Halloween - Yes That's Right :-)

It's that time of year again where the candy fest takes over. Children and some adults, dress up in costumes, hit the streets, knocking on doors, going in and out of stores with their buckets, baskets and in some instances their pillow cases all in the game of trick or treat. The end deal is the treat - candy. Lots and lots of candy. Keeping an eye out for the good candy. The strategy, knowing your neighborhood and which house has the good candies. At the end of the night, you dump the candy out and begin to sort the ones you want, the ones you can swap, the ones you wont eat until the good ones are gone or those you will never eat - mission accomplished.

While it is not my goal to knock the whole fun of the trick or treating for candy day, I must share the healthy alternatives to having a fun delicious treat.


No lecture or shouting out to parents whose child may be overweaight or obese, just some helpful ideas from Brooke Thomas to treat all of our children to a healthier halloween :-)

Oh Noooo - Not My Oreos???

There are some really delicious snacks and treats where the saying 'you can't have just one' is not an exaggeration. Making the headlines is a life long favorite of mine - Oreos.

What's all the buzz about?

Well, it seems that some students at the Connecticut College wanted to find the root causes of obesity among lower income neighborhoods. Neuroscience assistant professor Joseph Schroeder and his students, found that when the rats ate the cookies it activated more neurons in the brain’s "pleasure center" than exposure to the drugs.

According to Mr. Schroeder "Our research supports the theory that high-fat/high-sugar foods stimulate the brain in the same way that drugs do, it may explain why some people can’t resist these foods despite the fact that they know they are bad for them."

Interestingly, Jamie Honohan, a neuroscience major at the college who thought up the original idea of the study, noted that rats also eat their oreos just like us saying, “They would break it open and eat the middle first.”

Now that they have my interest in this study, I wonder how the rats would react to having the oreo cookies with milk?


Of course, our goal is to enjoy all things in moderation and getting control of our portion size is a major one. Lord hear our prayer!

How About A Run? :-)

♪♪ And I know it's gonna be ♪♪a lovely daaaaaaaaaaaaaay♪♪♪


Have you ever had a day where you are driving and all of the lights are in your favor - green light all the way? Well, this morning was one of those mornings for me. This week was set off to a challenging start and I was determined to face them head on. Each morning starts with meditation and prayer then I head off for a run. Running covers everything for me, although sometimes I run at a snails pace, I run. However, this week, I decided to pick up the pace and run for the hills.

Todays run was extra special. There were the smiles and greetings of the morning from people going for walks and the cheers of other runners as I made my way through the four mile trek. It seemed as though they were stationed at certain points of my route.

The hills were symbolic, they represent the challenges. I picked up the pace and ran up the very steep hills while releasing my concerns and doing my mantra. By the time my run ended, instead of feeling relieved, I felt energized. I picked up the kettle bell to asist with my squats, jumped rope and planked :-) All showered, dressed and getting to the tasks of the day.

So what good is a run without a healthy follow up??? I made a salad, had a glass of water and now I'm ready to enjoy the other perks of my day. It's already off to a great start.

♪♪ And I know it's gonna be ♪♪a lovely daaaaaaaaaaaaaay♪♪♪


While I encourage you to go for a run, jog or walk - be sure to consult with your doctor.

The Choice Is Yours........ Part 3

What about the children? As you know by now, I carry a bull horn about childhood obesity and the responsibility that begins and ends with the parent. Yes I said it and I will not apologize for saying it even if I decide to run for President. Childhood obesity has become such a problem that children are now diagnosed with diseases that were once considered for adults (almost seniors). This is a serious matter that requires urgent intervention.

Thankfully, all is not lost. If you or someone you know has a child who is overweight, there is something that can be done. All you have to do is take charge, make the necessary changes as your child's health and wellness depends on you.

Dr. Sherri Sandifer of Texas Children's Hospital shares some healthy tips in packing food for your child/children. Then there is the issue on heart healthy children. Did you know that heart diseases begins during childhood? Well, you need to take a gander.

Finally, remember when Jessica Seinfeld came out with a cookbook filled with ways to feed your children nutritious meals without them knowing? Ms. Seinfeld discusses her sneaky tips and you can see the children eating and enjoying their meals. My children did not have the sneak attack not that I knew it was possible. The vegetables were visibly on their plates where they were able to get familiar with them, understand that they were a healthy part of their meal and eat them up or else - no desert. Now that they are older, they not only eat their vegetables and salads, they don't feel that their meals are complete without them. In any case, for those of you who may need help you can also find the links to Jessica Seinfeld's books below. I find her ideas to be quite clever and complete fun, sort of like pulling a prank on your kids for every meal :-)

The Choice Is Yours... Part trois

The Choice Is Yours....... Part 2

Know your fats? Well, now you can learn more about the fats that works well for your health and wellness.

Got diabetes? There is something here for you too.

Then there is Dr. Ian Smith's 4 Day Diet which I can say, I tried and it worked. I am not a believer of diets in the sense of being on a diet, as I love to eat and my rationale is that I just need to exercise consistently. However, since I was preparing to interview Dr. Smith on the Health & Wellness Show, I wanted to prepare not only in reading the book and asking him random questions but I wanted to try it for myself to share my personal results with the listeners. The 4 Day Diet Book is not a typical diet book, it explores the various aspects of your mind and body. Where are you emotionally? Are you ready to take this on/commit? And best of all, you do not have to count a single calorie, it's all in the book. Yippeeeee!!!!

The choice is yours.............. Part deux

The Choice Is Yours........ Part 1

We all have choices or so we are told. One of the best things about being an adult, is having the ability to make your own decisions. A huge part of our Health and Wellness relies on our choices. First up, Chef and author Rocco DiSpiritos Now Eat This explains how you can cut your caloric intake and lose weight while enjoying the foods you love. In the first part of The Choice Is Yours you will learn about the food choices -- to improve your blood pressure and the food sources to keep your cells alive through potassium. Now hold on to your spectacles and don't be alarmed, you will also learn about the healthy choices you can make when you go to McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Wendy's and Quizznos.

The Choice Is Yours..... Part un







Choices At Fast Food Restaurants



Do you have any healthy choices you'd like to share with us? Add your comments

Get a Clue - Benefits of Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding has long had it's supporters starting with the Healthcare Community. Sadly, the issue of breastfeeding has made the headlines in a political arena. While the First Lady of the United States encouraged mothers to breastfeed their babies,  Mrs. Sarah Palin found a way to make a mockery of the efforts to promote healthy options. Breastfeeding is not an issue to debate for political points but instead it should be viewed for the health benefits to both mother and child.

As a mother, I was given the choice to either breastfeed or use formula to feed my babies. After learning about the benefits for my baby's health, it was a on. I wanted nothing but the best for my children and what an incredible way to start their lives setting them up with building a strong immune system and much more. Yeah me!!!!

For refresher's sake and for those who may not know, let's see what clues the Health Officials, Medical Professionals and Healthcare Community has to say about the benefits of breastfeeding:

From the mother

Healthy Nutrition: Breastfeeding from Healthy Children on Vimeo.


Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


The National Women's Health Information Center


The American Academy of Pediatrics


 World Health Organization (WHO)