Archive for May, 2009
May 27th, 2009
The most important thing we can do in this life is to pay attention and realize what makes us happy. So often we go through our days on automatic pilot, just doing what we always do. So what’s good for you? Only you know. And it’s up to you to find out.
Yes, the basics are good for you – eating right, exercise, plenty of sleep. Those things matter. Self-care is more than that though. It is what makes your heart happy. And your heart is different from mine so you need to examine yours and start paying attention to what brings you joy.
Maybe getting up early and starting your day on your deck with a cup of coffee with the morning paper brings you a sense of calm. Maybe planting flowers with a child makes you giggle. Maybe taking a walk with a friend lightens your heart.
Or maybe you are a night owl and getting up early makes you cringe. Maybe digging in the dirt gives you hives and taking a walk gives you shin splints. So you need to pay attention to what brings YOU joy and not what others tell you or what you think is expected of you.
What brings you a smile as you go through the day? A favorite song on the radio. Lunch with a friend. A glass of wine on the patio in the evening. That works for me. Wine, women, and song.
The first step is to heighten your awareness. Pay attention to what makes you happy. The little things. Write them down. At the end of every day, jot down three things that gave you a moment of bliss. The more you become aware, the more you will recognize what does – and does not – bring you joy.
Change your focus from grumbling (“The puppy pooped on the carpet.”) to gratitude (“Wow! My children cleaned up the puppy mess today!”) Little things mean a lot and the more you see the little things, the brighter the big picture becomes.
May 26th, 2009
Eating enough protein is for more than just body-builders. Recent research shows that protein is especially important for adults as we age. Muscle mass can begin to decrease as early as in your thirties. A condition called sarcopenia occurs when there is a progressive loss of muscle mass and strength. In older individuals, this can decrease stamina, impair ability to perform daily tasks, and increase risk of falls and bone fractures. There is no single cause, but inadequate protein intake may be a key contributor to this condition.
Despite popular perception, most Americans do not over-consume protein. In fact, few Americans even consume the amount recommended by MyPyramid food patterns. Most foods contain some protein, but the amount and quality varies. Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, cheese, and yogurt are considered high-quality protein foods. Vegetables supply smaller amounts of protein, but plant-based foods also lack some of the amino acids—building blocks of protein—that our body needs to produce essential proteins. Higher protein plant foods include legumes (beans and peas) and nuts and seeds. If you are vegetarian, the key to getting all the amino acids you need is to eat a variety of plant foods each day.
How Much Protein?
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that protein should supply about 15 to 35 percent of your total calories. For a 2,000-calorie diet, this is about 75 to 175 grams of protein. Another approach is to figure your protein needs based on your body weight. On average, most people need a minimum of 0.4 grams of protein per pound of body weight, but recent research suggests even this is not enough. If you are active or if you are recovering from illness or injury, you may need up to 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight. The optimal amount of protein per meal that has been shown to protect against sarcopenic muscle loss is 25 to 30 grams of high-quality protein per meal. This is equivalent to about 4 ounces of lean meat, fish, or poultry.
Protein in common foods:
3 ounces of cooked beef, chicken, poultry: 25 grams
3 ounces of cooked fish or shellfish: 21 grams
1 cup of milk or yogurt: 8-10 grams
1 ounce of cheese: 6-8 grams
1 egg: 6 grams
½ cup of cooked legumes (such as kidney or pinto beans): 8 grams
1 ounce of nuts: 6-8 grams
2 tbsp of peanut butter: 6 grams
1 oz of tofu: 2 grams
May 20th, 2009
Do you Clarisonic? Ever heard of it? Its an amazing skin care brush. It uses the same technology as Sonicare toothbrushes. Clarisonic is not just another skin care aide. It is a must have. It is great for all skin types. Yes…all skin types. If you are oily-it will help control shine all day and minimize pores. If you are dry-it will help with dullness that is associated with dry skin. It will also help your moisturizer penetrate better into your skin. If you are combination-it will even out the dry patchy areas and still control your shine throughout the day. If you are sensitive-it will not irritate your skin. It will actually soothe it because of the vibrating and oscilitation of the brush head. What other skin care brush on the market does this? Only Clarisonic. I am very passionate about this because it is essential to maintaining beautiful skin for a lifetime.
There are other brushes out there but they do not go to the depths that Clarisonic does. The purpose of ever using a skin care brush is that it exfoliates the skin better that using a wash cloth or sponges. The result is your cleanser cleanses better and your moisturizer moisturizes better. Thus improving the health of your skin. Clarisonic was a big development in the skin care industry and is crucial to any good skin care regime.
Next time you visit your Aesthetician ask if they Clarisonic?
See you at the Spa….
I don’t remember life before my Clarisonic or my Sonicare tooth brush either. My skin has improved so much since using Clarisonic.
May 8th, 2009
Many people ARE becoming more health conscious and finding there way to better food choices and incorporating exercise into their daily activities. Who imagined a body pump class at the gym would be packed at 5:00am? Hundreds of people have asked me what do I do when I dine out. That is a great question because the “healthy” choices in
Rockford are extremely limited. Trying to find an entrée on the menu that doesn’t include meat, pasta, dairy or bread is exceptionally challenging! Even the salad entrée’s are limited at best, including the dressings. Although many restaurants state they can make it the way you want, often times the delivery is bland, boring or incorrect. Choosing a salad that is already on the menu and requesting certain things be left off appears to be confusing and difficult for many as well and frequently results in disappointment. Why do restaurants still serve iceberg lettuce anyway? It has very little nutritional value. Although I am a raw foodist, (not 100%), I am not alone, and am writing on behalf of literally hundreds of area people begging for great tasting vegetarian, vegan and/or RAWlicious healthy restaurant choices. Something more than salads! Although I do not think a raw food restaurant would survive quite yet in the
Rockford area, I do believe raw food entrée’s, appetizers & oh yes, raw decadent desserts would be welcomed and devoured. Hello area restaurants, get on board and switch it up! If you want to share your “healthy selections”, or to discuss this further, please contact me…or check out a raw food class and discover RAW. I would gladly include “healthy & raw selections” in my monthly newsletter with the name of the restaurant.
May 6th, 2009
I’m a quote junkie. Here’s today’s fix: “The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here. The way to be happy is to make others so.” ~Robert G. Ingersoll (I have no idea who he is or if he is connected to the Rockford biz.)
There’s a wooden sign in my family room that says: The time to be happy is now. Happiness is a choice. Michael J. Fox announced that on recent magazine covers, and he has a television special airing on ABC soon. I just received an email from my “Uplevel Your Life” coach, Christine Kane, and she wrote about how happiness is a choice. I had a conversation earlier today with a friend and we discussed the very topic. So, I think the writing muse is telling to ponder the idea.
I agree that happiness is a choice. It does not mean that we don’t face our problems or that the world is hunkydory. It simply means that if you wait for the economy to bounce back or the pimples to stop coming or the rain to stop falling, happiness would never come your way. We don’t be happy because of our circumstances. We be happy in spite of our circumstances.
That is the point Michael J Fox makes. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, yet he has never been happier. It is not the event or situation that brings us down or lifts us up, it is how we choose to react to it. One guy loses his job and he thinks the world is out to get him and life sucks. Another guy loses his job and he shrugs and decides to pursue a career dream that he never had time to before.
Maybe your flight gets delayed, or your boss is a jerk, or the puppy chewed the remote control. That’s life. Is that reason to declare, “Oh, I can’t be happy. The air is polluted. We have crime. I broke a fingernail.” Practice the art of being happy. Look for the good. See the tulips and smile. Turn up the radio when a good song comes on. Have an ice cream treat with a friend.
We are not on this earth to mope and just get by. We need to enjoy the here and now. Every person has ups and downs, and everyone chooses how they deal with them. Pay attention to your attitude. Can you laugh instead of complain? Make it a mental commitment to think about how you go about your day. Happiness is a choice. It’s up to you.
