Archive for July, 2009
July 22nd, 2009
What’s good for you? Take a minute and think on that. Yes, you should exercise (find something you enjoy and that you will stick with); yes, you should watch what you eat (portion control is just as important as content. I am all for eating carbs. I lived in France, and not eating bread is against the law; I just don’t eat a whole loaf anymore); and yes, you should read this blog.
Life is short. It should be lived to its fullest, its deepest, its widest. You should read books and articles that uplift you and educate you and entertain you. Same for the tv and movies that you watch. Be DELIBERATE in your viewing habits. Don’t watch whatever. Don’t turn on the TV unless there is a specific show you want to watch. Use your television as a music player. Cable has great free music channels. Turn it up and dance or mellow out and relax.
Make a list of ten things that you enjoy, things that you bring joy, peace and fulfillment. Your list will be different from mine, but to get you started, let me rattle off a few things that pop into my head. Hmmm, what is good for me?
Laughter.
Good conversation.
Good sex.
Good red wine.
Coca-Cola in a glass goblet.
Hugs.
Good books.
Good music.
Dancing.
Clothes that flatter.
I could go on and on, and you should too. Some items may seem superficial; some are soul deep. The things that are good for me are not all tangible, but they are priceless. I make effort to incorporate them into my daily life. If my list includes a good belly laugh, I need to make time for people who see the lighter side of life. I know I can enjoy food, even if I am watching my weight. One can diet and not be miserable. Little tweaks and changes are easier to mesh into our habits than drastic cold turkey changes.
The hardest challenge is to become aware of what makes our soul happy and to institute time management practices to allow ourselves such enjoyment. If your “good for you” list includes playing with your dog, then make sure you spend time every day with Fido. If you want to learn to play the banjo, book a weekly lesson. When you make the time for activities that broaden your world, your whole outlook improves and that affects your physical and mental and emotional and spiritual health. (How many kinds of health are there?) Implementing those things from your list that make your heart happy will indeed make your heart healthier. That really is good for you.
July 22nd, 2009
“How did you get all that dirt on your face” my sister asked one day. It wasn’t dirt. I’d been outside the day before and wasn’t wearing the right sunblock.
Having been a Licensed Esthetician for the past 21 years and obediently wearing my high heels at the cosmetic counters for at least 15, one of the biggest dilemmas I’ve heard from thousands of women is the discoloration on their faces. “What is this on my face?” Why doesn’t my foundation makeup match the rest of my skin?” It could be hormonal changes during pregnancy or menopause, prior acne and scarring or photosensitivity from certain medications. When I tell them the most likely culprit is UV damage from the sun, they always seem to have the same dumbfounded look on their faces. “What do you mean the sun? I always wear my sunscreen because it’s in my moisturizer!” Then, to reassure them that I just might know what I’m talking about, I have to pop the big question. “Have you ever seen a newborn baby with freckles? Babies do not have freckles”.
We are not born with freckles. We start to see them on toddlers. We think they look cute because little Susie’s been kissed by the sun and she looks healthy with a little color on her face. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but most likely, little Susie is going to have these for the rest of her life. As she gets older, there seem to be more of them every summer. As a teenager, she not only sunbathes all summer but hibernates in tanning beds in the winter. Her mom can warn her and make threats about what can happen to no avail. Yet, poor Susie, with all the information in the media about how damaging UV sunlight can be to us, she still continues to do it anyway. Susie is now an adult and is reclining in my facial bed or at my makeup studio wondering what she can do about all this discoloration that suddenly appeared.
Ever notice if you leave something in your window it will fade after a while? We had our cherished portrait of my grandfather hanging in our Florida room not knowing the sun had been shining on it for years and one day we noticed Papa Hank was fading into oblivion. Our bodies are blessed with the remarkable ability to protect ourselves from the damage of UV light yet we are constantly abusing it. When we’re born, the color (pigment) of our skin is even in tone and color.
Yesterday, I was outside pulling weeds, wearing my broad-spectrum UV block, of course.
“It” popped into my mind again as I noticed the sidewalk was now a mess with little piles of dirt. For those of you who don’t know what “It” is, “It” is the dreaded brown spot my complexion has recently acquired and is now showing its true colors.
Here is the only way I can describe what has been happening without getting too technical. Our skin was once like a clear, smooth sidewalk and now there are little clumps of dirt (melanin) piled on top. Melanin is the substance that gives our skin color and tries to protect us from UV light. When we are born, the melanin cells (melanocytes) lie perfectly smooth and even. As UV light hits us, melanin rises closer to the surface of our skin and tries to protect us. Hence, a suntan! A suntan is our body’s way of protecting us from ultraviolet light. As time goes by, these melanocytes start to clump into groups (piles of dirt) and move closer to the surface of our skin where we can see them. Usually we notice them fading in the winter because we’re not outside so much. If you go outside for an hour on a bright, sunny day without your broad-spectrum sunblock, you will most likely see those brown spots reappear because they’ve worked their way back up to the surface of your skin. This is why my sister thought I had dirt on my face.
Heaven forbid! Have you ever seen an Esthetician, a practitioner of beauty, with a dirty face? I hope not.
So slather yourself and baby with a broad-spectrum sunblock. Teach them from the time they’re toddlers how to protect themselves from the sun. This isn’t all about aging. It’s a matter of health. It’s called skin cancer.
July 17th, 2009
Enyzmes are not only valuable but important to obtaining optimal health. The benefits of a raw food lifestyle are due to the enzymes in raw foods, (raw fruits, vegetables, nuts & seeds). Enzymes help break down and digest your food. We are born with a capability to produce enough enzymes to sustain life however this is not equivalent to quality of live but simply life itself. When we do not eat enough foods that contain enzymes, the body begins to work to produce the enzymes it needs however it doesn’t come without a price. If your body has to work to create these enzymes it has less energy to divert to mental & physical activites as well as less energy to divert towards other imbalances such as curing infections, ridding of sticky mucous or acidity from the foods you eat that are not RAW. Most people get sleepy after eating a standard cooked meal because the body needs to produce enzymes to metabolize the food ingested, carry nutrients to the cells, carry waste from the cells and to eliminate waste.
Enzymes are found in all plant based foods: fruits, vegetables and nuts & seeds. Enzymes are heat sensitive and are destroyed at temperatures of about 115 degrees. During normal cooking enzymes are destroyed, vitamins & minerals are diminished or destroyed, and pesticides, fungicides & heated fats break down to form toxic compounds. The “getting old feeling” is contributed to reduced enzyme levels.
Quality lasting energy & good health come from Living Foods that nourish the cells. Not from coffee, caffeine, soda, candy or other stimulants. These unnatural sources are harmful to the body and negatively affect the brain functions & thoughts. Most often times your health as well as your skin, face & body reflect the quality of your diet. Once you leave the produce department of the grocery store you have essentially left the “Living Foods” department and entered into the “dead food” world. Dead food equals dead energy. Living Food contain enzymes that supply your body with quality energy.
Have fun & eat deliciously & healthy with raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds & avocados. Create spaghetti, burritos, decadent chocoloate mousse pie, chips, ice creams and more all free from cooking, pasta, meat, dairy, flour or refined sugar. Learn more in a raw foods class. For details contact myrawenergy@yahoo.com, visit myrawenergy.com or call 815-543-1207. Registration & payment required by Aug. 1st.
July 15th, 2009
I’ve never been a fad kind of gal. Never owned a Thighmaster, never followed the Atkins diet, and never did Pilates. And I never had to worry about my weight. Never say never. I’m over 40 now and my metabolism is no longer that of a teenage girl. I can’t live on Coca-Cola and Hostess cupcakes anymore. Well, I could, but my butt would start to look like a couple of cupcakes.
Over the last twenty years, I have attended various aerobics classes and I did Jazzercise (once). It was for fun and friendship, not fitness. Then something shifted. I think it’s called flab. This past year or two, gravity landed on me with a thud. My clothes got tight. I opted for denial. And more cupcakes.
I joined Curves. I rarely went. I could go around the circuit with pushpush chatchat and not break a sweat. No one to blame but myself. I joined Peak. I went once. The trainer told me perhaps I should get in shape before I attempted their classes. Hmm. Talk about needing a cupcake. Then I saw an ad in this very paper for a kicking/boxing/variety kind of workout class at Rockford Academy. I had just read a magazine article about a gal who had tried everything for exercise and a boxing class was her cure. I called. The trainer made me come in for an appointment. I walked in and he said, hello, give me twenty pushups. And he made me punch a bag, and squat and jump. I was a sweaty beast after thirty seconds.
But I signed up. That was last October. The first night I thought I would pass out or puke. I go two, three, four times a week. The class is 30 minutes and every night I am a sweaty beast. Our trainer, Master An, always asks if it was a good workout. For me, just showing up is a good workout. I am seeing change in my arms and legs and stamina.
I want to look as buff as Madonna does at age 50. Well, maybe. I want to be able to wear my clothes and be able to walk a flight of stairs with a laundry basket and not get winded. I also want toning and a hint of definition. I’m pretty sure Madonna could take me in an arm wrestling match (or a dance-off), but for me, this is the closest to a fitness routine that I have ever had. And it feels good. I like when my body feels a little sore. I know it’s a good sore. And I know if I keep up with the workout, I can fit in my jeans and still enjoy my Coke and cupcakes. (Just don’t tell Master An.)
July 13th, 2009
“Eek!” I cried, while thinking to myself that it must be a shadow in the mirror. No, it was (insert scary music here) the dreaded brown spot. I tried to deny it by telling myself that as a licensed esthetician, I’ve practiced what I’ve preached. Stayed out of the sun for the last twenty plus years, religiously worn my broad-spectrum sun block for the last twelve, used my topical vitamin C, given myself countless skin peels, used myself as a test subject for products before offering them to my clients. Yet, there “It” was. Smack, dab to the left of my eyebrow. How could this appear without warning?
Flashbacks started to unfold in my mind. As teenagers, my beautiful, fair skinned redhead friend Cindi the model and I had nothing better to do all day but bask in our floating lawn chairs on Spring Brook Lake. Not a care in the world but to get the darkest tan. Eventually, all of her freckles would meld into one, right?
Life in Florida, nearly comatose from the beating tropical sun, visions of white spots were appearing on my face yet my tan was getting darker. Better sleep by the pool a few more hours to even it out. Walking home from Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, swollen lips, heat stroke and blisters the size of silver dollars, only to have my mother’s physician-husband threaten to admit me to the hospital if I didn’t get into the ice cold bathtub. Remember metallic tanning blankets? Why spend the money? Just roll out the aluminum foil next to the pool, slather myself in baby oil and not forget the white zinc oxide for my nose so it won’t blister. Little did I know the damage had already been done.
A few years later, while working as a makeup artist at the Boca Raton Bloomingdale’s, the sun not only dawned on me but hit me on the head. An overly tanned, professional tennis player was in my chair asking me to even out her complexion. She had a deep white line between her brows from not wearing sunglasses when she played and looked at least twenty years older than her actual age. It scared me and I never went out in the sun for more than ten minutes again.
Call “It” what you want. Age spot, sun spot, grandma’s liver spot! “It” has arrived. The technical term for it is hyperpigmentation. Years of teenage sun worship have begun to show it’s true discolored self. UV rays, the passage of time and declining estrogen are thinning the skin’s dermis layer, not only making little wrinkles appear but bringing “It” to the surface and spreading all over the left side of my face.
Sticky note on bathroom mirror: I shall continue to wear my broad spectrum sun block even when going to the store because UV rays penetrate the window while I’m driving. This is why hyperpigmentation so often occurs on our left sides.
Help is on the way. Stay tuned for what you and I can do for other sun damage and the demise of “It”.
(music fade out)
July 8th, 2009
I have a greeting card from the “Kid Quotes” series with these words of wisdom from a 5-year-old: When you love somebody, you’re supposed to tell them.
Stevie Wonder has me thinking about that. During the MJ memorial, Stevie commented that he loved Michael and that Michael knew it because he told him often. Stevie added, “So I am at peace.”
We say, “I love you” for the recipient of our love to know it; and we say it simply because we need to express it. We need to be at peace. Too often, love goes unexpressed. And if our loved one is suddenly gone, we too often lament if we showed our love during the living years.
I’m not talking about public displays of affection (however, I have no problem with PDA. Life is short. If you want to steal a kiss from your sweetie in the grocery store, I say do it. ) I’m talking a simple declaration. Spouse, children, parents, friends, family. Show your love. Live with an unabashed sense of life is short and there is no harm in telling someone how you feel.
If this is a romantic love and your beloved does not give the reply you longed for, yes, it can be painful. I also think it is better to know than to carry an unrequited torch. There is always the chance that your announcement will be reciprocated.
The only thing holding us back is our pride. And maybe the three little words are too big. Perhaps you can try, “You are loved.”
We never know when the opportunity will be our last. And when we are at the memorial for our friend/spouse/parent/child/family member, we want them to know that they were loved. We also want to be at peace. Take it from five year old Jaden Young, when you love somebody, you’re supposed to tell them.
July 7th, 2009
As a registered dietitian, I encounter much confusion and misinformation about high fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners. The recent announcement from Starbucks (and other food manufacturers) that they’re switching to refined sugar is adding to the confusion. Reformulating products to remove high fructose corn syrup misleads consumers into thinking that products sweetened with other sweeteners, such as sugar, are healthier. Yet, there is no scientific basis to suggest that baked goods, soda, juice drinks, and other products made with sugar are ‘healthier.’ So why the switch? It’s about marketing, not metabolism. Perception has become reality in the minds of consumers, despite the following facts:
- High fructose corn syrup contains the same number of calories as sugar and honey (4 calories per gram) and provides the same level of sweetness.
- Research confirms that there is no difference in how the body metabolizes these sugars. In fact, in a recently published report, the American Medical Association and other scientists dispelled the myth that high fructose corn syrup causes obesity, stating that “high fructose corn syrup does not appear to contribute to obesity more than other caloric sweeteners.”
- Table sugar, or sucrose, is made up of glucose and fructose, same as in high fructose corn syrup. The difference is in whether it comes from sugar cane (or sugar beets) or corn. Both undergo processing to produce either table sugar or high fructose corn syrup.
- Table sugar offers no nutritional advantages. All sugars are “empty calories” and provide calories with no beneficial nutrients.
In my honest opinion, there are many other nutrition issues more worthy of concern, such as calories, which always count in the end. To keep calories low and nutrients high, your best bet is to watch your portions, enjoy whole foods, and go easy on all sugary foods.
July 6th, 2009
Summer, the season of eating “light”. Our bodies naturally crave lighter & healthier foods in the summer. Many of us find it easy to eat plenty of raw fresh fruits, vegetables & salads in the summer because they are cool, (not hot), and they do not weigh us down. More importantly, raw fresh fruits & vegetables are high in water to help keep us hydrated and are digested quickly which leaves you with more energy for mental & physical activities. One needs to be aware of those salads that contain heavy dressings are not necessarily “light” or healthy. Eating at least 50% raw foods can be easy in the summer and can improve your health & vitality, increase energy levels and often times is a means to feeling younger, reaching & maintaining an ideal weight as well as having the ability to prevent, stop or reverse degenerative diseases. A raw food lifestyle is for anyone. Consider, if it is easier to eat light & raw in the summer, why not make this the time to focus on your diet and incorporate more raw fruits & vegetables into your diet? By the end of the summer you may find you could easily be 70% raw or more and really experience some noticeable changes and improvements. This approach could lead you to sticking to a healthier, leaner diet and when you opt for a heavier or cooked meal you may find it drags you down and you do not feel at your optimal best. Seriously, when do you ever regret eating a healthy salad or piece of fruit? Calorie counting in raw foods isn’t the same as in a standard cooked diet. Raw foods contain enzymes and nutrition whereas many cooked foods, packaged foods and processed foods often times have empty, heavy calories that lack quantitative nutritional value. Good nutrition is the foundation to good health.
Before the temperatures cool, indulge in an all day RAW food class which incorporates all the foundations on preparing raw foods. More than 3 classes all in one day! Empower yourself and learn how to create standard foods & drinks without dairy, meat, pasta, flour, refined sugar, and wheat. RAWlicously sample your way through the day. Payment & registration required by August 1st. Cost. $146.00. FREE “WHY RAW” talk available Monday, July 13th at 6:30pm or for $28.00,
Rock
Valley
College on July 16th at 6:30pm, (call RVC 815-921-3900). Pre-registration required, contact Raw Energy at 815-543-1207 or email: myrawenergy@yahoo.com for more information.
