Whether you exercise or not, (but I hope you do). It's important to hydrate yourself. During the winter months, most people tend not to drink as much. You still need to keep your water levels up. Many experience dry skin, dry throats, dry hair, these are all signs of dehydration. Once the furnace goes on, it pulls moisture out of the air and dehydrates you. All the more reason to be drinking water.
When you have thoughs hunger pangs, drink some water. Often times its a sign of thirst, not hunger. Your body is made up of 70% water, so keep the levels up.
Drinking water everyday improves your bodies circulation, helps with constipation, helps with skin, gives you energy. If you have a bit of a lull in the afternoon, drink water not sugary stimulating other stuff. (I won't mention any names)
As I am increasing my distance for the Around The Bay Road Race, I realize how important it is to get my water levels up. Drinking water even when I don't feel like it. The extra water helps with endurance and stamina to go the distance. I find myself out 15 Km from my starting point wondering if I can make it back. I drink some water and it gives me the stamina to make it back.
Depending where I am going and for how long, I like to bring my Australian shepherd/Lab for the run.
I respect this statement from C.S. Lewis, "We are at the mercy of the telephone" that was so true for me this week. You never know who's calling with what news. Answering the phone this week was proof of that statement for me.
Sunday is usually my time to prepare for the week ahead, I received a voice mail message from Sean Cowan of CHCH wanting me to give a statement on "How many calories will be consumed during the Super Bowl?" What! Wow! Really! Calories, Yikes, I don't count calories. I just Eat Real Food. I never seen an avocado or a cucumber with a Nutritional Fact label on them. I had to think fast. So with a little digging and researching to find out how many calories are in those high fat - sugary - salty foods that are typically consumed during a game, I was ready to shoot the clip within the hour. I only had the hour to meet him and get ready, so he could edited the clip for the evening news. Well, it all worked out and it went to air. Real cool. Thanks Sean. Good job. Super Bowl Munchies
Sean Cowan from CHCH and me.
Later in the week, well actually Tuesday, some Mohawk College students called. Taylor and Alicia wanted to interview a nutritionist for a segment they were doing on loosing weight as a lifestyle and not just dieting. (Ya, I agree. Changing to a real-food lifestyle can aid in weightloss, better health, energy, beautiful skin, hair and nails.) I was doing a lecture Tuesday night, so the girls tagged along. What fun! The girls were great!
Taylor getting set up to record the interview Taylor, Alicia and me.
When we set goals for ourselves, it's important not to stress out about it. When we are stressed the adrenal glands secrete cortisol. Some cortisol is okay, fight or flight. The challenge is when it is elevated too high for too long. High levels of elevated cortisol is linked to inflammation, can lower the immune system, reduces quality of sleep, and can add to the accumulation of body fat, yes, weight gain. Even exercising too much can cause the adrenal glands to produce too much cortisol. Do you ever wonder why when you are working so hard at exercising and eating a healthy diet, yet still not loosing weight. Perhaps you are working too hard and stress is the culprit.
The general signs of elevated cortisol can be difficulty sleeping, irritablity, mental fog, and craving sugary or salty foods.
As I am preparing for the Around the Bay Road Race, I am being very mindful of the stress level these long distance runs can have on my body. It's important to support your body system and that is exactly what I am doing.
Some of my favorite products that I am using to support my system are the Vega Sports line - Pre-workout Energizer and Recovery.
I am not one to count calories, but when asked my opinion from a certain local news station, "How many calories can be consumed during a Super Bowl game?", I can't refuse. Oh and BTW A LOT!!!
We discovered one beer can be anywhere from 50 to 200 calories, one chicken wing can be 50 calories, a handful of chips can be 200 - 250 calories. So if you are a calorie counter and only had one of each that's 500 calories, but who am I kidding. You can have anywhere from 2000 to 3000 calories in one sitting. YIKES!!
As a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, I'm concerned about the fat content. clogging your arteries; the sodium, raising blood pressure, the damage is done. For the most part, it's empty calories and the harm to your long term health goals. You may burn the calories off, but the damage to your arteries is done. Think about it this way. "What I consume today is my skin, hair, nails, muscle tissue, and energy tomorrow".
Hey! enjoy the Super Bowl, but make sure you have healthy snacks and nutrient dense foods available for your guests. If the healthy snacks are not available, how can they indulge. It can be as simple as having a plate of fresh cut up veggies. Excellent choice!
Enjoy the game, "Go Giants Go"!
http://www.chch.com/index.php/home/item/6995-burning-off-all-that-super-bowl-food
Wow, I feel like a letter carrier. Neither hail, wind, rain, sleet, cold will stop us runners from going the distance. Yesterday, I went the distance with the Runner's Den running club. I ran through all those different elements in the weather and I still managed to get 18 kilometers in and not bonk out at the end. Even the next day, I wasn't sore or cramping. One of the drinks I am really liking is Vega Recovery after a run. It is formulated to help with inflammation and get rid of the lactic acid build up, so no cramping the next day.
I love running. When you join a runner's club, you always meet new and interesting people. Yesterday was no different, I had the chance to run with a young lady who works as a nurse and is training for the iron man this summer. It's always cool to hear their experiences. You may wonder why, we get up at the crack of dawn on our days off to run in the blustering weather when we could be sleeping in. I really don't know. There's something about listening to nature (or for some their ipods) first thing in the morning. There's something to be said about having that cool breeze hit your face and being able to clear your head and get the blood flow going on a run. Some experience an adrenaline high, others just enjoy it for the pure exercise. When I register for a race, that motivates me to get out and train.
I am very happy to have gone the distance this weekend. As the race is getting closer, I need to keep the distance.
Around the Bay Journey Around the Bay Journey - 2 Around the Bay Journey - 3
The Aztecs used the cocoa bean to produce a beverage called xocoatl. It was always made in to a drink. The cocoa bean was introduced to Spain in the 16th century when Cortez visited the emperor Montezuma and brought these pods back to Spain. It was the Spanish monks job to keep the secrecy about this antioxidant rich beverage. Some how the secret got out, so glad it did. From there the delicious cacao bean traveled to Switzerland and the first chocolate bar was made by adding milk to the bean.
All chocolate comes from a cacao pod. From these pods, cocoa butter, cocoa powder and cocoa nibs are extracted. The butter is used for chocolate making, baking, skin care products and ointments. The powder is used for hot drinks, more baking, and the nibs for eating. These beautiful chocolate dainties that are enjoyed on special occasions have one or all of these components in them, but in very small amounts. Sugar is really the key player in these celebrated treats.
True cacao nibs or powder is rich in antioxidants.
So exciting to watch the sprouts shoot up. I just used the bottom container from the organic salad mix put a bit of soil and sprouting sunflower seeds to make my own sprouts. It is so great to eat sprouts during the winter months. A lot of vegetables are not accessible through the winter and sprouts are full of enzymes, chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals. Use them on your homemade soups, mix them into your leafy green salads or just eat them as a snack.
If you don't have time look for sprouts in your local health food store and enjoy them all year round.
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