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| Foods | Synergy Kombucha Fruit Drink | Sep 30 2009 16:11 (UTC) |
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Grape is my favorite too when I'm in the mood for sweet (great with popcorn, yes, I've snuck it into a movie theatre!). Trinity is what I tend to get the most often, something about that ginger zing. And the new botanical flavors are really interesting. Has anyone else noticed that they tend to "explode" less often lately? New formula or new cap, or just coincidence perhaps! |
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| Foods | Synergy Kombucha Fruit Drink | Jun 17 2009 17:53 (UTC) |
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Hi char. I'm not a doctor, I just self-medicate a lot! |
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| Foods | Synergy Kombucha Fruit Drink | Jun 16 2009 17:25 (UTC) |
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you're on some serious meds, charcarlat, and it sounds like you're doing the right thing, taking it a little at a time to see how it reacts with your body and the medication you have to take. As for it going "bad" I wouldn't worry about that. If it was taking you 6 months to get through a bottle, maybe, but unless you notice the "mother" growing or a funky smell (funkier than usual, that is!) I wouldn't be concerned. But that's me. I drink the whole bottle at one time. I've had 2 or 3 in the same day. But I do think testing the water before jumping in the pool is smart for you. Drugs are nothing to mess with, and reactions to - and side effects of - medications are a very common cause of health problems, so tread lightly. That said, kombucha could be very healthy for you, only you can decide if it makes you feel better. I also don't feel the need to sweeten it, that's one of the things I like so much about it, I find it sweet on its own and I'm always trying to cut down on my sugar consumption. Honey is moderately alkaline forming so it shouldn't change the alkalizing nature of kombucha, (just one of the healthful reasons I drink it). You mentioned the acidity of kombucha, and that's true, but it doesn't make your body acidic (which is bad) it does the opposite (which is good). Lemon juice is very acidic itself, but it's alkaline forming in the body. Same with Kombucha. Many people also have low stomach acid (unfortunately many of those people are on otc things like prilosec for acid reflux, which is only making their underlying problem worse...but I digress), kombucha aids stomach digestion because of its acidity. And proper digestion of our food is the first step in gathering all the nutrients from our food. So again, the acidity is a good thing. Good luck with your kombucha experimentation! |
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| Fitness | Ideas to make the boring treadmill less boring? | May 28 2009 05:51 (UTC) |
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The cure to cardio boredom of any sort is Nia! Think gymboree for adults! Nia is basically a combination of simple dance moves and some basic martial arts blocks, but it's so much more than that. It's about asking your body how it wants to move. It's about letting go (of your inhibitions, of your self-consiousness, of your pre-conceived notions of yourself - like "I can't dance"). It's about moving freely, no impact, loose joints, expressive movement, heightened awareness. It's not tuning out (like most of us do when we watch tv as we walk on the treadmill or the elliptical) it's about tuning IN. There are some great videos at nianow.com, but to get the real Nia experience you've got to experience the energy of a group class (you can find classes on their website too). You'll notice a couple of things in a Nia class. Bodies of all shapes and sizes moving all sorts of different ways, and lots and lots of smiling! |
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| Fitness | Has Anyone Tried NIA? | May 28 2009 05:41 (UTC) |
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I've never done Jazzercise either, but would think the calories burned would be similar. It's all an estimating game anyway, really, so close enough is close enough. And isn't Nia a riot? I've only taken 4 classes now, but I'm HOOKED! Aerobics has always been a chore. I do it, but only because I feel like I have to. But Nia? Nia is truly joyful movement for an hour. Throw in some shouting (how cathartic!), some laughter and the inability to take yourself very seriously and you've got yourself the perfect cardio session if you ask me! I can't believe I've been working out all these years and just found out about it! Where has Nia been hiding??! |
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| Fitness | How often to do Pilates? | Apr 26 2009 20:03 (UTC) |
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You can do Pilates every day since you're not overloading your muscles as in traditional weight training. The basic mat repertoire especially can, and even dare I say should, be done every day (which should only take 15-20 minutes). For the basic mat work I love System 7, 17, and 27 videos by Rael Isacowitz (yes, I'm biased, I'm BASI certified). But as darky said, listen to your body - if it says you need a rest then rest! Pilates is not just ab work though, it's a whole body exercise regimen and the repertoire is huge, so look for some DVDs that offer you some variety and focus on different things. Stott has an extensive video collection for work you can do at home with different props like therabands, toning balls, and the magic circle. You can rent them on Netflix to see if you like them before buying them. If you can afford it, have a private session with a certified instructor (not someone who had a weekend course) every once in a while, it's almost impossible to "get" Pilates from a video since the smallest correction in your form can make a huge difference in how it feels and how effective it is. Basic rule of thumb: if it feels easy, you're not doing it right! If a private session is out of the question then pick up a copy of "Pilates" by Rael Isacowitz which does a great job, I think, of explaining proper form and has some great imagery for the exercises. |
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| Fitness | Goodbye flabby fat arms!! ... I wish.... | Apr 26 2009 19:25 (UTC) |
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While it's true that you can't send the old fat-burner to your triceps, you're on the right course. Eating right and Pilates will tone your arms. I've been doing Pilates almost exclusively for the past 3 years and my arms look better than they ever did (hello tricep definition!). I'm a certified Pilates instructor if you want some ideas on arm-specific stuff you can do. And don't forget about cardio. Pilates is great but unless you're using a jump board you're not getting any cardio. And keep the faith with the diet (although I hate that word!). Healthy eating is the key. It took a while to get those arms out of shape, it's going to take a while to get them back into shape. Hang in there!
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| Foods | Synergy Kombucha Fruit Drink | Nov 23 2008 17:04 (UTC) |
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mdsellers, that's AWESOME! My favorite physician, an osteopath (a DO as opposed to an MD), taught me that the body has the innate ability to heal itself, if you give it the chance. Congratulations! |
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| Foods | Stevia!! - all natural sugar replacement | Jul 10 2008 18:06 (UTC) |
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Meima, you'll find some flavored stevia-based mixes here: http://steviasmart.com/stevitastevia.html but I prefer to keep things as close to nature as possible, so I make my own stevia lemonade simply by combining stevia with fresh lemon juice and water (I use either liquid stevia or mix the powdered with some warm water firm to dissolve it since it doesn't dissolve easily in cold water). Stevia is also great in herbal and rooibos teas. My local Teavana has me hooked on several herbal concoctions, caribbean breeze combined with apple lemon pomegranate, wow that's good stuff! |
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| Fitness | Pilates question | Dec 15 2007 22:03 (UTC) |
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Hi. I'm a Pilates instructor so I know the answer to this one! Pilates will NOT bulk up your middle, it will do the opposite. It's big time core work, true, but in Pilates you learn how to engage your transversus abdominus muscle which is your deepest ab muscle and the muscle that 'sucks you in'. In a good Pilates mat class you should get the cue in almost every exercise to "sink the belly", or "pull your navel to your spine", or "scoop the low abs". That engages that TA muscle which prevents your rectus abdominus from pooching out when you go into flexion (bending forward like in a crunch position). The class at your gym may - or may not - be a "real" Pilates class. Ask about the qualifications of the person teaching the class at your gym. And not every certified Pilates instructor is the right one for you. If you don't like the class, or don't see results, look around for a Pilates studio that offers mat classes, they're usually very reasonably priced. Good luck! |
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| Fitness | Working out while sick? | Nov 11 2007 21:49 (UTC) |
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I stick to cardio. Low-moderate level cardio, this is not the time to kill yourself with intense cardio! Just get the old blood pumping. A good long walk stimulates your immune system. And I second the motion about taking it easy if you've got a fever, aches, chills. My general rule is symptoms above the neck (runny nose, sinus pain) I do a little cardio. symptoms below the neck (chest cough, body aches) then I take it easy. Another tip for staying on track...raw garlic. It'll help you kick whatever bug's got a hold of you. Chop it up in pretty small pieces (so you don't choke on it), pile it up on a spoon and chase it with a big drink of water. Two cloves a day, one with breakfast or lunch and one with dinner. Hope you feel better! |
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| Fitness | Can I replace strength training with yoga and pilates? | Nov 11 2007 21:41 (UTC) |
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So yes, you can absolutely replace traditional weight lifting with Pilates. While I was going through my Pilates certification course and for months afterwards all I did was Pilates, no lifting at all, and I didn't lose muscle tone. In fact, my butt got higher! Have you ever seen a picture of Joseph Pilates? Or Rael Isacowitz? Take a look and try to tell me Pilates isn't strength training! That said, I also enjoy traditional weight training, and try to fit in 2 sessions a week, one upper body and one lower (and thanks to Pilates my form is much, much, better). Most importantly wanna, do what you enjoy. And switch it up. I know I'm enjoying my weight training more now because I took a break from it for almost a year. Good luck! |
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| Fitness | How to get rid of sore muscles? | Nov 11 2007 21:27 (UTC) |
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How about simply resting?? If you're so sore that you can't workout, that's your body yelling at you to let it recover! If you really feel the need to work out make it an upper body day. If you push your legs before they're ready to be pushed you're asking for an injury. Trust me, it's not worth it! Hope you feel better. |
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| Foods | Almonds | Oct 08 2007 06:40 (UTC) |
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hscher is right, raw is better. But the California Almond Board - who supplies 80% of the world's almonds - has decided that to address the fears of salmonella (there have been two outbreaks in the last 5 years, neither with organic almonds) they will now pasteurize ALL the almonds. Most processors will be using PROPYLENE OXIDE (nasty toxic stuff, once used to make racing fuel!). Whole Foods will only sell almonds pasteurized by steam. Not raw, true, but steam is a better alternative than a petroleum product used to make bowling balls and foam car seats! I've never bought from these guys, but they claim their almonds are not pasteurized. |
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| Foods | Soy milk | Oct 08 2007 06:26 (UTC) |
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soy is not necessarily a healthy food. It's quite the marketing strategy on the part of the soy industry that it is now considered the wonder food. Some 'soy is bad' links for you to consider:
The most balanced article I've read on the subject is from Patrick Holford, a well respected British nutritionist. He points out that not all soy is created equal. Fermented products like tofu, tempeh and soymilk made from organic, non-genetically-modified whole soybeans (not from soybean isolates, read your labels) are a far cry from the highly processed soy products like textured vegetable protein used to make soy burgers. Personally I've taken the moderation route. I've reduced my milk intake - of all sorts - considerably and switch off between soy milk and skim cow juice. If nothing else, soy is a very common food allergen and you should give your body a break from it now and then. |
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| Foods | The no hydrogenated oils/high fructose corn syrup/refined sugar experiment | Oct 08 2007 05:51 (UTC) |
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without a doubt. worked wonders for me (no more colds, no more painful periods). read the research of Weston Price, he was a dentist who did nutritional research in the 1920's, looking at native peoples who hadn't yet had their diets "westernized" (read: fake, processed, nutrionally empty food). The common thread in all the healthy peoples he studied? whole, natural foods. The Price-Pottenger foundation also has info on the nutritional research of Dr. Francis Pottenger. He studied several generations of cats and raw food diets. Really interesting stuff. |
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| Foods | Any quick lunch ideas? | Oct 08 2007 05:32 (UTC) |
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don't go too low cal, your brain needs fuel! Save your calories elsewhere. one idea - fruit and nuts. whatever fruit is in season (apples and pears now) with some nuts and/or seeds...walnuts (6 halves is a serving), almonds, pepitas, sunflower seeds, all very healthful. just watch the portion sizes, nuts are calorie dense but they're great brain food! |
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| Recipes | what is my chili missing? | Oct 08 2007 05:20 (UTC) |
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was, you're right. fat is necessary. even when you're counting calories YOU NEED FAT!! Fat is NOT the enemy, in fact it's necessary to get at the good stuff in many vegetables. I use olive oil and chili-infused avocado oil in my chili. Both very healthy fats. |
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| Recipes | 1st time making soup... help? | Sep 22 2007 23:22 (UTC) |
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Chicken Stock is a must in my experience. And not just any chicken stock. Pacific brand organic free range chicken broth. It's the key. Check out the recipe I posted last year. It's very simple, but you can freeze the basic version and modify each portion as you like when reheating (modifications are posted too...my favorite is to add cumin powder, a chopped chipotle with adobo, squeeze of fresh lime, yum). And no, you don't need to cook the chicken before hand. If you have some leftover chicken handy, sure, toss it in at the end, but it's easy to simply submerge a boneless skinless breast in the broth and let it cook as the soup simmers. When the breast is done, take it out and shred it with two forks (put the shredded chicken back in obviously!) then you get chicken-y goodness in every bite, instead of chunks of chicken only now and then. Enjoy the process. Learning to cook is about the healthiest thing you can do for yourself (and it's fun to boot!). |
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| Recipes | Honey or Sugar? | Sep 22 2007 23:12 (UTC) |
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I really like stevia in my oatmeal. I buy mine online. 1 packet in the water before adding the oatmeal is perfect for me (I also add some vanilla extract and some cinnamon to the water). With the Stevita brand I never have that stevia bitterness people complain about. But to answer your question..no doubt that honey is nutritionally superior to sugar. Honey is real food - if you can find local honey even better for you. Sugar is refined and has no nutritional value. Other good things to add to oatmeal: walnuts, fresh fruit - berries, peaches, apples |
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| Recipes | what is my chili missing? | Sep 22 2007 23:05 (UTC) |
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Hi Sarah, sfumato is on the right track. The beer is a great idea that I forgot to put in the recipe I posted here long ago. As sfumato said, you don't need garlic powder or onion powder, just use more of the real thing. Real garlic and onions have TONS of good stuff for you that the powered version just doesn't have. Always choose real food when you can! ingredients my recipe has that you're doesn't (maybe one of these is what the bf says is missing?):
Please don't add sugar to your chili. It doesn't need it and there's no nutritional value to it, just added calories. btw, chili freezes and reheats great. I always, always have some in my freezer! good luck tweaking your recipe! |
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| Recipes | homemade granola, it's easy! | Aug 23 2007 02:25 (UTC) |
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By the way, I just bought organic sprouted flax at Whole Foods - you don't need to grind it! Very convenient. |
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| Foods | No more raw almonds | Aug 03 2007 21:46 (UTC) |
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| oh, and those of you who're stocking up, Sept. 1st is the deadline. The almond handlers have had since March to get these processes in place and their continued business is based on these processes being up and working by Sept. 1, so don't assume that the producers aren't already doing this! I'm not saying they ARE doing it, I'm saying don't assume! | |||
| Foods | No more raw almonds | Aug 03 2007 21:44 (UTC) |
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| good point tinamkz, not a stupid question. This is North America only (US, Canada, Mexico). California is the world's largest supplier of almonds, but those exported elsewhere don't have to be pasteurized, but do need to be labeled as unpasteurized (the rest of the world gets choices, we don't!). Looks like growin' your own will be the only option. Hmmm, black market organic raw almonds, I think the government may have just created a new business! |
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| Foods | What is your favorite peanut butter | Aug 03 2007 16:14 (UTC) |
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| a second to the almond butter (although I don't pour the oil off, it's GOOD fat). I always get organic with nothing added (maranatha usually). It did take me a while to adjust to the different taste, but now I love it! btw, they're changing the laws soon on pasteurizing almonds effective Sept. 1. yes, they're going to pasteurize our almonds now...in the past 5 years there have been 2, count them 2, instances of salmonella in almonds (although never organic almonds!) and now they're going to pasteurize everything, even organic ones. There will no longer be truly raw almonds people! They will be allowed to label them as raw, but they will be pasteurized - all of them. Most almonds will be pasteurized by fumigating them with propylene oxide (you guessed it, it's a toxic chemical). Whole Foods has decided to carry only raw almonds pasteurized through steam (thank you Whole Foods, it kills the almonds but at least it's not a carcinogen). But when buying almond butters and packaged raw almonds, it will soon be important (at least to me!) to know how the almonds were pasteurized. Hopefully they'll decide they've gone completely overboard and will give consumers the choice to purchase truly raw almonds. |
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| Weight Loss | Stacker 2 | Aug 02 2007 05:37 (UTC) |
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| {as I get on my soap box} to anyone who wants to take valkor's advice, this is NOT NOT NOT, absolutely NOT a healthy way to lose weight. Did I say this is NOT a healthy way to lose weight? 500 calories a day? No food after noon? taking drugs to suppress your appetite? NOT a healthy way to lose weight. Forget not healthy that's no way to live!!! And you can't keep it up people. Once you've lost the x number of pounds you're looking to lose you haven't learned how to eat healthfully. You haven't retrained your taste buds to appreciate "real" (not out of a box) healthy food that will treat our body well and tickle your taste buds too. Your body hasn't reaped the benefits of regular exercise (it's not just about burning calories you know, your body is designed to move). The right way, the healthy way, takes longer than losing 1 pound a day (makes me shudder to even type that, geez louise, that's SO not good for your body, just creeps me out...), anyway the healthy way takes longer but it's infinitely kinder on your body (you only get one of those you know) and allows you to unlearn bad habits and learn good ones in the process. I beg of you, please don't do this to yourself people. Life can be enjoyed. You can eat good tasting healthy food throughout the day and be the weight you want to be. You can learn to enjoy exercise. You can change the way you live and your body will thank you. You WILL feel good. You WILL lose weight. If you have control issues get counseling, you don't need drugs or deprivation. |
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| Fitness | Screen name says it all...where do I start? | Jul 30 2007 17:27 (UTC) |
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| Hey Wreck, I assume your doc gave you the go ahead to start exercising. If walking is painful, then start out with some weight training. It's not aerobic but by increasing your muscle mass it'll boost your metabolism so you'll burn more calories all day every day (yay!). If it's in your budget join a gym with a personal trainer on staff. Even just a couple of sessions can start you on the right track with a good safe weight training routine. If that's not in the budget then start with doing some basics at home. Push ups and squats are the best all around exercises (they work lots of muscles). Push ups - start with knee push ups. Squats - sit back like you're sitting into a chair - keep your knees in line with your toes, move your thighs not your lower leg (in fact, have a chair behind you just in case you lose it!) and stand back up. Start out only going down as far as you can and be able to stand back up. This is important - make sure you're holding your abs in when you do squats to protect your back. Think of pulling everything into the middle of your body, like you're wearing one of those weight lifting belts, but your "belt" is made of your transverse abdominus muscles. So suck it in, hold it tight, and then go into your squat. Rows for your lats are great too. At home you can do them with an exercise band wrapped around something sturdy. Bicep curls, etc. are great, and should be part of your routine, but concentrate first on your biggest muscles...legs, glutes, lats, chest. Get a good book on weight training and very soon you'll be strong enough (and your joints and ligaments will also be strong enough) to get you out there doing some cardio. And congratulations on deciding to get healthy. I applaud you! |
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| Weight Loss | I must be doing somethng WRONG... | Jul 30 2007 17:12 (UTC) |
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| when you calculate your daily calories, remember you need to ADD the calories you're burning through exercise. Your target calorie intake to have a 500 calorie deficit each day is about 1300, but that's with no exercise. If you burn 300 calories working out that day you need to ADD those 300 calories into your intake, or you're depriving your body of the fuel it needs and you'll go into dreaded starvation mode and you'll stop losing. So make sure you're giving your body the fuel it needs, it needs to know you're taking care of it or it won't be good to you! Don't increase your protein though, you're already at the top end. Assuming 1600 calories/day and 25-30% from protein that's 100-120 grams of protein. You say you're not having carbs after 5pm, but carbs are not the enemy. Fruits (esp. low GL fruits), vegetables and whole grains like brown rice and quinoa are very healthful carbs you don't need to stay away from. Make sure you're getting enough fat in your diet too (fat isn't the enemy either). You need some fat to free up some of the god stuff in those veggies, and your body needs them to function properly (that's why they're called *essential* fatty acids!). Pick up Patrick Holford's Low GL Diet book or better yet his New Optimum Nutrition Bible - everything you need to know about healthy eating is in there. I got myself into trouble by overtraining - your adrenal glands need a rest now and then! I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but seriously think about taking down the intensity. You do NOT need to kill yourself 6-7 days a week to get in shape. You just don't. Sensible diet and reasonable exercise 5 days a week will firm you up (and keep you healthy!). Consistency is the key. Good luck! |
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| Fitness | How to relax after workout? | Jul 11 2007 22:09 (UTC) |
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| try this qigong routine: stand with your feet a little wider than shoulder width, feet and knees turned out just a bit, knees soft, and your tailbone tucked under a bit (don't stick your butt out when you soften your knees, let your hips come forward, this will take the curve out of your lower spine). arms relaxed at your sides, bent at the elbows, palms facing each other, like your holding a 8-10" ball in front of you. round your hands over the imaginary ball. now then, turning from the waist (try not to let your hips move), exhale and twist to the right. As you twist, rotate that imaginary ball so that your hands go from the sides of the ball to the top and bottom of the ball. As you reach your maximum twist to the side is just when your palms hit their top & bottom position. Don't push the twist, just go as far as you comfortably can. Your range of motion will slowly increase as you practice this exercise, no need to push it, it'll take care of itself. Inhale and untwist back to the center, as you untwist the ball so your hands return to their side position just as you return to facing directly forward. Don't stop, keep turning, now twisting to the left, again exhaling as you twist from the waist, keeping the hips stable, and rotating the ball so your hands hit top and bottom just as you hit your maximum twist. Inhale and return to center, unrotating that ball again. Rinse and Repeat. Start with 5 minutes of this slow twisting back and forth, working your way up to 10, even 15 minutes (personally I have to hit the sack before 15 minutes goes by, this absolutely knocks me out). Try to breathe and turn as slowly as you can. If you can't control your breath very well, take one inhale and one exhale to get to your maximum twist and another inhale/exhale to return to center. And try not to let the size of your imaginary ball change (in other words, keep those hands the same distance apart the whole time). This sounds really simple, but concentrating on "feeling" your imaginary ball, not moving your hips as you twist, and getting the timing of your hands and your torso twisting at the same time will quiet your brain of all other distraction! |
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| Fitness | Ab exercises? | Jul 11 2007 21:45 (UTC) |
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| Running won't help with your ab definition, but losing surface fat always makes your abs look better. As for lower tummy exercises, Pilates is the way to go, it teaches you to engage your transverse abdominus (TA - your deepest ab muscle that runs around you like a girdle...very important for protecting your lower back, and helps pull in that lower tummy). You can stregthen your TA doing 'regular' crunches and other non-Pilates ab exercises by always pulling your navel IN towards your spine, don't let your abs pooch out. But real Pilates work is the best. Mat classes are usually reasonable (at my studio they're only $12) and don't require any private-session-prerequisites. Or some community centers offer mat classes. Personal instruction is always better so you can know if you're doing it right (it's not as simple as it looks!) but videos can be helpful if you don't have local resources. I highly recommend Rael Isacowitz' system 7/17 and 27 videos, which you can get on Amazon for $10 a piece, or all 3 for $23. |
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No need to disclose your email, I'll send you a message to your account here.
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lulitw added lepetitelee as a friend |
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New journal post Thanksgiving day Half - up early by bobev 10:03 |