everywomanover29

Food, Mood and Women's Health – Be your healthiest, look and feel great!

General Health

Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy by JJ Virgin

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I’m so excited to be featuring my colleague and friend JJ Virgin in this blog posting. JJ is a celebrity nutritionist and we serve together on the board of the NANP (National Association of Nutrition Professionals www.nanp.org). JJ has a great new book coming out – Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy – and who doesn’t want that!  And you get to be healthy too! I just love the title, and JJ too of course. And have you seen her great sexy arms?  

Here is some great insight into what you’ll read in the book. I’ve pre-ordered mine – you can too (see below for the link and get a free audio)

Want Hot Arms? Then Head to the Kitchen!  By JJ Virgin

Of course, the right exercise is crucial for shaping slim & sexy arms but it is only one part of my integrated program for creating the arms and body of your dreams. You must also feed your arms so that you are building muscle while burning off the fat. I am sharing three of my top tips from Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy that you can put into action right away.

How to “Feed Your Arms”:

1. Drink up. Be sure to drink eight or more glasses of pure spring water in-between meals to keep your appetite at bay, support metabolism and burn fat. Don’t drink more than a few ounces with your meals because too much water during meals can dilute stomach acid and impair digestion. Drinking pure spring water throughout the rest of your day will also help your stress hormones stay balanced as even mild dehydration can raise stress hormones. And remember sodas, coffee and sugary sports drinks pretending to be water do not count as your daily water intake.

2. Eat a substantial breakfast. Research shows that people who eat a
substantial balanced breakfast of clean lean protein, high fiber carbs and healthy fat lose more weight AND keep it off. Make a little time in the morning and indulge in a satisfying meal that will keep you going for hours. By the way, you don’t need to eat “breakfast” for breakfast. If you want a turkey wrap for breakfast, then enjoy!

3. Follow your workout with clean lean protein and a high fiber carb. The amino acids from protein support muscle growth and recovery, plus your body uses carbs to refuel your muscle stores of energy (glycogen) to set you up for success during your next workout. Please skip the sports nutrition bars, which I always dub “adult candy bars.” And remember: Just because you worked out doesn’t mean it’s okay to saddle up to Ben or Jerry.

Celebrity nutrition & wellness expert JJ Virgin is a public speaker, co-star of TLC’s Freaky Eaters and author of “Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy, The 5-Step Plan to Sleek, Strong, and Sculpted Arms ” available Spring 2010.
Preorder your copy now(it’s less than $10!) and receive her 10 Hottest Tips to Get Slim and Sexy Fast Audio(a $14.95 value) FREE at
www.sixweekstosleevelessandsexy.com

Join the Food Revolution with Jamie Oliver and say no to luminous pink milk

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I love the “Food Revolution” being led in by well-known Jamie Oliver. His show is based in Huntington, W Virginia, slated as the most unhealthy city in the US.  His first task is making school lunches healthier but ultimately he is teaching families and kids about eating real food instead of processed food (he had a huge impact in the schools in the UK!)

 “I believe that every child in America has the right to fresh, nutritious school meals, and that every family deserves real, honest, wholesome food. Too many people are being affected by what they eat. It’s time for a national revolution. America needs to stand up for better food!” ~ Jamie Oliver

I love the show! He is fabulous and has a great sense of humor too (and great accent!).  Just watch the shows to see his shock when:

 □       he saw the kids eating pizza for breakfast

 □       he saw them drinking “luminous pink milk”

 □       he heard the kids don’t use cutlery at the school cafeteria

 □       when the 6 year olds could not identify a potato or tomato and basically any fruit or vegetable

 □       he got slammed for serving an Asian stir-fry with 5 or 6 veggies and yet the burger with chips (and a salad on the side that no-one ate) was ok! 

 □       the kids were happy to eat chicken nuggets even after he showed them the gross ingredients that went into them

He admits he “wants to cause a big fuss and change things”. Go Jamie!

Be prepared to shed a tear or two – is sad to see how so many folks know so little about real food but also very inspiring to see them making changes and taking control of their health.

luminous pink milk
luminous pink milk

See the shows online, tell everyone you care about and everyone who eats especially if they eat fast food and drink luminous pink milk!  http://abc.go.com/watch/jamie-olivers-food-revolution/250784/254757/episode-101

And watch them live Fridays 9/8 central on ABC

And you can also learn more and join his “Food Revolution” here http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution

Have fun exercising and prevent cancer

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It’s all over the news today – up to a third of breast cancer cases in Western countries could be avoided with a nutritious diet and exercise.  (This was announced at a conference in Spain this week – http://tinyurl.com/yalf9s7 for the full story.)

Wow that is so powerful!  We do have control over our own health.

How much time do you make for exercise?

Do you get too busy to go to the gym?

Do you find that you force yourself to go because you know you should?

Do you watch the clock and wish away the time when you’re at the gym?

If exercise is a chore, find something fun to do and it will be a totally different experience I promise. You’ll get so much more out of it and will want to keep going back for more.  Take up ballroom dancing, do belly-dancing lessons (maybe not if you’re a guy!), start playing tennis again or try something fun and new. This last summer we took windsurfing lessons and it was a total blast.

The windy season is just starting again and we were out on the local lake on Saturday and I could have stayed out all day. Exercise, healthy, laughter, fresh air, sunshine, companionship and most of all – pure fun! Now that is what exercise should be!  Get out here and have fun ok?

have fun and exercise

Fly healthy and be happy, part 2

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We want to be in fly-healthy mode before we leave and while we are away. Part 2 covers what to pack and take with you to stay healthy while you’re away and how best to eat while you’re there. 

What to pack and take with you –

  • First aid for a cold – extra vitamin C, garlic tablets, oil of oregano tablets and tea tree oil (a great throat gargle).
  • Cans of sardines and oysters, grass-fed beef jerky and fruit for emergency rations
  • Portable blender and smoothie ingredients like whey protein powder and coconut milk
  • A good supply of delicious herbal tea bags, like licorice, rooibos, lemon-ginger

When you are there –

  • Veggie omelets are great for breakfast or whip up a smoothie
  • Ask for olive oil and vinegar for a healthful salad dressing      
  • Drink plenty of water and herbal tea
  • Make good meal choices for lunch and dinner – order meat or fish or chicken with a serving of veggies and/or salad (use your sardines as a backup if needed)
  • If you’re in a place like Vegas and are exposed to 2nd-hand smoke, take extra vitamin C
  • Have fun and enjoy!

Fly healthy and be happy, part 1

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Get into fly-healthy mode before you leave on a trip and be prepared so you can stay healthy while you’re actually flying – and have a fun and happy trip.  Part 2 will cover what to pack and take with you to stay healthy while you’re away and how best to eat while you’re there. 

What to do before you leave –

  • Don’t leave things to the last minute – famous last words I know! – but it’s  important to be well-rested and not all stressed out
  • Eat plenty of immune boosting foods like onions and garlic
  • Include a few servings of miso, a fermented soy paste that is very protective against radiation (flying exposes us to a fair amount of radiation).  You don’t want to boil miso, so add a tablespoon to a cooked stew or soup, or home-made salad dressing

What to do on the trip –

  • Keep hydrated by drinking plenty of water – skip the coffee as it’s dehydrating
  • Take “padkos” (South African slang for “food for the road”) – some fruit, nuts and seeds, a boiled egg, grass-fed beef jerky and even a packed lunch
  • For mild motion-sickness ginger tea or crystallized ginger works
  • For bad motion-sickness acupressure wrist bands will do the trick (they’re great for the car and boat trips too)
  • Nasal spay with xylitol will keep those recirculating airborne germs at bay 
  • Wash your hands  

Have a safe trip!