Reflection day

It's raining cats and dogs here in NYC, but today reminds me that  I feel I don't appreciate the rain enough.  Yes it's annoying to be soaking wet, but the earth needs the rain, as do people.  We can't only have sunshine and warmth in our lives, or we won't be able to fully appreciate it.  Sometimes if you close your eyes and listen to the sounds of the rain hitting the windows, or feel the weight of the clouds rest on you, it can be comforting.

So today, I'm taking comfort in the rain.  I danced with my kindergarten students this morning as we made dances about flowers.  And every student said the flowers need the rain in order to grow... so do we.






Happy rainy Friday from NYC.
Enjoy the weekend.

Good vs. bad energy

Energy keeps us going throughout the day and we are always looking for more.  Great ways to feel more energetic include:

• at least 8 hours of sleep 
• exercise! 
• a healthy diet 

Not all of us can keep up with our hectic lives and these three at the same time.  

So, what are other routes to achieve energy with a healthy pick-me-up? 

Better Nutrition magazine recommends staying away from conventional energy shots which amp you up with high doses of caffeine and taurine -- lots of sugar and artificial sweeteners while masking your fatigue. Instead, try:  

• ADAPTOGENS -- herbs like ashwagandha, rhodiola, ginseng, and schizandra which help the body adapt to stress. They increase mental and physical efficiency with stimulation like caffeine, and are also shown to improve athletic performance. 
• B VITAMINS -- helps the body turn carbohydrates into energy. Stay hydrated to aid in efficiency of these water-soluble wonders. 
• GREEN TEA -- contains a low dose of caffeine with other healthy compounds. Contains flavonoids which are cancer preventative, antiviral, and immune boosting antioxidants. 
• GUARANA -- a rain forest plant with seeds that contain more caffeine than coffee. If you're new to guarana, stick with a low dose as it affects people differently. 
• HONEY -- the fructose is time released so it doesn't create as strong of a blood sugar spike when getting energy from charbohydrates.
• SUPERFRUITS -- energy providing fruits like noni, acai, blueberry and pomegranate.  They also support cellular health.    

NONI 

POMEGRANATE 

  

ACAI 

Here's to an energizing Thursday! 

A breakfast of champions

Most people don't have time to "cook" in the morning, so using items like a microwave are top choice.  Cold breakfasts like cereal seem to be common or grabbing something on the go can be most convenient.... until I saw these yummy sounding options from Fitness Magazine.

Check it out!

    
Love the brown sugar/greek yogurt mixture to top pancakes! 


  
Haven't microwaved an egg since I was a kid... but with oregano.... sounds delish! 


  
Cooking your oatmeal with chai tea instead of plain water??? Awesome!!! 


HERE'S TO THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY! 

Snacks!

Who doesn't love to snack?! 

Just now the colleague to my left took out a baggy filled with dried cranberries, almonds and some trail mix goodies.  It made my stomach grumble!  And she was also drinking an afternoon cup of coffee.... I could barely focus on my own work while watching her snack because I was so hungry.  

This happens in the work place, but I remember VIVIDLY that this happened while I was in college -- particularly during my first semester of freshman year while living in the dorms.  One of my students, Baylee, commented last week asking for some helpful tips on yummy, healthy and sustainable snacks for the dorms.  This is for you, Baylee!

I love the advice given by Diet and Fitness Expert, Dr. Melina Jampolis, also a Physician Nutrition Specialist... 

Most college students are not eating enough fruits, veggies, or whole grains and their overall diet is suffering while out of balance.  You may not be eating enough of what your body needs during meal time, so you'll feel hungry a lot more quickly than you're used to.  I mean... it's hard to say no when everyone around you is constantly ordering pizza! She recommends following the 35/10/35 guidelines per 100 calorie snack: 

• less than 35 percent fat 
• less than 10 percent saturated fat 
• less than 35 percent sugar 

Here are her snack suggestions: 

1. Baby carrots or snap peas + hummus or low-fat ranch dressing

2. Non-fat yogurt (plain or low sugar) + two tablespoons chopped nuts or ¼ to ½ cup high-fiber cereal (aim for at least 5 grams per serving)

3. Half or whole peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole-grain bread

4. String cheese + apple

5. Cereal bar (should contain 3 grams of fiber if possible) + ½ cup fat-free cottage cheese

6. 94 percent fat-free microwave popcorn (many people forget or don't know that popcorn is actually a whole grain!)

7. Mini tuna can (packed in water) + ½ whole-wheat pita bread + Dijon mustard

8. 1 serving whole-grain cereal + ½ cup of fat-free milk (cereal doesn't just have to be for breakfast; it can be a healthy whole grain snack, too)

9. Cup of minestrone soup; garbanzo beans provide fiber and protein

10. Protein bar; aim for a bar that contains at least 10 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber per serving and no more than 15 grams of sugar or 5 grams of fat.

Try some of these and let me know what you think -- they are easy to store in your dorm fridge and can keep you going for a long afternoon of studying or a late night snack!   

It's Friday!

I set my alarm for 6am this morning (!) to get to the gym by 6:15am before work.... and to my surprise when walking in, I saw a huge crowd of energetic people in the spinning room FINISHING up their class.  I dragged myself out of bed to get there and people were already competing their workouts by the time I had walked in the door.  Everything is realized in perspective..... because as I walked out the door my sister (who has been under the weather) was still sound asleep in her bed.  Three varying perspectives for this early Friday morning.  The world is always how you look at it and how you approach it.

Let that guide you for the weekend: when you hear bad news, think about what news could be worse.  When you are tired, think about someone who might REALLY be tired.... a new mom, an ER nurse working a 14 hour shift during the night.... when you are lonely, think about what really being lonely might feel like.  Put your life into perspective and maybe we can begin to appreciate the lives that we DO have, and not think of the ones we wished we had.

Enjoy your weekend -- get out and enjoy the beautiful sunshine today and the 80 degrees planned for NYC tomorrow!!!!

GO BILLS on football Sunday!!!!

Have fun with your food

Even as grown-ups, it's often challenging to be interested in eating healthy food all the time.... boring veggies, whole grains -- the good for us stuff.  Why not change the name, and spice up your interest level.

Check out this article and see how kids changed their minds and their food choices by merely having changed the name of a food.  Kids who passed right by unnamed carrots and green beans were interested in eating "X-ray vision carrots" and "Silly dilly green beans"  -- I'd think twice too!

Think about your approach and see what changes......

Plantar Fasciitis

For my dancers..... a little more information about Plantar Fasciitis and how to stretch/strength with corrective exercises (NYSSSA students: these look VERY similar to the ones we explored this summer!)  The National Academy of Sports medicine highlights the who, what, when, and why of this dysfunction and my blog post in August shares more information as well.

If you're someone who wears high heels on a daily basis, I might recommend doing these as preventative care exercises.  Invest in a good pair of supportive shoes for walking those long commutes in NYC and keep your feet healthy for overall kinetic chain health.  A foot injury will impact the entire body... from the bottom up!

French kids and their health!

Thanks to fellow fitness enthusiast, Will, for posting this article this morning....

French Kids Don't Get Fat: Why? 

Important things to note: 

• France has one of the lowest rates of child obesity in the world 
• Rates have remained stable during the last decade 
• US kids are three times more likely to be overweight than French kids 
• Associations with food 
• US -- with "guilt" and "calories" 
• France -- with "pleasure" and "celebration" 
• In French households, children are usually expected to eat the range of foods that adults do without complaining 
• School lunches -- 
• Water only 
• Healthy grown-up foods like radishes, endive, fish 
• Sweet treats only once per week 
• Fried foods usually once per month 
• Moderation is stressed! 

French parents spend time teaching their kids to eat, just like they teach their kids to read!  Can you imagine..... I think that most parents I know spend time eating while on the go or in transition from one thing to the next.  If we made meal time a learning time, and active time with discussion and teachable moments -- how much more could we benefit from that time spent with one another?  

Things I read that I like: 

• Saying "are you still hungry?" instead of "are you full yet?" 
• Saying "you don't have to eat it, but you do have to taste it" 
• Why isn't food education part of a school's curriculum?  I think this would make a drastic change to the way our kids eat! 

Perhaps we can't control what adults eat, drink or purchase as their consuming habits are already set after decades of decision making throughout adulthood.... so maybe Mayor Bloomberg should not look to controlling soda consumption as a method to improve the health of our City, but to the lack of food education inside of our NYC public schools.  Sounds like a great place to start! 

Drink up!

Big news for the City of New York..... a major change for many!

Breakfast

I started my day off with a bagel and some homemade vegetable cream cheese, as I'm sure many New Yorkers did... this town is crawling with bagels lovers!  (My favorites are from Bagel Express!)  People are always talking about the high carbohydrate count of bagels and how terrible they are for you.... so I wonder, are there any benefits to this densely packed food?

The carb count of a bagel can differ based on its size, flavor and what you put on top of it. Unfortunately the calorie count of a bagel is usually quite high making it not the best option for those who are watching their intake.  

How to make bagel eating healthier?

• Whole wheat bagels pack more vitamins and minerals than white bagels so choose those first  
• Top it with natural peanut butter for long lasting protein at breakfast
• Top with lean meat and vegetables for a filling lunch
• Check the nutritional facts on the website of your favorite bagel spot to see which are the healthier options 
• For example -- here's what Brueggers Bagels website  had to say: 
• The Jalapeño Cheddar bagel has a whopping 420 calories followed closely by the Chedder Pesto with 410 calories    
• Sundried Tomato was most modest with 280 calories 
• Again, the Jalapeño Cheddar ranked highest in carb count at 75g (!!!) 
• Lowest carb count is Sourdough with 56g followed again by Sundried Tomato with 57g

Harvard Medical School recommends 45-65% of your diet coming from carbs and the American Diabetes Association recommends 45-60g of carbs per meal.  If you're ingesting a daily diet of about 2,600 (men) and 1,900 (women) your calories from carbs should range from 1,170-1,690 (men) and 855-1,235 (women).  Thanks to Livestrong.com for doing these numbers for us! 

So now you know!  

I'm stressed!

AHHHH! Stress creeps in for many people this time of year as kids are headed back to school, or if -- like me -- you are starting a new job.  Sleep schedules get out of whack, eating patterns shift, and you may feel overwhelmed, discouraged or just plain stressed!

The Mayo Clinic states that "stress is a normal psychological and physical reaction to the ever increasing demands of life."  When your body recognizes a threat it signals a release of hormones to fight this with a "fight or flight" response.  If your body never relieves its stress, we'll never be able to restart and prepare for the next situation.

SO, how to relieve stress??

First, recognize when stress happens and take note of the cause: relationships with friends or family, work/life balance, image and identify, goals setting....

Then....

Relax by:

• deep breathing 
• yoga 
• meditation 
• take a walk 

Make relaxation a part of your daily routine to stay healthy and stress free! 

After a bit of a break.....

I've returned!  I spent the past two weeks getting ready for a new job and the first thing neglected was the blog..... and my sleep.  I have been running myself ragged and am feeling exhausted!  

Today I'm thinking about...... How to get more energy?

Health Magazine suggests:

1. Laughter -- to raise your blood pressure and heart rate 
2. Take a walk or exercise 
3. Stretch!  A simple door jam stretch to release the front of the torso, especially if you are crouched over a computer all afternoon: Stand in the door way and place both hands out to your sides while holding the door jam and pressing the chest forward 
4. See something red!  When I caught a glimpse of this flower, I actually felt more awake! My eyes opened wider and your muscles will actually move faster after seeing this color.  

Try a pick-me-up snack of:

• Banana with peanut butter for a mix of protein and healthy sugar  
• Nuts and dried fruit -- nuts are slow burning and will help to sustain you 

Have a restful weekend!