Thirty Days of Organic Eating- Day1

5 Key Benefits of an Organic Diet
Pour a glass of wine? Bet that's the first time you've seen that "step one" on a diet plan.

Relax, and if wine is your thing, pour a glass and enjoy. You’re about to embark on a delicious and revolutionary way of thinking about the food you eat and the way you buy it. You’ll enjoy the discovery of gorgeously fresh, simple and healthy foods and ingredients which will make delicious dining as good for you as it is for the planet.

Here are 5 main benefits for you:

1. It rids your diet of over-processed, over-packaged, additive-laced, pesticide-sprayed food-like substances.

2. It replaces that junk with real, "whole" foods, deliciously and simply prepared.

3. It helps you ditch the faux foods, franken foods(a genetically altered food, especially a fruit or vegetable.) and fast foods that now make up so much of the American diet.

4. It causes you to fall in love with foods that are safe for you and sustainable for the planet.

5. It helps you to feel great and eat well. Eating green and organic is the fastest-growing food trend today. It’s morphed from grass-roots to mainstream and is fast changing old ideas about what to eat. New recipes, new cookbooks, and new restaurants featuring these kinds of foods are arriving every day.

Most wine is good for you in moderation provided you don't have substance abuse issues. Organic and biodynamic wines beccoming more widely available. Red wine has resveratrol an important antioxidant.

For more on this post and how to green your diet in 30 days

MADD Launches UMADD Website

Salt is good for you?

Go to you cupboard and take out your container of salt. More than likely there are two very distinctive items on the label. One is a well know logo the other is most often over looked.

The distinctive logo that is probably on your salt is of a little girl holding an umbrella in the rain. Am I right? The other most often over looked item is the word IODIZED. I mean we don't say "Pass me the iodized salt please." Do we? Or "That comment was like rubbing iodized salt in the wound."

We do however hear that salt is bad for us. And of course too much of a good thing is always bad. But in moderation as in all things salt; iodized salt that is, is not only tasty but is is an important part of preventive medicine.

Iodised salt is table salt mixed with a minute amount of potassium iodide, sodium iodide or iodate, is used to help reduce the chance of iodine deficiency in humans. Iodine deficiency commonly leads to thyroid gland problems, specifically endemic goiter. Endemic goiter is a disease characterized by a swelling of the thyroid gland, usually resulting in a bulbous protrusion on the neck. While only tiny quantities of iodine are required in a diet to prevent goiter, the United States Food and Drug Administration recommends 150 microgrammes of iodine per day for both men and women, and there are many places around the world where natural levels of iodine in the soil are low and the iodine is not taken up by vegetables.

Today, iodized salt is more common in the United States, Australia and New Zealand than in Britain.

In the U.S. in the early 20th century, goiter was especially prevalent in the region around the Great Lakes and the Pacific Northwest. Goiter began receiving serious attention as a result of the World War I draft pointing to the problem in Northern Michigan and Wisconsin. At this time, many men were disqualified from military service as a result of the public health problem. This raised questions beyond the ability of these men to serve in the war. Many asked: if they could not do this, how useful were they in everyday civilian life?

David Murray Cowie pioneered the salt iodation process in America. A professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan, Cowie was concerned about the widespread problem of goiter in Michigan (nicknamed the "goiter belt" of America). Aware of the Swiss process of adding sodium iodide or potassium iodide to table and cooking salt, Cowie decided that a simple way to address the problem of iodine deficiency would be to merely implement the Swiss solution in America. He had noted that adding iodine to aquatic environments in the Pacific Northwest seemed to decrease the incidence of goiter among fish species. Public opinion also supported his effort in that "important discoveries of vitamins and their roles in food nutrition" were happening during the period. Cowie appealed to the Michigan State Medical Society, a "productive group which concerned itself with the search for answers to difficult medical questions pertaining to the health of the state's residents". Read more...

Heart-healthy Whole Grains

Cutting calories helps people lose weight, but doing so by filling up on whole grains may be particularly heart-healthy, new research suggests.

In a study of obese adults at risk of heart disease, researchers found that those who trimmed calories and increased their whole-grain intake shed more belly fat and lowered their blood levels of C-reactive protein or CRP.

CRP is a marker of chronic, low-level inflammation in the blood vessels, and both abdominal fat and CRP, in excess, are linked to heart attack and stroke. In contrast, dieters in the study who mainly ate refined grains, like white bread, were able to lose weight, but they trimmed less fat from the middle and showed no change in CRP .

So if you are still on the NO CARB kick you may want to rethink your strategy. Because carbohydrates are one of three macronutrients that provide the body with energy (protein and fats being the other two). The chemical compounds in carbohydrates are found in both simple and complex forms, and in order for the body to use carbohydrates for energy, food must undergo digestion, absorption, and glycolysis. It is recommended that 55 to 60 percent of caloric intake come from carbohydrates. Take a moment to explore Carbohydrates and their importance to your nutrition and well being.

Read and get more facts about how Whole grains help deflate belly rolls

Image Source: Health Castle

Fatten Your Wallet Not Your Buttocks

It seems like everytime I turn around at my job we are celebrating something. "Congratulations on finishing such and such project ahead of shcedule, have a piece of cake" or "It so and so's birthday let's have a potluck spread." Then everyone brings to most unhealthy and fattening dish they can imagine and the buffet sits in the breakroom for hours while we make the multipule trips to replinish our plates. After all it's impolite not to try a little bit of everything. And this plays out over and over again for every accomplishement, birthday, job realted anniversary etc.

Stop the madness! Here are some easy tips to help us stave off the workplace weightgain:

Indulge without guilt.Let’s face it, sometimes dessert is just too hard to pass up. The key is everything in moderation. Have one piece of birthday cake. When finished, throw out the fork and plate and just walk away.

Brown-bag it.Packing your lunch will not only help you to control your nutrition and portions – it’ll also fatten your wallet, instead of your tummy.

Drink and be merry.We all get a little stir-crazy at work and sometimes we turn to food for distraction. In fact, 69 percent of workers snack at least once per day, 37 percent say they snack at least twice per day, and 12 percent snack at least three times per day. Instead of munching on snacks to ease your boredom (or stress), try drinking some water. Not only will it curb your appetite, it will save you many an unwanted calorie.

Stock the shelves.Of those workers who snack during the workday, more than one-third (38 percent) say they eat more unhealthy snacks in the office than at home. An additional 20 percent say fruits or vegetables aren’t included in their snacks during the workweek. Pack your office drawers with healthy, filling snacks, so it will be easier to elude comfort food temptations on chilly days.

Find more tips on how to stop Gaining Weight in the Workplace

Was Jack Sprat Really Healthy?

My guy friend is thinner than a rail and I as you know am not. We sometimes look like Jack Sprat and his wife. I workout a minimum of six days a week he none. My eating habbits are much better than his as I eat well balanced meals and drink the daily requirements of water etc. He grabs something on the go or eats in the workplace cafateria consuming a bare minimum of veggies and barely drinks water. But he is thinner than I so surely he must be healthier as well. Right? Not neccessarily. According to the medical journals eventhough his visible waist size may be much smaller than mine he could very well be at a greater risk for heart attack.

In research published in the medical journal Lancet, doctors concluded that a person's waist measurement is a more accurate forecaster of heart attacks than the body mass index (BMI). The National Institutes of Health (NIH) have set a waist measurement cutoff point at above 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men—no matter how much you actually weigh—as an unhealthy sign of excess visceral fat, the dangerous hidden fat that surrounds vital organs deep inside your body.

Another measurement that is slightly more targeted to belly fat is the waist-to-hip ratio, which reflects the concentration of fat around your belly as opposed to around your hips or thighs. Analyzing data from 27,000 people in 52 countries, scientists found that heart attack sufferers had similar BMIs, but higher waist-to-hip ratios, than those who'd never had a heart attack.

Measuring Your Waist: Two Ways

The waist-to-hip ratio compares the measurement of the narrowest part of your waist to the broadest section of your hips. Your waist measurement should be taken in the spot that falls between the ribcage and the hipbone as viewed from the front.

Your hip measurement is truest if you turn sideways to the mirror and make sure you incorporate your derriere in the measurement. Now, divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. For example, a woman with a 30-inch waist and 37-inch hips has a waist/hip ratio of 0.7.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a healthy waist-to-hip ratio for women should not exceed 0.8.

Measuring Visceral Fat: High Tech Methods
As we understand more about visceral fat and the various chronic—even deadly—diseases it can cause, researchers are developing increasingly more accurate, and expensive, ways to measure it. The latest test (as of December 2007), is one that detects levels of a protein called RBP4 (retinol binding protein 4), which is produced in higher quantities in visceral fat compared with subcutaneous fat (the kind of fat you can see on your body when you "pinch an inch.").

In overweight people, blood levels of RBP4 are double or triple the amount compared with normal-weight people. But other tests are used, including: CT (CAT) Scan MRI Sonogram/Ultrasound DXA

The scary part is that you don't have to be overweight to have too much visceral fat inside your body, putting your health at risk. This understanding is relatively new, and describes those who are thin on the outside but have excess fat on the inside.

It's hard to imagine that one could be thin and fat at the same time, but Jimmy Bell, PhD, a professor of molecular imaging at Imperial College, London, has shown that it is possible. Dr. Bell and his team have been using MRI machines to scan nearly 800 people in an effort to produce what they call "fat maps."

His findings will surprise you: About 45 percent of the thin women and 65 percent of the slim men he tested carried excess visceral fat. Because the Flat Belly Diet is designed to help you reduce levels of dangerous belly fat, you can follow it even if you don't need to lose pounds.

Portionsof this article were taken from MSN

So keep an eye on your wasitline and those of your loved ones. Eventhough they may be thin in this case thin may not equal healthy or safe from heart attack.

Happy Valentine's Day

How Strong Are You Really?

Assess Your Muscular Strength

When I was a kid I could do "man style" push ups at the drop of a hat. I looked forward to the President's Fitness Challenge every year and excelled at it. Over the years though the muscles needed to perform a full push-up have weakened and quite frankly it is rather embarassing that I fall staight to the floor when I attempt to perform one. I can however perform the female version of the excercise and rank in the 'fair' category.

Push-ups are an excellent indicator of your muscular strength. Try performing this Strength Accessment Test to determine your muscular strength.

Men and women will perform this test differently: Men will assume the full-body pushup position, with hands shoulder-width apart, back straight, toes on the ground. Women, meanwhile, will perform a "knees pushup"—identical to the men's in the upper body, but abbreviated below so that their knees are on the ground.

Once the basic set-up is mastered, simply perform as many pushups as possible in two minutes, keeping the back straight and, lowering the body until the chin touches the ground. Don’t let the stomach touch, though. On the way up, be sure to completely straighten the arms—bending them so that only half a pushup is performed is not allowed.

Once the two minutes are up, you’ll want to record your score and see how you’ve done. It’s a bit complex, as age and gender affect the evaluation.




Data Source:U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

I'm losing it! Thanks to my sister.

My walking steps have slacked off so much lately that you may have noticed I removed the Walker Tracker widget. The reason for my dwindling steps is a very good one actually. I've been hitting the gym with my sister-in-law every morning at 5am and working out ever so diligently. I even bought a mini-trampaline to go along with my in-home palates machine.

As you may recall I spoke about my sister-in-law who is a certified personal trainer in a previous post here and here. Michelle Freeman is one of the best motivators I have had the pleasure to workout with. You can read moreabout her at Life Plus Fitness . She has created a program called LaFemme Physique. It is a wonderful online support system for women on the weighloss journey. One of the best ways to stay motivated as you know is to belong to a group where you have a partnership with the trainer and fellow team members.

Michelle's one on one training technique and exercise program is teaching me how to perform strength training exercises correctly with the correct amount of weights and equipment. She instills the knowledge that proper form, correct weight resistance and consistant cardio work are some of the keys to healthy weight loss. This combined with healthy organic whole foods has brought me to the setting and acheivement of many milestones.

I lost 3 inches off of my mid-section in a matter of thirty days. I honestly believe this is the result of much hard work, my ever vigilant sister and a fantastic product call Isagenix. Isagenix is a total body cleanser that flushes the toxins that are stored in the body so that fat burn can take place.

I am not giving up walking, not a chance. When the spring warmth returns I'll hit the streets and resume my step count along with the work I do in the gym. Until then please continue to read my posts about my weight loss accomplishments and know that I will be posting an updated photo very shortly.

Yoga for your feet

This video demonstrates Yoga moves for your feet. Happy feet are walking feet. So keep your feet happy and strong by trying some of these Yoga steps.

Walker Talk South Park Avatar

Have you ever wondered what you would look like if you lived in South Park? Now you can create your own South Park avatar using the program I found out about at Shop Dog Diaries. It's simple, just go to South Park Studio and click on the items that suit your personality, alter ego or desired physique. Once you are done take a screen shot and paste it into a program on your computer such as 'Paint', cut out your avatar and save it as a .jpg file.