Supernatural Botanicals

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOU5lKR1Qo8

It’s Spa Week around the nation.  Find the perfect spa to meet your needs.  Never had a spa treatment before?  What better week than this week, Spa Week, to get started.

What’s the best time to workout, morning or evening?  The answer is, there is no right answer.  The best time to workout is a time that you’ll do it consistently, over and over, day after day.  Whatever time of day your personal sweet spot is for exercise is the best time to work out…for you.  There are certain benefits of a morning workout, such as a blast of energy throughout your day, however,  strength training in the evenings helps to give you a great night’s sleep.  Whatever time of day you choose to workout is fine, just pick a time you’ll consistently do it at least four to five days a week.

Anyone who has worked out with regularity can confirm this  Harvard study, who reports adults who practice about 27 minutes of mindful activity a day, including gentle yoga and meditation exercises, had a significant increase in gray matter in eight weeks.  Specifically, in the parts of the brain that help regulate emotions and stress.  “We believe that these changes reflect increased brain activity which helps explain why the benefits of practice continue throughout the day.”  Working out simply makes you sharper, quicker on the draw.  It also helps you to deal with stress better, and of course,  be a kinder and better all around person.  It works every single time….so do some mindful activity eight weeks in a row and find out for yourself.  You’ll love the results.

What is fiber?  Fiber, found mainly in the outer layers of plants, is an indigestible substance that passes through the body virtually unchanged, without being broken down into nutrients.

Why do we need it?  Fiber is an important of the digestive process from start to finish.  It slows digestion and absorption which keeps blood sugar levels at a more even level.  Fiber makes food more satisfying.  It makes contents of the stomach bulkier so they stay there longer, contributing to a “full” feeling, which in turn can prevent overeating and obesity.

Where is it found?  Only plants produce fiber.  You cannot find it in animal products.  The best food sources of fiber are whole grains breads, cereals, pasta, brown rice, nuts, seeds, legumes, fruits and  vegetables.

In clinical studies, celery always tops the list as being the “dirtiest” veggie.  Because celery stalks are extremely porous, they retain pesticides they are sprayed with…and if you aren’t eating organic celery, that’s about 13 pesticides your stalks are being sprayed with.  When purchasing celery, go with organic.  You’ll reduce your family’s chances of ingesting dangerous pesticides.  Have celery in the fridge that’s not organic?  It’s okay, it’s still edible, but be sure to wash it several times.  Using a good veggie wash or a homemade blend of one part vinegar and three parts water will do the trick.

Did you know… you can burn double the calories if you do your workout in the morning, on an empty stomach.   Doing an a.m. workout also gives you an extra boost of energy for the remainder of the day.

Hitting that hour-long cardio class today?  Read this recent study and you may just skip the class all together.

In a recent study, people who used kettlebells torched a whopping 400 calories in 20 minutes.

Kettlebells have made strength training fun and interesting with its new design, enabling the exerciser to perform a multitude of moves that were otherwise not possible with simple hand weights.

Entire classes, and even gyms, have been created based on the practice of kettlebell exercise.  Consider jazzing up your strength routine with kettlebells, and torch 400 calories in 20 minutes while you’re at it.

Shapewear is certainly enjoying its time in the spotlight these days.

Shapewear is a different name for a girdle, the same kind of undergarment your mom and grandma wore.  It’s the elastic garment that cinches in  your body girth to give you a skinnier appearance, albeit, “about to pop” and “I can’t breathe” appearance.

Somehow, women seem to be embracing the new-school girdle and seem to be okay with it, as evidenced by its multimillion dollar sales in the US last year…although I can’t think of one man who would be okay with this look, with one exception, (and that exception being Dr. Rey).

Wouldn’t getting into shape be far more rewarding than squeezing your back fat or thighs into an apparatus that literally almost squeezes the breath out of you?  Didn’t Rob Lowe’s character in St. Elmo’s Fire (as he openly laughed at Mare Winningham’s character for wearing a girdle) steer you clear of even the consideration of wearing a girdle, er, shapewear?

Does the thought of having to eventually take your dress off for your significant other, or even worse, God-forbid, emergency medical staff, make you want to hit the treadmill instead of face the wrath of public humiliation?

Or does it?  The upside, after all, is having an appearance that divulges no bulges or flaws.  And if we look good on the outside of the dress, is that good enough for us to strap ourselves into elastic apparatus’ to conceal the real story?

What are your thoughts?  Shapewear…Love it or lose it?

One of the most important elements  to great body is good nutrition.

Even if your kitchen skills aren’t as advanced as you’d like them to be, you can fake it until you make it.

Soups are simple to make.  If you can cut vegetables into bite-sized pieces, you are half way there.  Really, it’s that simple.

Start with a big pot of low sodium chicken broth.   Next, add lots of veggies, such as chickpeas, corn, tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, etc.   Cook in the chicken broth until veggies are fork-tender.  Add lots of freshly ground black pepper and even hot sauce if you like the heat.

Filling up on high volume, low fat foods will help melt away the pounds and make your body lean, strong and healthy.