a lot of people like to believe that if you take walks or take the stairs instead of the elevator or park further away so you walk through the parking lot, they're getting their exercise. the thing is, if you don't get your heart rate up to a certain point and even sustain that, you will not reap all the benefits of exercise. in general, walking does not accomplish this. yes, it's better than sitting on the couch and does burn some calories, but by no means is it as beneficial to your heart and other systems of the body as more vigorous exercise. i like what jillian micheals says, that's sending a false message of lethargy and not doing anyone any favors. we are all capable of working out, and working out hard. not that everyone needs to work out hard every day, but to compare walking to real exercise just isn't a fair comparison. if you have watched the biggest loser, you can see that literally anyone is capable of working out hard and reaping the benfits of working out like getting off all their meds!
vigorous exercise can and will....
decrease depression, decrease anxiety, elevate the happy hormone, decrease stress, improve your sleep, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, give you more energy, allow you to live longer, decrease your risk for premature death, prevent or lessen osteoporosis, decrease risk for a heart attack, decrease likehood of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers like breast and colon (by 60% or more!). have a better sex life, increased mental focus, better digestion, better circulation, increased metabolism, and better immune system.
these are just some of the many ways exercise will improve your life! not to mention increased self-esteem and just plain feeling better. and i can't tell you how much exercise can increase your confidence by making you feel strong and powerful and capable of pretty much anything! and of course, we didn't even talk about losing weight and increasing muscle mass and toning up- my approach is that if you focus on health, the rest will fall into place. so i feel like weight is secondary to all the amazing benefits of working out.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
why organic milk? why milk at all?
i don't think people really understand why this organic thing is so important. the amount of toxins that we all take in every day is completely astounding! our food is laced with pesticides and dyes and hormones and toxins and high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils and on and on. these things build up in our bodies and adversally affect all processes.
the dairy we eat contains tons of hormones they feed to their cows, as well as pesticides and antibiotics. (i'm going to talk about how these things affect us, let alone the cows! i'll talk about that later...) so why give hormones and pesticides and antibiotics to dairy cows? well, first they separate the moms from their babies, so we can take their breastmilk and so the babies can't smell and cry even more for their moms and their milk. then to continue production of their breastmilk, they give them hormones- too much and many times they develop mastitis- and if you've ever had this or know anyone to have this, it can be extremely painful. i had it and it was so bad i cried for 3 days! some cows have a constant case... it's an infection of the milk duct or a clogged duct. so, to combat this and other infections, they give more and more antibiotics to the cows. the cows also become malnourished because they are producing so much milk, their bodies can't keep up, and it sucks any nourishment they may have. another reason they give antibiotics is because a lot of the cows develop digestive infections and problems from the grain or corn or soy based diet inflicted upon them. cows are meant to eat grass only- their bodies cannot digest grain and soy and corn, so they develop digestive problems and infections. the cows have constant upset stomachs and this diet affects all processes in their bodies. ironic that it's the same for us! humans are not meant to ingest cows breastmilk, and it's been estimated that about 75% of the world is lactose intolerant (although i would argue that we all are naturally cows milk intolerant- just like cows are corn and soy intolerant, but we keep drinking it and just take lots of meds to offset it's upset of our systems). anyway, to offest all of these issues, they give the cows more antibiotics and meds just enought to keep them alive for us to steal their babies breastmilk. this may seem harsh to you, but if you dug into the research- not the Monsanto (read up on this company!) based or ADA based research, but real research, you'd see the craziness of this. for our planet, for our bodies, for our children, for the cows, you'd realize this is only hurting all of us.
so let's talk a little- and i'm really only brushing the surface here- about the effect of all of this on us. the 3 biggies- early onset puberty, increase in cancers, esp of the reproductive systems, and not responding to antibiotics when we need them. there are more, like upsetting our digestive tracts, increase in fats and cholesterol build up, inflammation- but for now, i want to quickly just address those 3.
hormones- do you ever think that these young girls seem to be developing much earlier than they used to? it's not your imagination, they really are! girls are menstruating earlier and developing breasts earlier, and bigger breasts than in past generations. the term is early onset puberty. and it is an issue- mainly because it leads to increased breast and reproductive cancers for girls, and also problems with reproducing. developmental issues for girls and their future babies. (not to mention the societal pressures and issues that develop)
pesticides- these are all over the food they are feeding the cows and it gets into the milk you drink it large quantities. it also gets excreted through the cows manure and ends up in the soil and eventually gets into waterways where it adversly affects the ecosystems there- there have been many studies on the effects on fish and their development and reproduction and they do trace it back to this issue. pesticides build up in our bodies and can lead to cancers of all types.
antibiotics- so how many times have we given our children antibiotics? times that by a thousand! do you account for all the exposure they've had to dairy and milk over the years? in many cases, from day one in their milk based formula? the concern is that humans are becoming immune to antibiotics and when we really need them, they won't help.
and by the way, just because something is organic, doesn't intrinsicly mean it's good for you- just better than the non-organic alternative of that particular food. for example, if you're going to drink milk and eat dairy and meat- any animal product- PLEASE PLEASE buy and eat organic! but better yet, don't eat the animal product! another example is let's say cookies. organic cookies are better, but it's still a cookie, right?
i'm not saying you should never eat animal products. but my wish is that people be informed- you should know what's going into your body and what it can do to you! and then make your own INFORMED decision.
a great website to refer to is www.sustainabletable.org
the dairy we eat contains tons of hormones they feed to their cows, as well as pesticides and antibiotics. (i'm going to talk about how these things affect us, let alone the cows! i'll talk about that later...) so why give hormones and pesticides and antibiotics to dairy cows? well, first they separate the moms from their babies, so we can take their breastmilk and so the babies can't smell and cry even more for their moms and their milk. then to continue production of their breastmilk, they give them hormones- too much and many times they develop mastitis- and if you've ever had this or know anyone to have this, it can be extremely painful. i had it and it was so bad i cried for 3 days! some cows have a constant case... it's an infection of the milk duct or a clogged duct. so, to combat this and other infections, they give more and more antibiotics to the cows. the cows also become malnourished because they are producing so much milk, their bodies can't keep up, and it sucks any nourishment they may have. another reason they give antibiotics is because a lot of the cows develop digestive infections and problems from the grain or corn or soy based diet inflicted upon them. cows are meant to eat grass only- their bodies cannot digest grain and soy and corn, so they develop digestive problems and infections. the cows have constant upset stomachs and this diet affects all processes in their bodies. ironic that it's the same for us! humans are not meant to ingest cows breastmilk, and it's been estimated that about 75% of the world is lactose intolerant (although i would argue that we all are naturally cows milk intolerant- just like cows are corn and soy intolerant, but we keep drinking it and just take lots of meds to offset it's upset of our systems). anyway, to offest all of these issues, they give the cows more antibiotics and meds just enought to keep them alive for us to steal their babies breastmilk. this may seem harsh to you, but if you dug into the research- not the Monsanto (read up on this company!) based or ADA based research, but real research, you'd see the craziness of this. for our planet, for our bodies, for our children, for the cows, you'd realize this is only hurting all of us.
so let's talk a little- and i'm really only brushing the surface here- about the effect of all of this on us. the 3 biggies- early onset puberty, increase in cancers, esp of the reproductive systems, and not responding to antibiotics when we need them. there are more, like upsetting our digestive tracts, increase in fats and cholesterol build up, inflammation- but for now, i want to quickly just address those 3.
hormones- do you ever think that these young girls seem to be developing much earlier than they used to? it's not your imagination, they really are! girls are menstruating earlier and developing breasts earlier, and bigger breasts than in past generations. the term is early onset puberty. and it is an issue- mainly because it leads to increased breast and reproductive cancers for girls, and also problems with reproducing. developmental issues for girls and their future babies. (not to mention the societal pressures and issues that develop)
pesticides- these are all over the food they are feeding the cows and it gets into the milk you drink it large quantities. it also gets excreted through the cows manure and ends up in the soil and eventually gets into waterways where it adversly affects the ecosystems there- there have been many studies on the effects on fish and their development and reproduction and they do trace it back to this issue. pesticides build up in our bodies and can lead to cancers of all types.
antibiotics- so how many times have we given our children antibiotics? times that by a thousand! do you account for all the exposure they've had to dairy and milk over the years? in many cases, from day one in their milk based formula? the concern is that humans are becoming immune to antibiotics and when we really need them, they won't help.
and by the way, just because something is organic, doesn't intrinsicly mean it's good for you- just better than the non-organic alternative of that particular food. for example, if you're going to drink milk and eat dairy and meat- any animal product- PLEASE PLEASE buy and eat organic! but better yet, don't eat the animal product! another example is let's say cookies. organic cookies are better, but it's still a cookie, right?
i'm not saying you should never eat animal products. but my wish is that people be informed- you should know what's going into your body and what it can do to you! and then make your own INFORMED decision.
a great website to refer to is www.sustainabletable.org
Thursday, July 15, 2010
yoga
every single time i go to a yoga class i fall in love with yoga all over again! i cannot recommend it enough! for all ages, all sizes, men and women- it just makes you feel so good! i do powerful yoga, relaxation yoga, slow flow, vinyasa- whatever class i do, i absolutely love :) it brings a calm to your day. it makes you stop and just be- if you let it. i wish i could take a yoga class every day- i do it at home, but there's something about the yoga studio with a really good teacher who can guide you through and adjust your body as you go- and the best is the end- when they come around and massage your head. or when they push you further into a stretch. someday, i will become an instructor for sure! or maybe i'll just keep being a student- it's great to be a yoga student :)
forget the scale!
don't make it about your weight- that number, that we all can obsess about!- does not always give you a good indication of your health. i think we all know this, right??? but as women, it's hard to not focus on the numbers. i have given up weighing myself now- after my last baby, it just got too frustrating! you can feel changes in your body, but the scale may not reflect those changes. i think if you have a lot of weight to lose, the scale can be helpful for sure. it's a great tool to keep track of your progress. but it can also hinder us when all it does is make us upset. once you get w/in your range- or w/in that last 20 pounds or so- maybe we should try to give it up for a bit- your regular weight at age 25 or even 35, may not be a good weight for where you are right now. if we focus on health instead of weight, we will get to where we need to be.
i think thats key- at least for me and in my training- i focus on health and the rest will all fall into place.
i think thats key- at least for me and in my training- i focus on health and the rest will all fall into place.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
simple
being well. seems simple you know? but we all struggle with the right things to do, the right things to eat, the right exercises, the right cleaning products to use, and on and on. i think of a few things when i think of being well- but then i start to branch off and realize how much there is to think about. but we don't all think about these things every day- some people aren't even aware of some things they do or don't do that could improve their lives. it is so easy, so simple- yet so detailed and overwhelming too! i prefer to keep things simple- the less i have to think about or worry about, the better! with 4 kids and the crazy life we lead, the simpler the better for me. maybe that's why i choose to not eat meat- i don't want to worry about which meat to have or not have, or how much or how often- to me, if it's mostly not good, then i'd rather not bother at all. even when i run outside, i hate to worry about my route too much. i'm not one of those people who like to experiment with taking a bunch of turns and things- i like to clear my mind when i'm running. i like clean slates- i like my body to feel clean. and for me, i do that by being aware of what i put in it and how i treat it. i feel cleaner, leaner, (a better machine maybe?!) when i eat well and rest enough and exercise enough. i just plain and simple feel well! and i want everyone to feel well, i really really do. some of my friends and family might (ok, or do!!) get annoyed if i say or even imply anything to do with what they're eating or not eating and how much they are or aren't exercising- but i do hold back my opinions a lot(hard to believe i know!). i feel like we all do what we're ready to do. and me nagging isn't usually going to help anything. in fact, a lot of the time, it can make it worse. but the hard part is, i know how much better your life can be with a few simple changes- and i so desparately want to share that with everyone i care about!!!
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