This is from the November/December issue of Fitness Magazine. Fill a tupperware container with:

cold string beans

edamame (look for ready to eat shelled edamame in your supermarket freezer to save time and money)

black beans

chopped scallions

dress it with a mixture of olive oil, rice wine vinegar, and apricot preserves for a hint of sweetness.

Sorry all for taking so long to write a new post. I’ve been in jury duty!

I’m cleaning out yet another closet in my house and I found something I tore out from the November 2010 issue of Allure magazine.

Forcing yourself to be talkative for ten minutes is enough to improve mood.

Give it a shot and let me know what you think…

Sorry I’ve been away awhile. I’ve been on a Grand Jury for the last few weeks.

This info is from the Wellness Workbook 3rd edition by John W. Travis, M.D. and Regina Sara Ryan. This is a simple guideline to keep in mind when you just want a refresher and it is a great guideline to give to anyone who is new to thinking about wellness and a healthy way of eating.

1. Primarily let plant foods serve as the foundation of your diet.

A. Choose a variety of grains daily, especially whole grains. Keep white rice, pasta, starches, and sweets to a minimum.

B. Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables daily.

2. Keep food safe to eat by avoiding contamination or improper storage.

3. Aim for a healthy weight.

A. Evaluate your body weight.

B. Find out your risk factors for disease.

C. Choose sensible portion sizes.

D. If you need to lose weight, do so gradually.

E. Encourage healthy weight in children.

4. Be physically active each day.

5. Choose a diet that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and moderate in total fat. Use plant oils (like olive, canola, sunflower, etc.) regularly.

6. Choose beverages and foods to moderate your intake of sugars.

7. Choose and prepare foods with less salt.

8. If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation.

9. Use a multivitamin and multimineral supplement, or a type of plant-bassed superfood, daily.

Here are 3 interesting tips from the September 2011 issue of Self magazine.

Eating 2 apples a day lowered people’s LDL (bad) cholesterol by 23% and raised HDL (Good) by 3% a year. (research from Florida State University in Tallahassee).

Missing a night of sleep can slow your metabolism by up to 20% the next day. Running your body all night wears it out, so it’s less efficient at burning calories. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition)

A compound in parsley, apigenin, may fight a type of breast cancer by curbing tumor growth. (Animal research from the University of Missouri in Columbia). (Parsley also improves breath so why not just throw it into your salads or smoothies.)

This is from the September 2011 issue of Shape magazine.

According to Cynthia Sass, R.D. Thirst is your body’s way of letting you know that your optimal water level is down 2 percent. The Institute of Medicine recommends taking in 11 cups of fluid a day and even more if you’ve been sweating. (I always thought it was 8.) All liquids count. You can even drink caffeinated beverages as long as you don’t drink more of them than you usually do. Apparently your body gets accustomed to processing caffeinated beverages which means you won’t experience a diuretic effect. Fruits and veggies count as liquids since they’re 80 percent water (many of them, not all). For ex: A cup of watermelon has about half a cup of water. So DRINK UP!

This is from the September 5, 2011 issue of OK magazine.

Gwyneth Paltrow.  If Gwyneth Paltrow wants to drop pounds fast, one favorite way is toss 3 week cleanse from Dr. Alejandro Junger. She has 2 liquid meals (soup or smoothies), a salad a day and no sugar, dairy or processed foods. She also works out with Tracy Anderson who has her do things like an hour or two of dance aerobics in superheated rooms daily. (Side note. Tracy Anderson just opened up a place in Watermill (in the Hamptons). I can’t wait to try out her studio and see what it’s all about.)

Angelina Jolie.  A Red Wine Diet. Angelina doesn’t eat much-a little of everything but not too much of anything. Soe days she doesn’t eat much more than a few nuts, a glass of red wine or whatever she picks off the kid’s plates.

LeAnn Rimes. She hits the gym at Equinox 4 times a week. She lifts weights, boxes, and cycles on other days. “Some days I do heavy weights with only 6 to 8 reps, and the other days I do light weights with 22 reps,” she’s said. Her meal pal is made up of protein, fruit, and veggies.

Victoria Beckham.  Total Portion control. Victoria follows the “Five hands” diet to get her ready for the spotlight. She eats 5 meals a day, each restricted to a handful of high-quality protein (like salmon, shrimp, tuna or eggs). Nutritionist Martica Heaer says she would equate a “handful” to about 3 ounces of protein, which is less than 190 calories per meal.

Britney Spears. Exercising at all hours. For Britney, she finds that hitting the gym after hours works best for her. She’s not a mrning person. She reportedly exercises for 3-4 hour stints; and to look her best on tour, she also ditched alcohol and junk food.

Anne Hathaway. Living on Greens and not much else.

This is from the book 1: How Many People Does it Take to Make a Difference? By Dan Zadra and Kobi Yamada.

There is a cause or an issue out there with your name on it, something you care about, someplace where you can serve or make a difference in a way that is unique to you. Whatever it is, find it-and follow it. Let the answers to these questions guide you.

List Your Concerns

Causes I care about-things that get my creative juices flowing:

Things that upset me, or make my blood boil:

Things that make me sad, cry or feel indignant:

Issues I always talk about with my friends:

List Your Strengths

Things I am good at:

Things that make me feel good:

Talents I would be excited to use more:

My unique background or experience:

This one is from the August 2011 issue of Shape magazine. Don’t exercise on an empty stomach in hopes of tapping into your fat stores. In a recent study, researchers at the University of Padua in Italy found that subjects who worked out after eating a healthy breakfast boosted their metabolism more than a group of fasting exercisers did. Even more surprising, those who fueled up first were still using more energy-especially from fat stores-a full 24 hours later, “People who eat before exercising perform better,” says Wayne Andersen, M.D., author of Dr. A’’s Habits of Health. In short, Andersen says that if you eat about 30 minutes pre-session, you’ll  be able to push yourself harder and your muscles will keep burning calories longer. Make sure to get a good mix of protein, carbs, and electrolytes. He recommends whole-grain cereal with lowfat milk, juice, and a banana (I personally don’t eat any of these things. I might go for lowfat greek yogurt with berries and a teaspoon of raw honey or a high protein shake or a veggie smoothie with protein powder.)

I found this to be interesting because I’ve heard the tapping into your fat stores thing a lot. I’ve felt guilty for years for not being able to exercise on an empty stomach. I’ve also noticed that I can do my best during a workout by eating 30 minutes prior to the session!

What Happen to Your Body After You Drink a Soda Every Day, For a Long Time by Bliss Tree (From Yahoo Healthy Living June 16, 2011)

Sugar rushes and caffeine highs followed by a depressing energy crash are what happens to your body if you drink a soda right now, but plenty of Blisstree readers actually seem to be okay with that. Some of you think it’s alarmist to compare a caffeine and sugar rush to doing drugs, and some just don’t really care about the slump they’ll find themselves in after drinking 39 grams of sugar, but what makes us really worried about a soda-slurping habit is what happens over the long term.

Here’s a quick snapshot of you, in a few years, after drinking soda on a regular basis:

You’ll Be Fatter: According to research in the Nurse’s Health Study, which monitored the health of 90,000 women for eight years, drinking a single soda every day of the week added 10 pounds over a four-year period.

You’ll Probably Have Diabetes: In the Nurses’ Health Study, women who said they drank one or more servings a day of a sugar-sweetened soft drink or fruit punch were twice as likely to have developed type 2 diabetes during the study than those who rarely consumed these beverages.

You’re Much More Likely to Develop Heart Disease: According to a study published in 2007 in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, subjects who drank a soda every day over a four-year period had a 25% chance of developing high blood sugar levels and a 32% greater chance of developing lower “good” cholesterol levels. The Nurses’ Health Study found that women who drank more than two sugary beverages per day had a 40% higher risk of heart attacks or death from heart disease than women who rarely drank sugary beverages.

You’re Probably Also Less Healthy In Other Ways: Several studies, including the 2007 study published inCirculation, suggest that diet sodas have some of the same effects on health as regular sodas, despite having none or very little of the sugar. Why? Drinking soda is typically part of an overall lifestyle that’s not very healthy: We know you don’t like us to compare drinking caffeine and sugar to substance abuse, but when it comes to your lifestyle, some think that soda is just like a gateway drug.