An Apple a Day or….

i love apples and eat them in the winter even though they are not in season and it is better to eat what is in season. the most benefit actually comes from  eating the skin so organic is preferred. usually i choose whole fruits but lately i have also been drinking tart cherry juice. you may already know about this super antioxidant loaded juice but if not here are some of the reported benefits:

• promotes heart health
• may help in reducing the chance of some cancers
• it is a sleep aid as it contains natural melatonin
• it is an anti-inflammatory

 it is this last one that is of particular interest to those who work out. sports medicine studies have shown that by drinking tart cherry juice exercisers had less pain, inflammation and strength loss after a hard workout.
one cup of juice has 137 calories. i happen to like the taste and if you are enjoying an evening at home it could make a unique cocktail or enjoyed with some sparkling water-that is unless you want to be a night owl. i was having it at lunch time and  thought i was feeling more tired than usual-just remember the natural melatonin!

More Chocolate News

in my february 11 blog titled "dark matters" i wrote about how good dark chocolate is for us. but it does contain extra calories- mostly from sugar- that we don't really need. to solve this issue and to see if the benefits from dark chocolate are real a new study is starting sponsored by the mars company (you know what they make) and a health institute. the main question they will be looking at is if the flavonoids in cacao will protect our hearts. 18,000 adults  will take 2, no taste pills a day for 4 years.  to equal the amount of flavonoids in the pills you would need to eat about 5 bars of dark chocolate a day. 4 years is a long time, maybe the results will be dramatic and come sooner. meanwhile i am going to continue enjoying my several ounces of dark chocolate every week. i just wonder if a pill that is isolating one part of the cacao is the answer or is it the combination of the whole bean that makes it beneficial? this has also been the issue with other foods such as garlic and with red wine. do we want our health benefits from food to come in a pill? is it possible that a pill can ever be as good as the real thing? isn't the saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away"?

I Hop and I Don't Mean Pancakes!

so much new information all the time! one of my goals with this blog is to help you be aware of some of this new information in a concise manner. just as there are numerous studies and discoveries in the areas of health and nutrition leading to revised recommendations (coconut oil was once the worst, now not so bad and even beneficial) it is also true in the world of exercise/fitness. of course the benefits of cardio, strength training and flexibility haven't changed but to achieve certain targeted benefits you need to keep up to date.
for instance women, especially after menopause, lose bone mass. this is a critical issue as loss of bone mass may lead to future fractures and frailty. taking a calcium supplement is not enough protection. bone is living tissue and needs to be worked, worked harder than previously thought. new studies have shown that if we want to increase bone mass we need to place more force/impact on our bones. great cardio exercises like rowing, swimming and biking will not help our bones grow stronger. brisk  walking, stair climbing and weight lifting will. jumping jacks, jumping rope even hopping around will. no expensive exercise equipment needed.
so if you see me or others jumping or hopping around you now know why.

ps-remember to progress slowly with higher impact types of exercises and unless you are very fit plyometrics is not for you. some trainers push clients to do movements they are not ready for-you know your body best. if in doubt consult your doctor.

Nutritional Reading

 suggested changes to labels courtesy of the FDA

i don't  know about you but i am still often shocked when i really pay attention to how fast calories can add up. equally shocking, but very important is  to read  the calorie counts that certain restaurant menus list. how can that be, that salad has 1000 calories?!
eating less sugar, controlling portion sizes and/or counting calories are ways that many us use to manage our weight and to be healthier. if you have ever looked at current nutrition labels you know that they could be a lot more user friendly. it only took 20 years (!) and companies still have 2 years (!) to be compliant but we will finally be getting new food labels! the 3 main changes will be

• the number of calories will be in a larger, bold text-great won't need glasses
• the portion sizes will reflect reality (more on this below)-whose reality?
• an additional line for added sugars-as a nation we eat more sugar than any other country. of course the lobbyists may fight this tooth and nail and it still may be deleted

portion sizes are where many of us get into trouble calorie wise. many food items and drinks have been "super-sized" and we now think of these larger portions as normal but over time this has contributed to weight gain. for instance the standard portion of ice cream is a half cup. but for most people the reality is that they eat at least a cup or more. a half cup of ice cream is about 140 calories so perhaps the new label showing a cup as a portion with its 280 calories will be more correct as far as what that person is actually consuming.  the question remains whether or not seeing the larger number of calories will have any real affect on eating smaller portions. time will tell. this is a small improvement that has taken much too long but for those of us trying to eat healthy and not gain weight the new labels should be easier to read and understand.