Season's Greetings

here's to a happy, healthy  and active new year for everyone. and meanwhile just keep the following in mind-most people are so concerned about what they eat between xmas and new year's, but what they really should be thinking about is what they eat between new year's and xmas!

Face Time

when we think about exercise usually we think of the major muscle groups in our legs, shoulders, etc. but what about our faces? they, of course, have muscles too. these 43 muscles attach to bone and skin allowing us to show emotions (and chew!). those who study emotions have found that the basic seven-anger, sadness, fear, disgust, contempt, surprise and happiness-are pretty much universally shown throughout all cultures. hopefully you are expressing those last two the most.
    but back to exercise. some call facial exercises "face yoga" as they relax the tension in our faces. you might be surprised how many exercises there are for the face and one women, carole maggio, has created an entire business called "facercise*" to help us tighten these muscles, look younger and avoid more drastic measures. does it work? can't hurt to try.
     so here's an example that is easy to do. like any other type of exercise those for the face need to be done regularly and with variety. now think dizzy gillespie (jazz trumpet player) and take a deep breath puffing out your checks. hold for as long as you can-up to a minute. breathe out through your nose.
     i didn't have time to check out you tube but i can just imagine what's available there.


*www.facercise.com

Belly Fat and HIIT

nobody wants to be fat and especially nobody wants belly fat*. as i posted last week, taking a pill that claims to burn only body fat does not work. but what does work?
    it was thought that consistent, low intensity cardio** was the best way to burn body fat. but no. it seems the harder you work out the more total calories are burned including fat calories. recent research has shown that what works best is HIIT-high intensity interval training. i won't go into all the science but HIIT also burns belly fat faster.
    this doesn't mean that you need to go crazy hard especially if you are just starting out***. but if you can do (or work up to) 75-80% of your maximum intensity-this equals just about being able to talk-when doing cardio and do it for 20 minutes or more your body will burn fat.
    HIIT is more involved with weight/strength training, not just cardio. it is what its name describes. basically one does a variety of sets using weights  with little rest in-between. an example would be doing as many loaded squats in a minute as you can and then rest for 15 seconds before going on to your next exercise.
    any exercise is great but if you are serious about becoming leaner, healthier and stronger it takes increasing the intensity of what you close to do. it doesn't have to be HIIT but remember it needs to be intense-at least 75% intense.

*belly fat is especially bad for our health and our posture
**being in the "fat burning zone"
***if you haven't been exercising it is always best to check with your doctor before starting a program

Can You Believe It?

i've been seeing more tv than usual as i had minor skin surgery on my leg and need to elevate it-already miss my 5 mile walks! so the ad for Lipozene caught my attention. for $29.95 this product claims that you will lose pure body fat without any dieting or exercise. wow, that would be amazing! so i was curious-what is this stuff?  many so called diet aids contain a lot of caffeine but Lipozene is made from the root of the konjac plant that grows in asia and is technically "glucomannan". glucomannan is a water soluble fiber that  works by making you feel full faster. in simple terms it slows down digestion and is a laxative.  as such it should be taken with a lot of water. studies  have shown very mixed results. but obviously if you eat less because you feel full you will eventually lose weight. so maybe it does work for some people. but  i do find the claim that you will  lose only body fat questionable.
    to maintain good health and weight  our bodies need a balanced diet that includes lots of fiber and exercise. apples, nuts, seeds, beans and lentils are just a few of the foods that supply us with water soluble fiber and that are a pleasure to eat. an apple a day? sounds good to me. there are no magic pills.

12 Things You Should Know About Vit. B-12

1. if you are over 50 it is very likely that you have lost the ability to absorb this vitamin from food
2. if you are a strict vegetarian or vegan you may not be getting enough vit. B-12
3. the same goes for those who have celiac disease
4. vit B-12 is very important for metabolism, our central nervous system and much more
5. it is not available from plant foods
6. it is found in animal foods such as meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products and foods that have been fortified
7. how to tell if a food has been fortified-read the label!
8. lack of vit. B-12 may cause balance issues, weakness, numbness in arms or legs and other health issues
9. many health professionals recommend  a supplement of 25-100 mcg. daily
10. if you do take a supplement it should be taken along with the other B vitamins
11. if you are #1 or #2 it is suggested that when you have blood work done that it include testing for your B-12 level
12. i like to think that we can get all of our nutritional needs from the food that we eat but that is not always possible. i also didn't know that after 50 our bodies can't absorb this vitamin very easily.  this is also a concern for many elderly people who are very likely lacking vit. b-12, something easily corrected that may have an impact on their quality of life

Hemp- Plant Superfood

i'll get right to the point and if you're interested in some other aspects of hemp you can continue reading below. hemp is a superfood because it provides all of the essential amino acids making it one of the best plant based sources of protein. it is also a great source of balanced, essential fatty acids as well as fiber, minerals, vit. e, iron and gamma linolenic acid. on average 1 1/2 tbls. contain 5 grams of protein. those people who are lactose sensitive should think of using hemp protein powder as it is very easy to digest- unlike whey protein. it is also available as an oil although like evoo it should not be used with high heat and it should be refrigerated once opened. i add the hemp protein powder to many baked goods, shakes and my morning oatmeal.  if you haven't tried it yet you might give it a try.
    why have i included these photos? two very different products but both made from hemp. it is estimated that hemp has been grown for over 12,000 years and during colonial times it was a required crop because of its usage in ropes and especially sails. today more than 25,000 products use hemp in their production although in america there is still all the fuss about its close relative.  need i say more? there are so many benefits to this plant including the facts that it can supply more fiber per acre than wood,  is a better plant for fabric than cotton as cotton needs huge amounts of pesticides and hemp fabrics even block out more uv rays than cotton.  over all it is better for the environment and us. a super plant and a super food.

Re: Sugar

ever hear of the non-profit group global energy balance network? sounds like something to do with global warming, oil or getting more electricity to those places that are under served. NO its not. simply put this group is funded by the soda industry to expand on their message  that sugary drinks are not bad for us (might even be considered a snack food) nor do they play a role in the obesity epidemic. a lot of money is also going to politicians, lobbyists and even scientists (who claim to be impartial) so that added taxes and other regulations should not be imposed on this industry. they claim that there is no problem with sugary drinks- the problem is that we don't exercise enough. if we all just did more exercise there would be no obesity epidemic. who cares about calories anyway?
    of course i am all for exercise and many of us, including children  do not get enough. but to lose weight exercise is only part of the equation and not the largest part. being aware of calories, portion control and limiting  those foods that have no nutritional value is whats needed to lose weight in conjunction with an exercise program.
     so if you hear any messages from the global energy balance network just remember where they are really coming from.