Bonanza for a Banana!

My weekday morning routine gets kicked off with a bowl of cereal or toast, with a diced banana (& possibly berries of some sort).  I've always heard from my athletic coaches while growing up, "Eat bananas.... they're one of the best foods to eat prior to working out!"

For those of you who don't necessarily eat bananas frequently, after reading this article, I bet you'll reconsider. When you compare it to an apple, it has FOUR times the protein, TWICE the carbohydrate, THREE times the phosphorus, FIVE times the Vitamin A and Iron, and TWICE the other vitamins and minerals.  It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around.  It's time to change the phrase to "A banana a day, keeps the doctor away!" 

"Article from Facts Gallery"

Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.

But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

DEPRESSION:

According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS:

Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

ANEMIA:

High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

BLOOD PRESSURE:

This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

BRAIN POWER:

200 students at a Twickenham school ( England ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

CONSTIPATION:

High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

HANGOVERS:

One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

HEARTBURN:

Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

MORNING SICKNESS:

Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

MOSQUITO BITES:

Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

NERVES:

Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system..

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

ULCERS:

The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chroniclercases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

TEMPERATURE CONTROL:

Many other cultures see bananas as a 'cooling' fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Beautiful Skin- Add it to your grocery list!

So yes, I'm a bit of a health nut.  Any article I can get my hands on regarding how to maintain a healthy lifestyle, I'll read it.  From feeling less tired and stressed, to fighting off the common cold & illnesses, to looking younger; what you put in your mouth to fuel your body really does make a difference. 

Here's a helpful food facts sheet when it comes to maintaining that gorgeous youthful glow in your skin.  Challenge yourself this week while grocery shopping, to add 4 items below to your cart (if you already don't regularly eat it).   All the items below make for such great fresh ingredients to a bowl of cereal in the morning, to a midday snack, to an ingredient you can add to a dinner course.   

Cheers to a healthy lifestyle & making smarter choices for our skin! 

Winter dryness? Moisturizing is key.

With my recent move to Colorado, the air composition of 18% less oxygen has been the least of my concerns.  Although, I must admit, one of the first days I hit the gym I was huffing and puffing and could definitely tell there is a difference from my accustomed home in flat sea-level Florida.  No wonder they send Olympic athletes here to train!

Besides the oxygen composition difference in the air, living out West comes with the combination of extremely dry weather, with essentially no humidity.  This on one-hand is fabulous, given I'm a gal with curly hair that prefers her long locks to be straightened, but on-the-other, my poor skin has been having a more difficult time transitioning.  I've been lathering on lots of lotion after each shower, but I still felt like it wasn't getting the job done.

After a few different lotion trials, I've found my winter remedy that seems to be working fabulously; Barr-co Lotion.  It's available in a plethora of stores across the USA, from your local Anthropologie, to most health-beauty stores that carry a variety of lotions and soaps.

I wanted to feature this product because it's one I truly feel makes a difference in the winter dry months. Plus, it's an all-natural product and who doesn't love a product that when you're putting it on, you aren't taking the risk of harming yourself with unnatural chemicals?

This Barr-Co. Oatmeal and Shea Butter Lotion is more than 98% natural that contains no parabens or petrochemicals, as well as being a vegan product.

The key ingredients are aloe, purified water, glycerin, safflower oil, oat kernal flour, shea butter, jojoba seed oil, avocado oil, & vitamin E.  It is scented with milk, oatmeal, vanilla and vetiver.

Barr-Co. also offers an entire beauty line, including bath salts, candles, soap, & liquid bubble bath to name a few.  

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What's in your refrigerator?

(A sneak peek into our January 2013 Lawson Refrigerator) 

There's no secret about how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  You've heard the phrase since you were a child, the simplicity of 'diet & exercise'.  I cringe when I hear friends talk about going on a new diet or even look at magazines in the grocery line that always boast about celebrities dropping weight off a 'new found diet' that eliminates an entire food group from your daily routine.  To me, it's more than just a quick diet to allow you to lose weight... it's all about a LIFESTYLE choice.  

Maintaining and incorporating a healthy colorful diet into your daily lifestyle is the key. 

Open up your refrigerator at home and what's inside? Looking inside your refrigerator can truly paint a vivid picture and show you what your daily diet looks like.  And if that picture is full of processed foods and sweets instead of whole-grain options and fruits and vegetables, then it goes without saying that there is room for improvement on your refrigerator report card.

CL Helpful Diet Tips (aka: lifestyle choices i live by): 

1.  To make better choices, be conscious what you put at eye-level in your refrigerator.  These should be things like fruits, vegetables, and snacking options like cottage cheese & yogurt. 

2. Fill your fridge with actual ingredients, not pre-packaged foods.  It's easier than you think to cook from scratch (not to mention cheaper!) You'll only use three to four ingredients and the end result is much healthier than something that is frozen or processed.

3. Make sure your fridge is FULL OF COLOR! This means you should see lots of green, orange, yellow, red, purple, etc.  This makes sure you're getting your daily vitamins in your fresh ingredients and fueling your body with good nutritional food.

4. Add some Smoothies Juices to your refrigerator.  In the hustle-bustle of life, it's always nice to grab a 'to-go' drink from your fridge and know that it's packed full of delicious fruit that are loaded with anti-oxidants that are helping fight free-radicals (cancer causing) from your body! My favorite brand is "Bolt House", as pictured below.  A Bolt House individual juice and an apple makes for a perfect light 'to-go breakfast or lunch on the run'. 

5. Only drink 100% Juice.  This will make sure that the sugars you drink are natural.  I always incorporate Juice in the winter months into my diet to give my immune system that extra boost with it being cold-flu season. 

6. Allow yourself 2 meals a week that are your "cheat meals''. Whether that be pizza on Saturday night or some french fries paired with your sandwich (instead of a side salad or soup).  If you neglect yourself from those items, you're bound to slip off your lifestyle choice of eating healthy and go right back into old habits due to neglecting yourself and cravings of those foods.  So a 'cheat' meal once in a while isn't that bad in retrospect.
7. When shopping at the grocery store try to use the outside perimeter of the store.  That's where all the fresh produce is located.  Everything that's in the middle aisles are always your processed 'boxed' foods.
8. It's all about portion control! As American's we are served the biggest plates.  At your next meal, stick with 1 serving size.
9. Drink a glass of water prior to dinner.  Not only will this help fill up your stomach (so you won't eat as much) but this also will allow for better digestion of your food. 

Cold Play

Exercise Outside to Prevent Winter Weight Gain & Seasonal Blues

by Robert Sullivan

It’s completely understandable: When winter comes and the thermometer bottoms out, you run for the gym and lock yourself to the treadmill, a slave to the circling band of rubber till spring. Because who wants to face frigid conditions?

Well, maybe you’d brave the sleet and snow if you found out that running in the cold was actually good for you, for both body and mind. Evolutionary Biology 101 tells us that our metabolism notches down in frosty weather, and really, who doesn’t sometimes have the urge to hibernate in a cave? But exercising outdoors can keep our internal fires burning at a higher level and prevent the dreaded winter fifteen.  

One of the biggest benefits to cold-weather workouts, however, may be psychological. Studies have long shown that exercise is mood-boosting, but research has also found that working out outside may actually help fight seasonal affective disorder (SAD). The combination of the sun’s antidepressant-like powers and the endorphin-high of exercise can trick your body into believing spring is already here. And then there’s the motivational factor. “It’s a lot easier to run an hour outdoors than it is to run an hour on the treadmill,” says Chris Grover, the head coach of the U.S. cross-country ski team. “There’s more to see, more to do.” Grover views battling the elements, nature’s and mankind’s, as a better workout overall. “If you are outside, there’s going to be a physiological benefit—you’re adjusting your stride, adjusting for curbs, dogs. So you should have all that benefit to your musculature.”

And while it may seem counter­intuitive, in comparison to sweltering heat, cooler temperatures can cause less stress on the machine that is your body: Think about how much tougher it is to cool down than it is to warm up, which is why summer marathons are relatively rare. 

Let’s be straight, though. If you are skating laps around the lake on a crisp 20-degree morning, you have to be careful. William Roberts, M.D., a family and sports-medicine physician in St. Paul (where, climate change notwithstanding, it is cold and dark for nearly six months of the year), prescribes small, practical steps. For starters, warm up indoors, with calisthenics or jogging in place, so your body can focus its energy on locomotion rather than shivering (it’s difficult to do both) when it hits the streets or the cross-country trail.

And, of course, pile on layers of gear. Shells and liners ought to have zippers and vents, to manage heat and wick away perspiration. “Give yourself the ability to de-garment,” says Declan Connolly, Ph.D., director of the University of Vermont’s Human Performance Laboratory. The list goes on: Wear running shoes with a tighter weave to block wind and more cushion for frozen ground.