Health

I Got Your Sports Drink.....Right HERE
(Unless you're a marathon runner) Of the 3 major electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium), the only one that actually gets depleted when you work out is sodium.  You're better off eating a large pickle after a workout.  If you exercise for less than 3-4 hours, magnesium and potassium loss is negligible.  If you're trying to lose weight, you don't need the extra calories and sugar in the sports drink.  And you for sure don't need the artificial colors/flavors, no one does.  I opt for coconut water.  By now we know we have to read labels.  A 16 oz tetrapak of coconut water has 4 simple natural ingredients, compared to any ade, which has at least 13 ingredients, among them aspartame, artificial colors/flavors, and some chemicals that you can't pronounce.  And by the way, splenda, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, nutrasweet- it don't matter!  It's all the same and it's all BAD!



 This is my salad to go.  I was in a rush but I'm trying to eat healthier.  Mine's got:
chopped black olives
drizzle of olive oil
sprinkle of crushed red peppers
carrots
green bell pepper
whole green olives
sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
but you could go CRAZY, add whatever you like: mushrooms, little tomatoes, chopped red onion, mozzarella balls…


You don't eat enough raw fruit and vegetables.  I don't eat enough raw fruit and vegetables.  Most people don't.  The USDA recommends 2-4 servings of fruit AND 3-5 servings of vegetables daily.  Not getting enough roughage is the cause of many health issues.  Your doctor prescribes you the little purple pill to make the symptoms go away.  The little purple pill and the like are actually only meant to be taken for a short period of time, not long term.  Did he tell you that?? No.  According to mercola.com, wide use of these drugs has been linked to vitamin deficiencies.  All we have to do is eat more raw fruits and veggies.  But it's hard to get in the habit.  My trainer gave me a tip: every time you get in the car, grab a piece of fruit!  You eat it, you throw the banana peel out the window (try to hit the grass) or the apple core or whatever, the birds love it, you're giving it back to the Earth!  But here I go again with the jars!  You can make a little salad in a jar or mixed fruit.  Now it's portable!  Make several of them on a Sunday evening!  They keep fresh for a week and a half!  ('not kidding!)  And you grab one on the way out the door.  "Get regular and stay regular?"  Ha!



Officially, no one has ANY excuse!  I love this workout, it takes only 7 minutes, as advertised.  AND it requires no props, except a chair.  It will seriously kick your booty!  I modified it a little because I CAN'T do squats properly.  And abdominal crunches just don't do it for me, my tummy needs a much higher level of difficulty. 
Here you can download a diagram and read all about it: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/the-scientific-7-minute-workout/?_r=0.  And here is a link to a timer, which helps you know how long to do each exercise and when to switch/rest: http://www.7-min.com/.  Like I said, it is really hard!  Make sure you:
land softly during: jumping jacks, step up onto chair and high knees running in place.
do pushups slowly, while engaging core.
during squats and lunges, don't let knee go past toes, shin should be perpendicular to floor.
suck in your gut during tricep dips and keep your shoulders back.
suck in your gut during plank to avoid lower back stress.
sweat!



Good morning!  File this one under 'news of the weird': I woke up in the middle of the night and realized that I was def coming down with a cold.  I won't be graphic here but, yeah, all the signs were there.  I felt desperate, I started a new job today of taking care of a 2 month-old, and I knew her mom would not be thrilled to see a coughing, wheezing nanny at her door this morning.  Then I remembered something I had read about putting hydrogen peroxide in your ear.  Not willing to do something like that without a little research, I hobbled over to the computer and googled "hydrogen peroxide in ear" which took me to mercola.com.  The instructions were simple: put a few drops in each ear, one at a time, and leave for a few minutes, then drain.  I'm telling you I'm fine today, and I will forever do this at the first sign of a cold!



If you want to dye your hair, you may consider a henna wash.  The chemicals in commercial hair dyes terrify me (http://blog.lef.org/2012/07/is-your-hair-dye-killing-you.html), and anyway henna is way cheap.  I use Henna Mehendi from the Indian store.  It contains 9 herbs with benefits ranging from prevention of graying to promoting hair growth.  Sounds great, right?  The process takes hours, but well worth it as far as I'm concerned- I just mix up the dye and let it sit over night, then when I put it on my hair, I pop on a shower cap and sew 'til time to rinse!  The instructions say to let the powder soak in water for 2-3 hours.  It is recommended that you soak in black tea for better results, and add a little almond oil, coconut oil, or whatever you have on hand.  Use gloves for applying and also for rinsing (this stuff will dye your hands and your fingernails, and take days to wear off)!  It says to make a "paste" but I bought a Wilton cake decorating bottle from Michael's, and I make it runny.  I am very happy with the results!  Please tell me what you think.





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