Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Calorie Count on Menus?
Sunday, December 6, 2009
HOT Yoga
"a series of postures practiced in a heated room. The series works to stretch, strengthen and tone the muscles while detoxifying the body and calming the mind."
Classes In The Hot Studio
Come to class on an empty stomach, and avoid coffee before class. Try not to eat any heavy meals 2 - 3 hours before practicing, and arrive well hydrated!
Please arrive 20-35 minutes prior to class time. Latecomers are not permitted.
- Yoga mat
- Beach-sized towel
- Re-usable water bottle [ our taps are filtered]
- Another towel if you would like to shower after class at the studio
- Wear minimal clothing, whatever you feel comfortable with [keep in mind that the room is heated and you will sweat).
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Christmas and Holiday Survival
- Don't go to a party hungry: Make sure to eat something before going out, so that don't overeat. When you are hungry you tend to eat more, faster.
- Watch your portions: Treat yourself to a drink and dessert, but watch your portions. Eating smaller portions allows you to sample more.
- Limit high fat items: Try to avoid fried, cream-based, cheese-filled, and processed foods as well as eggnog.
- Limit alcohol: Try to stay away from beer, cider, Bailey, and Kahula. Try dry wine, Bloody Mary's or spirits with diet soda.
- Drink Plenty of water: coffee and alcohol can dehydrate your body.
- Physical Activity: Take walks with loved-ones to burn off some of those calories.
Monday, November 30, 2009
SAD
SAD is caused by a biochemical imbalance in the hypothalamus due to the shortening of daylight hours and the lack of sunlight in winter. For many people SAD is a seriously disabling illness, preventing them from functioning normally without continuous medical treatment.
There are many people suffering from this disorder, without even knowing it. So it's important to know and recognize the symptoms of SAD, such as:
Depression
- Low mood, worse than and different from normal sadness
- Negative thoughts and feelings
- Guilt and loss of self-esteem
- Sometimes hopelessness and despair
- Sometimes apathy and inability to feel
Sleep Problems
- The need to sleep more
- A tendency to oversleep
- Difficulty staying awake during the day and/or disturbed sleep with
very early morning wakening
Lethargy
- Fatigue, often incapacitating, making it very difficult or impossible to carry out normal routines
Over Eating
- Craving for carbohydrates and sweet foods leading to an increase in weight
Cognitive Function
- Difficulty with concentration and memory
- The brain does not work as well, or as quickly
Social Problems
- Irritability
- Finding it harder to be with people
Anxiety
- Tension
- Stress is harder to deal with
Loss of Libido
- Less interest in sex and physical contact
Sudden Mood Changes in Spring
- Sharp change in mood
- Some experience agitation and restlessness and/or a short period of
hypomania (over activity) - No dramatic mood change but a gradual loss of winter symptoms
There are many treatments for this disorder. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms make sure to talk to your doctor.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Twitter!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
To tan or not to tan?
Last week my friend Camille Dupas did a presentation about the tanning controversy going on that stated the radiation from tanning beds is a carcinogen. Her presentation got me thinking about whether or not I should be tanning indoors. I worked at Fabutan Sun Tan Studios for four years while I was in high school and university. While I was working there I obviously tanned indoors regularly.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Stress Relief
Everyday we are confronted with stressful situations that release the stress response in our bodies. The stress response floods your body with chemicals that prepare you for either flight or fight. The stress response is useful in emergency situations, but can wear your body down if it's constantly activated.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Effects of Poor Nutrition:
So why should you care about your health and diet choices? Because poor nutrition effects your health in many ways such as:
· Cuts back your lifespan by a few years depending on how long you make poor diet choices.
· Increases the risk of stroke or heart disease.
· Poisons your liver and kidneys.
· Causes diabetes
· Thyroid dysfunction
· Intestinal problems.
It also affects your life, poor nutrition can effect or lead to:
· Weight gain
· Low self esteem
· Effects you relationships
· Bad moods/depression
· Anxiety and lack of energy.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
· No Time: Students don’t have time to make healthy meals in between their school, part-time jobs, and homework. So they resort to fast food, unhealthy snacks, and quick fixes.
· Unhealthy Options: Students are surrounded with cafeteria’s, vending machines, and convenience stores all carrying unhealthy snacks and foods.
· Exhaustion and stress: Constantly on the go, tired, and stressed-out students rely on high calorie sugary snacks, coffee, and energy drinks to give them a boost.
· Chaotic schedules: Students don’t have a organized and constant schedule or routine. Every semester your schedule changes on top of that you have to fit in your work schedule, random assignments, social and family events.
Tips and Tricks to improving your diet.
- Eat a healthy breakfast: it helps concentration and helps you from overeating or getting cravings for the rest of the day
- Take multivitamins.
- Drink plenty of water: Most people mix up thirst for hunger. If you feel hungry and
- just ate? It probably means that you are dehydrated so drink water throughout the day.
- Opt for the low-calorie, low fat, and vegetarian options available around campus
- Keep low fat and low calorie snacks in your locker or bag to keep energized throughout the day and to help you stop your cravings.
- Manage you portion sizes: the fist rule
- Avoid binge drinking: it makes you gain weight.
- Limit late-night pig outs, fast food, and emotional eating.
- Don’t skip meals: so you don’t overcompensate on your next meal.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Symptoms of Stress
- Feeling overwhelmed, irritable, impatient or pessimistic
- Having trouble waking up in the morning even if you went to sleep early.
- Feeling tired after exercise, instead of energized.
- Feeling too wired to fall asleep.
- Developing allergies, skin rashes, hives, and acne.
- Your body temperature feels off balance such as cold feet and hands, or hot flashes.
- Feeling too tired to do anything involving going out of the house.
- Dark circles under your eyes.
- Gaining weight and craving salty and sugary foods.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Stress Management
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Sneezing and Coughing Etiquette
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Rev up your Metabolism
Today on the Dr. Oz show there was a segment on ways to boost your metabolism. Some of these tips really surprised me and made think of burning fat in a new way.Dr. Oz explained that people with high metabolisms burn more calories than people with a low metabolism. The goal is to have the calories you eat match the calories you burn or it gets stored as fat.
Here are 3 ways to boost your metabolism:
1. Exercise with less intensity
Yes, you read that right. According to Dr. Oz, the body needs energy during intense exercise so it goes for the more easily metabolized foods like carbs. To burn fat, you need to exercise more often and with less intensity. This really shocked me because I always believed that the harder you worked out the more fat you burned.
2. Drink coffee and green tea
I have heard many times that coffee is not healthy for you, but caffeine does speed up your metabolism.
3. Eat Spicy Food
Foods like red peppers, cayenne, jalapeƱos, habaneros,and tabasco can boost your metabolism for up to three hours after a meal. Spicy food can also decrease your appetite.