Swim in Style!

My two most favorite things shoes and swimming! I want a pair for my wall! Genius!

Fat free tip!

Sometimes fat free products and low fat products are even worse for you so be careful and read your labels. When they take fat out they put sugar "in"! Things like peanut butter-fat free? Don't do it, they take out fat and add sugar and sweeteners, peanut butter is healthy fat, good protein and less sugar than what they add in, which chamges the taste anyway and NOT FOR THE BETTER. Other examples include low fat and no fat yogurt (huge culprits) gluten free foods and many cereals. So read your labels, less preservatives, less added sugars, less words you don't understand and you'll make healthier choices!

A short story of 1 or 2 degrees of greatness!

With who you wonder? While sitting by the side of the pool one morning with my friend Steve waiting for the lanes to clear we began a discussion about proper swim strokes and where and when we learned to swim. Myself? at the age of 1 in my Uncle Jerry's pool in Miami Fla where I grew up then learned all 4 strokes on the swim team as a little girl with practices every morning before school at 6am at the University of Miami pool with Olympians practicing with and next to me! Steve? well he said he never really learned just thought the lake looked so great he jumped in and kinda figured it out. This escalated to how the strokes have changed over the years since i learned them and how Diana Nyad had to change her stroke after all these years in order to protect her shoulder for her most recent swim and i had always thought that her stroke looked a bit like mine but not anymore. Then Steve says "well you know who taught me my stroke" and i said "i thought you didn't learn" and he said "well i learned years later,....BY DIANE NYAD!!!!!!" I yelled OMG so loud! WHAT? HOW THE HELL DID THAT HAPPEN??? Well, my mother used to live in the Cafe des Artists building (in NYC) and every once in a while i would go to use the pool in the basement and and one day there was a woman there too and she told me my stroke was wrong and taught me how to do it right! WHAT?! OMG! and the other day I am so honored to report Diana herself responded to a tweet of mine! So THANKS! to Diana from Steve and from me cause its not often that you find someone you can share a lane with and not wanna kill! and I know that's partly because of you Diana! P.S. On another morning my same friend Steve (clearly touched by greatness 2x), says to me "you're a Pilates instructor right?" and i said yes and he says "when i was a kid I had bad posture and my mother send me to a man named JOSEPH PILATES!!!!!!" but that's a whole other story!

Quick tip for women and stroke risk

A study by Aedin Cassidy out of the United Kingdom of over 69,000 women over 14 years showed that those who ate high levels of flavanones found in oranges, grapefruit and other citrus fruits were at 19% lower risk for ischemic stroke. (Always speak with your Dr. first as grapefruit can interfere with many medications) So, easy to carry and no utensils necessary don't forget your citrus fruit!

Healthy Brain Tips

Brain specialist Dr. Daniel G Amen studies how the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is crucial regarding mental sharpness and memory. He says "healthful habits" effect the PFC and people with healthful habits have less damage to myelin (fatty protective coating on brain cells) and have better blood circulation in the brain improving thinking and memory. Protect the PFC by 1. Watch alcohol intake-although reduces risk for heart attack it can do damage to the brain so limit to no more than 2 or 3 drinks per week, if approved to forgo the specific cardio benefits. 2. Watch your omega-6's because of corn and veg oil, red meats and processed foods many people get too many 6's which can be harmful to the brain, focus more on omega-3's which have the anti-inflammatory qualities, aim for 3:1 ratio higher being the 3's. 3. Watch your weight! People who are obese or have a BMI of 25% or higher can have brain shrinkage and can have about 8% less brain tissue than normal weight adults. 4. Sleep! I've said it before and I'll say it again! Those who don't sleep well or much, have higher risks of cognitive declines and 5. Yet AGAIN! (and you know who you are) WATER! the brain is 80% water already, so when your dehydrated....well enough said, unless you are dehydrated now and don't remember....it can lower your cognition and judgment! Stay healthy!

A HABIT TIP

A new book "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg looks at how the brain is connected to habitual behaviors and how we can work to adjust it. A habit starts from a cue to a routine and ultimately a reward. Connecting this to your health can be helpful when making healthy choices and working towards healthy goals. He says the #1 wrong way to start a good habit is to focus on a long term reward when "it will never outweigh a sugar rush." By taking the focus "off" of the routine and onto the cue and reward especially the instant reward "not how you'll look in 3 months" the adjustment can become a reality in many cases. What is your cue to a bad habit? And how can you adjust that cue and reward to benefit a good routine instead of a negative one?

Sleep better and keep your weight at bay

Studies find that being overtired and sleepy can cause up to an excess of 550 added calories taken in. The connection between sleep and food is complex but our bodies need food "and" sleep, and many times when we are overtired our bodies mistake that for being hungry and in turn we reach for fuel. Remember a few things, "when" we eat is also connected to "how" we sleep and that affects what our bodies do with the calories, if they are eaten to close to sleep time it can affect our weight by turning those calories into fat instead of burning them off. Our bodies are meant to heal during sleep, cognitive abilities improve with proper amounts of sleep and you'll have a longer lifespan and less stress! So focus as much on the importance of your sleep as you do on your waking hours during the day and you'll have more days to live for!
And in case you haven't seen here's another chance to recognize a "contributer"! http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Pilates-Volume-Candice-Weaver/dp/1470018969/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334527664&sr=8-1

Straighten your arms and legs and get more out of your workout!

Range of motion is one of the most important parts of exercising. More muscles fibers are recruited, the stronger you'll be and the longer leaner looking muscles you'll acquire. Any leg or arm exercise and yes that includes, bicep curls, dips, leg extensions, push ups and on and on, always make sure to straighten the limb so that every single repetition you begin at 0 and then move to the position your joints can handle such as 90degrees at the knee but ALWAYS go back to a straight position. Take a look at dancers, swimmers or hurdlers (you know I start to get a little nuts when the Olympics are around the corner so get ready for weeks of references!) they all have longer muscles because their art/sport requires full range of motion in order to achieve more. Dancers-range of motion=higher extension and more flexibility, Swimmers-arm reach enables a longer pull to the stroke and lets not forget Michael Phelps wouldn't have hit the wall first 4 years ago in the butterfly if he hadn't reached his greatest range of motion and Hurdlers-flexibility and extension of that front let and adductors (split ability) makes for a wider longer jump. So keep it in mind during exercise this week, ROM range of motion is crucial to a healthier and stronger you!

Some extra quick tips today! fitness and skin help!

Here is a great article on 3 health habits NOT to do! Involving tap water, and the ability to understand and not get tricked by food nutritional labels. Take a quick read and you can change your health as soon as you get up today! These Foolish Things: 3 Health Habits That Seem "Pure" But Aren't
And
Here is another quick tip for another awesome health habit that's cheap! and has been used since almost the end of time! ha! Vasoline the secret to Ageless Skin! Check it out!
Happy health today!

Keeping your heart healthy by just getting up!

A study of over 4000 adults over a 4 year period published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology shows that along with exercise, getting up and avoiding sitting idle has big benefits. Those studied who sat in front of a computer screen or TV for 4 or more hours a day were 48% more likely to die during the study "regardless" of how much they exercised. The study also showed other types of cardio problems were two times as likely to occur in adults who spent at least 2 hrs a day sitting idle compared to those who had less than 2 hours. So! get up either at work or at home, walk to the bathroom, get in a habit if you work at a desk to equate standing up every hour in order to hydrate, ie: you'll break up the idle sitting and remember to hydrate your body as a reward all at the same time!