Sleep

February 6, 2012 By Denise Leave a Comment

Beautiful sleep

My dogs have no guilt about taking a nap whatsoever. Right in the middle of the day. Heck, in the middle of the morning. The warm spot on the couch or chair, in the sun, snoring away with abandon. And while yes, they are lazy, they are also intuitive and smart. Just like they know clothes do not make the man, they know that sleep is essential for us to function.

No significant physical change can happen in our bodies without enough sleep. There. I said it. This crazy “I only need four hours of sleep!” as some sort of bragging right needs to stop. There is no moral superiority for those who manage to get by on less sleep, and research shows time and again that they are no more productive, actually they are less productive, than those who get enough. Whew.

When I look at research about sleep, the cut-off for sufficient sleep is seven hours. That’s right. Less than seven hours a night is officially sleep deprivation. People who get less than seven hours a night get sick almost three times as much as those who get eight hours or more. Yes, that’s three times, an increase of 300%.

Why? Good question. Sleep is when our body heals itself, repairs tissue damage from the day, and detoxes itself. Sleep is when our neurons organize that happened to us during the day and file it into long-term memory. Sleep is when our stress hormones are turned off and our metabolism resets itself.

When it is dark our bodies produce the hormone melatonin, which makes us sleepy. Melatonin is also a powerful antioxidant, fighting chronic inflammation and repairing damage to our cells’ DNA so that when those cells divide they make new healthy cells. Damaged DNA leads to cells becoming cancerous. Chronic inflammation leads to heart disease and diabetes. Melatonin also helps protect nerve tissue in the brain from the protein damage that leads to Alzheimer’s Disease. It can also prevent headaches from forming the next day.

So why don’t we just take melatonin in a pill and get on with staying up half the night? It doesn’t work that way. Researchers are not sure why, but getting the melatonin in a pill helps us for only about three months, then it stops working so well. And while melatonin is a powerful hormone, it is not the only benefit of sleep.

We crave carbohydrates throughout the day when we are tired. We all know what this means to our waistlines, not to mention our blood sugar and cholesterol. The stress that causes our bodies to hold onto fat in case we need to flee or survive a famine is turned off when we are asleep. Most of us desperately need this, especially if our days allow for very little de-stress time. And our failing memories need sleep. We need to remember our stories so we can tell our grandchildren.

Our over-caffeinated, sleep deprived bodies need us all to go to bed. There is no honor in not sleeping, only a lack of creativity and good judgement. Did you know that if you get less than six hours a night you will be impaired when driving your car? It’s like driving under the influence of alcohol. Sorry if I seem a little preachy – I’ve got a bee in my bonnet.

If you think you can’t possibly leave something undone, stop it. Lots of us lead perfectly happy lives with a few dust bunnies under the couch and our clothes a little wrinkled. Look over your day, and there will be things that don’t have to be done, or at least don’t have to be done by you.

If you are trying to change your eating habits for the better, and start an exercise habit, sleep is essential. Changing our habits is hard, and tired brains do not do it well. Neither do tired bodies. And getting sick? It doesn’t help anyone.

So go to bed early tonight, and find a way to sleep as late as you need to at least one morning a week. Try to get at least 7.5 hours a night – that’s five complete 90-minute sleep cycles. A few days of this and you will be amazed at how productive you become.

Filed Under: Eating Unawares, Fighting Cancer, General, Health, Healthy Weight, Train the Brain

Keep Calm and Carry On

January 23, 2012 By Denise Leave a Comment

Many people I’ve been talking with lately are feeling like they have been knocked down and can’t get up. Between the holidays, family issues, health problems, work (or lack of work), and life-in-general hardness, weight has crept back up and it is easy to slide down that slippery slope into hopelessness.

I’ve been there, and here’s a way out. Actually, you have probably been there before, too, and found a way out, around, or above.

In November my sweet Shih Tzu, Whisper, was diagnosed with Lymphoma. This was not only heartbreaking in itself, but brought up a lot of sad memories from losing my husband George (may his memory be eternal) to cancer 12 years ago. Like a sucker punch to the stomach. Then we all got the flu. Sequentially. By then we were way behind on preparation for the holidays. Craziness, lots of take-out, zero exercise, restless sleep. Not a pretty picture.

Because I’ve been there before, and getting people out of this is what I do for a living, I made a plan. Actually, not a formal plan, just a few grasps at what I knew would help. My Christmas list included a gift certificate for my favorite yoga studio (Core Power Yoga - thanks Jeff!) and a Vitamix. (These are not affiliate links, just FYI.) We have burned through three Magic Bullets and it was time to step up to the big boy of blenders. Now I had what I needed to get some exercise and green smoothies, both of which are essential for me to be my best self. Along with the joy of opening presents! And doing something positive leads to better sleep, more energy to cook at home, and way less stress.

Whisper, now in remission, and very happy

While my exercise and smoothies made absolutely no difference to Whisper, now she is in remission and doing well. She credits the french fries we got after chemo and all the extra treats. Just thought you’d want to know.

So, here’s what you do when life sucker punches you:

Think about what you need to be your best. Usually sleep is at the top of the list, so do what you need to do (record Castle and Hawaii Five-O) to get at least seven, and even better eight hours a night. I mean it, you are making yourself very vulnerable to every virus that comes around if you are exhausted. That doesn’t help anybody.

Next, think about what type of movement your body really likes. Don’t worry about how quickly it will take off the pounds, just get your body moving with whatever feels good. For me, hot yoga – actually warm yoga – is the ticket. I thought I would hate it, but I love it. So whether it is walking, swimming, dance, yoga, Zumba, Tai Chi, it doesn’t matter. Just do it and feel good.

Now get some green veggies on your plate. Nourish your body so it can heal itself from the stress (or the flu) and give you a dose of energy every day. Start taking care of yourself, even if it seems like there is no time, and you will find yourself able to accomplish so much more. Put on a pot of magic bean soup, toss a salad, and be comforted.

Nourish you soul as well. Family time, relationship time, YOU time. Even 10 minutes can make a big difference in how you feel. Especially if it helps you avoid checking out with a bag of Chips Ahoy or a pint of New York Fudge Brownie. I’m not giving you links to those.

Treat yourself the way you would treat your best friend, or your child. With kindness, compassion and love. It is the only thing that works. Baby step by baby step, you can make it. And then you can lead the ones you love.

Filed Under: Fun in the Kitchen, Happiness, Health, Healthy Weight

Nourishment

January 9, 2012 By Denise Leave a Comment

As this new year gets going, many of us are struggling with the resolve to lose our extra weight. Or just overcome the cravings for junk, sweets, bread and cheese, cute shoes, etc. And it is really hard.

Our bodies do not like this kind of change, and we are obviously getting something we need from filling these cravings. Energy, in the form of sugar. Salt, which we need when we are stressed and anxious (our bodies use it to make cortisol). Bread and cheese, to calm us down and give us a little hit of feel-good. Shoes, well we don’t really need to go there.

The trick to changing these habits is to really nourish our bodies. We are getting plenty of calories, but not enough nutrients. And our bodies will crave more food until we have all the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants we need.

So, instead of beating ourselves up for giving in to these very strong cravings, lets try giving ourselves the nourishment we need. This nourishment comes in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans – you get the idea. Colorful, natural, whole and delicious foods.

After a few days of truly nourishing yourself, you will find those cravings a lot easier to shake. They will turn from strong yearnings to just habits.

Remember the other ways our bodies need nourishment: sleep, exercise, sunlight, and touch. Getting plenty of those will nourish not only your body but your soul. And our souls need nourishment, too.

So prep some salad greens, grab some veggies and fruits at the market, and plan a few home-cooked meals for the next week. Once you start thinking about food in terms of nourishment for yourself and your family, instead of the enemy of your waistline, this whole thing gets easier. If you want an easy plan, sign up for the 10 habits on the right side of this page. It will get you started - quick and painless.

Just think how great next year will be, when none of your resolutions have anything to do with your thighs.

Filed Under: Eating Unawares, Health, Healthy Weight, Train the Brain

Happy, Happy New Year!

December 31, 2011 By Denise Leave a Comment

The book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol S Dweck, Ph.D., may change the way you see the world, and yourself. It did for me. Recommended to me by my good friend Michele Woodward, this book shows how powerful a learning, or growth, mindset can be. And as I decide whether or not I will be setting a New Years Resolution this year – they never seem to last – I am using this book to make ones that actually have a shot at coming to pass.

See, our usual resolutions, to get fit, lose weight, eat right, etc. don’t leave much room for trial and error. They impose a do it perfectly or don’t bother attitude onto us. This sets most of us up for failure, every time.

So here’s how to set yourself up for success:

Make resolutions you want to keep for you. No one else, not because you think you should. Stuff you really want to do.
Make those resolutions learning ones.

See, the resolution to eat right, or stick to a diet, is difficult and not especially fun. The resolution This Year I Will Learn How to Cook Vegetables Deliciously sounds much more fun and doable, right? It allows for trial and error, doesn’t assume you will be perfect from the start. You can take a few cooking classes, check out a few cookbooks from the library, and experiment. By the end of the year, you will have learned a new skill, and gotten healthier in the process. Probably even lost some weight and made it much easier to stick with a diet, if you are even still interested in that.

Instead of This Year I Will Exercise Five Days a Week, make it This Year I Will Learn Which Exercise My Body Likes. You should try many different activities until one or two really suit you. If you don’t love Zumba, it is not your fault, it just isn’t the one your body likes. Try something else and see how it feels. Because really, the best exercise is the one you want to do. Then, resolve to Learn How to Fit My Fun Fitness into My Schedule. Way more fun.

Or This Year I Will Learn How to Cook for Myself. This Year I Will Learn How to Plan Menus for Cooking at Home. This Year I Will Learn How to Make My Health a Priority. That’s actually a big one, and we can break it down into smaller pieces.

Or how’s this: This Year I Will Learn How Making Small Changes Each Day Affects My Health. Could be a really fun experiment.

Many Happy Resolutions to You. I can’t wait to see where we all are this time next year, and what we have all learned.

A coach is the fastest way to learn, so if learning how to eat more healthfully is on your resolutions list, click the Consultations tab above and lets get you started.

Filed Under: General

Holiday Special Package

November 18, 2011 By Denise Leave a Comment

You know those extra few pounds we all seem to put on each year? The ones that hang around until next year, when we gain another few? We gain 90% of those during the Holiday Season. Makes those Holidays not quite so happy, yes?

I have a solution that will actually work. No empty promises, just proven strategies to get the job done.

Imagine, not needing to put lose weight on your list of New Year’s Resolutions, because it will already be happening. No need to worry about lowering your cholesterol and blood sugar, either. We’ll take care of that.

Best of all, you will still enjoy your Holidays. You can have your favorites, enjoy your parties, and bake for your family. All you need are a few strategies and a really good plan.

If you would like to start next year in better health than you started this year, this plan was made for you.

This package is limited to 12 people or couples. So sign up now and don’t lose your spot.

Filed Under: Healthy Weight Tagged With: diet, eating, holiday, lose, nutrition, plan, weight

Monday Swap #6: Baked Apples

November 14, 2011 By Denise Leave a Comment

photo by MKucova at istockphoto

Baked Apples for Apple Pie

Fall is here in all its glory, and one of the best things about it is the fabulous selection of apples at the market. They are fresh, smell fantastic, taste terrific, and are so good for us. Full of nutrients, especially quercitin, which helps keep our bronchial passages healthy.

While that may seem like justification to indulge in apple pie, the fat and refined flour in the crust and sugar and butter in the filling take a healthy apple and drag it down. Now, I’m all for a special dessert now and then, and if someone you love made you their famous apple pie please enjoy a piece. But for everyday type desserts, try baked apples instead. They are easy, delicious, and pretty much guilt free. Also gluten free!

Here’s how to make them:

Heat oven to 350 F

Core apples, and peel a strip or two off the stem end, slice a little off the bottom if they won’t stand up.

Place in a pie pan, or baking pan that will hold the apples upright.

Sprinkle apples inside core and over the top with cinnamon and sugar – I like a 2:1 ratio of sugar to cinnamon

Stuff core with raisins and chopped nuts – dried cranberries are also good

Pour about a cup, depending on how many you are making, of apple cider in the pan and bake for about 45-50 minutes, until a knife can be inserted easily into apples. Do not overbake, or they will fall apart. It is good to baste them every so often, too, so the tops stay nice and moist.

*You can put them in the oven when you take dinner out, they will be ready when you are done eating, and they can keep warm for a while, too.

Your house will smell heavenly!

Enjoy!

Some people have had success making these in the microwave. They seem to take about 5 minutes, your timing may vary. Let me know if this works for you.

Filed Under: Fun in the Kitchen, General, Gluten Free, Health, Healthy Weight, Monday Swap, Recipes Tagged With: apple pie, baked apples, diet, gluten free, health, healthy, healthy dessert

Eating Vitamin C Prevents Colds

November 10, 2011 By Denise Leave a Comment

Yes, you read that right. A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, August 2011, found that women who ate Vitamin C rich foods on average 60 times per month – that is twice a day – had a 45% lower risk of developing an Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (cold, flu, bronchitis, etc.) Yes, their risk was cut almost in half!

There was no significant reduction in risk with supplements of Vitamin C in women. In men it was the opposite, and the researchers’ theory is that the intake of Vitamin C from food in the men studied was so low that only large amounts from supplements helped. It seemed too few ate enough Vitamin C rich foods to make a difference.

Why was food better than supplements for women? If you’ve been hanging out here for a while, or if you have taken my Cancer Class, you know why. Smarties! Vitamins, especially the antioxidant ones like A, C and E, play better with others. Meaning, the foods rich in these vitamins are also rich in complementary nutrients that make the vitamins work better, and you just don’t get all those complementary nutrients in a supplement.

So which foods are rich in Vitamin C? Veggies can be eaten cooked or raw, fruit can be fresh or frozen. They are all good.

Asparagus
Bell peppers – all colors, especially orange and red
Berries – again, all kinds
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Citrus fruits and juices
Kale
Papaya

I’ve made a handy checklist for you to put on your fridge, or wherever you like. Download it here.

You may notice that these foods are also high in other nutrients. Funny how that works, isn’t it?

Work two of these foods into your diet each day, and you will see more healthy days this Winter. There is also some evidence that you will recover faster if you do catch a cold if you eat plenty of Vitamin C rich foods.

Another bonus: these foods will make your skin look fantastic since they are also high in other antioxidant vitamins, not to mention very figure-friendly.

Filed Under: Fighting Cancer, General, Health, Healthy Weight, Research News Tagged With: colds, healthy eating, preventing colds, preventing flu, vitamin c

Holidaying #1

November 7, 2011 By Denise Leave a Comment

I’m here to answer your holiday health questions, so ask away!

Q:

I am invited to a lot of dinner parties where dinner will be served at eight. I usually eat dinner at six, so by the time I arrive at the party I am starving. I eat and drink too much, too fast, and end up not enjoying the party as much as I would like. After a few of these shindigs, my party clothes get a little too tight, too. What is the solution?

-Popular on the Potomac

A:

Hello Popular, I can absolutely help you! This is common, since it is so fashionable to eat later, and weekday hostesses need some time after work to get everything ready.

If you are coming from your home, eat a good salad at your usual dinner time. You’ll get a good serving or two of veggies, which are usually in short supply at holiday parties, and will be ready to eat but not starving when you get to your party. Skip the cheese or creamy dressings, though, they can make your breath less than fresh.

If you are going straight from work to the party, a few nuts and an apple are a perfect pre-party snack. They take the edge off, without making you feel bloated or giving you dragon breath. Dried fruit in trail mix can stick in your teeth, and see above for cheese. Crackers or cookies just make your blood sugar spike then plummet, right around party time.

When you get to the party, have a non-alcoholic drink first. Quenching thirst with alcohol leads to too much drinking, and drinking on an empty stomach leads to embarrassing, intoxicated episodes. We’ve all seen it happen, and its not pretty.

Eat the veggies that are served, along with your regular portion sizes of anything else. Pay attention to how full you are – eating too much or too fast can lead to heartburn. Most of all, enjoy the party! Eating well most of the time during the holidays means you can indulge in your hosts’ special dishes without guilt.

Hope this helps! What do you all do when parties through you off schedule?

Filed Under: Eating Unawares, General, Happiness, Health, Healthy Weight Tagged With: diet, holidays, party, weight loss

Monday Swap #5: Veggie Ground “Beef”

November 7, 2011 By Denise Leave a Comment

If you’ve never tried substituting veggie crumbles for ground beef, or haven’t had success, read on. When you make a few adjustments to the recipe, you really can’t tell the difference. And you can save yourself from a ton of saturated fat and cholesterol while enjoying some foods you thought may have been off limits. And veggie crumbles don’t have to be defrosted before using, which is great if you decide at the last minute to make chili.

Here’s the deal with veggie ground crumbles, you need to use them in something where the ground meat is in a sauce – like chili or spaghetti sauce. You will be unhappy using them for meatloaf. I’ve tried the Morningstar Farms and Yves brands, and they both were good.

To make a successful sway, you will want to add more liquid to the recipe – start with adding 1/2 the liquid again, and go from there. You will also need to add a little oil, like plain olive oil or canola oil, for the texture. And lastly, you will want to bump up the earthy spices in the recipe, like oregano and cumin.

This is our favorite chili – it is guilt-free and absolutely delicious. I took The Pioneer Woman’s chili recipe and made it veggie. If you don’t tell, I won’t tell, and no one will even suspect you swapped out the ground beef. Once they taste it, you won’t have to hide the wrapper.

Veggie Chili

1 onion, chopped

1 Tbs. olive oil (not extra virgin) or canola-type oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed

1 Tbs. ground cumin – generous

2 tsp. dried oregano

2 Tbs. chili powder

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper – or to taste, depending on how spicy your chili powder is and how you like your chili

2 packages of veggie crumbles, about 12 oz each

1 14-15oz can tomato sauce, no salt added if you can find it

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 cup masa or corn flour, you can use fine ground corn meal if that’s all you can find

2 15oz cans of beans – I like kidney, pinto or black beans – drained and rinsed

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilis, like RoTel

1. Heat oil in a dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat, and saute onion until translucent

2. Add garlic, spices and veggie crumbles, and saute until blended and veggie crumbles are hot

3. Add tomato sauce, swish out can with some water to get the rest, pour it in and bring to a low boil

4. Cover the pot and simmer about 20 minutes to meld the flavors

5. Mix the masa with 1/2 cup of water, and add to chili; let simmer uncovered a few minutes

6. Add beans and tomatoes, heat through

7. Enjoy chili with your favorite toppings, like grated cheese or red onion or avocado!

Experiment with these crumbles, and you may never go back to ground beef again – think about it, those days of draining all that yucky fat from the pan into an old coffee can can be behind you! Along with a healthy heart, a smaller backside, and a happy family.

Filed Under: Fun in the Kitchen, General, Healthy Weight, Monday Swap, Recipes

Monday Swap #4: Lollipops for chocolate

October 31, 2011 By Denise Leave a Comment

In the Halloween spirit, we’ll do a candy swap this week. If you want to minimize the damage done by all the Halloween candy, swap lollipops for chocolate. While they are both sugar bombs, the lollipop takes longer to eat and has fewer calories.

Yes, I know, dark chocolate is full of antioxidants. And that is true. It is good in moderation.

Since when is Halloween about good-quality chocolate in moderation?

So, since Halloween is all about quantity over quality, stick with the lollipops. One can last for a good 15 minutes and satisfy your sweet tooth. Neither of those can be said about a fun-size Snickers bar.

And kids actually like lollipops, so you aren’t the bad house on the block for handing them out – the kids don’t know they are better for them than M&Ms. If you need some chocolate, get the ones with the Tootsie Roll in the middle. Still less dangerous that a bag of fun-size Hershey bars.

Happy Halloween!

Filed Under: General, Monday Swap