Juicing — More Benefits

You’ve read about how I love juicing.  The following post was written by my daughter, Kelsey and offers some more insight into the benefits of juicing

If you have worked juicing into your diet consistently, you’ve probably already noticed a change in your body.  That’s because raw foods hold more nutrients than cooked food and eating a nutrient rich diet is better and more effective than fat-free, low-calorie, low carbohydrates, and other trendy and exclusionary attempts to lose weight.

Using a technique known as Kirlian Photography, nutritionists have captured the difference in life force between a piece of broccoli that was steamed (left) and a piece of broccoli that is a raw, “living” organism.  The life force or energy emanating from the raw broccoli is significantly more than the cooked, even though it was only steamed for two minutes!

“Great,” you think, “raw broccoli, that sounds delicious.” —  Don’t sass me yet!  You already know how to juice raw fruits and vegetables together to make a great tasting liquid packed with energy and nutrition (here is just one delicious recipe). Now you can discover how to make solid meals from raw foods and healthy, crunchy and satisfying snacks; ladies and gentleman it is time to invest in a dehydrator.

You can use a dehydrator to make your own banana chips, kale chips (delicious and rather expensive when you buy them already prepared), raw breads, and more. Dehydrators range in price from $40 – $400 depending on your needs.

Checkout this recipe for raw vegan falafel with lemon garlic aioli!

Healthy Restaurant Options

Following is a guest post by Kelsey Duke.  She offers some practical advise for eating out and still eating healthy — not always easy!  As she lives in the DC area, she highlights some DC restaurants.  Here in the Seacoast of New Hampshire, some of my favorites are Blue Moon Evolution and Good Karma Cafe both in Exeter, NH.  What are some health conscious restaurants in your area?

Eating Healthy when Dining Out

Eating at restaurants is an acquired skill. As a publicist for restaurants, I eat out often, which as you can imagine can derail even the most dedicated healthy eater (former vegan here) and cause some serious stress. But there is hope! Common sense says to avoid the fried foods, look for salads and greens, and don’t touch the complementary bread or tortilla chips. But beyond that, restaurants are consciously changing menus to please the more aware consumer.  This past year in food, kale, quinoa and sprouted grains popped up on menus everywhere. Here’s a few other trends that provide hope for the future:

Calorie counts

Recently, some parts of the country have started requiring restaurants to list calorie counts next to menu items. Amongst average diners the general consensus is still, “I don’t want to know.” However, whether they mean to our not, people are choosing healthier options. Dallas Tex-Mex favorite Mi Cocina recently opened a restaurant in Chevy Chase, MD, where they were required by law, for the first time to list calories on menus. “It’s amazing, our biggest sellers in that location are the quinceñera salad (pictured at left)  and the vegetable tamales, which is different from the best selling items in Dallas stores,” says Heather Hancock, Director of Sales and Marketing for Mi Cocina.

Smaller portions:

Here in DC, small portions are a big trend. Don’t expect to save money on these but you may save some room in your stomach. Famed restaurateur José Andrés has several restaurants serving Spanish or Mexican style tapas (worlds of difference between the two). Dim Sum is also becoming ever more popular, a style of Cantonese food prepared as bite-sized or individual portions and traditionally served on small plates or in small steamer baskets (pictured right).

Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options:

With food allergies on the rise (warning sign anyone? Maybe the FDA can explain this but they probably will not tell the public, but I digress), restaurants have started to provide several options for picky diners, on and sometimes off the menu. In Washington DC’s renowned restaurant and wine bar, Ripple, Executive Chef Marjorie Meek-Bradley says of her menu, which changes daily, “I am always sure to keep healthy gluten-free dishes on the menu. I try to do a gluten-free fish option and a meat option as well.”

The other day I went to a restaurant that serves beer, bourbon, and barbeque exclusively, and to my surprise and absolute delight, they had vegan wings, vegan ribs, and BBQ tofu tacos on the menu! Though several veg-friendly restaurants have popped up in the area (my favorite in DC has to be Busboys & Poets), if you can’t find one near you, stick to non-American cuisines like Indian, Chinese, and Vietnamese, which always have several vegetarian options.  America should catch up soon, maybe owhen the government isn’t as full of Monsanto emplyees… and there I go again.

I’d love to hear some of some of your favorite restaurants that offer healthy (maybe even vegetarian and vegan) options!

Have you tried Bikram Yoga?

Following is a guest post written by Kelsey Duke (my daughter) who is a Bikram yoga proponent.  Her experience makes me strongly consider going back to Bikram yoga!

I find myself in the hot room for the first time in over six months, after half a year of inconsistent workouts and trips to the gym. I recently started a new job that requires long hours, happy hours, and fancy dinners that drag on for hours. When I walk in, the heat hits me as soon as I walk in but my brain has been here before, instantly it seeks to shut off the panic mechanism, “you’re okay, this is what you need.”

I lay my mat down strategically in the middle of the room since I’m not new but I’m not entirely ready for this. When class begins with breathing exercises I notice that my breath has become more shallow, my stomach looser and my knees wobbly. “Oh no,” I think to myself. Then “just breathe, you made it to class just do what you can,” a mantra echoed by the yoga teacher.

Then an amazing thing happens, muscle memory. My postures come back, with more balance than before and almost the same depth. My mind is already trained to focus on breathing, listen to the teacher’s constant stream of instruction, and focus my attention and thus all my energy on myself.

When I started this class I thought it would be a good supplement to my workouts, a nice stretch, another way to burn calories. But as I leave with my wet towel and heavy mat, I’m reminded why I need to practice Bikram Yoga more. My mind is clear, my face is radiant, my energy is new and positive thoughts come easily.

For the first time in months my entire being is calm. The worrisome cycle of thoughts, the restless legs, the rash decisions are gone, replaced with a natural, easy peace. “This is why I love it,” I think to myself, “this is how I come to know peace.”

Bandaloop — The Book and the Restaurant

I first read Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins in 1985, shortly after it was published in paperback.  It is the story of Alobar, an ancient king and beet farmer,  who discovers the secret of immortality from the Bandaloop.  I had really enjoyed the book, and I so I kept it all these years.

The book has moved with me 5 times since then, although in the last move remained in a box of old books.  I recently rediscovered the book and put it in a prominent spot on my bookshelf as I remembered that I loved the book and thought someday I’d reread it.  That someday came, and I did reread it and once again, thoroughly enjoyed it!  I got a lot more of the philosophical message out of it this time, now that I am older and perhaps wiser!

Saturday night, I went to a restaurant in Kennebunkport, Maine called Bandaloop.  It was a great restaurant, serving all organic and locally sourced food.  They even had tofu and tempeh entrees.  I had the special fennel soup to start, and the 3-grain tempeh in twin sauces of  zesty Asian peanut sauce and cilantro-pistachio pesto with saffron Basmati rice.   It was delicious!

 I was wondering if the name of the restaurant, Bandaloop was a coincidence when I saw a menu item:

Alobar’s Roasted Beets and Flying Goat Farm Goat Cheese

WOW, the restaurant is definitely named for the book!  Then I noticed a note on the back of the menu confirming the connection and reminding us to “live long, laugh often, dance daily”

Tofu, Kale, Onion, Mushroom and Fennel Recipe!

I made a delicious dinner last night that I wanted to share:

The dish has no name, it is another one of my open up the fridge and throw something together dinners.  These are typically good, but this was was very good!  I think the fennel seed is what did it.  Anyway here is the recipe  —

Press a block of tofu

Saute in coconut oil for 15-20 minutes until the onion is barely visable

• 1 medium onion, cut up into very small pieces
• 1 shallot, cut up small
• 1 stalk of celery also cut up into very small pieces
• 2 carrots chopped

Add in and saute another 10 minutes or until the mushroom is soft

• 1/2 a portabella mushroom cut into 1″chunks
• 1/2 a red pepper, diced small

Add a small bunch of kale (cut up) on top of the veggies

Add water into the pan, cover and simmer until the kale softens, then mix it all together add spices, cover and continue to simmer

• turmeric
• ginger
• fennel seeds (I imagine if you actually have fennel, you can cut some up and saute that instead, but I didn’t so I used seeds)

Meanwhile, cut up the pressed tofu into small pieces and brown it in more coconut oil another pan.  Once it is cooked to your liking, mix it into the pan of vegetables and spices.  Add more water to blend the spices and tofu, and simmer until the water is mostly all absorbed.

Delicious!

Try Pen and Paper!

As you may know, I am a firm believer in sending hand writing letters to friends, relatives and business associates. 

I even make it a new year’s resolution to send a card or letter each week! 

Today I’d like to present a guest post from Peter Scott Stringham.  Peter is a Certified Law of Attraction facilitator and teacher of prosperity, neuro-linguistic programming, goal setting and true success.  You can find out more about Peter Scott and his workshops here: http://peterstringham.com/blog/

Peter has written a great post on the value of writing things down by hand.

“When we take the time to write by hand, we engage in a more reflective mode of thinking, the first requirement of greater creativity.”

Richard Restak

I invite you to take something you have been typing regularly and try hand writing it instead.  Preferable, it should be something that draws on your creative, right brained side.  Some possibilities:

• a business plan
• creative writing- a story about something that happened in your life perhaps
• a blog post (to be typed in later)
• a letter to a friend or relative (remember those?)
• the book you are working on (Steven King, John le Carre and JK Rowling are among the authors who do all their writing by hand)
• journaling

Neurologist and author Richard Restak says that writing longhand forces you to think more deeply and calmly about what you are trying to say.   “When we take time to write (by hand),” Resak has written, “we engage in a more reflective mode of thinking, the first requirement of greater creativity.”

When I am writing, I feel a glow in my chest, warmth that comes from having tapped into my divine-Self.  Writing is the gateway to a world of thoughts that I never knew were inside of me.  It feels so good to write I don’t know why I’ve done so little of it these past few years.

I’ve resolved to connect myself back up to my joy by writing daily once again.  By hand.  And producing my newsletter weekly and blogging regularly (heck, Seth Godin does it and has hardly missed a day in years).

And yes, I hand wrote this posting before typing it.  Felt great.

Are you Skinny Fat?

Have you ever heard of skinny fat?  A skinny fat person is not overweight, but lacks lean muscle tissue.  This person may be underweight, or they may be of average weight and look great in their clothes, but are flabby underneath.  A skinny fat person may appear to have a “good” body, but they actually are not physically fit.  The medical term for this is metabolically obese normal weight (MONW).

The amount a person weighs or their height to weight ratio (BMI) is not necessarily an indicator of their level of fitness.

There are actually 5 distinct components of fitness, and to be physically fit we need to work on each of them.

The 5 Components of Fitness are:

Muscle Strength (i.e.: how much force a muscle can exert a single time)

Muscle Endurance (how long a muscle can work without fatigue)

Cardio Vascular Endurance (the ability of the heart and lungs to work together to provide the body with oxygen)

Body Composition (percent of body fat vs. lean muscle tissue)

Flexibility (ability for the joints to achieve full range of motion)

No individual component is more or less important than the others, while at times we may work on enhancing one or two of these components over the others, it is important to work on all 5 in order to truly be physically fit.

As I started this post talking about Skinny Fat, let’s address Body Composition first.  To determine your body fat composition, a quick analysis can be done by a trainer at your health club or by your doctor.

Even fit adults have body fat.  There is an Essential Fat Level of 10-13% for women and 2-5% for men.  Anything below this level is unhealthy and can be physically and mentally damaging (as in the case of anorexia).

Athletes have a slightly lower percentage, 14-20% for women and 6-13% for men.  These are people who are training at an intense level.  These low body fat levels are unrealistic for the average person or recreational athlete.

A Physically Fit Person has a body fat composition of 21-24% (women) and 14-17% (men).  These people are thin and have some muscle definition.

The Average Women has a body fat composition of 25-31% and the Average Man 18-24%.  The average adult has a higher body fat percentage than is optimal, although it is still at a healthy level.

Anything over 32% for women and 25% for men is considered Obese.

These charts from Built Lean puts things into perspective:

So we really want to strive for a body fat of 21-31% for women and 14-24% for men.

While exercise is important for us, the absolute best way to improve your body composition is through your diet.  I don’t mean going on a crash diet!  But rather by eating a healthy diet which can be summed up as:

• Eat foods high in lean protein-rich (fish, lean cuts of grass fed beef and farm raised chicken, fermented soy products, beans, nuts)

• Eliminate, or greatly reduce, added sugars and refined carbs (cakes, candies, ice cream, desserts, white bread, white rice, white pasta)

• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables

• Eliminate or greatly reduce trans-fat, and saturated fats from animal sources (full fat or 2% dairy, ice cream, beef, sausage, etc.)

• Eat healthy omega-3 rich, healthy fats (organic salmon, avocados, almonds)

As far as exercise goes, cardio workouts such as brisk walking, running, cardio equipment at the gym, and cycling will help burn fat.  Weight training will help build muscle.  I will be sharing more information on cardio and weight training in future posts.

If you want to see some more examples of what skinny fat looks like, check out these photos:

BodyBuilding,com

Photos of Skinny Fat Stomach

 

Back Out On The Road

I went for a 4 mile run this morning for the first time in two weeks or so.  It felt great!  The reason I wasn’t running is that my Achilles tendon had flared up and would hurt for days after I ran.  I figured that rest (and some ice) was in order.  Now the reason for my tendinitis was most likely due to my sudden training for a half marathon after a winter of minimal running.  Yes, I knew better, but I did it anyway.  For reasons totally unrelated to my Achilles, I didn’t even run the half marathon!  But when I started running again, the pain and stiffness began, so I had to take a break.

While I wasn’t running I went back to the gym, and back to yoga.  It was really great to concentrate on weight training and yoga.  I managed to get each in a few times a week.  Now that I am going to add running back into the mix, I hope I don’t let yoga and weight training fall off (as they have in the past)!

Vitamins and Minerals on a Vegan Diet

You can get plenty of calcium (as well as other vitamins and minerals) on a vegan diet.

This is a great “cheat sheet” for identifying non meat sources of important vitamins and minerals.  This was provided by No Meat Athlete, one of my favorite blogs for nutritional information. 

Get into the Weight Room!

Following is a guest post written by Emi Preston.  I met up with Emi Preston  when I visited her blog, Benching Beauties.  I love this tumblr blog written by Emi and her sister Yumi, check it out! 

I also love Emi’s post which she has written for this blog.  I too am always trying to get women to use free weights.  Believe me and Emi, you aren’t going to end up bulking up like a man; for one thing, you don’t have the testosterone,  and for another, body builders spend HOURS upon HOURS in the gym!)

Here is some great information and motivation from Emi.

 Breaking the Stereotype 

Ladies, does the idea of stepping into the weight room scare you?

When I encourage girl friends to lift with me, I’m always met with, “Won’t  weights make me look bulky?” The answer is NO! It’s been 1.5 years since I started lifting heavy free weights, and I’ve made it my personal mission to share the incredible benefits of weight lifting with everyone in my life. If your current gym routine does not incorporate heavy free weights, I want to convince you why it should.

Physical benefits

Lifting weights will help you achieve a slender, strong hourglass figure that cannot come from cardio and bodyweight exercises that often result in a “skinny fat” look. Women lack the testosterone levels necessary to “look like a man.” If lifting a 10-pound purse every day hasn’t built you toned arms, how can a 10-pound dumbbell do the same? You must challenge your body.

Mental benefits

Weight lifting is empowering. When you are confident in your physical strength, you feel more confident in every aspect of your life: public, work, and home. Furthermore, lifting weights in a male-dominated place where society says you don’t belong builds courage. Show yourself, and the world, that you are more than your appearance; you are mentally tough.

Daily life benefits

Having muscle to power you through the day does wonders for you energy and stamina. Carrying grocery bags, walking up stairs, running to catch a plane, and moving furniture all become easier tasks. Your mental clarity will improve and you will be able to better manage stress. Making time for your own health and physical improvement is extremely rewarding.

How are YOU going to begin weight lifting?

My first time setting foot in the free weights section was terrifying. It’s full of big, sweaty men and you don’t know where anything is. You feel uncomfortable because you’re being looked at. It’s embarrassing when you mess up. But I’ve gotta give you some tough love here… everyone goes through this. You just have to push through! Here are some tips:

1. Write down your goals and enter the gym with a plan for what exercises you want to complete. Don’t leave until you have completed ALL of them.
2. Tune everyone out and focus on your workout. Listening to music helps!
3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you don’t know where equipment is or how to use it.
4. If you are really anxious, hire a personal trainer for even just one session. Many times, the first session is free, or you can bring a friend to halve the price!

Before you know it, you’ll be looking forward to your lifting time. You’ll start noticing changes in your physique. As your physical appearance improves, people will start paying you more respect. Your new confidence rooted in physical and mental strength will be a brilliant beacon that shines from the inside out, and it will continue to grow as it is powered by weight lifting.

This is such an exciting time for you.  Go and get it, ladies! Please do not hesitate to contact me atbenchingbeauties.tumblr.com, benchingbeauties@gmail.com, or http://www.facebook.com/benchingbeauties.

Emi Preston (age 21, currently getting certified as a personal trainer through WITS) and Yumi Preston (age 19) are two sisters attending the University of Washington in Seattle. We share a passion for health & wellness, and we aim to help other women reach their fitness goals in the male-dominated fitness world (and weight room). We welcome anyone and everyone to our community. Join us on our journey, and reach out to us with comments, questions, or anything else!