Ahhhh, exercising again.

Yesterday I rocked my Yoga Booty Ballet: Hip Hop Abs video. The first exercise - other than walking and a few lame attempts at yoga - I've done in 6 weeks and 3 days. Recovery from a hysterectomy is long. Not bad. Not too painful. Just looong. I'm still not fully recovered but my doctor gave me the ok with the admonishment, "Don't go too crazy," so I am ready and very excited to get back to work! I was smiling and happy all the way through the routine. :)

So I don't have any new exercise ideas for you right now (other than go do it!), but I do have some valuable tidbits from Robyn Openshaw's (The Green Smoothie Girl's) 12 Steps to Whole Foods Course Manual. After my surgery I did pretty good with my healthy eating, but as time went on my sugar intake increased and I'm reminded again how much better I feel when I am taking in good foods. For me, exercise and healthy eating go really well together. One always makes me feel like doing the other. This excerpt I'm about to share once made me stop eating sugar for a whole summer, which is saying a lot for me because I have a sweet tooth for sure. Really I'm posting this as a reminder to myself, but I believe everyone should have this information!! These are only 10 of the 30 reasons listed in the Course Manual. If you want more information, ask me! Click HERE to order the course and peruse around to find more great stuff.

Why should you stop eating sugar now? Because sugar....

1. Is more addictive than cocaine.
2. Makes you fat.
3. Ages you perhaps more than anything else, decreasing tissue elasticity.
4. Makes you tired.
5. Controls your behavior, making you moody or anxious.
6. Destabilizes your blood sugar, notably causing energy crashes.
7. Feeds cancer cells.
8. Increases your risk of Crohn's disease and colitis.
9. Makes you dizzy.
10. Causes deficiencies in copper, calcium, magnesium, chromium, and your overall mineral profile. 

Remember every healthy choice matters! If you make a choice you feel is wrong, just make sure your next one is better. You got this and so do I. (I need that encouragement too!) Have a happy day!

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Fooducate

I was just thinking about this fantastic app today and figured I should share. Look up "Fooducate" in your app store. It allows you to scan the bar code of your food product and they rate how good it is for you and tell you why it's rated the way it is. You can see if there are any of those hidden yuckies in there. It's awesome! Have fun with it. Hope you are having a good and health filled week!! If not, no worries, you can start right now! ;)

Nutrition on My Mind

I have been asked by a few people about nutrition. As I mentioned before, although exercise is amazing-important-needed, nutrition is the key that opens the door to better health. When we start putting better fuel in our body, that's when the magic happens.

The problem is most of us haven't grown up eating healthy whole foods and figuring out how can be frustrating (to say the least).

Remember... one step at a time! Any change you make should be one you're willing to make a lifestyle, but you don't have to figure it out all at once. When trying to figure out what is the good info in the deluge of info out there, listen to people you trust and people who are living a healthy lifestyle themselves and whose purpose is not self-serving, but to help others.

One great option I've found is green smoothies. This is a great and simple way to start putting the right stuff in your body. In fact you can increase your nutrition by 700% compared to the average American diet! I am a Green Smoothie Girl instructor, you can find more info and see what Green Smoothie Girl has to offer HERE .

And check out some of my friends who I consider my nutrition mentors HERE and HERE and HERE.

Now I was going to do a whole schpeel on sugar, but I think I'll save it for another day... Something to look forward too. ;)

Have a happy and productive week!
-Laura

Easy Starter Smoothie
1 Cup water or almond milk
Handful or two of spinach
1 Cup blueberries
1/2 Banana
1 Tbsp Ground Flax Seed
1 Scoop Protein Powder (I didn't add this ingredient until I found GSG protein powder, there aren't many others out there that I enjoy.)

If you just really need to sweeten it up try a small amount of orange juice (or I've heard Stevia or raw honey, though I've never tried them in a smoothie).