Oils

Have you thought about your cooking oils recently?  Take a peek in your cabinet.  What all do you have?  Vegetable Oil?  Canola Oil?  Olive Oil?  Most of us would have similar things.  But did you know that there are BIG differences in oils?  Some are processed in a factory (no good).  Some are good for high heat, others for lower heat.  Some oils are actually healthy for you!!!  Did you hear that?!!  OILS CAN BE GOOD!!!  It just depends on what kind you use……….  Take a good look at this graphic:   

Things to notice are whether or not the oil is refined, bleached or deodorized.  You want oils that have natural or no processing.  Also take a look at the effects of each oil.  Notice that some of the oils actually have health benefits!  That’s GREAT news!  Coconut oil in particular has a giant list of health benefits.  But some people worry about the fact that it has over 90% saturated fat.  It really just depends on who you talk to on whether this type of saturated fat is a concern.  Some swear that any saturated fat is bad for your heart while others argue that saturated fat from coconuts is harmless and actually helps lower risk of heart disease.  These people believe it’s more due to the over processed oils like corn, canola and safflower oils.  So the jury is still out!

So do your research!  See what’s out there!  There are tons of different kinds of healthy oils out there.  Grapeseed, avocado, sesame seed…………Get crazy!!!  I’ve been cooking more with coconut oil recently and my kids seem to LOVE it!  They think I’ve been cooking with honey it’s so good!   

I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!

Allergies

After a LOOOONG winter, I noticed this past week that things are starting to bloom!  YAY!   I’ve missed color!  J Spring brings us a bunch of blooming plants, trees and flowers and makes the world all bright and sparkly again!  But with all of these cheerful blossoms come pollen.  And lots of it.  So if you have seasonal allergies……BEWARE!  We could spends day talking about allergies and how to cope.  I’m sure many of you have your own home remedies or medical regimen to help during this time.  But here’s a quick infographic that I came across that I thought would be helpful! 

Have a WONDERFUL week!!!

Triceps

Spring is right around the corner and with it will come short sleeve shirts and tank tops!  Unfortunately, this reveals a big problem area for most of us women!  Our triceps!!!  Who likes feeling the back of your arm flap when you wave?!  Not me!  I always say it looks like I’m waving a flag!  Yuck!  And while most people think working out the biceps alone is the most important thing for a shapely arm, the triceps actually make up more area than your biceps!  Triceps are also crucial in many of our movements.  Whenever something is being pushed or requires the arm to extend, the triceps muscle is heading the movement!  So it’s obvious we need to work our triceps, right?!  Well…..I’ve said it before.  There is no such thing as spot reduction.  That means that I can’t just exercise my triceps and expect the fat to melt away.  Remember that the main reason we carry fat where we do is genetics!  But exercising this area and gaining muscle there WILL make it appear leaner and more shapely.  Triceps exercises are easy to do and many of them require no equipment!  That means you can do them ANYWHERE!!!  Here are a few of the top triceps exercises to get your muscles strong and lean!!!

DIPS

 

  
PUSH-UPS

TRICEP PUSH-UPS

UPWARD FACING DOG

CHATURANGA

OVERHEAD TRICEP EXTENSION

TRICEP KICKBACK

SKULLCRUSHERS

There are many, many more but this should get you started!  And when choosing your weight remember that even though the triceps are bigger than the biceps, they are more underdeveloped and weaker.  Don’t let that scare you!  They have the ability to build very quickly! 

 

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!!!

Food for Thought

It should come as no surprise to anyone when I say that America is suffering from an obesity epidemic.  Over the past year or so I’ve read, watched and soaked in lots of information about food and nutrition.  I am by no means an expert but this is a topic that thoroughly interests me. 
 

Some of the information I stumble across can be quite shocking.  This week alone there have been two eye-opening articles released.  On Tuesday an article came out that discussed what would happen if everyone in America lost 20 pounds and how that would affect the nation.  Just 20 pounds would bring most people down to around their normal BMI.  Pretty interesting stuff if you ask me!

On the same day (Fat Tuesday, by the way!), Gallup released it’s annual poll on the Fattest States in America.  Tennessee is 7th on the list of the most obese.  Almost all of the top 10 states were in the south.  One in three Tennesseans are considered obese.  Obesity in this study means they have a BMI greater than 30.  “Normal” is 18-24.  Here’s how it looks: 

Another thing that has stuck with me lately is about what Americans are eating.  Why do we keep getting larger?  Why does the obesity trend keep increasing and increasing?  Here’s part of it:  We have stopped eating real food and are eating food-like products.  What does that even mean?!  It means that most of the foods that we love and enjoy and taste SOOO delicious are made in a lab.  Created to stimulate your brain and taste buds so you want more.  It’s not there to nourish your body.  It’s designed to trick you into eating more.  If you really want a wake-up call, watch the documentary Hungry for Change.  It goes into lots of details about this very topic!  

So what can you do?!  The biggest thing is to stay informed!!!  Be knowledgeable!  Take control of what goes in your body.  Read your nutrition labels.  If there is a big ole laundry list of unrecognizable items…..it probably isn’t too good for you!  Start changing the way you think about food.  Think of it as fuel for your body.  What can you fuel your body with to keep it in working tip top condition?  If you don’t know where to start or feel overwhelmed…..give me a call or shoot me an email!  I would LOVE to help!  I’m working on making better choices just like everybody else and I know how hard it is to start.  Change doesn’t happen overnight.  It’s a slow, slow process.  But I promise…….YOU CAN DO IT!!!