Let's Go Nuts For Nuts!

Traditionally, folks munched on nuts during the winter months because they provided for hunger because of their high fat content when other food sources were scarce.  Before you dip your grip into a bowl of holiday nuts, know before you go:
Almonds:  1 ounce serving (23 nuts, 162 calories) has 37% of your daily vitamin E quota.  They also contain calcium, fiber and folate.Pecans:  (19 halves, 193 calories per serving) are bountiful in antioxidants - more than any other nut out there!Pistachios:  1 ounce serving (49 nuts, 157 calories) are rich in lutein and zeaxanthin which are important for healthy vision.
Walnuts:  1 ounce serving (14 halves, 185 calories) contain a boatload of the omega-3 fat alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).  Anti-inflammatory properties stave off plaque build up in arteries.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  You can go nuts for nuts, 'cause they're good for you, but just don't crazy!

Eating Out Without Overeating

During the holiday season, dining out can be extremely challenging; especially if you are salt sensitive like myself.  Here are some of the traps and pitfalls you might want to be conscious of when planning to attend all those holiday dinners and parties within the next 6 weeks:

Over-sized portions can really do you in.  Most restaurants' idea of an individual portion is actually enough food for three adults!  So, be smart and eat most of the green stuff on the plate and only 1/3 of the protein and white stuff.  Take a doggie bag home.  You can have a hot lunch for two days.  This will allow you to eat well and cheap!
Restaurant food seems to be tastier than what most folks cook at home. So, why not do what me and my companion do (for those fabulous places that do cook better than I can!)...split 2 appetizers between you and order one entree and share it.  You'd be surprised how full you are walking away from the table and you've tried 3 dishes to boot!
Being starving-hungry when you arrive to a restaurant is like the kiss of death. You'll order far more than you really need, you'll devour the bread basket and in my case, go for what is on the 'no no' salt list and suffer for it later on in the evening.  Even if you have to grab a quick piece of fruit or a smudge of peanutbutter on a cracker or rice cake, or a handful of nuts in your pocket for the cab ride before you go out for the evening...do it!  You won't be starved by the time you arrive to the restaurant and you will most likely make better food choices.
Once in a while, I'll just order a nice salad and stave off the entree order until I'm finished with my salad.  At times, I'll just order a lite appetizer instead of a main course.
Last but not least....the overweight people who love 'safety in numbers'.  These are the folks that pick and poke at their food during the first two courses and tell everyone at the table about their diets.  Then, when the dessert menu arrives, they try to talk everyone else at the table into ordering 'desserts to share', so they can have their extra 900 calories in sugar and fat.  Beware of these eaters...there's a reason why they never lose weight and cajoling you into group participation at dessert time only makes them fatter and kills all the planning and hard work you've done up to this point.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Hey...GIVE ME A TIP FOR ONCE!  What works for you?  Please share with all of us your own healthy tips when dining out!

What works for you?

The Best Diet For Long-Term Weight Control

Here's the skinny on long-term weight control.  Dieting alone isn't going to do it for you.  What will work is constant negative energy balance.  This means you need to consume fewer calories than you expend.  This is the most important key to keeping off excess pounds for the long haul.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  regular exercise helps to maintain lean muscle mass and helps maintain negative energy balance.  The release of endorphins (the body's natural opiates) during exercise will de-stress you, and help with your sleep.  The increased circulation caused by aerobic activity will help produce more oxygenated red blood cells, improve lymphatic circulation and aide in the natural detoxification process.  If you are a 'couch potato', why not try going for a brisk half hour walk before your favorite shows come on the boob tube?  You'll feel better, sleep better and most likely stop reaching for so many chips and dip!

Cleanse and Detoxify

I noticed that on yesterday's blog page, Google put up plenty of ads on cleansing and detoxifying.  I am not a fan of colonics and do not support the habit of forcefully shooting water into the large intestine, only to suck the feces out into a tube.  This doesn't detoxify the body, rather this procedure robs the large intestine and whole body of fluids necessary for homeostasis, creates constipation and heat, creates a high risk of damaging the intestinal walls which can create sepsis and organ damage and destroys the intestinal flora necessary to kill unwanted bacteria.  At the end of the day, you might feel like you've 'lost 5 lbs', but once you eat or drink anything, the body's natural digestive process will take over and you'll be just as 'fat' as before.  Colonics don't get rid of fat - period!
The cleansing process needs careful planning and consideration before one embarks upon this experience.  A total health consultation with a licensed practitioner is paramount.  Only a licensed healthcare practitioner can look at your total lifestyle: eating, drinking, exercise, past medical history, medications, etc - and create a proper detoxification program for you.  What works for one person may not be ideal for the next.  Everyone is different.  I have a product line that I recommend to my patients should they want to rid their body of toxins and 'kick start' themselves into a more healthy lifestyle.  But note:  each and every individual's program is custom-made for that person's needs and constitution (even though they are all using the same product line).
Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  If you want to cleanse, detoxify or 'kick start' yourself into a healthier lifestyle or really want to get rid of the excess fat, seek proper consultation with a licensed professional only.  You will achieve better results, and have better health in the longrun!
On a more personal note:  thanks to all of you who wrote in about yesterday's blog.  Here's a photo one of my clients took this morning and wanted to share!

5 Simple Rules of Eating Well

1. Eat every 2-3 hours.  Small snacks.  Think 'grazing'.  Grazing on small snacks allows your body to burn more calories throughout the day.
2. Include lean (lowfat) protein in each meal and snack.  This applies to vegetarians as well. 
3. Include vegetables in each meal or snack.  If you just can't stand to eat them, then "Go Fro Greens" in your shakes, smoothies or mixed with water will suffice.
4. Save carb-heavy meals for after exercise.  Rice, potatoes, pasta are better processes within a 3 hour window post-exercise.
5. Include a good balance of healthy fat in your diet.  You need fat (fuel) to burn fat!!  But, GOOD FATS are key here.  Lean protein contains saturated fat  Mixed nuts, olives, and olive oil have monosaturated fats.
Flax seed oil and fish oil, contain polyunsaturated fats.
Here's Your Healthy TIp of the Day:  Variety is the Spice of Life!  Eat well, eat colorfully and if you're confused, contact me and I'll enroll you into my Wellness Program where you'll learn how easy it is to get fit and STAY FIT!

Warm Weather is Here...Eat Light and Feel Great!

The warm weather has arrived and it's time to adjust our eating patterns and change up the food varieties.  Heavy meat dishes and winter vegetables should be out of your mindset and it's time to think about the beautiful colors of fresh fruits and vegetables this summer.  Don't know what to eat????  Think color palettes!
-Shrimp with mango slices, frissee, and beefsteak tomatoes - drizzled with balsamic vinegar (or fresh lemon) and olive oil.  Enhance with a sprig of mint.
-Brown rice with fresh lemon drizzled over it, served with 2 eggs over easy and steamed brocoli on the side with fresh sweet cherry tomatoes...oh yum yum!
-Freshly shucked peas, tossed in lemon scented fettucini with smoked trout, oyster mushrooms, rosemary infused seasalt and a bit of fresh light creme.  Side green salad.
-Roasted red peppers, feta cheese and tossed mixed green salad with a nice piece of grilled river trout drenched in lemon and garlic.
Get the Picture??
Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Make your food look pretty on the plate.  Use colors and paint a beautiful picture with food.  Your palette is full of blues, greens, reds, yellows, oranges...it's only up to your imagination to stop you from having low cal, low fat, low sugar fabulous food this summer.  Our summers are short here in NY, so get with the program and get to the store and get those great paintings going on your plate today!
Bon Appetit!

Fitness Buddies

Sometimes, it's a bit difficult to stay with your fitness program.  Many people join gyms, Weight Watchers, hire personal trainers, nutritionists...just so that the road to wellville isn't a lonesome journey.  The patients that enroll in my wellness program are given an individualized program that encompasses the psychology of wellness to what exercises and food choices over the longrun will create better health and overall wellness in their lives.
Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  There's a SECRET WEAPON that's FREE and readily available for you to use on your fitness journey.  It's called A BUDDY!  What's a buddy?  It's your dog that needs his/her exercise that's the cheapest and most fun exercise machine.  A buddy is a friend who also wants to get healthy and joins you for a pot luck healthy dinner on your rooftop garden, while you both plot your wellness plan for the upcoming week.  Your buddy is someone you see in the park or gym everyday, also alone, who you might engage into a fitness session together.  Your buddy is your personal computer which is a plethora of worldwide information on exercise, nutrition and other healthy information.  Ever go onto Twitter and explore organic food groups?  There are people all over the world willing to share their experiences and knowledge.
Get a buddy and get fit!

The Three Miles

After jumping rope and Muay Thai, my knees were just too tired to run the 3 miles.  So, I ran for a mile, power walked on an incline for 1.25 miles, then ran for the remaining .75 mile.  

The takehome message here is this:  I listened to my body and didn't tax my knees.  I kept my heart rate in the fat burning zone.  I managed a good sweat and I really did the 3 miles at the end of the day...and, I managed to eat a healthy, lowfat meal in a restaurant afterward!

I WIN!

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Remember what I said yesterday about short term goals.  Stay focused.  There are many options when you work out to achieve your fitness goals.  If your body tells you that it's not a good day for a run, then walk or do the elliptical machine.  If your legs are really tired, then do abs and arms.  At the end of the day, the sum of all parts becomes greater than the whole!
Happy Tuesday!

The Eastern Diet...Eat Like A Shaolin Warrior & Look Like One Too!

What is the Eastern Diet?
The Eastern diet includes five tastes – spicy, sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Each taste has a specific property and is associated with a particular organ of the body. For example, hot spicy foods can be ingested to assist a patient with what can be considered a ’cold’ condition. This is an intentional oversimplification because tastes and combinations of properties can be quite complex given a patient’s particular condition.
The Chinese diet is quite varied and encompasses six food groups: meats, fruit, dairy, vegetables, grains, and spices and herbs. Meats are considered to be Yang in energy; vegetables are Yin. Loosely interpreted, Yang foods (warm foods) are considered appropriate for consumption in the wintertime (lamb, beef, organ meats), whereas the Yin foods are much more suited for the heat of the summer (melons, vegetables, legumes). Of course, the underlying constitution of the individual must be considered for any nutritional program. Free-flowing Qi throughout the body is harmonious and essential to good health. A diet rich in grains and legumes and fruits is best for this free-flow of Qi, while fats, refined sugars, alcohol and caffeine are encouraged only in moderation and not for frequent consumption. Here’s a bit of trivia…did you know that the famous Shaolin warrior monks have subsisted for centuries on a vegetarian diet?

Why Should You Participate in an Eastern Diet?

It has been proven that changes in dietary habits can truly help patients suffering from chronic sinusitis, digestive problems, obesity, joint pain, Meniere’s, vertigo, and fatigue. Eastern nutritional counseling with the additional modalities of Acupuncture and herbs can be an effective method in the treatment of these ailments.

I can work with you to create a nutritional outline to gradually and progressively bring you to the road of well-being and good health.   Contact my office today and learn how you can look and feel like a warrior.
 In the meantime…Bon Apetit!  Happy Eating!

Everybody's Grandma

An old woman who I called 'Grandma' once told me this: "Kelley, no matter what, everybody has to have something to eat".  Simple, concise, a true-ism....words I've never forgotten.  'Grandma' had raised several children as a single parent when that type of lifestyle was not the norm.  Not only did she feed her family, but she made sure everyone who came to her door also had something to eat.  I think of her often and with love.

From time to time, after having a wonderful meal at a fab restaurant, I'd have my 'doggie bag' on my lap, sitting on the train - already looking forward to the leftovers.  And from time to time, I'd encounter a 'homeless' person passing through the car, looking for some change, and telling some story of how they arrived at their predicament in life.  I've always offered my leftover meal, told them what it was and how good it was; it was always accepted with gratitude and a 'God bless you'.  Grandma's words would just shout out in my mind....everybody has to have something to eat--simple, nothing more, nothing less.

Nutrition is a strange bird...some of us have been on 'diets' our entire lives; always struggling with that extra 5, 10, 15 pounds of too much of whatever it is that we indulge in.  Other people deliberately starve themselves or purge after gorging themselves, so they can see every bone in their body.  We have choices to eat or not eat...unlike many humans who strive everyday to get a bowl of rice into their bellies.

Nutrition is fuel; we need to eat so that our bodies can produce proteins, fats, hormones, strong bones and brain cells, red and white blood cells; we need to maintain homeostasis.  When we do not feed ourselves properly (whether this be from overeating or starving), we become infertile, our brain cells die, our bones become brittle, our vital organs fail, we look far older than we are, we become ill, we die.

We are an accident of birth - we are lucky to have a roof over our heads, think about what we'd LIKE to eat for dinner, whether we should go to the gym or go get that cake from the bakery.  Take advantage of your good luck today, eat well, honor your body and share your good fortune with someone who has none.  Keep two pieces of fruit in your gym bag.  After your workout, eat a piece of fruit and if you see someone who has nothing, offer them that second piece of fruit.  You'll do something healthy for yourself, and for someone else who really needs it!

'Grandma' wasn't my grandmother, she was everyone's grandma. 

The Half Marathon

As you read in this blog, my friend (who had his stomach surgically removed to prevent cancer) ran the More Half Marathon yesterday.  He started to jog in January....3.5 months later, he finished strong.  HIS TIME WAS 01:48:00!!  What a triumph of spirit and strength.  His family and friends came out to cheer him on and profess our gratitiude to modern medicine and research.  He's gone to Wellville!

Have you started your road to Wellville yet? 

I began this blog just after having knee surgery.  It's 2 weeks to Easter, 2 weeks to my goal of losing 10lbs and running again...well, so far, I'm just about at that 10lbs (my fat clothes fit pretty well now), I've run 2 miles on the treadmill, jumped rope for 20 minutes straight and I'm going to up the stakes and see what I can achieve this week.   My goal is to fit into my 'normal' sized clothing again and jump rope for an hour (that would be normal).   Now, I seriously doubt any of that is going to happen within the next two weeks, but I'm with the program today and will continue to try to get back into the best healthy condition that I can...and stay there!

What goals have you set?  Have you managed to stay on your path?  Share your story, share your joy, share your frustrations with me today!

Ice Cream, Oh Glorious Ice Cream and the Jeans

Well, even the best of us fall off the wagon every so often.  After feeling like a hero once again training on Saturday, and doing my physical therapy yesterday, I had a setback.
My wonderful life's companion left a dirty spoon in the sink late Saturday night while I was asleep.  He tried to convince me that the dog ate the small container of dulce con leche Haagen Daz ice cream that's been in the freezer for about a month (I totally forgot about it).  The dog didn't eat it....she'd never bother to use a spoon!!!
So last night, after finishing another chapter of the book I've finally decided to write, I felt quite deserving of myself and what do you know???  There was one more little container of CHOCOLATE ice cream in the freezer.  It just looked so lonely I had to eat it and put it out of its misery.  I don't even want to know how many calories it was...IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!
My dog, , Sooki is an extremely healthy 14 years old.  I decided to take her advice and have the junk food once in a while.  I slept like a baby and this morning, I put on my tight fitting jeans that didn't really fit for a while.  Today, they weren't so tight!!!
Falling off the wagon once in a while feels good.  Today, I'm back with the program.  I feel satisfied, the ice cream went with glory and the dog was right once again.

Laser Facelifts At My Office

During physical therapy this morning, I looked into the mirror to check my form as I did calf lifts and...what a surprise!!  After a few weeks of being on my own Total Wellness Program, I've got cheekbones again!!!  No more looking like I've gotten the mumps, nor am I looking like Alvin or one of his chipmunks!

IT'S TIME FOR A LASER FACELIFT!!!!  I'm getting out my low level laser and going to start rejuvenation on my own face!!  It takes about 25 minutes, twice weekly, it's painless and IT REALLY WORKS!!
Check out http://www.kmondesire.com/lowlevellasertherapy.html  to learn more about low level laser therapy, and if you want to look like you've lost 5 years, make an appointment for a few treatments....you're gonna love the way you look!!

Swim, Sweat and Sun For Good Health

I just spent 5 wonderful days in South Florida swimming in a salt water pool, sweating it up in the gym, playing golf and eating remarkably well for being on holiday.  Those 'fat' pants were fitting a bit better and after the end of the five days, my knee is feeling much, much more improved!
 
Here's your tip of the day:  swimming is great exercise and quite therapeutic for those suffering from joint pain.  When done with proper form, swimming can give you a great aerobic workout, without impact to the joints.  All body parts are worked while you're in the water and if you mix up your strokes, you'll avoid becoming bored by doing repetitive laps.  So, if you can get to a pool, mix up your workout and take a dip!  Take along a friend and swim side by side...companionship in the water is fun and keeps the pace going.

If you are suffering from joint pain from injury or you have arthritis, come in for a treatment...acupuncture and low level laser therapy are highly effective for the treatment of these pathologies.

The warm weather is coming and so is Spring!!!  So, start getting busy and get healthy!s