WATER...WATER...WATER...

As the dog days of August fade into leaves beginning to fall from the trees, drinking water every day is still very important.

If you are serious about your overall wellness, and especially if you enjoy your workout time, hydrating properly matters as much in any season, just as it did in mid-August.  Yes, that means half your body weight in daily ounces of water.

Some of you might not be sure it’s Briana if I didn’t have an oversized water bottle in hand (okay, often coffee in the mornings!) … regardless of the time of day and time of year.

Here are three folks who will never again mock my fixation on H2O.

·      One client thought he was following my advice and ended up getting rushed to the ER on a weekday afternoon for -- you guessed it -- dehydration

·      Another’s exzema cleared up once she started drinking more water -- and less Gatorade

 ·      A third owes her success in running her initial half marathon, in part, to better hydrating

Proper hydration means daily homework.  

Even I, in the midst of a non-stop 5 a.m.--to--8 p.m. day, sometimes need to remind myself:  hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

Want to discuss H2O?  briana@lifesdecisionsblw.com

Foam Roll, Foam Roll, Foam Roll . . . Foam Roll

All of you who know me and work with me have heard me say those words – and generally in a loud voice.

So many elements go into keeping your body in the best condition possible.  Foam rolling is in the top five.

What you do with that little foam cylinder, for 15 minutes a day, at least five days a week, can change your life and your performance in your routine.

Almost everyone I’ve converted to foam-rolling has been introduced because they were in pain.  Perhaps their pain was in the knee or behind the knee or they had never practiced the warm-up and cool-down techniques that should be a part of people’s workouts.

Here are just three reasons why regular foam-rolling will make a drastic difference in your enjoyment of fitness:

· It massages your leg muscles – your calves, your quads, your hamstrings, your IT bands.   By slowly rolling over the muscles, you will provide “muscle break-up” to the existing pain and build relief to continue your routine.

· It provides more stability for your planks and pushups, meaning that the most simple elements of your workout can provide more challenge.

· It relaxes the areas of concern.   You can give yourself the benefits of a massage therapist, who will almost always find tension lurking somewhere in your body.

Can we work together with that piece of foam?   I’ll show you things you will never think of on your own, based on what your body needs.

Email me if you need suggestions on which one to buy.

briana@lifesdecisionsblw.com

Sensible Snacking

I find most people eat in one of four ways –

·      three meals a day

·      three moderate meals a day, plus mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks

·      tiny meals/snacks through the day, stopping ideally three hours before bedtime!

·      OVEREATING

Regardless of which group you are in – even the first one – it’s unlikely you’ll get through a day without at least one snack, planned or unplanned.

vegan maple chocolate chip cookie from "The Stand" Westport, CT

Common sense can go a long way in telling you what makes a good snack and what doesn’t.   Here are some examples:
 

* a chocolate chip cookie for desert – maybe even after dinner – as long as it is much smaller than one you might grab in Grand Central at the start of a late commute home

* a small handful -- about 20 or so, not 40 -- of medium-sized cashews, morning or afternoon

* a 16-ounce smoothie, heavy on the kale … and no refill, please!

What are your favorite snacks that make sense?!

briana@lifesdecisionsblw.com

A Smoothie a Day

Would you like an easy and enjoyable way to have the bulk of your daily fruits and vegetables -- and more! -- in one sitting?

A daily home-brewed smoothie gives you one serving of many of your favorite fruits and vegetables.  If you are creative, you can add some that may not individually be your favorites but are nutritionally awesome and help produce an overall tasty treat.

It is important to figure out your top organic ingredients and experiment with different blends -- alternative dairy (non-carrageenan, of course!), coconut water-based, protein-based, etc.  Adding fresh and frozen fruit, instead of maple syrup or honey, insures further nutrient value and avoids extra sugar.   

 

Briana's Berry Greek Blend 10/22/15

Other possible add-ins include spirulina/wheat grass or other superfoods and cinnamon.  If you are going to add different proteins, make sure you choose 100% pure – brown-rice protein, hemp-seed protein, for example.

 

 

Five fundamental reasons for drinking smoothies are:

* assist proper digestion, because you are letting your blender chew your food, while not losing the fiber

* facilitate detox -- your body gets its nourishment without taxing the digestive system

* strengthen your immune system, via added Vitamin C

* aid sleep, by speeding up digestion – kale, for instance, is easier to consume in a smoothie

* curb sugar cravings – you will be happier because you know you’ve done something right for your body

 

Briana's vegan green goodness Smoothie 10/20/15

Drink your smoothie slowly, whatever time of day.   Savor each taste – do not down it in a few giant swigs.  Pacing yourself insures you will feel satisfied and keeps you from further, unnecessary eating.  Home-brewed smoothies are preferable to store-bought, since added sugar sneaks its way into so many of the latter.

 

Take the time to learn as much as you can about different categories of smoothies, including:

·      Green (including powdered forms of greens)

·      Fruit

·      Meals

·      Desserts

·      “SuperFoods” – a baker’s dozen popular choices are greens, acai, apples, blueberries, cacao powder, Goji berries, hemp seeds, kefir, maca powder, seaweed, spinach, sunflower seeds, and tart cherries – all are nutrient-rich foods

Here are three highlights from clients:

·      one can never get enough kale, and loves the alternative of kale as part of a smoothie, aiding digestion and assisting sound sleep patterns

·      another, a fruit fanatic, relishes her favorite mix of mango, blueberries, banana and kefir

·      a third’s preferred breakfast blends frozen pineapple, frozen strawberries, orange juice, and filtered water, and finds it adds energy to his morning

The possibilities are endless!

E-mail me if you would like more ideas, briana@lifesdecisionsblw.com

… and I would love to hear your brainstorms.

Beat the Heat, Cut the Booze … Try Mocktails!

Happy first day of summer 2016!

Did you just ask yourself what a mocktail is??  Your guess is right -- a fun-filled drink that has only natural sugars, is low in calories and has ZERO booze!

photo credit Penney DeMattio

The definition of a mocktail:  A nonalcoholic drink consisting of a mixture of fruits and juices.

Well I have taken it to the next level … Add all organic ingredients, even a full unpeeled lime or lemon … to make a delicious zesty drink for all the NON-drinkers at the party or beach.

Now, you don’t have to commit yourself to a full-day, all-week regimen of water and burning all the extra calories you would have consumed.

The possibilities are endless…

You can find my favorite-of-the-moment here, with my recipe list. http://www.lifesdecisionsblw.com/recipes-1/2016/6/21/blws-mocktails

Holler if you want more ideas!

briana@lifesdecisionsblw.com

 

What is the Perfect Way to Start Your Day?

TO BREAK THE BACK OF ALL THE ACIDITY YOU HAVE PUT INTO YOUR BODY THE PREVIOUS DAY, BREW THIS SIMPLE DRINK IN A GLASS MASON JAR, FIRST THING WHEN YOU AWAKEN:  A TABLESPOON OF ORGANIC LEMON JUICE AND 2 TABLESPOONS OF ORGANIC APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, IN EIGHT OUNCES OF FILTERED ROOM-TEMPERATURE WATER.  FOR A “TASTIER TREAT” ADD AN OUNCE OR TWO OF ORGANIC TART CHERRY JUICE, OR ONE TABLESPOON OF ORGANIC HONEY AND SHAKE WELL.

THIS TANGY BEVERAGE WILL ALTER THE WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT FOR DISEASE INSIDE YOUR BODY.  IT WILL CLEAR OUT YOUR DIGESTIVE SYSTEM, KEEP YOUR BODY NEUTRAL AND GIVE YOU MORE ENERGY THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY.

RESEARCH SHOWS HIGHER ALKALINITY CORRELATES TO FEWER COLDS … AND EVEN WEIGHT LOSS!

WANT TO HEAR MORE?  SEE ME.   

BETTER YET, I’LL CONNECT YOU WITH CLIENTS OF MINE WHO NEVER THOUGHT THEY COULD ALTER THEIR MORNING ROUTINE FOR APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, AND NOW CAN’T THINK OF GOING BACK TO THE WAY IT WAS.

Anti-Depressants... Cashews, Bananas, Dark Chocolate … and More!

Not a day goes by without a friend or client telling me he/she is down in the dumps, having a hard time seeing the jar as half full or refillable.

I suggest not going to a doctor, with a guaranteed prescription as an antidote.

There are a wealth of foods whose powerful nutrients are natural anti-depressants.   Sprinkled throughout your day, they are far better for you and your state of mind than any medical solution.

These are eight widely recommended choices as the best pick-me-up sources:

·      bananas

·      tomatoes

·      purple potatoes

·      black-eyed peas

·      nuts, especially cashews and walnuts

·      oregano

·      sunflower seeds

·      dark chocolate

Nothing matches the ease of grabbing a banana on the fly.  Personally, I prefer bananas in combination with other foods, for instance one of my favorite breakfasts – overnight oats (the second recipe on my site, posted October 16, 2015 http://www.lifesdecisionsblw.com/recipes-1/2015/10/16/brianas-overnight-oats ), with

·      chia seeds

·      a banana

·      walnuts

·      organic dark chocolate chips. 

That’s three items from the list … in one meal.

A second personal favorite, especially for healthy snacks on the go, is cashews.  Of course, even a quality snack like cashews means fat calories unless you practice portion control:  I favor one handful daily, or 20 medium-size nuts.  If your lifestyle is genuinely active, then one handful mid-morning and one mid-afternoon will work.

As for dark chocolate – just by itself! -- it is worth spending a bit extra to get the darkest organic chocolate you can find.   If you buy it by the bar, learn to divide it in thirds or quarters at home and wrap those sections separately, so you are not tempted to eat the entire bar in a single sitting, only those three or four small rectangles.

Do you have any ideas for me?

briana@lifesdecisionsblw.com

The Importance of Sleep!

People approach me with all sorts of questions about making themselves look and feel better.   Typical concerns include:

·      How do I lose 20 pounds in two months for a wedding this spring?

·      I don’t have enough aerobic stamina and I’m not patient enough to correct it.

·      What is a good routine to address my lack of upper-body strength?

·      It’s so time-consuming and takes so much planning to incorporate more organic food in my daily consumption.

·      I know drinking more water is good for me, but do I really need to aim for 75 to 100 ounces each day?

“I don’t get enough sleep.”   It’s rare to hear someone volunteer that one.

In fact, sleep is just as important as what you put in your body each day, what your exercise routine is over a week and how much overall balance you maintain in your lifestyle.  Actually, sleep could be the single most important factor.

You may read about Bill Gates and Martha Stewart getting by on four hours a night of sleep, but the truth is the vast majority of adults can not have a happy and productive day without at least seven hours of sleep at night.  Less sleep on a regular basis can impact your physical and mental health, seriously affect your daily efficiency, and – over time – lead to major injuries.

Some people at significant risk include those with long work hours or two jobs, executives with demanding travel schedules and those with overdependence on drugs or alcohol.

Patterns that lead to sleep deprivation are not easy to correct without an honest and supportive significant other or best friend, or guidance from an expert counselor, or an unyielding inner resolve to – as much as possible – maintain consistent bedtimes and wake-up times.

Want to just chat informally over coffee water with me?  I have heard almost every variation on the sleep problem.  

I would love to help you.

Drinking from Glass, Not Plastic

Is it safer for you to drink from glass?

The next time you are in a gym or fitness studio, look around and you’ll notice the majority of people drinking from plastic containers.  This is troubling:  drinking from plastic can only boost the BPA (bisphenol), a common chemical in most plastics, in your bloodstream.

Plastics contain polycarbonate, which increases your estrogen and other hormones – it is a chemical, not a natural estrogen, which can create harmful side effects, such as

·      learning problems

·      an altered immune system

·      early puberty

·      fertility issues

·      decreased sperm count, and

·      obesity

Moreover, refilling plastic bottles can foster increased bacteria.

·      A client and good friend was in the habit of using all plastic bottles.   When she was diagnosed with cancer, she decided to go glass, because she didn’t want to risk bringing toxins into her body.

·      A second client had an old water bottle that did not say BPA-free.   She went to Bed Bath & Beyond and purchased a glass bottle.

·      Another one was such a holdout that I just bought him a glass bottle… and he never went back to plastic.

The Wilson Sisters

I am happy to give you a specific recommendation, since good glass containers are not always easy to find through many retail outlets.

Go glass!

Can You Overtrain?

Are you tired, a lot?  Do you have more trouble sleeping?  Do you have muscle soreness developing?  Are mysterious injuries popping up?

You may be overtraining.  That ranges from doing classes back to back when you just did a double the day before, to running at an eight-minute-mile pace when you know you are, at best, a ten-minute miler, to increasing your free weights too much without direct supervision. 

Training means:  workout plus recovery.  If you already work out a lot (every day, twice a day…), stop for a few days.  At the very least, plan an exercise schedule that includes at least one day off a week.

Fuel your body with rest, sleep and hydration.  I am not telling you to stop exercising, I am simply saying you need to understand your body and know when it is crucial to rest for a day, or two.

Come see me, contact me, if you want to hear more.