Fall is here! And with the change of seasons, a change in my blog posts. Each week I'll post a new health/fitness tip, so stay tuned! Starting next week: the couch potato workout!

What to drink?!?

Water, soda, juice, electrolytes, sodium, sugar, etc., etc., etc. It's enough to make your head spin! Here's the simple ~  water is the best liquid to drink. Period. We  are mostly water. Water runs through our blood, our muscles, our soft tissue, our brains.... it's everywhere in our bodies! Coke don't cut it. Nor does juice. Would you eat 5 oranges at one time? Of course not. And juice (unless made in a vita mix), loses it's fiber.  Drink water.

Conventional wisdom says start with half your body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 150 pounds, drink 75 ounces. That sounds like a lot, I know.  But if you break it into 8 oz servings throughout the day, it's easy to do. Drink your first glass as soon as you rise in the morning, yes, even before coffee! Only 8 glasses to go! One caveat, it's not good to drink water (or other beverages) with meals, as it dilutes your digestive liquids making digestion less effective.

You will find, after a week or so, it's not as hard to drink that much water as you thought. Also, you might find that you're less achy, and even have more energy! Keep water in a thermos in your car if you're on the road a lot. Keep a glass at your desk. Don't think you can keep track of trips to the drinking fountain. Measure the water out into a glass. That's the only way you'll know you're getting enough.

The Great Kale/ Chard Debate!

You know about kale. You know about swiss chard. Well, did you know that there's a huge debate going on in the food industry about these two SuperGreens?  Really? No? Well, I lied. There is no big debate about these veggies. But now that I have your attention, read on.
Dark greens are packed with good stuff for your body. Go here to read about kale. Go here to read about chard.
Now that you know a little about these two power houses, check out these recipes for some inspiration for kale.
And look here for some great chard recipes.

The key when cooking with these greens, is to keep it simple. As I write this, I'm making a kale and egg white omelet. Very easy to make -- chop the kale into 1/2" bites, steam in a fry pan until browned, add a little olive oil, fresh lemon, Mrs Dash Onion, and sriracha (if you like heat), then 3 oz of egg white (or an egg, but just the white makes a really light meal.

Belly fat

There's tons of hype in the media about losing that little pooch below our belly button. Between the latest fad diets and the craziest new abs gadget, people are suckered into trying and buying just about anything.

Well, I'll make this easy for you. No hype, no gadgets. Just simple, easy-to-follow directions. You ready? Are you sure? Ok. Eat greens, not grains.

Yup. It really is that simple. Granted, I could go into the whole science of it all, but that's way more info than you need. Try this simple, easy-to-follow guideline, and I'll bet you see a difference within one week. Let me know.

new tip

Tip #2

Eat 5 small meals each day.  Breakfast, mid-morning snack, a big lunch, mid-afternoon snack, and dinner. If you must have a post-dinner snack, make it protein-rich, not carbs.

Avoid sugary drinks at night, and booze. Herbal tea is good, and of course, water.

Remember, you are bracing yourself for the gluttony that is the Traditional American Holiday Season, and the more you do now to establish healthier eating, the better shape you’ll be in when the second serving of mashed potatoes comes along.

Here’s a link to print a food journal. Track your food intake for 2 days, including time of day you eat. You only need page 5, but it wouldn’t hurt to read the rest if you have the chance.

Tips for the holiday season

Hey there! Starting now, just before the New Year, I'm starting a list of nutrition tips to help you get off any excess calories you may have accumulated since the holiday season began. 

TIP #1: Eat breakfast. Easy, right? Many people don’t. And it really is the most important meal of the day. It’s what gets your metabolism firing up (Go here for a quick definition of metabolism)

“What’s a good breakfast”? Here are some quick to prepare suggestions:

a. Plain Yogurt (Greek is highest in protein) and ½ cup mixed berries (frozen are fine)

b. Whole grain toast with 1 T peanut butter

c. Egg white omelet (2-3 oz) with 1-2 cups greens (kale, chard, spinach, etc.)

d. Hot multigrain cereal (or oats) with almonds and LF milk (or milk alternative – I personally am addicted to coconut milk! Not the canned stuff (too sweet) Be sure to check serving size. Ok to sweeten with no more than 1 teaspoon sugar, brown sugar, real syrup or honey. AVOID unnatural sweeteners! They average 100 times sweeter than table sugar.

e. AVOID bagels and most commercial cereals (too high in sugars and carbs)

f. Go here for more breakfast suggestions,

g. Lastly, drink! Water. Lots of it.

©2011 Ultrabod.com

read wraps

We all like burritos, right? Well, just because the tortilla wrap is flat, doesn't mean it's low in calories or carbs. Also, just because a wrap may be whole wheat, doens't mean it's lower in calories or carbs. Look at the nutritional label. One of my new faves is the low carb, original whole wheat wrap available from LaTortilla Factory. I have yet to find a wrap lower in carbs. these wraps have 10g carbs, and are 50 calories each. Quite a lot of bang for the calorie buck. You can visit their website, www.latortillafactory.com for details. I found these wraps at Genuardi's in PA.