Archive for August, 2010
« Older Entries |Banana (N)ice Cream as a Snack…Yes Please!
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
We saw this recipe for Banana Nice Cream on the Whole Foods blog the other day and thought it looked delicious and nutritious…a win, win! It would be a perfect after school snack or dessert…we might even try it for breakfast.
Here’s the recipe:
Easy as 1-2-3, this creamy, sweet and cool snack or dessert proves that added sugar and oil are not always necessary to satisfy your cravings. Keep some peeled bananas in your freezer so they’ll be ready when you are. To learn how to make this recipe, watch the video on the Whole Story blog.
Ingredients
2 bananas, sliced and frozen
1 cup unsweetened soymilk
2 tablespoons smooth almond butter
Method
1. Put bananas, soymilk and almond butter into a blender.
2. Purée, turning off the motor and stirring the mixture two or three times, until smooth and creamy.
3. Pour into two bowls and serve.
Serves 2
Nutrition
Per serving (about 9oz/264g-wt.): 280 calories (120 from fat), 13g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 75mg sodium, 38g total carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 22g sugar), 9g protein
So, try it out and let us know what you think!
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So long summer 2010!
Monday, August 30th, 2010
Can you believe the summer is almost over! We decided to put together some of our favorite summer songs for Music Monday! We hope you enjoy!
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Fun(ny) Friday
Friday, August 27th, 2010
Kitty loves L-shaped glute work (aka The Fat Melter) just as much as we do! Have a great weekend!
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You are beautiful!
Thursday, August 26th, 2010
When I was checking out some healthy living blogs, I ran across Operation Beautiful and LOVE the message and though you guys would too!
The mission of Operation Beautiful is to post anonymous notes in public places for other women to find. The point is that WE ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL. You are enough… just the way you are!
To learn more about Operation Beautiful, visit the website: http://operationbeautiful.com/
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Just Breathe
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
You’re doing it right now and you’ve been doing it since birth. Breathing. But who would have thought that this thing that you’re always doing could solve a lot of your health problems?
Well, not so fast…there is a difference between regular breathing, that we do all the time, and deep breathing, which had numerous health benefits.
Regular breathing comes from the lungs, using the chest muscles, and provides oxygen to the heart which in turn makes sure the oxygen gets to all the cells in the body. Deep breathing, on the other hand involves learning to slow your breathing and use the diaphragm, the muscle located beneath the lungs, and not just the chest muscles. To do this effectively, take a long, deep breath inhaling through the nose. Do you see your chest expand? That is a normal deep breath. Now sit up straight and take another deep breath using the diaphragm. Your chest will rise and you will feel the diaphragm move upwards. Exhale slowly, preferably through pursed lips. That is an effective deep breath.
So, now that you know how to take a deep breath, why should you do it?
- Deep breathing allows the body to take in more oxygen and release more carbon dioxide. This leads to many health benefits: a lowering of blood pressure, slowing of heart rate, and relaxation of the muscles. It calms the mind, helping to reduce insomnia. An increase of energy and reduction of fatigue with reduced anxiety and stress are desired effects, also.
- Deep breathing is also beneficial to the lymphatic system. This system carries toxins away from cells as the circulatory system carries oxygen to the cells. This exchange helps keep the body in a healthy balance.
- It can reduce stress. When stressed people have the tendency to take shallow breathes. Some studies can shown that a fast breathing rate is linked to high blood pressure To relax you do the opposite. In the same vein of thought it can help to clear and focus your mind. Deep breathing can increase your energy level and helps turn off racing thoughts.
- Deep breathing releases endorphins-the bodies own painkillers, into the system. This can help relieve general aches and pains, as well as help ease problems with sleeplessness. Deep breathing also relaxes muscles, a major cause of neck, back and stomach pains.
During a long day at work or at home or anywhere else, sometimes it’s easy to forget about breathing. This can result in shallow breathing, which can cause tiredness, headaches, irritability and difficulty concentrating. Breathing isn’t something that takes a lot of planning, so it isn’t usually thought about until nasal congestion and coughing come into the picture. However, without inhaling enough oxygen, we aren’t doing ourselves any favors. The oxygen that is inhaled is delivered to cells and organs through the bloodstream. When the amount of oxygen is low, it can lead to sluggish performance of many of them. Perhaps the only thing noticed is a general tiredness, but tiredness can affect productivity and thought.
Most breathing exercises are simple and can be done almost anywhere. A single deep breath is not guaranteed to give an instant burst of energy, but it will send necessary oxygen to the brain, encouraging clear thinking and alertness. Stressful situations can cause rapid, shallow breathing, creating a vicious cycle because it compounds the feeling of stress. Pausing to take a few deep breaths before tackling the job or making the decision can help put everything into perspective.
Here is a great breathing exercise to try at home, in your office, in rush hour traffic or just when you need some serenity. (“SERENITY NOW!”)
- Sit up straight and inhale through your nose for a count of 4
- Hold that breath for a count of 7
- Now release your breathe through your mouth for a count of 8
- Repeat this 2 more times
Don’t you feel better already…?
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Tipful Tuesday: how to start kindergarten
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
Can you remember your first day of kindergarten? I can! In fact, I remember going home and telling my mom that I was going to fail 
Maybe I was a nervous kid, maybe just a bit dramatic, but actually, I didn’t pass one of my first assignments!
Ms. Sullivan was my kindergarten teacher. She was a lovely short gray-haired woman who, as I later found out, had a wonderful voice for telling stories. On our first day of school, Ms. Sullivan had each of us sit at our desk with our names on it. “I can do that!” I thought. However, the next assignment wasn’t so easy for me.
You see, my parents moved into our new house the week before school started. I remember rushing to get everything in our house all set up, and it was an even bigger rush to get all of our school supplies and new school clothes from Children’s Collection. If you are from Houston, you know what I’m talking about!
So Ms. Sullivan had a bunch of neatly laminated cardboard cut out houses leaning against the chalkboard. She told all of us to quietly go up to the chalkboard and pick out our house. When we got up to the houses, there were phone numbers and street addresses written on the front. I saw one girl named Alicia grab hers and she showed that it was her house by telling us that her name was written on the back! As most of the kids started sitting back down all but about five kids had picked out their house (me being one of those five kids). I remember looking at Ms. Sullivan thinking…”HELP!”. I had NO CLUE what my new address or phone number was. I just knew we had an awesome trampoline in our backyard! After daydreaming about getting to go home and jump on our trampoline, I realized that one other boy and I were standing in front of the class.
In order to protect my reputation, I decided to just grab one of the houses, hoping that I would grab the right one. DOH!!!! I grabbed the wrong one, and the whole class saw! I had to put it back and quickly grab the other one. I remember walking back to my chair which all of a sudden seemed like miles away, and I sat down. Luckily, Ms. Sullivan came up to me at the end of class and asked how I was liking my new house She must have spoken to my parents about the move!
Today at the studio, I over heard two mothers talking about their child’s first day of kindergarten. So, I thought I would say… for all of you parents out there, give your kids the inside scoop on what kindergarten is all about! And make sure they know their address and phone numbers
Happy Tuesday!
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Weekend Rainbows
Friday, August 20th, 2010
We hope you enjoy your weekend as much as the guy in the video below enjoys rainbows!
And now check out the double rainbow remix!
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DEFINE river oaks – Sneak Peak
Thursday, August 19th, 2010
Sneak peek at DEFINE river oaks!
Posted in Environment, living | 5 Comments »
Why does that last 5 second hold hurt so much?
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010
During class, if you’re anything like us, that last five second hold is what really gets you. Sure you just did about 4 different variations and hundreds of pulses and you powered through those, but what’s up with that last 5 seconds?
Well…that final hold (whether it’s during pushups, chair, wide second or curl) is a type of isometric exercise.
Isometric exercise involves a constant contraction of a muscle without any movement in the angle of the joint. During those holds, you are supporting your body weight (or light hand weights) without moving your muscles, which is different from most standard exercises (lunges, crunches, pushups) in which you move your muscles through a full range of motion. These isometric exercises are so intense because you are increasing the amount time your muscles are under tension, which makes them stronger.
We know all this information is umm… informative, but why should you stick it out through that torturous hold?
When you feel like giving up, just think of one of the below benefits of isometric exercises:
- Aids in building muscle strength meanwhile burning excess fat, enhancing the tone and shape of your muscles.
- Develops the kind of muscle fibers that are key for endurance and balance.
- Requires your main muscles to recruit other, smaller muscle fibers that are often neglected in other dynamic exercises. Strengthening these fibers gives them better range of motion, making them more flexible and less prone to injury.
- Helps to maintain a healthy bone strength and density.
- Improves and facilitates the workings of the digestive system.
- Helps to reduce cholesterol levels, which aids in maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system
For all these benefits, that last 5 seconds isn’t so bad, right? Maybe next time you can go for 7!
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