ANCIENT GRAINS FOR MODERN DIETS Lately, someone mentioned “ancient grains” to me. I asked if these were grains past their shelf life that we should throw out? Just kidding, but I still wondered how they might differ from regular grains. After a bit of research I found out and will share some of my newfound info with you. Ancient grains are a group of grains & pseudocereals that have not been hybridized or modified in hundreds—or maybe thousands—of years. Hence, the name ancient grains. The origin of cultivating grains goes back some 10,000 years when prehistoric peoples began making the...
LOSING WEIGHT—WHAT A CHALLENGE! If you’re like I was, losing weight long term was an elusive goal. Over the years, I tried the Scarsdale Diet, the Atkins Diet, the grapefruit diet. I’d lose maybe 10 pounds with each and then gain them back within months. It wasn’t until I stopped active dieting and started swimming, biking and running to participate in triathlons that I began losing weight. Yet, it wasn’t so much from the exercising. Rather, as I developed my fitness routine I also—without consciously planning it—began to eat better. I stopped drinking sodas and candy bars every day. But...
VITAMINS & MINERALS & YOU I feel I don’t have enough knowledge about human nutrition. So I’ve begun taking a combination textbook and online certification course from ACE (American Council on Exercise) called Fitness Nutritionist Specialist. In just the second chapter I found out more about our need for vitamins and minerals than I’d ever dreamed. I just thought there were a bunch of these so-called micronutrients and that the good folks who take daily multivitamins/minerals were probably the only ones getting them in the right amounts. But the more I read, the more I realized they are not only...
YOU CAN BUILD MUSCLE AT ANY AGE You’ve probably discovered that it’s not as easy to build up muscle as an older adult as it was when you were young. However, whether you’re woman or man, keeping up and even increasing your muscle mass is still essential for healthy living. That’s because less muscle means greater weakness and less mobility, both of which may increase your risk of falls. If you want to successfully build muscle, it’s crucial to focus on one particular kind of exercise—strength training. And it’s also important to get plenty of protein in your diet. The...
THE HIGHS & LOWS OF YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE READING A couple of weeks ago I went in for my yearly physical with my physician. Before I saw her, a nurse took my readings including my blood pressure. The top (systolic pressure) number read 155. “Wow!” I said, “It’s usually a lot lower than that.” Because I normally have to wait for 15 minutes before seeing the doctor, this day I arrived just at my appointment time. And wouldn’t you know—the nurse took me right back to the examining room, sat me down and took the measurements. I thought that maybe...
BACKPACKING—GOOD FOR BODY & SOUL Earlier this week, JoAnne and I went backpacking up to Weaver Lake in Sequoia National Forest. We hadn’t backpacked for 6 years and wanted to experience it again while we were still able. The climb is considered an “easy” hike because it’s only 3 miles. Still, the elevation increases from about 7200 feet to 8200 feet. With that and my 40-pound pack, I found myself stopping for more breathers & water breaks than I did when I was younger. But JoAnne with her 30-pound pack jogged right along. Plus she had our dog Charlie bouncing...
CRAWLING—BACK TO THE FUTURE My partner, JoAnne Hunot, regularly watches TED Talks. This week she told me about an episode that expounded the benefits of crawling. Yes, that same movement babies progress through on their way to walking. Crawling has become popular with both physical therapists and personal trainers as a “total body” exercise. Now, I’m remembering that my CrossFit classes often included the spider crawl as a warm-up routine. (Just go to YouTube to see how this is performed.) As I looked further into the rewards of crawling I found this January 11, 2018 ACE Fitness online article by...
NUT BUTTERS—THE BETTER & THE BADDER I love almonds, as I mentioned in a post back in March, Almonds—The Close-to-Perfect Nut. So, a couple of months ago I decided to try out Trader Joe’s raw almond butter. I spread it on a piece of toast and found it delicious. But I haven’t given up peanut butter either. Many days I have peanut butter and carrots or celery as a snack. Now I wondered which is healthier? Also, what about the other “nut” butters out there—how do they compare? Here’s what I found: “Regular” Peanut Butter Traditional, full-fat, peanut butter like...
FITNESS & HEALTH CHANGES: FIND SUCCESS IN YOUR GOALS As I related in my post last week, I recently attended the Nutrition & Behavior Change Summit at the Idea World Convention in Anaheim. I learned quite a bit about real-world solutions to lasting behavior changes during those 2 days. Here are a couple of the tips from the lectures I attended that stuck with me as good advice for positive fitness & health changes: Don’t make perfection your goal—such as trying to log in everything you eat “from now on.” But do become more aware of your actions—such as deciding...
TRY THE EASIEST-TO-USE FOOD TRACKER OUT THERE Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN Last week I attended a 2-day Nutrition & Behavior Change Summit at the Idea World Convention in Anaheim. I listened to some 10 nutrition professionals from across North American speaking on topics ranging from mobile health devices to the pre-diabetes epidemic to training the brain to create healthier habits. One of the most interesting sessions was given by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN on Bridging the Gap Between Good Intentions and Meaningful Nutrition Change. Known as the “Nutrition Diva,” Reinagel provided some practical tools and strategies that can result in...
