Ah Sugar..sweet right?

Not quite. It's not the best for you and should be consumed in moderation.

Women have a greater risk in developing cardiovascular disease than men. Us women require less calories than men. Sugar sweetened beverages bring in factors of this disease like high triglycerides in individuals who don't gain weight, according to an article by the American Heart Association.

The reference to sugar-sweetened drinks would be sodas, and flavored waters. Funny because we see so many ads on TV and in magazines about flavored water and how it can quench your thirst.

In the article, those who drank two or more sugar-sweetened drinks a day were more likely to develop the high triglycerides and increase waist size. We definitely don't want to increase waist size if the high triglycerides factor doesn't do it for you.

Don't know what triglycerides are? --> Triglycerides: Lowering them

You, in moderation ladies..In moderation. Water is always best.

Breathing in some good

Sometimes it's hard to think of breathing as something that can calm you stress levels down significantly. It's strange...But when you really think about it, breathing properly in a stressful situation can bring you a feeling of peace and put your body at ease.

Again, faithfully the Ellie Krieger articles have saved my stress levels and reminded me to breath properly.

After all, Ellie mentions that it's important to breath properly so that all of your cells get oxygen, and don't forget your brain too.

I don't know how to illustrate this post, so I hope it's not too wordy, but challenge yourself to a five minute breathing session. Be aware of your breathing and see what happens.

Beauty!

I read an interesting blog post about why beauty makes us happy...

People always say that beauty comes from within, right? True it does, but you have to admit, being happy with yourself helps to create that outside AND inside beauty.

Personal hygiene, exercise, eating good, all add to that outside and inside beauty.

I'm happy with who I am, but I must admit, when I'm at my best, that's when I feel most beautiful.

I've had a friend who would tell me her boyfriend liked how she looked, but she never believed him, which caused her to have jealousy issues, when in reality it had nothing to do with him, it was inside herself.

Anyway, physical beauty is enhanced through self maintenance, which will in turn, boost confidence.

Bare Minerals...awesome makeup that I've used for several years now, I must say, it goes on easy and is good for skin.

HYDRATION!

A while ago I wrote about how important it is to stay hydrated.
Again I'll stress it's importance. Especially when living in hot places, well anywhere it's important to drink water. Sometimes is hard and kind of a drag to carry around a water bottle, but you'll be thankful.

those of you athletes out there, peak performance is achieved also through being properly hydrated. I'm sure you know that, but Like me sometimes, it's hard to carry bottles on a long and strenuous hike, but that dry mouth feeling isn't fun, and getting light headed isn't safe either. Becoming dehydrated while working out decreases the body's ability to cool off and leads to heat exhaustion.

We also lose water through out the day, going to the bathroom, sweating and breathing, according to livestrong.com

OK even with losing weight. Drinking water and staying hydrated keeps the good ol' appetite in control. Water in your stomach makes you fuller.

For certain health conditions, it's important to stay hydrated. Kidney infections require a lot of water drinking and going to the bathroom, so do bladder infections or kidney stones. Kind of intense conditions, but it's good to know. I mean for other health conditions and just to stay healthy in general.

Body Health: Adrenal Glands prt 1

So, be sure to be kind to your kidneys, and your adrenal glands....
Adrenal glands are neighbors to your kidneys and sometimes could almost go hand in hand with how close they are. 


Try not to stress too much. Stress is directly affects your adrenal glands, that fight or flight feeling? A big adrenaline rush? Yeah, those guys that pump out that stuff. Keep them healthy. When your adrenal glands are stressed, they enlarge and raise your blood pressure, transferring blood from your intestines to your extremities, increase your heart rate, suppress your immune system and increase your blood's clotting ability. A lot of stuff huh? 


This is only meant to be a short-lived response, not a long drawn out one. Usually, wayy back in the day, man would have time to recuperate from such an ordeal, but in modern days, the average person has no time to let this heal. This is a problem. 


Tune in tomorrow (9/3) for the continuation. I don't wanna be too wordy in one post. 

BLUEBERRIES !!

I watched this video today and it was really interesting. Since blueberries make awesome pancakes, muffins, breakfast cereals or bars, pretty much anything. A nice lil' addition to a snack.

BUT! Be sure to read your ingredient, because blueberry crunchlet's won't provide you with the antioxidants and nutritional benefits that REAL blueberries do.

Please, watch this video to learn more about the importance of reading ingredients of "blueberry" flavored cereals.

Blueberry info <--- click there

Sunscreen safety

Hey all..

check out this link about sunscreen. Living in a tropical place, gotta keep that sunscreen on all the time! It really helps your narrow down the right sunscreen to something that'll fit what you're looking for..

come on, it'll make sunscreen shopping a tad bit more fun.

Click here for the website!

make fitness exciting

WOW. sorry. I didn't realize how long it's been since I've updated!

I've read up on a few ideas Ellie Krieger has once again provided me with, and hopefully you guys will take them into consideration as well. I'll throw in a few of my own too.


Change up your speeds: Change up your speed, simply said. Make a goal of, if you see someone walking a dog, walk faster until you catch up with them! or job in between telephone poles, or light posts. Do intervals, that's always nice.

Silently race someone: Yes, create a little bit of competition. Trust me, it's pure motivation that you create for yourself. if you're at the gym or even outside and you see someone running or lifting next to you, pretend you're challenging them. Beat them! go longer in lifting, a silent race with someone helps you out.


listen to music: pop in those earphones. pump up the sound (not too loud) and listen to your favorite fast paced song to get you motivated.

There's always more! but keep these in mind..I'll try add in more later on!

Cut Out That Sugar!

Aloha kanaka ma keia la, (hello all on this day)

Please, don't go around eating death everyday. Sugar will seriously do some damage to your body. It's hard to believe because it doesn't seem like we'd consume a lot of sugar every day. Although, if you really stop and think about it, sugar is in everything.

Also, what I found interesting was, there's a lot of info. about there about how grains are good and they provide your body with the needed, fiber....But grains turn to sugar when consumed, and you can get just as much or even more fiber from vegetables. crazy right?

hows that for sugar? (see photo of brown and refined white sugar)

I propose you try to cut down on your sugar intake, limit it..Keep a food journal and how many grams of sugar you eat a day. Though, keep in mind, sugars in fruits and candy are different, as well as the sugars in sodas. Sugar can weaken your eyesight, damage your kidneys, can promote tooth decay (EWW).


Shape.com, a great reference site for me, explains that you really shouldn't have more than 40 grams of added sugar daily for a 2,000 calorie diet, which is 10 teaspoons. For a 1,600 cal. diet, no more than six teaspoons, or 24 grams. It's also reported that majority of the sugar comes from drinks. (i.e. Coke, Pepsi, all those sodas).

Oh right, don't forget that, sports bars, gels and cereals are all sugar, just take a gander at the ingredients, it's quick shocking at times. Sugar is so addicting and is hard to cut, but you WILL feel a difference when you cut back on it.

learn more!

Muay Thai

OK..SO Muay Thai is pretty awesome all in itself.
Know to the Thais as the prestigious national sport, this martial art, also used for self defense is a great way to get in shape. Though Muay Thai isn't for everybody, it's a sport that requires a lot mental and physical discipline.

see here: thai pads (the ones with the Hawaiian Flag)

well anyhow, if you take interest it'll be really fun!

I wouldn't say I've trained in Muay Thai at all, but I've spoken with an instructor for a story, and have learned a few (let me emphasize, FEW) things. It was quite a treat talking to the Muay Thai instructor. (Tiger Muay Thai Gym on O'ahu)
She informed me that the martial art is a great way to build core strength, and overall toning in your muscles. Hitting thai pads and bags is also a way that students learn. A lot of muscle memory exercises are practiced as well. Aside from having super toned muscles and being able to defend yourself if need be, mental confidence is a plus.

Paleo breakfast

Morning!
So, the paleo diet, I've mentioned before, is quite the treat. Plus, you feel lighter, stronger and see your body adjusting to the new eating habits rather quickly. It's also a boost of confidence.

So again, the Paleo diet is a low-carb, high protein way of eating, to shorten up the explanation. You eat what your body is made to eat and digest. Nothing like wheats, rice, or even brown rice, the processed carbs as well. (If you're interested in more, please visit, paleodiet.com)

Anyway, paleo breakfast...this was supposed to be a breakfast burrito, but kind of turned into an omelet...but was rather tasty. The ingredients included....

1.) egg whites (this was eyeballed actually, I believe we used about, 3 egg whites?)
2.) 1/4 cup green peppers
3.) 1/4 cup onions
4.) 1/4 cup shredded spinach
5.) 1/2 teaspoon jalapeno's (optional if you like spicy, don't add if you're going to work out after)
6.) One sausage or meat of choice.
7.) 1/2 cup mango salsa (by choice that is..)


Prep: Cut the onions, green peppers and shred spinach into however small or large you want the pieces to be. Same with the sausage, you can use half the sausage or the whole one if you're making for more or less people.
then go ahead and cook away!

Food Flexibility

OK, so it's not exactly a neato work out I'll be writing about. BUT, food is obviously part of health and fitness...Let's see here...

once again, with kind words, Ellie Krieger shares with us some food knowledge.

She brings to light the fact that some of us may eat the same meals over and over again, and yes, it does get kind of boring. Just switch it up a bit, do something new. For example, if you have cereal for breakfast every morning, then do something else, muffins..BUT! keep in mind health aspects please. Muffins are good, but have a lot of sugar and carbs. Take that in portions, only...cheat days can come later.

anyhow, I'll try to include some pictures again!!

Scan your horizons

Hiking outdoors is such a great way to get a satisfying workout. It keeps your stamina up to speed and helps your muscles grow, it's a full body workout.

I highly suggest Hawai'i Loa Ridge on the way to Hawai'i Kai.

It's about two hours for those blazing through, well running and jogging. It could easily be three hours just taking your time.

The view at the top is worth all the repelling on the trail, achy kegs and water breaks to catch help your breath. (check back for a picture..I think you should experience if for yourself..surprise)


Check list:
-water
-camera(If you wanna Carry it.)
-toe shoes/sneakers
-subscreen

Paleo Diet

Paleo Diet... heard of it?
It's something that I had never heard of. But, interestingly enough, it's pretty awesome.

So to get into a bit more detail, The Paleo Diet Web site states that it is an approach like a low carb, high protein diet. It's based on a historical basis; what our ancestors ate.

Meaning, our ancestors ate less carbs, well pretty much none of the following: refined sugars, grains, bread, processed carbs. That pretty much covers the "western" diet.


The agricultural revolution brought in new and different cities and civilizations. Interesting because the agricultural revolution isn't spoken about much, but it did bring in chronic disease. although, it also introduced so many great things as well, everything has it's ups and downs.


So pretty much, the diet targets foods that our bodies have evolved to eat, which provide foods that promote health and optimum functioning.

Kettlebell fun

up and running again!

OK, so kettlebell workouts are one of the best ways for cardio and fat burning. Don't we all love the fat burning. Just a few high rep sets of swings and clean and press, is good for that fat burning. Plus Kettle Bell workouts are "ballistic" workouts and exploding ones (Bodybuilding.com). It's honestly such a fun work out and you really feel good about yourself afterwards too.

Kettlebells are kind of expensive, but this big hunk of cast iron is worth the prince..plus you get an awesome workout. Check out Total Fitness USA Plus the weight of each kettle bell isn't your normal, 10 pound of iron, but there are some that are 26lbs and 18lbs.

Kettlebell workouts are also good for athletes in recovery. Some programs where they have you train to failure, sit on the couch for a week, nope not effective in this case. It's best to improve performance and conditioning. A few light workouts per week will get blood into the muscles and help speed up recovery. (Bodybuilding.com)

flatter abs!

YEP. these are actually fun and not boring ... click below!

ABS!

slippers..not the best idea

slippers probably aren't the best idea in store for your feet.

If anything shoes are created to support your feet and minimize any jarring that takes place during the day. ((Ellie Krieger) Plus, running on cement, the shock your shoes take will save your body and joints later on in life. (BTW, running on cement isn't the best idea either.)

It does cost a lot to get a nice new pair of shoes, and it's a good idea to go to a running or fitness store. Those working in the fitness stores are there to help you find the right shoe for your foot and it's fit. Trust me, you'll feel the difference.

Personally, ASICS are my favorite. They provide good support, shock balance and look cool :) On the greener side, ASICS has a shoe guide and they'll tell you about shoes and the importance of them.

It does get a bit pricey, you could drop up to $185 on an new pair of shoes, but cheaper would be $90. But it's better than body aches later and need to spend mounds of money to fix those problems...

Let me know how it goes when you get a new pair...

really?!

Unhealthy Benefits?!

Check out what this means :D

CARBS!

Well gosh, it's already 2011 and here I am, finally back in the blogging cyber world.

Hmm.. Well, let's see here. What is some interesting information about being healthy and staying fit...

I've learned that no carb diets are good, especially if you wanna see ripped muscles fast, but then your body needs those carbs too.
No, or little carb diets depend on your body and it's sensitivity to carbs. Maybe a moderated carb intake is better than high carbs.

Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are three of the main macro nutrients in foods. usually a low carb diet leads to a high protein meal. High carb foods make it harder for the body burn off...thus causing the consumer to gain weight. Eating to many carbs causes the body to store the food as fat.

Plus you need to keep in mind that it's not easy to cut back on carbs, because it seems to be in everything we eat. It's also a bit easier to stay away from high carb foods. (i.e. M&M's, bread, and yes chocolate cake)

It may be difficult to lay back on that slice of chocolate cake at a party or a bag of M&M's on Halloween, but you'll feel a lot better when you cut back.