Do you know how soda affects your body?

In the early 1880's the first cola-flavored drink was introduced...That long ago? Amazing.
Different types of soda's have been popping up through out history. We've got Ginger Ale, which started in Ireland and we've got soda water, which pretty much started it all.

And, perhaps many of us remember growing up and soda being the main drink at birthday parties, classroom parties and anywhere you went to get food, or drink.

But, within the last few years, I've personally noticed a drastic change in the amount of people drinking soda. I'm not sure of the facts, but through speculation, more people seem to be straying away from the product.

There's this little diagram my mom sent me in an email, here are some things I found interesting.

1. A 12 oz. can of soda has 9 teaspoons of sugar, or corn syrup, sucrose. This leads to weight gain, belly fat, and type 2 diabetes.
2. The caramel, or brown coloring, the chemicals that produce this color have been linked to cancer (lung and liver) in lab rats and mice.
3. The amount of sugar and acid in the soda can lead to tooth decay.

It's fun to drink every now and then, but like we all know, the best choice is water. If you need a sugar fix, go for something else. Tea is always good, Tazo Tea, or a passion tea lemonade drink from Starbucks.

I know there's tons of information out there on soda how it affects your body, but I'll just list a few things that could happen as a result from consuming soda daily, or routinely.

There's other things to keep in mind, but these are a few simple facts to be aware of.

P.S. sorry for the lack of photos, I'll get more in here soon.

Healthy Liver = Happier, Healthier You!

First off, your liver is such an important part in ridding your body of toxins and filtering you out. It also helps to regulate fat in your body (i.e. bile. yuck, but necessary.)

I was reading in an article on Suzanne Somers newsletter, there are many ways to keep your liver healthy, and you living longer. We all want longevity right?

Things to incorporate into your diet (if you haven't already)

• Eggs: They are good for you, and full of so many nutrients that the egg is basically producing life itself. They have an ingredient that helps your liver create bile. .
• Omega-3's and fatty acids: These you don't have to take a supplement to get. You can get these essentials from walnuts, salmon and much more. 

These are just a few things that are important to keeping your liver running. Also, if you tend to be a heavy drinker, or enjoy drinks, just remember that your liver has to process and handle the alcohol. Maybe, for the sake of your liver health, cut out the alcohol, or just don't drink so much as often. 

Some links I've enjoyed: 

Healthy Fats - Avocado 

Sleep Myths - Wine, Caffeine and more 

Hungry at midday???

I know I'm hungry all day! After the searching and wondering how to keep that hunger at bay...I came across this article the again, Ellie Krieger shared in her e-mail newsletter.

Do you sometimes find yourself hunting around for some kind of snack after lunch?  like 2ish or sometime around there? and that burger is sounding pretty good? or that cookie! mmm which one?

Well, before you grab that cookie, think again about you grab, and about if you'll have to workout harder later, plus your health later on in life. I know it's tough to get that workout in and sometimes can be a dread, but your body is low on fuel when you get tired midday.

Creating a snack with high protein and some carbohydrates is good for you. If you're hungry before your workout, try to eat that high protein snack at least an hour before your workout and you'll keep your energy level high.

Some of these snacks don't take long to prepare, try to that in the morning before you leave, maybe wake up 10 minutes earlier to allow for snack preparation, or make it the night before to just grab when you leave, (to spare you waking up earlier).

Some healthy-energy snacks include: 

 Get that peanut butter fix- a sliced apple with one tablespoon of peanut butter

Still enjoy your bread -Turkey and tomato on whole-wheat bread (just 1 slice will do it)

Eggs? - a hard-boiled egg and a piece of fruit. 


Lettuce wrap- take a piece of turkey and wrap it up in lettuce. (you'll be pleasantly surprised; just THINK of the lettuce wraps at California Pizza Kitchen...your version)

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.

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)