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July, 2008
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Phone: 631-728-2456
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July, 2008
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A Note from Gregory Anne |
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Yumm... summertime. While the cotton isn't high round here the living does seem easy, the tomato plants are reaching skyward, are and so are the temperatures. The one word that describes summer for me is delicious. Summer fruits, vegetables, local fish, and the feeling of hot sun on my sunscreened skin are all just delicious. Any spare minute I have is spent outside. How about you? Are you taking advantage of longer days and hot weather? Are you really relaxing on your vacation days, unplugged and taking time to just be? The recipe this month features a cool, slightly spicy/sweet sauce that will brighten up any grilled fish island style. The side dish is a simple stir fry of fresh local veggies and I had to top it all off with my favorite pineapple salsa. The book, the Bone Health Revolution, is such an important piece of writing I'd love everyone I know and care about to read it. Speaking of what to eat for bone health, one of the categories is the subject of the Q & A, vegetables and fruits. Check it out to see what exactly a serving is and how many you need for optimal health not just getting by. The article came out of the research I've just completed for a new report on the Midlife Muffin Top and how taking aim at managing it has the added bonus of making us healthier in many ways. Enjoy all the goodies and for the love of all things fleeting, take advantage of this delicious time of year. Greg |
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| Words From The Heart
The Bright Side of the Midlife Muffin Top Dern, I wish I'd invented that term "muffin top." Alas some other smart woman got there first--kudos and thanks for the hysterical yet accurate descriptor. Just in case the subject of this article is not perfectly clear let me say it to you plain.
A muffin top, outside of Dunkin' Donuts, can be found when you zip up your favorite pants. Just like the shape of a muffin that overflows its baking compartment, so mushrooms the waist as we age. And it happens over night doesn't it? And we hate it don't we? Yes, even the coach, Ms. Love yourself just as you are, is lovingly wondering what fresh hell of aging this is and does Lyposuction really hurt? So what's to love about this frustrating body betrayal? Many of us, according to the results of the Mind and Body Survey 2008, say that health is a big reason for exercising and eating well. Many more said that it's "how I feel about how I look, how I look in clothes, wanting to nab a partner" that motivates them to do the same. Guess what?
Your why is not what matters. What you do to look and feel better in clothes has the added bonus of being protective to your heart and overall health. WooHoo, Damn, and Hallelujah! You don't need to know any more than this to stave off heart disease and diabetes--and look age appropriately delicious--exercise til you sweat and 80% of the time eat foods with no bar codes--ie fresh, alive once or still in the case of plants, in colors nature would recognize. Let me give you a glimpse into why your new found motivation thanks to the muffin top is so powerful at this time in our lives. 1. According to the World Health Organization and other responsible health agencies, an estimated 80% of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, and 40% of all cancers could be avoided if common lifestyle risk factors were eliminated. These include a sedentary lifestyle, poor eating habits, stress, smoking, and obesity.
It isn't until age 50 and beyond that women's risks of these diseases increase greatly. Our cardio and bone protective hormones decline, muscle mass which follows suit, and we still have plenty of stress. Stress and mood swings often mean less exercise and more comforting, stress relieving, eating or drinking. It's the perfect muffin top recipe. 2. There is significance to where our extra weight settles, and the waist, it would seem, is the least healthy. Whereas scientists used to think that fat was simply a layer of insulation, static tissue designed to store excess calories, they now know that this is not the case. Fat cells are little powerhouses of hormone production. The more fat cells you have the more you are at the mercy of these hormones which affect not only your weight and appetite but how efficiently your body uses calories for energy. Increased levels of these hormones and hormone-like substances can damage the circulatory system and impair blood flow. As you would imagine, blood flow is tantamount to good health. Impaired flow can lead to heart disease, diabetes, even cancer. More reasons to limit growing our fat cells; Fat stored in the omentum--the lining of the belly more or less--which is close to our internal organs and becomes their easiest--so why shop anywhere else--source of energy. So the omentum more or less grabs fat for storage with no concern for organs like lungs which makes breathing difficult, or kidneys which when squished release more hormones that can lead to increased blood pressure. So what if you are working out, eating well, and your body is holding on to the concept that more of you is better? Love yourself--you had to know it was coming-and cast that occasionally critical eye on your exercise program. Do you sweat? A Lot? If you are glistening then you are not listening--til you sweat means icky sweaty workout clothes and the feeling--once you are done--that you are on top of the world. (During the session you may in fact curse, hate life, hate people like me who make you aware of this stuff, and swear you are going to quit right after that next corner, lap, 15 reps, etc. but you don't.) Eating, well that's often trickier for many. Let me ask you this. When you eat something that's not in keeping with what you believe is healthy are you having a discussion with yourself or does it just slip by your critical mind's eye? Right, so 80% of the time follow your own advice and eat well.
Know this though,
even if you are not having the success you want eliminating pounds or sculpting muscle you are still protecting your heart and quality of life with your efforts. Even the most diligent among us will retain a bit of extra around the middle; gravity does play a part in this aging process. It's why god invented low rise pants and loose flowing shirts. Raise a toast to the muffin top--make mine a Rose from Provence--for motivating us into action thereby keeping Big Pharma, scary diseases, and stretch pants at bay.
If you'd like to learn more on taking a bite out of the muffin top and how your health and longevity will increase, I've just finished a new report and it's yours for the taking by clicking on this link. --------------------------- Want to use this article in your newsletter or on your web site? You are welcome to do so, as long as you give full attribution below. I would also appreciate it if you would let me know when you publish it. You may contact me via email or phone call. Gregory Anne Cox is a certified life coach who has been dishing up all-you-can-eat servings of women's health and nutrition information for years. Her Lifestyle Tune-Up course is a 28 day wonder seminar for women looking for the missing mid-life manual. You can find out more at Live Better Coach, send her an email, or call her at (631) 728-2456. This article is copyrighted and you may feel free to use it as long as you include this paragraph when publishing it.
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| Food That Fuels You | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Grilled Mahi with Coconut Lime Sauce, Bamboo Rice, Stir Fry Veggies and Pineapple Salsa This month's recipes just embody summer with fresh fish, plenty of fresh veggies and fruit in the salsa as well as a fragrant newcomer to the rice category, Bamboo rice. This is a short grain rice that is bathed in the juice of young bamboo sprouts to add nutrition and flavor. Love the color too.
I've included the sauce and salsa recipes here. I am going to assume that you are a master at cooking fish on the grill, on a pan in the oven or sautéing so won't take up room here for that. Chef's Tip for the Veggies-Be sure to cut whatever vegetables you use the same width so they cook evenly. Heat the pan to high but don't burn your oil, add them and flip a few times to coat evenly with oil. Season and add a few drops of water, soy sauce or other liquid to help steam them so they don't burn. Take them off the heat before they are completely cooked as they will continue to cook and will be perfectly tender-crunchy and full of color by the time they reach the table. This sauce can be cool and mild or spicy, either way it's about as summery a flavor as it gets. Use it on grilled fish, shrimp, or chicken. It will seem thin when you first make it but will thicken up in the fridge. Make it at least 8 hours before you need it. Ingredients Method Pineapple Salsa
I sometimes use papaya with the same ingredients or combine pineapple and papaya. Just use what's fresh and sweet. Ingredients ½ cup small diced red onion ½ cup, tiny diced Red Bell pepper 1 ½ cups small diced fresh pineapple ½ cup small diced cucumber Juice of one large lime ½ one medium jalapeno, tiny diced ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro Salt and Pepper to taste Method Put this together at least a few hours in advance of eating. Combine all of the salsa ingredients in a bowl, toss gently but thoroughly. Taste for seasoning. Taste it again right before serving it. |
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Books that Cook | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Bone Health Revolution
by Vivian Goldschmidt Recently my good friend Chris called to say her mom's latest Bone scan revealed quite a bit of bone loss since her last test and the doc wanted to put her on osteoporosis meds.
This made Chris uncomfortable and she called to ask what, if anything I knew about these drugs, their efficacy, side effects and possible alternatives. My limited research after my own diagnosis of osteopenia a few years ago--a non-disease created to sell more drugs I'm convinced--led me to believe that the drugs were not a good choice and that there were many things to do first to strengthen bones naturally. I fumbled through some of that I knew but told Chris I'd get back to her after getting my research updated and together. Meanwhile she found this month's book. The author Vivian Goldschmidt, has written a book I wish I'd penned. Chris was correct, the book is a gold mine of the latest information on osteoporosis, osteopenia, and the drugs big Pharma would have us take to slow down this "disease". Dirty little secret--osteoporosis is not a disease at all simply a function of aging. It is not inevitable and does not need dangerous drugs to prevent, reverse or slow it down. It can be slowed and reversed using diet, supplements, and exercise. Did you know that the mean against which our middle aged bones are compared for their "health" is 20 - 29 year old women? As Vivian asked, "Are women expected to keep their bone density unchanged as they grow older?" How can we ever hope to have a "normal" bone density score as compared to women who are at their peak of bone health? Not to mention that bone density--the characteristic of our bones being tested for--is not the best indicator of healthy bones, bone flexibility and strength is. Here are some bullet points Vivian covers in detail in her book: This is not fear mongering nor is it an anti-pharmaceutical rant. It is comprehensive research presented in lay person's language. Vivian started on this quest when she was diagnosed was osteoporosis some years ago and given Fosamax by her doctor. Her science background-she has a degree in nutrition from New York University--and scientist's curiosity drove her to research this so called disease and the "cures" being given liberally by many well-meaning docs. What she found was shocking and she felt she had to write about it and help other women avoid the potentially life threatening--at the very least quality of life damaging--side effects of Big Pharma's answer to this "problem". "According to a recent article by Consumer Affairs (February 2007), Merck, the maker of Fosamax, has put aside $48 million to set up a defense fund for lawsuits related to the debilitating side-effects of Fosamax. Does Merck know something that the general public doesn't? Caveat: Vivian does not say that drugs like Fosamax, Actonel and Boniva do not harden bones. They do; it's their ingredients, their side effects, and what we don't know that encourages us to look for alternatives. And what we don't yet know is whether the action of these bone building drugs will actually increase density but limit or prevent new bone formation which is more flexible and therefore less prone to fracture than old brittle bones. If you have been diagnosed with either osteoporosis or osteopenia I encourage you to buy the book and try natural alternatives before a drug protocol. I can't recommend this book enough.
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Q&A
Be sure to send your questions to Greg so she can answer them here in future issues of The You Revolution. Q: It's summer and it's easier to feel like a healthy person with all the luscious fruits and vegetables around. To maximize that special sort of virtuous feeling I want to be sure I'm getting as many servings as is recommended. What is that again? 5? 8? 9? And what is a serving? A: Greetings virtuous one, my hope is to give you enough information to help that feeling--and your optimal intake of fruits and veggies--last all year long. Let's start with the number of servings. The most recent government recommendation is 9 a day, fruits and vegetables combined, most often split up as 5 veggie and 4 fruit servings. A serving is one half cup by volume or 4 - 6 oz liquid as in juices. How do you measure an asparagus in a cup? You skip that folly and head over to this page where you will find all sorts of ½ cup equivalents for fruits and vegetables. Please ignore that they say the recommendation is 5 a day, that's old news and you only get the latest--and yes the most onerous--of information here. Is it necessary to eat these 9 servings every day some will ask? No, but it can't hurt. You can eat more one day and less another but that could create a habit of skipping today what you can eat tomorrow. Mother was right, tomorrow never comes in this case.
9 may sound like a lot but an average side salad with a quarter tomato, some lettuce, carrots or cucumbers, who knows what else is easily 3-5 servings. Add in one piece of fruit--often 2 servings due to the sizes we breed fruits to be lately, one or two vegetables with your main meal and you are done. Frankly if the government is recommending this level I think we should go higher. They tend to make safe recommendations and ones that the American people will not feel overwhelmed by. My smart women who want to take good care of themselves so they can always party like it's 1999 should go for 9 or more per day, every day. Go for the deepest color veggies to maximize the nutrition of each serving. There is nothing wrong with a potato--they are full of fiber and potassium but not that high in anti-oxidants. Spinach, kale, beets, tomatoes, carrots, asparagus, plums, berries, melons and all the bell peppers are nutritional powerhouses and will serve you well when 9 servings does feel like torture. Return to Top
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| What's Happening | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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What's happening is nothing short of exciting. I'm putting together a tele-series for the fall that will feature experts in midlife women's health. So far I've got an expert in nutrition who specializes in supplements and herbs. One of the leading female docs in the area of women's heart health has signed on and I'm working on getting another 4 people for this first series. If there is an area of health or other midlife issue you'd like to suggest for this series please drop me an email and let me know. My weekly audio postcards are finally ready to go. Look for an email with sign up info next week. The long overdue new blog is finally in the hands of some top-notch professional WordPress designer-programmers. I swear if this had been childbirth I'd have gone mad waiting for the delivery but at least I feel I've got the best doctors to help me breathe through the last few contractions. I'm also going to begin hosting a monthly Q & A call where you can ask me any questions you have about your midlife mind and body health. These calls will start later in the month and I'll send out information closer to the time. Relax, rest, stretch and enjoy, no really focus on enjoying--spending time in joy--this month. It does a body and mind good and we'll be lamenting that it all went so fast before we know it. Til the dog days, Greg |
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Thank you for reading. I know your time is valuable and that there is a mountain of information out there demanding your attention. My highest hope is that I've provided something of value for you. If you know someone who might benefit from any of the content please forward this.
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Any recommendations of sites or products are items I have personally investigated and recommend with confidence.
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Your privacy is my priority. I will never provide anyone with your personal information--never.
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Copyright © 2005-2008 Gregory Anne Cox. All rights reserved. |
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