healthy and beautiful

I realize she's not a "company" but some find this humor offensive For some reason, I’ve encountered multiple accounts of sobriety lately. My friend Aidan Donnelley hosted Elizabeth Vargas for one of her “Happier Hour” book events. Elizabeth’s book tells her story about anxiety and alcoholism. Aidan has written about and been fairly public with her sobriety as well. I also read Love Warrior , Glendon Doyle Melton’s memoir. And most recently, a friend turned me on to the Home podcast, specifically an episode about eating and addiction. The nutritionist interviewed tells her story about her issues with alcohol. I think the topic of women and alcohol is an important one. I know, from years of counseling, that for many people alcohol may not be a major problem but it’s not a non-issue either. A lot of clients worry about their drinking, being open and having conversations privately or publicly is vital. I come to the table from a slightly different vantage point. I like a coc...

Last night Carolyn and I had a talk to give. If you’re in NYC,   you know that it was an insanely rainy night. So, like the true professionals we are, we emailed our host 10 times saying “are you sure we’re on, it’s so bad out maybe people would like to do another night?” We were on and, as is often the case when you least expect it, it was great. We had a smart/fun group in a small, swanky 51 st floor room. There was booze we didn’t drink and chandeliers we did NOT swing from (we didn’t know these people yet). The topic was top 10 foods you should eat to undo holiday damage. Issue: Hangovers Shockingly over 20% of people do not experience hangovers. Most of us do. Try our 1 for 1 rule and have 1 water for every drink you have or just stick to 1 drink (some people can do this). If you overdo it, think ginger. Most hangover issues stem from inflammation. We like Wakaya ginger  Mix it with water after you drink or next morning or be like us and plop some in your clear spirit of ...

Fitness needs to stop being a dream we think about and become an action we put into practice. There are so many factors getting in our way. Negative thoughts and self-defeat are high on the list. Using "too busy" as an excuse is another fitness barrier. Frustration with the lack of results can cause us to think it will never happen. Fitness requires us to live beyond our dreams. We all have the potential to achieve success. Remaining positive in a negative world will be first on the agenda. No more downing yourself before even trying. "Busy" is a word used for people who really don't want it bad enough. Lastly, there is no such thing as instant results. Daily progress should become the focus. The action needed to get fit is a daily choice. Start by making a plan and sticking to it. It will be important to schedule your workouts and spend time meal prepping. Avoid processed convenience foods and replace those with healthy nutrient dense foods. Start hanging aro...

Watch out easy steps to check water adulteration in milk by using Lactometer ( Hydrometer ) in house. (Voice : Hindi ) Milk is a common drink of our daily diet. But mostly time, it may have Urea, Formalin, Vanaspati, Starch and water as impurity. Packed milk from brands as well as milk purchased from milk-vendors can be adulterated so it is always better to check for them before consuming. Water turns out t o be the most common adulterant in milk. It reduces the nutritional value of milk. If contaminated, water poses a health risk to consumers.  How to check water adulteration in Milk by using lactometer : A lactometer measures the density of milk. It tells the user how much water is in the milk that is being sampled. This is an instrument used to determine the richness of milk. Lactometer : Measure the amount of water in the milk. A Lactometer is used to find out the amount of water in the milk. It works on the principle of specific gravity of milk . It consists of a Test-Tube...

I was reading an article in More Magazine and came across a small piece on what motivates us to exercise. The reason I bring up the article is I happen to agree with the content. According to More , the top reasons women over 40 exercise are to lose weight and protect their health. Research indicated these women were more disenchanted with their fitness programs. Regular exercise was explained as a duty, not fun and more like taking a mouthful of bitter medicine. So, it appears gals over 40 feel exercise is more of a have to duty than having a fun time. The lesser percentage of women surveyed stated they exercised to improve mood and reduce stress. Now, that sounds fabulous. Studies show women who exercise for stress reduction and to feel good remained true to their programs. In fact, they exercised 30% more than those seeking to lose weight and protect their health. Now, you may think losing weight should be motivational, but let's say you're not seeing results. This creates...

What works for me may not work for you. That's awesome! Why? Because we're all different people with differing strengths and weaknesses. Each of us should focus on the things we can do, and do our best not holding anything back. Acceptance of who we are and celebrating our strengths is essential for health and fitness. I eliminate push-ups from my workout for example because they will aggravate my neck injury. Instead, I work hard on my chest press and it works for me. It could be easy to sulk back into a corner and cry over my loss of certain athletic abilities, but what would that do for me?  Nothing. Life has given me a great purpose and a strong will to fight for my fitness. I have good and bad days just like you. Over several years of training, I have come to really enjoy what I can do through exercise modification and creative program development. I do what works for me and it's fabulous. It's important to never give up hope and know you can achieve great things....

If you’re someone who takes medicine daily, any medicine, it’s important to step back and consider whether you still need to be taking it. I’d also brush up on the side effects. While I’d love doctors to focus on getting patients off unnecessary meds, let’s face it medicine is a business.  But if you, or someone close to you, are one of the 15 million Americans who take a certain type of acid blockers, there are some serious side effects. There is a class of acid blocking (“heartburn”) meds called PPIs. Examples of PPI’s are Prevacid, Nexium and Prilosec. The c oncerns about taking these meds long-term have been out there; however, almost daily I have a client in my office who feels they’re totally safe. Whenever I see one of these meds in a new client’s chart I ask a few questions. How long have you been taking this medication? Have you tried going off of it? What modifications do you make in your diet for your reflux or heartburn? The answers are quite similar. Most clients hav...