Into Healthy Living

Approximately 3,500 calories adds up to about 1 pound.  This rule applies whether you are intaking food calories (“calories in”) or burning calories through exercise (“calories out”).  According to The Department of Health & Human Services, climbing up 1 flight of stairs (the equivalent of 12 steps) 3 times per day burns 15 calories.

 
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I work on the 3rd-floor of a 15-story office building with 6 elevators that are consistently crowded.  When packed into the elevator like sardines, I often feel guilty pressing “level 3″ amongst my fellow patrons who must endure stopping at lower-levels floor before ascending to the “elevator worthy” upper levels.  Lately, I’ve been hoofing it up the stairwell despite the discomfort in my high-heeled shoes to take advantage of the “mini workout” and to shift my feelings of lazy guilt to accomplishment.  I also realized that it only takes me about 1-minute to take ascend the stairs, which pales in comparison to the several minutes I often waste just waiting for an empty elevator.

According to my calculations, if I ascend 3 flights of stairs 3-times-a-day, I burn 45 calories.  This results in 10,890 calories burned for a typical year of work (~242 days) or 3-pounds!  Not too shabby for 3-minutes of exercise/day! 

I challenge everyone to make this lifestyle change and incorporate taking the stairs for ascents less than or equal to 3-flights.  Stairs…a free, healthy, and fast workout!

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How long does it take you to slap together some peanut-butter & jelly into 2-slices of bread?   By the time you find the jars in your pantry/refrigerator, unscrew the lids, find a clean knife for spreading, and cut off the crusts, I’m going to predict one-and-a-half minutes. Oh wait–you also need to wash the knife and put away the bread, so total process is roughly 2 minutes, max.  Well, the nice people at Smuckers realized the impact, distraction, and workload of making a PB&J, and now sell the famous frozen sandwich they term “Uncrustables” in your frozen food aisle.  Is this really a sign of the times?  Are people too busy and/or lazy to take 2 minutes out of their day to pull together the simplest of foods?  My top 5 laziest frozen foods are listed below, but I’m especially curious to hear about what you’d add to the list.

(1) Gold Medal in Laziest Frozen Food: Smuckers Uncrustables

Traditionally: Spend 2 minutes assembling sandwich.

Frozen Directions: Per the instructions, “Let frozen sandwich defrost for 30-60 minutes at room temperature.”

(2) Silver Medal in Laziest Frozen Food: Cheese Quesadilla

Traditionally: Place tortilla on warm skillet with cheese.  Wait 2 minutes until cheese melts.

Frozen Directions: Place frozen quesadilla in microwave for 2 minutes.

(3) Bronze Medal in Laziest Frozen Food: Scrambled Eggs

Traditionally: Crack egg in warm skillet and push around pan for 2 minutes until eggs are done.

Frozen Directions: Place frozen eggs in microwave for 2 minutes.

(4) Honorable Mention: Angel Hair Pasta with Marinara Sauce

Traditionally:  Cook pasta in boiling water for 3-4 minutes and top with canned marinara sauce.

Frozen Directions: Place frozen meal in microwave for 3-4 minutes.

(5) Honorable Mention: Garlic Toast

Traditionally: Spread bread with butter and garlic salt and place in broiler for 2-3 minutes.

Frozen Directions: Microwave frozen garlic toast for 1-2 minutes.

Technorati Tags: frozen food, lazy, healthy living

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48 hours until election day…  what last efforts will you make to put Obama in office?  I made cookies.  Yup, I baked homemade chocolate chip cookies for the hundreds of volunteers at the ‘San Francisco for Obama‘ Headquarters who spent their Sunday dedicated to phonebanking.  Since I’m not too keen on cold calling myself, I decided to participate and give to the campaign “Cindy style” by energizing the volunteers with my warm, sugary cookies.

What is your style of contributing to the campaign in these last 48 hours?   There is no time like the present to step-up and donate to the Obama/Biden campaign in your own personal style!  More cookies and homemade goodies are always welcome at the volunteer sites:

(1) SF Obama Headquarters: 939 Market Street

(2) Mission Location: 375 Valencia Street

(3) Western Addition Location: 1290 Fillmore Street

Technorati Tags: Obama, election, volunteer, cookies, San Francisco, donate, donation

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Its amazing to realize how much power large numbers of consumers and activists can have to modify the business practice of a large company.  Case in point is Zappos.  You may recall in my last post that I was horrified to learn that Zappos sold real-fur products on their web site.  Thankfully, I was recently notified that Zappos has discontinued this practice and will no longer support the real-fur trade!  Check online for yourself and be ecstatic that with significant pressure by enough activisits, change can be achieved! 

Let’s increase our pressure at Bluefly to achieve the same results.  Look at the picture below for a $2396.00 coat Bluefly is selling: it has a REAL Fox trimmed hood and Fox center front.  I am urging everyone to please send an email to the company stating you will not support their business because they sell real-fur to flyrep@bluefly.com.   Again…the continuous pressure by a significant amount of people will force these companies to reexamine their business model and modify their practices.

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I did– because I did NOT research the online companies I supported.  Over the past few years, I have bought several pairs of shoes from Zappos.com, an online shoe company.  Little did I know that they sell hundreds of shoes and handbags that contain real rabbit fur.  My first action was to immediately write to the company and demand they stop selling these products.   Secondly, I am refusing the order I placed a few days ago.  Finally, I hope public forums like blogs will motivate individuals to make a stand against a trade that is UNETHICAL, INHUMANE, AND UNECESSARY IN TODAY’S SOCIETY!

Bluefly.com is another online clothing company that sells a variety of fur including both rabbit and fox.  I have also notified the company that I will never again support their business until they cease selling ALL real-fur products.

Do you know if you support companies that sell fur?  I urge you to do your research: search ALL web sites for the term “fur” and see for yourself whether or not they help support the fur industry.  Then go the extra step and refuse to purchase any more products from companies that profit at the expense of innocent animals.

Technorati Tags: zappos, bluefly, fur

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Unfortunately, organic, natural, and chemical-free skincare products are often NOT yet mainstream items at your local chain drugstore.  Unless you are a regular shopper at a store like Whole Foods, it can be difficult to find products without any toxic ingredients.  Fortunately, internet shopping has made it easy to purchase these items online either directly from the manufacturer or from utilizing a search engine. 

My latest personal addiction are nontoxic skincare products that contain rosa damascena otto, otherwise known as rose oil.  The scent is exquisite– so delicate and light.  Rose also has stress relieving and soothing properties.  Listed below are my favorite nontoxic Rosa Damascene skincare products.  Wouldn’t these items make a special and thoughtful gift for someone who loves roses?  What’s your favorite nontoxic Rose product?

(1) REN Skincare Moroccan Rose Otto Body Wash: My number one favorite product, so if you make one new skincare purchase– definitely try this body wash!  It is also free from sulfates and synthetic colors.

(2) Pangea Organics Italian Red Mandarin With Rose Lip Care: This “chapstick” is thick enough to cover and protect your lips, but doesn’t feel heavy at all.  And if you happen to lick your lips or give a few kisses– you get just a hint of the delicate rose scent.

(3) Dr. Hauschka Rose Day Light Cream: Truly a lightweight moisturizer that is perfect to apply before your make-up and it smells heavenly!

(4) Boscia Blotting Linens (Rose): Very effective at removing excess oil or perspiration without disturbing your makeup.

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I recently attended the San Francisco showing of LUNAFEST, short films by…for…about women.  The event simultaneously promotes women filmmarkers, raises awareness for women’s issues, and supports women’s nonprofit oganizations in the United States and Canada.  Be sure to check the upcoming LUNAFEST calendar as the event is running across the United States through March 2009.  One of my favorite short films was a documentary of the making of mannequins at a factory in Los Angeles.  The 8 minute film illustrates how poor body image can develop from mannequins that have “false” physical perfection with measurements of just 34×25x36.

I recommend arriving to the event at least 20 minutes early in order to sample items and pick up materials from the vendors.  One such tabletop display by PurePrevention.org caught my attention with their messaging: “only 1 out of 10 women who have breast cancer have a genetic history of the disease.”  Pure Prevention raises awareness about the environmental causes of breast cancer.  The campaign urges every woman to commit themselves to making smart choices about known environmental causes of breast cancer and pledge to do the following:

(1) Create a Healthy Home: I will make my home a sanctuary by choosing natural, chemical-free products.

(2) Eat Smart: I will read food labels, choose natural and organic foods rich in antioxidants and purchase hormone-free meat and dairy products whenever possible.

(3) Choose Safe Cosmetics: I will chose safe personal care products by avoiding ingrediants linked to breast cancer like parabens, petroleum distillates, and lead acetate.

(4) Get Outside: I will get outside to walk, exercise, or breathe deeply three times a week for 30 minutes.

One of the best web sites to help you make safe and smart choices about your cosmetics is Skin Deep.  Skin Deep is a safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products from researchers at the Environmental Working Group.  Conduct a search of your current make-up products to determine their hazard score: 0-2 is low hazard; 3-6 is moderate hazard; 7-10 is high hazard.  If your beauty products are all falling in the “high hazard” range, then its time to start making serious changes in the brands you purchase and support.

Your action item — take the pledge (see items 1-4 above) and learn the hazard score for the cosmetic products you put on your body every single day!

Technorati Tags: lunafest, pure prevention, skin deep, breast cancer

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My job keeps me traveling quite a bit and I’ve subsequently adopted a variety of strategies to incorporate healthy living when on the road.  Below are my techniques– please add your favorite tip by commenting on this post.

(1) Visit a local grocery store. 

Before you depart, research the location of a high-quality grocery store within walking distance to your hotel (e.g. local organic grocery store, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, etc).  As soon as you arrive at your destination, stock-up on healthy snacks and portable items for your bag/purse.  I always pick-up granny-smith apples, bananas, and odwalla bars (strawberry pomegranate is my favorite odwalla bar).  Another useful tip is to either bring/buy sandwich-size ziplock bags and create your own healthy snack bags (great idea if you have kids).  Fill up the bags with a mixture of foods such as cereal, peanut-butter pretzels, dried fruit, and nuts.

(2) ALWAYS Bring your walking/running shoes.

This sounds so simple, but can be such a challenge from women who want to be fashionable with they travel!  FORGET the cute ballet flats/flip-flops/sandals and wear your walking/running shoes!  You will NOT be able to walk all-day in unsupportive shoes and  you can even injure your feet walking around in flats.  While your running shoes may not make your outfit look as cute—you will be setting yourself up for success for an active day that is ultimately so much more important than matching shoes.

(3) Choose a hotel near a large University or college.

A student environment is filled with alternatives to cars; students use bikes, skateboards, and their own two-feet as their primary mode of transportation.  You will fit into this environment the old fashioned way by exploring the terrain with your walking shoes or by renting a bike for the day.

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4) Say “no” to Vitamin Water.

Say “yes” to plain water and stay hydrated without consuming extra calories from beverages that add sugar.  My favorite example of this is Vitamin Water—it looks so appealing, but the bottle has between 100 and 125 calories, which all comes from sugar!    In addition, unless you are running in a race or sweating profusely, you do not need to buy Gatoride that also supplies plenty of sugar calories.  My advice is to stick with plain old fashioned water.  At a restaurant, ask for water with a fresh lemon or lime wedges.  Besides, wouldn’t you rather indulge in a treat during your vacation than consume excess calories in your water?

(5) Stay at a hotel with healthy options.

Pick a hotel that provides healthy options.  My favorite for travel is Starwood Hotels (e.g. The Westin, the W).  The Starwood brand is consistent in providing up-to-date gyms, healthy food options on their room service menus, and will even provide a map of outdoor jogging routes.

(6) Research on yelp.com

Research healthy restaurant options as part of your trip planning.  One of my favorite resources to find restaurants is through the web site yelp, an online forum that provides an easy way to find and recommend local businesses.  I find it very helpful to read the recent reviews and comments.  Some of the search terms I use are: ‘organic,’ ‘vegetarian,’ and ‘vegan.’

(7) Register for a local athletic event.
Sign-up for a 5K/10K race or another athletic event during your vacation.  To search for athletic events and races all over the United States, visit active.com.

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Good exercise doesn’t always equate to the treadmill at the gym. My favorite weekend exercise is spending time outdoors with my dogs. Its good for the body and mind to get a workout in the natural terrain. Hiking works your body in ways a treadmill never can with the constant variability in slope, headwind, and type of surface you are walking on (e.g., sand, dirt trail). How many of you actually set your treadmill to at least a 6% grade every time you get on the machine to simulate a normal outdoor workout?

This weekend, we headed to Pacifica, CA–a coastal city about 15 minutes south of San Francisco. It’s refreshing to get some exercise without constantly looking at the clock or how many miles you’ve covered. Make a commitment to yourself to get outdoors every single weekend and workout in the environment au naturale.

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I attended the San Francisco ‘Slow Food Nation’ this Labor Day weekend and came away with a bag full of my new favorite fruit: the elephant heart plum. One main goal of ‘Slow Food’ is to improve access and encourage the enjoyment of foods that are local, seasonal and sustainable. Slow Food is the idea that food is created with care from healthy plants and animals. For more information on this organization or to find out events in your neighborhood, visit the Slow Food USA web site. A large Farmer’s Market was featured during the San Francisco event; each vendor was allowed to showcase just one product. The result: each farm picked their best tasting item for the season for everyone to sample. Blossom Bluff Orchards brought the best tasting fruit I have ever tasted in my life–the elephant heart plum.

In appearance, the plum is a mottled variation of green/purple and is comes off the tree somewhat dusty.  These plums will most likely NOT be carried by any supermarket because they do not ship well (they bruise easy and are very delicate).  Did I mention the fantastic taste of the plum yet?  They are much more tart than your average plum, but still bursting with sweet juice.   Perfect as a healthy snack… or if you are me– have a few and call it lunch!  Trust me– the elephant heart plums are simply divine!

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