Wine: healer or killer?

I have always thought staying away from alcohol was the best choice in being healthy. However, many studies have recently been done of the good effects that red wine has on a person. Clearly you still want to drink in moderation but let’s take a look at all the things a glass of wine here and there might actually help us out with!

It can thin your blood and dilate arteries making blood flow easier which in turn lowers your risk of heart attack and strokes. Polyphenols are also found in wine and these plant compounds shield our cardiovascular system from free radicals like pollution or second hand smoke. Wine also has resveratrol which is found on grape skins and is considered a natural anti-microbial and antioxidant. Resveratrol can help reduce the risk of cholesterol formation, coronary heart disease and blood clotting. There have also been studies trying to claim resveratrol as being an anti-aging miracle- don’t get your hopes up to much about this though, the evidence is pretty shaking! Flavonoids are also found in wine, which like resveratrol contain antioxidants that can help fight the free radicals.

Wine is also one of the most calorie friendly drinks and to top it all off your wine could actually kill the bad bacteria in your mouth. Who needs mouthwash, right?! So, although wine is still an alcoholic beverage and you should drink responsibly, I don’t see a reason why you can’t indulge in a glass of red wine here and there, after all your health may thank you for it!

It Works!

One more multi-level marketing company added into the mix that I have tried is It Works! I did try several of the products but the one I want to talk about today are the body wraps. Lose inches within hours- yes please! You pick an area of your body you want to be toned and tightened and you apply this wrap to that area after it has been cleaned. I chose to do my stomach, left the wrap on for the appropriate amount of time, took it off, measured my problem area, and low and behold- I had lost inches!! Wahoo, this is great, let’s try another! The wraps come in a box of 4 and if you sign up as a customer you can get them for $59 a box, otherwise they are $99 a box, but even at that price, $25 to lose inches off my stomach I’m in!! But, what gives, why is everybody else not doing this miracle cure for that unwanted excess fat?

At this point I did buy four wraps so I did try all of them, but I started to look into things a little bit. There aren’t many side effects to the wraps, the only notable ones were bloating and flu like symptoms, but the real question is; does the weight stay off?! It sure didn’t for me…

There are no proven results that these wraps even detox the body like they also claim to do, but they do tone and tighten your body…for a couple days. Between the wrap and the water they recommend you drink you are mainly just moisturizing your skin and plumping it up which will reduce the appearance of cellulite. However, if you don’t continue regular treatments your body will go back to the way it used to be in just a few days.

So, not a long term fix but this would be great for a day at the beach or a honeymoon where you only need the short term results! Want to feel good for a short period of time, these wraps definitely work for that, just don’t look to them for a weight loss, healthy lifestyle sort of plan. I think we are slowly learning that clean eating and exercise is about the only permanent fix out there, but don’t worry, I’ll keep searching!

Healthy Energy

Okay, so you long ago tossed energy drinks out the window. You start reading about the “healthy” energy supplement you have been taking and find out they aren’t so top notch either (guilty!)…but, your still tired…and you still need that extra pick me up. Do you go back to that daily coffee, drink a couple pops throughout the day? Well that would defeat the purpose of healthy living! So then what can you safely, effectively, and healthily do to increase that energy you have been lacking lately?

Bet you will never guess what my first suggestion will be… yep, WATER! Drink more water (now who do I sound like?!) Everybody has heard about the confusion between thinking you’re hungry but really being thirst, well that goes the same with fatigue; you think you’re tired but actually you are thirsty! Another thing to try drinking is switching out that morning coffee with a low fat latte, the milk can provide an extra energy boost.

Feeling sleepy might also be caused by a magnesium deficiency and to help get this back in check you should try consuming things rich in magnesium like almonds, cashews, whole grains or fish. You might also want to get your thyroid checked by a doctor, sometimes this can be an underlying cause of many issues- including a reason why you might be having troubles losing weight!

Don’t skip breakfast! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day; it helps get your metabolism going and can really boost your energy. Skipping any meal is never good, but breakfast sets the tone for your entire day, don’t skip it! This one is easier said than done; eliminate stress! Stress and anxiety use up energy quickly, you could sit around all day and still feel exhausted if you are stressed out about something. Learn to deal with your stressors and work on coping skills for your anxiety. The energy you save will be worth it!

Walking can also boost your energy. A brisk 10 minute walk can help you maintain your energy for an additional 2 hours! Sunshine can also help so take a quick walk outdoors if you’re able to.

A few last minute pick me ups… laugh, look at something red, yawn, eat chia seeds or stretch!

For more information on how these things all help check out these two websites:

www.health.com/health/m/gallery/0,,20502284_4,00.html

www.m.webmd.com/women/features/10-energy-boosters

Body Rock TV

Alright followers, I have something exciting I want to share with you. A coworker of mine told me a while back about this BodyRock TV thing she was doing. I let it go in one ear and out the other because I don’t have TV so I clearly wasn’t going to be checking this out. Whoops guess I should have listened better…weeks later she invited me to the Facebook Page called BodyRock TV. Guess I should have paid more attention, but come one, who calls a Facebook Page “TV” I’m sure you see my confusion. Well it has now become an addiction of mine- mostly because I get bored and they are always posting things that show up on my newsfeed so of course I have to read them. This page is great people! I strongly encourage you to check it out!

The claim they are “here to get you in the best shape of your life for FREE from your very own home.” Got your attention now didn’t I?! Yep, I said FREE- daily advice that doesn’t cost you a penny and the best part is, you don’t care about it, don’t read about it! You get to pick and choose what actually interests you, and trust me there is enough stuff there that I guarantee you will find something of interest. Today’s hot topic that caught my eye, “Does Taking a Huge Dump Help You Lose Weight?” and the answer…Yes! It may not be significant and as you get backed up again you may gain the weight back, but initially yes, you will notice a weight drop. There are many other fun facts like this, or there are posts about the newest equipment you can use to lose weight like the Bosu Ball. There are posts about body images, healthy foods to choose, and unhealthy ones to avoid, the list goes on and on. They also usually have fun catchy titles like the BodyRock Throwback: Spank Me Maybe featuring a YouTube video. This page keeps me excited about working out and gets me excited to learn about healthy living. They have everything I have been looking for and I am grateful that my co-worker introduced me to it so I figured I would spread the love! Enjoy-

https://www.facebook.com/BodyRock.Tv?ref=br_tf

Sometimes Cheating is Okay!

Okay, so I need to vent a little bit with this one. I am a part of a challenge group on Facebook (which honestly just irritates the heck out of me most of the time and I should just remove myself but I have yet to take that step!). This group is called 2015 Transformation and it is a bunch of somewhat local women who are all on a healthy living kick as well. Except these women have taken it WAY TO SERIOUSLY! They post pictures for “flex Friday”, post their lunch for “meal Monday” and so on. At first what I thought to be a motivational page turned into an angry depressing page for me. The leader of the page posted a picture of a half a banana with peanut butter and 10 chocolate chips, yes only 10! The comment said, “I cheated tonight. I couldn’t help myself, I sat and watched my family eat pizza, then came home and made myself a yummie salad. But it didn’t quite ‘cut the mustard’.” Cheat?! Lady…you’ve lost your mind- that’s a normal snack for me! And I’ll be darned if I am going to go out for pizza and not eat it! Literally three days later she posted, “I am bonking. No, I am not bonkers. I have been following the lowest bracket of 21 Day Fix and doing Max:30 workouts. I am tired and hungry A LOT. So yea for me, I get to eat more!!!…” She goes on farther but nothing necessary for you to get my point! Yep, tired and hungry because you aren’t eating! Eat the pizza, as long as you are conscience about what you are putting in your mouth and not binging or doing it regularly IT”S NOT GOING TO HURT YOU! Work out harder tomorrow morning knowing you had a slip up tonight but it’s okay to slip up! Also, it’s not cheating…consider it as a reward, you worked hard, you have EARNED this. Studies suggest that a successful dieter will stick to their diet plan 90 percent of the time, that’s 10 percent short of 100! 10% of the time you can eat those 10 chocolate chips.

Still don’t think it’s okay to splurge once in a while? How about this, leptin (I’ve mentioned this word before!) is secreted by fat cells and is key to maintaining energy balance in the body (it allows you to know when you are full). When leptin levels are low you continually think you are hungry, and low levels of leptin are caused by decreasing caloric intake. Continually eating with minimal calories could potentially lead to binging! So take that high calorie splurge, it might actually help you in the long run!