How Living Clutter-Free Can Help You Lose The Extra Weight

A few days ago, I saw a link on cnn.com that linked to an article on oprah.com, that addressed the possibility that clutter in a person's home can be the cause of the extra weight he has on his body. I thought that was fascinating. Click here to read this interesting article.

Peter Walsh, the "organizational mastermind" who appears on Oprah every now and then, found a huge correlation between cluttered homes and not-so-lean folks. He believes that cleaning up your home will also help you trim down your body. Apparently, a cleaner, neater home not only lightens the mind and mood, but also lightens the body by encouraging you to make healthier food decisions and adds motivation to exercise more often.

Yoga for Youth - Everyday

We all know, by now, that practicing yoga implies increasing flexibility, strengthening muscles and the core, and lengthening the spine. But are we practicing yoga as often as we can?

I used to take yoga classes for years. I think they're great for people to start and get an idea, especially if the instructor can explain what to work towards with each position, for example, feeling the stretch along the side of the body, etc. Then I realized that with a couple simple DVDs and maybe some books, I can do it on my own in the comforts of my home with music I love, everyday! I can even throw in a few dance moves if I'm feeling it with the music, you know? Anyway, not too long after I ditched instructor-led classes, I developed my own flow of yoga routines. (You can email me if you're interested in my routine). I play some Bebel Gilberto or Radiohead (especially their latest album, In Rainbows) and now I do yoga with giddiness. It used to always be a little weird to be in a room filled with people breathing, sweating, stumbling, and no one saying a word, except for the instructor's constant - voice. So I've met with some internal resistance to going to class in the past.

Anyway, my point is that practicing yoga should be almost daily. Even if it's just 20 minutes. It increases flexibility which keeps us younger, especially if we can maintain a flexible and lengthened spine. This can help with our daily posture and stride. So, we don't need to wait till our next yoga class, now!

You Might Wanna Put Down That Sugary Starbuck's Drink...

...or breakfast granola, fruity yogurt, vanilla flavored soy milk, and the list can go on. There are even a lot of food products on the shelf and fridge that claim health benefits but contain loads of sugar that could be harming your body. Yogurt is a popular breakfast item, especially the fruity yogurts that come in those convenient cups, like DanActive - which also claims it helps with regularity. Regularity happens naturally with a diet consisting of fiber from vegetables, fruits, sometimes whole grain, and a lot of water. DanActive, and many other fruit flavored yogurts have so much sugar that it negates the benefits of eating yogurt, I think. Instead, try plain yogurt with fresh fruits and maybe a small amount of honey, if needed.

I understand the coffee fix urge, but when I do go to Starbuck's on occasion, most of the drinks I hear called out are drinks like Venti Non-fat Vanilla Soy Latte, or Grande Non-fat Mocha with Whip. These drinks are tasty for a reason, and it's because of all that sugar! Craving sugar is natural, and I can't resist it all either. But I think we should be very determined to cut back on a lot of the sugars we eat. There are 146 ways that sugar harms your health! I will list 10 here, but follow this link to see the whole list:

http://www.rheumatic.org/sugar.htm

1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.
2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body.
3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.
4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
5. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases).
6. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function, the more sugar you eat the more elasticity and function you loose.
7. Sugar reduces high density lipoproteins.
8. Sugar leads to chromium deficiency.
9 Sugar leads to cancer of the ovaries.
10. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose.

Sugar is often hidden and is in most packaged or processed foods. Labels may list sugar as corn sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, fruit sugar, glucose, glucose syrup, high-fructose glucose syrup, honey, invert sugar, invert sugar syrup, isoglucose, lactose, levulose, maltose, milk sugar, molasses, sucrose, or sucrose syrup. So be cautious!

Taking a Moment to Appreciate Good Health

Something occurred to me this morning: With each day I do enjoy good health, I don't even think about it. But I should, we all should. Today is a sunny, warm day where I am at, and I will make it a point to get out and soak up some sun, take a walk with my husband, and appreciate how my mind and body feels.

Physical Beauty - How to Keep It (1919)

Annette Kellerman, the first woman to attempt to swim the English Channel and credited for writing the first ever diet and fitness book, Physical Beauty: How to Keep It. I figured my first post on this blog should be dedicated to her. She was an athlete, dancer, diver, fitness expert, model, and movie star. She was also the freethinker credited for advocating the women's right to wear one-piece swimsuits when she was charged for indecency for wearing one back in 1908. She later designed and marketed the first modern swimsuit for women. When she was an actress in films including Neptune's Daughter (1914), A Daughter of the Gods (1916), and Queen of the Sea (1918), Kellerman promoted the idea that fitness and physical activity were natural, even for women.