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Let’s Talk About Food!
Dear Foodies,
Let’s talk food! It’s no secret diet and nutrition play a major role in our lives. Without proper nutrition, the body cannot and will not adapt to forced change, i.e. maintenance, bulk or shred. When we don’t eat upon waking and then workout; we deprive our metabolism of fuel to burn for energy shutting down ATP.
In addition to the harsh physical effects there are emotional and mental effects. Nutrition is a vital role in our moods, cognitive response, neuro receptors, sleep, and of course our eating patterns.
What to do before and after a workout:
- Eat! Eat! And Eat! Before a workout.
- Carb based and medium glycemic foods like bananas, apples, nut butters are great pre-workout fuel.
- Hydrate before workouts. Try to consume water before working out to avoid dehydration.
- Post workout is time to replenish and recover. A low glycemic carbohydrate and high protein diet is great to begin rebuilding muscle tissue and also restore energy.
- Eat organic, pesticide free, no – GMO, hormone free foods!
Most importantly and to put it simply, the body is a fantastic and beautiful machine. Treat it well through whole organic foods and it will be good to you!
By: MINT Studios GM, Liz Harvey
How To Determine If You’re Too Sick To Exercise
Getting sick is inevitable. In fact, most adults usually get two to three respiratory infections each year. However, we all have obligations that cannot wait, especially if it’s a newly made New Year’s resolution. It can certainly feel like a huge setback, and more
so when it involves a new focus on getting healthier. The past 3 weeks, we’ve been hearing a lot about the rampant flu. Just 2 days back, NBC had a story covered on this year’s flu epidemic.
Last week, I came down with a bad cold, and it totally affected my ability to engage with people in my life let alone exercise. Thankfully, I bounced back quickly. A number of my patients have been asking me this week, whether it is okay to exercise when they’re
feeling sick. So I figured, I’d write a blog post with some helpful tips about it.
Common sense should tell you that if you have a little cold, then scale back the intensity and duration of your workout. However, there are instances where you should back off completely and take time off. Here are some considerations so you know the difference.
Let us start with an easy rule to remember–if your symptoms occur from your neck up, then it’s alright to perform a light exercise routine. If, however, your symptoms travel below your neck–stay home! In other words, if you have a common cold, which is often
limited to upper respiratory symptoms like a runny or stuffy nose, then it is usually okay to exercise. However, if you are experiencing general achiness, Gastric symptoms, chest congestion, or profound weakness, then stay home and drink plenty of fluids.
Now let me clarify one exception to the “above the neck” rule, and that being whether you have a fever. Since a fever is going to raise your body’s core temperature, which will also most likely get you dehydrated, you do not want to add insult to injury by taxing
your body with any type of exercise workout. In addition, once your fever has broken or you have recovered from a bad illness, it is best to avoid exercising for at least the next 24 to 48 hours. Moreover, when you do finally resume your exercise routine, do not pick up where you left off–ramp up slowly.
Now, under normal circumstances (aside from being sick and exercising), regular, moderate activity can help your immune system which, in turn, helps to prevent future illness. Note–the key word being moderate. Whenever you perform extreme exercise
at very high levels, then you compromise your immune system (think running a marathon).
Your New Food Timeline
When focusing on our diet, it is important to not only look at what you eat and how much of it you’re eating, but you need to also pay attention to when you eat. For instance, fruit is a healthy food, as a general rule, but for those looking to lose weight they should make sure they’re not eating fruit in the late afternoon and evening. Fruit is high in carbohydrates, sugar, and is slow to breakdown. So, although you may be opting for a bowl of fruit as a snack or dessert instead of a cookie, you may not be doing as much for your diet as you may think.
Begin aware of the time of day, when planning meals and snacks, is an easy way to make small, effective changes. Below are some other insider tips to help you more effectively plan your food for the day, because let’s be honest, we’re always thinking about the next meal we’re going to eat.
• Your largest meal should be breakfast or lunch
• Yes! You can eat carbs (the more complex the better) but eat them early in the day
• Aim to eat something every 2-3 hours. This helps keep the body fueled and can help speed up your metabolism.
• Keep your carbs low in the afternoon and evening. Look for veggie or greek yogurt snacks.
• Remember to always stay hydrated and drink a lot of water throughout the day.
By: James Parker Ashley
Vegan Chocolate Mousse
A Recipe by Naturally Healthy Desserts
We all know that Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. For those of you who want to celebrate with your special someone but don’t want to totally throw all of your hard work out the door we’ve got something for you! Skip dessert at the restaurant and make your own homemade vegan chocolate mousse at home! This is a dairy-free, gluten-free and most importantly refined-sugar free mousse that you can feel good about enjoying!
Servings: 8
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Passive Time: 4 Hours
Ingredients:
2 cups cashews
2 cups almond milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons refined coconut oil melted
¾ cu date paste
¾ cup cacao powder
dash of salt
Instructions:
1. Place all ingredients into blender. Blend until silky and smooth consistency. (About 1 minute).
2. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Serve and enjoy.
Note: This is an original recipe from Naturally Healthy Desserts
February Pose of the Month: Pigeon
Pigeon pose is the king of all hip openers, one of the most versatile and potent poses to address tension and improve range of motion in
the hips and lower body. It is a fantastic pose to dive into more deeply if you are a regular yoga practitioner—it is likely already a part of your practice in some form. But pigeon is also a great tool to incorporate into your routine more generally as a way to release and lengthen after running, cycling, or other types of exercise. It is also an essential counter-pose for all of us who sit for long hours during the day. However, pigeon is a complex pose that requires poses to open and prepare the body, to ensure that the knees, hips and low back are safe as you explore this deep stretch.
If you’ve never done pigeon before or if you have restricted movement in your hips or sacrum, or any knee injuries, start with the reclined version of pigeon pose on your back. To begin, lay on your back with knees bent, feet hip-width distance apart. Cross your right ankle over your left thigh, above the knee. Actively flex both feet then you can begin to draw your left knee towards your chest, threading your hands behind the left thigh. Make sure you continue to flex your right foot strongly to protect the knee joint and then gently press the right knee away from you to deepen the stretch in the outer right hip. Keep your head and shoulders releasing down to the mat to avoid creating tension in the neck. Do the other side.
When you’re ready to come into the full version of pigeon pose, start from table or downward facing dog. Bring your right knee forward to land slightly behind and to the right of your right wrist. Your shin can be diagonal or can come more parallel to the front of the mat depending on your flexibility. Engage the right foot to protect the knee joint. Then make sure your back leg is neutral, left outer thigh and outer hip rolling down into the mat. Actively lengthen the back leg down into the mat and lengthen up and out of the floor to elongate the left hip flexor and psoas muscles. If there is space between your right hip and the floor, place a block or folded blanket there for support. Breathe in the upright shape or begin to fold forward onto hands or forearms or rest onto a block in front of your front shin. Explore the other side—particularly with hip openers, you may find that the experience on one side of the body is different than the other.
In pigeon, as with all yoga poses, if you feel any pain or discomfort in your joints, back off and try a different variation. You may feel some intense sensation in this pose—make sure to keep breathing deeply!
Benefits of pigeon pose: Increases range of motion in hips, lengthens hip flexors, prepares body for backbends and seated poses, can reduce lower back pain associated with hip tension. Good counter pose for runners and cyclists as well as desk warriors—start with the reclined version if you haven’t practiced this pose before!
Contraindications: knee injury, sacrum instability or lower back injury.
We will be exploring variations on pigeon pose all month in our yoga classes. If you have questions or would like to dive deeper into your pigeon practice, talk to any of our MINT yoga instructors!
By: Kristin Adair
