Get Cracking and Go Nuts!

It seems that the health and fitness industry has gone nuts. Well, nutritionally, at least and for a good reason. Nuts are crunchy little gems of heart healthy unsaturated fat and protein which is why they are the perfect pre and post exercise snack. While they are high in fat they contain no cholesterol. Clinical studies have shown that nuts are beneficial to lowering "bad" LDL cholesterol, lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes.
They come in many varieties each with its own healthful benefits. All nuts are a rich source of potassium as well as magnesium, copper and iron, minerals that are often lacking in our diets. Almonds are a great source of Vitamin E and calcium. Walnuts are high in Omega 3 fatty acids. Hazelnuts are a great source of folate. Pistachios are abundant in calcium, copper and iron. And they're all delicious! So good that sometimes it's easy to just keep munching. Here are some helpful tips.
- Eat no more than 1.5 ounces or 1/3 cup a day. That's roughly 225 calories depending on the nut.
- Measure a portion and stick with it.
- Only buy raw or unsalted dry roasted nuts
- Store them in the freezer to increase shelf life. Nuts go rancid easily.
- Add them to salads, yogurt and oatmeal for extra crunch

My favorite new way to enjoy nuts is the old-fashioned way. I buy them in the shell. I put a bowl of them on the coffee table with a nutcracker and crack open a few while I'm reading. Here are the benefits to buying them in the shell.
- It slows down your eating so you feel full sooner. No temptation to eat the whole jar!
- It 's a workout!
- Nuts in the shell have a longer shelf life
- Seeing them in the shell gives you a connection to their earthly source
- Makes a nice display on your coffee table...always a plus

So, get cracking and go nuts! It's the perfect snack.

Stuck in a Rut

I hear from so many of you that you want to change you're lifestyle, that you're ready to change your lifestyle. But you don't know how to change it. You feel stuck.

As we age we get comfortable in certain patterns, whether we like them or not. These patterns start to own us. They become who we are. We get attached to them like that ratty old sweater and worn out pair of boots in our closet that should have been tossed long ago.

Here are some examples. See if you see yourself in this list.

-I'm a night owl. I could never get up early to work out.

-I don't eat breakfast. I'm not hungry in the morning

-I've never been flexible.

-I have no upper body strength.

-I'll never lose that baby weight.

-I have a bad metabolism.

-I can't stick to anything.

-I don't have time to workout.

-I have no willpower.

Does anything resonate? Make your own list. Keep it handy so that you can add to it as you begin to find all of those "ratty old sweaters and worn out boots" that have been taking up space in the closet of your mind. And then make the decision to start tossing them out. Give up what you thought was "true" for you. I guarantee you that you will start to feel lighter and more freed up. Don't worry about replacing the wardrobe just yet. Enjoy this moment of being unattached to anything. This is where self-discovery happens.

Finding the Right Workout for You

Easy. The right workout for you is...

The one that you'll stick to.

The one that you'll drive in rush hour crosstown traffic not to miss.

The one you'll do even when dog tired from a long day.

The one that you'll get up at the crack of dawn to do if that's what fits your schedule.

The one that takes priority over all of the other million things in your life.

The one that gets you away from your computer.

For some of you this may be hiking alone on a trail, for some this may be hiring a personal trainer, for some this may be taking a fitness or dance class, for some this may be training for a marathon, for others popping in a yoga DVD. The list is endless.

So, start experimenting with different workouts. And have fun with the process.

Try something you've never done before.

Maybe something that you dreamed of doing as a child but never fulfilled.

For me, it was figure skating. I can answer yes to everything on the list above.

Finding the right workout has changed my life.

It can change yours, too.