June 27, 2011

More on Sitting All Day Being Harmful for Your Health

Just read a great article with lots of information on research done regarding the dangers of sitting all day rather than standing or moving.  Written by Dr. James A. Levine of the Mayo Clinic, the article is entitled, "The Extreme Dangers of Sitting," and it's worth the read.

One big thing that stuck with me:  you will spend THREE times the energy standing instead of sitting.  So, using that standing desk without anything more means you're tripling your energy output.

So, even if you're not into a standing desk because it's fun or it's cool (remember, Ernest Hemingway wrote from a standing desk), think about this:  you might just lose some lbs and never have to go to the gym, never have to break a sweat.

Now, that's a scoop, right?

Oh, and one other thing from this study that stuck with me:  a nice evening constitutional for an hour, where you walk to enjoy the scenery and let the dog sniff the tree trunks, will expend the same amount of calories as if you were to take a ramped-up 30 minute power walk. Sweet. 

I'm off to walk the dog!

June 20, 2011

Alice's Bucket List - You Need to Follow This Blog

Alice is 15 years old and dying from cancer, and it's not a fake story or something from LifetimeTV. 

It's real, it's happening, and to read the posts from this optimistic, courageous, and wonderful child is something from which we can all benefit.

And her mom is pretty darn impressive, too. 

Alice's Bucket List. 

June 17, 2011

The Dangers of Sitting Too Much - It Can Kill You

This graphic demonstrates the dangers of sitting at your desk too much and too long.

I've started using a standing desk for a least a part of my work day, and I really enjoy it.  A friend told me that Ernest Hemingway always used as standing desk and I found this photo of Hemingway posing next to his standing desk (here) - cool, right? 

Me, I wasn't influenced by Ernest Hemingway.  It was much more basic:  I got the standing desk because I didn't like sitting at the keyboard for long periods of time (in the words of author Robin Lee Hatcher, I was getting "numb butt"). 

I also appreciate the warnings that are now coming out like this one at Boing Boing:  sitting without getting up for breaks is bad for your body. As in, sitting for many hours at a time, as a routine practice, is extremely bad for you and causes all sorts of problems with your gastrointestinal system, your heart, and other things.  Beware.

So, standing desk or not, get up if you're at a computer right now and move - or at least, stand. 

June 14, 2011

Juicing for Health: Carrot Beet Apple Spinach Juice Tastes Good. Really.

I've had a great juicer for years - high powered motor, easy to clean - but I had stored it in a cabinet awhile back and just forgotten about it. And juicing.

Then, I was surfing around and there was this discussion about the nutrients that are available in raw vegetables and fruits, things that get lost by the time they get into bottles or cartons or cans or bags. That's right, I remembered: I own a really nice juicer - why aren't I using that thing? (Slap of forehead.)

So, this week I pulled that puppy out and went to the store and bought organic beets, carrots, Fuji apples, and baby spinach. Some cilantro, too - but I also made pico de gallo, and the cilantro escaped the juice machine.

Today, I'm back in a routine of juicing daily and I feel the better for it. I've posted on this before (Food as Medicine: Juicing) and you can find links for lots of detailed information there. Right now, I just want to share how easy and fun this is, and here's my recipe (and a couple of tips):

Reba's Daily Raw Carrot Apple Beet Spinach Juice

8 small carrots or 6 regular/medium size
2 big handfuls of baby spinach leaves (don't skimp)
2 medium sized Fuji apples
1 medium sized beet (about the same size as one of the apples)

Wrap the spinach around the carrots to juice, it works better (the leaves can be hard to juice). Keep your working area clear and clean as you go: that beet juice will stain stuff (including your tee shirt).

I drink this over ice and with a straw. It's a pretty purple color.

For more on what this provides, read the links given with the ingredients above.

June 8, 2011

Great Non-Dairy, Natural Sweetener Banana Smoothie (Stevia Recipe)

This is a fast and cheap recipe for a smoothie that tastes great.  Really great.  Doesn't cost much, doesn't take much time, and it uses up all those bananas before they go bad.  Bananas are so cheap, I like finding different ways of using them (like this post).

Reba's Banana n Stevia Smoothie

Night before: 
Break up bananas into chunks, about the size of a water bottle cap, and freeze them (a Ziploc works well here, because they tend to freeze into a blob, and you can bang that freezer bag on the counter to break the pieces apart).  These will last awhile in the freezer, so I have started storing a big bag of banana bits - just for this smoothie recipe.

Ready to go:

Take your Magic Bullet (or blender, whatever machine you prefer) and for a single serving put about 1/2 a banana's worth of frozen banana pieces into the container - it's best to put in the bananas first
Next, fill up the container with Unsweetened Almond Milk
Add a generous helping of Pumpkin Pie Spice (I always buy too much of this stuff, so it's great to find ways to use it up)
Add stevia to taste (I always use the KAL Organic brand).

Whirrrrr that thing until you've got pure liquid.

Drink up!  It's just soooo good, the almond and the banana and the spices.  No sugar, no dairy, just good stuff.
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