forevafit

How To Make Almond Butter

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:13:48 -0400

1 cup toasted almonds....raw almonds are more nutritious... anything toasted loses its enzymes.
2 teaspoons of olive oil

Place the almonds in a food processor. Process on high until ground almonds begin to form a ball. Drizzle olive oil over almonds and continue to process, stopping occasionally to scrape sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Store in an airtight container.

It Goes More Than Skin Deep

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 13:36:42 -0400

I just read an article from Kris Carr’s Crazy Sexy Life’s blog about triclosan or aka triclocarban, a chemical in hand soaps (as well as other products we put on our body). This chemical is known to be a hormone disruptor. You can read more about hormone or endocrine disruptors in my article “Plastics are Everywhere” . Being a hormone disruptor is bad on its own but if that isn’t bad enough for ya it can also cause cancer. Kris states in her article that of the people who had their urine tested for this chemical 75% were found to have it in their urine. This type of information never fails to make me say WTH (what the hell)! Why are they still puting these chemicals in our products?!! It’s obvious that they’re not totally necessary in all products because some companies don’t add them. So read the labels on your products and don’t buy anything with this chemical in it.... If you want to know what products have what chemicals and what their toxic level is you can try Skin Deep. Skin Deep is website data base that has lists of products and how toxic they are to you. Kris had a recipe for hand soap on her site... thanks Kris!!!! I’ll post it here with a link to her awesome blog!!

Liquid Hand Soap recipe
Add this mixture to your soap dispenser (even the foaming kind):
- ¾ cup distilled water - ¼ cup liquid castile soap (found at most health food stores or organic grocers in unscented or scented with essential oils) - Optional: ½ teaspoon grape-seed oil

Kris Carr Crazy Sexy Life

Photo Credit: Cat2398

Veggie Casserole....Yumm!!

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:38:58 -0400

Vegetable Casserole with Tofu Topping

Ingredients:

Vegetables:

2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, (I use red) halved lengthwise and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 lb cabbage, cored and cut crosswise into 13 inch thick slices 4 cups
1 lb kale, stems and center ribs removed and leaves coarsely chopped 12 cups
1/2 lb carrots, cut into 1/2 inch thick matchsticks
I added mushrooms to the ingredient list... whatever amount you want
1/2 cup water
2 tablepspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping
1 1/2 cups fine fresh or dried bread crumbs, preferably whole wheat
7 oz firm tofu
1 oz finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano (1/2 cup)
1/3 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons dried basil, crumbled
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
1 tsp paprika
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees

Saute vegetables:

Heat oil in a deep 12 -14 inch heavy skillet over moderately hight heat until hot but not smoking, then saute onion stirring occasionally until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate and add cabbage, kale, carrots, water, soy sauce, and salt (skillet will be full, but volume will reduce as vegetables steam) Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are just tender 10-15 minutes Transfer to a 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish.

Pulse all topping ingredients together in a food processor until combined well. Alternatively, mash ingredients together in a large bowl with a potato masher Sprinkle tofu mixture over vegetables in baking dish and bake, uncovered, until topping is golden brown and vegetables are heated through 15-20 min.

Makes 6 - 8 side dish servings

Photo by: Kaelahill

What is Wheatgrass

Fri, 8 Jul 2011 09:11:44 -0400

Another great article to read is : Wheatgrass Fights Cancer

Another Choice For Cancer Therapy

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 20:51:35 -0400

Ultimate Gym Bag

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 12:13:21 -0400

I’ve been searching for a good gym bag for a while. They just don’t seem user friendly to me. Everything gets kind of lost and nothing has a place. The Core Bag seems to have everything that will keep me organized to go to the gym, get my workout done and get ready to get on with my life after the workout. If I’m organized it will be easier and more likely to go to the gym and stay healthy. I especially LOVE the sneaker compartment!!! Who wants dirty sneakers in with your clean clothes? Check out the site and if you check it out before May 1st you can enter to win one for yourself!!! The Live Well 360 also has great posts on health and fitness! Love it!!!!

Happy Feet

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 11:34:02 -0500

“The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art.”
Leonardo da Vinci

My Grandmother used to buy the best quality shoes even when money was limited. She believed that If your feet hurt, your whole body hurt. Foot problems can cause pain in our shins, knees, hips, and back. Once we have pain in our back we then can have neck and head pain. It’s all connected. Our feet get us where we’re going. Feet make our workout successful. So, therefore, it’s vital we take care of them.

Working out in worn out sneakers can cause injury and pain.

Check the following to see if you need to replace your shoes:

• Midsole wear: Midsole cushioning may be worn out long before the tread shows signs of wear.

• Check how your body feels. When shoes are worn out you may begin to get aches and pains in joints and bones. You may notice muscle fatigue, tightness or shin splints.

• Midsole material creasing or wrinkles.

• Twist the shoe. A worn out midsole will allow more twist than a new one.

• Try on a new pair. If the new shoe feels dramatically more cushiony than it may be time for a new pair.

• Rotate your shoes. Buy two at a time and rotate them every week or other week.

Taking care of your feet:

• Make sure your socks fit to avoid blisters.
• Moisturize your feet.
• Avoid fungal problems. Change socks often, where flip flops in locker room, and keep feet clean and dry.
• Massage your feet. A professional massage is awesome but if you can’t afford one try a self-massage. Use a wooden foot roller (available at health food stores) to stimulate foot muscles.
• If you get a problem, such as blisters or fungus, take care of it right away.

Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar Fasciitis is a very common foot condition that stops many from exercising.
Symptoms include: Heel pain during first steps of the morning. This pain is the result of the foot resting in plantar flexion overnight which causes the fascia to shorten.

Causes:
• Flat feet, high arches
• Excessive pronation
• Sudden weight gain
• Sudden increase in activity intensity, time or type
• Wearing high heals
• Prolonged standing.

Treatment:
• Rest and ice.
• Non steroidal anti-inflammatories
• Massage
• Wearing a night splint
• Arch supports
• Weight loss

Strengthening Exercises:
Scrunching up a hand towel with the toes or pulling a towel weighted with a soup can across the floor. After exercise apply a cold pack to the heel at point of maximal tenderness for 15-20 minutes.

Any severe pain or injury that doesn’t go away in a week or so or gets worse might need a physician consultation for a complete evaluation.

Photo by Maar

Yoga

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 16:31:11 -0500

I’ve added a yoga video today. I have taken yoga before and never really thought too much of it. I usually took it at a gym that had classes. I then tried yoga at a facility that specifically specialized in yoga. What a difference!!! I saw how yoga was actually hard to do! Yoga to me can be relaxing as well as strength building. Hot yoga (where the room is heated to about 90-100 degrees) is good as well for burning more calories and warming up the muscles so that you are more flexible. Give it a try at a yoga studio! I’m sure you’ll be just as surprised as I was at the efficiency of the workout!!
The video I have chosen is from Rawalicious who also has a raw food forum and website.

Prevention: Give Yourself a Fighting Chance

Sun, 21 Nov 2010 14:10:28 -0500

I think all these “Cancer Awareness” ads and funds are great. Money needs to be raised for research and helping people with cancer. However, I don’t think there’s a person on this earth that isn’t “aware” of cancer. My question is this: Where are all the ads that educate about cancer prevention. I understand and see ads for not smoking but what about all the other things we can do to help prevent cancer? I do have the realization that some cancers are just plain not preventable, at least not at this time. Maybe in generations to come if we lead healthier lifestyles cancer will be maybe not totally eliminated but less common. I think some of those funds should go to educate people, especially children to lead a healthier life. We’re stuck on the disease and need to move forward to educating about prevention.

Here are some things stated by Mayo Clinic that help with prevention:

1. Stop smoking: There are programs out there that can help with this. Smoking doesn’t just cause lung cancer it is linked to others such as bladder, cervix and kidney.
2. Eat a healthy diet: Fruits and vegetables offer so many antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
3. Exercise: Get oxygen to your cells
4. Be proactive about early detection
5. Keep your weight down.
6. Get sun but don’t get too much: Sun is important to get Vitamin D but too much can cause some skin cancers.
7. Avoid risky behavior: Safe sex

Read the whole article here: MayoClinic.com Cancer Prevention

Do it for you..Do it for your family.... Just do it!

Go Multiple Sclerosis? Get Moving

Sun, 24 Oct 2010 19:17:10 -0400

Exercise helps a magnitude of health issues. One of them is Multiple Sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis is a disease of the nervous system. The disease typically affects men and women between the ages of 20 and 40. MS has two types. The relapsing type consists of episodes of visual loss, numbness or weakness that improve. The more serious, chronic, progressive type has a slower deteriorating pattern. Recent studies have shown that patients who suffer from MS and exercise regularly perform better.

The following regimen should only be followed after a physician approval but the exercise goals are as follows:

An adequate period of warm-up and stretching.
A minimum of 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three days per week.
Resistance exercise on alternating days.
Activities that improve balance.

The best exercises for people with MS are swimming, cycling, martial arts and running. Read the whole article here at Norwich Bulletin.com.

When I don’t feel like exercising I just plan on doing 10 minutes and once I start it feels so good I usually keep going. What’s your motivation?