Nutrition

Healthy School Lunch Ideas For Kids

Have you ever taken a look at the food that is being served at your kid’s school cafeteria? Better yet, have you ever seen the lunches being served in other countries, like France? Compare our reheated chicken nuggets and fries with a juice and maybe ice cream for dessert to their 3-course, locally sourced salad, baked fish and veggies and fruit for dessert. Is it any wonder why our country struggles with a childhood obesity epidemic and the French do not?

The current state of school lunch in the US is far from ideal. Most cafeterias are running on a tiny budget, relying on reheating instead of actually cooking food and are doing what they can just to scrape by. This is a far cry from the cooked in-house, locally sourced, thoughtfully prepared meals of other countries.  Continue Reading

August 27, 2016
Mind/Body

Reiki In Hospitals

Have you ever tried reiki before? As people begin to more openly accept the mind/body connection when it comes to our health and welcome the once deemed “alternative therapies” into their lives, reiki is making a powerful resurgence after all these decades. We are even starting to see it in the more clinical settings.

It is becoming increasingly common to find alternative healing therapies, such as massage or reiki, being offered in hospitals these days. Patients are seeking care that goes beyond the “norm” of traditional health care practices. And, thankfully, it seems like many hospitals are listening. Continue Reading

August 20, 2016
Fitness

5 Free Outdoor Workouts

As summer is starting to wind down, why not take advantage of this beautiful weather and move your workouts outdoors? It’s totally free and you don’t need a fancy gym membership or tons of equipment to complete any of these. Here’s 5 of my favorite killer outdoor workouts.

**Be sure to properly stretch and warm up prior to any workout! Continue Reading

August 12, 2016
Fitness

Trigger Point GRID Foam Roller Review

Mobility is a key component of health and fitness and foam rolling is a great way to increase mobility, while also improving recovery time and soothing those sore, achey muscles. For years, I had settled with the basic foam rollers at my gym. Then, one glorious day, someone gave me the Trigger Point GRID foam roller. Wow, what a difference! Here is my honest review of the pros and cons of the GRID foam roller.  Continue Reading

August 5, 2016
Nutrition

Collagen: The Best Natural Anti Aging Treatment

Collagen is the most abundant protein found in the human body. Found in our muscles, bones, tendons and skin, it is essential for mobility and is what gives our skin its elasticity.

Collagen vs Gelatin: What’s The Difference?

Often times, when people talk about collagen, they will use the term gelatin interchangeably. In the simplest of terms, gelatin is derived from collagen when collagen is broken down. So, basically, the same thing in a different form. A perfect example is when bones- full of collagen- are cooked to make bone broth, the end product contains the gelatinous gelatin instead of collagen.

While very similar in many ways, there are some slight differences between the two. Both are odorless and tasteless and have very similar amino acid profiles. How they are used, though, is where the greatest difference is. Continue Reading

July 28, 2016
Fitness

Everything You Need To Know About Being Sore

The more sore you feel, the better your workout was, right? Actually, no! Being sore is not necessarily a sign of a good workout or required to see results at the gym. There’s a lot more to it. Here is everything you need to know about being sore.

1. Soreness is a normal response to exercise.

The technical term for that tender, sore feeling you get after a tough workout is delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS. During exercise, you are working skeletal muscle, which will swell a bit and feel sore to the touch post-workout. This is all a totally normal process. Continue Reading

July 13, 2016
Pet Health

Dogs and Thunderstorms: How To Help

The hot and humid summer weather can often bring with it thunderstorms. While no big deal for you, thunderstorms can seem like the end of the world to your dog. Trembling and drooling in some corner of the house, unsure if they will survive, thunder can cause even the bravest of dogs a great deal of fear and stress.

Thunderstorm phobia is much more common in adult dogs than in puppies. Usually, this fear develops around 3 or 4 years old. Symptoms include trembling/shaking, pacing, sweating through paws, drooling, panting, accidents in the house, barking/whining, and trying to “escape”.

But there’s a lot you didn’t know about how thunderstorms are effecting your dog. Here are 4 facts you should know about dogs and thunder phobia (and how you can help). Continue Reading

July 5, 2016
Fitness

Lose Weight While You Sleep

Who would have thought?! If you want to shed those stubborn pounds, you just need to put your favorite pair of PJs on and dive into bed. We are a nation consumed with fueling up on caffeine and putting in those extra hours at the office and getting our kids from soccer practice to karate class and making dinner somewhere in between that. There just aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish what we need to and our sleep suffers as a result. We pack healthy lunches, skip the wine at dinner (sometimes…) and reluctantly trudge to the gym after or before work for our daily bootcamp or spin class. So why aren’t the pounds flying off?? Continue Reading

June 27, 2016
Mind/Body

Emotional Freedom Technique: Clearing Emotional Blockage

Emotional Freedom Technique, also known as EFT or tapping, is a healing tool that combines the physical benefits of acupuncture with the psychological benefits of therapy. The idea behind EFT is that unresolved emotional issues are the underlying cause of your symptoms, whether they be of physical or psychological nature. EFT is used to clear these “emotional blockages” that are impeding your ability to heal or live to your fullest potential by bringing balance to your energy circuits.

The meridians, or energy circuits, that run throughout our bodies were discovered by the Chinese over 5,000 years ago. They are the centerpiece of acupuncture, reiki and acupressure. It is much more recently that these age-old Eastern health practices are finally being recognized by Western medicine and we are starting to acknowledge the energy that flows through our bodies and the power we can harness from it. Continue Reading

June 19, 2016