Here’s a very practical post for you!

Ten healthy foods for you to focus on.

1. Canned pumpkin is filled with vitamin C and A, has fiber and has anti-inflammatory properties. For those of you with a local Trader Joes, I’ve been buying their canned pumpkin for years and it’s very delicious and can be used in a variety of ways.

2. Beets. Just last night I added beets to homemade coleslaw. Not a typical item found in coleslaw but it gave it a nice taste. Beets have vitamins A and C, fiber and minerals.

3. Beans and other legumes are high in protein and fiber.

4. Yogurt is a great source of calcium and has probiotics in it which help improve your gut health.

5. Canned tuna or salmon is filled with protein, is relatively inexpensive and has good omega-3 fat.

6. Oranges are very high in vitamin C and potassium. Eat the fruit rather than the juice and eat the pith because that’s where a lot of the vitamins are.

7. Sweet potatoes are high in vitamin A and C and also a good fiber source. When you boil them you lose a lot of the vitamins, so bake them and be sure to eat the skin.

8. Frozen berries are full of antioxidants.

9. Kiwi has vitamins E and K and is also high in vitamin C.

10. Spinach is a powerhouse so just make sure to eat it!

In looking at this list I’m already brainstorming how I can use ALL of them in one meal!!???

Got any suggestions for me!?

shelli

A new study suggests that high-fat eating, even for just a few days at a time, takes its toll on both exercise performance and short-term memory.

So if you’ve noticed that you’re feeling a bit fuzzy in the memory department or your exercise performance is slipping, you might want to take a look at your dietary fat intake.

Researchers at Cambridge University found that both rats and humans (healthy males) experienced a similar drop in both exercise performance and cognitive function after consuming a high-fat diet for several days.

When I say high-fat I’m talking about a diet, in this study at least, that contained 55% fat.

Why would a high-fat diet influence these two factors?

It might be because a high-fat diet reduces your ability to efficiently use glucose. Glucose is needed for brain function.

As for exercise performance, a high-fat diet causes the body to release certain proteins that can reduce metabolic efficiency. This ultimately hinders physical performance.

So the point here is that regardless of the sources of fat in your diet, fat is still fat and too much of it detracts from optimum health and function.

Experiment for yourself and see if decreasing dietary fat, if you’re in the high dietary fat consumption group, helps you feel less fuzzy. Also be aware of better exercise performance.

In other words, let your body tell you YOUR optimal fat intake. For most of us it’s likely way less than we’re currently consuming!

shelli

That’s an interesting question that will no doubt raise some eyebrows.

Here are some of my  thoughts and ideas about making your menopause years your Glad Season!

I found the term Glad Season while reading Maya Angelou’s poetry.

She was not referring to menopause, but nevertheless I was struck
by the notion of how many women are not “glad” about entering
menopause and how they can turn this feeling around.

When I think of a season I see a beginning, middle, and end. I see change along
with the passage of time……a journey. I see a metaphor for menopause.

So I got to thinking.

If menopause is going to be a “glad season,” what am I glad about?

I came up with some very empowering answers.

1. I am glad that I have always enjoyed being active and spending time
outdoors. From skiing to throwing a frisbee around at the beach,
from competitive sports to a leisurely bike ride, I enjoy it all.
Years of physical activity has contributed to my glad season being
a fun and fit season.

2. I am glad that over the years I have paid attention to eating well.
During the times when I got off track I always persisted and got
back ON track. Now I feel I am reaping the rewards of making good
choices. I am energetic and healthy and know that food has its
proper place in my life. This contributes immensely to my “glad”
season.

3. I am glad that I have work that I love and enjoy and hobbies and
interests that I am passionate about.

4. I am glad that I have nurtured relationships so that I have friends
and family who are supportive and loving.

Menopause will come to pass in every woman’s life in one form or
another.

These four “glads” in particular remind me that when
menopause presents its challenges I can still see it as a Glad
Season because I DO have much to be glad about.

I encourage you to think about what YOU have to be glad about.

Write about it, talk about it, share your “glads” with me and others and
see if you can perhaps shift some of your thinking about this
menopause season!

Yours in gladness,
shelli

As I write this I am in the friendly skies on a Southwest Airlines flight.

This past year and a half I have not flown anywhere. My travels have all been by car. I am an easy traveler and don’t mind flying. Having not flown much, it has been interesting to observe people in route and at the airports.

A few minutes ago the flight crew gave their “not so typical” Southwest Air version of the in flight safety instructions. I had forgotten how creative they can be.

It reminded me that even during the most stressful and tedious situations which test our patience and tolerance, there is room for laughter and lightness.

I found myself taking a deep breath and relaxing after she spoke and received her round of applause.

My favorite joke she said? “There is a $2000 fine for smoking in the bathrooms and if you could afford that you’d be flying Delta, so just don’t smoke!”

Even though what each of us find humorous is different, and the timing and use of humor is an art, it pays to practice seeing the lighter side of life.

When things get out of hand and you feel yourself spinning out of control and not on your A game see if you can remember this blog post and add some humor and laughter.

Or just pretend you’re a Southwest Airlines employee and you’re at your job interview. How would they spin what you’re going through to get you to relax and put a smile on your face?

From the funny skies,

shelli

Is Barefoot Better or Even A Good Idea?

Seems like a hot topic for runners and non-runners alike these days.

Almost every day I see at least one person running without shoes. Let’s take a deeper look at what all the fuss is about.

Dan Lieberman, a Harvard biologist, believes that modern running shoes may explain why fifty percent of serious runners are injured at least once a year (Nature, January 2010). It’s the way that wearing shoes changes both your gait and landing patterns when you run in them.

Why?

Modern running shoes have features that cause runners to land on their heels.

When you heel strike like this you land with a force of at least three times body weight at a 6-minute mile pace. The faster a runner runs, the greater the force, which causes stress fractures of the feet and lower legs, shin splints, tears in the fascia on the bottom of the feet, knee and hip pain, tendon and joint damage and more.

Now even if you’re saying to yourself, “but I don’t run a 6-minute mile pace”, the force of landing on your heels will still cause all of the injuries and pains I mentioned above.

What’s so bad about hitting the ground with your heel first?

This landing pattern stops the foot suddenly.

When you land on the front of the foot, however, this allows the foot to keep on moving so that your heel is lowered toward the ground and the force will be distributed throughout the entire lower leg.

Years ago, during the 1960’s, when “running” shoes first came into the marketplace, doctors felt running injuries were caused by excessive pronation (a rolling inward of the foot after the heel strikes the ground). They thought the foot rolled inward toward the arch to dissipate the tremendous force as the heel struck the ground.

They blamed the frequency of running injuries on the inward twisting motion of the leg after heel strike. They invented running shoes with special arch supports to limit inward rolling, and with padded heels to cushion some of the shock of the heel hitting the ground.

Perhaps “running” shoes were a good idea in theory, but these features actually reinforce the runners’ habit of landing on their heels.

Try walking barefoot and then put on cushioned shoes with arch support and you’ll see what I mean.

Dr. Lieberman has shown that barefoot runners are more likely to land on their forefoot or mid-foot. He has shown in his research that landing on the front part of the foot reduces the force of the foot strike very significantly.

However, he has no data to show that running injuries can be prevented by running barefoot. And of course stones, cut glass, and other assorted detritus that you find on the street can cause injuries. Most runners have such thin skin on the bottom of their feet that they couldn’t possibly run barefoot. It takes training and time to run barefoot.

So what data do we have?

Lieberman has shown two things:

1. That modern running shoes tend to encourage a runner to land on their heels.

2. Heel striking generates more force than front foot strike.

He has not yet shown that modern running shoes cause injuries or that injuries can be treated or prevented by running barefoot or in thin-soled shoes. His website is: www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu

What does all that foam padding and those dual-density midsoles do for you? They have to be doing something, right?

Well from my perspective, they’re deceiving the body!

Let me explain.

It’s based on your body’s proprioceptive abilities; the way your body communicates up and down all your pathways. When you run barefoot, or approximate barefoot running, your body engages your vision, brain, the soles of your feet, and all the muscles, bones, tendons and supporting structures of your feet and legs. Your body gets into gear, giving you a huge degree of protection from the forces of running.

When you have too much interference in the form of shoes, inserts, or heavy socks, your body’s proprioceptive system loses a lot of input.

Relatively new to the market are running shoes with very thin soles and minimal heels, shoes such as Nike Free’s (which have been around since 2004) or Vibram 5 Fingers. They have minimal features and allow your feet their full range of motion. I’ve been wearing Nike Free’s for many years now and I’ve never looked back.

I’m not a professional researcher but I do believe that it’s a good idea to just let your feet be feet, unencumbered by heavy shoes and too much arch support.

I share this belief with some podiatrists, physical therapists and other coaches.

Modern people spend too much time in shoes. This weakens many of the foot and leg structures. Going as barefoot as possible has always been my choice, whether at home or during exercise. Feet are at their healthiest when they function as they were meant to. We have to allow them to practice all the ranges of motion and movements that come naturally. This requires either going barefoot or approximating barefoot.

We’ll have to see down the road what researchers find out, but for now I’m sticking to my own gut feelings about keeping my feet healthy and functional and wearing as minimal a shoe as I can find!

What do you think!!

shelli