Run Like Ellie Goulding

January 26, 2012 | Leave a Comment


Ellie Goulding is a hugely successful English pop singing artist with a passion to run.  The video above was filmed, in collaboration with Nike Running, while Goulding was training for a half marathon with Nike+ that took place in London in September 2011. This marathon training/video also took place while on a busy tour schedule in the U.S. and in London.  Check out the video for a jolt of inspiration.

Inspired by her love for running, Ellie has also released a 30-minute mix that syncs perfectly to the rhythm of running which is titled “Run Into The Light“, now available at Amazon.

You can see the singer-songwriter-runner’s marathon race results at http://runtothebeat.nikerunning.com/race/211.

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Posted by Julie | Filed Under Blog, Celebrities, Fitness 

Martina McBride: Raising Awareness For Breast Cancer

October 13, 2011 | Leave a Comment

Country singing star Martina McBride stopped in her home state of Kansas this week (and, luckily for me, in my home town) during her cross-country tour to promote her newest album, “Eleven” , and to raise awareness for breast cancer. 

McBride arrived by Amtrak train, dressed in sweet (not too flashy) casual-style clothing, almost as if to say to her fellow Kansans … “I’m just one of you.”  And when she spoke to the crowd of fans who gathered to get a glimpse of her, she said: 

“Wow!  Look at all of you.  This is awesome!”  . . . “It’s so appropriate and so cool that I get to come home on the day of my album release.” 

But as I watched her manuever around the crowd before re-boarding the train heading to its next destination of Kansas City, I saw how much she seemed to love and appreciate her fans and I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Martina, you yourself are awesome!”  

In August of this year, Martina McBride released a new video, titled “I’m Gonna Love You Through It,”  through which she provides inspiration to people who are currently battling cancer.  This is a beautiful video which features celebrities and others who have either struggled with cancer themselves or have provided support to loved ones who have struggled with cancer.  And it was quite noticeable that that inspiration was received by many who were in the crowd.  I personally found it very heart warming to see Ms. McBride signing autographs for women who were wearing pink scarves on their head, indicating that they were in fact cancer survivors.  In an effort to not leave anyone out, as security personnel kept trying to lead the talented singer back to the train, she just kept signing as many autographs as possible before she finally had no choice but to board.   

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month.  Check out Martina McBride’s inspiration video below.

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Posted by Julie | Filed Under Blog, Celebrities 

Astaxanthin: A Potent Supplement

October 6, 2011 | 1 Comment

Solgar Astaxanthin Complex 5 MG - 60 Softgels - Other SupplementsHaving only surfaced in the last 10 years, Astaxanthin was the unknown health supplement.  It seemed almost no one knew about the many benefits of taking this powerful antioxidant and, therefore, its supply was plentiful on shelves of most health food stores. But that changed recently when Dr. Mercola appeared on Dr. Oz’s show touting it as a “#1 supplement” we should all be taking. 

See video:  The Surprising Supplement You Need.

Suddenly, store shelves were emply of Astaxanthin and it was a product difficult to find.  And once stores finally restocked their shelves, some of them chose to raise their price on this sudden best-seller product.

So what’s the big deal with Astaxanthin?  Well, for starters, Astaxanthin has 10 times more the antioxidant powers of beta-carotene.  In addition …

  1. Astaxanthin is way more potent than Vitamins C and E, making it a great product for your skin.  You may have heard that the best vitamins for your skin are Vitamins A, C, and E (”ACE your skin”).  Since Astaxanthin is more powerful than Vitamins C and E, and beta-carotene, it is going to be a great choice to add to your skin care regimen.  Simply put, it helps reduce wrinkles and age spots and you will most likely age better if taking Astaxanthin regularly. 
  2. Astaxanthin helps protect our bodies against heart disease and cancer.
  3. It assists in keeping the brain healthy.
  4. It relaxes the eye muscles and helps prevent cataracts. 
  5. Astaxanthin is also believed to protect our skin against harmful rays from the sun. 
  6. It increases strength and endurance, making it a great supplement for athletes.
  7. It boosts our immune system.
  8. And recent studies show that Astaxanthin may even assist in preventing obesity. 

But before buying Astaxanthin, there are some important things you shouId know.  Such as …

  1. Astaxanthin is a natural antioxidant that comes from marine algae.  It is also found in many types of seafood; however, the richest source for Astaxanthin is found in Haematococcus pluvialis algae (look for this on the label when purchasing Astaxanthin supplements). 
  2. Astaxanthin is fat soluable, which means it needs to be taken with a good fat supplement, such as fish oil, in order to provide good absorption.  Some companies add a fat supplement to their Astaxanthin capsules for this reason.  (Again, check the label.)  However, it is best to take Astaxanthin with food. 
  3. Because Astaxanthin is fat soluable, it should not be taken if you are using obesity products such as Orlistat or Ally.  These products block the absorption of fat in your body and, as a result, will prevent the Astaxanthin supplement from being absorbed as well.

 To buy Astaxanthin, click here: 
Solgar Astaxanthin Complex 5 MG - 60 Softgels - Other Supplements

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Posted by Julie | Filed Under Blog, Health, Wellness 

Peggy Fleming: Raising Awareness For Our Heart Health

January 20, 2011 | Leave a Comment

It was in 1968 that Peggy Fleming first won our hearts, as a gold medalist in the Olympics, with her beauty, gracefulness, and athleticism on the ice.

Now, over 40 years later, she aims to protect our hearts with her inspiration and her continual hard work and dedication to encourage women to take responsibility for their health.

Peggy Fleming … figure skater, author, and cancer survivor …  is also a health care advocate raising awareness of the benefits of CoQ10 in its most advanced form, Ubiquinol.

CoQ10 (Co-enzyme Q10) is a compound naturally produced by our body.   We need it in order to convert energy from fats and sugars into cellular energy.  In addition to providing our body with energy, it is known to:

  • act as a powerful antioxidant
  • be effective in slowing aging
  • aid in heart attack prevention and recovery, and
  • aid in weight loss

Before we can reap the benefits of CoQ10, our body must first convert it to another form so that our body can absorb it. As we age, though, our body makes less CoQ10 and the ability to convert it declines dramatically. Therefore, in order to receive any benefits from CoQ10, it may become necessary to take supplements.

However, there are some drugs, such as statins which are used to lower cholesterol, which block CoQ10 from converting to the proper form necessary for our body to absorb it.  Thereby the CoQ10 levels in the blood may become depleted.  People who take statins and CoQ10 supplements may not be receiving the benefits of CoQ10 which they are expecting.  However, Ubiquinol has a positive interaction with statin drugs.

Ubiquinol is a preconverted form of CoQ10 so that your body does not need to do the converting for you.  And this makes it easier for your body to absorb.

Listen to Peggy Fleming’s thoughts on the subject and please share your thoughts on CoQ10 as well.

Click here to buy Ubiquinol CoQ10 from The Vitamin Shoppe.

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Posted by Julie | Filed Under Blog, Celebrities, Health, Wellness 

A Health Food To Change Your Mood

January 9, 2011 | Leave a Comment

Photo by Paul Denton Cocker
If you are looking for pick-me-up recipes which will give you more energy throughout the day, the best ones contain fresh fruits and veggies, meats, whole grains, and protein.  Here is a good, yet simple, mood-changing recipe to try. 

Grilled asparagus and ham wraps:

Ingredients:

  • 1 bunch large asparagus
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper
  • 1/4 pound thinly sliced smoked ham

Preparation:

While preheating grill to medium, trim asparagus stalks 1 1/2 inches from the bottom.  Slightly peel the asparagus from just below the tip to the end.  Put into a large bowl and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper and toss. 

Wrap a slice of ham around each asparagus stalk.  Put on the grill and, turning frequently, cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly charred.  Enjoy!

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Posted by Julie | Filed Under Recipes 

5 Things You Can Do To Lose Weight Faster

November 4, 2010 | 1 Comment

Do you exercise fast and furious to lose weight but are getting slow results?

There have been times for me, while doing some killer workouts, that it seemed my results were going in the wrong direction.  Sometimes it was because I hit a plateau, but other times it was because of other things I was doing throughout the day that was making me sluggish and keeping me from putting in the full effort of which I knew I was capable.

If you are in such a situation and would like to step things up a bit, here are five simple things you can add to, or take from, your daily routine so that you can get the body you want even faster.

  1. Drink coffee before your early morning workout. Drinking a cup of coffee (preferably with little to no cream and sugar) just one hour before your workout will help you burn more calories.  The caffeine will awaken and energize you so that you can exercise harder and faster.  It just may be the momentum you need to squeeze in an extra set of reps resulting in more calories burned.
  2. Give up energy drinks, soda, and, yes, even Gatorade. With the exception of perhaps a couple brands of energy drinks, these drinks are loaded with empty calories.  Meaning, they have no health benefits whatsoever.  They may give you energy at first, but then you crash because of the high levels of sugar and are left feeling drained.  As for Gatorade, I cringe when I see my children’s coaches telling them to drink this so-called thirst quencher that is loaded with wasted calories.  Unfortunately Gatorade is also loaded with sodium which makes your body retain water and which makes you even more thirsty.  Therefore you want to drink what?  - More Gatorade!  Green tea or water with a lemon wedge, sugar free, would be a better choice as a thirst quencher.
  3. Do interval training, such as Tabatas. Interval training consists of bursts of high intensity exercises with a short rest period in between.  While the words “high intensity” may scare away some people, the good news is that you get your workout done in a shorter amount of time (15 to 20 minutes).  For some reason, not quite understood, this type of workout burns more calories then would be burned in 40 minutes of cardio.
  4. Do body weight strength training exercises. Not daily, but 2 or 3 times a week.  If you are limited on time and can only do one, push ups are an excellent choice.  Aim for three sets of 15 reps.  Though some may disagree as you can read here, I still believe weight training increases the amount of calories you burn.
  5. Get 7 to 8 hours of sleep nightly. We hear this quite often these days, but we do burn lots of calories when we get an adequate amount of sleep.  This is by far the most important on this list, as lack of sleep results in stress, lack of motivation, and it ages us faster.  All of which hinder our weight loss progress.

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Posted by Julie | Filed Under Blog, Weight Loss 

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