Healthy B.P.M.

It’s lunch time folks and you want to eat healthy. Most of us head on over to the salad bar because its much better on our waistlines than Wendy’s or McDonalds. Now here is where things go awry…we start adding high calorie, low nutritional value items to our salad!

Listen to this, certain types of lettuce are even better for you. Iceberg lettuce is a standard on most salad bars but it offers very little nutritional value. More greener, leafy varieties such as romaine start your salad out packed with nutrients. The typical salad bar is full of items that are definitely not healthy, like high fat dressings, calorie laden tuna salads, high fat cottage cheese, baby corn (starch), sugary jello mixtures with dates and other high calorie fruits in heavy fructose syrup.

Picture this, a Classic Cobb Salad with chopped bacon, egg, blue cheese, avocado, and creamy dressing, or standard restaurant Chef Salad loaded with Swiss cheese, roast beef, eggs, and dressing can contain more than 1,000 calories and 80 grams fat! For some people, that’s more than half their day’s worth of calories (and all their fat). You would have woofed down more calories than a McDonalds Big Mac and regular fries! What a way to shoot your diet in the foot.

Joy Bauer, a leading nutritionist shared with Katie Couric on the Today Show “5 rules to make the best low-calorie salads” Joy says “don’t give up on salads; they’re loaded with nutrition and can be satisfying and delicious. Follow my guidelines for making a perfect low-calorie salad — and you’ll never have to worry again.

1. Pile on leafy greens
2. Load up on plain veggies
3. Add a few lean proteins
4. Indulge in one high-calorie “extra”,
5. Go easy on dressing

I also came across a good video on CBS Early Show with Hannah Storm and R.D. Terri Glassman with audience members challenged to prepare a good salad on stage! Check it out here

Salad Bar, High Fat Salads, Salad, Katie Couric, Joy Bauer, The Today Show, CBS Early Show, Hannah Storm, Terri Glassman, diet, Lowfat Salads

Most of us don’t think twice about refilling our water bottles all day long. Some even keep those bottles for weeks at a time. We wash them out with hot soapy water in hopes of keeping them clean. We feel greener by saving the plastic right? Well, The International Water Bottle Association says the bottles are not made to be reused and can not be washed in a dishwasher because the neck is so small, soap and water can not thoroughly clean it.

Once we drink the water out of the bottle it is no longer sterile. The water we refill them with is not sterile. You could possibly get sick from reusing a water bottle for extended periods of time. The symptoms are similar to having a bad case of food poisoning. Bacteria gets into the bottle from your mouth as you backwash. Back washing is common and hard to prevent. These germs could stay in the bottle even after washing with soap and water.

Best thing to do is just drink out of a glass when possible, since most bottled water is just tap water anyway. If you have to refill your water bottle clean it thoroughly and store the water in the refrigerator. Bacteria grows slower in the cold, so try not to keep your refilled bottles out in the heat.

water bottles, bacteria, refill bottles, Aquafina, water bottle making you sick

As most of us visit our local gym, we are unaware of the dangers that lurk amongst the various cardio and fitness equipment. What you don’t want is to be exposed to a deadly strain of staph bacteria, called “methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Its been all over the news lately as cases of exposure are turning up in the most unlikely places, such as schools and gyms. But this should be expected as germs thrive in these types of environments that allow them to transfer quickly and grow uninhibited.

According to Fiona Duffy, Germs in your gym bag, we are exposed to germs in many ways in the gym. One way is sharing towels. Sharing towels has been linked to the spread of this new type of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) in athletic and sports teams.

“Community-acquired strains of MRSA are quite different from the hospital type,” says Dr Sally Bloomfield of the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene in London.

“They have acquired the ability to produce a potent tissue toxin called Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL), which can lead to skin and soft tissue infections, including flesh-eating forms.

“These bacteria can infect the young and healthy. Transmission via close contact, sharing towels and sports equipment is a significant risk factor.”

More than half of us carry the ‘old type’ of Staphylococcus aureus on our skin. Anyone with broken skin - cuts, wounds or abrasions - is at risk of contracting a staph infection from someone else.

You can also pass on threadworm parasites and infections such as diarrhoea and tummy upsets through towels, says Professor Jean Emberlin of the University of Worcester.

Bridget Coila’s article, Gym germs: why common diseases flourish in your gym and what you can do to avoid them, disclosed that the human papillomavirus (i.e., the virus that causes plantar warts) is another disease-causing organism commonly found in health clubs. These warts appear alone or in clusters on the bottom of the feet. Even in a seemingly immaculate gym, these organisms can dwell in unexpected places. “The most common place people pick up warts and athlete’s foot is in the locker room. It doesn’t matter if it has a carpeted or tile floor. The second place is in shower stalls. Another place most people don’t suspect is alongside indoor pools, but a lot of foot fungus is found there,” Adams says.

Preventative actions: If using a towel to wipe machine handles or place over seats in the gym, don’t use it to wipe sweat off your hands or face - there’s a danger of picking up other people’s germs. Use separate towels for your body and the equipment.

To avoid the spread of fungal infections, don’t use a towel that’s been used on your feet or underarms or had contact with the floor. Wash gym towels after every use at 60 degrees - or 40 degrees with a bleach-based powder.

“Please wipe down the equipment”: We all have seen this sign, but do we really wipe after each use? Well now more than ever your life depends on it! Recent investigations have revealed after testing local health club equipment; high levels of staph, fecal matter, molds, and other germs were found in visually clean facilities. Don’t assume that your gym is clean because they have commercials on tv. You have to always assume that germs are present and do what you can to protect yourself.

Should I just avoid the gym? One should not use the germ phobia excuse as reason to skip the gym as a whole. Being forewarned is being forearmed. When it comes to protecting yourself and your immune system from these grimy germs, all it takes, for the most part, is common sense, meaning, don’t touch your eyes, ears or nose while at the gym. Good hand hygiene is a must, making sure to wash hands thoroughly before and after gym use. By attending the gym regularly you’re likely to have a stronger immune system than someone who does not work out, therefore, you can resist germs better than the general population.

You are also less likely to have an infectious disease to pass along to a fellow gym rat. By taking simple steps like these we not only are protecting ourselves, but others around us.

Gym etiquette is no longer just restacking weights and allowing someone to work in with you on sets, but now it is wiping the perspiration drops you left on the head rest and refraining from spitting in the water fountain.

So next time when you see the laminated sign, “Please wipe down after use” staring at you as you approach the treadmill or hit the mats for some abdominal crunches,

Staphylococcus, HPV, Super Germs, Infections, Germs in the Gym, Hygiene, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Gym Safety

What is this obsession with how much stars weigh? I was reading an article on ifit&healthy about how much weight Angelina Jolie has lost. I will say that compared to a couple of years back, she has trimmed down quite a bit. When asked about her weight she routinely shrugs off the anorexic concerns and insists she has always been thin.

I think we are so concerned with how much the stars weigh so we won’t have to focus on our own problems or issues with weight. It is easy to point out the “dot” in someone else’s eye–but we need to focus on the “plank” in ours. Many women and some men obsess about their weight in unhealthy ways. I can’t imagine what it would be like to go to a grocery store and see your face and body plastered on every magazine; stating you have anorexia!

But of course I am a hypocrite as I am the first person to pick up one of those rag mags in the store. Maybe this obsession is rooted in the media and the images that are constantly portrayed as “beauty” on the screen. Unfortunately we allow them to dictate to our young girls how they should look and the horrible cycle continues…

Anorexia, Angelina Jolie, Thin Celebrities, Weight Obsession, Celebrities, Weight

Tired of wrestling with your kids every night at the dinner table to eat their vegetables? Unfortunately kids are made to dislike vegetables. We all know how important it is to get our kids to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, especially when more kids are becoming obese. I watched an episode on Oprah dedicated to this challenging issue for parents. One of her guests, Dr. Oz, says there’s a very good biological reason why it’s so hard to get kids to eat their vegetables. In fact, they are hardwired to not like them. Dr. Oz says when our prehistoric ancestors searched for food, their children were most susceptible to poisons, which often taste bitter. So instead of liking something bitter—like broccoli—children tend to crave sweet and bland foods like dairy or chicken nuggets.

Children also have a biological reason not to like certain foods. Flavorful fruits and veggies may actually taste differently to kids than they do to adults. “An older adult has 3,000 taste buds,” Dr. Oz says. “A kid has 10,000.”

Dr. Oz says we run into problems when we don’t allow our taste buds to mature. “That’s the big challenge we have in America—we’ve infantilized our taste buds. When a 3-year-old wants hot dogs, a burger, fries, a shake, cola, that’s not abnormal. When a 30-yr old likes those foods, we’re in trouble.

It is interesting to note that celebrities face the same issues at the dinner table as we do. Oprah had Jessica Seinfield, wife of comedian Jerry Seinfield, on discussing her new book, Deceptively Delicious. Jessica spoke about how discouraged she was when fixing healthy meals for the kids - and them not eating it. This prompted her to find a way to slip vegetables into every meal - without them knowing it!

What is so facinating and amazing is that Jessica’s recipes are not just for the kids. There is a wonderful brownie recipe that is to die for! Check out more exerpts and recipes from show here.

I hope this story has inspired you to be more creative in the kitchen in order to win the dinner table war!

Kids, Eat your vegetables, Deceptively Delicious, Jessica Seinfield, Kids Corner, Oprah

Hello everyone,

I am so excited to be able to share with all of you the many issues and topics that relate to overall health and wellness. With the million or so websites out there for any of us to read, I am honored that you continue to visit this site and join me on my journey of living fit!

Please let me introduce myself. My name is Kimberly Linton and I live in the Washington DC Metro area. I just spent the last 20 years of my life going to college and finally finishing with my MBA in hopes of joining the rest of the people in Corporate America. My goal was to be financially successful and happy. But what I found was that lifestyle was not truly my passion. My passion has always been there staring me in the face as I spent most of my time keeping healthy and fit and helping others do the same.

Hopefully along this journey of mine, I will be able to inspire, educate, motivate you all to lead the best life you can!

Kimberly