Kick Menopause to the Curb!

Menopause! 

The ugly word, the stage in life that women seem to dread! Menopause can be an easy transition if you change your diet and everyday habits to be a more fit and healthy way of life. Simple changes can really help at this stage in a woman's life. Every week I receive yet another call from an amazing fit woman, a woman who has been working out most of her life, being fit is just a way of life for her, she is a woman that is hitting the "female" fitness road block called MENOPAUSE! She is frustrated and upset that the workouts that she has been doing just do not seem to be working any longer!

Ladies I have said this time and time again, you cannot stay toned and fit by spinning, yoga and running alone. Yes these are a great component of an overall fitness routine and I totally recommend them all, but they are not the ones that will keep your body toned and help your bones at this stage in your life. Too many women are taking cardio based fitness classes and not strength training too. Estrogen levels drop at this stage in your life, your muscles get weaker and muscle loss is inevitable if you do not strength train. An ideal strength training program is three 30-60 minute strength training workouts per week.

Simple facts ladies! Just a few of the many benefits of strength training:
Strengthens muscles
Builds healthy bones
Burns more fat that cardio
Boosts your energy
Keeps your heart healthy and fit

Let us help you kick Peri-Menopause and Menopause to the curb! 

fithealthyandfabulous.com

Watermelon Season!

Yes, it is that time of the year again! Watermelon Season! Sweet, juicy and packed with healthy benefits. My favorite fruit!

The health benefits of watermelon are plenty, it packs a punch of vitamins A and C and has a good amount of vitamin B6, potassium and magnesium just to name a few.

Vitamin A – for optimal healthy eyes, it boosts your immune system by enhancing the infection-fighting actions of white blood cells called lymphocytes.

Vitamin B6 – helps your immune system produce antibodies, these antibodies are needed to fight off many diseases. Vitamin B6 helps maintain normal nerve function and form red blood cells.

Vitamin C – helps to boost your immune system’s defenses against infections and viruses, and protects your body from harmful free radicals that can accelerate aging and eye conditions such as cataracts. Vitamin C helps keep your skin young, hydrated and healthy too!

Just two cups of watermelon is a great source of potassium, potassium is a mineral necessary for water balance and is found inside every cell in your body. People that have low potassium levels often experience muscle cramps. Ever get those leg cramps that wake you up at night? Try eating watermelon or a banana daily!

My favorite way to eat watermelon, is to put it in the blender and make a watermelon water, just cube it and blend, it is healthy, refreshing and filling too.

Pick the ripest and sweetest watermelon with these tips:

*Look for a firm, symmetrical watermelon that is free from bruises, cuts or dents.
*The watermelon should be a bit heavy for it’s size, watermelon is 92% water and most of that weight is water.
*The bottom of the watermelon should have a beige/yellow colored spot from where it grew on the ground and ripened in the sunshine.
Have a great summer and be sure to go to the local farmer’s markets in your area and enjoy all the fresh produce of the season!

www.fithealthyandfabulous.com

Are You Drinking Enough Water Daily?

You have heard it time and time again; drinking water is a must for your health and well being. Most fluids are achieved through drinking fluids but you can also meet the daily fluid requirement through foods you eat that have a high water content such as soups, watermelon, celery and tomatoes. While all these are great choices, water is essential to good health, so be sure to drink up!

Water keeps your body temperature normal, protects your spinal cord and tissue, and helps detoxify the body by removing waste through perspiration.

Not drinking enough water can weaken your immune system too. Keeping your body hydrated can help prevent catching colds and the flu and also helps with a cough too.

Are you gaining extra pounds? Studies have shown that drinking water can help control your appetite and keep calorie intake down.

Do you feel tired all the time? Drinking water can boost your energy, instead of coffee for that mid day slump; try a fresh glass of water.

Achy joints?  Did you know that water actually helps lubricate joints and can help alleviate pain? So drink up, keep your body healthy and in motion it is important to exercise too!

Dull complexion? If your skin looks dull and not so bright and healthy you could be dehydrated, drinking water keeps your skin hydrated and lessens the look of wrinkles too.

If you do not like the taste of water, try infusing your water with lemon lime or berries!

Choose water instead of sugar-sweetened drinks. Substituting water for one 20-ounce sugar sweetened soda or drink will save you about 240 calories, which will also help with weight loss and management.

Drinking too much water too fast can lead to water intoxication, which occurs when water dilutes the sodium level in the bloodstream and causes an imbalance of water in the brain. Be sure to drink the recommended amount, most studies have produced varying recommendations over the last several years, your water needs depend on many factors, including your health, lifestyle, how active you are and where you live.

www.fithealthyandfabulous.com

Hydrate With Cucumber Water

It is that time of the year, that time when your skin feels dry, pale and dehydrated from the Winter months, the heat and cold air take a toll on our skin and hair. One of my favorite go to remedies is Cucumber Water! It helps hydrate parched skin and hair, it hydrates and plumps skin from the inside.

I have been drinking this for years, I learned about it after going to different spa destinations such as Vail Colorado, Paris France and Lake Placid New York to name a few, while they are far away from each other they all have one thing in common, after your treatment, they give you a refreshing glass of cucumber water to sip, relax, hydrate and detox.

Not only do cucumbers keep skin hydrated and healthy, they also add a great fresh low calorie flavor to plain old water, and cucumbers are full of nutrients like vitamin C, K and A, iron, calcium and potassium, they reduce inflammation in the body because they act as a diuretic by helping to reduce excess water and bloating. Cucumbers also help build bone strength with vitamin K so it is a bonus for menopausal women too. There are so many other benefits in addition to these.

I recently purchased a really great glass decanter (pictured below) that is just the right size for my refrigerator, when I make my cucumber water I start with two to three ripe, juicy cucumbers that I slice on a cutting board that has little grooves along the edge to trap the juices that run off during cutting, I place the cucumbers and the juice in the decanter and fill it to the top with fresh chilled filtered water, I usually remove the skin and seeds but it is not necessary and a matter of preference. Depending on how much time that I have, I put the decanter in the window sill for an hour in the sun to really bring out the cucumber taste, but do not leave it for hours and let the mixture get warm and spoil. Just soaking the mixture over night is good enough to reap the nutritional benefits.

My little extra treat: when the water is gone if I do not eat all of the delicious chilled slices, I will make an eye mask for puffy eyes or just a quick pick me up, you could be reaping extra benefits like younger looking, glowing skin because the vitamin C increases collagen and elastin production.

Start being fit inside and out with cucumber water, cheers to good health and glowing skin!  

For more tips on beauty and skin care go to www.fithealthyandfabulous.com