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Gearing Up For Summer 2009

May 17th, 2009 Ricardo V No comments
sun This post is part of Sara’s Sunny Sundays. Click Here if you would like to view all of Sara’s Sunny Sunday.

  Every year many of us find ourselves making two major commitments, as well as two major broken promises. If you haven’t already guessed what it might be you will know exactly what I am referring to in just a moment. Commitment number one, the infamous “New Years Resolution” to lose weight, eat healthier, quit smoking, and earn more money. These commitments rank number one on the lists that my friends, family, and even myself follow at the start of each year. However, most resolutions are broken by the middle of February, hence broken promise number one. The second biggest commitment made?; getting “in-shape” for the summer. This is something many of us start as the weather warms our skin, but as the months go by we often make excuses as to why exercise isn’t possible or maybe we justify that eating saturated fat ridden treats is alright. This would be broken promise number two.

  So what can we do, and does it really matter if we don’t always follow through with commitments? Yes! It matters so greatly that it can affect your entire life. How is that? The more we break promises to ourselves the less we trust ourselves, and the less we trust ourselves the lower our self esteem becomes. Self esteem affects more than just physical appearance, it can get so low that our confidence to obtain other goals will seem near impossible. Our relationships amongst friends, family, and our spouse can be inhibited by lack of trust for your self. We must live with the person we are for the remainder of our lives, if we do not trust that person within us, how will you ever truly trust those who are not ourselves? The answer is, you never really can. With that said, we need a solid plan of action to start obtaining goals.


summer-2009

  Today, we focus on gearing up for the summer, however, these plans of action can be modified and reapplied to any situation that your are passionate about accomplishing. Some of the most common goals that most want to obtain is getting “in-shape” which can mean increasing muscle tone, losing weight, and even banishing acne or eczema out breaks. There are thousands upon thousands of diet plans available to help us lose weight, there are millions of exercise routines to build muscle, and there are billions of dermatological products to help us get ready for the summer. At the end of the day the best way to get in shape is to commit. Write down that you vow to commit to whatever it is you would like to accomplish for at least 30 days. It takes 28-30 days to make or break a habit so it is important that you give whatever it is your are doing at lease this amount of time. The perk? Within two weeks you should begin to see slight results, and start enjoying the newly found routine giving you the confidence to simply push onto two more weeks.

  Every single person is an individual. Between genes, hormones, gender, age, appearance, and personality, there is no set of two people who are the same. That is why you must be open to the massive slue of information, ideas, and products out there, and know that what may work for one person may not work for you, but something else will. Next week, I will bring more advice to the table to help you actually begin to implement the goals you would like to fulfill. Stay tuned!

Warmly,
Sara Dawn
Health Coordinator @ NYW
Nutrition Specialist
TriVita Business Affiliate
Aspiring Yogi

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The Bubbly Personality of Bubble Tea

May 10th, 2009 Sara 1 comment
sun This post is part of Sara’s Sunny Sundays. Click Here if you would like to view all of Sara’s Sunny Sunday.

  Today we talk Bubble Tea also known as Boba Tea. Never heard of this well known Asian ancestor? That could be because it is not quite popular just yet. In fact, it has only been around since the 1980’s, originating in Taiwan. I have been drinking bubble tea for many years, but only knew of one location that sold it and that location happened to be in a predominately Asian neighborhood.

  So what is the stuff, and why are so many people downing it? Bubble tea starts off as either a green or black tea. Traditionally, milk is then added to the tea or kept plain, and shaken vigorously until bubbles form. However, most teas prepared this way are now made with large tapioca pearls which are considered the “bubbles” in bubble tea. You literally have to chew the pearls a bit, which for many is an odd thing to do.

  Since bubble tea has been around for so long, and is becoming more modernized, new and innovative techniques are being incorporated to the final product. For instance, I was recently in my local mall and saw a small shop selling bubble tea, my heart skipped a beat since I didn’t expect to ever see such a culturally based treat end up in my local mall! I immediately stopped in my tracks and checked out the now elaborate menu of beverages. What happened to freshly brewed, chilled green tea with some pearls at the bottom!? Now one can find mango flavored tea, strawberry, papaya, ginger, Thai tea, durian, and much more. I decided to forgo one of the crazy fruity flavors for the classic green tea. However, a few months later I did try the mango, and was rather disappointed. It was extremely sweet, and milky, something I am not used to.


bobatea

  Being the nutrition and health advocate that runs through my veins, I also did some research to find out how the nutritional and caloric content of bubble tea stacks up. Well bubble tea lovers; you may not want to read the following. Instead, just know you may want to stick to drinking bubble tea as a “Once in a while treat.” Plain bubble tea (green tea with no milk and 1-2 ounces of pearls) has about 120-300 calories. The wide range in calories is that every shop places between 1 and 3 ounces of pearls, and these pearls are simply a slightly sweetened starch, aka, calories. But do not disarray! Without adding sweetener, milk, or flavoring a small Boba can rank in with as little as 200 calories with nearly no fat. Plus, when you do not add milk you enable the healthful antioxidants from the green or even black tea to aid in digestion, cell rejuvenation, stave off hunger, and detoxify the body.

  As an after dinner treat once in a while it is a great idea. I recommend trying the plain bubble tea before trying a flavored one. This way you can begin enjoying it as it traditionally is made. Once milk and flavoring (usually the flavoring is in a higher calorie powered form since fresh fruit blends are very rare) you are looking at anywhere between 500 and 700 calories depending on the size. That my friend is just like eating an ice-cream sundae!

  Bubble tea is wonderful, good for you when chosen wisely, diet friendly in moderate moderation (I.e. no more than 2 times per week), and a classic tradition. I am a regular tea drinker of all sorts, perhaps I will post pictures of my collection one week, but bubble tea is a special treat that ranks in my top five favorite teas. Get one step closer to a completely rich lifestyle by making better food choices, and help your body out with antioxidant rich tea, by tracking down your own bubble tea shop near by.

  They’ll be slowly working their way at a shop near you, take my word for it!

Warmly,
Sara Dawn
Health Coordinator @ NYW
Nutrition Specialist
TriVita Business Affiliate
Aspiring Yogi

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What is the importance of sunshine?

May 3rd, 2009 Sara No comments
sun This post is part of Sara’s Sunny Sundays. Click Here if you would like to view all of Sara’s Sunny Sunday.

  What is the importance of sunshine? Sunshine is more than just light to our planet, although that is of great importance also. Think you only get your vitamins from a food items such as fruits and vegetables? Maybe you are even under the assumption that vitamins come from a bottle. The truth of the matter is that vitamins are most highly absorbable in their purest form. Vitamin-D happens to be found largely abundant in our sun’s rays.

  Yes, its true, you can literally sit outside for a short amount of time to obtain your daily requirement of Vitamin-D. What does this vitamin do for us? Vitamin-D helps use to absorb the calcium we get from food items or even supplements which means it helps to prevent against osteoporosis, and overall it aids in keeping our bones strong. There have been dozens of linkages to vitamin-D and its benefits but some of the more common results include, helping to ward of certain cancers like breast, colon, and prostate, prevent nutrient deficiencies such as rickets, and much more. You’ll notice that on most calcium supplements bought at the store, it will also contain Vitamin-D, that’s a two in one double punch! With the economy in the poor shape that it is in, simple savings for our body such as the vitamin-D, calcium, and even magnesium combo are store bought products we need to look for. Just be aware that everyone has a slightly different DRI, which is an abbreviated way of saying “How much you should consume in a 24 hour period.” Be aware that Vitamin-D is a “fat-soluble” vitamin which means that it will not be primarily excreted in the urine. Without urine excretion the supplement stays in our body for a longer period of time, and if more than the required intake is consumed it could be toxic, and at times even deadly. This is extremely high amounts for a prolonged period of time.

  To get Vitamin-D from sunshine begin by wearing an SPF/UVA/UVB approved lotion to protect you. When you wear sunscreen it will take slightly longer to absorb vitamin-D, however, you are much better off by protecting your skin from the harmful things the sun can provide. 20 minutes is enough time to absorb Vitamin-D that will show beneficial signs within out bodies. Be aware that if you are of a darker skin decent, less time is needed in the sun, about 10 minutes should be enough.

  What else does our sunshine do for us? It wards off depression, loneliness, sadness, and has many other healing properties. By sitting in a well lit room, or spending at least 30 minutes outside each day in the presence of natural sun light, studies have drawn conclusions that the sun light helps to ward of the aliments mentioned above. That is, those who were mildly depressed seemed to have improvement in their mood after 30 days. If that isn’t enough, a Province in France, as well as the state of Washington in America has two of the highest suicidal rates in the world. The reasons?, the weather is, on average, rainy, dark, and gloomy.

  Take a moment to enjoy the warmth, the nutrition, and the energy from the sun’s natural light to add to your completely rich life style. Like any major part of our world, the ocean, a snowy mountain, electricity, and the sun, we must respect its power, and natural abilities. Only when we find respect for nature are we able to benefit from all that it has to offer. Well, I’m off to enjoy the morning rays after several days of consistent rain. Hope to see you our there :)

Warmly,
Sara Dawn
Health Coordinator @ NYW
Nutrition Specialist
TriVita Business Affiliate
Aspiring Yogi

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I think I can, I think I can

April 26th, 2009 Sara 1 comment
sun This post is part of Sara’s Sunny Sundays. Click Here if you would like to view all of Sara’s Sunny Sunday.

  Sometimes feeling unmotivated is not a terrible thing. Although it may come at the worst of times we can work through it and use it to our advantage. First, we have to look at where it stems from. Feeling the lack of motivation come over you can come out of fear. The fear may be an obvious or subconscious feeling within us. If we are tackling an important project that we know must result in perfection, it can be daunting to think of where to begin and what to do. Another reason for a motivation-less attitude could be from stress. If there is too much going on within your life it can be hard to focus on one task. Instead of sitting down to complete one project your mind wanders into the could have, should have, would have thought process of events of the past, present, and future.

  No matter what the cause is, we have to go within our minds and listen to what the root cause of motivation is. If we are too tired, then go to sleep. A well rested night can leave you with a clear and organized view of ideas in the morning. Of course, leading a completely rich lifestyle entails listening to our mind and body, and nourishing it as needed. If we are simply stuck for ideas, sometimes retreating from the situation altogether is the best medicine. Go for a walk, take a hike, go to an exotic restaurant, try and new fruit or vegetable. Do something you have never done before. The new experience may lead to a whole variety of thoughts, sensations, and emotions. These feelings may very well give you the nudge you needed to become motivated and brainstorm new ideas. Another form of self help in times like these are to clean your living quarters. Sometimes the clutter within our homes reflects our thought process. We know that we are leaving behind clutter, and dust and that is exactly what is reflected in our work.

  Motivation is not always an easy thing to come across. However, the bottom line is, we create our own motivation. Even if we find something inspiring from another person that motivates us to do something, we are still taking it upon ourselves to find motivation in outside sources and use them to aid us. Feeling a lack of motivation may be your body and minds way of telling you that you are doing too much. By acknowledging this thoughtless feeling and deciding to take it easy for a moment and assess what is going on in our lives, we are able to free our minds of stress and clutter. In turn, after we free our minds, we are able to tackle projects and complete the day in a motivational manner. The final result?, gaining another step towards living a completely rich lifestyle.

Warmly,
Sara Dawn

Health Coordinator @ NYW
Nutrition Specialist
TriVita Business Affiliate
Aspiring Yogi

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