"Supersize Me" Observation #3

My next observation is that there are very few Drive-thru restaurants or fast food restaurants in France. We did see one McDonald's in Paris, but for a city that size in the United States, you would see one on every street corner. So the term "supersize" is not  something you are likely to hear if you order an extra large meal. Matter of fact, the French size of meals is about one third the size of our meals in the United States. This is my next clue, how the French people stay within a healthy weight. I have always believed  one of our largest problems with weight and obesity here in the U.S. is our Portion Distortion. I believe this is due to the fact that consumers feel they receive more value for their money if the portion is extra large as opposed to believing the "true value" comes from the quality of food not the quantity of food.  My next challenge to you is to reduce the portion size of each of your meals by one third, if you are still hungry after 20 minutes then finish the rest of your meal.

My Informal Observation #2

Drive around any city in the U.S. and you will see 24 Hour Fitness, Lifetime Fitness, Gold's Gym...They are everywhere except France. I am not saying there are not any fitness facilities but  I could not find a single one. When I asked some French women about going to a gym, they did reply that they do not believe in going to the gym. This does not mean they don't have physical activity in their day, they just don't hit the gym! So how do they maintain their healthy weight (check out yesterdays blog to find out about healthy weight) They walk! Everywhere! Physical activity is built in to their daily life without having to schedule it in.  I am talking about people of all ages, kids are on scooters, no not the motorized kind the kind you push with your foot. Older couples walk to the farmers market with their shopping carts at least twice a week. I know you are thinking well that's city life, but its true in small villages as well. They walk in flats, heels, boots, but not athletic shoes! Begin Your Life as a Walker.  I know it sounds difficult, especially here in Texas, in which everything is so spread out, but take baby steps literally walk to a friends house, walk to the grocery store, or walk to a park. I challenge you to trade in your car for walking shoes for just three days, the possibilities of places you can walk to  will be revealed to you. Please let me know if you are up to this challenge.

Back from Paris!

For those of you who did not know, ( I thought I told everyone!) Jonathan and I went to Paris for the past couple weeks and besides enjoying the sites, the food and the shopping, I wanted to hang out with the locals to  see for myself if it is true that French Women Don't Get Fat. We really made some wonderful discoveries that I think will help all of us here in the U.S.!

I want to share our observations with you each day this week, so our first observation was: It does seem to be true that French women don't get fat, but...they are not necessarily skinny either. So for us Americans ... my first piece of advice is to change our mindset that if you are not fat, you must be skinny...not true...for each one of us, kids included there is a "healthy weight" a weight that keeps our blood pressure normal levels, cholesterol levels low, our glucose levels in check and energy levels high.  Rule #1 Determine what is a healthy weight for you and each family member.

A healthy weight is one that is right for your body type and height and is based on your body mass index, or BMI and the size of your waist circumference. You can learn more about your BMI on line at www.cdc.gov/healthyweight, or check with your doctor.  Your doctor may want to take another measurement, called a waist-to-hip ratio. This measurement is a comparison of your waist size to your hip size. A higher waist-to-hip ratio means that you are more apple shaped than pear shaped and therefore at a higher risk for weight-related disease. Body fat testing is sometimes used to help find out if a person has a healthy percentage of body fat. But it can be inaccurate. It also costs more than measuring BMI or waist size. So it's rarely used to measure a person's risk for weight-related diseases.  I always fall back on the old "if my favorite pair of jeans are too tight, then I know I have gained weight!"



 

So...au revoir!

 

Kale, Pineapple and Ginger Detox Drink

Ingredients (Makes 4 Servings; Drink Throughout the Day)

1/2 cup pineapple

2 large cucumbers

1 bunch kale without stems (4 cups chopped)

1/2 lemon, squeezed

1/4 inch of ginger

1 bunch of mint (1/2 cup)

Directions

Combine all ingredients and blend in juicer.

 

Got Flabby Arms?

The triceps area, the back of your upper arms, is a favorite destination for fat. Since these pushing muscles are also used much less often than the more active biceps on the front of our arms, they tend to go soft and a little flabby. Trimming and toning this hot spot is as easy as putting those triceps to work.

Here are three exercises that will target the triceps as well as your shoulders to give you a sleek, slim profile in those sleeveless shirts. As a bonus, when you develop strong sexy shoulders, your waist and hips will appear to shrink in proportion. Do two sets of 12 to 15 reps of each exercise two or three days a week (allowing a day of rest in between workouts) and don't be surprised if people start asking you if you've lost weight!

Simultaneous Arm Lift

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Grasp the ends of a dumbbell, holding it in front of your thighs.

Keeping your shoulders back and down, lift the dumbbell straight out in front of you to shoulder height. Hold for a second, then slowly lower.

Lateral Raise with a Twist

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, let your arms hang by your sides with palms facing in and shoulders back and down.

Lift your arms straight out from your sides until the dumbbells are at shoulder height. Slowly rotate your arms so your palms face up, then roll them back and lower.

Chair Dip

Sit on the edge of a sturdy chair with your hands grasping the seat on either side of your butt and your feet flat on the floor. Slide your butt off the chair seat and walk your feet forward slightly, so your knees are directly over your ankles, forming 90-degree angles with your legs.

 

 

Does Your Skin Look Healthy?

Now that spring is here and we have come out of hibernation our skin probably looks a little ashy, this is caused by dead skin.

A great way to get rid of that look is to exfoliate with a dry body brush. It’s easy to use and you will feel and see a difference in your skin. Before you take a shower, use a dry body brush on dry skin, using a circular motion without too much pressure, brush your body. This is taking the dead skills cells off of our body and allowing new healthy skin to glow.

Next step, shower and the third step after you shower, lightly pat down your body and immediately apply body oil. I love this African Shea Oil, your skin will absorb it quickly and will last for hours.   Try this 3 times a week and your skin will be glowing.

Green and Good Smoothie

This smoothie recipe is outrageously good and good for you. It’s simple to make too!

You will need a blender; if you love super healthy foods and smoothies you need the Vitamix blender. It’s the best blender on the market. Check out my product page of some really good deals.

Ingredients:

1 cup of Almond milk

1 cucumber , skin removed

1 frozen package of spinach

1 fresh mango, skin removed and cut into pieces

1 cup of ice.

Directions:

Put all ingredients into your blender and liquefy and enjoy!

Be healthy, it’s a choice!