Healthy Body Healthy Life: HBHL- 19 Feb 2012

Healthy Body Healthy Lifers,

Through the HBHL blog, I hope to inspire you to make lifestyle changes. Start small...and grow from there. As one of my HBHL'ers put it: "You start with one small change and stick to it. Then in a while, you make another. In a few short months you find out that you love Yoga, half your diet is fruit and veggies, and you are waking up at 5 am to do a PBZ workout and love every minute of it." Thanks, Erin!

My goal is to educate you and help you make better decisions when it comes to eating. I don't expect you to blindly follow every bit of advice I give, but I hope it at least makes you think, and makes you do some more research on the topic. You can pretty much find pros & cons to EVERYTHING on the internet, so just educate yourself smartly and do what's right for your family.

For local HBHL-AL info CLICK HERE There is a 5K race this Saturday by Blount Elementary. Post on Facebook if you are interested in getting a group together. T-shirts are in so we can definitely run in style!!!

This week's Powerbodyz workout is a new one! Get ready for some new moves... Check it out here: New Powerbodyz Workout Also- the core workout is still posted. Fit it in after a run or in combo with whatever cardio you do this week!

Nutrition Lesson: LABEL READING!

One of my biggest issues today with the food industry deals with marketing. I urge you to start reading labels (if you haven't started already- those HBHL'ers that have been with me from the beginning know what I'm talking about!) so that you know what ingredients are in the food you are giving to your family. We are all becoming aware that processed foods- especially those containing high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils- are bad for us. There is indisputable evidence that they lead to preventative diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. To avoid them entirely is practically impossible... BUT you can make smart choices to eliminate certain types of processed foods from your diets and limit others through moderation. The following CBS news story highlights the potential links between particular chemical food dyes found in processed foods and childhood diseases:

Food Dye Dangers

A major reason to start reading labels is because you can't always trust what company's will put on the front of the box. Just because it says, "Made with real blueberries" it does not mean actual REAL blueberries! In fact, most boxes that make that claim should read, "made with artificially flavored blueberry bites" or "purple-blue globs of goo," because the ingredients include things like: sugar, dextrose, soybean oil, soy protein, salt, citric acid, cellulose gum, artificial flavor, malic acid, Red 40 Lake, Blue 2 Lake and... NO BLUEBERRIES. I don't even know what some of those things are- do you? * btw, if you have blueberry waffles in your fridge right now...check them...please!

Finally, this last link will take you to a 7 minute video which describes the type of marketing that "tricks" parents into thinking they are selecting healthy food options for their families. Again- I urge you to get familiar with reading labels so that you know exactly what you are feeding your family.

Sneaky Labeling

This blog's Superfood and Recipe will be out later this week! Stay tuned...

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Have a wonderful week!

Be Educated. Be Balanced. Be Fit. Be Healthy.