Everyone knows that a walk or jog outdoors on a beautiful summer day is so much more exciting than pounding it out on the treadmill.    But if you’ve ever felt a little woozy or suffered from heat exhaustion afterwards, then you know how tough the blazing sun can be on your body.  What you might not realize is how risky it can be too.   In fact, prolonged or excessive exercise in the sun is one of the leading causes of heat stroke, a dangerous combo of exhaustion, muscle cramps and dehydration that can lead to shock, brain damage, organ failure and even death. 

The good news is you don’t need to give up your favorite summer exercise; you just need to be smart about how you do it.  Here are a few pointers to stay safe this summer.

1.  Stay hydrated.  If you’re thirsty, you are already dehydrated.  It’s wise to drink plenty of water throughout the day leading up to your workout and bring water with you during your workout.  If you’re an endurance athlete and exercising for long amounts of time outdoors, a low sugar sports drink with electrolytes can help to keep you hydrated and balanced.
2. Don’t overdress!  Wear loose fitting active wear, preferably made of moisture wick fabric.
3. Check with your doctor if you’re on meds.  Certain medications can make you more likely to suffer from heat related illnesses.
4. Take breaks in the shade and workout in the shade if possible.
5. Don’t forget sunscreen- aim for a waterproof version with an SPF of at least 30.  Remember, an SPF of 30 will protect your skin in the sun for 30 minutes…plan accordingly.
6. A hat and sunglasses are your best friends in the heat.
7. Listen to your body. If you feel any exhaustion, muscle cramping, fatigue, excess thirst, headaches, dizziness, weakness, nausea or start sweating more than usual, stop your workout immediately and get help.

Here’s to a beautiful, healthy summer!

Our best,

The Venice Nutrition Team

*info derived from myoptumhealth.com  and healthline.com

 If you’ve already mastered choosing high quality and balanced meals off of the menu while at a restaurant, you’re on the right track! Doing so will stabilize blood sugar levels and allow you to burn fat while feeling you’re best.

So why are you still bloated after a “healthy” meal? What you may not realize is that despite your best intentions of eating “clean”, restaurant meals typically contain much higher amounts of salt than what you are used to eating at home. A high sodium meal causes water retention which results in bloating, particularly in the abdominal area.

How can you beat the bloat while still enjoying your favorite restaurant meals? In addition to choosing balanced meals and watching your portion sizes, ask your server to request that your order is prepared “light on the salt” or with “no salt added at all”. Most chefs are used to personal dietary requests and are happy to comply.

Our best,

The Venice Nutrition Team

As a Venice Nutrition Coach for many years, I’m all for trying anything that promotes a healthier, fitter body.   Yet, whenever anyone attempted to persuade me to try yoga, I was skeptical.    After all, I’ve always been that girl in the gym sweating it out, lifting ridiculously heavy weights and sprinting until my hips ached, silently telling myself, “no pain, no gain”.  I looked good but felt fatigued, sore and unbalanced.  Regardless, I kept living by my motto until I actually got hurt in the gym.  I mean really hurt.    This pain was certainly not worth any gains I’d ever achieved.   My injuries were so bad, I had to stop all of my workouts and start extensive physical therapy.  Without realizing it, a lot of the strengthening and stretching moves that my physical therapists recommended to heal my muscle imbalances, core weakness and misaligned back and hips, were actual yoga moves.  It was time for me to change my ways and most importantly my way of thinking.  It was time to create a healthy body, mind and soul. 
 
Though I’m very much a “newbie” to yoga and I’ve only lightly scratched the surface of all that it has to offer, I’m tremendously grateful that yoga has become a part of my life.  I’m also completely astounded at the seemingly infinite list of benefits that yoga has to offer.  My research felt endless simply because the facts just kept piling up! 

What intrigues me most about yoga is that it’s a great workout for the body and for the mind.  And despite popular notion, it’s not all about twisting your body into a pretzel!  Ask any seasoned yogi why they love yoga so much and chances are they’ll admit to being absolutely addicted to the mind/body connection and the mental clarity they feel after they practice.   The way their body feels (and looks) because of regular yoga practice seems to be just an added bonus.   Do I think that every well rounded workout includes resistance training and cardiovascular exercise?  Yes.   But throughout my own experiences and extensive research, I now firmly believe that a balanced workout routine should include yoga too.  Here’s why (just a heads up...you are about to be very pleasantly surprised):

Yoga can:
 
1.  Increase your strength.  Don’t believe it?  Try holding a yoga pose in perfect alignment.  I'm willing to bet you'll shocked at how challenging a workout it can be.   On another note, there are so many forms and levels of yoga that it can easily be adapted for beginners (read:  no contorting your body into a pretzel) all the way to advanced students.

2.  Increase your flexibility.  Stretching the body safely and moving gently from pose to pose is fantastic for mobility and releases lactic acid build up that causes pain, tension and fatigue.
 
3.  Increase lubrication of your joints, ligaments and tendons. 

4.  Increase your muscle tone.  Muscles that are weak (there are so many neglected muscles that are hardly worked throughout your regular day or exercise routine) are used extensively as you move through a series of yoga poses.

5.  Increase your core strength.  Yoga can help you to develop deep core strength because the majority of the poses rely on those core muscles.

6.  Improve your posture.  Increased strength, flexibility and body awareness can help you to improve your posture in both standing and sitting positions.

7.  Improve your energy levels and awaken the mind.

8.  Relieve chronic pain (such as neck, joint or back pain).  A seasoned yoga instructor or therapist can help you adapt postures to avoid further injury and release tight muscles, strengthen weaknesses and re-align imbalances.

9.  Help you to avoid injury by keeping the body mobile and strong.

10.  Promote circulation.

11.  Improve your lung capacity and respiratory health through deep breathing exercises.  This can also be a very powerful benefit for athletes who wish to improve their endurance levels.

12.  Improve your outlook on aging by making you look and feel younger.

13.  Help you relax and handle challenging situations more effectively.

14.  Can encourage self acceptance and positive thinking.

15.  Drastically improve your stress levels and help you to feel a sense of calm.  Yoga practice includes meditation which teaches you how to ignore the endless “mind chatter” that leads to stress.  The result is also biochemical; practicing yoga decreases stress hormones.

16.  Reduce your depression and increase your happiness.
 
17.  Increase your focus

18.  Lower your blood pressure and slow your heart rate, and especially help those with hypertension, heart disease or stroke.

19.  Boost your immune system function.

20.  Decrease cholesterol and triglyceride levels

21.  Increase your body awareness, which helps you to correct your posture or alignment.  This awareness allows you to gain the most benefits and prevent injury during other workouts and even throughout your everyday movements.

22.  Help alleviate medical conditions such as asthma, insomnia and arthritis.  Research in the US is still being done on this topic, but medical researchers are hopeful and suggesting therapeutic yoga as a form of treatment for sufferers.

23.  Help with learning and memory.  Some studies are suggesting improvement in these areas with regular yoga practice.
 
As you can see, the benefits of yoga are vast and quite powerful!    Anyone, no matter their age, lifestyle, goals, or limitations has something wonderful to gain from practicing yoga.   If you are interested in incorporating yoga into your lifestyle, I would recommend finding a beginners or foundation class to get started.  Always make sure to let your instructor know of any health challenges or injuries you may have so he or she can modify the poses to best suit your needs.

Namaste!

My best,

Valerie Cogswell
Lead Nutrition Coach and Head Chef

*info derived from healthandyoga.com, spine-health.com and webmd.com

One of the most frequent requests we receive from our members are tips on how to stay focused on their goals during the weekend.   Why is it so much simpler to stay on course Monday through Friday?   More than likely your work week is typically more structured and follows some sort of routine.  After all, the weekends are usually hectic, less scheduled and packed full of activities you just didn’t have time for during the busy work week.  Add on the Saturday night dinner out with friends for cocktails, food and fun, and you see how easy it is to fall off track.   Even though your weekends are jam packed, you can still easily stay true to your personal goals without investing a lot of time or effort.  Here’s how.

1.  Take the time to journal your meals, timing, water, supplements, and exercise for two weekends in a row.  Then take a few moments to identify where your falling off track…you’ll notice that the challenges you are having are consistent weekend to weekend.  Once you are aware of where you might be going wrong, it’s time to create a solution.  For example, are you going too long without meals during the weekend days because of endless errands and plain forgetfulness?  Pack a protein bar in your purse or car so you never skip a meal.   Are you running out of healthy choices by Saturday and relying on whatever’s lying around?  Make an adjustment in the amount of food you cook in bulk for the week, such as adding a few extra chicken breasts or more veggies to have on hand…. If it’s there, you are more likely to eat it!

2.  Make the time to exercise at least one day over the weekend.  Many people like to work hard and work out hard Monday through Friday and then take the entire weekend off.   The better choice is to pick at least one day over the weekend for some kind of exercise, particularly one you enjoy if you have been incredibly active all week long.  It could be as simple as playing a game of golf, taking a power walk or even a yoga class.  If your body is sore and fatigued because of a strenuous week, aim for a calming activity like yoga or a walk.  And always take the time to stretch, even on your off days.  The extra day of activity will help to keep your metabolism pumping and your body limber and mobile.  It’s also the perfect motivation to keep up other healthy habits all weekend long.

3.  Plan your “off” meal.  Notice we said off meal and not off day!  It’s a misconception to think that taking an entire day or weekend to eat whatever you’d like is okay even if you’ve eaten well all week.  Doing so only leads to erratic blood sugar levels, moodiness, and ultimately fat storage.  You’ll also notice that an entire day or weekend of indulging in unhealthy food will cause you to want to eat unhealthy for days after due to unstable blood sugar levels.   And this makes it so much more challenging to get back on track on Monday.   So what’s the solution?  Plan an entire “off” meal where you can indulge in anything you’d like.  Just make sure that you’ve eaten balanced meals all day leading up to the “off” meal and you get right back on track at the following meal to re-stabilize blood sugar levels.

We know how important your weekends are to you.   Taking the time to relax and enjoy is a critical component of a balanced lifestyle.   Following the above strategies will keep you on track towards reaching your goals without taking up your entire weekend.  Here’s to a fun and healthy weekend!

If you’re stabilizing you’re blood sugar, then you know how important it is to get complete protein every three to four hours.  One of the ways to help make that more convenient is to use deli meat as your source of protein for one of your daily meals.   Here is what to look for to make sure you and you’re family are eating the healthiest deli meat possible:

1. Choose whole, oven-roasted then sliced deli meat in place of pre-packaged, processed, formed or section meats. 
2. Stick to lean turkey breast, chicken breast, and roast beef.  Avoid beerwurst, bologna, pepper loaf, olive oil, capocolla, corned beef, liverwurst, pastrami, proscuitto, salami and pepperoni.
3. Aim for low sodium products
4. Avoid any products with fillers, gluten, artificial colors and trans fats

Info from boarshead.com

Even the most dedicated health nuts occasionally have the urge for something sweet.  And of course it’s okay to indulge in your favorite dessert once in a while.  But if you are looking for delectable options that are balanced in protein, carbohydrates and fat and will actually help you to reach your goals while satisfying your sweet tooth, our team of nutrition and fitness experts have a few ideas!  The following options are both healthy and satisfying.

Protein bars- look for a bar that contains a good balance of protein, carbohydrate and fat like Detour, Greens Plus Protein Bar, and Think Thin Bar for example.  All of these options come in a range of flavors and many of them taste like candy bars.

Protein Smoothies- Combine chocolate, vanilla or strawberry protein powder with skim or low fat milk (or soy milk), fruit  (for carbohydrates) and peanut butter, nuts or flax seed oil (for fat) along with ice in a blender for a smooth and refreshing shake.

Try one of our delicious sweet treats from our recipe collection (see full recipes in your Recipe Tab):

Pumpkin Ricotta Parfait

White Chocolate and Strawberry Pudding Parfait

Cottage Cheese, Apple and Peanut Butter Bowl

Banana Nut Muffins

Greek Yogurt Parfait

Protein Power Oatmeal

B&B Pancakes or Banana Cinnamon Pancakes with Homemade Berry Syrup

Cereal To Go

The options are endless.  Enjoy!

Our best,

The Venice Nutrition Team

These days, everyone is trying to save a dollar.  With the economy in crisis and so many people out of work, even every day staples like groceries can be hard to come by.    Many people think that eating healthy and often (the keys to success with the Venice Nutrition program) can be really pricey.  The fact is, if you shop “smarter” using the tips below, you can eat well while saving your hard earned cash.  Read on to learn more!

Do some research first to see what’s on sale and where.  Your newspaper is a great resource.

Join a coupon club online.  Do a google search to see which club is best for you.  Then simply print the coupons you need and save.

Places like Super Walmart are excellent for every day basic needs.  Most families who shop here weekly for groceries save hundreds!

Make a list and plan your spending to avoid impulse buys.

Never go to the grocery store hungry; doing so leads to impulse buying (and a lot of excess snack food you probably wouldn’t buy otherwise!)

Remember that the most natural, healthy foods like produce, proteins and dairy are generally on the perimeter of the grocery store (not in the aisles). 

Be open to trying new foods; if you see a fruit on sale that you haven’t tried before, give it a chance.  You’ll expand your culinary palette and save.

Stock up on inexpensive but healthy staples like eggs, chicken breasts (bone in, skin on is cheaper than regular breasts, just remove the skin once cooked to save calories), frozen veggies, milk, cheese, brown rice, sweet potatoes, fruits in season etc. so you always have them on hand.

Take a good look through your kitchen and prepare your menu for the week around what you already have on hand, and what's on sale.

Keep in mind that the larger stores are generally cheaper than smaller ones.

Avoid trips to the local convenient stores where you always end up spending too much.

If you go to the supermarket before 9 am, you may have a better chance of getting mark down items.

Check the front and back of your supermarket flyer, the best sales are usually on these pages.

Most bargains are found on the higher and lower shelves. Most expensive brands are at eye level (to get your attention).

If a product you use often is currently on sale, buy in bulk to save money.   As long as you know you’ll use it and you have the room for it, it’s not a waste of money.

Just because an item has the word "SALE" on it, doesn't mean you are getting it for a lower than normal price.  Compare it to the other brand or store names on the shelf- you may be surprised at how much cheaper some of the same products can be.

Always sign up for a savings card with your local grocery store.

Give store brands a try!  Remember that fancy packages and labels cost you more money for the same product.   Most stores will refund your money if you are not satisfied.

Buy and use in season veggies and fruit.  

Frozen fruit and veggies are great to use as well and have a lengthy shelf life.

Remember, convenience foods, such as pre-chopped veggies are more expensive. 

Always ask for a raincheck if an advertised special is out of stock. While you are waiting for the product to come back in, look for more coupons for that product.

Always return a product that is spoiled.

Send off for rebates to get items free, or nearly free!

*many tips derived from www.thefrugalshopper.com

We all know that daily exercise and regular activity is a must, especially as we age.  But did you know that regular exercise can actually help you lower your risk of some of the most common diseases?  It’s amazing to think that we can help to control our health and only 30 minutes a day of regular heart pumping exercise is enough for many people to make an impact!  In fact, check out how exercise works to ward off the following health risks.

Obesity-  Reducing your body fat along with increasing your lean muscle mass with good nutrition and the right exercise program is the most effective way to get and stay at a healthy weight.   Maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding obesity is critical to helping to avoid other diseases. 

Type 2 Diabetes- With this dangerous (and often avoidable) disease on the rise, even in children, it’s no wonder Diabetes made the list.  Regular activity helps to lower blood sugar levels and improve the way your body uses the food and sugar you take in.

High Cholesterol-   Exercise, particularly aerobic exercise increases your HDL (the good cholesterol) while lowering your triglycerides; a great combination to keeping healthy cholesterol levels.

High Blood Pressure-   Regular activity prevents your heart from having to work too hard to support your body.  This lowers the pressure on your arteries, thus reducing blood pressure.
 
Heart Disease- Exercise is a great way to improve your heart function and enhances blood flow to help prevent heart disease.

Osteoporosis- In combination with a healthy diet including plenty of calcium and Vitamin D, weight bearing exercise such as walking, jogging, and weight training helps to  build bone mass and prevent osteoporosis.
 
We invite you to get moving today for a healthier future!  For correct exercise protocol and the most efficient forms of exercise, please visit your Exercise Tab in your online program.

Live well.

Our best,

The Venice Nutrition Team

*info derived from msnhealth.com, webmd.com and ehow.com