My Tenth Baby Step: Turmeric (March 19th - April 4th)

To promote health this week I am adding Turmeric. Turmeric is typically thought of as a spice used in Indian cooking. Surprisingly, though, it also is a key component in all-American mustard.

Turmeric:

1. Prevents Alzheimer's disease. 
2. Promotes memory. 
3. Serves as an anti-inflammatory.
4. Relieves arthritis.
5. Inhibits Cancer Cell Growth and Metastases.
6. Improves liver function. 
7. Lowers cholesterol.

If you don't eat a lot of Turmeric filled Indian food, another option is to consume it as a tea. This is exactly how Okinawans (the people with the world's longest life span) consume it. While I am not looking forward to adding another tea on top of my daily 3-5 cups of green tea, Turmeric is worth it.

Click here for a few great tea recipes and enjoy 2 to 3 cups a day.

My Ninth Baby Step: Back Sleeping (March 22nd - 28th)

I am a stomach sleeper. I can't sleep until I flip over. Unfortunately, sleep position actually matters and, as a stomach sleeper, I am not doing myself any favors. Back sleeping (which kind of creeps me out because of its vampireseque quality) is much preferred. It helps ease and prevent back pain and also prevents wrinkles (because you're not squishing your face against the pillow).

It's going to be a difficult change but my new, healthy habit will be sleeping on my back.

My Eighth Baby Step: Milk (March 15th - 21st)

Got milk? I don't. While I used to drink milk constantly as a kid, my milk consumption is next to nothing these days. I cut milk from my diet (along with a lot of other things) when I finally acknowledged my slow metabolism and started counting calories. Since I could only have a certain number of calories a day I figured, why waste them drinking milk when I could be enjoying cheese or a vodka soda (yes, I really do think this way) instead?

My world turned upside down (or right side up?) when I found out at the beginning of this year that not all calories are created equal. I had started drinking green smoothies and would sometimes have two smoothies a day (my sister-in-law and I were obsessed). Adding two smoothies a day also adds calories (of course) so I braced myself as I stepped on the scale. Luckily, I found the opposite of what I was expecting. Instead of weight gain, I found weight loss. That's when I realized that not all calories are created equal. I can add healthy foods like almonds and green smoothies without adding pounds.

Which brings me to milk. Milk:

1. Helps keep bones strong and dense. 
2. Protects the colon from cancer. 
3. Prevents migraines. 
4. Reduces PMS symptoms.                                              
5. Prevents against childhood obesity.
6. Promotes weight loss. 
7. Increases fat burn...A LOT!
8. Reduces your risk of getting breast cancer. 
9. Protects against Gout. 
10. Increases energy. 
11. Reduces your risk of heart disease and stroke.

For a more in-depth discussion of milk's benefits, click here. Generally, people need about 3 cups of milk a day. This may be adjusted down if you have other dairy products.

Since I eat a lot of cheese (major vice of mine) I am going to add just one glass of milk a day before bed because milk works like turkey to induce sleep. For other reasons to add a glass of milk before you go to bed, click here.

Tip:
The type of milk you buy matters. Organic milk contains a beneficial fatty acid that non-organic milks lack. This fatty acid may inhibit certain types of cancer and may also help lower cholesterol.

My Seventh Baby Step: Yoga (March 8th - 14th)

I am starting my new high-stress, high-pressure law job Monday and I am beyond excited. I have to admit though, I am wondering how I am going to incorporate green smoothies, exercise, cinnamon,
green tea, flossing, and almonds into a busy workday.

I also have to admit that some habits are taking longer to catch on than others. I have had no problem having a green smoothie, cinnamon, green tea, and almonds every single day. I have had a major problem keeping up with my exercise and flossing. Ultimately though, something is better than nothing. I will keep trying to find ways to turn flossing and exercise into habits and, in the mean time, I won't beat myself up when I fail.

Since exercise has been such a challenge for me, I am worried about this week's healthy addition. But, before the stress avalanche hits, I am adding yoga! Hopefully it will catch on faster than exercise has. Yoga:

1. Reduces stress and anxiety.
2. Improves mood.
3. Increases concentration. 
4. Increases strength, flexibility, range of motion, and balance. 
5. Decreases cholesterol.                                         
6. Lowers blood pressure.
7. Slows heart rate. 
8. Increases flexibility. 
9. Decreases back pain. 
10. Increases metabolism.

And much more.

There are many different styles of yoga. If you have time, try them all out to find the style that best suits you.

My Sixth Baby Step: Almonds (March 1st - 7th)

This week's new and healthy addition is almonds. I am adding almonds this week for two reasons. First, "mama knows best" and my mama (who is probably the healthiest person I know) suggested that I add almonds to my diet. Second, almonds help to relieve and protect against stress. Why am I adding a habit that helps relieve and protect against stress, you ask?

Well, because I GOT A JOB!!! That's right, I got a new high-stress, high-pressure law job that I know I will love and so these next few weeks I am going to focus on adding healthy habits that help combat the stress and pressure I am about to happily walk into. But first, I am going to digress for a moment to talk about unemployment because I think I can perhaps help the unemployed as well as the friends, family, and old co-workers of the unemployed.

I have been unemployed for over a year. I have been unemployed for over a year even though I applied for every job I was qualified for, went on many interviews, "networked," and had a great volunteer position. In fact, looking for work has become such a habit that even now I find myself on job sites.

I very easily could have been unemployed for much longer than a year and it would have meant nothing about me. I just hope that the economy turns around so that more people can find work.

For those friends, family, and old co-workers of the unemployed, I would just like to give you some advice...

First, be supportive. The unemployed aren't leppers and many of them wouldn't mind talking about what they're going through. Just ask. I was lucky to have a great, supportive, amazing network of friends, family, and old co-workers who did everything they could to support me. I was also very lucky to have a fantastic husband who understood that sending out resumes, preparing applications, writing cover letters, and looking for jobs all day is work (and quite possibly the worst job you could have) and who made me feel like I was doing everything right even when I didn't get the jobs I was applying for.

Second, don't judge the unemployed for not pursuing a job you recommend. Don't get me wrong, recommendations are GREAT. But the unemployed are in a position to know what the job market is really, really like. Allow the unemployed to allocate their time and emotional energy where they deem fit. For the most part, it's not because they are lazy, it's because they are strategic.

Third, recognize that the unemployed are often frail. They feel rejected by the professional world and constantly brave rejection by prospective employers. Don't add to that rejection. If they email or call you, get back to them immediately. If you think you could help them with a job, be proactive and don't wait for them to ask you. If they are not asking for your help, it is probably that they don't want to risk getting rejected...again. Be generous with your compliments and your encouragement.

Fourth, resist the urge to rattle off a laundry list of things the unemployed could be doing with their free time. I believe this urge comes from a good place. People with jobs think about how much they would love to have some free time. People with jobs also can see that the people without jobs will eventually be employed again, and so unemployment does not seem so overwhelming or infinite. But, the unemployed do not feel that way. Finding a job is their job, and they take it seriously. Finding a job is their job and they feel like, if they're not a good employee, they will never find a job again.

On a lighter note, almonds. Almonds:

1. Reduce stress and stress's negative effects on the body. 
2. Lower bad cholesterol. 
3. Reduce your risk of heart disease. 
4. Protect against diabetes.
5. Protect against cardiovascular disease.
6. May increase weight loss. 
7. Prevent weight gain. 
8. Increase energy. 
9. Prevent gallstones. 
10. Prevent colon cancer. 
11. Protect against birth defects.
12. Provide lots of protein. 

For a more in-depth discussion about almonds, click here.

You only need a handful (or 1/4 cup) of almonds a day to reep their health benefits so, go to it!

My Fifth Baby Step: Flossing (February 22nd - 28th)

I have a minor confession to make this week. I don't floss. I know that all of you flossers out there are judging me. It's okay. I understand. Which is why this week I am going to start flossing. So that all you flossers out there stop judging me and so that I can get all of the health benefits listed below.

Flossing:

1. Reduces tooth decay.
2. Reduces gum disease.
3. Lowers your risk of having a stroke.
4. Lowers your risk of having a heart attack. 

Unlike green tea, which I am trying to drink three to five times a day, I only have to floss once a day. I can do that.

My Fourth Baby Step: Green Tea (February 15th - 21st)

Since the weather outside is frightful, I thought I would add something warm and delightful this week. Green tea. Green tea has a ridiculous number of health benefits. It can:

1. Lower your risk of dying from all causes (okay, not all causes. it won’t prevent a bus from hitting you but it will lower your risk of dying from health-related issues).
2. Decrease your risk of developing lung, breast, stomach, esophageal, prostate, ovarian, pancreatic, and colorectal cancer.
3. Help your heart.
4. Increase fat burn (the caffeinated variety has a more pronounced effect on weight loss than the decaffeinated variety).
5. Lower your bad cholesterol.
6. Lower your risk of getting simple bacterial and viral infections.
7. Keep your bones strong.
8. Protect your liver from damage caused by alcohol.
9. Increase your endurance.                                       
10. Keep your brain sharp.
11. Help you get over the flu.                                        
12. Prevent allergies.
13. Help if you have Parkinson’s disease.
14. Relieve stress and fatigue.
15. Delay signs of aging.
16. Do your taxes (okay, that's the guy at the local tea shop's joke). 

This is a loooong list, but if it doesn’t convince you to drink green tea every day, maybe this will.

That green tea can dramatically improve your health is the good news. That it is better to drink more, rather than less, to maximize these benefits is the bad news. While some benefits come with drinking as few as two cups a day, you can only get all of the benefits listed above from drinking 3 to 5 cups (or more). That’s a lot of green tea!

Since it is hard to have 5+ cups of tea a day if you don’t have all day to sit around making and sipping, I have decided to get creative. I am adding green tea instead of water to my morning “green smoothie” so that I get in an automatic 1-2 cups of green tea in the morning. I experimented and it doesn’t change the taste if you just cool down the green tea a bit first with a couple of ice cubes. I didn’t think “green smoothies” could get more healthy but it turns out, they can. I am also going to take iced green tea “to go” instead of water when I can. Just make the tea and pour it over ice. Lastly, I will supplement my green tea intake with green tea KitKats (see below and just kidding).
 
Tips:

1.  Drinking green tea in conjunction with black pepper has been shown to increase your body’s absorption of the good stuff in green tea, so have your tea with a black pepper rich meal when you can.
2. It doesn’t seem to matter a whole lot (health-wise) whether loose-leaf or bagged tea is used. The argument for loose-leaf tea is that it’s cheaper, fresher, less-caffeinated, and better tasting than bagged tea. The argument for bagged tea is that it is easier to buy and brew. 

My Third Baby Step: Cinnamon (February 8th - 14th)

Last week I added exercise (have I mentioned I hate exercise?) as my new healthy habit. Having a “green smoothie” every day AND exercising  has not been easy, but it has felt good. It has also been educational and so I will continually update previous posts with new recipes, tips, and tidbits as I go. 

Since exercise and “green smoothies” are pretty big things to add to your life, I have decided to add an easy healthy habit this week to allow anyone who is trying to add healthy habits with me to catch up and to allow my body (and schedule) to get used to the “green smoothies” and exercise.

So, this week’s healthy new addition is cinnamon. Adding just a small amount (1/2 - 1 teaspoon) of cinnamon a day to your diet can:

1. Help lower cholesterol
2. Regulate blood sugar
3. Help cure yeast infections and stomach ulcers
4. Slow cancer
5. Relieve arthritis pain (when combined with honey)
6. Serve as a memory boost

For more information about cinnamon, please click here or here.

Since I would probably yack if I had a spoon full of cinnamon a day, I am going to add it to my morning coffee instead (along with the soy french vanilla creamer I love).  Adding cinnamon to oatmeal (my sister-in-law’s habit), apples, and toast (with butter and sugar) can also be tasty.

Important Tip!
Choose your cinnamon wisely. The most common types of cinnamon are Ceylon cinnamon (aka "true cinnamon") and Cassia cinnamon. Cassia cinnamon is the most common cinnamon in America and is probably the cinnamon you have in your kitchen (it certainly is the cinnamon I have in mine).

Unfortunately, Cassia cinnamon can have some negative side effects when consumed regularly. Ceylon cinnamon is better for you and should be the cinnamon you use if you are incorporating this new healthy habit into your daily routine. Conveniently, Ceylon cinnamon can be found on amazon.com. Just type in “Ceylon cinnamon” and take your pick.

My Second Baby Step: Exercise (February 1st - 7th)

"I have to exercise in the morning before my brain figures out what I'm doing."  ~Marsha Doble

I am not great about exercise. It is either feast or famine for me. Either I am working out consistently or I am not working out at all, with nothing in between. My approach to exercise has been less than desirable because exercise is just important as diet when it comes to health.

So, I am adding exercise as my second healthy habit because it is very important to achieving health. I am also adding exercise as my second healthy habit because it could take a while to actually become a habit (not just a thing I force myself to do). According to a recent study, it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days to turn a new activity into a habit. With exercise, I need all the help (and time) I can get.
                                             
The CDC recommends that adults get 2 1/2 hours of moderate intensity (walking fast) aerobic exercise a week so, starting today, I will do 30 minutes of exercise a day, 5 days a week. Yuck.                                     
                                                                                                                                                                 
Tip:
What is interesting (and by interesting I mean discouraging) about exercise for me is that it has a negative effect on my weight. No, you didn’t read that wrong. I actually tend to gain weight from exercise. As you can imagine, this is very discouraging (and by discouraging I mean a deal breaker). Now, I doubt any of you have this problem but, if you do, one thing that has helped me is working out in the morning instead of the afternoon/evening. For whatever reason, if I work out before breakfast, exercise has the intended effect on my weight.

My First Baby Step: Green Smoothies (January 1st-31st)

As I said in my introduction, for the last four weeks I have had a "green smoothie" for breakfast every morning. "Green smoothies" are smoothies that incorporate both fruits and vegetables. By incorporating both into a smoothie, you start your day off already having consumed your daily recommended dose of fruits and vegetables. From there, every fruit and vegetable you have during the day is icing on the cake.

I have absolutely loved what this new habit has done for me. I have felt an incredible increase in energy, happiness, and weight loss. It is also exciting to know that just having one "green smoothie" a day now will help prevent chronic disease, cancer, heart disease, aging, and memory loss (and that's the short list) in the future. For the long list, click here and type each ingredient individually into the "search" box. For the short list (that is longer than my short list) go to this site which gives a blurb about the benefits of each smoothie. You will be amazed at what a simple ingredient like spinach can do for you.

There are many interesting "green smoothie" recipes. I typically go on this site and then go from there. My favorite recipes so far are:

Strawberry Banana Smoothie
2 cups strawberry
1 banana
2 cups spinach
1-2 cups water
1/2 cup ice

Mellow in a Mug
(if you are stressed, these ingredients help to calm you (and your stomach) down)
1 1/2 bananas
1/2 avocado
5-10 mint leaves (great for stomach aches)
1 handful spinach
2 stalks celery
1 cucumber
1-2 cups water
1/2 cup ice

Strawberry Watermelon Smoothie
1 cup strawberries
1 banana
2 cups seedless watermelon
2 cups spinach
1-2 cups water
1/2 cup ice

Blueberry Smoothie
2 cups blueberries
1 banana
2 cups spinach
1-2 cups water
1/2 cup ice

Now, a few (important) tips...

1. You can make "green smoothies" by throwing all the ingredients (except the ice) into a good blender. Add more water if your blender gets stuck. Also add more water if your smoothie is too sorbet-like in order to make it more smoothie-like. Blend all of the ingredients well (since most of you wont enjoy chewing on spinach while you sip your smoothie). Once your smoothie is really blended, add the ice and blend for a few more seconds.
2. The smoothies are pretty big. You may want to take them in a "to go" container so that you can sip them over a longer period of time. You can also do what I do and split the smoothie with someone else (like your significant other, roommate, child, mailman, bus driver). But, that will mean that you still have to get more veggies and fruits later in the day.
3. If you want to sweeten your smoothie, add honey (the darker the honey, the more antioxidants it has).  Honey has many surprising health benefits that you can learn about by clicking here.
4. If you want to make your smoothie even more healthy, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds.  Flax seeds are full of fiber, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids, all of which are very good for you. For a more thorough discussion of the benefits of flax seeds, click here.
5. Use fresh spinach and either fresh or frozen fruit. Using frozen fruit cools down the smoothie, ensures ripeness, and limits the number of trips you make to the grocery store. Plus, frozen fruit is just as good for you as the fresh stuff.
6. You may initially feel less healthy. For example, when I first started drinking these smoothies, I felt an increase in my energy and metabolism but also felt like my sinuses were congested. I read that such side effects are temporary and normal and are probably just your body flushing toxins.
7. The smoothie recipes listed above are just a few examples. There are endless possibilities. Make a list of your health issues. Perhaps you deal with a sensitive stomach (like me), or stress from your job (or lack of job), or high blood pressure, or high cholesterol. Perhaps cancer runs in your family or you feel like your memory is going. Once you have your list, look on internet sites like this one for foods that help address those issues and then play around with the ingredients in your smoothies. The general rule is that a green smoothie should be 3 parts fruit, 2 parts vegetable.
8. Just like variety is the spice of life, it’s also the key to health. It is important to rotate the ingredients you use in your smoothies. This is true for both the fruit and vegetable components because different fruits and vegetables effect your health differently. Some suggestions for the vegetable rotation are: spinach, kale (thanks Kristy and Danielle!), cucumber, celery, and broccoli (although, broccoli can taste a little too broccoli-like). I have also tried carrot and tomato but have yet to find a smoothie recipe I like that uses those vegetables.

An Introduction

Hello everyone (or no one?). I am a 28-year-old woman from California. I used to have a high-stress, high-pressure law job that I loved, but that job ended over a year ago and I have been essentially unemployed (not counting my volunteer law job) ever since.

I will be honest here. I am not the look-on-the-bright-side kind of out-of-worker. I have felt varying degrees of discontent for the last year. But, after sending out hundreds of resumes, going on dozens of interviews, and feeling the endless barrage of rejection, I needed to shift my focus to something more realistically attainable (right now) than a job.

So, on January 1st, 2010, I decided that my New Years resolution would be to become Healthy. I know, it’s not some novel idea, but I am starting this Blog because I was so shocked by my progress in just the first month of resolving to become healthy that I thought I should probably keep track. Why keep track publicly? Well, because maybe this will help you too.

Now, some background on my health. I am not what you would call healthy or unhealthy. I am somewhere in the middle. I love cheese, I am not so into sugar, and I am a sporadic exerciser (at best). I eat salads with dinner (sometimes) and an apple with lunch (again, sometimes) but I have never focused on incorporating fruits and vegetables extensively into my diet and, to be honest, quinoa and other symbols of the healthy food movement make me cringe.

That said, for the last month I have pursued my goal of becoming healthy this year by drinking a “green smoothie” for breakfast every morning. I feel great! I have more energy and feel happier and more able to cope with the ups and downs of the job market. Plus, just by adding one “green smoothie” a day, I have already lost almost five pounds. All in all, I am realizing that there really may be something to this whole healthy living thing.

So, after a month of incorporating “green smoothies” into my daily diet, I have decided to go further. I have decided to incorporate one new healthy habit every week starting now and going until January 1st, 2011. In other words, I have decided to add 49 new and healthy habits to my life in 2010 and I will see how I feel (and look) when I come out the other side.

I hope you will join me on this journey.