PROJECT WOMAN: Athena for the Active Woman

First post of the year, so first of all, a happy new year to everyone!  

Right, resolutions....  And what better way to start the year than to set health goals!  I've been out from blogging for quite sometime and during that span of time, my body has gone through a lot of changes.  At some point, I was super active with work that it was hardly an effort to stay slim.  I ate a lot, mind you and yet I was down to my lowest BMI ever and if I had exerted more effort into exercising, I'd probably see well defined abs.  

Well, fast forward to a couple of months ago, and here I am covered in flabs once again.  So much for the abs hahaha!  Time to do some reality check.  Lately, I've been on desk job and so I was sitting around most days.  The inevitable happened of course.  And so as my clothes were observably a bit more snug fitting, it is time to take some action.  

For starters, I've been doing longer walks lately, something I did't do for quite some time.  And in the coming weeks, I'll be back in line duty which involves more walking.  So, I am expecting more mobility these days, which is good!

Fitness and good health as we all know, is a combination of proper exercise and nutrition.  So as I am starting to move around more again, I also need to supplement my body with the proper nutrition.  

I'm basically a coffee fiend, so milk is not in my beverage list.  But at my age, I know I need the nutritional values found in milk, particularly for the bones.  I'm happy Unilab has the right milk that I could start with, without worrying about getting even plumper than I already am.

Introducing Athena, the milk especially formulated to meet a woman's special nutritional needs.

                    

             

   

No other milk understands us better. Women like us, who are always on the go, seek to strike a balance between work and personal time to be able to enjoy life to the fullest. That is why we need to stay fit and attractive, to look good and feel good whenever we can. We have unique needs that only women like us truly understand.

Here are some of the great nutritional benefits of Athena:

• High Calcium essential for optimum bone health. It is also a source of Vitamins D and K, Magnesium and Phosphorus – nutrients to help maintain strong bones 
• Low in Fat so you can enjoy this beverage without the risk of high caloric intake 
• Source of Anti-oxidants such as Vitamins A & E and Zinc to help maintain healthy skin and promote optimum immune function. 

Athena comes in two flavors – Milk (180 grams – Php 130.00; 400 grams – Php 273.00) and Choco (180 grams – Php 130.00). It’s available online at www.athena.com.ph and in-store at Mercury Drugstore, Watsons, and Southstar.

Athena, a delicious beverage made just for us women! I would definitely buy this one on my next trip to the grocery or those drug stores and I'm loving that they have chocolate flavor!

Avocado and Hypertension

Source

When I was a kid, my mom would prepare sliced avocados swimming in milk for dessert. I also love avocado smoothies. I have always eaten it that way and wouldn't dream of eating it as is. But there's always a first time and yesterday, I dared to eat one without anything on it. While my office mates were dipping it in white sugar, I find myself savoring the creaminess and the natural sweetness.  I am enjoying it as it is. It's this change in mindset really that made me enjoy real foods without all those extra things. Eating real foods did that to me. My palate has adjusted and is not craving too much for the usual artificial tastes.  So I guess that dissolves my plan to do food and restaurant reviews as I would probably fail miserably in that department.

Infographic: Why Coffee and Tea Are Amazing for You

A few months ago, I've been pondering on whether I should stop drinking coffee.  Truth be told, I have not stopped and I'm still enjoying my morning (and even afternoon) brew.  Some say they could not live without the caffeine fix. I guess if it has turned into an addiction, that could be true.  I would say I can still stop taking coffee if I need to.  But that is something I still have to establish.  Of course, I will not be immune to the withdrawal symptoms also.  I know for a fact that I will have headaches for a couple of days and studies validate that.   

Right now, I only skip drinking coffee in the morning when I have a scheduled early morning run.  It's not because it is a known stimulant.  I think my body could handle that even if I have hypertension.  The thing is, coffee is a diuretic for me.  I don't like interrupting my runs with trips to the restroom.  Twice, I had to endure holding the water in during 5K runs and that is quite a feat considering how each time the foot hits the pavement, my bladder keeps reminding me lol!

Infographic: 9 Foods That Lower Blood Pressure

I was frequenting this site, Natural News for quite sometime, but I was mostly reading the articles. I didn't notice before that they have tons of infographics and I saw this one that would prove to be helpful, not just for people suffering from hypertension, like me, but also for those who want to improve heart health in particular.  Out of these, I have yet to try Hawthorn berries and hibiscus.  I don't even know if we have the berries locally but there may be an equivalent of that here.  And I have yet to research about how to take hibiscus but I would guess that it's for making tea, sort of.  The other items, I eat occasionally. Maybe it's time to have more of them in my diet.

There are a lot more foods that help lower blood pressure.  As I have mentioned before, those foods rich in potassium are great!  So, I'll just be sharing this one.  

Natural News: 9 Foods That Lower Blood Pressure

Note to Natural News site owner... My comment that was under moderation was published, but my query was not answered.  I hope that publishing my comment means you allow me to post this infographic.  Thank you.

Infographic: Workout Nutrition Guide

Fish on Negei Plate and Chilewich Placemat

I've been asked by Sarah of Not My Own Anymore in her comment on Philhealth: Post Run Update if it's alright to have an extra helping of rice after a long run. My answer is of course just based on what I normally do and something that applies to me. But, we could all benefit from reading what the fitness experts have to say. After all, they're the ones who have had studied this aspect of workouts.

I'd be honest. I don't usually eat anything before I run and I just take a sip of water.  That's because I have to get up before 4 am and leave before 5am to go to the running venue.  If I run before 6am, I'd still have something in my stomach and it worries me that I might throw up with the exertion lol!  Barely no liquid also as I tend to pee if I have coffee or water that early. Running could get uncomfortable when you have to hold that water until you finish the run.  I suppose I have to make adjustments so I could have the proper nutrition before my run.  That way, I could probably last longer and not have my energy zapped out during the last kilometer of the run.

Should I Stop Taking Coffee?

Coffee!!

I've been pondering on that question for some time. I've been a coffee drinker probably since I was ten years old.  My stomach couldn't handle having milk or chocolate or juice drinks early in the morning when I have breakfast before going to school. I tend to vomit it all out or get that queasy, unsettling feeling.  Coffee seems to be the only satisfying early morning beverage for me.  So, it was and still is a habit up to this day.  But since having hypertension, I was thinking if it is a strong reason for me to eventually stop drinking coffee.  

Workplace Wellness: The Link Between Food and Productivity

Last post, we talked about what should be in a healthy plate of food.  I thought of sharing this infographic on workplace wellness  courtesy of Compliance and Safety.  Most of us work either in a typical office, an institution or even at home.  When we work, we need to be well-nourished to sustain us for the day's tasks.  I think it's something that employers (or home owners) must not overlook so as to get the optimum productivity out of everyone.  I have already sent a copy of this to our human resources manager as well as the manufacturing manager.  Hope it gets a good exposure somehow.  A lot of workers could really benefit from this.

Potassium and High Blood Pressure

Fruit plate, a photo by Upsilon Andromedae on Flickr.

Ever wonder why we crave for certain foods at certain times?  I'm not talking about sudden craving for, say, donuts, which I would probably consider an unhealthy craving.  I'm talking about whole, natural foods here.  When we do crave for those, sometimes, it could be our body's subtle way of telling us we need certain nutrients.  Don't you find that fruit plate above quite inviting?  I do.  I see the words antioxidant and Vitamin C hidden among the grapes, strawberries, orange slice and everything else on the plate.

 Ever since I could remember, I love these fruits, in order of preference:

I Thought I Was an Apple

Waist Bend, a photo by lululemon athletica on Flickr.

Since I started losing weight and after hitting my goal weight, I noticed just a tad of curve around the midsection. I said just a tad because I still need to work around my middle part where the hard-to-lose fat is located.  So yeah, I am trying to sculpt my midsection and letting those abdominal muscles re-surface.  Last time I saw them was probably a decade ago when I was living a more active lifestyle and I still live with my mom who cooks healthier foods.  Now I get to see her about two weekends in a month so I'm left to fend for myself and as I have mentioned before, I was not exactly choosing healthy foods.

I Am Down to My Target Weight...Now What?

After a few months of striving to eat healthier and being more active, I have finally reached my target weight. Now, 5 lbs may not be such a feat to those who are trying to lose more than that, but losing that extra 5 lbs for me meant changing my current life style and mindset without starving myself or driving myself nuts with all those exercises I had to do. I took the route of doing it slowly and as less stressful as possible. Remember that I am actually trying to normalize my blood pressure more than getting that hourglass figure. I needed to lose as much extra flabs as possible and leave just enough for normal body function. 

I am now left with a question that I am sure many have already asked: "I have lost all the extra pounds...now what?"  I got various answers from Mr. Google, from stretch marks to sagging skin to how to maintain the weight and prevent backsliding.  Well, one wouldn't probably have that problem with just a measly 5 lbs of weight lost.  I kept reading until my eyes hurt with all those search results.  Decided to stop for a while because I am already teary-eyed hahaha!

Annette Larkins' Journey to Health

I was researching for something a few hours ago but as you know with all the web links intertwining here and there and me being always curious about stuff, I stumbled upon this woman at this site.  The site had the word gossip there so I thought of probing some more because this might be some bogus, sensationalized article that is not uncommon on the internet.  Turns out to be legit, so it's not gossip after all! 

Nothing extraordinary about the picture of a woman, seemingly in her 40's right?  Except that as I was reading through, she was actually 30 years older!  I was simply dumfounded, realizing that I was looking at a 70-year old woman...and with a slim physique to boot!  One hot mama?  More like one hot grandma!  Woot woot!  Annette Larkins has truly found the proverbial fountain of youth.  Her husband has already gotten used to being referred to as his wife's father, or was that grandfather?  Hahaha! Watch this video so you'll understand what I am yakking about. 

Amazing woman!  I don't know if I could ever be a full-time vegan.  It takes a full turn around with regards to lifestyle and eating habits.  But enjoying slightly cooked vegetables is a good start for me, as well as eating more fruits in season.  I could learn to eat more raw foods that are plant-based.  Raw meats, I could only picture myself eating raw fish like those served in Japanese restaurants, but not anything that walks on two or more legs.  That is still repulsive to me and it would definitely require a huge change in mind set.  That would be a gigantic leap but I like to take my health journey one step at a time. 

Annette Larkins, you simply rock!

Goal Update for February

My workload has definitely thrown me off track last month. With just four blog posts in a month...could you believe that?  It happens sometimes, I guess.  I cringe at the thought of giving the end of month update specifically because I have not accomplished much...and this update is five days late!  But I have given my word, and though this is late, here's a short rundown for the February goals:

Continue with the diet plan - to have increased servings of fruits and veggies

I am definitely having more fruits and veggies in my diet, but I feel I could still do better.  I get around 2-3 servings per day of combined fruits and veggies.  I am aiming to have four or more servings per day. 

Be more strict in limiting sodium intake to a maximum of 1,500 mg

I don't have the exact figures right now as I am not able to update my fitness pal account (my bad!).  But I still maintain a log of my food intake.  I have a separate planner I use solely for jotting down the food I eat, the number of daily steps, and my water intake.  I think I still go over 1,500 mg of salt in some days because I don't always prepare my own food.  

Healthy habit 2: Be consistent with 7 - 8 glasses of water (when doing normal activities)

This habit has not yet kicked in quite well.  There are days I manage 7 or 8  glasses of water.  But on the average, I am just on the 5th or 6th glass.  I have not given up though.  This seems to be easy for some, but it's taking me a while.  I'm getting there.

Take 6,000 steps per day (minimum)

I got good news for this one.  Although I may have gone below the 6000 steps in some days, my average for last month is 7,577 steps.  Being busy at work helped with the walking thing.  I had to go back and forth between two offices (yep I have two offices now).  But I feel better with all that walking, knowing I am more active and not confined to an office chair.

There you go.  I hope I perform better this month.

How I Personally Manage My Salt Intake

Is salt really bad for health?  I've done some browsing on the internet and I have read varying opinions about salt.  Should we really take it out from our daily diet, run away from it like it's some kind of poison?  For the life of me, if I keep reading more, I'll probably go insane. But we need to know. So we keep searching and weeding out the good or credible information and those sites that clearly promote a certain propaganda. 

Until such matters are resolved and those scientists and doctors and medical practitioners come into agreement, we either take this side or that side or stay in the middle perhaps?  I think I'll take the last option instead.  After all, my doctor didn't tell me to have a no-salt diet but merely to limit my salt (sodium) intake.  Even the DASH diet plan only limits the salt.  They have two versions of it, the high salt (2,300 mg/day) and the low salt diet (1,500 mg/day).  Take note that I am only limiting my salt intake because there are studies that implicates the correlation between high sodium consumption with essential hypertension.  Besides that, I believe in the concept of moderation.  Too much of anything, even a good one becomes a poison right?

So how do I manage limiting my salt intake to 1,500 mg?  Here are a few steps I took that are not too drastic for me (but it could be for you, so just do it one at a time if you're not in any health risk).

My Fitness Pal: My New Health Partner

As part of developing healthy habits, I have begun monitoring my food intake since last week.  I am now on my second week.  My main concern there is monitoring my sodium and potassium intake.  Less of sodium, more of potassium.  For the latter, I am not taking supplements.  I'm trying to get it naturally from foods rich in potassium.  

Monitoring using the file I created in Excel proved to be tasking, in the sense that it's hard for me to come up with a good estimate of how much of this and that are actually in the servings I consume.  It's simple when what I eat are store-bought items that are properly labeled with nutrition facts.  But what about cooked food?  That's where I use guest-timation.  I had no other alternative so I kept with what I was doing.  

As I was surfing the internet, I came across MyFitnessPal.  I believe it wasn't the first time I've seen it.  I just didn't really pay attention the first time.  I clicked on the About tab and scrolled down a bit to this part.  That got my attention.

 

Over a million in the food database.  "Right," I said to myself.  Just for the fun of it, I tried searching for tuyo, tinapa, alamang.  What do you know?  They have it, and even have sub-classifications.  Alright, that got me!  I signed up (which I should have done ages ago) and even invited two of my colleagues to check out the site.

Check out MyFitnessPal...it just might be your new BFF to staying healthy.  It's a free membership site by the way.

DASH To The Grocery

Yesterday afternoon was by far the longest time I have spent on a very short grocery list.  It took me an hour and a half and I was not even able to buy all.  Talk about wasting so much time, but not totally.  I count the walking as exercise, although my recently injured left knee was already ready to buckle. So what's on my list?  Just these few items:

• Cereal
• Milk (ugh! Coffee drinkers like me repel milk.  Just the thought of drinking a glass of it makes me squirm, or worse gag)
• Pineapple Juice
• Pitted Prunes
• Fresh fruit (I was able to buy sliced and cut melon....that was my dinner later)
• Salad (you know, Caesar's and the likes.  No pre-packed ones so I skipped it.  You had to choose the ingredients. Will do that another day as I was already tired from walking)
• Cucumber

See?  Normally that list could have taken me no more than 15 minutes.  The thing is, I had to read the labels, particularly for low sodium content.  Having a good amount of potassium is a great bonus.  The good thing about doing this is I realized that even if I don't shop at Healthy Options (kind of expensive also), I could find healthy choices at a regular grocery store.  

Here are some of the items that I bought, minus the melon (gone in 360 seconds), the cucumber (camera-shy), the milk and a few items not on the original list :

DASH-ing My Way To Health By Shaking Out Salt

I am on the prowl once again for what workable diet I could start on.  I really don't have to lose weight anymore as my body mass index is in the healthy range, although I have to work on my waste to hip ratio.  I've been searching for a diet to lower my blood pressure, even without medications.  I'm looking at 28 days from now when I will halt taking Losartan and see if my blood pressure rises again.  So far now, it is steady at or below 120/80 mmg Hg. 

I visited my Info Links Page and clicked on the NHLBI link...clicking some more within the site I was brought to this page : Your Guide to Lowering Blood Pressure with Dash.  There's an option there to download the PDF file.  That is what I have been reading up on since this morning.  I have started taking note of the food I had today and will continue to do so in the following days or months until I no longer need to keep track because it has become a habit to be selective of the food I eat.

Diets That Don’t Work According to Yahoo! Health

It is pretty interesting that there are so many existing diets and there are still a lot being concocted to date. I once thought I could be a vegan. It remained just a thought up to this time. I realized I couldn't remain faithful to that kind of eating lifestyle for long. Besides, humans are omnivorous by nature. I suppose the animal food to plant food ratio depends on every individual. As for me, keeping a healthy balance is the more reasonable way to go.

For me, that is more achievable than these extreme diet fads :

Diets That Don’t Work | Yahoo! Health

There is no one-template-for-all when it comes to the proper diet. Finding the one that gives good results without putting too much stress on one's mind and body is what everyone should strive for.

Know Thyself : Food and Nutrition Self Assessment

english breakfast under water..., a photo by austinevan on Flickr.

When I first learned about my so-called essential hypertension, the first thing that came to my mind was the food I have been eating for the past few years.  Ever since I started living independently, I could not vouch for the nutritional value of what I am ingesting.  There was a time when I became a fast food junkie when I was just in my mid to late twenties. That was the time that I was going out a lot, and eating out seems to be the more convenient choice.  I don't smoke or take alcoholic drinks, but greasy fast foods laced with a lot of artificial seasonings and generously sprinkled with salt and monosodium glutamate has finally taken their toll on my body.  Where I work, the foods served in the canteen were no better, if not worse than fast foods.  Add to that dangerous combination is that when I do get to prepare my own food, it usually comprise of instant food such as noodles.  

In essence, I am literally digging my own grave with this kind of lifestyle.  I am now in my late thirties and should still be in good health.  But having to take Losartan for now says otherwise.  I don't want to be on medication for the rest of my life.  So I know it's more than just lowering my blood pressure with this medicine.  

A few months back when I started on my medications, I have also started to make some changes in my eating habits.  Truth be told, a lot of people say that I have slimmed down considerably.