Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Shake your Hipsters! Register now!


For Kids!


SHAKE YOUR HIPS-TERS DANCE CAMP


Date: August 16-20
Time: 9AM-12pm
Location: Triskelion Arts
118 N 11th St, Brooklyn
Who: Boys and Girls 3-6yrs
How much: $250



Don’t let your tiny “hipster” miss out on what’s going to be the healthiest dance camp of the summer. Registration for “Shake your Hipsters” is now open to movers and shakers ages 3-6yrs . The camp will run from 9am-12:00pm, Mon-Fri, Aug 16-20. Your child will explore creative movement and generate their own choreography, while simultaneously learning the importance of healthy eating and exercise. There will be an informal showing at the end of the camp on Friday so you can see what kind of shakin’ your child has been up to!


To register or for more information, email: joanie@motivatednutrition.net
Or call Joanie at 814-442-5311

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Energy Booster



I agree that dates aren't nature's most beautiful looking fruit. To me, they closely resemble a NYC cockroach. For those of you who can get past their less then divine appearance, they make a great pre, during, or post workout energy booster. They are sometimes referred to as "nature's fuel."

They are high in glucose and our bodies rapidly convert them in to glycogen in the liver. Maintaining a steady supply of glycogen in the muscles and liver during a workout will help sustain energy.

I sliced them open and added a little bit of natural almond butter for a pre workout boost. Almonds are packed full of B2 (an energy vitamin), fiber, antioxidants and are easily digestible. That means your body won't have to take too much energy away from your workout to aid in digestion.


In Health,


Joanie


Joanie Johnson, HC
joanie@motivatednutrition.net
www.motivatednutrition.net

Friday, July 23, 2010

Breakfast of Champians


I LOVE cereal. All cereal. I grew up eating it every morning before school. I have fond memories of soggy marshmallows peacefully swimming in their pool of synthetic rainbow colors while plopped down in front of my Saturday morning cartoon favorites. I can lovingly recall the taste of Count Chocula every time I think of the Care Bears.

Like most people, it was the staple of my diet in college and was always readily available in those fun plastic lever bins at the dining hall. It never let me down when they were serving an unidentifiable meat. Oh the magical sound of if singing as it dropped into the plastic bowl.

You can say, I've had a bit of an obsessive love affair with cereal. I can benchmark meaningful events in my life with just about every brand on the market. Fruit Loops-my first day of Preschool, Lucky Charms-my first dance recital, Captn'Crunch-my first kiss, Frosted Corn Flakes-my college graduation, Cheerios-my first day in NYC, Kashi-my first paid dance gig...in my defense, they did get healthier over time.

I realized that these comfort foods were something that I had to let go of once I fell into the health field. There are some horrific hidden studies of protein mutation when grains go through processing. The more wholesome the grain, the more toxic the protein. The more toxic the protein, the more damage to our brains. According to some experts, you are better off eating the nutrient stripped sugar loaded brands over anything with a "whole grain" health claim.

Then there is the controversy around the health claims that end up on sugar loaded kids cereals. The Kellogg Co. recently got reprimanded for their claims that Rice Krispies will improve childrens health and Frosted Mini-Wheats will improve alertness. http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2010/06/04/Report-Kellogg-exaggerated-health-claims/UPI-51321275662223/

The point of this trip down memory lane isn't to scare you out of your own cereal comforts. Although if that happens in the process, it's not a bad thing. For the last 2 years, I've made the switch to steal oats, eggs, spinach, AM smoothies but nothing has been able to compare to the comfort of cereal...until now. I should have known that turning to my favorite super grain would be the answer to my demise.

QUINOA- cold, leftover from dinner, swimming in milk (rice, almond, coconut, soy whatever you desire), topped with fruit, sliced almonds and a tiny splash of maple syrup.

A recipe for success. My heart and taste-buds could not be happier. :) Don't knock it til you've tried it. If this sugary cereal addict can find peace with it, I'm sure you can as well.

Cheers to a happier, healthier start to your day,


Joanie


Joanie Johnson, HC
joanie@motivatednutrition.net
www.motivatednutrition.net

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Coffee- Tree- Huggers




I, myself have been known to hang my head and frequent a Starbucks on occasion (the free Wi-Fi gets me every time!) and am shocked at what Ashley Brown, a Motivated Nutrition pal has discovered! Being the spunky, green loving creature that she is, ( that's her in her natural habitat to the right!) Ashley isn't about to let disposable cups pile up in her neighborhood. Read below to see how she is making a difference and get in on the action!

Having never been a Starbucks customer before moving to rural MD, I was going along living my life in ignorance of Starbucks' environmental irresponsibility, and frequenting wonderful (more-conscientious) mom-and-pop operations. Now that I live in a town that, like so much of rural America, is the definition of suburban strip-mall retail planning, I hang my head and reluctantly march across the sizzling, sprawling blacktop whenever I want to study at the coffee shop or grab a special treat to go. I wish Starbucks hadn't replaced so many of America's great locally owned, independent and unique coffee shops, but since they did, I feel it is their responsibility to set the standard for environmental practices. I was shocked to find that in most Starbucks stores, recycling is not available! They also offer reusable cup incentives that are far too weak, and hardly ever offer to-stay cups, even to their regular loiterers, like me! This is so appalling to me that I have been doing some research to find out their plan to get started. Despite significant customer demands for recycling, Starbucks continues to take its time developing a comprehensive plan to go green - their target date isn't until the end of 2015! Please join me in putting pressure on the coffee monster and write to them at this website: http://www.starbucks.com/customer-service/contact/company-information-form

I also called customer service at (800) 235-2883 and received my local district manager's contact info and am in discussions with him to help join forces with neighboring shops and local chamber of commerce to provide "front-of-store" recycling options as well as customer and employee incentives for conscientious environmental practices.

Please help Starbucks get its act together!


Ashley

Thanks Ashley!

Here's what I submitted under the Corporate Social Responsibility tab. If it makes you more likely to take action, feel free to steal it!

As a company that seems to be setting coffee standards in America, Starbucks needs to pick up the pace on the development of their comprehensive plan to go green. I recently found out that not all store locations offer recycling and that the target date for a "green" plan isn't until 2015! As an earth loving coffee drinker I'm asking you to please expedite your plan on helping to save our planet.


Now go get em!


In health,

Joanie


Joanie Johnson, HC
joanie@motivatednutrition.net
www.motivatednutrition.net

Monday, July 19, 2010

There's an app for that

Dear friends,

I'm apologizing in advance for the rant that this one is going to turn into.

The New York Times recently published an article (here) describing the new smart phone apps that have been created to help with weight loss. The app is described as a "nutritionist in your pocket". You plug your food and exercise into the application and it keeps track of your caloric intake to burned ratio.

This supposedly simplifies dieting?

Our country is obsessed with weight loss, counting calories and getting more exercise. We're also obsessed with finding a simple solution and the latest gadget that is going to make it easier. I constantly find myself wandering how the $60 Billion weight loss industry survives if it continues to produce little to no long term results. The bottom line is that dieting and counting calories is not a sustainable way to live. Are you really going to use your new smartphone app and count calories for the rest of your life? At the end of the day, has it taught you how to make healthier choices?

Why is it so hard for us to understand that becoming educated on living a healthy lifestyle is the simplest and most sustainable way to lose weight and be healthy? It's because we're a fast fix society and no one is willing to put the time or effort into making choices that take a little more thought and action. Why would you when you can down a Diet Coke and then punch it into your iPhone? We get the permission to eat bad and let a computer figure it out. Then we're stuck eating carrot sticks for dinner to make up for it.

In the article, Dr. James A. Levine, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic says, “We really haven’t come up with one good weight-loss solution, if we had, everyone would be using it.”

You may not have figured it out yet Dr. Levine, but there are plenty of people in the preventative health care industry that have. Nothing in this country is going to change until doctors are required to take more than one class on nutrition in medical school. The health care industry is playing into our instant gratification society by prescribing pills to fix all of our ailments because it a money maker and it's what we as consumers require. If you went to your doctor and he told you to change your diet instead of prescribing a pill for whatever ailed you, you'd probably seek a second opinion. Our cultural approach to health care is ass backwards.

Oh wait, you're going to tell me that your mad about our health care system and can't afford to see the doctor or get the pills? It's ok. I'm sure they make an app for that.