Living Cleaner

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Hope all our healthy goals and resolutions are still in tact 11 days into this new year!

I wanted to post today about LIVING CLEANER

  We all know how important it is to EAT real food that contains REAL ingredients

But what about the ingredients in our laundry detergent? Or our shower cleaner? Or the wipes we use on our kitchen table?

Our bodies are affected by everything they come in contact with.  Especially the toxic chemicals and fumes contained in most household cleaners.  

Almost every company these days now offers a "GREEN & CLEAN" version of their product.  Some are better than others and some are way more expensive than others.

My checklist for cleaning products are:

*Affordable

*"Clean" Smell

*Plant-based

*No harsh chemicals

My absolute favorite brand is 

METHOD from Target

Their products fit all my requirements and I just LOVE their packaging. Im a sucker for cute design

 

Check out their website for more info!

http://www.methodhome.com/shop

 

Also here is my DINNER menu for the week! 

As of January 1st I am attempting a gluten free diet. Ill get into that later!

Monday: Chile Lime Chicken Nachos w/ Homemade guacamole

Tuesday: Tostadas

Wednesday: Potato Broccoli Soup w/ Side Salad

Thursday: Madras Lentils w/ Rice

Friday: Eat out or Leftovers

Do you have a favorite "Clean" Cleaning product?! Tell us your favorite!

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Tip of the week by Gloria Averbuch – on the lookout for Eating Disorders

In only its second season, Womens Professional Soccer is heading for the final push toward teams vying for the precious four playoff spots for the 2010 Championship. FC Gold Pride and the Philadelphia Independence have been the solid top two, but making an impressive late run is the fast-improving Boston Breakers.

Those who play the game or who are fans, friends or family, are familiar with the troublesome topic of eating disorders. Below is important information on this subject from Food Guide for Soccer.

Its simply an unfortunate fact that eating disorders are a part of womens soccer, like many womens sports and womens lives. If you suspect your teammate(s) or friend is struggling with food issues, speak up! Anorexia and bulimia are self-destructive eating behaviors that may signal underlying depression and can be life-threatening. Below are some helpful tips. For a list of organizations dealing with food issues, check out the Internet, or Food Guide for Soccer.

• Approach the person gently but be persistent. Say that you are worried about her health. She, too, may be concerned about her loss of concentration, light-headedness, or chronic fatigue. These health changes are more likely to be a stepping-stone to accepting help, since the person clings to food and exercise for feelings of control and stability. If you are a parent, pay attention to your own players eating habits, and those of her teammates. Consult with other parents or the coach if necessary.

• Dont discuss weight or eating habits. Address the fundamental problems of life. Focus on unhappiness as the reason for seeking help. Point out how anxious, tired, and/or irritable the person has been lately or, how unhappy she is with her performance on the field. Emphasize that she doesnt have to be that way.

• Suggest the coach or team manager distribute or post a list of resources (with tear-off websites at the bottom) where the person will see it.

Be proactive. Invite a sports nutritionist or other eating disorders expert to give a talk to the team.

Remember that you are not responsible and can only try to help. Your power comes from connecting with community resources and health professionals, such as a counselor, nutritionist, or eating disorders clinic.

Excerpted from Food Guide for Soccer-Tips & Recipes From the Pros, with Womens Professional Soccer, by Gloria Averbuch and Nancy Clark, RD. Available on www.amazon.com or www.nancyclarkrd.com

Gloria Averbuch/Sky Blue FC

Director, Marketing & Public Relations

Phone: 732-271-7700 x307 | Cell: 973-449-8880 Fax: 732-271-7735

80 Cottontail Lane | Suite 400 | Somerset, NJ 08873

www.SkyBlueFC.com

www.Facebook.com/SkyBlueFC

www.Twitter.com/SkyBlueFC

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Ive tried everything!

If you’re making an effort to get your weight under control, don’t give up the fight. Weight management takes both time and patience. Given the proper tools and right motivation, you should be able to achieve your goal weight goal in no time.

Find a program that works for you. The easiest way to succeed is to find a diet and meal plan that works with your lifestyle. While behavior modification is essential to overcoming negative behavior, feeling comfortable with the program you select is critical.

Practice makes perfect. Don’t give up if you’re not seeing big results right away. Look for and embrace the small wins. Put them all together and you’ll find the motivation you’ll need to succeed.

Get support. Having a built-in support system as part of your weight loss program is important for many reasons – recognition that you’re not alone in your quest; help in finding resources in your local area and support when you get upset and want to give up.

To find out more information about the Food for Thought 7 Week Diet Plan visit http://www.personalpowerpath.com/mealplan

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Book Review “Food Guide for Soccer Recipes and Tips from the Pros” By Nancy Clark MS RD and Gloria Averbuch

How far does your dedication to soccer go?

Do you wish to include nutrition as a part of your personal strategy to win?

If so, this book is a must-read for you.  Written by sports nutritionist Nancy Clark MS RD and Gloria Averbuch, in collaboration with Women’s Professional Soccer, Food Guide for Soccer was especially designed to help soccer players optimize their health and performance with good nutrition.

 Food Guide for Soccer covers every relevant aspect in soccer nutrition, including principles for daily eating, what to eat before, during and after training/competition, weight management, hydration and supplements! All of these topics are written in a simple, practical and realistic way, so you can easily apply what you read to your personal sports diet. By doing so, you will discover a whole new level of play: you’ll feel more energized, less prone to injuries and, even more important, you’ll feel more in control of your own body.

Besides teaching you great nutritional principles, Food Guide for Soccer also includes more than 40 easy-to-prepare tasty recipes for athletes. Each recipe  includes  nutrient analysis for carbs, protein, fat and calories.

Food Guide for Soccer combines the state of the art of scientific research in sports nutrition with years of both authors’ experiences teaching soccer players to win with good nutrition. Soccer athletes, parents and coaches are among those who will benefit from reading this guidebook. Enjoy!

Available at www.nancyclarkrd.com. 

Wishing you the best performance ever,

Diogo Ferreira, RD

Sports Nutritionist, Lisbon, Portugal

“Promoting best health and performance through nutrition”

 

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Tip of the week by Gloria Averbuch and Nancy Clark – Snack Attack

When life is busy, eating can get crazy, and fueling gets off-balance. You may find yourself on the road and needing a quick bite. Heres a tip from Food Guide for Soccer-good for all active sports enthusiasts and their families.

Vending machine or tournament snacks: Vending-machine cuisine, which resembles choices at tournaments, offers tough choices. But tucked among the lackluster choices, you may be able to find pretzels, peanuts, juice, yogurt, or even an apple. The good part about vending-machine snacks is that they are limited in size (e.g., only three cookies instead of the whole bag) and generally provide only 200 to 400 calories, not 2,000.

If youre trying to decide between fatty or sugary choices (i.e., chips vs. jelly beans), remember that the sugar in jelly beans will appropriately fuel your muscles, whereas the fat in the chips will clog the arteries. (After eating a sugary snack, be sure to brush or rinse your teeth.) Tournaments often sell candy bars and M & Ms. Try to be equipped with better options so these dont become your only choice.

Sweet treats: If its cookies, brownies, an ice cream sundae, or any other such

treat that you crave once a week or so, Nancy Clark MS, RD recommends you satisfy your hankering by enjoying the treat. You wont destroy your health with an occasional

treat, as long as your overall diet tends to be wholesome, and as long as you eat it at a time that will not hurt your performance.

Sweets, treats, and fast foods are best saved for after the games. Remember, you eat for yourself to enhance performance, and you do it for your team as well.

Healthful snacks and munchies: To reduce the temptation of the vending machine or tournament choices, keep handy in your soccer bag, locker or car a supply of wholesome options: whole-grain bagels, crackers, pretzels, fig bars, energy bars, granola bars, oatmeal-raisin cookies, graham crackers, raisins and other dried fruit, trail mix, V-8 juice, and juice boxes.

Here are some fun soccer snack ideas:

Avocado chip mini sandwiches. Chips are salty and spicy enough on their own to accommodate plain avocado (as opposed to guacamole or other dip), and this is easy. Put avocado pieces between large chips, and serve as appetizers.

A Healthier Smore: Yael Averbuch of Womens Professional Soccer loves dark chocolate. She invented spreading squares of dark chocolate with peanut butter; try a little cinnamon on it too. Its great on its own, but you can also try it between graham crackers.

Frozen Fruit. Blueberries, strawberries, grapes, oranges-all make fun and flavorful snacks when eaten right from the freezer.

Frozen yogurt cups. Buy blended flavors, put containers in freezer.

Excerpted from Food Guide for Soccer-Tips & Recipes From the Pros, with Womens Professional Soccer, by Gloria Averbuch and Nancy Clark, RD. Available on www.amazon.com or www.nancyclarkrd.com

 

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Thought of the day Spring Clean Your Body

Its the first day of spring and spring is in the air, blossoms are blooming, birds are singing, the sun is starting to shine...

It is the perfect time for a spring clean..

Just like our houses, our bodies needs a spring clean too..

How do you spring clean your body??

By eating foods that are not processed, rich in nutrients and low in saturated fats and sugars.

As well as the healthy eating diet, there are ways to help with detoxifying your body:

• Juicing
• Teas
• Increasing fresh fruit and vegetables
• have lemon and water in the morning
• increasing deep sea fish and decreasing fatty meats (have lean meats instead)
• Avoid Fatty and fried foods 

Spring cleaning your mind as well as your body can make a dramatic difference to you and your daily life. Be Positive and love life your way .... 

Further Reading:

• http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/sex+relationships/wellbeing/spring+clean+your+life,14639

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Should You Attend Your High School Reunion

Image courtesy of  iosphere/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I shouldnt have been surprised when I saw this very topic as the basis for yet another addicting BuzzFeed quiz. Even though I have already made up my mind about my upcoming ten year reunion I was intrigued and their questions really hit the issue right on the head. The main point being that you only attend a high school reunion if you are very successful, and this was not the case then, or you are less successful and trying to relive your glory days. This is typically the way we view them and for the rest of us who havent changed much it can seem a little pointless and this is why:

1. The Social Structure of Your Class Does Not Change

Its a sweet little lie our parents tell us to get us through the years of awkward moments and embarrassment that many of us experience. Its the idea that the popular will cease to be so and that the underdog will rise to the top. The gorgeous looks and petite bodies will morph and widen and the awkward and geeky will blossom. The problem is that its just not true, at least not for the first 20 years of reunions you will attend. Not to mention it perpetuates an attitude that revels in the downfall and misfortune of others regardless if they deserve it or not. The status quo should have nothing to do with what you achieve in life or how you measure your success. Your achievements should not be less important because you didnt "beat" someone else.

2. You Look Exactly the Same

For some this is an achievement especially if were talking 30 years or more down the line but when its only 10 years down the line its a bit of a bummer. My big change didnt come when I graduated. My change happened sometime in my junior year and was the result of a long process of switching from big round glasses to contacts, losing the braces, growing my hair out long, bleaching the hell out of my upper lip, and getting boobs! Of course I still got razed here and there but I could go through school without being down right bullied. I wasnt smoking hot but I wasnt still being called Magnum P.I. ,hence the upper lip bleaching, or dike among other things. There is really nothing that changed in my appearance to wow people and thats just fine with me. If I wanted to change the way I look I would but I dont.


3. Your Achievements

Now a days can college be considered an achievement? I like to think so cause Ive worked hard on my education and will continue to do so until I get that PhD. However, thats not what we are typically looking for when we think of going back to our high school reunion. Unless you won a noble or became a big star it just seems like the same ol same ol. Thats what happens when you have Facebook people! Ha ha. We see everything our classmates do now and that easy for me coming from a class of less than 40 students.

4. Reconnecting

This is by far the most important reason but it seems irrelevant with Facebook. Im not knocking real human interaction however taxing it may be. Facebook really helps you figure out how important a reunion is because more often than not you can be pretty satisfied with a Facebook update than a face to face encounter. There are some Id love to see but probably on a one on one instead. I live relatively close to where I grew up so I run into people all the time and have a general idea of whos doing what.

But this is just the opinion of a once dweeby and awkward high school girl whos still kind of dweeby and awkward. If ya want to check out the BuzzFeed Quiz its right here: BuzzFeed Should You Go To Your School Reunion? Quiz.

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