We’ve heard it time and time again – sugar is bad for us.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a very intelligent client ask me WHY sugar is bad… I mean, after all, it DOES come from a plant.

The two big problems with sugar are, we eat way too much of it, and it’s refined down so much, there are no nutrients left in it. We end up pushing a ton of sucrose through our body, that technically, our body can’t handle. The excess gets stored as fat. If we put too much sugar in our systems continuously, we end up fatiguing our pancreas because it has to make too much insulin, and our insulin response goes haywire and we end up with diabetes.

It stands to reason that a good alternative would be artificial sweeteners. No calories, and it’s not sugar… so why not use them?

There is a TON of information on this topic. And rather than get into all of it, I’m just going to share my opinion. This is based on what I’ve read, and experienced over the years. Take it for what it’s worth – feel free to ask questions in the comments…

Artificial sweeteners aren’t good for you – not even the ones that claim to be made from sugar or stevia.

They aren’t good for you for a multitude of reasons – the main one being, they’re pure chemicals. They are made up of all kinds of stuff your body does not recognize – even the ones that claim to be made from natural things.

Among other things, artificial sweeteners have been proven to slow down your metabolism, they are stored as fat in your system – just like when you eat too much sugar. And, they are suspected to be addicting, and to cause migraines.

My advice – stay away from them.

Whenever possible, use natural sweeteners. Things like Stevia, honey, agave, natural maple syrup (not Mrs. Butterworths… I’m talkin the good stuff…), etc.

You may need to experiment a bit to find what works for you. And a lot of times, you’ll need different sweeteners for different purposes. For example, maple syrup is great for things like pancakes and oatmeal, but not so great in coffee. And, agave is wonderful for cooking and baking – but it’s not calorie free so use it moderately.

Remember, read labels and eat as close to whole and unprocessed as you can.

This week, I’m deviating a little bit from our normal routine. Instead of giving you ideas on exercises to add to your cardio routine, I’m sharing a yoga pose series that will help you release stress and tension, and will help you sleep peacefully.

This video is a little longer than the other videos, but I wanted to take the time to describe the poses and a couple of processes that will help you quiet your mind – even in the midst of stress, tension and insomnia.

If you have any questions, or want to share your experience or any advice, please feel free to do so in the comments section.

Have a great week!

One of my favorite foods is the smoothie.

Smoothies are ultra-versatile. And, it goes without saying – when you make them yourself, they are ultra-healthy.

Don’t be fooled by those smoothie stands or smoothie products out there. Many times, store-bought or pre-packaged  smoothies are loaded with sugar and calories.

Besides, it’s super easy to make smoothies yourself – why would you even resort to buying a pre-made one? I mean, truly, what’s easier that throwing a bunch of stuff in a blender and hitting puree??

Here are some of my favorites:

Snack, meal, post-workout – you decide!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup frozen berries
1 frozen Banana
2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach (seriously – you can’t even taste it)
1 scoop of protein powder (pick your favorite)

Delicious Summer Breakfast

This one comes from a friend of mine, Miss Jen Hofmann:

Ingredients:
3 Tbs. Vanilla Yogurt (I used Greek)
1/5 Cups of fresh watermelon
3/4 Cup of frozen strawberries
Handful of blueberries

Dessert, or Afternoon Snack

I admit, I must have “treat” at night. And, the easier it is to fool myself into thinking I’m having something sinful, the better. The Gracious Pantry has delightful smoothie recipes that mimic ice cream – YUM. My faves:

Chocolate/Banana Ice Cream

Coconut/Banana Ice Cream

And OMG… I just saw that she did a Clean Eating Slushie recipe!!! ACK! I WILL be trying that this week… if you try it, let her (and me!) know how you like it!

This week, I thought I’d share some of my favorite resistance training exercises that are based on yoga poses. I use these in my yoga classes, and my participants tell me they see great results and feel stronger because of them.

Yoga is one of my favorite forms of exercise because it improves balance, increases flexibility, and increases strength in your muscles and bones.

Add these to some simple cardio like walking, jogging, swimming, or playing tag with the kids. Enjoy!

We carry lots of stress and tension in our hips…

We often think of carrying stress in our neck and shoulders, or even in our stomachs. And we definitely do. But we also hold a lot of it in our hips. The next time you’re feeling stressed, bring your attention to your hip area, and you’ll probably feel how tight they are.

This week, I’m going to show you three hip stretches that you can add to your workout to release that tension and help your hips feel freer.

If you have hip stretches that you like, do share them in the comment section. Or, feel free to share your experiences with these or other hip openers.