A Delicious Life

Build muscle, feel younger: A Canadian study shows that, in addition to improving strength and endurance, weight training may reverse aging at the cellular level

Bottoms up: Inbibing up to one drink per day may reduce the risk of dementia, according to a recent study. More than one per day, however, offers no protection.

The diet cure?: GlaxoSmithKline is about to launch their new diet pill, Alli, that is supposed to help people lose weight by blocking fat absorption. The marketing for the new pill is careful not to over promise, emphasizing the importance of diet and exercise. From the article in Forbes:

When taken with meals, the drug blocks the absorption of about one-quarter of any fat consumed. That fat - about 150 to 200 calories worth - is passed out of the body, potentially resulting in loose stools.

About half of patients in trials experienced gastrointestinal side effects, including leakages and oily discharges.

More on that from me later.

It’s getting steamy in NYC, and it’s only mid-May. When it gets this warm, I take my workout to the track in the park in the early AM, and then refresh myself afterwards with a smoothie.

This recipe is a great one for breakfast in the spring - the berries are rich with antioxidants, whey protein powder provides post-workout nourishment, and flax seed oil gives you some essential fatty acids and helps lubricate your system.

Berry Smoothie

1 cup berries (try strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or blackberries)
1 scoop (5 tablespoons) vanilla whey powder
1 tablespoon flax seed oil
6-8 oz water
3-5 ice cubes, if desired

Blend all ingredients on high speed until well mixed. Pour into a large glass and enjoy.

I’m just about ready to finish up my personal spring cleanse for this year. I’ve been cleansing for about 10 days, and I feel great. My allergies went away, I lost a few pounds, and I have a lot more energy. Because I’m getting the nutrients that I need, I’m eating less than I was before and I’m not as hungry as I was before I started.

Because I advocate holism when it comes to diet and lifestyle, I also took the time to do some spring cleaning in the rest of my life - taking care of my home and readjusting my daily routine.

I decided that it was time to look at the clutter in my house and do something about it. I started by going through my wardrobe and discard all of the clothes that I no longer wear or like to make room for new things. It felt great to dump a bunch of clothes that just weren’t me anymore.

I have been readjusting my schedule to include more time to get organized and start on a couple of new projects - this blog being one of them. I realized that I was spend too much time doing activities that weren’t really serving me - watching TV, surfing the web too much - and that I could spend my time more enjoyably doing other activities that would give me energy instead of draining me.

My cleanse group has nearly wrapped up their program, and they’ve done amazingly well. I may hold another group, but I have not yet scheduled anything. If you’re interested in learning more about cleansing, or participating in a cleanse, please contact me.

I opened a fortune cookie recently and got a great fortune. All it said was:

Welcome Change

and I said, “What great advice.” If change is inevitable, why not welcome it instead of fearing it? It’s so much easier to deal with it when you have a positive attitude.

The other way that I interpreted it was that I should welcome money (change) into my life. Spare change found on the ground, collecting in the bottom of my purse or in jars on the counter at home, any found money that come randomly to you.

T. Harv Eker teaches his students make declarations to help change they way they think and shift the energy that they attract into their lives. One of them, which is said every time you find money or that money comes randomly into your life, is “I am a money magnet.” This helps reaffirm to the universe that you are willing and open to receiving wealth, and it helps bring more of that energy into your life. If you’re having money troubles, I highly recommend his program, the Millionaire Mind Intensive.