The Healthy Journal

For Memorial Day weekend we took a road trip up the state (California) to the college town of Chico where my husband Bob earned his finance degree. He always raved about Bidwell Park, which followed Big Chico Creek through a portion of the town. There are miles of paved trails under a shady canopy of large trees and lush greenery bordering the creek. Picnic benches dot the route offering an invitation to stop and enjoy the cool creek. We brought our mountain bikes for the purpose of riding the trials. So off we went. We rode from Lower Bidwell Park all the way to Upper Bidwell Park where you can opt for more adventurous single-track, dirt trails. We saved the dirt trails for the following day when we spent several hours navigating up and down slightly technical trails (filled with protruding rocks of all sizes) getting a great workout—ending with a stop along the upper creek with a chilly dip for our weary feet. Since I may not find healthy food to eat on trips, I always plan ahead and...

I'm proud of my hubby who is training for a half-marathon in April. It will be his third. He's decided that having a half-marathon to train for keeps him motivated to get out and exercise. I say, whatever it takes to get a person to exercise is good. He really gets into it. Carries a water bottle on his training runs. Marks up the calendar with the distances he needs to run on which days to get his body ready for the 13.1 miles on the day of the race. Studies about the right energy supplements to feed the muscles. Works on having an efficient running form. And looks for nutritious smoothie recipes that will build his body. Here's one he found in the March Outside magazine that starts with his favorite drink—coconut water. It's a great drink for breakfast. Packs a wallop with protein and immune booster foods like maca powder and hemp seeds. Super Foods Green Smoothie from Outside Magazine yield 2 servings category Drink cuisine Vegan ingredients 16 oz coconut water 3...

Exercise is not just to look and feel good. And it's certainly not the widely accepted wrong reason to exercise—to eat more bad food. The rationale for exercise might not be clear. Here are six straight-forward, simple reasons why you should exercise: #1 Exercise to Feel Good This is not just a suck-it-up and smile type of feel good. This is real. Natural. Body created. Hormone related. Truly feel good—like all day good. Exercise creates endorphins in the body that are like morphine and opiates. Obviously wildly better than those drugs. Endorphins create a euphoric feeling that is healthier than any drug fix. Yes—even better than caffeine. #2 Exercise to Burn Cortisol Cortisol is a stress-induced hormone produced by the body when situations provoke emotions like anger, anxiety and fear. This stress hormone contributes to weight gain by causing the body to hold on to fat and increase cravings for sweets. Not a good combination. Not only does your body not burn fat, but it urge...

If you're resolved to lose weight, get back energy and feel better, there are several things you should know to help you succeed. #1 Don't Count Calories Do yourself a favor and forget the stress of counting calories. It will only make you crazy. Besides not all calories are alike—50 calories of sugar is a whole lot different than 50 calories of veggies. It's not the calories that count— it's the content of the calories . Instead, take a serious look at the food you want to eat and ask, "Is this something that will give my body good health?" You know you shouldn't be eating a candy bar when you're hungry. It's full of artificial and GMO ingredients and sugar (corn syrup most likely). You might be satisfied, but you won't feel good. #2 Don't Skip Breakfast Breakfast is still the most important meal of the day. You've been sleeping for 7 - 9 hours (hopefully—otherwise you need to read Sleep—Needed for Optimum Wellness ). Your body needs...

root   n . 1 Part of a plant that provides support, draws water and nourishment, and stores food.  2 Source of action. 3 An essential part. Let's review what I've addressed in separate blog posts about how to achieve optimum wellness. I believe there are four essential parts to being healthy. I call them  roots . If you make healthy choices in each root area, you will achieve optimum wellness—feeling supported, watered, nourished and full of energy. The four roots of optimum wellness are  diet ,  exercise ,  sleep  and  attitude . Root One: Diet It is not a coincidence that disease is on the increase at the same time our diets consist of more artificial and sugar-ladden ingredients, meats and dairy laced with antibiotics and hormones. Cancer has now become the number one killer. And, its a big money maker for the health and pharmaceutical industries. Here's a list of things to avoid in foods: Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils (aka trans ...