Connie’s top 10 Ways to “NOT GAIN WEIGHT” during the holiday season

by Connie Trider

1. Keep a liter water bottle on hand at all times! Hunger is often mistaken as thirst!

2. Keep a food journal to keep track of calories. Nibbling calories add up fast!

3. Fill up on steamed or fresh vegetables during the day to ward off hunger in the evenings. Better yet try juicing fresh vegetables!

4. If you drink alcohol, alternate with 8 oz. water with lemon. Lemon is a natural detox agent!

5. Eat a large salad made from vegetables and a low-fat, non-creamy, salad dressing before attending a dinner party. This will help stabilize blood sugar and reduce cravings!

6. Be sure to get as much exercise in as possible. Remember, calories in versus calories out is the KEY to not gaining weight!

7. Get plenty of rest and go to bed early when possible. Staying up late adds to late night munching!

8. Atleast twice a week try not to eat after 6:00 pm and not before 6:00 am. This will give your body twelve hours to cleanse itself!

9. Try to be “fully present” and use good listening skills when interacting with your friends and family. This will deepen your relationships and leave you filling warm and loved!

10. Enjoy and remember what Christmas represents and be thankful for all we have! Maybe make a list of what you are thankful for!

P.S. Consider kicking off the new year with a new you! Check out a natural and effective detox system. Make sure the cleanse system you choose cleanses the liver as well! The one that my clients have had the best results with is the True2life 30 day detox system. This is a 7 day detox followed by a 3 week nutrition plan. You can view the system at www.connie.true2life.com, Connie is a Holistic Health Consultant for SOMA GET FIT.

This entry was written by scrawford, posted on December 20, 2010 at 11:02 am, filed under Nutrition, Santa Barbara and tagged , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Why Tai Chi May be Perfect for You

By Maria Ranier

If you’re looking for a gentle exercise that can improve flexibility and muscle strength while reducing stress, look no further than the ancient Chinese practice of Tai Chi. Developed centuries ago as a method of self-defense, this “meditation in motion” is a graceful, relaxing way to improve your overall fitness level.

Made up of a series of slow movements, Tai Chi is like a slow dance in which one posture flows into the next. Your body stays in constant motion and your breathing is matched to the movements to help you achieve a sense of peacefulness and inner calm.

Tai Chi is perfect for people of any age or level of fitness. Another benefit of Tai Chi is that it requires virtually no exercise equipment, can be done indoors or out, and is a great way for someone who is new to exercise or feels intimidated by joining a gym. And since the risk of injury is very low, it’s a great way to get back into shape.

Here are some more reasons why Tai Chi may be perfect. It can:

-       Improve flexibility, muscle strength and balance

-       Lower blood pressure

-       Increase energy and agility

-       Improve cardiovascular fitness

-       Enhance your sense of well-being

-       Fall prevention in older adults

Getting started in Tai Chi is easy for people in virtually any community. The best way to begin is to take a class with a qualified Tai Chi instructor to help get the basics down. That way you’ll learn the proper techniques. You can find courses at your local YMCA/YWCA, community center, health club or wellness facility. Once you get the basics of Tai Chi down, you can also purchase DVDs that will allow you to also practice at home.

So, join millions of Chinese and give Tai Chi a try. At the very least it’s a fun, budget-friendly activity that you can add to your current fitness program. Who knows, it could just become your favorite form of working out.

Bio: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at The Online Degrees Site,  where recently she’s been researching online kinesiology degrees and blogging about student life issues. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

This entry was written by scrawford, posted on December 18, 2010 at 9:24 am, filed under Fitness, Life is Fitness, Santa Barbara, Tai Chi and tagged , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Chrysanthemum Tea Cleanse

Chrysanthemum tea is caffeine free and is subtly flavored with jasmine flower. It is perceived as alarmingly healthy because it contains adenine, choline, vitamins A and B, amino acids, glycosides, volatile oil, and many other substances known to do a body good. Chrysanthemum tea has been used in Chinese medicine for over two thousand years to maintain healthy cholesterol levels, normalize blood pressure, improve blood flow, cure migraines, and much more. Additionally, many people use it for its documented ability to sharpen the vision and hearing, calm the nerves, clear the brain, mitigate the flu and fevers, and improve sore throats. In China, the tea has become widely appreciated, and has gained the title of the Longevity Elixir.  Lately, more and more people have taken notice of the health benefits of chrysanthemum tea. In many parts of the world, the tea is being used to cleanse the digestive tract, thus freeing the colon from the “congested” traffic, or toxins that can build up as a result of eating heavy and fatty foods. There are plenty of chrysanthemum tea advocates, but with all the benefits, is it good to be true? Additionally, is this new cleansing craze all that it’s cracked up to be?

J. Jacobs is a guest blogger for My Dog Ate My Blog and a writer on Online Degree for Guide to Online Schools.

This entry was written by scrawford, posted on November 5, 2010 at 3:54 pm, filed under Food and tagged , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

SOLACE RETREAT WITH SOMA GET FIT

by Janet Rifkin

If you had the chance to design and then enjoy a weekend retreat that was tailored to your own needs and preferences, what would it look like? Would you want to be in a beautiful place, eat wonderful healthy food, to get to know the natural environment of ocean and mountains? Would you want to meditate and have personalized restorative yoga sessions? Would you want to end your evening with the most amazing bodywork you will ever experience? Does that sound better than the usual spa experience where m

ost of your time will be spent inside and eating food that is cooked for multiple guests? Having been to many spas in different parts of the country, my recent weekend at Soma Get Fit was in a different league entirely and far surpasses all my other experiences. Here’s why: For starters, the staff spends considerable time before you arrive to develop a personalized itinerary and menu. They want to know what priorities you have, be it cardio/aerobic, yoga and meditation, hiking, biking, kayaking or other water sports. Once that is established, they develop a schedule that integrates the extraordinary natural environment of Santa Barbara into your entire exper

ience. I biked in town, stopped at a number of beautiful parks where Karen led me and my friend Marlo in Yoga sessions. Scott and Karen took is on an amazing hike into the hills of Romero Canyon where the views and flowers were terrific. We visited a soothing Buddhist temple, which allowed us to appreciate silence and some time for reflection and more. Karen guided us on our kayaking trip in the harbor and educated us about the marine biology of the area.

We went to the Farmer’s Market with our personal chef Lys Poet where we picked out the produce that she transformed into a 4 star meals. Each evening ended with Scott Crawford giving us each the most amazing 2 hours of bodywork. His talent must come from the Gods. His work is magical and you won’t want your session to end.

The activities, the setting, the food and the tone all contribute to this unique experience. But the essential quality of the Soma Get Fit stems from its people. They are invested in creating experiences for their guests that change body and mind. Their goal is to facilitate personal transformations that their guests have envisioned for themselves. They come to you without judgment, they don’t have preconceptions and they really want to “be there” for their guests. They are gentle but determined that the time you spend at Soma Get Fit will mean something, both while you are there and after you leave. The only drawback to this entire experience is that you have to leave. I for one will go back as soon as I can.

This entry was written by scrawford, posted on May 5, 2010 at 9:18 pm, filed under Bodywork, Experiences, Fitness, Hiking, Life is Fitness, Lifestyle and Spa, Los Angeles, Meditation, Pilates, Retreats, Santa Barbara, Yoga and tagged , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

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