test
test
*** CLICK HERE For Plus Size Clothing On Amazon.com ***
*** Unique Handmade Jewelry: Click Here For My Etsy Shop ***
Leave a Reply
Related Blogs
- Related Blogs on fat
- Social Media Marketing
test
*** CLICK HERE For Plus Size Clothing On Amazon.com ***
*** Unique Handmade Jewelry: Click Here For My Etsy Shop ***
Lunch at Dole: whipped ginger sweet potatoes, salmon with fresh tomatoes, vegetables lasagna, roasted squash, salad and chocolate covered pineapple
One thing that stood out to me during the Dole Health Summit was how proud the employees are of their health and habits. Before I went to the Dole Health Summit I kind of expected that there would be fresh produce available, but I was not expecting it to be so delicious and thoughtfully prepared.
Throughout my life I’ve believed that health food and good food were on two different teams. It never occured to me that they could be one in the same. When I thought of health food, I thought of “diet food” and to me it was boring, raw, cold, and uninteresting. I grew up in the 90’s where people were told not to eat fat, so I doused my iceburg lettuce in fat-free ranch dressing. We were told to eat cottage cheese, fat-free frozen yogurt, diet soda, and celery sticks to be healthy.
Onyx Restaurant at Four Seasons: ginger salad with miso soup
If I’m being totally honest, the concept of healthy can equal delicious is new to me. I use the term healthy loosely, because it seems that we all, scientists included, have our own idea of what healthy eating looks like.
But Dole managed to merge the two worlds effortlessly. You’d never know that health food wasn’t delicious and you’d never feel deprived or cheated eating this way. Good, delicious, thoughtful and interesting food. I want more of that in my life, the merging of healthy and delicious foods.
Onyx: risotto with mushrooms
I realize that this may sound strange to those reading who already “get” it, but for me, it’s been a very long journey to this point. You see, it wasn’t until my mid-20’s that I had fresh blueberries, cherries, salmon, black beans, avocados, asparagus, dark leafy greens, or roasted vegetables. Blueberries were made into muffins. Cherries came from a jar in syrup. Salmon was from a can. Beans were brown or green and swimming with bacon. And vegetables were cooked in the microwave.
Dinner at Onyx, Four Seasons Hotel
I’ve since taught myself to enjoy interesting and new flavors. I prefer tea and coffee unsweetened. I rarely drink soda or diet soda. I’m not afraid to try new foods. I want to continue challenging my to change my definition of what good food is. Good food can be a local burger or butternut squash roasted to perfection with garlic, olive oil and chili powder. It can be coconut curry with chicken and vegetables. Good food, or delicious food, doesn’t have to be saturated in fat, salt or sugar to taste good. And I say these things as a reminder for myself, because I sometimes forget how good fruit and vegetables can be.
basil mango sorbet with dark chocolate and mint
Even the Dole employee cafeteria offered a healthy array of food choices. We had the opportunity to eat breakfast there our first morning. You could choose from whole wheat pancakes, to breakfast burritos with made-to-order omelets, homemade salsa, and avacado, or lox with cream cheese, bran muffins or fresh fruit.
In the Dole test kitchen we had the opportunity to try out new products and old favorites. For me, you can’t go wrong with frozen banana soft serve. Oh the miracles of the internet for bringing this amazing concoction into our lives.
We tried the salad kits which were filled with things like dried cherries, blue cheese and nuts. Not to mention the Real Fruit Bites. I really enjoyed these a lot (maybe too much!). I liked that you could taste the oatmeal in them. Apple was my favorite, and pineapple takes second. Josh really liked these too and I was sad to find out he raided my goodie bag and ate most of my packets.
Next was a new product that I haven’t seen yet…
Dole Shakers. Basically they are frozen fruit and yogurt, similar to dippin’ dots. You add fruit juice to them and shake for an on-the-go smoothie. I really liked the taste of these and enjoyed the thick texture. Some of the other bloggers noted that they took on the flavor of whatever juice you use, I didn’t mind that though. I thought they were refreshing and could imagine using these in a pinch or while traveling. I also think they might be good with unsweetened vanilla almond milk to cut down the sugar.
What are you favorite healthy, yet delicious recipes?
Click Here to read Dole Health Summit: Part One
Muscle building and strength training is a great way for women to lose weight and tone up. Building muscle has many benefits. Building muscle will increase your metabolic rate and burn fat faster. Also, as women age, it is even more important to do an activity that is good for the bones and weight training is one such activity. So it’s important in incorporate both muscle and strength training into your exercise routine.
Women’s Weight Training Tips
1. Three times a week. Just like in any other kind of exercise, it must be done at least three times a week in order to make it more effective in delivering your desired results. Three times is the ideal number because more than three times would not allow proper time for your muscles and your body to recover and heal.
2. Weight-Cardio intervals. The key to an effective workout is having intervals. You can’t live on jogging or weight training alone. A successful workout should be comprised of both. Women require more effort in maintaining their physique or in burning fat as compared to men, and a proper workout consisting of both weight training and cardio is necessary. Cardio and weight training work hand in hand to burn fat, speed up the metabolism, and increase endurance and resistance.
3. Gradually increase amount of weight over time. Once your body gets used to a 5 pound weight it will not be as effective. The point of slowly increasing your weights is to challenge your body. The number of reps and sets can be easily adjusted to accommodate your capability to lift a certain weight level as well.
4. Stretch and cool down after weight training. In order to avoid cramping and to help your muscles relax after working so hard it’s important to stretch the whole body and have a proper cool down after weight training.
Studies have shown that lifting weights builds up your bones, increases your metabolism, reduces body fat, and improves balance. When you start a weight lifting program it is important to set goals, learn proper technique, be consistent, work all of your muscle groups and always be patient with yourself. Building muscle takes time usually 4 to 6 weeks before you start to notice any changes. Use these women’s weight training tips to help you get started on your journey today to become fit and healthy no matter what your age.