Make Sure Your Granola Bar is Healthy

Having more energy is important to me.  I am always interested in new “quick energy ” products that are being developed like supplements, beverages and bars. 

I really like bars:  granola, protein, breakfast, etc.  But I do not eat them because of the sugar content and the other ingredients that are added.  

For example, look at all the ingredients in the Nutra Grain Strawberry Soft Bar.  Have you ever heard of Niacinamide or Carrageenan??

Ever since I started looking at the ingredients in a snack bar I have a hard time eating one.  In addition to not knowing what I am eating my body is sensitive to a lot of sugar.  It knows when I eat something with a lot of sugar.  The expression “you are what you eat” rings true for me.  For example when I eat a bowl of sugar cereal (Very Berry Cheerios) I get a head rush and a slight buzz.  It only lasts for twenty minutes or so and then I feel sluggish. 

Because I am a real person I still eat a lot of sugar cereal because I like it.  This is a conscious decision on my part.  But sometimes I don't want the head rush or sluggishness on long days or important events so I choose to eat healthy.  

This is a recipe for healthy granola.  I have been making it for years.  I love it!  I do not add the brown sugar (sometimes I add honey instead) and there are only 7 ingredients!

The recipe is from Oxygen magazine from 2014. https://www.oxygenmag.com/nutrition/almond-oat-granola-bars

Yoga: 3 TimesThe Charm

The first time I went to a yoga class I did not like it.  The class was during my lunch hour at work and my instructor told me to forget about work and relax.  I did not want to.  I wanted to keep thinking about the meeting I just came from and making a priority list for the afternoon.

The second class, a week later was the same.  I was not able to stop thinking about work.

By the third class I tried really hard to focus on yoga.  It worked.  Work was still on my mind but I started to focus more on the poses I was learning.  Over time, and by listening to my instructor I was able to stop thinking about work at all during my class.  After about 6 weeks I started looking forward to going to yoga during my lunch hour to give myself a mental break from work.

I also started attending a yoga class given by Indira at my church.  She was a doctor in India who really understood the body.  When I first went to her class I didn't like it.  She was older and moved  slow.  I didn't feel like I was getting a good workout.  However, after a couple of classes I realized she would observe her students to determine what poses we would do during the class.  For example, she could tell when I had a lot of tension and tightness in my shoulders and she would include shoulder and neck poses in class.  I started to look forward to going to class to remove tightness and tension.

I also took a couple of classes at the community center.  The instructor was from Jamaica and had a really cool accent.  She was strong and powerful.  I didn't like her class at first because it was so hard.  I was sore for days after her class because she included so many strength training poses.  However, as I got stronger and better at the poses I started to enjoy her class.

Currently I am taking yoga classes at a studio.  The instructor is experienced and changes the poses for every class and is always focused on improvement.  She pushes me which I don't like but guess what?  I noticed that I am now able to do several poses I was never able to do like Crow and Half Moon.

Health Magazine (May, 2018, page 90) indicates that "Participating in a yoga practice increases circulation and oxygenation, flushes organs and glands, strengthens and stretches the entire body.

The health impacts are great, but I also go to yoga class because I feel energized and relaxed after class.

If you decide to try yoga, go to the class at least three times before you decide if you like it (you may not like it the first two times).

What is your favorite yoga class?

Sports Drinks Will Help Satisfy Sugar and Salt Cravings After Exercise

It seems like the more I exercise the more I eat.  And I eat a lot! 

I usually run in the morning.  Right after I run I am not that hungry.  However, as the day goes on I eat a lot.  And when I start eating I can’t stop.  I eat my normal breakfast, lunch and dinner but I also can’t stop eating sweets and salty food.  I eat bowls of Very Berry Cheerios to satisfy my sweet tooth and I also eat many, many Tostitos that taste so good because they are salty.  

It is known that electrolytes and carbohydrates must be replenished after a run.  So no wonder I crave these snacks.  

Friends drink Gatorade during and after a long run so I decided to investigate.  

Sports drinks are designed to provide carbohydrates (sugar) for energy plus minerals to replace lost electrolytes (salt-sodium, potassium) in your sweat.  Sports drinks like Gatorade, Powerade, and All Sport are will rapidly replace fluids and increase the sugar (glucose) circulating in your blood. 

Recently I tried drinking Gatorade after a long run to see if it would satisfy my salt and sugar cravings.  It did!  Plus it tasted good and the cold liquid was satisfying.  

However, I was concerned about drinking something with added sugar.  Typically I do not drink soft drinks, fruit juice or any other drink that contains sugar.  I was curious about the difference in sugar and salt in the Gatorade as compared to Cheerios and Tostitos.   See chart below (values are from labels).

	Lemon-Lime Gatorade	Very Cherry Cheerios	Tostitos
Sodum (mg)	160	135	115
Potassium (mg)	45	110	42
Total Carbohydrates (g)	22	22	19
Sugar (g)	21	9	0
Calories	80	150	140
Serving Size	12 fl oz	3/4 cup	7 chips

I was surprised:

Cheerios have more sodium than Tositios but they do not taste salty
Cheerios did not have as much sugar as I thought because they are so sweet
Gatorade has the least calories although the sugar was the highest

I checked my text book* and found out that 22 grams of carbohydrates is reasonable.  On page 114 the book indicated that a person who exercises should have 5 to 6 g carbohydrates / kg of body weight.  So for example a 240 lb man would require 654 grams carbohydrates per day and a 135 lb women would require 366 grams carbohydrates.

Based on the table above it looks like my fear of sugar in Gatorade is unfounded.  I have started to drink Gatorade after exercising and I am enjoying it!  Also, I have not been getting salt and sugar cravings like I used to.

*Coburn, Jared W., Malek, Moh H., ed. NSCA’s Essentials of Personal Training. 2nd ed. Human Kinetics, 2004.

Being Healthy is a Lifestyle

I live a healthy lifestyle because I am happier.  I feel better physically, emotionally and mentally.  I am in a better mood, I can think faster, am sharper at work and my muscles feel better when they are stretched out.  

There are lots of other reason to live a healthy life style: longer life, better body image, better skin tone, etc.  And there are lots of reasons people do not: time commitment, don’t believe in the advantages, can’t exercise due to an injury or illness, etc.

There are several things I have done to incorporate a healthy lifestyle: 

• Pack my own snacks when I take a road trip, keep healthy snacks at work, pack healthy lunch for work
• Consider walking routes when moving to a new neighborhood
• Go to bed early in order to get up early in the morning to exercise
• Check out running locations when first arriving at vacation location
• Limit alcohol intake so that I can exercise in the morning
• Enjoy gong to health food stores to find the latest fad (protein pasta, frozen endgame beans, etc.)
• Stop roller blading because it bothers my knees
• Use a step counter and walk the halls at work to track the number of steps
• Would rather go for a walk after work than go out to eat
• Eat before going to a party.
• Limit the amount of junk food, snacks and deserts

What do you do for a healthy lifestyle?

Hello my name is Deb I am healthy but real

I am healthy and fit but am constantly looking for ways to improve.  I would like to be fitter, stronger and more confident.  I hope this blog will provide inspiration for myself and others who are interested in a healthy lifestyle.   

I am not a health and fitness fantatic.  I am a real person who enjoys cookies, tostitos and other junk food.  I believe in balance.  If I am healthy most of the time, it is okay to have a bowl of tostitos or a couple of beers.

 I would like to develop a like-minded community who is interested in improving health but in a real way. 

Please provide comments and questions.