Month: September 2015

Categories
Lifestyle

Grocery Store Actually Takes Mom's Suggestion To Heart

Typically, complaints to any restaurant or business are met with a polite apology and not much else. One grocery store in Ireland went the extra mile, though. 

Gina Grant, a mother from County Donegal, was having a difficult time shopping for groceries. Her son Francis has Mitochondrial Disease and is totally reliant on her. Grant only had two options while shopping: Try to push a wheelchair and a cart simultaneously or put Francis in the cart with the groceries. Neither situation was ideal. 

“Ordinarily I have to put my son in the back of the trolley along with the food, which he finds incredibly stressful,” Grant told the Irish Mirror. 

After one especially trying trip to Dunnes Stores, Grant petitioned store management for an accommodation. She wanted a cart that would make shopping with Francis less stressful. To her surprise, Dunnes exceeded her expectations.

Grant showed up to the store one day, anticipating another difficult trip when the staff told her Francis’ cart was ready. 

“They brought it over and it had a special padded seat, head support, safety harnesses, the works! If I had of won the lottery, I couldn’t have been happier. It was amazing, I haven’t stopped smiling since. It was a wonderful thing to do,” Grant told the Irish Mirror.

Grant said it was a “pleasure” to shop for once and that “such a small thing” can make an incredible difference. She won’t be the only one to benefit either. The cart, which is the first of its kind in the Donegal, will be available for anyone who needs it. Additionally, Dunnes plans to make 155 specialized carts available in stores across the country. 

The happy mother commended the store. 

“I am over the moon that Dunnes have decided to do this,” she said. “I know how much a difference this little thing has had in my life. So to think that me pushing Dunnes to get me a trolley for my son will bring normality to other parents in the same situation, it makes me very chuffed.”

Categories
Sweat

The Great Sun Debate

Everyone knows that Vitamin D comes from the sun, yet we’re all told not to be in the sun for prolonged periods of time. Vitamin D deficiency has risen over the past 10 years in all ages. So how on earth (literally) are we supposed to get enough Vitamin D without having a little fun in the sun? What really happens when we’re deficient in vitamin D?
For nearly five decades following its discovery, scientists believed vitamin D was primarily involved in regulating calcium absorption and maintaining good bone health. Within the last 40 years, however, researchers have learned that vitamin D is more like a hormone than a vitamin.  Scientists have been exploring the role of vitamin D in electrolyte metabolism, protein synthesis, immunity, and nerve and muscle functions.
Did you know that over 75 percent of Americans may be insufficient in Vitamin D?  In older individuals, vitamin D insufficiency has been linked to muscular weakness, poor balance, delayed reaction time, and a higher risk for falls and fractures. Low vitamin D levels can have a negative effect on young people and athletes too.
According to Dana Storlie-Ogan, a nutritionist at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington, athletes who do not get enough vitamin D might find their performance lagging.  They may require longer recovery times, and they could be more prone to stress fractures and muscle injuries. Indoor Athletes are especially likely to develop vitamin D insufficiency.
I can remember living in Boston, feeling fatigued, my mind was foggy, and by the afternoon and I was totally useless.  This from the woman who walked several miles a day around the city, in the sun, to and from clients.  Imagine my surprise when my doctor told me I was deficient in vitamin D. Here I thought I was a little run down.  After just three days of adding a vitamin D supplement to my morning regimen, I was amazed at how much better I felt. I was full of energy, able to think clearly and take on the day.
The only way to know for sure if you’re vitamin D deficient is via blood testing. However, there are some signs and symptoms to be aware of as well. If any of the following apply to you, be sure get your vitamin D levels tested with your doctor.
You’re feeling fatigued or depressed:  Serotonin, the brain hormone associated with mood elevation, rises with exposure to bright light and falls with decreased sun exposure.  Think of the recent new “seasonal disorder” which is prone to those living in areas with long, grey-dreary seasons.
You’re overweight:  Vitamin D is a fat-soluble, hormone-like vitamin, which means body fat acts as a sink by collecting it. If you’re overweight or obese, you’re likely to need more vitamin D than a slimmer person.
Sweaty head:  A classic sign of vitamin D deficiency is a sweaty head. In fact, physicians used to ask new mothers about head sweating in their newborns for this very reason. Excessive sweating in newborns due to neuromuscular irritability is still described as a common, early symptom of vitamin D deficiency.
Intestinal troubles:  If you have a gastrointestinal condition that affects your ability to absorb fat, you may have lower absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin D as well. This can include stomach conditions like Crohn’s, celiac and non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and inflammatory bowel disease.
So what does this all mean? The average person needs between 3,000 to 5,000 IU of vitamin D every day. Physically active people require more vitamin D to achieve top performance in their sport.  Being out in the sun can help improve vitamin D levels however, it is important to be sure your levels are up to par with what your doctor says it right for you.

Categories
Lifestyle

Homeless Shelter Residents in Atlanta Grow Food and Harvest Hope

In 2009, a Georgia-based homeless shelter started an initiative that has changed hundreds of lives. Metro Atlanta Task Force began constructing and cultivating a rooftop garden to cut costs on food and to introduce valuable life skills to their residents. The beauty behind their program is that the residents themselves were helping harvest delicious natural foods, while learning the fundamentals of gardening. Many of the residents were once in living situations like you and me, but a negative turn of events left them jobless and consequently homeless with not a lot to take pride in, and that’s how this brilliant idea came to fruition. 

Metro Atlanta Task Force has a troubled reputation with local politicians threatening expulsion and gentrification. However, when you take a peek on top of their building it’s a gardener’s paradise. It’s not “just a fad,” but has become a way of life for these residents. 

The project began in 2006 and now consists of more than 80 raised garden beds. Task Force began developing the concept of a rooftop garden from the architectural aspect to how they would certify their residents who ultimately would put in the time and hours. In 2009, they received a very small grant from Emory University which took their dreams and shaped them into a reality. During the building process, Metro Atlantic Task Force received multiple awards from the city due to their space utilization and the quality of their vegetation. These colorful beds house tomatoes, carrots, watermelon, collard greens, and more. 

When they finally opened their roof up in 2009 the residents were overjoyed. They were able to yield crops that appear on their plates every single day, plus the certification from their labors help them become hired at local greeneries propelling them towards a place of their own, once again. The first harvest yielded fifty-five pounds of veggies. Over the year’s they’ve gotten a surge of bees, which has assisted them in creating their own beehives for honey. As their success has spread there has been the talk of expansion to their neighboring building. Blueprints are being drawn up and the directors are thrilled at the impending opportunity. Not only will they have an even larger expansive of vegetation but this means that there’s a new certification project for the residents as well (Vice).

Anita Beaty, executive director of the Metro Atlanta Task Force, shared with Vice their success: “Everything we do is a learning experience and job training for our residents. Part of the conventional way homelessness has been addressed has been to emphasize fixing people instead of the conditions that cause poverty. Homeless people are assumed to be full of deficits. But homelessness is not a blood type; it is the experience of extreme poverty and the experience of people who are chronically excluded from housing. For the garden expansion, like all of our programs, we will use and certify resident labor. Through this, residents get the experience necessary for employment, as well as certification and practical experience.” 

More than 400 men, women, and children reside in the shelter and have all helped in the development of the garden in one way or another. Not only are they learning practical lessons, like how to properly fertilize a plant, but they are also building confidence. Homelessness is something that’s filled with shame and sadness, but here they are able to rediscover who they are and avoid being identified by what they are lacking in – a home. Gardening is a magnificent form of self-healing and therapy. 

Resident gardener, Romeon Mack, describes gardening like this: “Life can get you down. Nobody wants to be homeless. Being up here, away from everything, really helps you reflect on what you did before in life…this is our real world…at least till we get out. It’s not just the food, man… Dealing with plants is like dealing with people. You have to have other means than fighting. Plants and people both piss you off…[but] you can’t just rip it up or knock it down. Same way you can’t just hit somebody…You learn stuff up here…and you leave a better person. [Gardening], it’s a process. It’s life. It’s just like life” (Vice).

Preparing the residents for a better future is achieved in more ways than one. Although urban rooftop gardens are hip and seem to be something the more sophisticated take time to do, in this situation it’s a very real means for attaining a new lifestyle. They’re able to find themselves again and see themselves in a new and glowing light. Although homelessness and crime riddle this area of Georgia, current residents and employees are hopeful that there will gradually be a shift towards more positive outcomes. They hope the local government will realize the predicament low-income families are placed in and make moves to provide more realistic funding and opportunities for this sector of the city. Take time to read more about this great initiative and think of how you could implement something like this near you. (Real Farmacy).

Categories
Sweat

The Triple Threat: Three Reasons for Obesity and How to Overcome Them

The obesity problem in America is not going away anytime soon. A recent report published in a 2015 issue of the “JAMA Internal Medicine” found for the first time that more Americans are obese than are overweight. That’s something to be concerned about.
I don’t know about you, but I think about obesity and weight loss a lot.
Not only do I write and speak on the subjects, I am also the primary person responsible for feeding my family healthy food. Like many of you, I have a vested interest in the topic and want my family to be as healthy as possible.
There are currently over 111,000 books on Amazon dealing with weight loss and 15,000 diet cookbooks. In addition to all the books written, there are thousands of research studies on the topic of obesity and weight. Because of this, you might assume that the reasons for obesity number in the thousands.
To the contrary, I believe there are three primary reasons for the obesity crisis. Of course each of the reasons is multi-layered, but these three lie at the core of the problem.
Fix them and the crisis will begin to fix itself.

1) Convenience Food

The increase in the consumption of convenience foods is one of the primary reasons for the obesity crisis. These foods include a variety of foods including:
Fast food
Boxed processed foods
Quick serve restaurant meals
Prepackaged frozen and refrigerated dinners
Snacks such as chips and pretzels
Candy
Frozen desserts
I was hooked on convenience foods. Not only did I like the way they tasted, I loved how easy they were to purchase and eat. I did not have to cut anything up, measure ingredients, or even set the table. I ate a lot of convenience food and I was rewarded with an extreme weight problem.
Convenience foods take away your choice of ingredients and calories. You can make chicken parmesan that contains fresh tomatoes and herbs, a small amount of cheese, boneless skinless chicken breasts, and homemade breading or you can purchase a boxed chicken parmesan meal that has over 15 ingredients, many of which you cannot pronounce.

2) Sedentary Lifestyle

Americans are a sedentary bunch, according to a Gallup poll. Only about 50 percent of Americans indicate they exercise at least three times a week for a mere 30 minutes.
Our increasing reliance and love of all things electronic definitely contributes to the lack of exercise and overall movement among Americans. And logic dictates the less you move during the day, the fewer calories you burn.
For example, the National Institutes of Health indicates a woman between the ages of 19 and 30 requires 1,800 calories if she is sedentary. A sedentary man the same age requires about 2,400 calories. The more active you are, the more calories you can have without gaining weight.
Think about it. If a woman eats a 350 calorie bagel with cream cheese for breakfast, a 500 calorie salad for lunch, two 300 calorie snacks, an 800 calorie dinner, and a 200 calorie bowl of ice cream during the day, she will have consumed 2,400 calories. If she does no exercise, she is eating about 600 calories a day more than she needs.
Over time, this excess calorie consumption combined with no exercise will cause weight gain. The solution to this problem is simple. Move more and eat within your calorie range to lose weight and then maintain it.
I exercise six days a week in some fashion. I swim, walk, or ride my bike. Mix up your exercise routine to avoid boredom and to challenge yourself physically.

3) Portion Sizes

The third reason for obesity is simply that we eat too much. Our portion sizes are off the charts.
Who needs a 2,400 calorie prime rib dinner like the one that Outback sells? Not me and probably not you either.
Portion sizes have increased during the past 40 years and so have American’s waistlines. When McDonald’s first opened they offered one size of fries. Now there are four sizes, including a large option with 510 calories.
Even the average plate and mug size has increased throughout the years, which contributes to the amount of food and drink you eat. Everything seems to have gotten bigger.
The fix is easy on the surface but harder to execute. It takes practice to know how many calories are in a pile of pasta or a burger. I recommend you weigh and measure your foods until you have a good grasp on how much you should be eating. Be particularly careful in restaurants and err on the side of caution when deciding how much of your entrée to finish and how much to take home.

Categories
Sweat

The Case of the Shrinking Muscles

No matter how often you work out and how well you eat your muscles just aren’t becoming pronounced. In fact, they almost seem to be…shrinking. How is that even possible? You quickly go over your head and okay, maybe you shouldn’t have eaten that extra slice of pizza and maybe going out for beers two nights in a row wasn’t ideal, but it could be way worse. However, shrinking muscles is actually more than just a vanity problem. Deteriorating muscles interfere with your daily activities, such as walking, running, or even picking your kids up. This horrifying reality is called sarcopenia and it causes muscle mass to slowly decrease with age. It can be as much as 1% each year after you hit 40.
There are certain things you do (or don’t) that will accelerate the process. But not to worry, there is hope! Here are five activities that are enhancing the wear and tear on your muscles and what you can do to avoid them.
Eating Right
Typically, morning foods are high in sugars and carbs, but these sugary bread stuffed items are really doing nothing for your mind and body. If anything, it’s giving you a quick energy boost that quickly plateaus leaving you sluggish and hungry. The main building block for muscles is protein, yet we usually leave that till the end of our day. Protein helps our muscles rebuild and if we’re eating protein at the end of the day then there’s really not a whole lot of time for it to take effect and work. Instead of pastries and cereal why not grab a cup of yogurt or make some fluffy scrambled eggs? Not only will you have more energy but your physique will start perking up as well.
However, don’t forget your veggies! Just because I said to increase your protein supply doesn’t mean that you need to go on a meat binge. If you do that then your body has a tendency to increase its acid production, which eats away at muscle as well. To even out your protein intake make sure that your fruits and veggies outweigh your meats and grains.
Lastly, and this is usually the hardest, cut back on the booze AFTER a workout. I know, it’s so relaxing and is a must after your marathon run. However, once booze hits our bloodstream it halts the production of new muscle. So, instead of heading for that free brew, try and stave off that urge for at least an hour. Then at least you’ll be able to reap some of the muscle repairing benefits.
Sleep Deprived
When your body finally powers off for the night it’s almost working harder than it does during your wakeful period. The majority of your recovery from a workout, or just regular wear and tear, occurs once you’ve entered your REM cycle. When you’re in various stages different hormones are released that promote muscle regrowth. Scientists just released that the appropriate amount of sleep for adults is a minimum of seven hours a night. So do your body a service and shut off your smart phone, close your book, and let your body do a mini workout of its own.
Work It
Lastly, the main way to build muscle is through weight training. If you don’t engage in some type of strength training to build muscle then there’s absolutely no way that you will ever get close to achieving the results you’re wanting. However, just because you’ve started lifting weights day in and day out doesn’t mean that you’re going to achieve the appropriate amount of muscle either…I know, there always seems to be a caveat! If you do the same weight workouts every day your body will plateau or it can take a turn for the worse and begin to regress, and that’s exactly what you’re trying to fight against.
Instead, you should begin doing a light weight for your first few strength training sessions. In doing this, you’re getting your body used to the motions that way you can utilize correct form and not injure yourself in the future. Once you feel comfortable amp up your weight and begin doing repetitions that reach up to 15x per set. Once this begins to feel less challenging that means you either need to bump up your repetitions, or, more than likely, increase the amount of weight. Also, it’s crucial that you’re engaging every part of your body. One day you could try strength training for your hips, while the next day it could specifically be for your calves.
It’s incredibly disturbing when you realize that your muscle is being replaced by skin and fat, but that’s why it’s important to be treating your body the right way. Also, make sure to check in with a physician because sometimes they can prescribe medication that assists in muscle regrowth as well. Whatever the case, don’t lose hope as there’s usually a solution if you just put in a little extra effort (Prevention)!

Categories
Sweat

Why Supermodels Swear by Pilates

Have you ever heard the stories behind how supermodels undergo rigorous diet and fitness regimens to sculpt their bodies before a big shoot or show? Wow, what a regimen they go through.
First, to maintain those long and lean figures, supermodels actually make it a point to avoid certain workouts that aim to build bulk. A popular workout method that hit mainstream a few years back is the Pilates method. Rumor has it that Pilates is the secret to maintaining a lean-toned model figure and a supermodel staple in their work outs.
Hannah Ferguson, a Sports Illustrated model who is a regular Pilates devotee, says she loves her Pilates workouts because they tighten and tone her muscles. “This helps when modeling swimwear and lingerie, to keep my body parts where they are supposed to be.”
Victoria’s Secret model Lily Aldridge trains with Pilates to sculpt her body from head to toe. “It really changes the way my body feels,” she says. “And after I finish, it’s like I’ve had a massage.” In addition to making you feel incredible in and out of your clothes, Pilates truly can change your body.
If you haven’t tried or heard of Pilates, you are in for a treat! The originator, Joseph Pilates, described the guarantee benefits of his method: “In ten sessions you will feel a difference, in twenty session you will see a difference, and in thirty session you will have a new body.” Now that’s a guarantee you are sure to love!
Victoria’s Secret model Candice Swanepoel believes that every year she grows more into her body, her career, health, mind and inner spirit. She feels the responsibility as a woman to stay lean and in shape and admits, “It isn’t easy.”Swanepoel’s workout regimen includes Pilates, toning, yoga, cardio, and boxing; she loves to change things up. Swanepoel has said, “The most fun part is treating it like a project and seeing how far I can push myself in that time, seeing my body change and get stronger. The best part about training for a show is the amount of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears you put into something you always dreamed of doing.”
Supermodels are always singing the praise of the total body workout that the Pilates Method provides. Many combine Barre work, resistance bands, and yoga with their Pilates workouts for an added bonus.
Are you for the supermodel workout challenge? Their workout schedules are strict, with daily workouts that can be up to two hours, five to six days per week. Hmmm, we may have to schedule some vacation time from work! Then they combine their workouts with clean eating, plenty of hydration, and a good night’s sleep. I guess that means no more wine Wednesday or Taco Tuesday for us!
Wondering how often we should train to receive the Pilates guarantee of a new Pilates body in 30 sessions? Well, they say Pilates workouts should be scheduled two to three times per week. Ok, that is doable for us. If you really want to go full speed Pilates, you can take a class daily, mixing and matching Pilates mat and group equipment classes. I love the idea of mixing Pilates mat and equipment classes for a variety every day.
I think we are ready to train like a supermodel! Now all we have to do is check out a local Pilates studio or gym for their Pilates class schedule. Ready, set—it’s time for our Pilates body makeover!

Categories
Wellbeing

Could It Be True? Playing Tetris To Lose Weight?

Tetris has been around since 1984, when Alexey Pajitnov, a Russian artificial intelligence researcher, invented it. Long popular among video game enthusiasts, Tetris is now being studied by researchers as a tool for reducing addictive behaviors. Who would have thought that playing Tetris could help you break the craving cycle and possibly lose weight?
A recent study from researchers at Plymouth University and Queensland University of Technology in Australia, was published in the journal Addictive Behaviors. The researchers discovered that playing this slightly addictive game on a smartphone for short amounts of time throughout the day lessened cravings in the participants.
Who knew?
Let’s take a look at why this might be, what the research showed, and whether you should add Tetris to your weight loss toolbox.
The researchers set out to study whether playing Tetris would impact participant’s cravings. One thing that sets this study apart is the researchers didn’t just put people in a laboratory and ask them to play the game. Instead, they studied them in real life and in different situations.
Turns out that playing the game for just 3 minutes each session reduced the participant’s cravings for food, some activities, and drugs by about 20 percent according to the researchers. One important factor to consider is cravings were only reported about 30 percent of the time.

Why did it work?

When I first heard about the study, my initial question was “I wonder why playing the game reduced cravings? The researchers theorized that because Tetris is a visually interesting game that fully occupies your mental processes, you forget about your cravings while playing the game. And that forgetfulness extends for a time even after you finish playing.
It makes perfect sense.
Even before the popularity of video games, weight loss experts have recommended staying mentally occupied as a way to combat food cravings. The technique certainly worked for me. I learned to knit, created scrapbooks, and played board games with the family in an attempt to take my mind off food and not give in to cravings.
Those distractions were highly effective in helping me focus on something other than food. And when my mind was occupied, I wasn’t eating junk.

Does it have to be Tetris?

The researchers did not specify whether it was only Tetris that would work for cravings. Because of my own experience, I suspect that any stimulating video game would work as well.

Make Tetris work for you.

  • Obviously the first thing you need to do is get the game. It is available on the iTunes and Google Play stores for less than a dollar. You can also play the game on your computer if you do not have a smartphone.
  • Set a series of alarms on your phone to remind yourself to play several times a day. Pick times when you find yourself reaching for food, such as mid-morning, right after lunch, before dinner, and late in the evening.
  • Commit to playing for a short burst of 3 to 5 minutes to avoid spending too much time on the game.
  • Monitor your cravings to see if they diminish after you finish your game session.
  • Record your weekly weight loss and compare it to weeks when you were not playing Tetris.

Playing Tetris is an inexpensive tool that is worth trying. You may find you see a decrease in cravings that can help you control your food intake. While playing the game won’t automatically cause you to drop 50 pounds, controlling your cravings can help you control your calorie intake, which does help with weight loss.

Categories
Nosh

Breaking Down The 8 Glasses of Water Per Day Rule

Ask any attractive celebrity or model what her secret beauty tip is, and I guarantee you, she will say water. With over half of the human body being water, it’s no wonder that we need it to stay healthy. The human body needs enough water to digest food, allow cells to grow and survive, flush the body of waste, lubricate joints, deliver oxygen throughout the body, aid cognitive function, regulate body temperature, and manufacture hormones. (Phew!) Without it, we wind up dehydrated: our skin dries and is more prone to wrinkles and breakouts, we become lethargic and foggy, we are more likely to snack and have trouble shedding excess weight, and the list goes on.

Ok, fine, so we need water. But wait! How much do we need?

Interview a random sample of people on the street, and chances are, they will not even hesitate when they robotically rattle off, “8 glasses a day.” It seems simple enough, but is it true? Where did that rule come from? Does everyone need that much?

Normally, I would do a fun little “pros/cons” set-up and then draw conclusions, but truth be told, I couldn’t find a single shred of evidence supporting the 8×8 rule. No one seems to know where this health tip originated!

Still, water remains a crucial piece of the health puzzle; it helps us look, feel, and function our best. Here are some generally helpful facts about staying hydrated:

– As a population, we are not drinking very much water, only averaging about four cups per day. Nearly one-quarter of us do not drink any plain water at all throughout the day. Not one sip.

– Most individuals stay adequately hydrated by listening to their thirst signals. The *: As we get older, our thirst signals weaken, and may not be as reliable.

– Daily water needs vary by body size, activity level, overall health, diet, metabolism, and even where you live. The Institute of Medicine recommends about 13 cups for men and nine cups for women, though these are still very general guidelines.

Still confused? Here are some signs that you might not be getting enough water:

– Dark yellow or strong-smelling urine

– Dry mouth

– Fatigue

– Muscle cramps

– Dizziness

– Abdominal pain

– Lethargy

– Confusion

On the flip side, a growing percentage of individuals are actually consuming too much water, which can also be dangerous. This is especially common among athletes who are trying to stay hydrated during intense workouts. Though water replenishment is essential, individuals in these circumstances are also losing electrolytes, and only replacing the water can lead to a host of chemical imbalances in the body. Here are some signs that you may, in fact, be over-hydrated:

– Completely clear urine

– Swollen hands

– Nausea

– Dizziness

– Confusion

THE BOTTOM LINE: FIT OR FLOP?

FLOP! An over-generalized water recommendation for the entire human population is about as useful as that dress that suspiciously claims to be “one size fits all.”

No one is arguing that water is not important. Not only do we need it to survive, as mentioned above, but it can be a powerful health tool in less clinical ways, too. It is common to mistake thirst for hunger, so staying hydrated can ward off mindless munching; and focusing on drinking plenty of water can shift intake away from sweetened or alcoholic beverages, each with its own host of benefits.

In the end, eight glasses of water a day may not be a terrible place to start; but be sure to also listen to your thirst cues and use the super-scientific hydration test of observing the color of your urine. If you’re not thirsty and your urine is a pale lemonade, you’re on the right track. If you’re feeling thirsty or your urine is pretty dark, keep drinking.

Cheers!

Categories
Lifestyle

Little Sisters Make Origami To Raise Money For Wells All Over The World

Folding origami is pretty impressive, but what these sisters are doing takes it to another level. 

In 2011, Katherine Adams started folding origami with her father while her older sister when to school. Around the same time, the precocious 5 year old learned that people in other countries go thirsty every day and many girls can’t go to school because they’re hauling water all day.

She decided to do something about it. 

Katherine enlisted the help of her 8-year-old sister Isabelle and her parents. The girls, and a few other volunteers, hosted an origami sale at a Starbucks in Dallas. All of the proceeds went toward building a fresh-water well in Ethiopia. Katherine and Isabelle hoped to make $500, but they made much more. The origami ornaments sold out the first day, and two months later they had raised more than $10,000.

It was more than enough to cover the cost of a new well that benefitted a whole village. 

The venture was so successful that the sisters are now co-presidents of Paper For Water. The organization has hundreds of volunteers who fold and sell origami ornaments. With their help, Paper For Water has raised more than $650,000 during the last four years. The money has gone toward 70 new wells in various places in Africa, India, and even the United States.

The girls have made an amazing effort, but it’s a drop in the bucket considering what still needs to be done. Nearly 800 million people lack access to clean water and proper sanitation facilities could cost up to $20 billion, the girls’ father Dr. Ken Adams said. The girls are optimistic, though.

“If everyone in this world helps a little, it all adds up to a lot,” Isabelle told Good News Network. “Folding origami is an easy way for people of any age to help change the world.”

The family has visited two of the wells that have been built, one in India and the other on a Navajo reservation in New Mexico. In 2017, the family plans to go on a “world tour” of the wells that have been built. 

If you want to help, you can buy ornaments on their website. 

Categories
Sweat

Bulk-Free Resistance Training Secrets

Are you concerned that resistance training will bulk you up and you’ll end up looking like a man?  Do the stereotypes of over-sized women bodybuilders scare you out of muscle classes and lifting free-weights?  I am here to tell you, the fact is that it’s not true.  Resistance training and free weights will not turn you into a muscular bodybuilder overnight.  If it did, I assure you, every man you know would be hitting the gym ASAP!

The truth is that the muscular women, and the huge men you are seeing in the gym are often, shall we say, “enhanced”, and are not a good representation of the typical muscle growth patterns of most of us who use resistance training.  In fact, it’s important to add in some kind of weight resistance training in order to tone and shape your body for the results you desire.

Think about it. All of us Pilates and Yoga lovers out there are using resistance training every day – our own body weight.  Now consider your weight, which is literally what you are working with every time you hold a pose or plank. If you’re a Pilates equipment lover like me, you’re now adding spring resistance on top of your own body weight; that’s pretty darn good! It’s all about perception. How about caring that little bundle of joy around all day? How much does he/she weigh? Look at any new mom and check out her toned arms.

Still not convinced?  Well listen up.  Most women who spend the majority of their time only doing cardio actually end up burning muscle rather than building it. When our bodies are overworked with cardio, they literally digest themselves and begin to break down. Resistance training, on the other hand, strengthens our muscles and gives our bodies that toned, sculpted look we are striving for.

Adding resistance training, whether using traditional gym machines, Pilates equipment, Trx, or free weights, will force a change in your lean body mass, toning and sculpting your body, while decreasing your body fat composition. By adding lean muscle mass to our bodies this actually allows us to eat more, and still maintain our ideal body weight. Now there is a win-win.  Don’t get crazy though, it’s important to have a healthy diet combined with a consistent exercise regimen for true lasting results.

Resistance training is especially important as we age. Calling all premenopausal women out there: as we age, we lose bone density, and resilience in both tendons and joints.  This can increase our risk for osteoporosis.  The number one exercise prescribed by doctors out there for women who are looking to tone with weight resistance, safely, and effectively as we age – you guessed it – The Pilates Method.

The benefits of resistance training don’t just end with toning and sculpting;  it’s a great way to change up your usual workouts. The more resistance you train with, the more your heart starts pumping, improving overall heart health. If you’re looking to lose weight, resistance training helps to rev up your metabolism, burning more calories during your workouts. Did you know that after a traditional Pilates or Barre class you will continue to burn calories for the next twenty-four hours?

It’s time to rethink our workouts, mix things up, and enjoy the added health benefits.