As a certified yoga instructor, Joey Soto is often asked about meditation. Her yoga students ask what it is, why they should do it, and how they can get started. “Yoga” in traditional Hinduism involves inner contemplation, a system of meditation practice and ethics. Yoga is so much more than performing the physical postures we are taught in yoga classes. The true purpose of practicing yoga is to achieve a state of meditation and a deeper self-awareness. Meditation can help you become mindful of your exercise and nutrition habits, as well!

What is meditation?

Meditation is stilling the fluctuations of the mind through pointed focus. Think of moments when you find yourself in a clear and relaxed state of mind where the external chatter seems to quiet. Perhaps it’s when you exercise (run, walk, bike), soak in a bath, listen to music, or relax on the beach. This enjoyment is rooted in a state of meditation. Through meditation, our mind moves from the actively thinking state (beta), to a slower more creative state (alpha), and then to a meditative state of relaxed attention and healing (theta).  Slowing the mind through meditation has numerous benefits!

Why we do it?

Research shows that we benefit from meditation in numerous ways:

February is American Heart Month! Heart disease still remains the leading cause of death among Americans. According to the American Heart Association, 1 person loses their life every 39 seconds to heart disease, and women are at a higher risk. What you eat, along with lifestyle behavior modifications have a huge impact on your heart health. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are working together to prevent one million heart attacks or stokes by 2016 with their “Million Hearts Campaign.”

Four foods you should avoid or limit for a healthy heart are:

1. Trans fats
2. Saturated fats
3. Salt
4. Sugar

The availability and increased consumption of these foods has lead to increasing trends in high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart related conditions, obesity and Type II diabetes. Make 2012 the best year yet by avoiding these foods and increasing your cardiovascular exercise!

Happy New Year! Are nutrition and fitness part of your New Years Resolutions?” I hope everyone is getting off to a fresh, healthy start in 2012! Many people make New Years Resolutions to eat healthier and exercise more. “Changing your eating habits” and “joining a gym” are oftentimes in the top 5 goals in the New Year for most people. However, just saying you want to “cut out fried foods” and “add at least 30 minutes of exercise per day,” doesn’t actually mean you’re going to do it. It is a huge leap from the “saying” to “doing,” because you have to make the commitment to yourself first. Then, you need to implement the behavior modification second and follow through with it lastly.

Note: The picture above is the Mediterranean plate with hummus, babaganoush, and quinoa taboule from the cafe, Le Pain Quotidien. I love this cafe- everything on the menu is healthy and delicious! They are all over Los Angeles. Check the location nearest you! 

I was recently with my family for the Christmas holiday in Lake Tahoe. When I got off the airplane, we stopped at a Starbucks…(of course because I had been up since 4:30am to catch my flight Christmas eve morning). However, there was a store called “Complete Nutrition” right next door to Starbucks. Anything with the name “nutrition” in it draws my attention! So, of course I stepped into this “compete nutrition” store instead to browse around and see what products they had.

It was great! There were many different supplements and sports enhancement (pre and post workout) vitamins and shakes. One of the employees walked over and gave me a taste of the “Vanilla bean SMART Smoothie” and I was hooked! It wasn’t too chalky or too sweet. Smooth and only mixed with cold filtered water.

I always make S.M.A.R.T goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and can be achieved in the appropriate time frame) with my clients when starting a nutrition or fitness plan. If the goals are not “SMART” then they are oftentimes not achieved. We all need accountability, so setting goals with this criteria makes it more likely that you will succeed and follow through with them as planned. However, the S>M>A>R>T smoothie stands for a little something different.

Whether you are an athlete, or you enjoy exercising for fun or are the “average Joe,” the majority of us would like to gain more lean muscle or decrease the fat mass in our bodies and replace it with lean body mass. Muscle is more metabolically active and therefore it burns many more calories than fat.

When you’re following a strength training program, it’s important to eat enough total calories (not just protein). Everyone seems to put a huge emphasis on only protein, instead of having a balanced approach to overall diet. Protein is an important macronutrient that is essential to meet your daily energy requirements (aside from your training requirements). However, lean muscle gain (strengthening and toning) really depends on your total calorie intake (total quantity of food and beverage) for the day, as well as quality (the type of foods you’re eating). If you do not get enough total calories, your body will break down it’s own muscle mass for energy, therefore cancelling out all of the hard work you did to put on lean muscle at the gym or at your most recent practice, game, or competition.