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.

Do you believe eggs will increase your cholesterol and therefore increase your risk of heart disease?? Many people (1/4 of Americans per the Egg Nutrition Center survey) with high cholesterol cut eggs out of their diet. It has only been in the last few years that research has been done on the link between eggs and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Note, CVD is still the leading cause of death in the United States.

Yes…it’s true, eggs do contain a concentrated source of cholesterol (164-215 mg per egg depending on the size). However, the relationship between dietary cholesterol (in food) and serum cholesterol (in your blood) varies significantly depending on each individual and intake of dietary fiber, saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, obesity, insulin resistance, and genetics. The overall effects of dietary cholesterol (for example the cholesterol found in an egg or shrimp) is small in comparison to the LDL(bad cholesterol)-raising effects of saturated fat in foods.

Note: Picture taken at breakfast @ Le Pain Quotidien. (Egg salad sandwich open face…Delicious!!)

I was grabbing lunch the other day at Mrs. Winston’s Green Grocery (my favorite salad bar…so many healthy options!) and came across “Spartos: The first all natural protein water.” The business development manager of Spartan beverages (Joseph) was sampling the product, so of course I wanted to try it! I know there are a lot of different protein powders and shakes out there already. However, Spartos is one of the few that is ALL NATURAL with no artificial colors or flavors added.

Note: photo credit to Steve @ Drink What.

Protein is a macronutrient that plays a central role in biological processes needed by the body (brain, heart, muscle, skin and blood health rely on protein) and form the basis of living tissues. Proteins consist of long chains of amino acids. Each person has different protein needs. Height, weight, activity level (i.e. a person who participates in regular exercise vs. plays on an athletic team vs. completes in ultra endurance / extreme sports) and immune function (i.e. healthy vs. acutely sick vs. chronically sick with a disease) are all contributing factors to your daily estimated protein needs.

There are so many “high protein, sports, energy and granola bars” out there, it’s hard to choose! Many of you may find yourself wondering, “Which ones are actually healthy and how can you identify a well balanced bar versus a high calorie and sugar laden bar?”

**Note: Photo credit from 18 Rabbits Facebook Page and website.

I spend 5-10 minutes in the “granola/protein/energy bar” section looking at the ingredients list and nutrition facts label of the bars, comparing them and analyzing the new ones out on the market. Yes, I agree, it definitely takes time! But, it is always best to READ the nutrition facts thoroughly instead of believing the marketing on the front of the product. For example, a product that says, “provides a good source of fiber to help reduce cholesterol” may also be loaded with sodium or sugar. Therefore, it’s important to look at all of the facts on the label (not just the calories and protein) to make sure it is balanced.

Are you a chocolate lover? But, do you avoid it because of the fear of excess calories and gaining weight? Well, I have something new for you to try that will satisfy your chocolaty craving but with a healthy twist! “Indulge your health with Mayesa!” It is an all natural organic cacao and hemp protein drink! I was at Whole Foods last night getting some soup for dinner and came across this remarkable beverage.

I love to try new things and then inform my clients or followers about it—the taste, the nutrition content, if it’s worth the cost, etc. This beverage is dairy free, soy free and gluten free, which also sparked my interest because Celiac disease is becoming more common everyday, along with lactose intolerance – and we all know that too much of anything (including soy) cannot be good for you!

You may have heard about pomegranates referred to as a “superfruit” and “high in antioxidants”…so now you know it’s good for you, but you’re not exactly sure why or what these words mean, right? Well, I’m here to tell you!! This sweet, tart fruit is delicious and consists of an amazing variety of antioxidants (prevents oxidation), known as polyphenols. Oxidation contributes to the natural aging process as well as diseases and inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, diabetes and cancer. Polyphenols help fight against “free radicals” in your body, which can cause damage to cells and lead to cardiovascular disease and contribute to many cancers. Pomegranates contain ~60% more polyphenols than purple grape juice, black tea or red wine.

Last weekend I was up at Madera Ranch, which is located directly in the center of California. It was beautiful and the climate is perfect for growing pomegranates! They flourish in this dry heat. I was able to get my hands on a jug of fresh squeezed pomegranate juice with NO sugar and NOTHING else added from El Peco Ranch, which stands for The Pope Estate Company. It was unbelievably good and partially frozen, which was extremely refreshing as temperatures were bordering triple digits.