Fit Forever with Kathy!

4 Ways Exercise Knocks Years Off Your Looks

by Kathy Smith

There’s no doubt about it… looking young is more desirable then ever. From beauty products to healthy diets, people have always wondered what they can do to defy aging. . I get asked all the time….can exercise keep you young?

Here’s the short answer…maintaining a regular exercise program is fountain of youth. Being physically active as you age makes your body function in the INSIDE more like a younger person’s. Regular exercise improves almost every system in our bodies from lengthening telomeres, to increasing endurance, reaction time and balance. And of course, it strengthens the heart and sharpens the mind.

Today, let’s take a deeper look at 4 ways that exercise helps keep you young.

1. MUSCLE

As we age, we all experience a scary little process I call “The Great Decline”: Every decade, we lose muscle mass, and as we age, the percentage of loss just keeps accelerating. By age 60, the average person will have lost one-third of his/her muscle mass. The good news: you can reverse it with strength training. There’s no age limit on our ability to add muscle and stop The Great Decline.

Muscle is more than the triceps, biceps, and abdominals that immediately come to mind. Muscle is about preventing disease. It is about coordination, balance, agility, and staying active. In short, muscle is about all those qualities we equate with youth such as endurance, energy, and relatively easy weight management.

2. BRAIN

The hippocampus is the area of our brain where memories are stored – and its also a major target for stress hormones. Chronic stress damages this area – and severe depression can even shrink it – and when you mess with the hippocampus, you start to impact memory and learning. So that forgotten anniversary or forgotten coffee cup may not just be a sign of absent-mindedness – it could be a sign that stress is affecting your brain on a cellular level.

So what are the best ways to battle those negative effects on our brains? Cardio. Regular aerobic exercise will make you smarter, faster, happier, and make your brain function like a younger persons. Plus, it’ll make you look years younger.

As a matter of fact, Edward Hallowell, a psychiatrist from Harvard, says that cardio is one of the best treatments for ADD and poor mental focus, as well as anxiety.

3. HEART

Cardiovascular exercise is a double-winner, because not only does it help your brain, but it is also literally “training your heart.” According to the Mayo Clinic, as little as 30 minutes of daily exercise can help reduce the risk of heart disease because when you are active, you can have more control over your weight. And as you know, extra pounds can increase one’s chances for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes, all of which contribute to the aging process.

And that’s not all: regular exercise lowers your blood pressure. Activities like walking increases and maintains a steady arterial pressure during the exercise, it’s an excellent way to keep your circulation (and the rest of your bood) in tip-top shape and help turn back the clock.

4. SKIN

Exercise not only appears to keep skin younger, it may also even reverse skin aging in people who start exercising late in life, according to surprising new research.

As many of us know from woeful experience, our skin changes as the years advance, resulting in wrinkles, crow’s feet and sagging. This occurs because of changes within our layers of skin. As time goes by, the layer of skin beneath the epidermis, the dermis, begins to thin. It loses cells and elasticity, giving the skin a more translucent and often saggier appearance.

These changes are independent of any skin damage from the sun. They are solely the result of the passage of time.

But, researchers found that after age 40, the men and women who exercised frequently had markedly thinner, healthier thicker dermis layers. And, their skin was much closer in composition to that of the 20- and 30-year-olds than to that of others of their age, even if they were past age 65.

Exercise absolutely makes you look healthy, fit and glowing with positive energy, which radiates a younger-looking you.

When you look good, you feel good and when you feel good, you radiate a confidence which is beautiful, and perfect for anyone, regardless of the age. It’s astonishing to consider all of the intricate ways in which exercise changes our bodies.

Here’s to your health!

Kathy Smith, New York Times bestselling author, has stood at the forefront of the fitness and health industries for over 30 years. The numbers speak for themselves: Kathy has sold more than 20 million exercise DVDs - landing her in the Video Hall of Fame - and $500 million in Kathy Smith products. With her revolutionary approach to fitness, Smith has touched millions of people, inspiring them to move, live, and love.

Good Posture Keeps Your Body Young!

by Kathy Smith

Slouching Makes You Sad…

I get a lot of compliments on my posture, and it makes me realize what a strong impression posture makes. When you stand and sit with good posture, you’re less likely to injure yourself in daily activity. Your internal organs have room to breathe. You radiate confidence and command respect. Your clothes fit better, and you get through the day with less fatigue.

Best of all, improving your posture makes you instantly look slimmer.

You only have to look around you to see the effect that aging can have on our bodies. I’m always shocked by the appearance of people who, after years of bone loss and poor posture, seem to stand in a permanent cringe. That’s why I urge you to start putting effort into your posture now.

It takes only a few minutes a week. The 2 quick moves below are specifically designed help you build strength for better posture. Don’t let gravity have the last word!

1. Midback Strengthener

Targets: Upper back postural strength and flexibility of the front of the shoulder.

Setup: Stand with your back to a wall, touching heels, buttocks, upper back, and head. Bend your elbows 90 degrees and lift them to your sides at shoulder height. Press your elbows and hands against the wall. If you have tight shoulders, you may not be able to touch the wall with your hands, elbows, or both—focus on your effort.

Move: Widen your clavicles, funnel your ribs down toward your waist, and press your navel toward your spine. Keeping your elbows and hands against the wall, if possible, slide your arms overhead. Continuing to maintain pressure and effort, slide back down to shoulder level. Repeat six to eight times.

Focus: Maintain a neutral spine (your low back is not pressing against the wall, but your abdominals are engaged, pulling your navel toward your spine).

Comments: The effort in the postural muscles in your upper back will help stretch the front of your shoulders, enabling you to have the flexibility and strength to maintain or improve your posture.

2. Superman

Targets: Low back (erector spinae, quadratus lumborum), buttocks (gluteals), and hamstrings.

Setup: Lie prone, with your neck in a neutral position. Pull your navel toward your spine

Move: With your arms stretched overhead, lift your arms/shoulders and feet/legs. Hold for a count of five, then release down. Do eight to twelve repetitions.

Focus: Focus on lengthening rather than lifting high. Try to keep your navel lifted off the floor.

Comments: If the exercise is too difficult, you could also break it into two exercise by lifting your arms and shoulders only—keeping your feet and legs on the floor—then doing the second set by keeping your arms and shoulders on the floor, lifting just your legs.

Kathy

1 Trick for Losing Weight And Keeping It Off

by Kathy Smith

Here’s shocking news — a recent study shows that it’s especially tough to avoid added calories on the weekends. Susan B. Racette, PhD at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that not being mindful of your weekend eating patterns adds an additional 9 pounds a year to your waistline! After tracking 48 women, she found that participants naturally ate a few hundred additional calories a day (100-300) on the weekends, comprised of foods higher in fat.

So imagine you are sitting on the couch with your kids watching television this weekend when a bag of salted chips comes your way. You ask yourself, “should I have one?” You know that each chip is only about 10 calories, and that isn’t much. This is when you need to recall previous times you were in the same situation.

Did you eat just one? If you didn’t—and you ate half a bag, which is 600 calories—then the best decision today is to pass the bag to someone else.

I advise anyone who is trying to lose weight (and keep it off) to identify her own eating patterns. Tune in to the foods and eating situations that often trigger overeating or binges. Everyone is different when it comes to trigger foods.

I used to have a problem with chocolate. If it was in my kitchen it didn’t last long. One bite led to two, then three and four. At one point I banished it from my house because there was no chance I could eat it in moderation.

I have learned that it is usually easier to simply say “no” to even one chip or candy. It is much harder to stop a binge when it is in progress. So this weekend, it’s important to consider your past habits.

Rely on your food and fitness tracker

Our bodies and our fitness levels are created by old habits and old patterns. That is why tracking your food intake and exercise activities  is so helpful. Whether it’s digitally through a fitness tracker (like MyFitnessPal, Jawbone or FitBit), or keeping notes in a food journal, staying aware helps you become more in-tune with your habits and patterns.

High-tech gadgets, like Fitbit, that have hit the market in recent years take the guesswork out of your calorie burn and caloric intake, and they allow you to gauge your food-fitness relationship.  From smart phone apps to wristbands devices, and other handy interactive tools, tracking your caloric expenditure, activity levels, and fitness goals is easier than ever. I like trackers because they clearly show how effective an exercise is and often motivate you to take your workout to the next level.

In the hum of daily life, we’re often unaware of how our behavior falls into patterns and how we repeat the same mistakes until we see it recorded. In reviewing my own journal, for instance, I discovered that I have a habit of eating trail mix right from the bag. That can lead me to eat multiple servings. I didn’t realize until I did the math how many calories I was mindlessly consuming. Now I remind myself to measure out one portion so I don’t overeat.

Kathy

The TRUTH About Cellulite

by Kathy Smith

Tabloids love to expose celebrities’ less-than-perfect derrieres or thighs because they, like a lot of people, have cellulite. Of course, no one wants to have cellulite, but chances are most of us do, at least to some degree.

Just because so many of us have cellulite doesn’t mean everyone knows what it is, much less why it occurs. But even more importantly, do you know what to do about it? It can be confusing because there are a lot of myths and misnomers out there.

Well, it’s time to know the truth about cellulite.

What Is Cellulite?

First of all, it’s not a medical condition. Cellulite is nothing more than fat lying directly beneath the skin. What happens is there’s only so much room for these fat cells and they get pushed up toward the skin. This action puts pressure on the surrounding fascia.

Fascia is a web of connective tissue surrounding muscles, blood vessels, and nerves. Think of it like the netting of a tennis racket with the strings representing the fascia. Over time, though, those strings or tissues lose their collagen and elasticity or too much fat develops and the fat gets pushed through the netting. That’s what gives a dimpled appearance, or what we call cellulite.

Cellulite doesn’t just appear. There are different grades or degrees:

• Grade 1: Detection at this stage is nearly impossible with the naked eye because it’s happening on a microscopic level.

• Grade 2: Some symptoms appear, such as a loss of elasticity in the skin and a cooler temperature to the touch.

• Grade 3: This is the look we most commonly associate with cellulite because there’s visible dimpling, but it has the other characteristics, too.

What Causes Cellulite?

There’s no one answer to this question, but here’s a list of contributors:

• Hormones:
The naturally occurring chemicals estrogen, insulin, noradrenaline, thyroid hormones, and prolactin have been linked to cellulite creation.

• Genetics:
Did your mother, aunts, grandmothers have cellulite? Then chances are you are predisposed to it, too.

• Lifestyle:
The more sedentary you are the greater the likelihood of developing cellulite. Also, smokers run a higher risk for cellulite.

• Diet:
Because cellulite involves fat cells, it only makes sense that what you eat would contribute to its buildup. Too much fat, carbohydrates, and salt, which leads to water retention, are the biggest culprits.

How Do I Banish Cellulite?

There’s an entire multimillion-dollar industry of creams, pills, and procedures claiming to remove cellulite; however, none of these has passed the scientific community’s standards. In fact, some are designed to treat unrelated conditions, like asthma, and others may cause serious side effects, like allergic reactions. Some methods, like massage, have temporary benefits, and others simply hide the cellulite, like compression garments. The keys words here are “temporary” and “hide.”

The good news is that there are three key ways to effectively minimize cellulite for the long-term:

1. Increase circulation

2. Maintain a healthy weight

3. Eat high-fiber and diuretic foods

• Increase circulation

Let’s face it, we just sit too much. In fact, sitting is the new smoking!

It’s not enough to work out for 30 to 60 minutes at a time, we need to keep blood flowing to the lower body throughout the day. If your job demands you sit at a desk, get up to walk around every 20 minutes to increase you circulation. Or, swap out your chair for a stability ball. Just sitting on the inflated ball requires you to engage your core, but with every slight movement, you have to shift to regain your balance. This constant balance challenge gets your body moving much more than sitting in a traditional office chair that does the balancing for you.

Body-weight training keeps cellulite from settling in, too. Because it tends to form in the buttocks and thighs, I like the Pop Squat: Lower into squat position as if you’re sitting down in a chair, abs engaged and making sure your knees don’t pop out past your toes. Push yourself to standing, but don’t stop there: Without locking your knees, add a little jump into the air. When you land, lower yourself right back down into the squat. Grab weights for added difficulty. Repeat for 30 seconds.

Also, certain foods help boost blood flow. Circulation Journal reported that dark chocolate (yes, chocolate), which is full of natural flavonoids, improved blood circulation compared with white chocolate. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds are known to increase circulation, too.

If you have time and money, get a massage to restore the fluid state of your connected tissue. In between massages, use a foam roller to help support the tissue on a daily basis.

• Maintain a healthy weight

The more weight you carry the more fat cells pushing through the fascia. Losing weight can result in a noticeable reduction of cellulite.

• Eat high-fiber and diuretic foods

When the body holds onto extra fluids, it adds more pressure to the fascia. If I’m feeling bloated before a photo shoot, I eat something I know will help my body get rid of extra water—my favorite is egg whites and asparagus. Well, if you’re feeling like your cellulite is more noticeable or you’re getting ready to wear something that shows a little skin and you want to minimize dimpling, then fill your plate with foods high in fiber or natural diuretics.

Fiber-rich foods take longer to digest and will keep you feeling full longer so you’re less likely to reach for a sugary or fatty, salty snack. Diuretics help the body release excess water, usually through urination. Some foods serve double duty, both high in fiber and a diuretic, such as steel-cut oats and artichokes. Even flavor enhancers, like parsley, ginger and garlic, assist the body in getting rid of water. Finally, green tea, one of my all-time favorite beverages, can give relief from bloating.

On the other hand, not enough fluids or dehydration also contribute to cellulite.  Most studies show that about 2/3 of us are dehydrated and need to drink more water…so stay hydrated throughout the day! I aim to drink a gallon of water a day (yes…a gallon!). Although this may be a hefty goal for you, aim to drink at least eight glasses of water a day. To achieve this goal, set an alarm on your phone every hour on the hour from 8 am to 5 pm. When the alarm goes off, it’s time to get up, get your blood circulating, and drink a glass of water.

Remember, while you may not erase cellulite completely, being active and eating healthfully is the best way to control it.

Kathy

The ULTIMATE Pre-Bed Meal (Try This Tonight!)

by Kathy Smith

My good friend and top nutritionist Joel has let the cat out of the bag on what is undoubtedly the BEST pre-bed meal.

As I’ve discussed several times before in my newsletter articles, it is not necessary to avoid eating in the evening hours to lose flab. In fact, the right night-time meal can often positively affect your results and recovery from exercise by feeding your muscles with quality nutrition as you sleep.

The trick, as always, is choosing the RIGHT foods before bed, and knowing which foods those are. Here are Joel’s general “rules” to creating the ultimate pre-bed meal:

1. Avoid carbs and insulin.

Because consuming carbohydrates will result in a significant insulin release (which will in turn put the breaks on fat-burning), carbs are ill-advised for a pre-bed meal. Carbs are also much more easily stored as fat in the evening hours when metabolism is naturally slowing in preparation for sleep. Besides, you have very little opportunity to burn off that energy when consuming carbs at night — sleep isn’t a very calorically expensive activity!

In addition to carbs, certain animal proteins have been shown to yield a significant insulin response as well, such as red meat and certain fish. While these protein foods are OK for a pre-bed meal, there are better choices, like those mentioned below.

2. Choose slow digesting proteins.

Slow digesting proteins, like white meat proteins such as turkey and chicken, are great night-time meal choices as they digest slowly and fail to produce a significant insulin response.

Another great choice is the milk protein casein, found in cottage cheese. Casein coats the stomach, digests slowly, and provides quality nutrition to your muscles over several hours…very ideal as a pre-bedtime protein source!

3. Add fat.

Quality, healthy fats such as nuts, oils, and nut butters are great additions to a pre-bedtime meal as they will help to further slow gastric emptying and digestion while increasing fullness and satiety so you don’t wind up snacking all night long.

Just follow these 3 simple rules for night-time snacking (slow digesting protein, low carb, add fat) and you’ll be in great shape…give it a try with an evening snack tonight!

Kathy

Three Tips to De-Stress Your Life

by Kathy Smith

We’re all looking for a way to de-stress. With the economy, kids, relationship and career woes, stress is simply a part of life for all of us. Stress relief, however, often seems out of our reach.

When we experience anxiety, our body releases the hormone adrenaline (which increases energy, blood pressure, and heart rate) and cortisol, a complex alarm system that increases the release of sugar into the bloodstream, which of course can lead to weight gain. In our everyday lives, these hormones are not good for our bodies.

But now it’s time for the good news. There are a few simple steps we can all take to de-stress and decompress:

1) Simplify Your Stress Away. When it comes to de-stressing, we can’t underestimate the power of clearing the clutter. That might mean literal clutter: You don’t have to be a feng shui expert to know that cleaning up your physical space (at home and at work) doesn’t just look neater – it affects the way you feel, and makes it easier to take on new tasks.

And you can de-stress by cleaning up metaphorical clutter, too – whether that means simplifying your schedule by saying “no” to some things, or eliminating toxic relationships from your life. We all have the ability to start de-stressing now – we simply have to take the time to do it.

2) Have a BLT. Next time you need a quick de-stresser, try my Breathing Listening Technique. Close your eyes (unless you’re driving – which of course is a whole other source of stress). And take a long, deep inhale on a count of six. Now Hold your breath for six counts and listen to the sounds around you. Try and name them: An air conditioner. A dog barking. A car honking. Then, slowly exhale. Repeat this cycle six times, and you’ll be amazed at the results.

3) Get moving. When we exercise, our brains are bathed in dopamine and serotonin, chemicals that improve mood and actually help us de-stress and relax. I’ve always found that cardio lifts my spirits, resistance training boosts my mood and sense of well-being, and yoga, of course (the ultimate de-stresser) makes me calm and centered.

Remember, we all have stress in our lives. The trick is in how we handle it.

Kathy

5 Sneaky Ways To Tighten Your Backside

Put your rear into high gear, and work your way towards a “Brazilian Butt!” Instead of wishing those extra pounds away, now you can tighten and tone your backside with  5 sneaky tricks designed to work the muscles from every angle to give you the best lower-body ever!

Trick #1: Go Deep in Your Lunges!

When doing a lunge, lower your body until your knees are at a 90 degree angle. For increased effectiveness in your lunges, also try out these four tips:

• Keep your shoulders over your hips
• Slightly bend your back knee
• Keep your front knee in alignment with your front toes
• Feel your weight in your front heel as you push yourself to standing

Practice your 90 degree angle with this move: Lunge With Tricep Kickback

What it does:

• This version of the lunge is an excellent sculptor for the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, triceps and core. This is a true functional move because it combines so many muscle groups in one movement.

How to do it:

• Holding a dumbbell in each hand, step your left foot directly behind you, taking a wide stance, and bend your legs, lowering your torso down into a lunge. Be sure and maintain that core stability to prevent injury.
• While in lunge position, keep your shoulders over your hips, back knee slightly bent, front knee in alignment with your front toes, shoulders back and down.
• Feel your weight in your right (front) heel as you push yourself to standing.
• As you return to standing, do a tricep kickback: Reach your arms back behind you and extend, feeling a squeeze in the tricep.

Trick #2: Be Fit For A Royal With The Curtsy

There’s nothing old-fashioned about this curtsy! The curtsy squat is one of my go-to moves because it targets the quads and outer thighs. Try the curtsy squat below to take the glute-and-leg toning action of a squat while adding a core balance challenge that sculpts the shoulders and obliques.

How to do it:

• Rest dumbbells on your hips as you place your left foot behind you. Instead of stepping directly back, the left foot should move diagonally back, with the back knee bending down directly outside the right foot.
• Fire up the core muscles as you squat down with the right leg, feeling the emphasis on your right glute (weight placed firmly in the right heel) as the left foot lightly supports you.
• As you return to standing, bring the left foot forward, landing with a wide stance.
• Punch the right hand across your body, toward the left wall, allowing your right foot to rotate as your torso twists to the left, engaging your right glute.

Beginners:

• Remember, it’s best to master the form of the exercise before adding the resistance challenge of dumbbells.

Advanced:

• Keep the majority of your weight in the front foot, especially the heel, and use the back foot mainly for balance.

Trick #3: Go Wide!

To tighten your backside, squats are key! Switch up your routine by changing the width of of your squat to a wider stance. This simple change is an all-around lower body tightener, working the glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps, as well as the inner and outer thighs.

Try this move: Sumo Squat With Cross-Chop

How to do it:

• Take a wide stance with your toes turned slightly out, holding dumbbells pressed together at chest level.
• Lower down into a sumo squat, making sure those abs are engaged, weights hanging straight down in front of you.
• As you push back up to standing, feel the inner thighs, glutes and core muscles working together to control the movement.
• At the same time, bring the weights toward your chest with a bicep curl.
• Rotate to your right: Keeping your wide stance and core engaged, feel your weight planted in the right foot and let the left foot pivot as your torso rotates to the right. You should feel as if this entire movement is driven by obliques.
• Bring the weights down toward the ground in a controlled chopping motion, just behind your right hip. Squeeze your left glute as you chop.
• Curl the weights back toward the chest as you rotate the torso back to your starting position.

Trick #4: Shift Your Weight

When performing squats, proper form should be in the forefront of your mind. Squatting with good form can make the difference between fast, safe, and great-looking results, and frustration (and sometimes even injury). To get the most benefit from your squat, always remember to shift your weight into your heels and slightly lift your toes off the floor.

Here’s how to do a perfect squat:

1. To begin, grab a chair and position yourself in front of it.
2. Sit down, just brushing your butt on the end of the chair and stand back up.
3. Repeat and keep your knees and weight back
4. The further and lower you get down in the squat, the more you’ll feel it in your butt.
5. Click here for a video demonstration

 How to do it:

• Standing with feet hip-width apart, stabilize the midsection and imagine knitting the ribcage in by squeezing your abdominals throughout the movement. Squat down as if you’re going to sit in a chair behind you, sinking the hips back and keeping the knees parallel to the toes. With your weight in your heels, use your glutes and core to push you back up to standing.
• As you stand, reach your arms up over your head and lift up on your toes.

Beginners:

• Remember, your core is your center of gravity. By stabilizing your trunk muscles during the squat, you maintain your balance, preventing you from falling backward or forward. Start by mastering the form, slowly and purposefully, before adding toe lifts.

TRICK #5: Add Resistance!

One of the most basic ways to tighten your backside is by weight training. There are various ways to create resistance, one of the most familiar is with resistance bands, like ankle cuffs. Ankle cuffs help provide increased results in less time, and they can fit in your suitcase or underneath your desk.

Try this move to firm up your glutes and hamstrings:

How to do it:

• Attach ankle cuffs to your legs and position one arm lightly onto a chair for balance
• Lift your left leg behind you, heel pointed toward the ceiling.
• Bring the leg back to center, trying to not let your foot touch the floor.
• Repeat.
• Remember to squeeze your glutes!

Challenge Your Workout In 2015!

by Kathy Smith

Kathy

Eat These, Drop Pounds!

by Kathy Smith

Foods That Shred Fat…Naturally

Here’s good news to kick off your Friday – certain foods you allow your body to work tirelessly to help you burn calories and torch fat. This means you can literally torch calories as you chew. Some foods do this by their thermogenic effect, and others with their nutrient capacity. See which foods feed your metabolism’s fire below.

Go For Green Tea

Here’s a little secret about me…green tea is my no-penalty pleasure. Not only does its natural caffeine levels speed up your heart rate, but a new study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that due to the EGEC levels in green tea, drinking four cups of green tea a day helped participants lose six pounds in 8 weeks.

Stock Up On Salmon

Of all the lessons you learn today, I hope you take this one seriously. Fat is the preferred fuel of human metabolism, and it always has been. We need fat for insulation, protection, energy, and even to think. In fact about two-thirds of the brain is composed of fat, and the protective sheath that covers communicating neurons is 70 percent fat. But not all fats are equal. The king of fats are essential omega-3s, which are found in foods like salmon. The omega-3 levels in salmon boost your metabolism by lowering the leptin (a hormone) in your body. Many recent studies suggest that leptin directly influences your metabolism, determining whether you burn calories or store them as fat. If you don’t like fish, simply take a fish oil pill.

Lean protein (chicken, turkey, lean beef)

Keep on cooking those chicken breasts, because they’re firing up your metabolism! It works like this: When your body digests protein, it takes more energy than if it were to digest carbs. This means that the more lean protein you eat, the harder your body is working, and the more calories it’s burning. Because protein has a high thermogenic effect, it allows your body to burn approximately 30% of its calories during digestion. This means that if you ate a 200-calorie chicken breast, you would burn 60 calories by simply breaking it down.

Jump On The Jalepenos (and other hot peppers)

It’s surprisingly simple — hot peppers include a compound called “capsaicin,” which heats up your body, helping boost your metabolism by up to 25%, for up to three hours after you eat. So if an omelette is on the menu today, load it up with jalepenos, cayenne, or hot sauce.

Take Turmeric

In the spice game, turmeric is a true all-star. This powerful anti-inflammatory is usually associated with spicy Indian dishes – but there’s so much more to it than that. The key ingredient in turmeric is curcumin, which may just work wonders for the body. Studies suggest that curcumin can not only help speed up your metabolism but also improve your insulin production, aids in proper carbohydrate absorption, and helps clear the plaque in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s.

Also, take into consideration these fat-burning foods:

• Almonds (with skins)
• Eggs
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Grapefruit
• Lentils
• Greek or Icelandic yogurt
• Quinoa
• Olive oil
• Avocado

Here’s to your health, and a speedy metabolism!

Kathy

The Shortest Path To Happiness

by Kathy Smith

Thanksgiving is more than just a cultural tradition. Practicing gratitude can truly elevate our levels of happiness….in fact, studies show that it makes us 25% happier! Gratitude has the strongest link with mental well-being than any other character trait.

Here are some of my favorite gratitude quotes. Take them with you on a walk, or during the gentle stretching routine below.

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

- John F. Kennedy

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was,’thank you,’ that would suffice."

- Meister Eckhart

"Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all."

- William Faulkner

Kathy