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Ellen Nalaboff |
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* Reconnect to your body.
* Recharge your energy
* Gain years on your life.
GET STARTED TODAY!!
Call to make a Health Counseling appointment with Ellen.
516-396-4521
Special Health Counseling and Group Fitness combination
Memberships available. |
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| Dear Friends,
We are in the middle of the winter and a month has past since New Year's and those resolutions. How many have you kept?? I'd like to ask you to take stock right now - if your New Year's resolutions have already started to slip out of reach , Recommit!! Wipe the slate clean and begin again, today . Do not spend one moment looking backwards and what you didn't accomplish, look forward and start again. What positive steps can you take towards your goals?? Have you started an exercise routine or tried a new way of eating that would benefit your health? Take a moment to reevaluate where you are and where you can do better. Spend a few moments each day visualizing the goals you have set for yourself and see them already manifested. If it's weight loss you seek then see yourself with the body you want. If it's having more free time, go there and imagine yourself laying on a beach somewhere. See all the healthy choices you have chosen for yourself manifested already in your life. Don't push yourself , no regrets, just start to create the life you want by imagining that you already are living it! Who knows you might just be surprised at what you can create!!!
Sincerely,
Ellen
Ellen's Pilates and Fitness Studio
Check out the bottom of this e-mail for a special Valentine's Day offer for all of my Newsletter readers.
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| "Sleep is the best mediation" ~ Dalai Lama
Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together. ~ Thomas Dekker
Sleep and Circadian Clock
One of the biggest challenges I face when coaching people is getting them to understand the importance of going to bed on time. Today's late night TV and bright lights at the touch of a switch make it easy to forget that for thousands of years we lived in sync with the light and dark cycles of day and night. Our physiology is still the same as our ancient sun driven ancestors, we're simply packaged in fancy clothes, drive cars and use lots of electronic devices. Despite all the availability of artificial, 24 hour, 365 days a year light, we are still tuned to the natural rhythm of daily and seasonal light/dark cycles.  The cycles of light and dark that result that from the movements of the sun affect nearly all living creatures. Even though humans had the ability to use fire thousands of years ago, our activities and sleep schedules were still very much in tune with sun and our enviroment. To illustrate how influential light is over physiology of all life in nature, consider the eclipse on August 11, 1999. Birds, horses and many other creatures went to sleep in the middle of the day when the sun was eclipsed!! Whenever light stimulates your skin or eyes, regardless of the source, your brain and hormonal system think it is morning. In response to light, your hormonal system naturally releases cortisol. Cortisol is an activating hormone that is released in response to stress. This activates the body for movement, work, combat or whatever else is necessary for survival. As the sun rises, our cortisol levels also rise and peak between 6 and 9 am. They then drop alittle but remain high through midday, supporting daily activities. In the late afternoon, cortisol levels begin dropping significantly, especially as the sun goes down. Decrease cortisol levels allow the release of Melatonin and increase the levels of growth and repair hormones. If we follow our natural sleep/wake cycles, we start winding down as the sun sets and should fall asleep by about 10:00 pm. Physical repairs mostly take place when the body is asleep between 10 and 2 am. After 2 am the immune and repair enrgies are more focused on mental repair, which lasts until we waken.
A brightly lit house, late night TV, and working late into the evening will keep the levels of stress hormones high past sundown. Your brain interprets the flicking of fluorescent lights, TV and computer screens as morning sunlight. If you go to bed after midnight you've already missed 2 hours of your physical repair cycle.
This prevents the normal release of melatonin, growth hormones and important immune factors.
People who work the graveyard shift, or parents frequently waking in the middle of the night regularly have their repair cycle disrupted, and have a laundry list of nagging musculoskeletal injuries, increased incidence of headaches a sagging personality and neurological disorders.
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Food Focus: Cabbage
"the large, lettucelike head that has been a staple for at least two millennia"
"probably the most important vegetable in the world from the point of view of nutritional benefits and cancer-fighting ability"
 Anti-cancer properties:
Indoles: photochemicals that alter estrogen metabolism in a favorable way that is likely to reduce the risk of cancer.
One of the main indoles in cabbage, Indole-3, increases the ratio of "good" estrogen metabolites to bad ones. It also has been shown to protect against the carcinogenic effect of pesticides and other toxins
This is not just helpful in women, men also have and use estrogen so it "stands to reason that the indoles in cabbage should be helpful and protective to them as well."
Dithiolethiones, isothiocynates, and sulforaphane: other phytochemicals found in cabbage that help fight cancer
Sulforaphane, increases the production of phase-2 enzymes which can counteract free radicals and help fight carcinogens. They are also implicated in reducing the risk of prostrate cancer.
Anthocyanins: pigment molecules found in red or purple cabbage (also found in blueberries and other colorful fruits). They belong to a group of plant compounds, called flavonoids, that fight free radicals, are powerful antioxidants and act as a powerful anti-inflammatory. All of these qualities combined not only make the Anthocyanins in cabbage a powerful cancer fighter but also make them a powerful weapon against cardiovascular disease.
Don't forget, cabbage is also a good source of vitamins and minerals. Along with all of it's cancer fighting ingredients cabbage is one of the lowest calorie foods on the planet AND it contains tons of vitamins and minerals. Cabbage contains calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin K, beta -carotene, carotenoids, lutein, zeaxanthin and fiber. One cup of cooked cabbage offers almost 4 grams of fiber!
Note: cabbage may contain gitrogens that may interfere with thyroid gland function. People with hypothyroidism are advised to moderately consume cabbage. |
Recipe of the Month:
Braised Cabbage with peas and Turkey Bacon.
Use a mixture of cabbages for texture and color.
 Serves 8
1 savory cabbage, plus equivalent amounts of greens ( spinach,chard, beet greens) very roughly chopped.
2 tablespoons olive oil.
6 strip bacon, cut across into 3/8 in. strips.
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
1 and ½ cloves of garlic, finely chopped.
½ cup chicken or vegetable stock or water.
6-7 oz fresh , podded peas ,sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
1tablespoon of olive oil.
Strip back the outer leaves of your cabbage until you reach the tender leaves. If those outer leaves are not wilted or yellow, remove the tough stem and wash them thoroughly. Chop and place in a bowl and put to one side.
Remove most of the tough stalk from the tender inside of the cabbage and roughly chop the leaves. Add the olive oil to a hot thick bottomed pan and begin to cook the bacon. After 1 min. add the rosemary and garlic and mix to combine the flavors. At this point the garlic should be soften and just begin to take on the color and the bacon should be turning golden brown. Add your green outside cabbage leaves and a little bit of stock or water, stir , place a lid on the pan and steam for 1 min. Then add the rest of your cabbage and greens, the podded peas and a pinch of sea salt and pepper. Stir in the rest of the stock.
Replace the lid and simmer for 12-15 mins. Until the cabbage leaves are still bright in color but tender enough to eat. Turn the heat off, and drizzle with remaining olive oil. |
| Ellen's Fitness Studio
@Busto's
490 Old Bethpage Road
Plainview, New York 11803
516-396-4521
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