Mirror Mirror on the Wall...

What’s the affordable secret to a gorgeous reflection?

Now come on guys I know you also want to know the secret to a healthy young complexion and shinny strong hair. You don’t have to drop crazy amounts of money at the beauty salon…the affordable secrets actually are right in your kitchen. Below you will find my favorite face and hair mask! What’s so great about using food rather than fancy-schmacy bank draining products? They don’t contain alcohol. If you check out the ingredients listed on most face and hair masks (other than organic products) you will find alcohol. Yes alcohol is a great antibacterial but it is extremely drying…umm isn’t the purpose of these masks to hydrate the body?

Face Mask:

Simple organic unprocessed honey spread thinly over a clean face not only provides lasting hydration but also acts as a natural antibacterial. Now you can make this a little more fancy by adding some crushed almonds which act as a natural exfoliant. Leave the mask on for 15-20 minutes. Remove with warm water and feel how amazingly soft your skin is!

Best Honey- Raw Manuka Honey; $18-$40/ jar

More Affordable and still pretty good- Trader Joe’s Organic Raw Honey; $5.99/jar

Hair Mask:

Combine 1 avocado, 2 tbsp olive oil, juice of one lemon, and 1 tbsp organic honey. Okay so this green goop is a little hard to stomach at first. But trust me putting this chunky mixture on your head will leave your hair silky smooth! I suggest performing this messy task over the sink with a towel wrapped around your shoulders and one to save your floor from green stains! Generously lather your hair with this yummy concoction and allow it to rest for a good 20 minutes. Shower it off and continue with your normal shampoo/conditioner regime!

Another great reason to make your own face and hair products….less environmental toxins and overall less packaging waste! Take care of your body as you take care of the Earth!

And remember to keep up the healthy diet, your clean and balanced energy fuel source also provides the body with necessary vitamin, minerals and protein to keep you lookin good!

SMR? Foam Roll?

Have you walked into a gym or physcal therapy office to see people rolling on this piece of foam? Or are you one that has joined the fad? If so, why?


Self Myo-Fascial Release, SMR, is a flexibility technique used to release overactive muscles. The external pressure of The Foam Roll stimulates receptors located in your muscle tissue to relax. After a difficult work out, sitting for a long period of time, or even sleeping in a strange position can put your muscles in this tight/protective position. SMR helps to let the body know it is okay to let go and relax. Michael Boyle speaks of foam rolling as, "the poor man's massage therapist, soft tissue work for the masses" in his book,  Advances in Functional Training.


What's the correct way to foam roll?


Think of your muscle as long band with a knot in it, also known as a trigger point.  Use your body weight to apply pressure to the muscle knot, it allows the muscle to lenghten and stretch.  Usually about ten slow rolls in each position will suffice, or roll until it feels good.


Tight hamstrings are common for many people and foam rolling can help.  Sit on the floor and place the foam roller behind your thighs.  Putting your hands on the floor and lifting your hips, begin rolling from the top of your thigh to just above the back of your knee.

Next, sitting on top of the foam roller and tilting to one side, continue rolling forward and back, this will hit the glute maximus.  Then cross the effected leg onto the other and this will work the hip rotator muscles.

Finish by placing the roller behind your mid back, put your hands behind your head and roll from the top of your shoulders to you to just below your rib cage.  Be careful not to go to far down as the low back can be a very sensitive area.

Foam rolling is great before exercise as a warmup and afterward it can help with the recovery process, along with static stretching.  It's a simple way to take care of your muscles and get the most out of them.  Everyone's body is different, so if you find some tight spots be sure to give them a little more love.

Buffalo Burgers!

Spring is in the air, the evenings are brighter longer, and the air is fresh and crisp. Dust off that winter-stored BBQ and get grillin'! BBQin is a great way to infuse meat and veggies with deliciousness and to allow fat to drip off the meat.

My new favorite protein source is the buffalo burger. Buffalo is very lean and high in protein! 4oz of buffalo weighs in at 126 calories, 19 calories from fat and 24.5 grams of protein!! Buffalo meat is also a great source of B12, B6, potassium, iron, zinc, copper and selenium. I get my grass fed and hormone free buffalo at Whole Foods; $10 for 16 oz, that's 4 burgers!

Here's my recipe for these yummy treats-

Serves: 4

Time: 15-20mins

Ingredients:

• 1 package of grass fed hormone free ground buffalo (16 oz)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 1 tbsp minced garlic

Directions:

1. Heat up the grill or if your grill-less like me a fry pan on the hot plate to medium high (if using the pan coat with a bit of olive oil).
2. In a mixing bowl combine the meat, bell pepper, red onion, and garlic.
3. Cook the burgers completely (about 5 mins per side). You don't want any rare burgers...ground beef is different than a steak, burger meat comes into contact with metal...metal that can carry bacteria!
4. Serve the burger on a healthy bed of mixed greens, top with tomato avocado and ketchup...or if you need the man burger place between two slices of whole grain bread, a bun, or gluten free options.

Anthony and I decided to make this into a romantic evening. I mean why not it looks and tastes like fine dining! I served our burgers with a fresh beet walnut salad, Trader Joe's sweet potato fries and a nice bottle of wine. A really nice evening created in less than an hour and much more affordable than a night on the town!

Park Performance!

This week is the first week of Spring! Take your workouts outside and enjoy the fresh air and cooler temperatures. Pretty busy this weekend? No time for exercise? This workout is perfect! All you need is a pretty neighborhood and a bench.

Begin with a full body warm up and progress into a 15 minute speed walk or jog. End your jog at a local park (no parks nearby; jump in the car drive to the closest park and start the workout there).

Complete the follow circuit of exercises three sets:

1. Alternating step ups to balance (10/leg)

2. Plank w alt overhead reaches (10/arm)

3. Plank w alt leg extensions (10/leg)

4. Push-ups (10)- elevated as shown in the picture or on the ground for more of a challenge

5. Sit to stands w hands on head (10)- hands on head and shoulders pulled back keeps you from compensating by rounding your shoulders forward

6. Dips (10)

Finish off by repeating your initial warm up jog/walk this time, same distance but book it!

And there you have it, a quick way to get some efficient and effective cardio circuit training!

Did you take your vitamins today?

Vitamins now come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors. We all know how important vitamins are for us because realistically sometimes our diet just doesn’t cut it. But truthfully how do we make the right choice? Other than the fancy logo, catchy slogan, or colorful packaging what makes one vitamin different from the next?

In 2008, multivitamins brought in $4.7 billion. There are no direct standards on vitamins so how do we know what we are paying for isn’t just some sugar pill?

First things first, get personal! Talk to a nutrition specialist or doctor about your medical history, your diet, and your current medications to see what you really need. He/she may even suggest a blood test to see where you are lacking.

How can you do your own brand research? Check out the following and see if your desired supplement measures up:

• Check out the vitamin at consumerslab.com
• Read the labels- the ingredients should be as organic as possible
• Has it been tested- make sure that the dietary substance has been tested for toxic substances
• Is it old?- check the expiration date…how long has that bottle been in the back of the cupboard or on that drug store shelf
• Do you have food allergies?- vitamins often contain wheat, dairy and other allergies…just because it’s not in its standard form doesn’t mean you won’t have an allergic reaction
• Is what’s on the label really what’s in the bottle?- dietary supplements are not regulated so the amount claimed on the label might be different than what is really in the pill. Contact the lab that makes the pill. Can’t seem to get a human being? Toss that brand and try another!
• You get what you pay for- invest in a good vitamin or just skip taking vitamins altogether
• Does the vitamin dissolve adequately?- place the multivitamin in a glass of warm water, if it doesn’t dissolve in an hour you basically just have really pricey urine. When a vitamin does not breakdown in the stomach before passing through the intestine, it is not absorbed through the intestinal walls.

I use and recommend Usana. Their product is friendly even on my sensitive tummy and has greatly improved my energy and immune system. For more info send me an email!

If you would like to do some more vitamin research check out about.com and alignlife.com.

Solstice Canyon Hike

Last weekend we found one of the coolest hiking gems in the Santa Monica mountains, Solistice Canyon in Malibu. To get there, head north on PCH and turn right onto Corral Canyon Road which is a few miles north of Pepperdine. You can park on the main road or in either of the two small parking lots.

The trail is a loop with a tale of two paths, the low road and high road. The first is a smooth gradual climb that will lead you directly to the back of the canyon. This is recommended for those who aren't experienced hikers or those short on time. Along that path, you will see the remains of a small single room cabin that was built around 1900 which later burned down and is now being preserved as a place of historical interest...and that's not the most interesting part. For those of you seeking a challenge jump on the high road, the Rising Sun train heads up the ridge to the right, and has spectacular ocean views along the way. This is a pretty steady climb and quick decent to the back of the canyon and even on a cool day, I was sweating my head off! I highly recommend taking this path for a good workout, it will totally be worth it when you reach your destination at the back of the canyon, to what is known as Tropical Terrace.

This is where you'll discover a 30' waterfall which runs through the ruins of an old style ranch house built in the 1950's. This home was originally built as a dream of a mid-western man who wanted his very own secluded west coast ranch. Unfortunately, the house burned down, not once, but twice. Known as the Roberts Family ranch, the foundation of the house still remains along with a couple of the chimneys and an old bath tub. There are plaques that show pictures of the original house so you can imagine how amazing this place truly was.

This site is great for exploring. There are plenty of boulders to climb, additional paths that shoot up past the falls, and even a sanctuary with some hidden spiritual statues and monuments. You can make this hike as relaxing or challenging as you want taking either path in or out. No matter how you plan on conquering Solistice Canyon and the Tropical Terrace, there is always room for wine!

After the hike, as a treat for your hard work, check out Malibu Wines! A quick drvie over the hill and you will find one of the best local wineries and picnic spots, located on Mulholland Highway west of Kanan. Grab yourself a glass of pinot at the wine bar, crack open that picnic basket, and settle down in this amazing atmosphere. Saturday afternoons they have some live music as well. Eat, Drink and Enjoy!

Salmon and Potato Mess

Salmon, a power protein, low in calories, transfat and saturated fat plus a taste that keeps you coming back for more!  Salmon is loaded with omega-3s, which promote a healthy heart, skin and joints.

Now when choosing your salmon be sure that is fresh ocean fish; not farmed fresh water to get the most nutrition and less chemicals.


Time: 35-40mins

Ingredients: Serves 2

• 1 ½ c chopped fingerling potatoes
• 1 chopped bell pepper
• 2 c fresh spinach leaves
• ¼ c chopped onion
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp Smart/Earth Balance
• 1 c sliced mushrooms
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 salmon fillets; for convenience I like Trader Joes’ Chimichurri Salmon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil, garlic and onion on medium stirring occasionally for about five minutes.
3. Add potatoes, basil and parsley; stirring occasionally for another five minutes.
4. Add bell peppers and mushrooms; stirring occasionally for about five minutes.  Put the salmon in the oven; cooking for about ten minutes.
5. In the skillet, lower the heat to medium low and add spinach.  Once spinach has wilted stir thoroughly.
6. Once salmon is complete place the potato mess on a plate, top with a salmon fillet and enjoy!