Super Simple Mayo Swap

Skipping mayo on a sandwich sounds like a healthy way to cut back on fats, but nobody likes a dry sandwich

How does boosting immunity and cutting out the fat on your next sandwich sound?

Sounds like it makes the Pilates Platinum cut!

Next time you make a sandwich, swap the fatty white stuff for a healthy white spread.

Try a mixture of lowfat yogurt 

with fresh chopped herbs (like basil or rosemary). 

The herbs contain anti-inflammatory, infection fighting compounds, and taste great too. 

The yogurt has tons of probiotics that can also give your immune system a boost. Try Greek yogurt for a creamier spread and thank us later!

Pilates Platinum x Soupre Present: A 10- Day Valentine's Day Challenge! **Sign up by Jan. 29th!

Pilates Platinum and SOUPURE have joined together to create a fun and sexy 10 day challenge for all PP members!

Sign up for the challenge at the studio front desk by Jan. 29^th to get fit for V-Day and have a chance to win FREE Pilates Platinum classes and a Soup Cleanse from Soupure!

Rules and contest info is listed below, but even if you can’t join the challenge, you’re invited to come see what Soupure is all about.

SOUPURE TASTE TESTING:

Brentwood Studio

Wednesday January 28^th

6:45am – 9am AND 5:45pm-8pm

Get ready to work your butt off out AND win some prizes!

Contest runs

FEBRUARY 4^th

through

FEBRUARY 13^th

Come to the Brentwood Tasting date on Jan. 28^th to check out Soupure and learn more about the Pilates Platinum x Soupure 10-Day Valentine’s Challenge!

2015’s HANGOVER CURE

Maybe you have some self-control with the bubbly, or maybe you don’t. Either way, a green juice can definitely help you on January 1^st.

Green juice is an incredible hangover remedy-- 

way better than any cheeseburger and fries combo out there!

dehydration cure = green juice

electrolyte imbalance cure = green juice

headache cure = green juice

tummy and digestive issues cure = green juice

Try these ingredients below in your hangover green juice to rejuvenate after a long New Year’s celebration:

Kale, Spinach, Parsley, Ginger, Lemon, Grapefruit

Why?

*Because greens like spinach, kale, and parsley are best for liver detoxification. They provide potassium and magnesium to hydrate, and bounce your B levels back up after they’ve been depleted by alcohol consumption.

*Grapefruit and Lemon help restore electrolytes and the Vitamin C helps repair damage cells and stimulate the liver.

*Ginger is one of our favorite anti-inflammatory nutrients. It also helps calm the gut and eliminates headaches.

So whether you’re nursing a headache on the 1^st or not, grab something green to get your New Year going great!

Vitamins, Minerals, Supplements, Natural Remedies…What to take?!

With so many vitamins, minerals, and supplements available these days, it’s a bit overwhelming trying to decide what’s best for you. Every body has different needs, and not everyone will benefit from taking the same vitamin every day. Some studies have even said multi-vitamins aren’t doing what they claim to be doing for our bodies after all!

So how are we supposed to know what to take? 

The best advice is to see your primary care physician, who’s familiar with your personal health history, and have him or her run tests to see what nutrient levels you might need to increase.

In the meantime, Pilates Platinum has done some research and we want to share what we’ve learned with our readers. Certain vitamins are definitely worth taking, especially for people with specific conditions. Read on for our picks, and why:

Vitamin D

Adults who take Vitamin D supplements can reduce their chance of catching the flu, and can also improve bone health.  Most adults are deficient in Vitamin D, so check with your physician to the appropriate dosage, or catch 10-20 minutes of rays a day!

Zinc

Unlike Vitamin C, which might not actually treat the common cold, Zinc has proven to do wonders! This mineral is involved in different aspects of your cellular metabolism and actually interferes with the “replication of rhinoviruses, the microbes that cause the common cold”. So if you feel a cold coming on, avoid popping several Vitamin C’s, and suck on a zinc lozenge instead to see results!

Probiotics

The trillion of bacterial cells that live inside of us are crucial! It’s important to replenish your body’s bacterial levels, especially after taking antibiotics. Replenish your system with a probiotic supplement, or by eating a food naturally rich in probiotics like yogurt. It’s not necessary to take everyday, but Probiotics have proven to be effective in circumstances where you need to get your digestive system back on track.

Niacin, or Vitamin B3

Said to be an overall “cure” for conditions like high cholesterol and even chronic headaches! Talk to your doctor first- especially if heart disease runs in your family. A prescription-strength dose is needed for results.

Garlic

Yes- yummy, fragrant garlic to the rescue! Garlic is an effective herbal remedy for high blood pressure, among other things. Taking a garlic supplement, or increasing the amount of garlic in your recipes, has shown to help reduce high blood pressure in adults. So before you turn to meds, give this natural option a try!

Friday Food Inspiration

Happy Rainy Friday!

We’ve needed this rain in Los Angeles and I’m personally so thankful for this cozy end to the week. Dreary days are a perfect excuse to stay in and cook something yummy. Something yummy and healthy that’ll warm you up on a stormy afternoon. Earlier this week I bought greens at the local Farmer’s Market and they are so perfectly delicious that I decided to center a dish on the two best bunches I found: celery and asparagus.

Check out my Celery, Asparagus, and Pea Soup recipe below!

What you need:

-1 tablespoon of olive oil

-1 large onion, diced

-3 celery stalks, thinly sliced (make sure to wash really well- organic greens fresh from the farmer's stand usually have some dirt on them)

-4 garlic cloves, minced through a garlic press, or finely chopped

-5 cups of water

-1 large bunch (usually around 1lb.) of asparagus, trimmed, and sliced into 1-inch pieces

-2 cups of green peas (I use frozen organic peas from Trader Joes.)

-1 teaspoon of salt (optional)

-1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Optional Garnish:

-1 or 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh dill

-1 or 2 asparagus stalks, sliced with a vegetable peeler to create ribbons

-1/4 cup of heavy cream for drizzling

What to do:

-In a large pot, head the olive oil over medium heat and add the chopped onion, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the celery and onion soften, about 6-7 minutes.

-Stir in 5 cups of water with the vegetables.

-Add the sliced asparagus and frozen peas to the pot, stir to mix it all together, and bring to a boil.

 -Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, until the asparagus is very tender, about 15 minutes. 

-Work in small batches and puree the soup in a Vitamix or a blender. 

(I use a measuring cup and transfer to my Vitamix in batches of 1-2 cups--- however much I can move over at a time without making a big mess!)

 

-Once you’ve blended everything together, strain the mixture through a sieve, or meshed juicing bag,  pressing down to remove as much liquid as possible. Pour the strained liquid back into the original pot. 

-Heat the strained soup until it just reaches a simmer, and then stir in the lemon juice. Stir in salt, to taste. (I like to add a little kick to mine so I also throw in a pinch of cayenne pepper.)

 

If you want to step up your presentation here’s what you need to do for the garnish: 

-Run a vegetable peeler over the asparagus stalks to make ribbons and garnish each bowl of soup with some asparagus ribbons along with the chopped dill. Once you’ve added those, you can drizzle the top of each serving with a little heavy cream.

Nutritional Info (with garnish):

Serving size: about 1 cup, 130 calories (50 from fat), 6g total fat, 3.5g saturated fat, 16g carbohydrates (5g dietary fiber, 6g sugar), 5g protein.

This’ll make enough to reheat leftovers for the next couple of days. You can even serve it cold and it’s just as tasty. I hope you enjoy as much as I do!