Was it easier to be fitter in the 80's?

Looking at old family, you see happy smiles, trips to visit the Easter bunny, but have you noticed how amazingly fit everyone looks? People were eating butter, lots of red meat, and they weren’t really hitting the gym. Is just our imaginations? No, scientist have recently confirmed people today, who eat and exercise the same amount as people 20 years ago, are actually bigger.

A study published recently in the journal Obesity Research & Clinical Practice found that it’s harder for adults today to maintain the same weight as those 20 to 30 years ago did, even at the same levels of food intake and exercise.

The authors examined the dietary data of 36,400 Americans between 1971 and 2008 and the physical activity data of 14,419 people between 1988 and 2006. They grouped the data sets together by the amount of food and activity, age, and BMI.

They found a very surprising correlation: A given person, in 2006, eating the same amount of calories, taking in the same quantities of macronutrients like protein and fat, and exercising the same amount as a person of the same age did in 1988 would have a BMI that was about 2.3 points higher. In other words, people today are about 10 percent heavier than people were in the 1980s, even if they follow the exact same diet and exercise plans.

This note blew me away. You could be eating and exercising in the exact same way, but your 1988 self would be smaller than your 2015 self. So what gives? You’re eating the same amount of calories, burning the same amount of calories, but your size would be different. It doesn’t make sense. 

Research finds it’s a combination of increased exposure to hormone-altering chemicals, the rise in prescription meds like antidepressants that can lead to weight gain, and changing gut bacteria from our meat- and sugar-heavy diets. Plus, stress, eating later, and exposure to light at night, which can mess with your sleep rhythms. 

Think of the number of nights you have laid in bed, with the tablet on your lap watching Netflix. Bet you’re also scrolling through your smartphone while you’re watching your favorite tv show. This new technology behavior sadly isn’t good for us, and our bodies are letting us know.

When it comes to medication, hey, if you need it you need it. Where we can make a difference is what we’re eating, finding a way to unwind, not eating late night, and putting away technology before we’re ready to call it a night. Treat your 2015 body likes it 1988 again.

Add more organic food staples into your life. Those everyday items are the ones with hidden with additives. If you’re drinking cow milk, you don’t know what kind of chemicals may have been injected into it or what kind of feed it’s grazing off. It’s scary when you think about it. It explains how you can be eating the same things in 1988 and 2015, but your body will look different.

Scientist also said adding a little zen to your life is necessary. The driving here, driving there, the constant hustle. You have to stop. Give your body a chance to let go of all the tension life gives you day to day. Try some of these tips to bring some more ‘om’ into your life. Don’t carry around those knots you get from sitting on the freeway during rush hour.

After all that sitting on the freeway the last thing you want to do is cook as soon as you walk in the door. It’s why we’re having all these late night meals, which doctors are telling us need to stop. Maybe dinner isn’t the huge meal we think we should be. Who says you need a huge plate of food to end your day? 

There is no such thing as the perfect size, but we can work towards leading a healthy life. Scientists are telling us we need to take away some of the modern conveniences since they’re actually harming us instead of helping our bodies. We keep hearing natural, raw, organic, and it really could be a better way of life.  

Baobab : More health benefits than the acai and goji berries you know

When I was younger I could spend hours in the cosmetics section of Thrifty’s learning about skin cleansers and moisturizers. Now imagine the same enthusiasm for exploring the aisle of superfoods, organic extracts, and natural health remedies at the market. It’s how you discover new things, such as the amazing South African superfruit baobab. The market employee couldn’t stop raving about all the benefits this citrus flavored superfruit. 

Into the cart it went, and after a few weeks of trying it, I was left wondering, “Why I had I not discovered this earlier?” I ventured into the world of baobab by trying out Powbab’s superfruit chews (It sounds like a tongue twister). When the label promises a 100% of my recommended daily antioxidant dosage, along with daily serving of Vitamins C, E & A, I figured why not. These bitesize nibbles combine baobab along with pomegranate and acai berries. The health benefits of the acai berry are well known, so I figured I had nothing to lose, and a whole lot to gain. It was was one of the best gambles I took. 

Among some of the most notable health benefits of the African superfruit are:

A single serving of offers 25 mg of Vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid, a naturally occurring organic compound with antioxidant properties

• Up to 7 times more Vitamin C than goji berries

• 25 times more Vitamin C than acai berries

A single serving offers 3 grams of soluble fiber and 1 gram of insoluble fiber, which reduces cholesterol levels and to reducing risk of heart disease

• 19 times the amount of fiber of goji berries

• 8.5 times the amount of fiber of acai berries

Being high in antioxidant levels means baobab reduces free radicals, the molecules you hear referenced in beauty treatments. Free radicals are responsible for damaging our body cells. The oxidative stress that oxygen-free radicals cause is held as reason why our bodies age. This superfruit fills your body naturally to fight the anti aging process.

This little African fruit contains so many health and beauty benefits, your body will love you for adding it into your diet. Foods rich in Vitamin C are a cornerstone of the anti-wrinkle diet. Vitamin C, whether derived from foods or dietary supplements, helps your body form collagen and elastin, two structural proteins that give your skin support and elasticity. 

Adding Vitamin C rich foods such as baobab to your diet might also enhance your body's fat burning capabilities during a workout. A team of scientists from Arizona State University discovered that people with low blood concentrations of Vitamin C burned 25 percent less fat during a 60-minute walk on a treadmill, compared with those who had adequate levels of Vitamin C in their blood. 

The potential weight loss effects of Vitamin C may be linked to the fact that it is needed for the production of carnitine, a compound that encourages your body to turn fat into fuel, rather than to store it as body fat. Also, Vitamin C rich foods also combat varicose veins because they help our cardiovascular system work more efficiently. Vitamin C keeps our body working smart, regenerating, and maximizing how our processes work instead of slowing down as we age. 

If you’re still not sold on the superfood benefits of baobab, what would your liver say when it heard this superfruit will help realign it’s internal cleansing. It works hard detoxifying toxic substances, including metabolic wastes, and excreting them from your body. Over time, high exposure to toxins such as cigarette smoke, chemicals, alcohol and other substances can cause damage to the liver and limit its detoxifying capabilities. 

Help your body get it’s groove back by fueling it with restorative superfoods like baobab. This superfruit comes from a tree referred to as “The Tree of Life,” which usually are over 1,000+ years old. They supply your body with a myriad of beneficial minerals including calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc. 

Human beings have been on this planet for a long time. Before there were planes, trains, and automobiles, we had to look to our backyards to feed ourselves with goodness. Let’s embrace what modern technology has given us. Now we can visit every global ‘backyard,’ and learn about their wholesome native foods. The magical African fruit, baobab, comes from a tree named after life. After trying it, my body knows why. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Edible Beauty: From the kitchen to your vanity

Spirulina, Coconut Oil, Agave Nectar, Olive Oil, and Apple Cider Vinegar. Sounds like a grocery list, along with apples and pears to make a salad. Actually, we’re making a list for five natural ingredients you would find in your kitchen, but should also have a place in your beauty routine. Eating natural, organic, and whole foods have been proven to be the best for our bodies internally, why not the same philosophy for taking care of the outside of our bodies? 

Dr. Alkaitis, of Dr. Alkaitis’ holistic organic skin food, spoke with The Chalkboard Mag about his ‘edible’ beauty products. His answer made sense to us.

“The simple answer is that whatever is put on your skin is absorbed into your body, it is ‘eaten’. So if one is interested in maintaining a healthy skin and health, then they should follow this simple guideline: ‘If you can’t eat it, don’t put it on your skin.”

It got us thinking, what steps can we take to bring this way of ‘living’ into our lives, in a simple manner. If we should be able to eat it, let’s find out what we should have in our cupboards, and buy extra for our ‘natural beauty’ regimen. No special equipment, beakers or AP Chemistry classes needed.

First up, spirulina, your new favorite Super Food. It is highly digestible, but it also helps the body absorb minerals, lowers cholesterol, and protects the immune system as well. Have a half teaspoon in your breakfast smoothie. You’ll notice a healthier skin tone, dark circles fading away, and your hair looking glossy. Or make a paste by mixing some spirulina with water, and apply it on your face. Keep on for 20 minutes and wash off. This will make your skin amazingly soft, smooth, and you’ll also be preventing signs of aging by eliminating free radicals. Yes, spirulina prevents ’wrinkles.’

Another amazing anti aging natural beauty ingredient, coconut oil. It’s used from baking, cooking and dessert making, but as wrinkle fighter? It sure is. Use a lil coconut oil underneath the delicate area of your eyes to keep them line free or use it for preventing dark spots or stretch marks. You can also take coconut oil and blend it with several edible ingredients to create power punch beauty products. 

Use coconut oil with agave nectar, aloe vera, and vegetable glycerin to make a curl conditioning and defining serum. All edible ingredients. Or you can also use it with olive oil to create a moisturizer. Don’t worry your skin will love it instead of breaking out. Just start off a few times a week. Your skin will let you know you’re doing right when you see a glowing and dewy complexion. 

From making your all-natural defining hair serum or vegan facial moisturizer, what to do with your agave nectar or olive oil beauty wise? You can make an oatmeal and agave facial mask to combat irritated skin. Mexicans have been using it for hundreds of years to relieve skin infections and kill bacteria. If a oatmeal and agave mask is the secret to a beach kissed look, we’re in! Use the rest of your olive oil to soften your hands, remove your makeup at night or moisturize your skin after a hot shower.

Last, but definitely not least, on our list we have apple cider vinegar with the mother. From some our visits to the grocery store, seems this item is hard to keep in stock. It’s always a toss up whether or not you’ll find it. There is an overabundance of goodness in this vinegar. You most likely have heard about it when you’re suffering from allergies, and everyone will suggest you use it to kill bacteria in your throat. 

When you use it as a beauty product you can use it as a skin toner, spot treatment for acne, residue remover for hair, and even a natural deodorant. Just like coconut oil, ACV has a mile long list of beauty solution to try. This blog lists just the tip of the iceberg, in terms of what edible beauty can do you for you.

Hope we inspired you to restock your kitchen pantry and bathroom cabinets with these multi purpose natural ingredients. Buy organic, all natural, cold pressed, or extra virgin when it’s an option. If we’re feeding our bodies the best we can, let’s do the same for our skin. A fresher, healthier, glowing outside you will match how amazing you feel in the inside as well.