Fishy Stuff

A study has reported that the mix of Vitamin A and Omega 3 can slow down Retinitis Pigmentosa. http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-retinitis-pigmentosa-20120213,0,7497651.story?track=rss

After reading this article, I dove into a research mode. Luckily, I love fish and eat that at least once or twice a week. I take fish oil supplement. Of course, fish is not the only source of Omega 3.  Walnuts and flaxseeds are great. Beans (navy, kidney beans, soybeans), winter squash, and extra virgin olive oil are good.  I looked into Shakeology and see what items provided Omega 3. The items were flaxseed, chia seeds, and sacha inchi. Perfect! Other health benefits of Omega 3 are heart, brain, skin, cholesterol, diabetes, allergies, immune system, and digestive system.

As for Vitamin A, Shakeology already provides 5000 of this. (that is recommended for anyone) Good sources of Vitamin A Palmitate are eggs, milk, cheese, butter, liver and fish as well as vegetables that are dark green, like spinach, or orange like carrots or sweet potatoes.  Foods of a plant origin do not contain Vitamin A Palmitate but are rich in sources of provitamin A, a class of compounds called carotenoids, which are involved in photosynthesis. B-Carotene is the most important of these compounds. That means I'll add more spinach into my shakes or make spinach salads for lunch. (my favorite is strawberry walnut spinach salad!) 

Eating clean is important so you can have all the nutrients you need!

I'm STILL on one can of Diet. Diet Pepper so far this week!

NEW flavor of Shakeology (Vegan)  has came out yesterday!


I'm hosting a 90 day SUMMER beachbody challenge group that will start on Feb 27th. Summer will be here in about 3 months! Don't we all want to look better in a pair of shorts or a swimsuit? The challenge packs include a fitness program of your choice, Shakeology, free month of club membership, private group in Facebook (support system!)  and FREE coaching from me! If you want more information, email me or go to my website at
www.teambeachbody.com/mintfreak

Update

An update on my diet soda addiction! It's harder than I thought.  I'm so tired and I want some diet soda like NOW!  But I promised myself that I'll wait and use that ONE soda later into the afternoon when my energy is at its lowest. Yep, it's now 1 soda a day. Let's see if I can last this long this week but I am determined.

Some of you thought Shakeology was pricey.  Let me show you this picture and you'd see it's worth every penny!  AND you can't even taste those veggies at all. I never liked those V-8 drinks! Ew. Shakeology is also not always a meal replacement drinks. If you do not need to lose weight (I'm so envious if you dont!) then you can drink this as a snack or even a dessert. (tastes like it!) 

Give it a try!  If you want more information,  just go to my website, www.shakeology.com/mintfreak    One more thing, it also boosts your immune system. My hubby had a bad cold last month and I even did not get any cold from him! I've not been sick YET for such a long time. 

Diet Soda Addiction

I've always had a love for Diet Dr. Pepper for so many years. As I've written about being stuck in a plateau to lose those pesky last ten pounds, my friend (thanks!)  asked me if I was still drinking diet soda. I usually drink about 3 a day! (Diet. Dr Pepper, of course)  I actually thought diet sodas were free passes because they don't  have any calories. Sadly, the artificial sweetners in these sodas can lead to obesity and diabetes. Therefore, that means I have to wean off from my diet soda addiction. This week, I've succeeded at having only 2 a day. Next week, I will cut down to 1 a day. Hopefully, it will be an zero a day! I always had a Diet. Dr Pepper sometime in the morning but that hasn't been really hard because I usually drink my chocolate Shakeology. (if you guys have no idea what Shakeology is, go to www.shakeology.com/mintfreak and find out more!! It's like 5 salads in a drink but tastes like a dessert.  Vegan tropical strawberry Shakeology is coming out on Feb 14th. (Valentine's Day!) 

Reference about diet soda:

http://www.ourhealthcoop.com/blog/hugo/2008/05/diet-soda-also-makes-you-gain-weight.html

Hunger Games Trilogy

When I was reading the Twilight  series several years ago, I looked up on Stephenie Meyer's website just to check on her background. While being on her website, Stephanie raved on Hunger Games so I checked out the summary of Hunger Games and just wasn't impressed with it for some reason. When I kept seeing Hunger Games trilogy popping up everywhere in the news especially that a movie based on it is coming up next month. Intrigued, I decided to buy Hunger Games. I got hooked to it and I could not put it down! I ended up finishing ALL 3 books in a week. It's that good!  These books are actually for young adults but it's entertaining for adults as well.  I was obsessed with the trilogy and literally drove my husband crazy for days afterwards when I pondered on several issues.  It is not a series based on romance. It's based on survival and war. The war (aka Hunger Games) involves kids from 12 to 18 years old to fight until only ONE lives and is a winner.  While the kids are fighting, the entire world is watching as it is in a reality show. That is the one of the issues that made me think. There were a lot of reality shows that we watch people starve, cry, fight, etc.  This book is based on a FUTURE era so what if we get desensitized to emotions shown from reality shows and they can lead to more violent reality shows? Scary! I am not going to go into details so you can enjoy reading the trilogy.  No spoiler alerts here.  Peeta, one of the main characters in the book, is my favorite! Peeta reminds me a lot of my husband. I actually feel bad for Josh Hutcherson who is going to act as Peeta because all the young girls will be all over him after the movie is out.  Everyone would want a Peeta. I think Josh Hutcherson fits the character very well.  I'm looking forward to see the movie! Of course, books are always BETTER than the movies because of a limited time and limited budget. So go and buy/borrow these books if you haven't!

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The Meaning of HIIT

Few people asked me what HIIT meant.  Here's an explanation below. You'll see why I love them!  TurboFire has several HIIT DVDs varying from only 15 minutes to 25 minutes. You can get a natural "high" from the workouts too.

From Wikipedia
High-intensity interval training (HIIT), also called High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise (HIIE) or sprint interval training, is an enhanced form of interval training, an exercise strategy alternating periods of short intense anaerobic exercise with less-intense recovery periods. HIIT is an effective form of cardiovascular exercise. Usual HIIT sessions may vary from 9–20 minutes. These short, intense workouts provide improved athletic capacity and condition, improved glucose metabolism, and improved fat burning.

www.teambeachbody.com/mintfreak

3 Minute Granola Bars

I LOVE this recipe!  You don't have to consume any kind of chemicals you could find in store=bought granola bars.  Only 3 minutes!

Microwave Chocolate Peanut Butter & Oat Snack Bars

by Averie @ Love Veggies & Yoga

**I added what I used** Mindy

Microwave Chocolate Peanut Butter & Oat Snack Bars
2 Tbsp Chocolate Chips
2 to 3 Tbsp Peanut Butter (or other nut butter)
2 Tbsp Milk (or nut milk) (I used Almond Milk)
1/2 C Oats
Optional:
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Tbsp Sweetener (Brown/White Sugar, Agave, Maple Syrup or Stevia to Taste)
1 Tbsp Other Dry Ingredients (coconut flakes, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, nuts, more chocolate chips, raisins, scoop of protein powder(I used Chocolate Shakeology!!) , etc.)
Directions:
Melt the first three ingredients together in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring and checking
Then add the Oats and any optional ingredients, stir to combine.  (You want this mixture to be fairly dry.  If it’s not dry enough, add more oats one tablespoon at a time)
Press mixture into bars or balls.   Using a piece of plastic wrap on the inside of a square plastic container will save on dishes and cleanup.
Put in refrigerator or freezer for 10 minutes, or until bars have set up.   Slice or break apart.
Yields 3 Larabar-sized bars that are also vegan and gluten-free.

Enjoy!!!

News!

I've finally became a beachbody coach for few reasons.   1. I just love Beachbody products ever since I bought Brazil Butt Lift.  At first, I was very skeptical at their stuff. It did show results after I used the workout program for four weeks before I headed to Jamaica last May.  I would use it again before any beach vacation or summers! 2. I  love helping other people. Money is not my motivation. It's all about being healthy.  As I have a degree in counseling, it's just a nature to me to help others.  3. Fitness has been my longtime hobby; tt has helped me in many ways.  4. I got hooked to Beachbody's Shakeology. (Chocolate!!!!)  I've tried other protein powders but they all didn't taste as great as Shakeology! (Honest!)

I am into week 4 of TurboFire now.  I love it so far! HIITs (High Intensity Interval Training)  are my favorite now because they are short!  You don't have to spend hours working out to burn more calories. I think HIITs are great for any busy schedules.

I will update my results from Turbofire as I go. (it's a 90 day program) 

www.teambeachbody.com/mintfreak
www.shakeology.com/mintfreak