5 Good Reasons to Brown Bag Your Lunch!

Sure, everyone is busy. And sometimes it's just easier to run out on your lunch hour and pick something up, rather than bringing your lunch from home.

But are you really doing yourself any favors by cutting corners in the morning and shelling out your hard-earned cash at some to-go place?

Simple answer: not really. Not only are you not doing yourself a favor, you're not doing your waistline, or the planet one either. And then there's the fact that your wallet—or your boss's wallet, if they pick up the tab—takes a hit when you dine out.

So if simple economics can't entice you to brown bag it at the office, here are five more reasons to make the switch:

• It'll Save Your Heart (From All That Salt):

The CDC estimates that 90 percent of Americans eat too much salt. And guess what the top five sodium bombs are? Yeast bread, pizza, pasta dishes, cold cuts and chicken and chicken prepared meals. Sounds a lot like a lunch menu...

By brown bagging it, you decide which foods land on your lunch plate. You choose ingredients that have less sodium. When you eat out, you leave those choices up to the restaurant. Restaurants might not really care if you're sodium loading your way to heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and kidney disease. The CDC says that if everyone followed nutritional guidelines on sodium intake, there'd be 120,000 fewer cases of heart disease and 66,000 fewer strokes each year.

• It'll Keep You From Being Fat AND Broke:

We already acknowledged that eating out puts a dent in your piggy bank (a no-brainer, really). But bringing your lunch from home means that you can control the calorie count, to make sure you're not quietly ballooning up as you munch on that "convenient" lunch delivered to you desk. If current trends continue, 86 percent of adults will be overweight or obese by 2030.Eating out is a huge part of the problem. The fact is, most people underestimate how many calories they're scarfing down when they eat out. Don't think that grabbing an "organic" wrap is a better choice; even "organic" labels make people underestimate their calorie consumption.

• It'll Save Your Sanity

Everyone needs to step away from the desk and take a few minutes to decompress in the middle of the day. By definition, going out for lunch means you step away. But if you work in the middle of a busy office district, you're probably spending most of your lunch break walking or driving to a lunch spot, waiting in a line, and then scarfing down whatever you buy. If you're lunch is already in the office, you can meander out to a park bench, an office lounge, or even just your own car (why not) and actually relax and read a bit. No need to rush back and forth.

• It'll Save The Planet

What happens when you grab food to go? They wrap it up in a to-go container, throw in some disposable napkins, give you plastic utensils and a plastic bag to carry it all in. Not exactly great for Mother Nature, or your carbon footprint. Sure, that sounds green and preachy... but it's the truth. All of that take-out packaging is landfill-bound—or even worse, headed to an ocean garbage patch. Americans produce, on average, 4.6 pounds of trash each day. Even if the item is recyclable, that doesn't mean it's disposed of properly: 80 percent of what Americans throw in the trash is actually recyclable.

• It'll Help Local Farmers and Businesses

According to the National Restaurant Association, locally sourced meats and produce are the top two food trends for 2011. That's great. It means diners will have more and more options for supporting local farmers and businesses when they eat out. But quick service and fast food outposts are the least likely to adopt local sourcing. Many rely on distribution networks dictated by national chains. By packing your lunch and buying local products from farmers markets and the grocery store, you can support your community's agriculture business and not be at the mercy of national supply chains.

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Why Health and Wellness is so Popular

If you haven’t noticed by now, the health and wellness industry is one of the most talked about and sought after industries to be apart of. You can’t turn on your TV, radio, or even drive down the highway without seeing or hearing some sort of advertisement about diet, exercise and natural health.

When did everyone just become so concerned about they’re health? The answer to that question is simple! The health and wellness industry is not prospering because everyone woke up one day and decided to get their lives together but more because of what the pharmaceutical companies have done to scare most of us into a total health kick. We don’t know about you, but we an only stomach so many quiet commercials asking us if we took a medicine that has potentially sent us into an early grave or caused some major side-affect! These money hungry pharmaceutical companies are getting sued left and right because their medicines have harmed people instead of helping them. As a result, people are looking for more preventative care as well as natural ways of healing, organic and natural health procedures.

Another reason the wellness industry is on the rise is because no matter how the economy is doing, people always want to look and feel good. Looking young and feeling good is the way we all want to feel and millions of people are willing to spend top dollar to ensure that they can slow down the aging process and keep as much of their youth as possible. The health and wellness industry is fueled by one group in particular, which is known as the baby boomers. These baby boomers (age 33-55) represent 28% of our population—yet represent 50% of our economy. This is the first generation that refuses to accept the aging process. And that’s what we’re all about; helping people obtain healthier, better quality lives.

We are starting to see the emergence of a wellness providers (not sick care, but well care) business… a business of people who educate people about products and offer services that will improve and inspire their health to create a better quality of life for a healthier future generation with improved longevity. After all, Deepak Chopra has said that the human body was built to last up to 140 years of age. With a little education and proper maintenance, our boomer generation should have no problem getting there!

Increase your longevity today by starting a wellness program for yourself or your company and improve your bottom line!

www.WellnessStudio.vpweb.com

Food+Brain Function=Connection?

Have you ever thought that, maybe what I'm eating affects my brain and its functioning process? There could also be a link to the spike in violence that we are seeing in our society with all of the chemical processed foods that are eaten in mass quantity daily!

As it turns out, IT DOES have an effect! You can actually think clearer and remember things and feel better if you're eating the right foods and adding in the right supplements. Certain foods are specifically made to improve memory and other vital functions.

Alex Ortner - Executive Producer of the film "Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days" gives a great example of how the food and drinks we put in our body makes a difference in just how much clearer we can think when eating the right foods:

"Have you ever had a little too much to drink one night and woken up a bit foggy the next morning (Yeah, I think most of us have). Well do you notice how by 4 or 5 in the afternoon all of
the sudden you feel like your brain is working properly again? And you think to yourself..."wow, my brain was really foggy this morning!" That same shift in clarity is what happens when you go from eating regular unhealthy foods to eating the right foods…which means that right now you can literally catapult your level of clarity and brain function just by knowing what to put into your body. "

So in short, what items can you add to your diet regularly to help you feel better and remember things like "Where are my glasses?" or "I can't remember where I parked!"?

We need foods rich in antioxidants (Vitamin C, Vitamin E & Beta-Carotene) which help protect brain cells from free-radical damage caused by environmental pollution. This safety shield for our brain cells will be hard at work, well into the golden years.

FOODS TO STOCK UP ON:

1. EGG YOLKS: The egg yolk itself contains choline, a component of two fat-like molecules in the brain that helps in maintaining brain health/function. If we have deficiency in choline, it may cause age-related mental declines and could contribute to Alzheimer's disease as well.

2. SPINACH: This lovely green protects the brain from age-related problems like oxidative stress and also reduces risk of an age-related brain function declines. Researchers found that feeding aging rats spinach-rich diets significantly improved their learning capacity and motor skills. Including spinach in your diet may lessen brain damage from strokes and neurological disorders.

3. YELLOW FIN TUNA: This cold-water fish protects against Alzheimer's and is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. It may help to know that structurally, the brain is made up of 60% fat. Therefore, we better be consuming foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids to keep our cells' membranes flexible to maximize their ability to allow important nutrients in!

4. CRANBERRIES: If you want improvements in memory, balance and coordination, load up on a handful of these babies frequently! Certain animal studies have shown that cranberries protect brain cells from free-radical damage, which means our brain cells are strong and alive!

5. SWEET POTATOES: What can I say about this delicious and nutritionally rich food? It is one of the most brain-nourishing things you can eat. Rich in vitamin B6 (necessary for manufacturing a certain kind of neurotransmitters), healthy carbohydrates (the only fuel source the brain uses) and antioxidants including Vitamin C and Beta-Carotene. It also has been recognized as one of the highest cancer-fighting foods ever.

6. STRAWBERRIES: This fruit helps to reduce the risk of developing age-related brain function decline. It's also loaded with Vitamin C! Studies have shown that strawberry eaters may have higher learning capacity than those who do not eat them.

7. KIDNEY BEANS: Help improve your cognitive function due to their high content of B-vitamin thiamin. Thiamin is critical for cognitive function because it is needed to synthesize choline. Also, these beans contain inositol, which may improve symptoms of depression and mood disorders.

8. WHEAT GERM: A powerful brain food, being rich in Vitamin E and selenium (which equals tons of antioxidants!) as well as choline and magnesium. You could also try flaxseed or olive oil.

It is always helpful to prepare these foods as soon as you buy them, and then have them on hand for the week so you can easily have a meal ready to eat. Now, take this list and get to shopping!

It's still January - New Year's Resolution Month!

How are you doing with your 2011 new year's resolutions? As we approach the second half of January, have you been able to stick with your exercise, healthy eating, or maybe even life and relationship goals? Whatever situation you had last year, this year should bring you more reason and opportunity to make new goals and achieve them. There is no excuse not to. We all have at least one area in our life where we can improve ourselves and make more positive changes.

With that said, think about the goals you made for this year (or at least thought about to achieve this year). You have got to have a plan if you have a goal. What is your plan? How are you going to get there?

Through my experience, I have found a very effective way to set goals and achieve them. It is known as the "S.M.A.R.T." goal theory. This stands for:
(S)pecific - What exactly do you want to achieve? Just eating healthy? Specifically, how? Explain what healthy is, eating more organic fruits, veggies and less saturated fats and processed foods.
(M)easurable - Establish a criteria for measuring your progress. By measuring, you're able to keep on track, see your progress as you come along, and know if you are doing it right. Ie: How much, how often will you eat these items?
(A)ttainable - When you have a goal that is important to you, you find ways to make it come true. You develop a mindset, abilities and skills to achieve it. Be sure that when you set these goals however, that they are not so far out of reach that you most likely will not be able to achieve. You want to be able to have your goal in reach and visible. It must be one that you can succeed at by sticking to your game plan and knowing it is possible.
(R)ealistic - This means you must be willing and able to achieve this goal. Only you have the power to know if your goal is realistic or not. It may help you to know whether or not it is realistic if you have achieved something similar in the past, but this time your motivation and resources are much better.
(T)imely - Your goal should be grounded within a certain time frame. If you don't set a time frame, how will you know when you need to achieve it or if your success has been fast or slow? It is also much easier to track your progress and see the "end point" to your achievement. Set a date to attain your goal by, and then choose 2 or 3 "check points" to measure how much success you have made on your road to achievement.

It is one of the best feelings to achieve a goal, no matter how small or large. It shows we stuck with our plan and were determined to make a positive change in our life and accomplished that. From this, we are able to increase our self-esteem and motivation to set higher goals and achieve greater things. And who knows, maybe even teach a few others how they can achieve something great too.

Happy Health Year!