Momentum Matters

Gary Null Sets A High Health Standard

According to Gary Null, International Expert in Nutrition & Health Science, I am overweight. With a BMI smack dab in the middle of normal, I was taken aback. Null says ideal weight for women is 100 lbs. for the first 5 feet and 5 pounds for each additional inch. For men, he says ideal weight is 106 lbs. for the first 5 feet and 6 pounds for each additional inch. At 5'2" I should weigh 110 pounds, my high school graduation weight decades ago.

Null advocates:

• animal protein 1 time per week
• cold water fish 5 times per week
• additional protein from whole grains, legumes, seeds and protein powder
• 45 grams of fiber per day
• at least 1, preferably 3, servings of cruciferous per day — brussel sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli
• 2-4 green drinks per day with one inch of ginger or aloe concentrate
• half gallon water or juice per day
• minimum caffeine, white sugar, soda, white flour products
• olive oil for cooking
• supplements divided into doses at meals

What do you think? Healthy or totally unrealistic? Before delcaring his standards null and void, take a hard look in the mirror and at your medical numbers — weight, blood pressure, cholesterol/LDL/HDL and glucose levels.

As for me, I have to admit that I could drop a few pounds. To make it possible, I'm going to pull out one of my all-time favorite programs, Walk the Talk Today, to kickstart a healthier body and life, and I'm going to follow it for 90 days. Want to join me? In addition to a kick-butt structure and motivation, we'll meet monthly on a telephone conference call plus private Facebook page to ensure accountability and results. Click here to join me now. Your health (mind, body and spirit) deserve the $1 per day investment, and a fresh start on these long winter days will be welcome.

Will you join me to transform your body, your health, your life? I truly hope so!

Leslie Hamp, Creative Catalyst

PS - Want inspiration toward your health, fitness and lifestyle goals plus the opportunity to ask me questions? Simply click here and LIKE my page.

 

G-Free Bread That Doesn't Taste Like Cardboard

In my quest to stay gluten-free, one of the biggest challenges is finding decent gluten-free bread that doesn't taste like cardboard. Im told this one is pretty good, so I'm parking the recipe here until I have time to try it. If you beat me to it, let me know what you think.

Gluten Free Flour Mix:

2 cups brown rice flour
2 cups white rice flour             
2 cups arrowroot starch/flour
2 cups tapioca flour
2 cups millet or quinoa flour

GF Bread for bread machine:

2 cups GF flour mix 
1 cup millet flour
3 tsp. xanthan gum
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. maple syrup
3 eggs or egg replacer
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. vinegar
1 cup pure water
2 tsp. yeast
Optional:  herbs or cinnamon and raisins

Follow instructions for your bread machine. Click here for my favorite, which has a gluten-free setting (although I'd use the basic setting for this recipe). Click here for my favorite gluten-free bread mix — always worth having on hand for days when you're short on time.

Leslie Hamp, Creative Catalyst

PS - Want inspiration toward your health, fitness and lifestyle goals plus the opportunity to ask me questions? Simply click here and LIKE my page.

 

Detox Shake Anyone?

My honey, the good Dr. James Hamp, has an interesting collection of books in his library. When I was moving a stack into his office during our big move to a little house on the big lake, I came across Cleanse Your Body, Clear Your Mind by Jeffrey Morrison, M.D. — and shifted it to my office so that I could read it.

Here's what I found interesting. Dr. Morrison, an environmental and integrtive medicine expert, says the average person accumulates more than 700 harmful chemicals in his or her body, and those toxins can slow metabolism and fog the mind... and make us fat, sick and tired. Yuck. I sure don't want toxins in my body, and that's why Dr. Morrison's plan to eliminate environmental toxins caught my eye. Here's his 30-Day Detox plan in a nutshell: 

• Detox shake for breakfast
• Seasonal fruit between breakfast and lunch
• Shake and salad for lunch
• Raw or cooked vegetables between lunch and dinner
• Lean protein and vegies for dinner

Dr. Morrison details the complete diet and meal plans plus supplements to take during the 30-day detox. Here's the shake, which is a slight twist on what I've been making for years because it's nutritious, delicious and filling:

• 2 scoops or at least 15 grams of protein from brown rice, pea or artichoke protein
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed or psyllium husk fiber (I prefer freshy ground golden flaxseeds for the omega-3 fatty acids)
• 2 tablespoons lecithin (hmmm... that's a new one for me)
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 8 ounces water (I often use rice or almond milk)
• Optional: ice cubes

Blend the ingredients in a Vitamix or blender and drink up. If you're like me, you'll be filled up for hours. Don't have a Vitamix? Click here for free shipping on me.

There's so much more, of course, so get a copy of the book that shows you how to eliminate toxins, lose weight, increase energy and reverse illness. Good stuff, Dr. Morrison!

Leslie Hamp, Creative Catalyst

PS - Want inspiration toward your health, fitness and lifestyle goals plus the opportunity to ask me questions? Simply click here and LIKE my page.

Got Milk... The Non-Dairy Kind That Is?

I'm just getting around to posting a dairy-free milk recipe requested by a couple of my readers and also by a vegetarian friend. I've been dairy-free for a good 10 years now and can honestly say I don't miss the stuff. With the fabulous substitutes I create on a regular basis, it's easy to understand why. Here are a couple of my favorites:

Rice Milk
4 cups water
1 1/4 cups cooked brown rice
8 pitted medjool dates
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place ingredients into a Vita-Mix or blender container in the order listed and secure lid. Blend for 2-3 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. Store in refrigerator. Shake well before using. 

Cashew Milk
3 cups water
1 cup cashews
4 dates or 1 T. brown sugar or 1 T. agave nectar

Place all ingredients into a Vita-Mix or blender container in the order listed and secure lid. Blend for 2 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. Store in refrigerator. Shake well before using. 

Almond Milk
3 cups water
1 cup raw almonds
4 dates or 1 T. brown sugar or 1 T. agave nectar

Place all ingredients into a Vita-Mix or blender container in the order listed and secure lid. Blend for 2 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. Filter away sediment, placing a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl. Pour almond milk slowly into sieve and allow to filter through, or strain through a nut bag. Store filtered milk in refrigerator. Shake well before using. Dehydrate almond pulp, grind into a flour with your Vitamix or food processor, store in the refrigerator until your're ready to make something yummy. Click here for ideas from the Gluten-Free Almond Cookbook.

MUST-Have
By the way, if you don't have a Vita-Mix, you really must consider buying one as you can prepare such FAST, nutritious and delicious smoothies, soups, dips, sauces, marinades and on and on. Click here for free shipping on me.

And drink up for a whole lot less than what you'd spend on store-bought milk.

Leslie Hamp, Creative Catalyst

PS - Want inspiration toward your health, fitness and lifestyle goals plus the opportunity to ask me questions? Simply click here and LIKE my page.

Humble Be Is Buzzing

I'm packing up my props — green, blue, purple and pink weighted balls and yellow flex bands — for my 11 a.m. Pilates Flow class at Humble Be in Washburn. I got an email from a client asking about the class. She inadvertently called the studio Honey Be, which is kind of cute but not nearly as meaningful as the well-thought out name, Humble Be. Have you been there? If not, join me today to discover what makes the Humble Be such a natural environment for movement, mindfulness, authenticity, humility, gratitude, connection and community.

If you're not free today, check out the space via the grand opening video below... and get yourself to a class (yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, West African dance, West African drumming, Latin or modern dance, belly dancing or body rolling). There really is something for everyone (even creative dance and movement for kids), and I hear buzz that expansion will allow even more opportunities for workshops, classes and events. And that's good for all of us. Click here to find out more about Humble Be classes, teachers, events and schedule.

As for me, it's a Pilates kind of a day with my 11 a.m. Pilates Flow class at Humble Be plus a few one-on-one Reformer sessions in my Ashland studio. I'm humbled by it all.

Leslie Hamp, STOTT PILATES® Certified Instructor 

PS - Want automatic updates plus the opportunity to ask me health, fitness and lifestyle questions? Simply click here and LIKE my page.

 

Swing Your Bell!

One of the best things about my health/wellness niche is trying all the fantastic products on the market. Lately I've been swinging with the KettleWorX DVDs. Yowser! These short burst workouts are fantastic and I'd highly recommend them, although one DVD is likely enough as the others are repetitious. Better yet, join me at the Ashland Yoga Studio to get the benefits of a fantastic workout combined with the energy of like-minded women and men who want to get and/or stay in shape without spending hours at the gym.

I discovered kettlebells in 2007 when I signed up for what I thought was a cardio tap class. Ha! I was totally freaked out when I walked into the studio for the three-day training and saw all those great big bells. Yikes! I was trying to sneak my way out the back door but no go. The lead trainer made me stay, and am I glad I did. After a day I was hooked on the functional fitness and speed of results.

The cast iron kettlebell looks like a cannonball with a handle on top. I prefer the colored variety but no matter if they're black, blue, red, yellow or pink, swinging and lifting any color kettlebell results in a heart-pumping and body-toning workout in 30 minutes or less. And that's honestly all that I can or want to do... ditto for my students. At 30 minutes, they're begging for core conditioning Pilates.

Here's why kettlebells work so well. In contrast to lifting dumbbells with weights on both ends and a fixed center of gravity, kettlebells put the weight below your grip. As you hold the handle and swing the bell, the shifting center of gravity results in dynamic moves that build functional fitness by mimicking movements in your everyday life such as picking up a bag of groceries, carrying a suitcase or lifting a child. 

In kettlebelling, power is projected from your core’s strength, while bringing speed out to the arms. The movements are similar to the counterbalance one experiences when swinging a golf club, and a single workout encompasses all ranges of motions so joints and muscles are strengthened from all angles.

A mere 10 swings will get your heart pumping, 20-30 reps will skyrocket aerobic endurance, and slow lifts and squats build strength. The payoff of these short burst workouts? A stronger core, more lean muscle, better posture, improved balance and the strength you need to stay energized all day.

Join me every Tuesday morning for a fat-burning kettlebell workout followed by core conditioning Pilates. You'll see results fast, guaranteed. Click here for the class schedule, and join me for a swinging good time!

 

Leslie Hamp, STOTT PILATES® Certified Instructor 

Thanks Dr. Essselstyn

oooh, mama; we just had THE most delicious dinner thanks to Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr., M.D., and his wife Ann. My honey, an M.D. himself, picked up Dr. Esselstyn's book, Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease, when he heard about it at an environmental/functional medicine meeting he was attending. I'm really glad he did.

Dr. Esselstyn, a former surgeon, researcher and clinician at the Cleveland Clinnic, challenges conventional cardiology by posing the revolutionary idea that the heart disease epidemic can be abolished by changing our diets. His book details the dramatic results of patients who followed a plant-based, oil-free diet. While I'm not a vegan, I do LOVE plant-based recipes and actually keep Dr. Esselstyn's book among my most valued cookbooks because the recipes are simply decilicious. Our dinner tonight was no exception...

Best Black Bean Soup
Makes 7-9 servings 

• 4 cups water or vegetable broth (I used brussel sprout broth from earlier in the week)
• 1 large, chopped onion (1 cup)
• 10 medium garlic cloves, chopped (I used half that)
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 1 cup chopped bok choy (I used chopped kale)
• 1 large bell pepper, chopped (1 cup) (I used red pepper)
• 1.5 cups orange juice (I squeezed the juice from one orange)
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced (2 cups) (I used one 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes as decent fresh tomatoes are nowhere to be found at this time)
• 1 large sweet potato, steamed and cubed (1 cup)
• black pepper, to taste (oops, I forgot that)
• cayenne, to taste (didn't include that either)
• chopped green onions, cilantro and salsa (oops; didn't add those either but did top the soup with diced avocado — a no no on Dr. Esselstyn's diet but, hey, I don't have heart disease)

Soak dry beans overnight. Place in heavy soup pot with 4 cups of water or broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer about 1 1/4 hours... or use canned beans.

Stir-fry onions, half the garlic, the cumin and carrots til tender. Add bok choy, remaining garlic and bell pepper. Stir-fry another 10-15 minutes, until everything is very tender.

Add vegetable mixture to beans, scraping bowl carefully. Stir in orange juice, diced tomatoes, and sweet potatoes. Add black pepper and cayenne pepper.

Puree some or all of soup in batches in blender or VitaMix. Simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes. Served topped with chopped onions, cilantro and salsa. Enjoy!

 

I served our soup with drop biscuits made from Elana Amsterdam's Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook (and my husband loved those too). The meal was nutritious, delicous and filling... and, joy joy, we have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow. 

Leslie Hamp, Creative Catalyst

 

Stay Strong, Even When Traveling

If you're on the road traveling and want a quick exercise to stretch and strengthen, practice the Bend Stretch Elbows with the flex band. We did the exercise, which targets the triceps and middle deltoids, in my Pilates class at the Ashland Yoga Studio this morning, and everyone gave it a thumbs up. 

STARTING POSITION

• Seated on mat, pelvis and spine vertical with legs crossed or straight (sit on a pillow, large book or chair to sit up straight as possible). Place flex band around mid back, hands holding ends of band, elbows bent at sides.

EXERCISE

• INHALE to prepare
• EXHALE maintain abdominal connection and reach arms out to sides, palms facing up. 
• INHALE bend arms to return to starting position.

  Complete 8-10 repetitions

  

Remember to start every workout with a warmup routine. Go to www.merrithew.com/warmup

Want to build core strength, flexibility and endurance... so you can remain active and healthy for life? Click here to learn about my private and small group programs. Here's to more energy, less stress and better balance!

Leslie Hamp, STOTT PILATES® Certified Instructor

*About STOTT PILATES®:  This method is a contemporary approach to the original exercise method pioneered by the late Joseph Pilates. Co‑founders Moira and Lindsay G. Merrithew, along with a team of physical therapists, sports medicine and fitness professionals, have spent more than two decades refining the STOTT PILATES® method of exercise and equipment. This resulted in the inclusion of modern principles of exercise science and spinal rehabilitation, making it one of the safest and effective methods available. This clear and detailed approach forms the basis for STOTT PILATES® training and certification programs. It’s used by rehab and prenatal clients, athletes, celebrities and everyone in between. 

 

How's Your Willpower?

If you are among those already breaking that New Year's resolution, Dr. Kelly McGonigal, health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University, offers some hope. I just watched a clip where she describes strategies for keeping resolutions to get healthy, break a bad habit, or build a new one. Based on her course “The Science of Willpower” and her book The Willpower Instinct, Dr. McGonigal shares some research and facinating conclusions that may help you boost your own willpower. Check it out here. My take-away:  all that mind-body stuff that I focus on really does make a difference. Cheers to that!

Leslie Hamp, Creative Catalyst

PS - Put your willpower into action. Click here to Create the Life You Crave!

Crazy Statistics

While this study took place over an eight-year period on college campuses across the United Kingdom, I worry that the results would be the same in the United States. According to a survey by the Succeed Foundation, in partnership with the University of West of England:

• 30% of women said they would trade at least one year of their life in order to achieve their ideal body weight and shape;
• 16% would trade one year;
• 10% would trade two to five years;
• 2% would trade six to 10 years;
• 1% would trade 21 years or more of their life.
• In addition, many women surveyed also said they would forfeit a promotion at work, part of their salary, time with loved ones and even their health.

HELLO, ladies!? Those are crazy statistics for the price of beauty, especially when ANYONE can achieve good health, fitness and a normal body weight by embracing lifestyle changes. If you're among those wanting to shake things up and finally gain momentum toward your health and lifestyle goals, find a coach and/or lifestyle program that works for you. I offer two that have resulted in amazing transformations for literally hundreds of women and men. Find out more:

• Click here to Create the Life You Crave!
• Click here to Walk the Talk Today! 

Follow one of these 90-day programs, and I GUARANTEE you will transform your thinking and your life. Here's to your health and vitality and working together to make this your best year yet!

Leslie Hamp, Creative Catalyst