Mindful Eats

Updated Green Juice Recipe and Juicer Cleaning Hack

Courtesy Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

I was delighted to wake up to an email from Today wishing me Happy National Green Juice Day. There's a day for everything! Let's celebrate vegetable juice since it's loaded with vitamin goodness. Starting your day with green juice drenches your body with goodness and gives you a head start in getting in your vegetables. Last year I found a brilliant juice hack that makes juicing TWICE as easy, so I dusted off my post on vegetable juicing (from 2009), and am updating it, along with my hack.

First - the hack. It took me 10 years to figure this out. It is so obvious that it's also possible that everyone but me has already been doing it. The thing about juicing is that it takes effort. You have to juice and clean up the juicer, which takes me 10 minutes when I'm being uber efficient. So last year, I started making TWO days of juice. That's right, twice as much juice with only half the cleaning. Now I can drink 4 days of juice with just two days juicing. So blindingly obvious - why did it take me so long to learn this?! The problem is that the nutrients start to degrade as soon as the juice starts oxidizing, but honestly, who cares? You're still getting great nutrition on the second day even if its less than the day before, and you're gaining extra juice days that you wouldn't have had. It's a win/win. If you're firing up the juicer, give yourself that extra day!

The updated post from May 2009 (it's actually a classic so there are minimal changes. I've become a little more hardcore since then, so I'm updating the recipe a little for less sugar). For another recipe, here is Martha Stewart's recipe from Today:

What to do - Juice Vegetables

1. Start off by buying fresh vegetable juice at health food stores or juice bars. Try different varieties, but make sure there is no added sugar or dairy. Just vegetables and maybe a little fruit. The easiest juices for people to start off with are cucumber and celery. However, the dark green vegetables like kale and collard greens have the most benefits.
2. Invest in a juicer. To get the maximum benefits of juice, it has to be fresh (not stored). It can save you money to buy a juicer and juice yourself, and you can juice whatever you feel like. I'm on my third Breville Juice Fountain in 11 years. There are lots of different types, so visit stores and ask questions or do your research online to find one that will work for you. Slow juicers may have more health benefits, but the Breville is convenient for my lifestyle. You have to go with what you are going to use.
   
3. Stock up on your juicing vegetables once a week. The darker greens like kale, mustard greens and collard greens have the most nutrients. You can juice anything though. We save the vegetable parts we don't cook like broccolli skin and asparagus stems to juice. Garlic is good for you. If you want to cut the "green" taste, add 1/2 lemon (you can throw the whole thing in, skin and all). To make it sweeter, add an apple, carrots or grapes. Oh, one thing NOT to juice is the top of leeks. We found out the hard way that they can make you sick.
4. Juice often. You can juice several times a week to several times a day. To increase the amount of juice per effort, you can make two days of juice at each go. Be aware that the nutrients do starts to degrade immediately, so if you're going to save some for tomorrow, fill a glass container up to the rim and put a lid on it so it doesn't oxidize.
5. Clean your juicer meticulously. Clean it as soon as you're done, and make sure the filter is scrubbed. Soak the filter in white vinegar every month or two to dissolve some of the food debris. If it gets really bad, soak the filter in bleach and then clean carefully.
6. Recycle the fiber. Some people add it to meals and eat it. It also makes great compost.
7. You don't need to juice only organic vegetables, though you may head in that direction.
   

MindfulEats Green Juice Recipe (for 2 days)

1. 10-15 leaves of kale
2. 2 stalks celery or 2/3 cucumber during the summer (the cucumber is much better!)
3. 2-4 carrots
4. 1.5" - 2" chunk of ginger
5. 1" - 2" chunk of tumeric
6. 1 whole lemon, rind and all
7. Veggie scraps from yesterday's meals
8. optional: 1 apple or pear if you are new to juicing
   

What I ate: 12 oz. water with Welleco Green Elixir, 16 oz latte, 2 oz assorted cheese, 1/2 cup nuts, 4 c. Pop Karma olive oil and cheddar popcorn, 1 orange, 23 clementines, 2 fruit rollups, 1 c. brown rice, 2 c. steamed broccoli + tofu + mushrooms, roasted seaweed, kimchi, 6 squares dark chocolate. 1 c. hot chocolate, 16 oz water

Exercise: 45 minutes spinning, 5 min stretch, 5 min core

Golden Turmeric Milk

“Each spice has a special day to it. For turmeric it is Sunday, when light drips fat and butter-colored into the bins to be soaked up glowing, when you pray to the nine planets for love and luck.” ― Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, The Mistress of Spices

We promised you the recipe for Golden Milk or Turmeric Milk in the last post. This luscious drink is great before bed and loaded with superfoods. Originally from India, it includes lots of spices that are especially lovely when it is cold out. Golden Milk is a good way to add turmeric to your diet (which is what turns milk golden). However, if you are trying to get a health benefit, remember that eating something once does not do you any good. Like exercise, you can't do it once -- taking just one yoga class or drinking one green juice is not going to improve your health. To truly gain a benefit, you need to do something regularly a few times a week and make it a habit. It's all about increasing your batting average! My neighbor loves turmeric and puts it in everything -- she jokes that her kids ask her why all their food is yellow.

Why are people so crazy about turmeric? The curcumin in turmeric is anti-inflammatory and boosts your body's antioxidant capacity. It is touted to help brain function, depression, cancer, and heart disease. A cup of Golden Milk after dinner is supposed to ease digestion too. Enough talk - here's the recipe:

Golden Milk / Turmeric Milk Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of dairy or plant milk of your choice (I prefer dairy because it isn't uber-processed like plant milk, but if I had to choose a plant milk, oat milk is very creamy)
• 1 inch of fresh grated turmeric or 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
• 1 small piece of fresh grated ginger or 1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or small part of a stick
• pinch of black pepper or a few pepper corns
• honey or maple syrup to taste (optional)

Steps:

1. Pour milk in a sauce pan. Grate the turmeric and ginger into the pan. Add the rest of the ingredients, unless you are using cinnamon powder. I prefer to use fresh ingredients, but they aren't always available and dried spices are much more convenient, so use what you have. Personally, I don't use any sweeteners because sugar is evil.
2. Heat sauce pan over low heat until it reaches a slow, barely boiling point.
3. Simmer for 5-10 minutes until it is fragrant.
4. Strain the milk into a mug if you used fresh ingredients and/or peppercorns.
5. Sprinkle cinnamon on top.
6. Enjoy! You can also make a larger batch and keep it in the refrigerator for a few days. Just heat it up in the microwave or on the stove.

 

 

You're never too old or young to exercise

“Who told you it was too late? And more importantly, why did you choose to believe them?” ― Richelle E. Goodrich

MindfulEaters, new research shows that if you have been a couch potato until you are 50, and THEN you start exercising, you will do just as well as the athlete that has been exercising since she was a teenager! A lot of research has gone into showing that regular exercise helps older adults maintain health and cognitive thinking - we've even covered it here. Now there is also a recent study that suggests physically fit young people have healthier white matter. So everyone get up and move! Get your kids, parents and grandparents on a regular exercise regimen to improve heart, mental, diabetes and overall health.

Starting exercise late in life? A study shows that if you begin intense exercise training in mid-life, you bank many of the same benefits as lifelong athletes. The study compared runners who had been racing for decades against runners that didn't start training and competing until after 50. Guess what? Both groups were similarly swift, lean and well-muscled. So if you're a masters athlete, you will be a paragon of "healthy aging" no matter how old you were when you first got off the couch and laced up your shoes.

HOWEVER, that doesn't mean you should wait until 50 to exercise.

Exercise Tip: Practice Yoga at Home

"To enjoy the glow of good health, you must exercise." ~Gene Tunney  

I practiced yoga for years -- always in studios and gyms, always lead by instructors. Even though I often practiced ashtanga yoga, which is the exact same sequence of postures in every single class, I still had to have an instructor lead the class. I envied people that could practice by themselves at home. It meant they could do it on their own time which made it easier to have a regular practice, and it also saved money. For some reason, home practice seemed impossible to me. I could never remember the sequence and I was sure I would miss things.

Then I started my own business, and like many entrepreneurs, I found my time shrunk exponentially.My stress level grew at the same rate that my free time (and money) shrank, so I needed yoga even MORE than before. It became very difficult to get to yoga class, and when I did, I was often late so they wouldn't let me in. As the amount of time I had for yoga declined, I found myself taking the Spiritual Warrior class at Jivamukti Yoga studio. The class was only an hour, and it covered a pretty comprehensive set of poses. Again, it was the exact same sequence every time.

Jivamukti handed out the sequence on paper to students. I started to try to do it at home - all I needed was a yoga mat. That worked well, and eventually I found Yoga International, which had the class on video. Technology was what I had been looking for! Yoga International is an incredible source of classes and information. You can take several different classes and do a deep dive into postures. Besides Yoga International, you can find many online sites and classes. Do Yoga With Me is another popular site that is also free.

I can't believe it took me so long to practice at home! A class at home can be just as good as a class at a studio - the difference is like listening to recorded music or watching it live. You need both in your life! My schedule is still crazy, so I've been practicing solely at home with Yoga International for the last few months. Eventually I will get back in a studio, but I will always do yoga at home. It's time and cost effective, and while my goal was to practice yoga twice a week in the past, adding home practice makes reaching the goal infinitely easier. I may even be able to do it more than twice a week!

Before you do any yoga at home, make sure you have a solid base of practice and knowledge. You should be experienced enough that you can make your own corrections. If you are a beginner, PLEASE practice with a teacher for a few months before practicing by yourself. You don't want to injure yourself - you have to be able to get into poses safely and know if you are doing them correctly.

What to do - Practice Yoga at Home

1. Start a home practice only after you have practiced for a few months with an instructor that has corrected your poses so that you know when your postures are correct.
2. Have the right equipment at home. You need a yoga mat at the least, and if you need any other props make sure you have them available.
3. Find the right class. There are a lot of alternatives online. Yoga International or Do Yoga With Me are good places to start. Sift through the offerings and find ones that are good for you.
4. Fit your yoga class into your schedule, on your own time and enjoy!

 

 

Exercise: Ran 3.8 miles, sit ups and push ups

What I ate: udon noodles + spinach + kimchi + egg, cheese, rice crackers, 4 clementines, 3 dark chocolate squares, 2 hot chocolates, hot tea, brown rice, string beans with belacun sauce, Thai Drunk Noodles, 30 ounces of water, fish oil pill and vitamin

 

Manicures and Nail Polish are Bad Habits

Photo Credit: The New York Times

We've been anti-manicure for a long time at MindfulEats, as evidenced in this post from 2009. Manis and pedis have become common place in the last 15 years, and there is nothing natural about them. We didn't like them for the below obvious common sense reasons, and now we are delighted to be backed up by in-depth reporting from the New York Times.

• Nail polishes and solvents often have chemicals like formaldehyde (used to preserve dead things) in them. Just smell the stuff -- if that doesn't tip you off to its contents then I have a bridge I'd like to see you in Brooklyn. Coating yourself in this stuff isn't good for you. If you are a regular mani-pedi girl, have you ever wondered why your natural nails are brittle, discolored, or just not normal? Sure, companies will tell you that you don't use enough polish or remover to provide a serious health risk, but since you are here at MindulEats, you probably aren't too keen on voluntarily adding additional chemicals to yourself beyond the many that we cam't control (e.g. pollution, furniture, paint)
• Nail technicians have serious health problems from working with nail products - at the least rashes and breathing problems, and they are not being fully informed of the risks of the job
• Nail art doesn't look good. They are going to look as dated as tramp stamps (the tatoos women used to get in the small of their backs) in 10 years.

The NYT has gone far deeper than our common-sense observations with excellent investigative reporting that took 13 months. Just a few of their points:

• Nail technicians in the vast majority of cheapie nail salons are paid far less than minimum wage and often subject to abuse
• Nail technicians suffer serious health problems: respiratory illness, miscarriages, birth defects

What to do - Pay Up for Manicures

1. Don't get mani/pedis at all. Just keep your nails clean and short. Long painted nails will look weird and dated in 10 years anyway. And think about all the money you will save!
2. Give yourself manicures. If you can't resist, buy polish that is as nontoxic as possible and DIY.
3. Pay up for mani/pedis and go less often. Don't go to the cheapie neighborhood salon. Go to a reputable place with a selection of chemical free nail polish (just kidding, it doesn't exist, find polish without as many chemicals) and ask your nail technician what they are being paid. 

This series by the New York Times is very impressive investigative reporting that took 13 months. It will change the industry, if not our culture:

• The Price of Nice Nails, 5/7/15
• Perfect Nails, Poisoned Workers, 5/8/15
• Readers' Questions and Answers

Please let us know if you are going to change your mani habits in the comments!

What I ate: 4 oz scrambled eggs, 2/3 cup yogurt+blueberries+strawberries+pineapple, 10 oz coffee, 10 oz green tea, Pret a Manger nori roll wrap and 1 Harvest Cookie, 1 chocolate chip cookie, brown rice + broccoli + mushrooms, cheddar puffed rice, Trader Joe's mini rice crackers, 1 cup pineapple, 4 pieces dark chocolate, 12 oz pomegranate juice, 50 oz water

Exercise: None

Camellia Oil: Reverse Hair Loss and Gray

Purity Camellia Oil for Hair and Scalp

Everybody thinks of changing humanity and nobody thinks of changing himself. ~Leo Tolstoy

I've been working on an exciting new project - a new popcorn company called Pop Karma - so I haven't written as often as I'd like. I promise I'll provide more details on Pop Karma soon.

In the meantime, my dear cousin asked me what I used to dye my hair with since she didn't want to use something really harsh and chemically. Oh no, clearly I've gotten to the age where I should be dying my hair! But I'm not. I have some stray grays, and sometimes when I see them I'll pull them out. Sometimes I leave it in because I think it looks distinguished.

I expect the grays will start coming in quickly and then who knows what I'll think. While I haven't tried dying my hair, I have been using camellia oil for years. My friend started making it around 2004, and I started using it to support his entrepreneurial spirit. One of the properties it claims is that it has reversed graying in some people.

Camellia oil has been used as a beauty product for generations in Asia, and when I told my mother about it, she had vague memories of her grandmother using it. She remembered her as always having black hair, so she called her brother for confirmation. He remembered her having black hair too.

So what is this stuff? Let's start with the facts. Camellia oll is made from the seeds of tea trees. It is rich in Vitamins A, B, C & E and various minerals. It's composed mainly of oleic acid (80%), one of the most penetrative oils, which allows it to hydrate and clean pores and follicles without greasy residue. It allows oxygen and nutrients to penetrate. Camellia is a natural antioxidant that helps protect from UV exposure. It was used for centuries in Japan and Taiwan as a mositurizer and revitalizer. It fell out of favor with more recent generations since it was pungent and greasy.

When my friend first started the company, I told my mother about it, and she spoke to his father, Dr. Michael Liau, one of the founders. He is a retired professor of pathology that specialized in oil at Columbia University. She was impressed and started using the scalp oil. My mother said her hair and eyebrows started growing in thicker. My aunt noticed and she started using it too. I'll note that they think it has grown more hair, but they are still dying it.

I use it, and my cousin frequently observed over the years that my hair seemed fuller. I never really thought about it until recently, when she asked me about dying my hair. Maybe it's working. I thought I should do more investigative reporting so I called Dr. Liau.

Green Feminine Hygiene Products: Organic Cotton/Menstrual Cups

It is health that is real wealth, and not pieces of gold and silver. ~Mohandas Gandhi

This post is for the women. Men, I recommend you stop reading here. Stop. Because we're going to be talking about MENSTRUAL PERIOD stuff.

{Yup, that got rid of the guys.}

So when it comes to that time of the month, how do you handle it? Pads, tampons, organic tampons? I recently found a new feminine hygiene product (hate that term) that isn't a tampon or a pad. Actually, it's not new - it's been around since the 1930's. It's more effective, more comfortable and much more environmental. What is it you ask? It's a menstrual cup, which is basically a bell-shaped cup made from medical grade silicone, polyethylene or other nonlatex materials that is worn inside the vagina to collect menstrual fluid.

I think most women find the product journey to be something like this:

1. Conventional Sanitary Pads. They are easy to use and figure out. However, there can be leaking and messiness involved, and it feels like you're sitting on a pillow so some women turn to
2. Conventional Tampons. These are so much harder to learn to use than pads, but provide so much more freedom once you get used to them. However, they still require regular purchasing and can be leaky. Wondering about the health effects of them, you might turn to
3. Unbleached Organic Tampons. If you have something in you for days, you want to make sure its as toxin- free as possible. Your vagina absorbs well, which is why medicines can be delivered through vaginal suppositories. Using nonchlorinated tampons means less chemicals for you and the environment.

I was at stage 3, and wondering if there was anything better because tampons really aren't all that great. I hate having to remember to buy them, they're drying and they can leak. They also didn't feel green - all the material and energy that went into making them and then they were disposed of. Then one day I read an article about menstrual cups. Soon after that I was at Whole Foods buying some nonchlorinated cotton tampons, and I saw some menstrual cups. 

They seemed weird, but in the name of science, I bought one. What happens to the fluid? Isn't it messy?

After three months, I love it. I can't feel it, it doesn't leak, it's not drying, there's no string hanging around, I don't need to remember to bring a tampon to the bathroom (because it's always with you), and I've saved a lot of money.  I wish I'd learned about them 10 years ago!

What's the downside? The icky factor (which isn't so icky). So here's the unvarnished scoop:

I Tried It: Mat and Equipment Pilates Classes

   Pilates equipment at Pilates on Fifth

Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness. ~Joseph Pilates

Good posture has been one of my New Year's Resolutions for years. (I still haven't accomplished it so it's on my list again this year). Bad posture can cause many ills from poor digestion to back and joint pain. When I first put posture on the list, I thought immediately of the Pilates Method. This exercise focuses on strengthening your core (muscles in your abdomen and back), which is necessary for good posture. Developed by Joseph Pilates in the 1920s, it is supposed to make you stronger, leaner and longer. It was initially taken up by ballet dancers, who are the graceful epitome of long, lean good posture.

The Pilates Method is taught through equipment or mat classes. It focuses on muscle control, which is harder than it sounds. Equipment classes are generally more effective since they increase resistance. They are usually taught privately or in small groups so they are more expensive.  Mat classes follow a sequence of Pilates exercises, and require a mat. When I started taking Pilates, I didn't have the cash for the equipment classes so I took mat. Then a friend of mine who wanted to be in the best shape of her life when she turned 40 started taking equipment classes. After seeing the taut lines that ran down the sides of her stomach, I decided to try a few classes. So this is one layperson's experience.

Just for a little background, I consider myself fairly active. I'm no Olympian, but I run, strength train and practice yoga regularly. Pilates kicked my butt. When I first started mat classes, I had no idea I was such a weakling. The exercises were so hard, it was addictive. Over time, the exercises got easier but I didn't notice myself being any longer or leaner. I eventually got bored with the series, and I didn't have the time to do both yoga and Pilates so I focused on yoga.

However, I recently took a series of three equipment classes at Pilates on Fifth in NYC. The classes were supposed to be a small group (four people), but I lucked out and the first one happened to be private. That was extremely helpful because the exercises were different from anything I'd done before. Equipment classes were even harder than mat. The machines are odd looking, and they add enough resistance to be excruciating. The classes are a full body workout. Mat classes seem to focus on core and some leg, but the equipment hits all the muscles in your arms and legs too. I kept looking at my watch hoping the class would be over. I got sweaty by the end. Since I took the classes sporadically (weeks in between classes) so I didn't get all the benefits. If I'd taken them regularly, I have no doubt that I would be walking tall. My friend with the taut tummy has been taking private sessions for a little less than two years, and her instructor varies the Pilates with gyrotonics. She also does some mat exercises at the gym.

There are some similarities between yoga and Pilates. As much as I like Pilates, I'm going to stick with yoga. There's an inceasing amount of cross-over. A yoga instructor will occasionally add some Pilates exercises, which is great, and there are hybrid yogilates classes too.

Bottom Line: If you are looking for a disciplined strengthening exercise, Pilates is great. Mat classes will strengthen your core, and if you can afford it, equipment classes are a full-body workout. Combine equipment classes with cardio exercise and you'll have a full exercise program.

 

What I ate: 1 hard boiled egg,1 bowl cherries, 2 lattes, 1 cup cantaloupe, maracona almonds, 2 cups quinoa + ground roasted flaxseed, vegetable stirfry, seaweed, honey yogurt + ground roasted flaxseed, 2 salted caramels, pork jerky, salted caramel goatmilk ice cream, 36 oz water

Exercise: None

 

 

 

 

Non-toxic red lipstick and the Environmental Working Group Cosmetics Database

  Juice Beauty Reflecting Lip Gloss in Guava, Lipstick in Fig, and Smashbox in Legendary

Mindful Eaters, you already know that you are what you eat. The food that goes inside you directly impacts the way you feel and look. That's why you're so gorgeous, bright-eyed, and bushy-tailed. Almost as/just as important as what you eat is what you put on you. Your skin is your largest organ, and it's meant to simultaneously protect you and be superabsorbent. Eliminate those toxins and you'll be even more gorgeous and energetic. We've covered body and beauty products before, now we're going to talk make-up (sorry boys).

I've never been a consistent lipstick wearer since I didn't like the staining, but I suddenly wanted that red 1940's look and became obsessed with red lipstick a few weeks ago. I thought it would be easy to find one since every makeup company makes at least one fire engine color. Then I decided to run my favorite brands through the Environmental Working Group's (EWG) Cosmetics Database and made two discoveries, one good and one bad. 1) the EWG Database had vastly improved. It was always in the MindfulEats Resource List, but we'd never featured it since it was clunky and hard to use. Now it's radically more user-friendly, and it's not perfect, but it's really an amazing resource. 2) All the most popular lipstick brands rate at least a 5 in toxicity (out of 10). Not good. No wonder they stain! The highest concerns are Neurotoxicity, Endocrine disruption, Persistence and bioaccumulation, Biochemical or cellular level changes. Nasty. I think my favorite is bioaccumulation - who wants to accumulate toxins in your body?

After a great deal of searching, I didn't find anything perfect. But I did find two brands of lipstick that ranked lower on the toxicity scale: Juice Beauty (2/10), and Smashbox (3/10). 0 is obviously the best, but these brands were the easiest for me to find. I only bought Smashbox (Legendary) to get the bright red - it wasn't my favorite red, but it was close enough and I'd rather have something slightly less toxic. Juice Beauty has really limited colors (two) but I love the product - it feels great and the gloss is nice too. I might have to start making my own lipstick, but until there's a MindfulMakeup line, I'm going to go with these.

What to do - Check Your Products

1. Run your current body and beauty products through the EWG Database. Or if you're looking for something new, run your old product and other alternatives throught the database.
2. Pick a threshold that you don't want anything over. For example, 4/10. Read up on the higher toxicity products. Some natural brands like Weleda might rank higher than that - find out why. some natural brands rate highly for potential allergans, and if you're not allergic, the product is ok for you.
3. Throw away all the products that exceed your threshold. Yup, throw them away. You have permission.
4. Replace your items with lower toxicity, natural products.
5. Notice how much better you feel!

Resources:

• Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
• Body and beauty product and facial product recommendations (Mindul Eats)
• Mindful Eats Resource List for all kinds of useful links and info

 

What I ate: blueberries + ground flaxseed + Hawthorne Valley Plain yogurt, 8 strawberries, Happy Herbert's spelt sticks, grape tomatoes, whole wheat spaghetti + sundried tomato pesto + ground flaxseed, 1 latte, chocolate farm cake, tofu pad see ew, 50 oz water

Exercise: 5 mile walk/jog with my new dog

 

 

 

Sitting Will Kill You

Lizard sitting so much a pigeon sits on it 

Be not afraid of going slowly; be afraid only of standing still. ~Chinese Proverb

Some recent news on sitting reported in the New York Times will make some of you very happy, and some of you not-so-happy. You know that your body is meant to move and you exercise regularly since it's important for your health. Awesome. Well, it turns out your body is REALLY meant to move. Extended periods of sitting cause muscular change that can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and other bad stuff. Your body shuts down at a metabolic level, and exercise doesn't undo it.

How do we know this? Scientists recently parsed some data from a study on men's exercise habits in 1982 (done by researchers affiliated with the Cooper Institute in Dallas), and they found that men who spent more than 23 hours a week watching TV or sitting in their cars had a 64% greater chance if dying from heart disease than men who sat 11 hours a week or less. Even active exercisers didn't get a pass.

Recent animal studies show that mice or rats who aren't allowed to move around normally quickly develop unhealthy cellular change.

Adults spend 9+ hours per day in sedentary activities: work, commuting, playing video games, reading, Internetting, watching videos.

You've got to move your body or lose it! Fidgeters are delighted by this news. For those that like to couch potato it or sit in front of a computer for hours, you have to strategize a little. The good thing is that you can counteract sitting by adding as much movement into your day as you can.

What to do - Move Your Body

1. Exercise. Even though sitting is bad, it's still important to exercise.
2. Identify the times that you spend time sitting. It might be at work, commuting, or watching TV.
3. Try to get up once or twice an hour when sitting to pace around. Set an alarm. You can also get a desk that allows you to stand instead of sit.
4. Combine TV watching with household chores. "Home activities" like cleaning, straightening, and changing lightbulbs require more energy than sitting.
5. Make your commute active. Walk or bike to work and to do chores. Stand on the train. Park as far away from the entrance as possible.

Want to learn more?

• The Men Who Stare At Screens, NYT 
• Sitting Disease
• Mindul Exercise
• Standing Desk

What I ate: blueberries, cherries, strawberries, tomatos, 24 oz. coconut water, 16 oz. vegetable juice, milk, acai juice, Raw Milk Cheddar NYCheese, mahon cheese, whole wheat fusilli+heirloom tomatoes+garlic scape+basil+parmesan, Mindful Mix (macadamias, almonds, walnuts, goji berries, cranberries), 4 slice dried mangos,  Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip ice cream, 40 oz. water

Exercise: Ran 8 miles