Curious About Triathlon? Give It A Try Indoors

People ask me all the time what it’s like to do triathlons. Such as what are the sensations that go through your body while doing it, how tired you are at the end, what is the mental side of it, etc...
A triathlon is quite a unique experience, and I would advise anyone to try at least once in their life.
However, I’m aware that not everybody is willing to buy all the necessary apparel, enter a race and actually compete, just for the sake of giving it a try.
Fortunately there are other ways to try it and get a sense of what it’s like, if you’re interested. My favorite one is to do an indoor triathlon at the gym.
I’ve done it several times with my friends that wanted to give triathlon a try, and it has always been a lot of fun.
In order to do an indoor triathlon all you need is to have a membership at the gym that: has a swimming pool, offers spinning classes and is equipped with treadmills.
I’m aware that not all gyms have indoor swimming pools but, for instance, here in NYC there are quite few that have (located all around the city). If yours doesn’t have it, ask for a complimentary pass to a friend/colleague if their gyms does.

Munching Raisins Helps Lowering Blood Pressure

I have an unhealthy addiction to raisins. If I know that there are raisins sitting somewhere in the kitchen I have to eat them. I just can’t help it. 
In an effort to restrain myself, I buy them only once a week. Usually the package doesn’t last during the 12 blocks walk between Whole Foods and my apartment. No kidding, I eat them one after the other like if I was in some sort of raisins withdrawal.
I can’t even claim that I’m some sort of raisins gourmet. No matter if they’re California Golden, Thompson, Red Flame or the more classical Sultanas, as long as they’re raisins I have eat them until the very last one.
Now, I’m aware that raisins are an healthy snack food, a bit packed with sugars, but healthy.

Fortunately for me, today I have one more reason to rejoice of my raisins addiction. According to a study presented on Monday March 26 at the American College of Cardiology's 61st Annual Scientific Session, daily consumption of raisins (i.e., three times a day) may significantly lower blood pressure, especially if compared to eating other common snacks.
This study’s findings become even more exciting if you think that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nearly one in three American adults (28%) suffers from prehypertension...pretty soon my "raisins addiction club" will have new members!

Raw, Vegan, Pescatarian...Personally, I'm An Healtharian!

Nowadays there is a label for all possible diet practices. Until not long ago it was all about being either omnivore or vegetarian. Then the macrobiotic diet became very popular (also thanks to Ms Ciccone), and also the vegan diet became part of mainstream food movements.
More recently the rawism is acquiring an important spot (just here in New York raw restaurants are popping out in every neighborhood). But that’s not it, there are flexitarians, pescatarians, pollotarians not to mention paleos and so on...
However, there’s no “official” definition for those (like me) that believe only in healthy eating: healtharian I like to define myself.
I actually randomly searched such term on Google and I found only a couple of websites that talk about it and in very marginal way (sigh!).
This means that time has come to claim our spot in the food movements.
First of all, I really like how healtharian sounds.
I can’t wait to be at the next time dinner party and when somebody will ask me “Are you vegetarian?vegan?” and I will be able to proudly reply “No, I’m an healtharian!”. How cool will it be? I’m already savoring the moment when I’ll start explaining what be an healtharian means (ha!)
And then you know it, once the word is out, it will start circulating and in a heartbeat we will rule the world!
Ok, that might be a bit of a stretch, but I know for a fact that there are many of us that just can’t wait to proudly walk under the healtharian banner.
But let’s move one step at the time...

Raw Chocolate Pudding

I love this pudding for a bunch of reasons:
1) It’s uber-easy to make
2) It’s raw
3) It's vegan
4) Tastes great
5) Packed with nutrients
6) If you add protein powder makes for a perfect post-workout food
I'm positive that after reading this list you’ll be convinced to give it a try. You honestly should, because it’s really worth it.
Just five ingredients: bananas, unsweetened cocoa powder, chia seeds, vegan milk and protein powder (if you feel like).
It takes less than five minutes to "assemble". I like to make it before going to training so that it’s ready by the time I got back home. It’s a great substitute for the post-workout protein smoothie but can also be served to your guests as a sweet treat. And believe me no one would be able to guess that this awesome pudding is also so healthy!

Exercise Can Change (And Improve) Your DNA!

If you think that you’re going to be stuck with your DNA for the rest of your life, think again, because DNA is not immutable as many believe.
A recent study, published in the March issue of Cell Metabolism (a Cell Press publication) has discovered that when healthy but inactive men and women exercise for a matter of minutes, their DNA changes immediately.
One might think: is this a good or a bad thing? General consensus among scientists is that this is a very good thing.
Which means that altering our genomes for better health might be only a jog away.

Do You Know How Healthy (And Good) Kelp Is?

I discovered kelp one day while I was having lunch with my friend Agata at Earth Matters in the LES, NYC. She grabbed a box from the fridge that contained what appeared to be pesto noodles.
They didn’t looked exactly like regular noodles, more of a squishy version of them. I was a bit skeptical, but she made me try them and I must admit, they were awesome.
They were noodles made of kelp, an algae. Now, I know in general that algaes are a pretty amazing food, but what I didn’t know to what extent kelp is  awesome.
Truth to be told we should all try to integrate more kelp in our eating regimens.
Not only because it’s a healthy thing to do, but also as growing algae is cheap and sustainable - hence a good thing for our beloved Earth!

Blueberry Protein Banana Bread

This banana bread is amazing, I’m not kidding, it’s truly amazing. No sugar added, almost fat-free but with lots of good proteins and other precious nutrients: soft, moist and simply amazing.
It’s made with a good amount of whole wheat flour, rolled oats and protein powder.
Its core is bananas. I used organic ones that I found at the local grocery store, and I was very careful to pick the most riped ones from the stack.
This is crucial because the recipe calls for no added sugars. This means that all of the sweetness comes from the banana: that’s why they should be very ripe and delicious.
Also, don’t cheap out on blueberries: they contribute dramatically to this bread.
The end result is...amazing. I know I’m repeating myself but I can’t find any other word to better describe it.
It’s the best thing for breakfast. And if you’re on a diet, check the nutrition facts below, I’m sure you’ll be surprised!

Weight Loss Tip: Plan Your Meals

One of the golden rules for keeping your weight under control and being healthier is to never leave the house in the morning without having a plan for lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner.
If you’re on a diet you probably don’t have to worry about this because you’re likely to be provided with a daily nutrition plan. If you’re not (or you just finished one) you better start thinking ahead and learn to keep in check what you’re going to eat throughout the day.
Over time I discovered that planning meals is really a necessary component in being healthier.
Why? Because there’s nothing worst than spontaneous eating: 9 times out of 10 you’ll make poorer food choices. As it’s always easier to head to a fast food joint or to order-in rather than to create a nutritious and healthy meal at home.
Menu planning doesn't have be complicated: it just requires a small investment of time and some thinking.

Pumpkin Protein Muffins

I had some leftover pumpkin puree and thought to make some healthy muffins that I could enjoy in the morning for breakfast.
Making these muffins is a cinch. You can mix by hand which allows to incorporate all the ingredients quickly without overdoing it, a little touch for decorating them and that’s about it.
Depending on the sweetness of the pumpkin puree you’re using you can cut on the sugar. You can always replace it with Splenda sweetener to make them sugar free. Also feel free indulge on spices. I really enjoy the flavor combination of pumpkin and cinnamon; next time I’m going to add a little more than what the recipe calls for. So feel free to adjust those things to taste.
What came out of the oven were some pretty good muffins, worthy of your palate. Packed with protein, fibers and all the nutrients pumpkin brings along!

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One Grapefruit A Day Helps Lowering Cholesterol, But...

A few days ago, the NYTimes health blog reported a pretty interesting news: the FDA acknowledged that cholesterol-lowering statins carry a risk of cognitive side effects.
If you’re not familiar with this drug, statins help people at high risk of cardiovascular problems, lowering cholesterol, risk of heart attack and stroke. They are one of the most prescribed drugs in the world.
For years doctors have been fielding reports from patients that the drugs leave them feeling “fuzzy,” and have been experiencing big memory problems. Finally the FDA has officially acknowledged that.
This news has raised concern because 21 million patients only in the US were prescribed statins during 2011. It's difficult to assess how many of them have experienced cognitive side effects.
So what’s the solution? Lowering cholesterol through a healthy diet and exercising, easy as that. You can get off statins and no more fear of “losing the mind”.
Among food that help with cholesterol issues one might be particulalry helpful: grapefruit!
A study conducted in Israel demonstrated that eating one ruby red grapefruit a day was as effective as taking statin drugs in the lowering of cholesterol. But beware, you cannot use the two together!