Why Everyone Needs a “Rocco”

As far as I’m concerned, everyone could benefit from having a dog.

I have only had Rocco for a year and a half, but I can’t imagine my life without him now. He may drive me nuts sometimes, but he’s a wonderful companion who comforts me when I’m sad, keeps me company when I’m bored, watches TV with me, and runs with me, just to name a few. Some may think that dogs are just pets (any dog owner knows that isn’t the case), but there are actually quite a few health benefits of living with man’s best friend.

1 – Petting a dog has been proven to lower your stress and anxiety levels, and therefore blood pressure levels

2 – Dogs need to be walked; walking your dog means you’re getting more exercise than just sitting on your couch when you get home from work.

3 – People with dogs have lower cholesterol levels; researchers aren’t sure why, but they’ve found a strong connection...

Raw Spirulina Energy Crunch Bars

This yummy snack is:
-Vegan
-Gluten free
-Dairy free
-Sugar free
-Yeast free
-Corn free

…but most definitely not taste free! It’s a great 100 calorie raw snack, high in enzymes, healthy fats, and nutrient rich spirulina, and perfect for on the go!

Yield: 9 bars

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds [pepitas]
• 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1 banana, mashed
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 2 medjool dates, pitted
• 1/2 teaspoon spirulina

Directions

Pulse pumpkin and sunflower seeds in a food processor with an “S” blade. Remove seeds and place in a small bowl. Using same food processor bowl, blend banana and dates until smooth. Add pulsed seeds and all remaining ingredients to the bowl. Mix quickly with food processor before shaping mixture into small bars.

Freezer version: place the bars on a parchment paper lined plate and stick in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up. Bars eaten right out of the freezer work well...

Spice it Up: Baked Turmeric Chicken Tenders

If you have a busy schedule like me and love to cook healthy dinners but just don’t have the time, here’s an easy, tasty, and healthy dinner that I created. All you need are 2 bowls, baking pan and 6 ingredients. I hope you like it!!

INGREDIENTS

6 organic medium chicken strips
1/4 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1 teaspoon of turmeric ( I usually add a little more )
1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

1) First you’ll need two medium bowls
2) In one bowl add 1/4 cup of coconut oil
3) In the other bowl add whole wheat bread crumbs, turmeric, cinnamon and sea salt.
4) I use 6 organic chicken strips. I dip one strip at a time in oil, then coat the chicken with
my bread crumb mixture.
5) Place the strips on a baking pan of your choice.

Set oven to 350 degrees and bake for 35 minutes. The chicken turns out crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. I serve it with roasted vegetables or a very...

A Beginner’s Guide to Meditating

This year instead of making one big resolution I decided to have several mini-resolutions.

The first was a week of meditation:  5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes in the evening. The number seems so small, yet it’s amazing how easy it can be to tell yourself that you don’t have time that day. Especially in the morning, I found myself rushing to get out the door to work and passing on my morning meditation. Imagine though for a moment how different your morning would be if instead of rushing out the door the second you finish getting ready with this mind set of ‘hurry, hurry’, you instead spent your last 5 minutes at home cultivating a calm and clear mind to carry throughout your day.

So why meditate in the first place? Meditation is not a new practice and has been around for centuries. There has been plenty of anecdotal support for this practice but more recently we now have the scientific evidence to back it...

Why it’s All About that Bass!

It’s an awesome new song with great lyrics. Megan Trainor certainly isn’t lying when she says, “it’s all about that bass”, and I’m going to tell you why, from a Physical Therapy stand point, at least. Anyone who takes my Pilates classes knows that I LOVE teaching glute exercises – squats, lunges, bridges – anything to get that “bass” going! … and it’s not just because I live in Miami, where “basses” are… ahem… popular. The Glutes, all three of them, are wonderful, but not just because they fill up jeans.

These three muscles: the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus, are pivotal in not only squatting and lunging, but in walking, standing from a seated posture, holding us upright, providing amazing stability to our hips and spine, standing on one leg and many more. The gluteus maximus, the largest of the three, attaches from the ilium (on the...

Seven Steps to Minimizing Stress

STRESS – that inevitable part of life that can foil any day, week, or month!

With school quickly approaching, stress levels are likely to rise, which can really ruin a healthy lifestyle routine. Whether you have kids in school or not, I think the seven steps I’ve shared below can really keep you on track with life, exercising, and healthy eating.

1) Food organization

If you know me at all, you know I love food – healthy food, in particular. Unfortunately, when a week gets insanely busy, the first thing to go is the healthy meal plan. In order to eliminate (or at least limit) the take out and delivery, the most important thing I do in a week is meal prep. On Sunday morning, I come up with meals I would like to eat during the week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I then head to Fresh Market, grab my ingredients and then prep for the week. 6 breakfasts, lunches, and dinners are made and packed in individual containers; fruits and...

Apple Cider Vinegar: The Miracle Product

Apple Cider Vinegar  (ACV) does more than add a zing to your salad dressing.

It’s known as a powerful cleansing and healing elixir- a naturally occurring antiseptic and antibiotic that can fight bacteria, germs, and viruses! The pungency of ACV can often make it appear as if it’s gone bad, but the fermentation and ripening process gives it its strong odor and taste—and this is a natural, good sign! Natural ACV is a brownish color, often with brown cobweb like substances, which is referred to as the “mother.”  So the next time you’re looking to clean your house, in need of a remedy for too much time spent in the sun, or just in need of a thorough detox, look no further.

Here are JUST A FEW reasons why ACV is so good for you and how it can be used in SO many ways…

Apple cider vinegar…

1. Relieves chronic fatigue
2. Helps control and normalize weight (*in combination with a reduced...

ROLL IT OUT: Foam Roller Functionality

The foam roller is my favorite at home exercise tool.

It’s wonderful for soothing tight fascia. Fascia is a structure of connective tissue that surrounds muscles, surrounds groups of muscles, blood vessels, and nerves, binding some structures together while permitting others to slide smoothly over each other.

Below are four more reasons to ROLL IT OUT!

1. It reduces soreness and tightness from working out.

You know that feeling when you wake up the day after a really hard workout and your muscles are so sore it’s hard to move? Yeah, we’ve all been there. But foam rolling right after your workout (or even the next day) can help reduce some of that soreness and tightness.

That’s because foam rolling works by massaging away fascia buildup in your muscles, which often lead to painful, sore muscles. Reducing this means you won’t have to skip your workout because you’re too sore from the previous day’s...

Cycle for your Health!

As a spin instructor and an avid outdoor cyclist I can’t help but love being on a bike.

It’s a great workout indoors providing a great sweat and burning hundreds of calories, and living in South Florida we have year round access to being able to cycle outside in nature. Cycling is not only a great workout, but is environmentally friendly and a great source of transportation providing better scenery than when in a car. For those of us who live in Coconut Grove we know it is a great place to bike just to get from here to there, to run errands, and to get to Pilates in the Grove. But we also have access to over 50 miles of dirt, paved, or gravel bike paths throughout Miami-Dade County. Visit Miami-Dade County’s Bike305 website to find interactive maps that you can use to explore these paths, as well as links to cycling groups and an extensive calendar of cycling events. If you’re thinking of using your bike not only for leisure but...