All posts tagged exercise

November 19, 2014 · Blog

Discipline; the Engine that gets you to good health

 

 

One of the biggest roles I play as a health coach is motivator. So many clients want to feel better and see changes in their health but in the beginning they just can’t seem to resist the ice-cream or the chocolate or fill in the blank with your fave food. Part of it is physical addiction but the biggest hurdle is plain old discipline.

 

One of the best things I have developed through my life is strong discipline. It’s because of lots of self talk that says “Joy it’s not worth it!”  Whether it was watching the pounds or detoxing.

I believe the most important thing is to ask yourself “Self, what is your motivation?” And make sure you give yourself one heck of an answer.

We can talk ourselves into or out of anything.  It all comes down to your motivation. It has to be strong and it has to be purposeful.

 

Once, I healed a bad case of gastritis with diet.  I learned to de-stress with yoga, breath deeply, and I followed a strict diet of protein, vegetables and good fats. Discipline was key. I had important goals I did not, no, would not mess up. The choice was stay on medication that could destroy my digestion for life or heal naturally. I’d say that’s a strong motivation, especially when you have a family who depends on you.

 

The only way to whole-body health is by harnessing your discipline and putting into action all the knowledge you know will change everything.

There is a sense of power and happiness that comes from dedication to your self. 

We have to grow up and realize that choices have consequences and the world owes you nothing. 

 

Make good choices about the foods you eat and smarter choices about lifestyle. Add movement into your day, consciously relax; meditate or tap away stress. This stuff is so life changing its crazy. Most people need support to stay with it at the beginning.  Once you start and see the symptoms change its so much easier.

 

So define your motivation. What is it for you?

 

September 17, 2014 · Blog

What is Vitamin P?

My newest goal in life is to include more play and pleasure into my everyday, which are equally as important as good food and exercise.

 

I woke up on Sunday morning to a clear, cool, and sunny day.“What a great day to go rent bikes in Central Park, ride to the Boathouse and have a drink,” I said to my husband. This was not my idea, but was a good idea given to me by friends as we walked on the High-line in Chelsea last Saturday night.  I made a mental note and thought, wow, I have to do this!  I don’t always have such great ideas myself, but I am good at picking them up wherever I can and putting them to good use.

 

So, that Sunday, I skipped my morning workout, which is usually not so much fun, or very long, and rode a bike with my husband through Central Park for a few hours.  We laughed and enjoyed the beautiful park together, and I hardly realized I was riding!   Okay, maybe it was the Paradise Martini at the Boathouse (which I highly recommend), but really I think it was the exhilaration of good company and plain old having fun. Here’s to exercise that doesn’t feel like work! Cheers!

We went for an early dinner. I had a tricolor salad and tuna steak with a red wine reduction, spinach and mashed potatoes. It was delicious, I might add.  I ate slowly, happily and enjoyed every bite.

The result of my fun day was so amazing for my mind and body. I was relaxed, in a great mood and I slept soundly at night. I actually felt my endorphins elevated and I just felt good!!  I also noticed how good my digestion was in this state.  This is called the Cephalic Phase Digestive Response, which basically means that happy chemicals = good digestion.

I read a book by Norman Cousins, The Anatomy of an Illness.  In it he wrote about how he cured his disease with laughter.  He watched I love Lucy and other comedies and laughed so hard that it stimulated all the healing chemicals of the body. There is something to play and pleasure.  If stress, as we know, is harmful, well what’s the opposite?

Beyond nutrition and physical activity, we can infuse joy into our food, and fun into our exercise.  It is a mistake to assume diet is the only reason for good or bad health. Even when the intake of food is perfectly figured out, we should never forget that play and pleasure are key components of good health.

Think of play and pleasure as Vitamin P.  A big dose is recommended very often!

 

http://www.prevention.com/mind-body/emotionalmental-health http://www.nifplay.org/opportunities/personal-health/

 

 

 

December 11, 2013 · Blog

The Real Truth About Workout Food

 

What’s wrong with the fuel most people are using?  I call them Frankenfuels. From Gatorade to power bars to those creepy gel packs with the chemicals they contain and synthetic “nutrients”, I really don’t know how we got so far from real food.

 

Those Frankenfuels have very high sugar content. Gatorade was recently forced to take out the brominated vegetable oil, BVO.  Another ingredient in many sport drinks is TBHQ it is a preservative also an anticorrosive agent found in diesel oil!

 

Many of the protein powders people use have artificial sweeteners and chemicals that lead to brain fog during a workout.

 

The truth is that we should be putting as natural a food source as possible into our bodies especially during and after strenuous physical activity. To understand why we need to understand carbohydrate delivery and the maximum rate of fluid absorption; Osmolality.

Most sports drinks have 6-8% concentrated solution.  Bars. Energy packets and gels have 10-30% concentration of carbs. When you consume them absorption is not ideal unless you drink tons of water with them.  Many labels suggest drinking at least 8 oz. of water with it and most people don’t follow directions.  Anything above a 4% concentrated solution will result in GI distress and fluid emptying.

 

Another thing that’s been hyped up to sell sports drinks is electrolytes.  The body can maintain plasma levels of electrolytes and salts several days without running out. The body maintains this via the kidneys as it slows down the rate of sodium excretion. Sports drinks actually speed up the loss of electrolytes through the sweat.

 

Why don’t people just eat real food? Well you can’t patent and make money off raw almonds.  Real food takes time to plan and prepare. It is so much easier to grab a power bar at the gym.  People have been led to believe they need to train with the fuel they will use during competitions. At the time of an iron man competition it is not very aero dynamic to carry bags of food along.

 

However, here are some good ideas of things you can prepare and take along;

-Chia seeds 3-4 tbsp  Soak in water add lemon and stevia and make a slurry. Its clean burning food.

-Pemmican (rendered fat) or jerky

-Rice balls using pressure-cooked white rice, you can add eggs and meats or coconut, blueberries, raw honey and dates. Put in the food processor and make balls.

**Skip the rice if you are low carb and want your body to use fat to burn fuel.

-Raw seeds and nuts with a little dried fruit.

-Nut butters mixed with coconut oil and raw honey.

-Grain free granola

-Hydrolyzed Collagen Protein like PaleoZip by Joy Harari

Real food alternatives require less water than bars and gels. Bars and Gels contain fermentable carbs like fructose and maltodextrin, which causes gas and bloating and indigestion afterwards.

For post workouts, the ideal scenario is to eat a real meal. Don’t worry about protein carb fat ratio the experts say it is not necessary. Just eat your regularly scheduled highly nutritive meal.

 

So lets all commit to a more natural source of healthy energy to fuel our workouts.  It will keep you healthier and younger looking in the long run.

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 30, 2013 · Blog

Exercise Snacks

I know I am like most mothers and I think my children are brilliant, beautiful beings. But in my case it’s really true! God bless them! I will give you one example.  Last week I was sitting with my daughters Yvonne and Laura and my son Michael. We were shooting the breeze, laughing a lot and talking about our lives.

I was telling them how I am having a problem with too much sitting.  I never used to sit down.   All day I was moving.  How ever since I became a health coach and health blogger, I am sitting more than ever. Sure I get at least ½-1 hour of vigorous exercise, but the rest of my day I find myself sitting a lot.

I did ask my family for a treadmill desk for my birthday,( that I still want, hint, hint) but they just don’t like the concept.  I still have hope that one day I will be blogging and walking on my treadmill desk simultaneously.

Getting back to the story, Michael brilliantly suggested  ” Ma you have to take  a few “EXERCISE SNACKS’!”

Every hour to hour and ½ of sitting, take a five-minute exercise spurt.  Well you heard it here first folks, I am officially coining that phrase in my son Michael Harari’s name!!

Exercise Snack, ha! I love it! What do you do for an exercise snack? Share your ideas in the comments below!

Now I will give you all the same idea.  Take exercise snacks when you have been sitting too long. It’s great, life changing.  What a great pick me up.  It not only helps  the circulation in your legs, but I bet it will get your brain speed back up to normal as well!  A couple of rounds of jumping jacks, a brisk walk for 5 min., a sprint around the block  or a couple of rounds of  burpies should do it.  Set the timer on your phone so you don’t sit too long, and go for it!!

If you see me speed walking  or running up and down my street, you will know I am just “Snacking”!

 

 

 

 

April 24, 2013 · Blog

Juicerexia

Each year spring rolls around and I just want to purge; My house gets cleaned in a big  ‘vacuum out the dust under the fridge’  kind of way. My clothes get sorted out. The best thing that happens is that I start craving green leafy vegetables and wheatgrass.

 

Our bodies have an internal clock that knows spring is here. Dr. John Douillard says if you detox in the spring, you won’t get sick the following winter.  That word “detox” is loaded these days. My clients will call me and insist I give them a good detox.  Every magazine has articles on detoxing. What is goin’ on?!

 

This is the bottom line; your body knows just how to accomplish this task. It does it on a daily basis. If we consistently eat good quality, fresh, unprocessed foods and drink lots of pure water that detox system will be free to work its magic. Yup that’s all you have to do. No torturous crazy protocols of lemonade only. Eating in season helps too. Fresh young greens come up in spring so eat up!  Eating things that are in season is always a good idea.

 

Getting an enzyme rich veggie juice from one of the beautiful Juice bars that are popping up is always a great idea, but according to Courtney Rubin in Marie Claire Magazine it may be wise to skip the “juice fast”.   “One expert calls juice cleanses ‘the perfect pathway to disordered eating”, with an alarming power to seduce otherwise healthy women.”

 

Juice cleanses have become uber trendy, that’s for sure. “Even Starbucks has expanded into Juices. And as interest in them peaks, public health professionals and doctors are dealing with the fallout; an epidemic of malnourished, run-down young women- Juicerexics- some of whom have stumbled into full-fledged anorexia or bulimia.”

 

“Of most concern? For women already in the throes of anorexia or bulimia, juice fasts provide a great cover….. People say, ‘oh, good for you. That’s so healthy.’ It’s society’s most accepted form of eating disorder.”

The best situation I have seen is at  a beautiful Juice bar called Jus by Julie, which has recently expanded to a second Brooklyn location, and a third location in Cederhurst, NY.  Julie Maleh is a Certified Health Coach and is very “Hands on” with her clients. She described to me how she monitors her clients closely when they do a cleanse.

“I do not allow the young teens to do a full juice fast. I insist they incorporate the juices into their lives and have at least 1 meal.  None of my clients are permitted to do consecutive cleanses. Three days is the maximum, then they incorporate the juices into their daily life. I like them to wait a month to do another 3 day cleanse, I am very strict! I monitor everyone to avoid these problems.  I am 100% on top of it.”

Go Julie!!

Stephanie Zakay the Pure Juice Cleanse proprietor is also totally on it with guiding her clients. Her main goal is to encourage people to get more fruits and vegetables into their daily routine.  “People that come to me use the cleanse as a way of making a commitment to a new way of eating and say good-bye to the processed junk foods they were putting into their body.”

With responsible guidance like Stephanie and Julie provide, the safety and benefit of juice is fully realized.

 

 

March 20, 2013 · Blog

Paleo Rocks!

Okay people, listen up!!! In the past week alone I have read 3 Paleo-bashing articles.  The science is out there but there are people who are tenaciously holding on to a set of conventional principles that don’t seem to be working. With animal protein and saturated fat being villainized and whole grains becoming “health food” Americans have become fatter, sicker and more unhealthy than ever.

If you would like the studies and science behind Paleo please go to www.chriskresser.com and www.robbwolf.com. These two are biochemist researchers who are on the cutting edge, and get down and nerdy with the science . Or read Rob Wolf’s book “The Paleo Solution”.  I follow them regularly to get the latest studies and reports.

All I have, which is nothin’ to sneeze at, is results. I coach many clients with a ‘Paleo template’ Diet, which is a more individualized version of a Paleo diet. Here are the results I have personally witnessed in my practice, thank God;

  • Adults who have healed their guts, depression, and anxiety with this diet and Tapping.
  • Autistic and ADHD children who have become more attentive and interactive as their digestive tracts are soothed and healed.
  • Compulsive eaters who are finding themselves a lot less compulsive and much calmer around food.
  • Children who complain of  constant tummy aches feel better after a few days and then go on to heal their guts.
  • People suffering from chronic constipation, acid reflux and poor digestion whose symptoms go away in a short time.

Before my eyes I see people healing from the most serious mental and physical illnesses. It is miraculous. Food is powerful! I’ve personally seen crazy results, documented in my blood work.  Back in the day,  I was a dedicated vegan.  I would cry to my doctor because I had so many numbers in my blood test results that were way off.  “But Doctor,” I would say, “I eat perfectly!! No animal protein, kale, seaweed, pure vegetable and nut oils, and organic whole grains!  How can that be?! ”They always blamed it on my genes. How ironic.

Fast forward many years……. 6 months after changing to a Paleo Diet. Perfect blood test.  Miraculous!!! You can’t argue with the proof. Please check out this video of a doctor who healed her MS by eating this way.

One claim is that the Paleo diet promotes obscene amounts of meat eating. The truth is;  the Paleo diet recommends 1/3 protein and 2/3 veggies on your plate.  Paleo is a huge part of the natural foods revolution. They recommend eating the best quality food you can find; Organic, grassfed, and local.  No processed junk foods.

These articles claim that we need grains, beans and legumes in our diets. Paleo doesn’t agree. All the nutrients in those things are found in greater amounts in animal protein, fruits and vegetables. The anti-nutrients (phytates) found in whole grains, beans and legumes can actually create mineral deficiencies over time.`They also damage the balance of good bacteria or probiotics in the gut, as well as the gut wall.

They  claim that the Paleo diet has too much saturated fat. They have not caught on to the fact that saturated fat is actually good for us! Watch the movie “Fatheads” and you will see the other side of the story. Or watch this clip on my website.

Even though those articles were so negative towards Paleo , in the comments below the articles you can see the huge amount of healing that is going on with the Paleo diet.  People are respectfully writing in about how they have healed everything from stomach aches to celiac disease to crone’s disease. Nice.

I don’t mind if people don’t want to eat “Paleo”. It’s a choice we all have. But the fact that so many people are doing so well on it, does say a lot.

 

 

 

 

January 2, 2013 · Blog

A Day in the Life of Joy Harari

It was requested by one of my readers that I give an example of a day in my life. I chose to write down a full day and share it with you honestly. Here we go:

I woke up at 6:00AM and thanked my Creator for another day, and then hung out in bed for half an hour reading emails and playing words with friends and scramble on my phone. You may think I was wasting time but they say word games are good for the brain :). Anyway it’s fun!

Then into the bathroom where the first thing I do is test my PH with a PH strip (It was just the right color green this morning) yay!  I test it under a stream of 1st morning urine. If it’s ever too yellow, which signifies too acidic. I will try to figure out why. Is it stress, or how I ate?  To help remedy that I will have a few of my glasses of water with a spoon or two of Raw Apple Cider Vinegar and stevia because it is so alkalizing.

 

The next thing I did was weigh myself.  I am sorry but that is one thing I can’t seem to give up (I have tried) although I don’t believe I allow it to rule my life any longer.  I don’t think it’s a good thing for most people to weigh in every day, just sayin’.

I then downed 16 oz. of clear delicious water to rehydrate after my long night. I got my exercise gear on and went downstairs to do my “Brazilian Butt Lift” video. Many days I go for a brisk walk outside, but the 27-degree cold made me choose to skip that today. I also love to do yoga when I can and I am trying to get some ballroom dance lessons going.

Some mornings I do a shoulder stand for 5 minutes on a special chair for inversions, they say it’s like an instant facelift.

I stopped off in the kitchen first and took fermented cod liver oil, a Mega flora probiotic pill and a ½ cup of Homemade fermented cabbage juice (it has so many probiotics, and is my new Obsession! It has been known to bust cravings too!) I also drank 1 tbsp. of Pure Synergy (a super nutritious green powder) in 8 oz. of water, and took a magnesium supplement.

 

I did my video (it was the sculpt class using weights). Upstairs again to shower and get dressed. Pray and breakfast.  Breakfast today was some organic blueberries and a cup of organic goat milk kefir, stevia and Ceylon cinnamon. I recently found out that Ceylon Cinnamon is the one that really helps stabilize blood sugar levels.  It’s a bit spicier than regular cinnamon and a bit pricier. I also had a big cup of tea with  pastured organic whole milk and stevia.

 

I did some chores around the house, called in some grocery orders and now to work.  E-mails, newsletters, clients and touching base with some family members (we have a lot of birthdays in January J) Happy Birthday Renee!!! Love You!

Drank lots of water in between all of that stuff. I try every day to set my timer for 15 minutes and Tap on something. It’s called my personal peace procedure. As an EFT coach I feel obligated to work on all my issues as well as yours! 🙂

 

12:30 my stomach calls. Time for lunch, which I like to be my biggest meal. In the middle of the day our digestion is strongest. I had a nice piece of wild salmon topped with mustard, coconut aminos and sesame seeds.  I made a salad with fresh organic curly kale, organic cucumbers, organic grape tomatoes, organic avocado, organic alfalfa sprouts, a drizzle of x-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice Himalayan salt and pepper. Fermented sauerkraut to top it off…Hits the spot! MMMMMM.  See a picture above. I had a big cup of plain hot water about ½ hour after lunch.

 

At about 3:00 I did a one-minute meditation (breath in and out hard through the nose for 30 sec and then closed my eyes for 30 sec and feel the buzz, it’s awesome!). After that I had an organic apple with a tbsp. of raw almond butter, and some nori seaweed strips, and another big cup of tea.

Today was a busy day so I wasn’t so munchy, but every day I have a big plate of cut veggies available so that if I feel like I can munch. I always cut jicama, peppers, fennel, celery, carrots and cucumbers. My goal in life is to get my body used to just 3 meals a day and no snacking. Dr. John Doulliard claims it makes your digestive fire very strong. Maybe one day…

 

Time to cook dinner. Tonight we are having chicken soup, stringbeans with zaatar spice and kalamata olives, organic London broil with sautéed mushrooms and onions, a big mixed salad, and arame seaweed. Every day I have at least one serving of some type of seaweed. Can’t forget about those amazing sea veggies people!! I like to eat small portions of great food at night so I know it will digest well.

I ate in between seeing clients at about 6:30-7:00.  Before dinner I had a ½ cup of My fermented cabbage juice again. I like to leave time between my last meal and bed so I just had 2 cups of caffeine free tea with fresh mint, stevia and water.

I like to hit the sack at 10:30-11:00 which works most nights. Before I sleep I do my gratitude thing. Sometimes I journal and sometimes I am too tired, so I mentally go through all my blessings and positive gifts.

So much for a sample day.  Just know that I am not big on doing the same exact things every day. I like a big variety of foods, teas and vegetables. My schedule changes every day as well. I just want to say that I really try to be a great example to my clients, my friends and my family, so you know I will keep you posted with any new and exciting additions, just can’t keep it to myself…J

If you have any questions about anything I do or any comments please ask in the “comments section” below this article.

October 15, 2012 · Videos

Joy TV Interview with Dr. Jason Horowitz

Dr. Jason Horowitz graduated from New York Chiropractic College in 2000. His mission is to provide a unique natural healthcare experience specifically tailored to each individual patient.

He practices kinesiology with a holistic approach, using natural and hands on therapies as well as herbs, vitamins, minerals, and homeopathic remedies.

Dr. Horowitz is a partner in Forster Health Care, and has been working there for 12 and a half years. He treats a wide range of health issues in adults and children, and loves working with babies.

Dr. Horowitz also enjoys working with sports injuries and has a Certified Chiropractic Sports Practitioner degree. 

He has offices in Brooklyn at 265 Avenue U and in Great Neck, Long Island.

You can reach Dr. Horowitz at 917-572-4020