Love Notes by Jari Love

Why Is Sugar So Bad for Us?

by Jari Love

Sugar is an addiction, and the worst part is most of us don’t even know how much sugar we are ingesting during the day. Sugar somehow sneaks into all kinds of products. Baked goods and desserts are of course obvious culprits, but what about your cereals, yogurts, granola bars, breads, soups, dressings and pasta sauces? If your food is coming out of a box, bag, jar or wrapper chances are it has hidden sugar. Let’s get rid of our processed foods and switch to whole fresh foods!

 Sugar contains no essential nutrients. We all know it contributes to weight gain, but did you also know that high sugar consumption has been linked to chronic and debilitating diseases like diabetes, cancer, liver disease and even heart disease? There is no doubt that in excess highly processed and refined sugars can significantly damage our bodies’ systems and can suppress our immune systems lowering our chances of fighting off colds, flu and other viruses.

 Not only does it promote rapid fat storage, here are sugar’s other dirty little secrets:

• Sugar weakens Your immune system
• Sugar causes insulin resistance
• Sugar is as addictive as hard drugs
• Sugar speeds up the aging process
• Sugar raises your risk of disease
• Sugar is empty calories 

The good news is you don’t have to give up sweet things entirely. There are many wholesome sweeteners available like fruit, stevia, raw coconut sugar, and raw honey. Just remember because these sweeteners are higher in nutrients and lower on the glycemic index than white or brown sugar doesn’t mean you get a free pass to eat as much as you want. Add these sweeteners sparingly to enjoy their health benefits.

Try this make ahead dairy and sugar free Banana-Peach ice cream with raspberry sauce to keep in the freezer for the next time you are craving something a little sweet. 

Raspberry sauce

1 cup raspberries

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1tsp coconut sugar (optional)

1 tbs chia seeds 

1. Puree all ingredients together in high speed mixer until smooth. Pour into serving jug and refrigerate at least 4 hours (this will give the sauce time to thicken), if you are short on time you can still use the sauce, but it will be runnier than the chilled version.

Banana-Peach ice cream

4 very ripe bananas

1 ripe peach

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

 1 Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth. Transfer to a container and keep in the freezer until needed. Serve with raspberry sauce.

 ENJOY!

 Jari Love – original creator of Get RIPPED! DVD series and group exercise classes. The hot-selling and critically acclaimed Get RIPPED! series enables individuals of any fitness level to burn up to three times more calories than the traditional weight-training program, and has received rave reviews from fitness critics throughout North America since the first title debuted in late 2005.

Transform Stress Out of Your Life

by Jari Love

This one simple trick could transform your stressed-out life

Changing how you talk about the negative things in your life can have a surprisingly positive effect

 You were wronged, or something awful happened. Maybe you’re worried about something that might happen. How many times do you tell the same negative story over and over again to whoever will listen? Bad things do happen — but harping on them is the energetic equivalent of taking a bath in dirty water. It’s not likely to help you feel better, no matter how hard you try!

 When you keep telling negative stories, you’re marinating in those feelings of anger, fear, guilt and resentment. Your mind, spirit and body can’t differentiate between present events, past events or something happening in real time.

 Your body often sends out stress hormones, such as cortisol and epinephrine, as you talk about traumatic past events or worry about future ones. Over time, as these hormones flow through your bloodstream, you may experience health issues. Stress hormones are thought to trigger increased blood pressure and heart rate, tightening and tension of your muscles (back pain, anyone?), stomachaches, headaches, weight gain, slower healing and other health problems.

I believe that when we marinate in the negative stories of our lives, we stay stuck in the energetic vibration of those awful stories as well. Ever heard of the Law of Attraction? I’ve found that, as I talk about the negativity, more negativity comes my way. When I shift to the positive, I raise my vibration for positivity to find me.

 You might be thinking, “But this is how I process. I need to talk about it to work through it!” I agree that processing is important. But there’s a difference between “working through” and “dwelling on.”

 So, how do you stop “dwelling on” and tell a different story?

 Let’s say somebody was awful to you and you can’t stop thinking about how they wronged you. You’re not able to forgive yet —that’s okay. But you can begin telling a different story by saying, “I am opening my heart to forgive this person, in time.” Do you feel the shift of those words?

 Instead of saying, “I have no money,” say instead, “I can’t wait to see where the money shows up to pay my bills.”

 Instead of saying, “I am trying so hard to meet someone,” say instead, “Whoever is meant to be my love — we will find each other.”

 Instead of saying, “I have so many health issues,” say instead, “My body wants to heal.”

 I know it might feel tough to do, but just a simple shift in the story you tell yourself will improve the health of your mind and soul — and possibly even your body, in time. Switching to the positive will make you feel instantly better, just like you do when you bathe in clean water!

 What stories are you telling yourself?

 via sheknows.com

Jari Love – original creator of Get RIPPED! DVD series and group exercise classes. The hot-selling and critically acclaimed Get RIPPED! series enables individuals of any fitness level to burn up to three times more calories than the traditional weight-training program, and has received rave reviews from fitness critics throughout North America since the first title debuted in late 2005.

Weight Gain while training for a marathon

by Jari Love

“Weight gain is very common in marathon training, especially in first-time distance runners,” says Carissa Bealert, a registered dietitian nutritionist, certified personal trainer and race announcer. She says, “First-time runners start [marathon training] as a ‘bucket list’ item with the notion that they’ll definitely lose weight due to all the extra activity and miles they’re running.” It’s true, I’ve seen this with a few of my personal training clients over the years. This is a real problem that affects many people starting to train for marathons. It is quite discouraging if you take up training for long distance running to lose weight, and you end up gaining weight. Read on for an explanation…

 And she’s not talking about a few extra pounds due to muscle gain, but adding pounds of fat despite the grueling training regimen. “Training for and completing a marathon is no easy task,” suggests Bealert. She continues, “Training for a marathon and trying to lose weight is like trying to serve two different masters.”

“Most new runners, particularly those who are trying to lose weight, start out with relatively poor eating habits,” says Kim Watkins, running and functional fitness coach and CEO of inShape Fitness. She explains that despite the body’s need for more calories to keep up with the increase in exercise, many first-time marathon trainers reach for “reckless carbohydrate products,” which “curtails the body’s ability to utilize stored fat as its energy source.”

 Watkins mentions that the “reckless carbohydrates” in a runner’s diet can be due to “poor replenishment choices,” including sugary sports drinks — a favorite beverage choice among marathon trainers. “Marathoners often consume sugary sports drinks and other food products that promote the idea of hydration, but add calories in the process,” she adds.

 Bealert adds that weight gain may also just boil down to overestimating and overeating. “We runners, myself included, love to use a long run as an excuse to eat our favorite ‘not-so-healthy’ foods,” she says. Clarifying, she adds, “You may burn 1600 calories on a 16-mile run, but it’s not that cut and dry. Add in a 300-calorie breakfast, 200 calories of fuel during the run, 100 calories of sports drink and 200 calories of banana and protein post run. You’ve just consumed about half of your calorie burn, however when you sit down to your burger, fries and beers, you are overeating and extra calories equal weight gain.”

 Since gaining weight is likely not the result you’re hoping for after months of hard work and training, you need to be aware of what you’re eating. “Make good food choices even though you are burning more calories,” advises Dr. Scott Weiss, a licensed physical therapist, board-certified athletic trainer, registered exercise physiologist and advanced personal trainer.

 He points out, “Just because your hunger levels spike, and your calorie burn is high, it doesn’t mean it’s time to snack on ice cream and cake. Maintaining a sense of discipline with your food intake while training will prevent any unexpected weight gain from calories.”

 Weiss also shared that during rigorous training, your body becomes better at storing carbohydrates for energy so making good food choices is important — even if you’re not actively running. “When you are plateauing in your training, or your training goes down, be very conscious of your food intake, and really only reach for what you need,” he adds.

 What you eat isn’t the only thing you need to be aware of when you’re training for a marathon. Water and a healthy electrolyte balance are a part of the puzzle too. “Drink plenty of water,” advises Brandon Roberts, M.S., certified strength and conditioning specialist and exercise physiologist.

 He continues, “Even up to a gallon [of water] a day is fine. Also, try to consume a 3:1 ratio of sodium to potassium — like Gatorade — before and after your runs,” which may help with any weight gain due to water retention.

 What you eat before and after your race is just as important as what you eat while you train. “The body needs fuel post-run with a balanced meal of protein, fat and carbohydrates within two hours,” recommends Emily Bailey, registered and licensed dietitian, board-certified specialist in sports dietetics and director of nutrition coaching at NutriFormance & Athletic Republic St. Louis.

 She adds, “When someone is unable to eat after a run, later they become starving and when we are that hungry, the rational to make a healthy choice or portion is difficult and we overeat.” That means committing to making healthy food choices needs to be made a large part of training as well as how many miles your shoes take you.

 If you’re struggling with meeting your nutritional and caloric demands while training for a marathon, seeking professional guidance is always a smart choice. “Meet with a registered sports dietitian to learn your individual fueling needs for training. Look for those who have the credentials R.D., L.D. and C.S.S.D. or a master’s degree in sports nutrition,” says Bailey.

Via sheknows.com

Jari Love – original creator of Get RIPPED! DVD series and group exercise classes. The hot-selling and critically acclaimed Get RIPPED! series enables individuals of any fitness level to burn up to three times more calories than the traditional weight-training program, and has received rave reviews from fitness critics throughout North America since the first title debuted in late 2005.

Benefits of Eating Clean

by Jari Love

What does it mean to eat clean? Here’s an even better question: What really happens to your body when you jump on the clean eating bandwagon?

 Clean eating is a buzzword that you have seen used by celebrities and thrown around in hashtags on Facebook. Simply put, clean eating means: Don’t eat crap. “Crap” may be defined as processed foods, grain-fed meats, dairy, starchy carbohydrates and sugar, depending on which diet you ascribe to.

 Clean eating can be as complicated as you make it. For me, clean eating translates to eating fresh, whole foods (with as many vegetables as possible), making every meal count with high-quality nutrients and, of course, cutting the crap.

 More than a year after drastically changing my diet, I can personally vouch for 10 unexpected clean eating “side effects”:

1. Better mood

While I still struggle with mood swings at a certain time of the month, my overall outlook and general happiness have improved after cleaning up my diet. As Drew Ramsey, M.D., The Happiness Diet co-author and assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, explains in Yoga Journal, how you feel is directly affected by what you eat. He says, “Emotions begin in biology, with two nerve cells rubbing together, and those nerve cells are made of nutrients in food.”

2. Boundless energy

Here’s all the proof you need: Even as a working mother of two toddlers, my energy soared after I quit eating processed foods. Devon D. Herndon, L.P.C.C., L.A.D.A.C., N.B.C.T., C.P.T., of BeMeBetter cites an energy boost as one of the prime outcomes of eating clean, saying, “If you are chronically exhausted or experience a post-lunch midday slump, it could very well be your diet. Diets that are high in refined sugar and carbs cause dramatic spikes in blood sugar. They might provide a temporary surge in energy, but it is followed by a crash.”

3. Deeper sleep

Eat better, sleep deeper — what more can you ask for? The Balanced Brunette explains, “Vitamins and minerals found in whole foods will allow your body to regulate hormonal function throughout the day and promote deeper sleep at night. Eating healthy foods will also calm your nervous system and trigger a sleep-inducing hormonal response which helps you rest better at night.”

4. Fewer cravings

From personal experience, I can tell you that clean eating takes a while to get used to, but the longer you do it, the better your body responds. Sugar and carbohydrate cravings may be a struggle at the outset, but months later, you’ll find it hard to muster up a taste for a sweet treat.

5. Flat stomach

When asked about the good side effects of clean eating on the Bodybuilding forum, user Ayekay put feeling leaner and less bloated at the top of his list. In translation, if you want your pants to fit better, load up your plate with Mother Nature’s foods.

6. Gorgeous hair

Looking for long, luscious locks that would make a Pantene model jealous? The Lean Clean Eating Machine says that plant-based foods are the secret — specifically, radishes, pumpkin seeds, dulse and carrots.

7. Higher self-esteem

What are the pros of clean eating? One Redditor keeps it short and sweet: “I feel better about myself, [along with] knowing I’m getting all the goodness of micronutrients.”

8. Perfect poop

Sorry, but I had to go there. As Wellness Mama points out, bowel movements are a prime indicator of your inner health. Clean eating yields cleaner poop with a digestive tract that is neither moving too fast nor too slow.

9. Radiant skin

Your skin is the largest organ in your body, and refined sugar is its enemy. The Clean Eating Survival Guide stresses that a no sugar diet is the number one rule for a clear complexion.

10. Raging libido

According to Cosmo, Gwyneth Paltrow attributed the state of her union to her clean living. Though dear Gwynnie is now consciously uncoupled, research still proves that nutrient-rich foods, like asparagus and watermelon, can help to heat things up in between the sheets.

 via sheknows.com

Jari Love – original creator of Get RIPPED! DVD series and group exercise classes. The hot-selling and critically acclaimed Get RIPPED! series enables individuals of any fitness level to burn up to three times more calories than the traditional weight-training program, and has received rave reviews from fitness critics throughout North America since the first title debuted in late 2005.