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Testimonial: Laura

Congratulations to BWell Fit client, Laura!  Laura competed in her first bikini competition on Saturday, March 27.  Wow she looked amazing and we are very proud of her.  Laura was definitely the photographer's favorite...can you blame them?  Her body is smoking but she also has a wonderful personality and is a joy to work with.  Thank you for choosing BWell Fit!

Laura's Personalized Program included:

• Complete health, fitness and nutrition assessment
• Fitness and Nutrition program
• Conditioning training - 3 days a week
• Strength training - 2 days a week
• Stretching and recovery - 5 days a week
• 1700-1800 calories a day - 25/50/25
• Monthly assessment and program modification

Tip to Your Health: Eat Breakfast to Lose Weight

Did you know that eating breakfast will help you to lose weight? Yes, it is true! Eating breakfast is one tool you should use to fight the battle of the bulge and keep it off.
One of the most obvious reasons to eat breakfast is that it gives you energy, increasing your physical activity during the day. When you have fuel, you have the motivation and energy to engage in your regular daily activities as well as extracurricular activities such as playing with your kids or going to the gym.

A healthy breakfast refuels your body and replenishes the glycogen stores that supply blood sugar (glucose) which equals more energy. Skipping breakfast is associated with decreased physical activity…less calories burned means more unwanted weight.

Skipping breakfast sometimes mean skipping much needed nutrients that your body needs to function during the day. Eating breakfast gets you on track to make healthy choices all day. People who regularly eat breakfast tend to eat a healthier diet, typically one that is more nutritious and lower in fat. When you skip breakfast, you're more likely to skip fruits and vegetables the rest of the day too.

Studies show that breakfast eaters are less likely to overeat and snack during the day. When you skip breakfast, you may feel hunger pangs later and be tempted to reach for a quick fix, such as chips or candy bars from the vending machine. In addition, prolonged fasting — which occurs when you skip breakfast — can increase your body's insulin response, which in turn increases fat storage and weight gain. In fact, skipping breakfast actually increases your risk of obesity. I have heard of people skipping meals, especially breakfast, because they are trying to lose weight. They are actually doing the exact opposite; although they may lose weight initially, the increase fat storage capacity will cause them to put on weight easier and faster in the future.

Unfortunately, more Americans are skipping breakfast. If you're one of them — whether you're trying to save time or cut calories — you may want to reconsider, especially if you're trying to control your weight.

Here's our recipe for a great way to start the day with Pumpkin Maple Oatmeal with Berries

Ingredients:
1/2 cup uncooked quick or old-fashioned oats
2 tablespoons 100% pure pumpkin
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries or blueberries (great antioxidants)

Directions:
Cook oatmeal according to directions.  Add fruit to cooked oatmeal.  Place in bowl.  Top with pumpkin and syrup.  Makes 1 serving.

Tips:
1. Serve with skim milk
2. Adjust amount of ingredients to as desired

Nutritional Information (per serving):
Calories: 198, Calories from fat: 25, Total Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Soduim: 55mg, Carbohydrates: 36g, Fiber 5g, Sugars: 9g, Protein: 7g

Ask the Experts: Finances Affecting Your Health?

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Join our Affiliate Program

Earn Extra Cash helping others get fit and healthy

Do people often ask you for advice or referrals? Do you want to help your clients, friends, family and others get fit and healthy? Would you like to earn extra revenue?

 

BWell Fit would like to invite you to join our affiliate program.

 

BWell Fit’sAffiliate Program can benefit your business in the following ways:

• Provide your clients added value to work with you
• Set you apart from other services because we know that you are in a competitive industry
• Earn additional revenue for simply doing what you do now through our referral program. We will work with you to put together a system that works best for you
• Expose your services to other markets and potential clients that may not have heard of you
• Give you an innovative platform to market your services and products
• Provide additional programs for former clients and those who have found love and are planning a wedding, starting a family or focusing on other “non-dating” parts of their lives. BWell Fit also has a division that caters to brides, grooms and their entire wedding party and guests
• Additional discounts for your clients
• National and local exposure. Our Doctor affiliate has been featured on Oprah, The Dr. Oz Show, Extra, The Discovery Channel and Travel Channel. Linda and Toneka are well known fitness competitors, representatives and personalities

For more benefits and information on our Affiliate Program contact info@bwellfit.com or call (877) 319-1133

20 Antioxidant Rich Foods to Incorporate into Your Diet Today

What are antioxidants?  Antioxidants are naturally occurring nutrients that aid in the prevention of cancer, heart disease and the effects of aging.

The following 20 foods contain the highest antioxidant concentration:

1. Pomegrantes
2. Small red beans (dried)
3. Wid blueberries
4. Red kidney beans
5. Pinto beans
6. Cultivated blueberries
7. Cranberries
8. Artichokes (cooked)
9. Blackberries
10. Prunes
11. Raspberries
12. Strawberries
13. Red Delicious apples
14. Granny Smith Apples
15. Pecans
16. Sweet cherries
17. Black plums
18. Gala apples
19. Black beans (dried)
20. Plums

* Remember it is best to buy organic when you will be consuming the outside or "peel" of the fruit or veggie.

"Fit to BWell" Challenge Registration & "Shed 2 Wed" Casting this Saturday!

Saturday, March 27th, 2010
1:30 to 3:30pm

Pan Pacific Park Recreation Center

7600 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles



Innovative health and fitness company BWell Fit will kick-off their “Fit to BWell” Challenge with a free event where participants can receive nutrition and fitness advice, and register for the challenge.



Kick-off activities include:



* Fitness and Nutrition Consultation with Celebrity Personal Trainers

and Champion Fitness Competitors Linda Okwor and Toneka Pires



* Fit to BWell Challenge sign-up (12 week Fitness & Nutrition Program - $40/person/month)



* Fitness & Nutrition Q&A



* Challenge Prizes and Giveaways!

* MicroNutrient Testing ($1900) courtesy of Spectracell

* One of 5 luxury couture swimsuits by Laura Soares

* 1-on-1 Training Session with Linda and Toneka

* 1-on-1 Session with Dr. Andrea Pennington

* Up to $1000

*Tickets to the http://unveiledbridalevent.com, Unveiled Bridal Event March 28th on Melrose Place

A casting associate from the new CW reality show “Shed 2 Wed” will be in attendance looking to cast engaged couples wanting to lose weight before their big day! Show winners get their dream wedding paid for!

* Free parking on site

The “Fit to BWell” Challenge is a 12-week course designed to give participants the necessary knowledge and support needed to achieve safe and long-term weight loss. BWell will be choosing a maximum of 25 participants, with the winner walking away with up to $1000 in cash.



The program includes:

* Access to Fitness and Nutrition Experts

* Complete Assessment

* Fitness program

* Nutrition program

* Goal setting, tracking and adjustments

* Monthly tracking

* Classroom lessons

* Online page and community

* Weekly "Tools for Success" Webinars (via computer/phone)

* Monthly classes

* Recipes and Grocery List

* Health and fitness field trips

* Free boot camps

* Monthly weight-in

* Workbook and food journal

* Supplement consultation

* Bi-weekly newsletter

* Access to other BWell Fit services, programs and products

* Look and feel better!

* Achieve your fitness and nutrition goals



All this for $40 a month for 12 weeks!

Please RSVP here: http://bit.ly/9leDF9

Tip to Your Health: Women's History Month Salute

In light of Women’s History Month which is celebrated in March, we are going to feature some “firsts” for women in US history. Since we are a company that was started by women, we want to pay tribute to the ladies and events that made our success possible.

Women’s History Month, now celebrated annually in the United States, grew out of a weeklong celebration of women’s contributions to health, culture, history and society. The first celebration was organized by the school district of Sonoma, California, in 1979. The idea quickly caught on within communities, schools and organizations across the country. In 1981, the U.S. Congress made it official, passing a resolution establishing Women’s History Week. Six years later, the event was expanded into the entire month of March.

First women's-rights convention meets in Seneca Falls, New York, 1848

In July 1848, some 240 men and women gathered in upstate New York for a meeting convened, said organizers, "to discuss the social, civil, and religious condition and rights of women." One hundred of the delegates--68 women and 32 men--signed a Declaration of Sentiments, modeled on the Declaration of Independence, declaring that women, like men, were citizens with an "inalienable right to the elective franchise." The Seneca Falls Convention marked the beginning of the campaign for woman suffrage.

Wyoming Territory is first to grant women the vote, 1869

In 1869, Wyoming’s territorial legislature declared that “every woman of the age of twenty-one years, residing in this territory, may at every election…cast her vote.” Though Congress lobbied hard against it, Wyoming’s women kept their right to vote when the territory became a state in 1890. In 1924, the state’s voters elected the nation’s first female governor, Nellie Tayloe Ross.

Californian Julia Morgan is first woman admitted to the Ecole de Beaux-Arts in Paris, 1898

The 26-year-old Morgan had already earned a degree in civil engineering from Berkeley, where she was one of just 100 female students in the entire university (and the only female engineer). After she received her certification in architecture from the Ecole de Beaux-Arts, the best architecture school in the world, Morgan returned to California. There, she became the first woman licensed to practice architecture in the state and an influential champion of the Arts and Crafts movement. Though she is most famous for building the “Hearst Castle,” a massive compound for the publisher William Randolph Hearst in San Simeon, California, Morgan designed more than 700 buildings in her long career. She died in 1957.

Margaret Sanger opens first birth-control clinic in the U.S., 1916

In October 1916, the nurse and women’s-rights activist Margaret Sanger opened the first American birth-control clinic in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Since state “Comstock Laws” banned contraceptives and the dissemination of information about them, Sanger’s clinic was illegal; as a result, on October 26, the city vice squad raided the clinic, arresting its staff and seizing its stock of diaphragms and condoms. Sanger tried to reopen the clinic twice more, but police forced her landlord to evict her the next month, closing it for good. In 1921, Sanger formed the American Birth Control League, the organization that eventually became Planned Parenthood.

Edith Wharton is the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize, 1921

Wharton won the prize for her 1920 novel The Age of Innocence. Like many of Wharton’s books, The Age of Innocence was a critique of the insularity and hypocrisy of the upper class in turn-of-the-century New York. The book has inspired several stage and screen adaptations, and the writer Cecily Von Ziegesar has said that it was the model for her popular Gossip Girl series of books.

Activist Alice Paul proposes the Equal Rights Amendment for the first time, 1923

For almost 50 years, women’s-rights advocates like Alice Paul tried to get Congress to approve the amendment; finally, in 1972, they succeeded. In March of that year, Congress sent the proposed amendment--“Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex”--to the states for ratification. Twenty-two of the required 38 states ratified it right away, but then conservative activists mobilized against it. (The ERA’s straightforward language hid all kinds of sinister threats, they claimed: It would force wives to support their husbands, send women into combat and validate gay marriages.) This anti-ratification campaign was a success: In 1977, Indiana became the 35th and last state to ratify the ERA. In June 1982, the ratification deadline expired. The amendment has never been passed.

Amelia Earhart is the first woman to cross the Atlantic in an airplane, 1928

After that first trip across the ocean, which took more than 20 hours, Earhart became a celebrity: She won countless awards, got a ticker-tape parade down Broadway, wrote a best-selling book about her famous flight and became an editor at Cosmopolitan magazine. In 1937, Earhart attempted to be the first female pilot to fly around the world, and the first pilot of any gender to circumnavigate the globe at its widest point, the Equator. Along with her navigator Fred Noonan, Earhart successfully hopscotched from Miami to Brazil, Africa, India and Australia. Six weeks after they began their journey, Earhart and Noonan left New Guinea for the U.S. territory of Howland Island, but they never arrived. No trace of Earhart, Noonan or their plane was ever found.

Frances Perkins becomes the first female member of a Presidential cabinet, 1933

Perkins, a sociologist and Progressive reformer in New York, served as Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Secretary of Labor. She kept her job until 1945.

The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League becomes the first professional baseball league for female players, 1943

Women had been playing professional baseball for decades: Starting in the 1890s, gender-integrated “Bloomer Girls” teams (named after the feminist Amelia Bloomer) traveled around the country, challenging men’s teams to games--and frequently winning. As the men’s minor leagues expanded, however, playing opportunities for Bloomer Girls decreased, and the last of the teams called it quits in 1934. But by 1943, so many major-league stars had joined the armed services and gone off to war that stadium owners and baseball executives worried that the game would never recover. The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was the solution to this problem: It would keep ballparks filled and fans entertained until the war was over. For 12 seasons, more than 600 women played for the league’s teams, including the Racine (Wisconsin) Belles, the Rockford (Illinois) Peaches, the Grand Rapids (Michigan) Chicks and the Fort Wayne (Indiana) Daisies. The AAGPBL disbanded in 1954.

The FDA announces its approval of “The Pill,” the first birth-control drug, 1960

In October 1959, the pharmaceutical company G.D. Searle applied for a license from the federal Food and Drug Administration to sell its drug Enovid, a combination of the hormones estrogen and progesterone, for use as an oral contraceptive. FDA approval was not guaranteed: For one thing, the agency was uncomfortable with the idea of allowing doctors to prescribe drugs to healthy people; for another, the young bureaucrat assigned to the case was fixated on moral and religious, not scientific, objections to the pill. Despite all this, Enovid was approved for short-term use in October 1960.

Janet Guthrie is the first woman to drive in the Indy 500, 1977

Guthrie was an aerospace engineer, training to be an astronaut, when she was cut from the space program because she didn’t have her PhD. She turned to car racing instead and became the first woman to qualify for the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500. Mechanical difficulties forced her out of the 1977 Indy race, but the next year she finished in ninth place (with a broken wrist!). The helmet and suit that Guthrie wore in her first Indy race are on display in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.

President Ronald Reagan nominates Sandra Day O’Connor to be the first woman on the Supreme Court, 1981

O’Connor was confirmed that September. She did not have much judicial experience when she began her Supreme Court term—she had only been a judge for a few years and had never served on a federal court—but she soon made a name for herself as one of the Court’s most thoughtful centrists. O’Connor retired in 2006.

Joan Benoit wins the first women’s Olympic Marathon, 1984

At the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles, Joan Benoit (today known as Joan Benoit Samuelson) finished the first-ever women’s marathon in 2:24.52. She finished 400 meters ahead of the silver medalist, Norway’s Grete Waitz.

Manon Rheaume is the first woman to play in an NHL game, 1992

Manon Rheaume, a goalie from Quebec City, Canada, was no stranger to firsts: She was well-known for being the first female player to take the ice in a major boys’ junior hockey game. In 1992, Rheaume was the starting goalie for the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lighting in a preseason exhibition game, making her the first woman to play in any of the major men’s sports leagues in the U.S. In that game, she deflected seven of nine shots; however, she was taken out of the game early and never played in a regular-season game. Rheaume led the Canadian women’s national team to victory in the 1992 and 1994 World Hockey Championships. The team also won silver at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

Madeleine Albright becomes the first female Secretary of State, 1997

In January 1997, the international-relations expert Madeleine K. Albright was sworn in as the United States’ 64th Secretary of State. She was the first woman to hold that job, which made her the highest-ranking woman in the federal government’s history. Before President Bill Clinton asked her to be part of his Cabinet, Albright had served as the country’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. In 2004, Condoleezza Rice became the second woman--and first African-American woman to hold the job. Five years later, in January 2009, the former Senator (and First Lady) Hillary Rodham Clinton became the third female Secretary of State.

Kathryn Bigelow becomes the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Director, 2010

The American film director Kathryn Bigelow’s 2008 film "The Hurt Locker" garnered six Oscars on March 7, 2010, including the Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture. Written by Mark Boal, a former journalist who covered the war in Iraq, the movie follows an Army bomb squad unit as they conduct dangerous missions and battle personal demons in war-torn Baghdad. Bigelow, whose previous films include "Strange Days" and "Point Break," was the first woman to take home the Best Director distinction. She triumphed over her former husband, James Cameron, whose science fiction epic "Avatar" was another presumed front-runner.

Without these women…where would we be?


Susan B. Anthony, 1820-1906

Perhaps the most well-known women’s rights activist in history, Susan B. Anthony was born on February 15, 1820, to a Quaker family in the northwestern corner of Massachusetts. Anthony was raised to be independent and outspoken: Her parents, like many Quakers, believed that men and women should study, live and work as equals and should commit themselves equally to the eradication of cruelty and injustice in the world.

Before she joined the campaign for woman suffrage, Anthony was a temperance activist in Rochester, New York, where she was a teacher at a girls’ school. As a Quaker, she believed that drinking alcohol was a sin; moreover, she believed that (male) drunkenness was particularly hurtful to the innocent women and children who suffered from the poverty and violence it caused. However, Anthony found that few politicians took her anti-liquor crusade seriously, both because she was a woman and because she was advocating on behalf of a “women’s issue.” Women needed the vote, she concluded, so that they could make certain that the government kept women’s interests in mind.

In 1853, Anthony began to campaign for the expansion of married women’s property rights; in 1856, she joined the American Anti-Slavery Society, delivering abolitionist lectures across New York State. Though Anthony was dedicated to the abolitionist cause and genuinely believed that African-American men and women deserved the right to vote, after the Civil War ended she refused to support any suffrage amendments to the Constitution unless they granted the franchise to women as well as men.

This led to a dramatic schism in the women’s-rights movement between activists like Anthony, who believed that no amendment granting the vote to African Americans should be ratified unless it also granted the vote to women (proponents of this point of view formed a group called the National Woman Suffrage Association), and those who were willing to support an immediate expansion of the citizenship rights of former slaves, even if it meant they had to keep fighting for universal suffrage. (Proponents of this point of view formed a group called the American Woman Suffrage Association.)

This animosity eventually faded, and in 1890 the two groups joined to form a new suffrage organization, the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was NAWSA’s first president; Anthony was its second. She continued to fight for the vote until she died on March 13, 1906.

Alice Paul, 1885-1977

Alice Paul was the leader of the most militant wing of the woman-suffrage movement. Born in 1885 to a wealthy Quaker family in New Jersey, Paul was well-educated--she earned an undergraduate degree in biology from Swarthmore College and a PhD in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania--and determined to win the vote by any means necessary.

While she was in graduate school, Paul spent time in London, where she joined the suffragist Emmeline Pankhurst’s radical, confrontational Women’s Social and Political Union and learned how to use civil disobedience and other “unladylike” tactics to draw attention to her cause. When she returned to the United States in 1910, Paul brought those militant tactics to the well-established National American Woman Suffrage Association. There, as the chair of NAWSA’s Congressional Committee, she began to agitate for the passage of a federal suffrage amendment to the Constitution like the one her hero Susan B. Anthony had wanted so badly to see.

On March 3, 1913, Paul and her colleagues coordinated an enormous suffrage parade to coincide with--and distract from--President Wilson’s inauguration. More marches and protests followed. The more conservative women at NAWSA soon grew frustrated with publicity stunts like these, and in 1914 Paul left the organization and started her own, the Congressional Union (which soon became the National Woman’s Party). Even after the U.S. entered World War I, the NWP kept up its flamboyant protests, even staging a seven-month picket of the White House.

For this “unpatriotic” act, Paul and the rest of the NWP suffragists were arrested and imprisoned. Along with some of the other activists, Paul was placed in solitary confinement; then, when they went on a hunger strike to protest this unfair treatment, the women were force-fed for as long as three weeks. These abuses did not have their intended effect: Once news of the mistreatment got out, public sympathy swung to the side of the imprisoned activists and they soon were released.

In January 1918, President Wilson announced his support for a constitutional amendment that would give all female citizens the right to vote. On August 26, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment, making it law.

In 1920, Alice Paul proposed an Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the Constitution. (“Men and women,” it read, “shall have equal rights throughout the United States.”) The ERA has never been ratified.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 1815-1902

Elizabeth Cady Stanton was one of the foremost women’s-rights activists and philosophers of the 19th century. Born on November 12, 1815, to a prominent family in upstate New York, Elizabeth Cady was surrounded by reform movements of all kinds. Soon after her marriage to abolitionist Henry Brewster Stanton in 1840, the pair traveled to the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London, where they were turned away: Female delegates, they were told, were unwelcome.

This injustice convinced Stanton that women needed to pursue equality for themselves before they could seek it for others. In the summer of 1848, she--along with the abolitionist and temperance activist Lucretia Mott and a handful of other reformers--organized the first women’s-rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York. Some 240 men and women gathered to discuss what Stanton and Mott called “the social, civil, and religious condition and rights of women.” One hundred of the delegates--68 women and 32 men--signed a Declaration of Sentiments, modeled on the Declaration of Independence, declaring that women were citizens equal to men with “an inalienable right to the elective franchise.” The Seneca Falls Convention marked the beginning of the campaign for woman suffrage.

Like Susan B. Anthony, Stanton was a committed abolitionist; however, she too refused to compromise on the principle of universal suffrage. As a result, she campaigned against the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which guaranteed black men the right to vote but denied it to women.

After the fight over the 14th and 15th Amendments, Stanton continued to push for women’s political equality--but she believed in a much broader vision of women’s rights. She advocated for the reform of marriage and divorce laws, the expansion of educational opportunities for girls and even the adoption of less confining clothing (such as the pants-and-tunic ensemble popularized by the activist Amelia Bloomer) so that women could be more active. She also campaigned against the oppression of women in the name of religion--“From the inauguration of the movement for woman’s emancipation,” she wrote, “the Bible has been used to hold her in the ‘divinely ordained sphere’”--and in 1895 published the first volume of a more egalitarian Woman’s Bible.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton died in 1902. Today, a statue of Stanton, with fellow women’s rights activists Susan B. Anthony and Lucretia Mott stands in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.

Lucy Stone, 1818-1893

Lucy Stone, born in Massachusetts in 1818, was a pioneering abolitionist and women’s-rights activist, but she is perhaps best known for refusing to change her last name when she married the abolitionist Henry Blackwell in 1855. (This tradition, the couple declared, “refuse[d] to recognize the wife as an independent, rational being” and “confer[red] on the husband an injurious and unnatural superiority.”)

After she graduated from Oberlin College in 1847, Stone became a traveling lecturer for the American Anti-Slavery Society--advocating, she said, “not for the slave only, but for suffering humanity everywhere. Especially do I mean to labor for the elevation of my sex.” She continued her activism on behalf of abolitionism and women’s rights until 1857, when she retired from the anti-slavery lecture circuit to care for her baby daughter.

After the Civil War, advocates of woman suffrage faced a dilemma: Should they hold firm to their demand for universal suffrage or should they endorse--even celebrate--the 15th Amendment while they kept up their own campaign for the franchise? Some suffragists, such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, chose the former, scorning the Fifteenth Amendment while forming the National Woman Suffrage Association to try and win the passage of a federal universal-suffrage amendment. Stone, on the other hand, supported the15th Amendment; at the same time, she helped found the American Woman Suffrage Association, which fought for woman suffrage on a state-by-state basis.

In 1871, Stone and Blackwell began to publish the weekly feminist newspaper The Woman’s Journal. Stone died in 1893, 27 years before American women won the right to vote. The Woman’s Journal survived until 1931.

Ida B. Wells, 1862-1931

Ida B. Wells, born in Mississippi in 1862, is perhaps best known for her work as a crusading journalist and anti-lynching activist. While working as a schoolteacher in Memphis, Wells wrote for the city’s black newspaper, The Free Speech. Her writings exposed and condemned the inequalities and injustices that were so common in the Jim Crow South: disfranchisement, segregation, lack of educational and economic opportunity for African-Americans, and especially the arbitrary violence that white racists used to intimidate and control their black neighbors.

Wells’s insistence on publicizing the evils of lynching, in particular, won her many enemies in the South, and in 1892 she left Memphis for good when an angry mob wrecked the offices of The Free Speech and warned that they would kill her if she ever came back. Wells moved north but kept writing about racist violence in the former Confederacy, campaigning for federal anti-lynching laws (which were never passed) and organizing on behalf of many civil rights causes, including woman suffrage.

In March 1913, as Wells prepared to join the suffrage parade through President Woodrow Wilson’s inaugural celebration, organizers asked her to stay out of the procession: Some of the white suffragists, it seemed, refused to march alongside blacks. (Early suffrage activists had generally supported racial equality--in fact, most had been abolitionists before they were feminists--but by the beginning of the 20th century, that was rarely the case. In fact, many middle-class white people embraced the suffragists’ cause because they believed that the enfranchisement of “their” women would guarantee white supremacy by neutralizing the black vote.) Wells joined the march anyway, but her experience showed that to many white suffragists, “equality” did not apply to everyone.

Wells continued to fight for civil rights for all until she died in 1931.

(Content courtesy of History.com)

Ask the Expert: Can Weight Lifting Make Women Look Bulky?

Q: Will weight lifting give me a manly look? I want to tone my arms and shoulders but don't want to look bulky or lose my boobs. Are there certain exercises that can prevent this?

A: The changes of you building the type of muscles that would make you look like a man, are highly unlikely. This is one of the misconceptions that women have about strength training. Just lifting weights alone will not build muscle, give you bulky arms or reduce breast size. Lifting weights will help you to lose weight and get the toned look you desire.

We all think of bodybuilders, both men and women, and think everyone will look like this when we strength train. What everyone needs to realize is that to build muscle it takes a very disciplined strength training routine, a nutrition plan to fuel your workouts and proper supplementation. Realize that bodybuilders are training in the gym at least 4 hours each day, 5-6 days a week to ave the muscle gains that they have. Also, women do not produce enough testosterone like men, so this is another reason why women will have difficulty building muscle.

As women, we should not be afraid of working out and lifting weights. We should have a fitness regimen that consists of total body strength training with lifting weights (5lbs-10lbs), cardiovascular training and stretching. We all want those toned arms and legs right? The only way to have this is to incorporate strength training into your diet.
Remember the more lean muscle you have the more calories you will burn which means you will have less fat deposits.
Here are a few examples of great compound movements that will not only increase your strength, develop your muscle tone, strengthen your core and provide a great cardio workout that will burn calories.
 

• Prone Dumbbell Row

• Squat Jumps

• Also pushups are another great exercise that will tone your entire upper body! To add a little spice and variation, try the “Ms. America Sash”

• Ms. America Sash

So it’s ok to pick up a weights ladies!
If your interested in having a personalized training and nutrition program to help you get your body lean and toned, please visit our website, http://www.bwellfit.com/ today for more information on the right program for you!

Tip to Your Health: What to do about Sugar

Why you shouldn’t eat too much sugar


• Sugar can suppress your immune system and impair your defenses against infectious disease

• Sugar can produce a significant rise in total cholesterol, triglycerides and bad cholesterol and a decrease in good cholesterol.

• Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose and can cause reactive hypoglycemia

• Sugar contributes to obesity

• Sugar can cause a decrease in your insulin sensitivity thereby causing an abnormally high insulin levels and eventually diabetes

• Sugar can interfere with your absorption of protein

• Diets high in sugar will increase free radicals and oxidative stress

• Sugar can cause gum disease

How much sugar you should eat

• The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends no more than 8 teaspoons per day of added sugar based on a 2,000 calories/day diet. That's 32 grams if you're reading labels, and about 6% of your total calories for the day. Sounds like a lot, but believe me... it's not.
32 total grams sugar/ 4 grams per teaspoon = < 8 teaspoons added sugar/day


What to do about Sugar…reduce the amount of sugar that you eat

1. Read labels – You should have 32 grams sugar or less total per day

2. Try to obtain your sugars naturally–which should be primarily from fresh, whole fruit.Fruit juices, even if they are 100 percent fruit juice, are all-natural sugar but they are very high in calories–it’s best to avoid beverages with high calories, including fruit juices, sodas, lemonade and other sweetened beverages. Learn to enjoy your iced tea for its natural flavor, rather than for the flavor of the sugar that you pour into the glass.

3. Rather than adding syrup or honey to foods like waffles or pancakes, try topping them with sliced fresh fruit and a dollop of vanilla yogurt.

4. Look for whole-grain cereals without added sugars, and top with sliced bananas, berries or other fruit that appeals to you. This applies to both cold cereals and hot. Oatmeal is delicious with some mashed banana stirred in for sweetness.

5. Keep healthy snacks around, like whole fruits, cut vegetables, whole-grain crackers, low-fat yogurt and low-fat cheese, so you won’t be tempted to eat sweets instead.

6. Help your kids develop healthier habits–if they are old enough to read labels, give them a list of all the names for sugar and ask them to become “sugar detectives.” They will enjoy finding the hidden sources of sugar in foods, and it will help to educate them as to how much sugar is added–sometimes where you least expect it.

      Names for sugar: sucrose, fructose, glucose, dextrose, lactose, maltose, invert sugar, raw sugar, 
         turbinado sugar, brown sugar, cane sugar, brown rice syrup, fruit juice concentrate, confectioner’s 
         sugar, maltodextrin, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, maple syrup and molasses.

7. Instead of baked goods for desserts, try fresh fruit with a bit of chocolate syrup. One great trick is to take ripe bananas, peel and place them on a foil-lined tray in the freezer. Frozen bananas taste just like ice cream and will satisfy your sweet tooth for significantly fewer calories.

8. If you add sugar to cereals, beverages and fruits routinely, try to gradually reduce the amount you use. You may not really know the true flavor of these foods because you have “masked” the flavor with sugar. Fresh fruits in season should be deliciously sweet–no added sugar necessary.

Ask the Expert: 5 Fitness Tricks for Better Sex, Part 2

Q: They say that being in better shape helps improve your sex life. How is working out going to make me last longer or have better sex? Since I am not one to pass up a good thing, can you add a little something for my wife too (wink, wink) ;)

A: Since we couldn't get all the juicy tricks for better sex in the last newsletter, we are giving you more yummy goodies.

For a quick recap, click here.  Now for the good stuff:

Fit to BWell Free Event Schedule- This Saturday, February 27

Join us RAIN OR SHINE for a day of fitness, motivation, nurtition, information and fun! This is our way of showing you love and giving you a real feel of BWell Fit and all we have to offer. Get there early for the boot camp!


Activities include:
* Fitness and Nutrition Consultation with Celebrity Personal Trainers and Champion Fitness Competitors Linda Okwor and Toneka Pires
* Weight Loss Expert Dr. Andrea Pennington will share her 5 tips for weight loss success
* Boot Camp Session with LA's #1 Boot Camp featuring Dulcie Hellings
* Body Assessments
* Pole Dancing Demo by Sharon Polsky
* Yoga with My-rah Penaloza
* Fit to BWell Challenge sign-up; winner gets up to $1000! (12-weeks, only 25 participants taken,
   $40/person/month)
* Free parking on site
* Event Cost: Free!
* Prizes and Giveaways:
   * MicroNutrient Testing ($1900) courtesy of Spectracell
   * 1 of 5 Luxury Couture Swimsuits by Laura Soares
   * 1-on-1 Training Session with Linda and Toneka
   * 1-on-1 Session with Dr. Andrea Pennington
   * Nutrition 101 CD's for those who register for the Fit to BWell Challenge
   * 2 Tickets to Weekend Warrior Boot Camp
   * Pole Dance for Fitness & Fun DVD free to all participants

Limited space, please RSVP!

We will be hosting the event rain or shine!

*After the event we will be casting families for a new total wellness show called "Diabetes Proof My Family" from 2pm to 4pm. For more information and general inquiries please contact: info@andreapennington.com

Event Schedule

9:00 – Registration


9:30 – Boot camp

10:15 – Yoga

10:45 – 11:00 - Break

11-noon – Presentations and Panel, Q & A

Noon – 12:30 – Fit To BWell Challenge Intro Pole Dance Demo, Assessments

12:30 – 1:00 – Fit To BWell Challenge Sign up, Assessments, Giveaways

1:00 - Thank you and End of program

1:00 – 2:00 - Break

2:00 – 4:00 - Casting for Diabetes Proof my family

4:00 – End of Casting

What to bring (participants):

• Water; Enough to last 4 hours or more

• Snacks; Enough to last 4 hours or more

• Yoga Mat

• Small weights (if they have them); 3-8 lbs for ladies, 5-15 lbs for men. Please select weight carefully. You will be performing multiple reps during boot camp.

• Towel(s)

• Pen and paper (optional)

• Great attitude

Free Fitness and Nutrition Event to Kick off Weight Loss Challenge!!

Join us this Saturday, 2/27/10, from 9am to 1pm, at Pan Pacific Park in Los Angeles for a FREE Fitness & Nutrition Event! Activities Include:

* Fitness and Nutrition Consultation with Celebrity Personal Trainers and Champion Fitness Competitors Linda Okwor and Toneka Pires
* Weight Loss Expert Dr. Andrea Pennington will share her 5 tips for weight success
* Boot Camp Session with LA's #1 Boot Camp featuring Dulcie Hellings

* Body Assessments
* Pole Dancing Demo by Sharon Polsky
* Yoga with My-rah Penaloza
* Fit to BWell Challenge Registration
* Nutritional snacks and more
What to bring:

• Water; Enough to last 4 hours or more

• Snacks; Enough to last 4 hours or more

• Yoga Mat

• Small weights (if they have them); 3-8 lbs for ladies, 5-15 lbs for men. Please select weight carefully. You will be performing multiple reps during boot camp.

• Towel(s)

• Pen and paper (optional)

• Great attitude

*RSVP here: http://bit.ly/b5ZW2P

Tip to Your Health: Aphrodisiacs...Recipes

In our last issue, we told you about 7 aphrodisiacs to get you hot and bothered!  We are going to take this issue to give you some recipes that you can use to get your motor started.

1. Chocolate Finger & Toes Lickin' Good Mousse
2. Oyster Dipping Sauce
3. So Sexy Asparagus
4. Fig That!
5. Scallops for Two and then...
6. Hot, Spicy, Easy, Chicken Curry
7. Oh Honey Dip

1. Chocolate   Chocolate Finger & Toes Lickin' Good Mousse
 1 lg. egg

 1 tbsp. cold water
 1 env. unflavored gelatin
 1 c. boiling water
 1/2 c. part-skim ricotta cheese
 1/2 c. cold 1% low-fat milk
 1/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. sugar
 1 1/4 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

In a blender container or food processor, combine the egg, cold water and the gelatin. Process for 10 seconds. Scrape sides. Process for 10 seconds longer. Let stand for 1 minute or until gelatin is softened. Add boiling water. Process for 10 seconds or until gelatin is dissolved. Add ricotta cheese, milk, sugar and cocoa. Process for 1 minute. Pour mousse into 6 dessert cups. Chill for 2 hours or until set. Garnish each cup with a whole, fresh strawberry, if so desired. (Approximately 124 calories per serving.)

2. Oysters   Oyster Dipping Sauce
 1 pint shucked oysters
 1 cup finely chopped onion or sliced leek
 2 tsp butter
 1/2 tsp salt
 2 cup skim milk
 1 cup half and half
 1 tbsp. fresh parsley
 1/4 tsp white pepper

In a large saucepan, cook onion or leek in butter until tender. Stir in oysters and salt. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until oysters curl around the edges. Stir in milk, cream, parsley and pepper. Heat through. Serves 4 to 6.

3. Asparagus   So Sexy Asparagus
 1 to 1 and 1/2 lbs fresh asparagus

 2 tsp olive oil or butter
 2 tbsp. snipped fresh chervil or 2 tsp tarragon
 A dash of course salt

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Cut woody bases from asparagus. Combine oil and 1 T chervil or 1 tsp tarragon. Drizzle over asparagus. Toss to coat. Roast 4 to 6 minutes in greased baking pan until tender. To serve, place upright in a jar. Sprinkle with remaining chervil. Makes 6 servings

4. Figs   Fig This!
Healthy Fig Bars


Figs are a great non-dairy way to add calcium into your diet. This healthy vegan recipe is perfect for fiber-full breakfasts, afterschool snacks and lunchbox treats.

Makes one 8"x8" pan, or 8-12 squares

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
 32 dried calimyrna figs, stems removed
 ¾ cups whole wheat flour
 ¾ cups oat flour
 ½ cup rolled oats, finely ground in a blender or food processor
 2 tbsp. finely ground cashews or almonds
 ½ tsp. baking soda
 ¼ tsp. salt
 ¼ cup canola oil
 1/3 cup maple syrup
 ¼ cup plain almond milk, soymilk or rice milk

Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly oil an 8 x8 inch square cake pan. Set aside.

2. Place the figs in a saucepan just large enough to fit with just enough water to cover. Boil for 2-3 minutes, cover, and allow figs to soak for 10 minutes. Place figs in a blender or food processor with ¼ cup of the water and puree, adding more water if necessary. Set aside.

3. Meanwhile, make the crust. In a small mixing bowl, sift together the flours, ground oats, ground nuts, baking soda and salt, and set aside. In another small bowl, whisk together the canola oil, maple syrup and non-dairy milk alternative until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined.

4. Spread half to 2/3 of the crust mixture evenly on the bottom of the prepared pan, followed by the fig mixture. Top with the remaining crust mixture, drizzling with a bit of maple syrup if desired. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until golden brown.

5. Scallops   Scallops for Two and then...
Sautéed Bay Scallops with Lemon and Thyme


If you are looking for fast and easy, try this scallop recipe! You can make sautéed scallops in less than 10 minutes: just sauté them and sprinkle with a little lemon juice and fresh thyme and serve. For a bit more flavor and glamour -- but still quite easy -- serve the version below.

1 lb fresh bay scallops
Salt
Pepper
2 tbsp butter (divided into two pieces)
1 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp minced shallot
1/4 cup white wine
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp chopped thyme

Rinse scallops and pat dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Add oil and 1 tablespoon butter to a large skillet; heat over medium high heat about 1 minute. Add scallops to pan, a few at a time, cooking 1-2 minute per side or until they are golden brown on the outside but still translucent in the middle. Place scallops on a heated platter and cover with foil.

Return skillet to burner and add shallots and cook for about 2 minutes. Add wine, lemon juice and thyme to pan and cook another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining tablespoon of butter. Return scallops to the pan and toss with the sauce. Serve immediately.

(Makes up to 4 servings)

6. Chili and Curry   Hot, Spicy, Easy, Chicken Curry
Crock Pot Chicken Curry

Use your Crockpot to make this flavorful chicken curry dish. Serve this savory chicken over hot rice with additional chutney and some chopped peanuts on the side.


Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 7 hours

Ingredients:
 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2" pieces
 2 onions, chopped
 2 cloves garlic, minced
 9 oz. jar mango chutney
 2/3 cup water
 2 tbsp. cornstarch
 1 tbsp. curry powder
 1/2 tsp. salt
 1/4 tsp. chili powder
 1/4 tsp. white pepper
 1 red bell pepper, chopped
 1 green bell pepper, chopped
 1 cup frozen baby peas

Preparation:

Combine chicken, onions, and garlic in a 3-4 quart Crockpot. In medium bowl, combine chutney, water, cornstarch, curry powder, salt and pepper, and mix well. If there are any large pieces in the chutney, remove them, chop into smaller pieces and return to the sauce. Pour over chicken and onions in the Crockpot.

Cover Crockpot and cook on LOW for 5-1/2 to 7-1/2 hours until chicken is thoroughly cooked and no longer pink in center. Turn Crockpot to high and add bell peppers and peas. Cover Crockpot and cook for 20-30 minutes until vegetables are tender. 4-6 servings

7. Honey   Oh Honey...just like that
Low fat honey mustard


Ingredients
3/4 cup low-fat or non-fat yogurt
2 tsp. light mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp. of honey
3 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 scallion, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Whisk ingredients together. Toss with fresh salad greens.

Eat up and have enjoy!








   

Ask the Experts: 5 Fitness Tricks for Better Sex

Q: They say that being in better shape helps improve your sex life.  How is working out going to make me last longer or have better sex?  Since I am not one to pass up a good thing, can you add a little something for my wife too (wink, wink) ;)

A. Experts have long said that people who are in better mental and physical health tend to have good sex lives.  There are three primary components of fitness, they say "Endurance, strength and flexibility."  If you are in shape, you have more aerobic endurance, muscular strength and overall flexibility-- all of which can aid a person during sex.

Don't forget the increased blood flow to the brain and those parts down there that make you want to jump your mate.  Studies also point to the release of neurotransmitters that generally make people feel good.

When you are feeling good, you are more likely to want sex and enjoy it more.  You will also avoid injuries like cramping and muscle pulls during sex (yes, it happens).

People who are out of shape are often less motivated to have sex.  They tend to tire easily, have a lower sex drive and less stamina than those who work out.

So the moral of the story is get your butt in shape!

Here are 5 Fitness Tricks and Positions for Better Sex

1. Get your mind right – Brain fitness is very important since this where it all begins.


a. Ladies

i. Take the time to mentally get prepared for sex. This includes believing you are sexy and beautiful. We are all sexy and beautiful in our own way so you might as well own it. Repeat: “I am beautiful, I am sexy” over and over in your head. Studies show that when we tell ourselves something repeatedly, we will start to believe it. Many men believe that confidence is one of the sexiest things about a woman. Exuding confidence will quickly boost you from blah to hot.

ii. Now, think sexual thoughts. Think of your favorite fantasies and include your partner. When I played sports in school, the coach would make us replay a perfect race or competition in our head. I would picture myself running the perfect race and getting the perfect time. This mental exercise always improved my race and time. Use this when it comes to sex and you will find that your sex life will get better.

iii. Begin foreplay long before the act begins. Send your honey sexy texts, notes or long sexy stares across the table. Flirt and tease him so by the time you two are about to do the act, you are both ready to go. Now begin the traditional foreplay.

iv. Meditations can be used to enhance your sexual experience as well as other parts of your life. Invest in meditation books, audio books, etc…

b. Gentlemen

i. Please apply all the above

ii. We are going to take it a step further for you. Nature has blessed you with the ability to reach orgasmic climax faster and more frequent than women. It is going to take your lady a little longer to reach climax so try to prolong the act for her. When you are in the act, one of the best ways to prolong the experience is to think of something non-sexual. Some of the things I have heard guy friends use as orgasm blockers are station wagons, graveyards, work, getting up in the morning, and other visuals that are totally “un-PC” to mention. Use this mind trick to keep you going longer.

iii. Don’t go in with a loaded gun, release beforehand. This way you can focus on pleasing her and not worried whether you are going prematurely unload.

2. Get your heart in check – interval training 2-3 times per week to increase stamina. This means that you will last longer. Remember when you first started running? The first time, you were out of breath, your legs were cramping up and you were feeling a burning sensation in your chest. The more you ran, the longer you could go with less of the embarrassing symptoms we mentioned earlier. You can transfer that stamina to the bedroom. Try this interval training 2-3 times a week to get your heart in check.

a. Treadmill

i. Warm up with a 3-5 minute brisk walk

ii. Take the pace up another notch so that you are almost running for one minute

iii. Take the pace up to a run for a minute

iv. Back to near run for a minute

v. Take it up to a fast paced run

vi. Repeat

vii. The total time should be 20 minutes or more. Start with 10 minutes which is warm up, 2-3 run intervals, 2 minute cool down

3. Total body workout 2-3 times per week

Sex is very physical and will require you to use all your major muscles whether you know it or not. Your fitness routine should include exercises for the following muscle groups:

i. Deltoids (shoulders) – Try Lateral extensions, shoulder press

ii. Biceps – Try bicep curls

iii. Triceps - Try triceps extensions

iv. Chest – Try pushups or bench press

v. Back – Try pull ups, lat pull downs, fly’s

vi. Abs/Core – Try bicycles, plank holds

vii. Quadriceps – Try lunges

viii. Hamstrings /gluteus maximus– Try squats

ix. Calves – Try calf raises
The better shape you in the more confident you are sexually and the better you can perform.

Now this was just foreplay, come back next time for our last 2 steamy tips....next up positions!

 

'Spice up your love life this Valentine's Day! on Today's Radio Show at 4p ET/1p PT'

'Spice up your love life this Valentine's Day! on Today's Radio Show at 4p ET/1p PT'

Featured Recipe: Lover's Linguine

Ingredients

2 tablespoons pine nuts or almonds
1 large garlic clove
2 oz. parmesan cheese
3 cups fresh basil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb. fresh linguine

Directions

1. Pulse pine nuts or almonds in a food processor; put aside
2. Add garlic, parmesan cheese, fresh basil (set pinch aside for garnishing), lemon juice and olive oil in a fine stream, process the mixture until creamy
3. Top prepared linguine with pesto mix and nuts then toss
4. Garnish with a pince of fresh basil leaves

Makes 8 servings, 270 calories

Serve with dim lights, candles and a glass of red wine or cider.  Wear something that makes you feel "hot" or nothing at all but a smile.  The fun part will be feeding each other and "cleaning up" afterwards.  Enjoy and toast to love!

Tip to your Health: Aphrodisiacs

Foods that make you go uummm in more than one way

People have been fascinated with aphrodisiacs since the beginning of mankind. Let us first start by defining aphrodisiac. According to Wikipedia, “An aphrodisiac is a substance that is used in the belief that it increases sexual desire; substance that when ingested will make you or your chosen mate want to lose his/her pants. The name comes from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of sensuality and love; throughout history, many foods, drinks, and behaviors have been reputed to make sex more attainable and/or pleasurable.
People have tried it all, from dried beetle remains (aka Spanish Fly) to urine. No, I am not making these things up. Since we are into health, fitness and life, we are not going to send you searching for deadly snakes or rhinoceros horns. We are going to give you a list of natural, mostly healthy foods that have been said to get you a bit randy!


1. Chocolate I love, love, love chocolate!! This one is for all you chocoholics…try it warm and use your sweetie’s skin as a plate and your tongue and fingers as the utensil. Just what is it about the cacao bean that makes people go crazy? Perhaps it's the serotonin or the phenyl ethylamine, or all the other neurotransmitters that make our brains happy. There's also the stimulants theobromine and caffeine, plus the antioxidants. Ancient civilizations worshipped the Cacao tree and called it "food of the gods.

2. Oysters I absolutely laughed when I first read why oysters are considered an aphrodisiac. Oysters are viewed as an aphrodisiac because of its resemblance to female genitalia. I am in support of whatever works. But before you dismiss them, you should also know that they are high in zinc and all shellfish contain phosphorus, calcium, iodine, iron, vitamin B and glyco¬phosphates. These are basic essentials for an aphrodisiac.

3. Asparagus These are the only vegetables that have stalk shaped like “the you know what”. It is lacking a little in width but the thought of it in that way evokes unmentionable thoughts. They are high in potassium and vitamin A which are thought to boost sex drive. Who knows if it is fact or myth but at least you get veggies in while enjoying this nutritious veggie.

4. Figs This is another food that is said to resemble a woman’s “hoo ha” when opened, has aroused people for many centuries. They might not be pretties looking fruits but they are great with grapes, cheese and crackers when hand feeding your Boo like he or she is a royalty. Go ahead and enjoy!

5. Scallops Now I know why some people love scallops! The sea is one of the major sources of life. It is therefore no surprise that most sea creatures have the elements to form an aphrodisiac. As I said before, all shellfish, the strongest aphrodisiacs, contain phosphorus, calcium, iodine, iron, vitamin B and glyco¬phosphates, basic essentials for an aphrodisiac. Aphrodite is thought to have sprung from sea foam. As a result, various types of seafood are thought to have aphrodisiac qualities.

6. Chili and curry Spicy foods tend to raise the heart rate and cause beads of sweat to appear on the brow. These are physical reactions that may also occur during sex. I guess when you are doing something that causes reactions that occur when having sex; you can’t help but think of doing the do when eating them. Peppers can also increase your metabolism helping you burn a little more fat. Who doesn’t want a little more help when trying to get their sexy back?

7. Honey We have always known that honey was good for many uses…I can fill you with stick details…but this is not that kind of article ;) Honey is a highly metabolized sugar. Honey is also known as the "nectar of Aphrodite"! It has been said to prolong sexual arousal and is a good source of energy. I went out and bought two bottles after reading that. Who needs sugar substitutes when you can do so much with honey!

If none of these foods or suggestions get you going, then we should refer you to Dr. Pennington. Stay tuned for our next newsletter where we will share recipes that incorporate these yummy, naughty foods. We would love to hear about any aphrodisiacs that you have discovered. Come on, you have to share with the rest of us. Please send to info@bwellfit.com; we will then share with other readers and give you the credit for bringing a little more heat to the bedroom.

Featured Recipe: Kale, Cranberries, Almonds and Pine Nuts Salad

Ingredients


2 bunches kale leaves, stems and tough ribs removed, leaves very finely chopped

½ cup cranberries

½ cup  almonds

¼ cup pine nuts

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Or ½ cup of fat free/low fat honey mustard dressing



Directions

Place kale leaves, cranberries, almonds and pine nuts in a serving bowl. In a small bowl, (whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, chili powder and salt or honey mustard). Pour over kale mix and toss to combine well. Taste and add more salt or chili powder if desired.

Tip: The key to this salad is finely chopping the kale leaves. The finer they are, the more they will absorb the dressing and the easier they will be to eat. This salad is a great opportunity to practice good knife skills.

Serves 6

Contact us for nutritional information

Ask the Experts: Grocery Shopping Tips

Question:

I know that I am supposed to eat better but I have such a hard time grocery shopping. Every time I step inside a grocery store I get completely overwhelmed! By the time I leave, I am usually over my allotted budget and have bags of crap I wasn’t intending to buy. Can you please help me get it together?

Response:

Grocery shopping is a very important part of your quest for a healthier lifestyle. It is so easy to abandon the list or promise to eat less baked goods when the aroma fills your nose as soon as you step inside the store. The marketing departments at these stores are well aware of our weaknesses. The look, smell and even checkout stations are designed to get you to spend more even if it is on the wrong items. Don’t beat yourself up and falling prey to their well designed marketing campaign. Here are some tools that we use to keep us on track before and while grocery shopping.
How to grocery shop effectively:
1. Plan ahead

     a. Select the healthy meals that you would like to prepare.

     b. Discuss with roommates/ family members. This can help you generate ideas for the menu and also keep
     you from buying things that other people will not eat. Don’t forget to share your quest for a healthier
     lifestyle and smaller waist line. Enlist their help because just as quickly as they can help, they can also
     knock you off your health wagon.

     c. Make a calendar for meals. You can use a monthly calendar to indicate what you are going to make on
     which day so that you will know what you need to purchase

     d. Create shopping list. This list should be make using the calendar of menus

2. Select basic items that you will use frequently. What to buy:

Pantry

     • Low-sodium chicken broth and broth-based vegetable and bean soups. Always read the labels to
     ensure sodium levels are less than 500 milligrams per serving.

     • 100% Whole grain pasta, whole grain couscous and brown rice. Whole grain or multigrain does not
     mean it is healthy. The label must read 100% whole wheat

     • Canned wild fish, including salmon and tuna, contain omega-3 fatty acids.

     • Low sodium canned tomatoes and beans are great to have on hand

     • Whole grain cereals and oatmeal. Make sure it has at least 3 grams of fiber and less than 10 grams of
     sugar. Do not buy fast-cooking oatmeal, as it raises your blood sugar too quickly.

     • Natural style peanut butter or other nut butters

     • Olive oil and canola oil

     • Breads made with flax. This is an excellent source of protein and good fats and it lowers the percentage
     of carbohydrates in the bread.

Refrigerator and freezer

     • Variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. If you pick lots of bright colors you are most likely to get a variety
     of nutrients. Bright colors, especially reds and greens, indicate high antioxidant content.

     • Frozen fruits and vegetables

     • Low-fat milk, yogurt, nut milks, reduced fat cheese

     • Eggs (especially omega-3 enriched), egg whites, egg substitute

     • Choose skinless chicken or turkey breasts, pork tenderloin and lean cuts of beef for healthy meat options.

     • Fish is the king protein from animal sources.

Snacks

     • Pre-portioned whole grain cookies, crackers, and baked chips. The best thing to do is to put them in
     small baggies so you don’t eat the whole bag.

     • Dry roasted nuts.

     • Fresh and dried fruits. A small box of raisins can provide a healthy energy boost. Make that there is no
     sugar added to the dried fruit.

     • Microwavable popcorn. Don't butter it. Flavor it with spices instead, such as garlic or onion powder or
     herbs. I have put cayenne pepper on my pop corn for an extra kick.

     • Dark chocolate in small quantities will satisfy any sweet tooth. For all you chocolate lovers out there,
     buy low-fat chocolate with the highest percentage of cacao you can find for the antioxidants.

2. Stick to plan. It doesn’t matter if all the items on the cookie aisle are seductively calling your name (“Suuuuussannnnn, buy me”), do not go down that aisle if it is not on your shopping list.

3. Reward yourself. Designate one “reward” item that you absolutely love to put on your reward list. If you follow your list and diet accordingly, reward yourself with that item. Don’t fool yourself of how it will effect your overall diet. If that item is the chicken wings in the deli section, don’t down a whole bucket and expect it not to effect your waist line. Try and grab a healthier alternative like the baked and skinless version.

4. Keep an ongoing list on your fridge or close by where you can jot down depleted items.

How can BWell Fit Help? We can provide the following:

• Assessment for needs, wants and goals. We will assess you to determine where you are currently. Whether it is your weight, health issues or fat level.

• Customized programs. We use the assessment to customize a fitness, nutrition and motivation program.

• Meal by meal menu. This customized program includes a meal by meal menu using your assessment, goals, likes, health issues, allergies, etc…

• Grocery list. Each menu comes with a grocery list so you will know exactly what you need to buy to prepare the created menu

• Motivation and questions answered. We offer many events and incentives to keep you motivated during your journey. And if you should ever have a question, please call, email or schedule an appointment with us. Your questions will be answered quickly and effectively.

This month, we are offering our online program for $59.99 per month. This offers all the Services above for a very low price. The original price is $99 for set up and $199 per month.

Good luck and happy shopping. Please contact us if you need more tips or have any more questions: info@bwellfit.com or 877 319 1133.

Ask the Experts: Rebounding After the Holidays

Question:

I did my best to watch my food intake during the holidays but think I may have gone a bit overboard. Should I eat less now?

Response:

We love the holidays!! Some favorite things about the holidays are spending time with family and friends and the abundance and variety of food. ..lots and lots of food. Once the dusts clear from the festivities, we notice that we packed on some extra pounds and fell off our fitness wagon. The average American can gain up to 15 pounds during the holidays. Some people experience the post holiday blues or worst, completely give up on their fitness and health quest because they feel that recovery is impossible. Being a little loose with your workouts and nutrition during the holidays does not mean that your are doomed for failure. Here are a few tips that will help you get back on track:

· Get moving. It may be the last thing you feel like doing, but getting the blood flowing is the perfect remedy for a food hangover and getting motivated again. In order to avoid being too sore, start off slowly. Do a walk/run interval or walk the distance you normally run. Reduce the amount of weights that you are used to doing before your hiatus. Reduce the number of reps and sets. Do more stretching or take a yoga class. Add a little more every month until you reach the level you were at before the holidays. Even a few minutes spent working out can boost your mood and your energy levels.

· Drink water. Drinking water can help flush out some of the toxins from your system and excess salt from all the holidays food. Overload of salt can lead to a feeling of bloating which makes you feel heavier than you really are. Water is a catalyst for weight loss, so the more you drink, the more weight you could potentially lose.

· Eat lightly. After eating too much, you may be tempted to declare, "I'll never eat again!" Surprisingly, you may feel hungrier than before but starving yourself is an injustice to your goal. Replace your starchy foods with more vegetables, fruit and lean protein. This also means controlling your portions to keep from over eating. You can eat all the green vegetables you want, keep protein to about 4 ounces per meal and eat fruits with less sugar and more water such as grapefruit.

· Make a plan. One of the worst side effects of eating too much is the guilt that comes after. Guilt is sometimes inevitable, but you can use that feeling to motivate you into something better. Make a plan for the next few days for how you'll get back on track with your eating and exercise. Just the act of planning can make you feel better.

· Act. Remember that all the planning means nothing if you do not act on it. Get off the couch and put your plans in play.

· Contact BWell Fit. If you need a customized plan to help you meet your goals, contact BWell Fit.

Tip to Your Health: New Year, New You - Keep That Resolution this Time

Yes, it is that time of the year for New Year’s resolutions. Millions of people use the New Year to attempt a positive change in their lives. 7 million of those resolutions are health related. Some of the more popular resolutions are:

· Exercise more
· Eat better
· Stop smoking
· Drink less alcohol

We have put together 7 tips to help you stayed motivated and achieve your resolutions this year. We refer to these tips as the “SMARTER” method.

· Specific – it will be easier to act on a resolution if you know exactly what you have to do. Do yourself a favor and define exactly what you wish to do. i.e.:
o Smoke one cigarette less per week vs. Smoke less
o 10 lbs by June 1 vs. lose weight
o Eat oatmeal for breakfast

· Measurable – It should be very clear whether you met the objective or not. Quantitative methods are easiest to assess. Instead of judging how skinny you look when standing next to your sister, measure how many pounds you have lost the last four weeks. Keep a journal to track progress

· Attainable/Achievable – Stating that you will go to the gym 7 days a week may be difficult to follow. Even the best athletes in the world have rest days for their body to recover. You can safely and comfortably lose 2 pounds a week. To set a goal that you will lose 10 pounds a week is possible setting yourself up for failure.

· Realistic – Being realistic means recognizing factors that cannot be controlled. I often talk to people that want to look like models or Hollywood stars. No matter how great the results, it will never get you a job as a body double for a Victoria Secret model or Matthew McConaughey…sorry, even the experts at BWell Fit can’t work those kinds of miracles.

· Timed – Making your goal time based gives you something to strive for. It is not enough to say I will lose 10 pounds, try “I will lose 10 pounds by June 1st or my 10 year reunion in October”. That extra boost will help you stay on track.

· Expect struggles – Achieving anything can be difficult including changing your fitness and nutrition status quo. You will experience some not so good days and great days. Use the great days to keep you going on the days that you slip a little. Know that failure is not when you fall but it is when you stay down. If you fall, get up, brush yourself off and get on with it.

· Reward – Reward yourself when you do something great or reach a mile stone. I have heard some people saving the money saved kicking their smoking habit. They later used that money to do something they love such as a great vacation. Looking forward to something great will help you stay focused during the tough times.

The New Year gives us an opportunity and motivation to reflect on things that we would like to do better. Use these tips as tools to help make these positive changes.

New Year Resolution + SMARTER Method = Success