Second Quarter 2008 Issue Exercise – working out that works for you. I was mentally trying to coax myself to attend yet another yoga class. For over 15 years, I have tried yoga on and off because I really felt I SHOULD love it. My friends swore that it changed their lives. It looked so peaceful and the flexibility was admirable. Over the years, I have attended a wide variety of classes due to friends saying, “You have to try my teacher! Then, you ’ll love it. ” Or, “Well, you must have not tried THIS type of yoga. You ’ll love this!” ’…again. Even though I lked the teachers or SoIdgo ithe style was different, I never fell in love with the exercise and therefore have never done it regularly. I come up with all kinds of excuses: it is too far to drive,I m t’ ired, etc. Contrast that with Pilates, bike riding, gymnastics, tennis, rollerblading, playing in water and walks with friends which I LOVE! The first time I did a Pilates session I loved it right away and 11 years later I still do it twice a week. I jump in the car, lit and miing it when I m out of ook forward to ss do’ town. I also enjoy biking so much that when I am out of town I will usually look for a bike rental place near my hotel. I have come to realize that exercise or body movement is a very individual and personal ’ important for me to move, use and strengthen decision. It s my body. Yet, what is important is realizing that exercise needs to be something I enjoy thinking about beforehand, enjoy actually doing, and feel good about afterwards. For an exercise to be right for me it needs passing grades in all three arenas: before, during and after. And, if there Dr. Laura Trice, M.D. Creator and CEO of Laura's Wholesome Junk Food We are so excited to have our blog about eating healthy today. Karen got this started and we are happy to share it with you. Check us out! bitelettes.blogspot.com YouTube™ Enjoy YouTube videos showing our very own Dr. Laura making a meal for 4 for under 10 dollars with a Kale salad in 20 minutes and making a trip to the farmers market. Search: DrLauraTV Dr. Laura's Health Bytes Page 1 are instructors involved, I need to like them. I can ride my bike, swim and do Pilates almost every day and be happy doing it. How I stay healthy and fit is by ONLY doing types of exercise that make me feel happy or joyful before, during and after. I smile the entire time I m practicing gymnastics. I live the coach a high five ’ augh and gwhen I ve done something well. I even laugh and smile when I mess up. I ’ enjoy tennis more with certain teachers so those are the ones whose classes I take. My mother, who is almost 70, rides a bike or walks while she does her errands, works in the garden with the children across the street and does a few pushups every day. She loves the outdoors and these kids. Yoga was something that I felt good doing afterwards but did not enjoy the before or during parts. I don t know why ’– I just don t ’ like it. I truly enjoy playing tennis but when I played twice a week, my body hurt afterwards from the impact. I did not want to cut back to once a week but I did. My body is much happier. I bumped into a woman who used to play tennis all the time. I had not seen her in 3-4 months and she looked better than ever. All she had done was given up tennis – her body didn t ’ like it anymore. Many mothers have told me that they used to love jogging but after being pregnant, their bodies didn t ’ like it anymore. What does this all come down to? Fun! Joy! Delight! Happiness! A grumpy teacher or an exercise that isn t r’ ight for me, like lifting weights in a gym, takes all the fun out of it for me. I need it to be fun. I need to HAVE fun. I think most of us do. It is actually depressing for me to think about going into a regular indoor gym to lift weights or do aerobics. My mind, body and spirit don t have fun there. ’ Other people have a great time. I ask all of you reading this to look at your exercise routine and that of your family honestly. Do you have a son who drags himself to Little League but would be happier playing soccer or doing gymnastics? Or, is he a long Send us a photo of you or your friends and family eating bitelettes? Are they a car snack or in your kid's lunch bag? We need to be able to guess how you use them for the entry to be valid (i.e. a tub in your briefcase at work or back pack as you hike). For the top 10 entertaining photos, we will send you a case (6 tubs) of your favorite flavor! Deadline for entering July 30th -by submitting your photo, you are granting permission for use in our website. Thank you, Dr. Laura TED Our very own Dr. Laura was selected to speak for 3 minutes on Praise at the 2008 TED Conference -and then she was asked to write an article for Harvard Business publishing. Click here to enjoy what she has to say. Dr. Laura's Health Bytes Page 2 distance runner or swimmer at heart who loves the solitude? Does your daughter run track because you did or all her friends do but she really doesn t seem happy? Would she prefer basketbalor dance lessons? To ’ l build healthy bodies and life-long habits, we need to listen to our bodies as well as make sound food choices. How do you feel about the exercise you are doing right now? Are you doing it consistently or are you sporadic and need to coax yourself to participate? (If it is right for you, you will look forward to it.) How do you feel doing it? Does time fly by or drag? (If you love it, time will fly). How does your body feel afterwards? (I realized tennis was hurting me when I went a week without playing and felt better) Also, I encourage you to look at the companionship and payment factor. I bike alone and prefer to I go off in a zone. It is like my meditation -I get ideas and solve problems on my bike. Having someone biking with me is a distraction to that. Other than buying the bike once, it is free. I prepay for tennis, gymnastics and Pilates lessons. Tennis is taught in a group and I love the social component. Gymnastics and Pilates have instructors I really enjoy. I walk and rollerblade with friends and enjoy visiting. We all need help making self and body care a priority. By prepaying or having commitments with friends n scheduled slots, i’ ifIdontshowupIam wasting my money or someone s tiif at the last minute, I feel ’ me. So, tempted to do the dishes or some other proj’ ithout ect, I can t skip out wbeing “irresponsible”. If I go for a walk, I invite a friend because that helps me to show up on time and adds to the joy factor for me. It has taken me about 12 years to find out how to move my body and exercise ilove. It di’ ight for me. So, figure out n ways I dn t happen overnwhat you love. Then, find a way to make it priority. It is not about finding something that you do once or twice, it is about finding that right exercise formula that puts a smile on your face and in your heart that you will do for a lifetime. Some golfers and tennis players have been playing for over 50 years and are still going strong. Your needs may change over time, and that is fine. I, however, have a feeling I will be riding a bike in my 90 s. My ’ Staying Healthy: “FIT-BITS” from our TEAM! I am starting to get back into walking outside for 3 miles 5-6 days a week to helps with mental and physical balance attributing to assisting my golf game! Lisa :-) Hello this is Char~ I'm 62 and this is how I stay healthy: 6 times a week I walk 2-1/2 miles, along with 20 push-ups a day. I also love the benefits of my routine of lifting 15 lb weights. Playing outdoor games with my children and doing yard work (mowing, gardening, etc.) are ways I like to get my exercise in the summer time. Karen Dr. Laura's Health Bytes Page 3 dad was ballroom dancing up to 3 hours a night in his 70 s and my mother ’ just biked 17 miles i’ n a women s race. Allow yourself some freedom and take a chance on something new. I was always intimidated by the idea of golf and finally took a golf lesson. I may never play a real game – yet I enjoy hitting balls on the driving range or trying to get a hole in one on the putting green. Try something new. Set an intention to have a fun, rejuvenating and playful exercise plan in place where you are happy to do something for at least 20 minutes EVERY DAY. One surgeon told me he considers himself a “body mechanic”. If we stay up on our own body maintenance and take great care of our bodies, there will be less work that we need to go to a “body mechanic” for. In joy and great health, Dr. Laura “Baking in Grandma's Kitchen” Dr. Laura – Age 4 WeightWatchers® We knew we had the perfect cookie for breakfast and snacks!! We just learned that we can fit neatly into a Weight Watchers (r) food plan. Char's daughter sent us a Weight Watchers calculator and calculated the points for each flavor. Points per Bite-Lette™ Original flavors Anna Banana Split Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Raisin Oatmeal Extreme Fudge Oatmeal Lemon Vanilla Grandma's Gingerbread 1 1 1 1 1 1 Gluten-Free flavors Charlotte's Choc. Chip Sally's Raisin Better Brownie Cole's Cashew Choc. Chip 1 1 1 1 (Cole's = 2 bite-lettes) Write to me at drlaura@lauraswholesomejunkfood.com and let me know what new activity you added, how you changed your diet, or a bad habit you've let go. Make sure to tell me the impact this important choice has had on your life! Dr. Laura's Health Bytes Page 4