Try Gwyneth Paltrow's Diet, Get a Rash?

Hello everyone!


Back in 2011, Gwyneth Paltrow released a cookbook called "My Father's Daughter" which has a lot of delicious family-friendly recipes (based on reviews).

She released a new book (that I may have mentioned before) entitled "It's All Good" (Which I have heard is great for allergy sufferers)

I came across an article written by a woman who tried Gwyneth's foods from It's All Good for 10 days and she said she got a rash on her face- but read to the end to find out why.

"Day 1:

Every day on the Gwyneth diet starts with a heaping helping of something called "The Best Green Juice." Like lots of other green juices, it is a mixture of kale, apple, lemon, mint, and ginger. I imagine it would be much easier to make this juice if you have a juicer, but I don't have one of those. Gwyneth says it is equally fine to make with a blender and a "fine mesh strainer" which I also don't think I have. Since I literally cannot spend any more money for a year, I will have to do without. I put the ingredients in the blender and blend them together. It tastes much like regular kale juice except has large pieces of kale still in it. This is breakfast.

After breakfast I decided to do the first DVD of the Tracy Anderson method. It's difficult, actually. Essentially you hold tiny weights in your hand and then flap your arms wildly like a person in a Victorian insane asylum having an epileptic fit. You do this for an hour. At the end, I was so tired I lay on the floor.

After my workout, I decide to eat my morning snack — raw almonds soaked in water. Wet almonds are better than dry almonds because according to old Gwen, regular almonds are "hard to digest.” Wet almonds sound gross but are actually really delicious. The almonds have a kind of vanilla flavor to them once you soak them. I never really liked almonds before this. Is this diet actually going to be okay?

After a hearty lunch of a beet-greens soup (A soup made of the green leaves attached to a beet? This was weirdly delicious even though it sounded gross) and an afternoon smoothie that combined both avocado and cocoa powder (this is sort of like ice cream if ice cream tastes like avocados), I invited my friend over for Gwyneth's version of BBQ chicken. My friend is usually quite skeptical of my diet experiments, but is an incredibly good sport. I once made her eat green risotto, for example, and we are still friends today. This time, however, I shocked her. "This is really good!" she said, almost taken aback. It was true. It was really good chicken. It was juicy and had an interesting flavor from the paprika Gwyneth had me use. I had eaten so healthily the entire day, it was all super-delicious, and I was not even hungry. I was starting to feel slightly superior. "You should soak raw almonds in water," I said to my friend.

Day 2:

Flush off of last night's success, I decide to hold a dinner party at my home and fixed on making Gwyneth's meatballs, which do not have bread, eggs, red meat, or milk in them. My mother makes very good meatballs and those four things are basically the only ingredients in them, so I found this recipe suspect, but I pressed on. I thought wet almonds would be terrible, but I was completely wrong about that. I don't know how to live!

While making the meatballs, however, I can tell something is up. No. 1: They are green (they are made of arugula and turkey). No. 2: I can't put them in tomato sauce because I have eliminated tomatoes from my diet. Instead, I am serving them with a broccoli soup that tastes mostly like water. What is going on? Yesterday was so amazing! When my guests arrive and I feed them the meatballs, I can tell that they hate them. One of them pulls out a huge bag of chips and starts eating them in front of me. Another one leaves to "actually eat dinner." I am about to have a panic attack when I suddenly remember when Gwyneth went to a dinner party in America and someone asked her what kind of jeans she was wearing and she thought to herself, "I have to get back to Europe." America is the worst. I say nothing about anyone's jeans, even though I was literally just going to ask everyone about their jeans.

Day 3 and 4:

This diet is much harder on the weekends. This city is stupid because everyone is obsessed with gluten-filled brunch and what even is it? Just an empty parade! I have to get back to Europe. On Sunday, I get to go to a pancake place that also sells kale juice and I silently watch my friend eat a pancake as I sip on some kale juice. Later, however, I roast a whole fish and serve it with anchovy salsa verde. It's absolutely delicious. "I would like to meet Gwyneth Paltrow," says an unnamed friend, eating the fish with a large spoonful of anchovy sauce. "She sounds really fun." I enthuse: "She's so fun.  She smokes one cigarette a week!"

Day 5:

Deep in the annals of my kitchen, I find something amazing. It is called a fine mesh strainer! I must have bought it when I was in a coma. Now my kale juice tastes just like kale juice. The homemade horchata I make for a mid-morning snack is deeply improved. You really need raw honey for it, actually. It tastes much better and is non-alkaline forming. What has become of me? 

Day 6 and 7:

On the days when you are not waving your arms like a loon, Tracy Anderson has another DVD called Dance Cardio Workout. It’s so incredibly hard that I can only do twenty minutes of it. From what I can gather, it is completely unexplained jumping to the dulcet beeping of late Madonna. You have to jump for a whole hour. I’m so tired afterward I actually have to go to sleep.

For dinner the next night, I make salt-roasted fish. You take a fish, cover it with herbs, and literally pour an entire container of salt on it. It's okay. I think the whole thing would have been better if I really loved Thai chiles, but I don't really like them that much. Sometimes, when I am cooking these recipes, I talk to my Gwyneth book like it is her incarnate. For example, I will say, "That's a lot of salt, Gwyneth," or "Goji berries ARE better when they are soaked in water. Thanks buddy!” 

This was the last day of my detox and I have to say, it was kind of the best! I was never hungry, I loved almost all of the food I cooked, and I was actually much less swollen under my eyes than usual. I even feel slightly more alert, probably because I am not eating any tomatoes. 

Day 8: 

Today, I try out Gwyneth's vegan food. Her vegan sesame pancakes are a delight. They taste like regular sesame pancakes except they have no gluten or dairy. Gwyneth’s  version of veganism is not much different for her detox diet. It just has absolutely no meat or animal stuff. Did you know that Gwyneth had a vegan-themed party for her daughter Apple's birthday? The more you know.

Day 9:

One time Gwyneth told the New York Daily News that she would "rather die than let my kid eat Cup-a-Soup." This lead to me ask the question: Would it be fun to eat like a child of Gwyneth? Guess what? It's really fun! For breakfast, I make her "buttermilk" (they are vegan, gluten-free, and have lemon juice and soy milk instead of buttermilk) pancakes. They are actually quite delicious, if slightly gummy. Her tuna salad with Vegenaise and dijon mustard is decent and respectable! It is good, so far, to be Apple and Moses, and not just because they pick avocados all the time and eat wood-grilled pizza.

For dinner, I decide to redeem myself and hold a dinner party again, this time making tacos the main event. Who doesn't like tacos? I also decide to make an eggless and dairyless cake. The tacos are a stunning success. Her recipe for homemade chipotle salsa is as good as what I would eat at the actual Chipotle. I am very proud of Gwyneth and I cannot hide it. When people compliment the tacos, I say things like, "It's Gwyneth!" or "This cookbook is really great. I don’t know how she does it.” I don't ask one person about their jeans. The cake however, is another matter. Its crumbly and tastes like a prune, but this is probably my fault. "I like the tacos," one of my friends says, after I ask about the cake.

Day 10:

I break the diet! I have lost four pounds and have much more defined arms from having hysterical fits everyday. It is definitely fun to eat bread, dairy, and eggs again, but when I finally have all those things for the first time after ten days without them, I wake up with a huge rash down the side of my face, like The Phantom of the Opera. Have I always actually been allergic to these foods? The rash goes away eventually, but I do feel suddenly distrustful of bread.

What have I learned from Gwyneth's diet? It's an awesome way to live! If I wasn't going to go bankrupt to do it, I would follow the Gwyneth diet to the letter every day. The food is healthy, delicious, and filling, the recipes are not particularly complicated, and you avoid a huge rash on your face that you apparently just lived with before. If this is the way the other half lives, I want to live it! Let’s all appreciate that she shares her awesome tips with the world."

I found it very interesting that she suddenly started eating her old foods and got a rash.  The downside is that eating her way can get well, expensive.   I still want the book so that I can review it in more detail than most of the reviews on Amazon. 

Want to try BUTI? Here's a video to get you started.

Hello everyone!


A while back, I posted about a new exercise method called BUTI, which is a hybrid of mainly dance and yoga.

Fortunately, there are several videos for free on YouTube to help you get started, or at least watch what a BUTI workout entails.

First, a 10 minute intro, followed by a couple full length workouts.










For more information, visit Bizzie's site (the creator of the method) at www.butifitness.com

Sports drinks are a waste of money?

Hello everyone~!

According to an article I read, looks like those Gatorades and Powerades and all those other ades are not what people think.


Basically, the study showed that they actually slow weight loss for exercisers looking to lose weight, because they are loaded with sugar.


They have been shown to have no benefit for people working out less than two hours at a time. Longer than that, yes.


Also they may be contributing to childhood obesity (and in my opinion all obesity) because people think they are some kind of healthier alternative to soda which has just as much sugar, so they drink more.


Do you drink a lot of sports drinks?

Working out in hot weather

Hello everyone!



In the northern half of the world, summer is upon us and that means for some people, it's time for it to get hot outside.  Lots of people like to go out and be active in the summer months but they may be unaware that it could be dangerous.

How hot is too hot? What should I do to keep myself safe?


I found a website that has some guidelines. 

• Under 80 F (27 C). Most can usually be active outside without taking extra precautions. If you are overweight, have health problems, take medication, or drink alcohol, you may be at a higher risk for heat-related illness and should be more cautious. Children and the elderly are also at higher risk.
• 80 F (27 C) to 85 F (29 C). Find shade, take regular breaks, and drink plenty of fluids.
• 85 F (29 C) and 91 F (32.8 C).  Be very careful. Stay hydrated.
• +91 F (32.8 C) Conditions are considered extremely dangerous.
• WHEN IT’S HUMID: You should be careful even at lower temperatures. Humidity prevents sweat from evaporating from the skin at a quick enough rate, which can cause an increase in body temperature. Dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke are more likely to occur when humidity is above 70%, and temperature is above 70 degrees.

This is meant for outdoors, but I think it can apply to indoors too, particularly for those without air conditioning who work out at home.

Are you in danger?  Watch out for the following!

"Signs and symptoms to watch out for include: muscle cramps, nausea or vomiting, weakness, headache, dizziness, and confusion.

If you develop any of these symptoms, stop exercising immediately and get out of the heat and sun. If possible, have someone stay with you who can keep an eye on your condition. Drink fluids — water or a sports drink.

Heat Cramps – Painful muscle contractions mainly affecting the calves, quads and abdominals. The area may feel firm to the touch. Stretching may be helpful as treatment. Getting enough potassium and salt will help prevent cramps.

Hyperthermia – Occurs with excessive heat exposure and dehydration when the body absorbs more heat than it can dissipate. Get out of the heat immediately and replenish with fluids. If your body temperature does not stabilize, seek medical attention. Hyperthermia can lead to heat stroke. If you’re caring for someone with hyperthermia and they lose consciousness, do not attempt to give them anything by mouth.

Heat Exhaustion – Your body temperature can stay normal or rise as high as 104 F (40 C). You may experience nausea, vomiting, headache, fainting, weakness and cold, clammy skin. Drink water, fan your body or wet it down with cool water. If you don’t feel better within 30 minutes, contact your doctor. Heat exhaustion can be a precursor to heat stroke if left untreated.

Heat Stroke – Heart rate and temperature will rise higher than 104 F (40 C). Skin will get hot and red, and you will stop sweating; the body stops itself from sweating in attempt to cool itself. Confusion,irritability, and loss of consciousness are possible. Seek immediate medical attention. Heat stroke is a medical emergency. Once you’ve had heat stroke, you are at a higher risk of having heat related illness again. Consult a doctor before returning to exercise."    

I once had an experience with someone with heat stroke. He was very very hot, thought he was cold and wanted blankets on him, and his skin felt like someone cooked him in an oven.. Thankfully he recovered but the incident was very scary.

Also, keep your pets cool too.  Some breeds of dog, for example, overheat way easier than others (like pugs, bulldogs, any dog with black fur).  I actually had to give my miniature poodle (who has thick black hair) a complete shavedown because he started to act much less energetic and a lot more thirsty.  Make sure your pets have a lot of water too, bringing a bowl and a bottle with you if you must take your dog for an outing this summer.

Have a great summer and be safe!!!

A fun way to track your workouts!

Hello everyone!


A while back, a friend of mine told me about an interesting way to track workout progress.

It's called Fitocracy, and basically what you do is record your workouts and you "level up" like a video game.  As a gamer myself, I find t his very cool.


I signed up a long time ago but barely used it, but I am going to start again tomorrow. 

www.fitocracy.com


I have a few workouts recorded from before and still (I guess it is still in beta) cannot find out how to delete those old ones. Grrr.


Well, if anyone else is interested, give it a try!  I'm off to bed, see you all in the morning!

"Healthy" Soda in Japan, and Bananas as a Diet Aid?

Hello everyone!


 I saw that Pepsi is coming out with a "healthy" soda in Japan called Pepsi Special.  Here's the commercial.



What the company claims the soda does is block fat from being absorbed.  How it does this is by containing fiber.  Does it work? I can't say, but I do have an opinion.

I think soda like that should be marketed here in the United States moreso than Japan. (The US is a MUCH fatter country on average than Japan by far)

While we are on the subject of Japan, there is a diet that came out in 2008-2009 (I forget) called the Morning Banana Diet. (I think I did write about it before).

The basics- there's details to it but here's the rundown.

1. Eat as many bananas as you like for breakfast with water. (If you do not like bananas, then you can choose a different fruit)
2. Eat what you want for lunch
3. At 3 pm, have a small sweet snack.
4. Eat dinner (same guidelines as lunch) before 8 pm
5. Sleep before midnight and get a good night's rest.
6. Exercise is optional- do the kind of exercise you enjoy if you choose to.

Here's where it gets tricky.  The diet says eat what you want, etc.  However, here is the next, quite possibly the most important rule- Eat mindfully.  Chew food slowly and eat until you feel 80 percent full.  So sure, eat all the bananas you want in the morning, but if you really take the time to slow down and eat, you will get full on less than you think.  Same goes for any meal.  This means basically chew slowly and eat until you are comfortable, not full.

My 2 cents- I do not see this as a "diet" but more of a common sense approach to eating.  It's proven that people who get adequate sleep have a much better time losing the weight and keeping it off (stress causes excess cortisol in the body and that can make your body hold on to fat more).  As for stress, this diet really pushes the avoidance of stress. (Hence the no exercise, if you get stressed by it. Some people do.) I believe that if someone really follows this method to the T, they may really not HAVE to exercise, as your calories would be reduced from the way you used to eat, the better sleep will help, and all the water you drink helps flush you out.  The magic is not in the bananas themselves, however they do contain a good amount of fiber and tend to fill me up more than other fruits.  Eating a couple bananas in the morning is already far lower in calories than most breakfasts. 

I have read that for best results, make that lunch and dinner a healthy meal (the website says Japanese food is best, which makes sense being that Japanese food is often a small bit of rice, vegetables, and some kind of protein and is often lower in calories).  No alcohol and no dairy. The preferred drink of choice is room temperature water (which is how I take my water anyway but some people might be less than eager) but any water could be good. 

So in short- Yes, I believe this diet (I personally think it would be a good plan for life and teaches good eating habits in terms of HOW you eat, as this can affect weight) will work for most people when done properly. 

For more information, visit the official website (in english) http://en.asabanana.net/

Jane Fonda Workouts

Hello everyone!



I was watching a movie called Barbarella, starring Jane Fonda made back in 1968 and I was pretty amazed with how good her body was back then.

I then talked with a good friend of mine who reminded me that she did come out with workout DVDs in the 1980s, and she actually has done them before.

I was told that her workouts are actually very effective (and are the reason she looks the way she did- she still looks good for a woman in her 70s) so I decided to take a look.

There are some clips of her workouts on Youtube: such as this:





Have any of you done a Jane Fonda workout? How was it?