Fashionably Fit

Fitness Christmas Wish List

Posted by on Dec 21, 2011 in Fashionably Fit | 0 comments

I am sure you’re hustling around before Christmas…  making sure everything is covered for goodies, gifts and family visits.  It’s a crazy time of year, but remember to enjoy it :)  even all of the chaos!  I am glad you stopped by today for Fashionably Living’s weekly WORKOUT WEDNESDAY!  Today, instead of bringing you a workout, I thought we would have a little fun and I would share with you some of the fitness items I have been crushing over!  Although, I am currently in Phase 1 of Jamie Eason’s Live Fit trainer, which I love btw; I have been wanting Tracey Anderson’s Metamorphosis DVD’s for a while now.  Tracey’s workouts are very dancy and being a dancer all my life I tend to love her workouts.  I also stop by Bodyrock.tv sometimes and they use Gymboss interval timers a lot in their workouts, which I always find myself needing one of these gadgets!  My husband and I have an in-home gym, but we desperately need free weights, you can purchase these Stamina weights at Target, they are pretty inexpensive.  Oh, and who doesn’t love Jillian Michaels new aerobics step?  I have wanted an aerobic step since I was a little girl and I use to use phone books to do the workouts on TV. :)   Do you have any fitness related items on your Christmas list?  If so, I would love to hear what items you are hoping Santa brings you this year!  Enjoy!

XO,

Rachel Ashley

1. Gymboss Interval Timer

2. Jillian Michaels Aerobic Step

3. Interchangeable Weights

4.  Tracey Anderson Metamorphosis DVD’s

 

 

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Sick Day

Posted by on Dec 19, 2011 in Fashionably Fit | 0 comments

Hello, I have not been feeling well all day.  I woke up with a sore throat and my body has ached all day.  I will be back tomorrow!

XO,

Rachel Ashley

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Jamie Eason’s Live Fit Trainer

Posted by on Dec 14, 2011 in Fashionably Fit | 3 comments

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Good morning!  Today is Workout Wednesday! Did you get your workout in yet, this morning?  I haven’t, but I plan on getting this fabulous chest/triceps workout in tonight before I go to bed, you better hold me to it!  I told you yesterday that I have a final project due today, so there is no time to workout this morning, as I am still scrambling to put the finishing touches on my project.  I will be so glad when today is over!  I mentioned in previous post that I started a training program, I totally love it, but I wish I had more time to dedicate to fintess.  I think working-out is addicting and I have so much fun now that I have also been working out with my honey.  I am currenlty doing Jamie Eason’s Live Fit Trainer.  I absolutlely love her and I am inspired by her all the time.  She has a great and FREE program online that anyone can take advantage of.  I was so excited when I stumbled across it!  You need to check it out! Well today is DAY 17 for me and I have chest/triceps to do!  Wish me luck, make sure you get a workout in today!

XO,

Rachel Ashley

Workout

CHEST/TRICEPS

 

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Foods You Should Avoid

Posted by on Dec 7, 2011 in Fashionably Fit | 0 comments

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Workout Wednesday is here again and today we are going to discuss foods that should never cross your lips.  Clean eating is one of the most important things in your life.  Clean eating means choosing organic fruits, vegetables, and meats that are raised, grown, and sold with minimal processing.  You should always choose organic, and you shouldn’t choose foods with additives.  Most methods used in and on today’s food producers are neither clean nor sustainable.   The result is damaging to your  health, the environment, or both.  Take a look at the great information I found from Prevention Magazine below…

1. Canned Tomatoes

 Fredrick Vom Saal, PhD, an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri who studies bisphenol-A, tells us why:

The problem: The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Unfortunately, acidity (a prominent characteristic of tomatoes) causes BPA to leach into your food. Studies show that the BPA in most people’s body exceeds the amount that suppresses sperm production or causes chromosomal damage to the eggs of animals. “You can get 50 mcg of BPA per liter out of a tomato can, and that’s a level that is going to impact people, particularly the young,” says vom Saal.

EASY FIX: Choose tomatoes in glass bottles (which do not need resin linings), such as the brands Bionaturae and Coluccio. You can also get several types in Tetra Pak boxes, like Trader Joe’s and Pomi.

2. Corn-Fed Beef

 Joel Salatin, co-owner of Polyface Farms and author of half a dozen books on sustainable farming, tells us why:

The problem: Cattle evolved to eat grass, not grains. But farmers today feed their animals corn and soybeans, which fatten up the animals faster for slaughter. But more money for cattle farmers (and lower prices at the grocery store) means a lot less nutrition for us. A recent comprehensive study conducted by the USDA and researchers from Clemson University found that compared with corn-fed beef, grass-fed beef is higher in beta-carotene, vitamin E, omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), calcium, magnesium, and potassium; lower in inflammatory omega-6s; and lower in saturated fats that have been linked to heart disease. “We need to respect the fact that cows are herbivores, and that does not mean feeding them corn and chicken manure,” says Salatin.

EASY FIX: Buy grass-fed beef, which can be found at specialty grocers, farmers’ markets, and nationally at Whole Foods. It’s usually labeled because it demands a premium, but if you don’t see it, ask your butcher.

3. Microwave Popcorn

 Olga Naidenko, PhD, a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group, tells us why:

The problem: Chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in the lining of the bag, are part of a class of compounds that may be linked to infertility in humans, according to a recent study from UCLA. In animal testing, the chemicals cause liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancer. Studies show that microwaving causes the chemicals to vaporize—and migrate into your popcorn. “They stay in your body for years and accumulate there,” says Naidenko, which is why researchers worry that levels in humans could approach the amounts causing cancers in laboratory animals. DuPont and other manufacturers have promised to phase out PFOA by 2015 under a voluntary EPA plan, but millions of bags of popcorn will be sold between now and then.

EASY FIX: Pop natural kernels the old-fashioned way: in a skillet. For flavorings, you can add real butter or dried seasonings, such as dillweed, vegetable flakes, or soup mix.

4. Nonorganic Potatoes

 Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards Board, tells us why:

The problem: Root vegetables absorb herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides that wind up in soil. In the case of potatoes—the nation’s most popular vegetable—they’re treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they’re dug up, the potatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting. ” Try this experiment: Buy a conventional potato in a store, and try to get it to sprout. It won’t,” says Moyer, who is also farm director of the Rodale Institute (also owned by Rodale Inc., the publisher of Prevention). “I’ve talked with potato growers who say point-blank they would never eat the potatoes they sell. They have separate plots where they grow potatoes for themselves without all the chemicals.”

EASY FIX:: Buy organic potatoes. Washing isn’t good enough if you’re trying to remove chemicals that have been absorbed into the flesh.

5. Farmed Salmon

 David Carpenter, MD, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany and publisher of a major study in the journal Science on contamination in fish, tells us why:

The problem: Nature didn’t intend for salmon to be crammed into pens and fed soy, poultry litter, and hydrolyzed chicken feathers. As a result, farmed salmon is lower in vitamin D and higher in contaminants, including carcinogens, PCBs, brominated flame retardants, and pesticides such as dioxin and DDT. According to Carpenter, the most contaminated fish come from Northern Europe, which can be found on American menus. “You could eat one of these salmon dinners every 5 months without increasing your risk of cancer,” says Carpenter, whose 2004 fish contamination study got broad media attention. “It’s that bad.” Preliminary science has also linked DDT to diabetes and obesity, but some nutritionists believe the benefits of omega-3s outweigh the risks. There is also concern about the high level of antibiotics and pesticides used to treat these fish. When you eat farmed salmon, you get dosed with the same drugs and chemicals.

EASY FIX: Switch to wild-caught Alaska salmon. If the package says fresh Atlantic, it’s farmed. There are no commercial fisheries left for wild Atlantic salmon.

6. Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones

Rick North, project director of the Campaign for Safe Food at the Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility and former CEO of the Oregon division of the American Cancer Society, tells us why:

The problem: Milk producers treat their dairy cattle with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST, as it is also known) to boost milk production. But rBGH also increases udder infections and even pus in the milk. It also leads to higher levels of a hormone called insulin-like growth factor in milk. In people, high levels of IGF-1 may contribute to breast, prostate, and colon cancers. “When the government approved rBGH, it was thought that IGF-1 from milk would be broken down in the human digestive tract,” says North. As it turns out, the casein in milk protects most of it, according to several independent studies. “There’s not 100% proof that this is increasing cancer in humans,” admits North. “However, it’s banned in most industrialized countries.”

EASY FIX: Check labels for rBGH-free, rBST-free, produced without artificial hormones, or organic milk. These phrases indicate rBGH-free products.

7. Conventional Apples

 Mark Kastel, former executive for agribusiness and codirector of the Cornucopia Institute, a farm-policy research group that supports organic foods, tells us why:

The problem: If fall fruits held a “most doused in pesticides contest,” apples would win. Why? They are individually grafted (descended from a single tree) so that each variety maintains its distinctive flavor. As such, apples don’t develop resistance to pests and are sprayed frequently. The industry maintains that these residues are not harmful. But Kastel counters that it’s just common sense to minimize exposure by avoiding the most doused produce, like apples. “Farm workers have higher rates of many cancers,” he says. And increasing numbers of studies are starting to link a higher body burden of pesticides (from all sources) with Parkinson’s disease.

EASY FIX: Buy organic apples.

Reference: PREVENTION MAGAZINE – By Anne Underwood  http://www.prevention.com/tips/nutrition/7-foods-should-never-cross-your-lips

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Peanut Butter and Banana Protein Shake

Posted by on Dec 3, 2011 in Fashionably Fit, Fashionably Organic | 0 comments

Good Morning!  This morning I thought I would share with you one of my many protein shake recipes.  As many of you know I am a health enthusiast and its important for me to feed my body good fuel.  I will admit I slip up from time to time and enjoy a cookie or this time of year a slice of pumpkin pie, but for the most part I try really hard to eat a healthy and balanced diet.  I have talked about protein in the past, here, and how important is for you to fuel your body with protein on a daily basis, but sometimes we need to mix our source of protein up.  Instead of having chicken all the time, you can have a yummy and healthy protein shake, like this one, or homemade protein bars like this. Protein is an important element of every cell in the body.   Your hair and nails are mostly made of protein. Your body uses protein to build and repair tissues. You also use protein to make hormones, enzymes, and other body chemicals. Protein is an important building block of muscles, cartilage, bones, skin, and blood.  Try this shake to add a little protein to your diet, you won’t regret it!

XO,

Rachel Ashley

Ingredients:
3 cups of organic Almond Milk
1 cup of water
3 scoops Vanilla Arbonne Protein
3 scoops Chocolate Arbonne Protein
4 scoops of Arbonne Fiber
2 tablespoons organic flaxseeds
2 tablespoons of wheat germ
2 Bananas
1 heaping spoonful of organic peanut butter

Recipe:
In a blender pour 3 cups of almond milk.  Peel two bananas and add to almond milk. Add a heaping spoonful of organic peanut butter,vanilla and chocolate protein powder, fiber, flaxseeds and wheat germ.  Bring all the ingredients together by blending.  Once blended remove the lid and with a spatula scrape the side removing any access protein and add one cup of water and blend again.

Servings: 2 scoops of protein per serving= 3 servings

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Fashionably Living Features…

Posted by on Dec 2, 2011 in Fashionably Fashionable, Fashionably Fit, Fashionably Interior Design, Fashionably Organic | 0 comments

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I am so excited!  I have great news to share with all you lovely readers!  Fashionably Living will begin featuring its fave bloggers! The blogging community is so different than most online communities, because you create lasting blog friendships with others who enjoy and love the same things you do and you have so much fun doing it!  There are so many amazing bloggers out there and Fashionably Living will be featuring some of my fave fashion, design, food and fitness bloggers!  Aren’t you excited?  I can hardly wait for our first blog feature.  I am excited to announce that Simplicity Is The Ultimate Sophistication will be our first blog featured here on Fashionably Living!  If you don’t know Alysson over at Simplicity Is The Ultimate Sophistication you have to check out her blog!  She is a fabulous blogger who shares her style, DIY projects, recipes, and her love for God!  I hope you are all as excited as me to hear from these fabulous bloggers!

Have a great Friday Night!

XO,

Rachel Ashley

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