Barneys

Ok so this isn't fitness or health related, but it is news. Barneys New York opened in San Francisco last week which to me is very exciting since I have a serious shoe fetish. I will break it down for you all quickly:

1. The Good
It isn't huge. This space is so well edited and easy to navigate. Where other retailers make us dig or enter a store within a store, Barneys is all open and the racks aren't crammed with crap we don't need or want. The shoe department carried some brands not seen in other stores like Lanvin or Givenchy and once again was not overwhelming. Is it just me or does Neiman's need to stop buying the entire Manolo Blahnik line? I can't stand the way they have 5 million pairs poorly displayed. I digress....Great ambiance. Interesting lines are being carried. Loved the Christopher Kane clothes.

2. The Bad
I ask myself "why god, why" does this store need to carry that horrid Juicy Couture crap? No offense to you Marc Jacobs, but your clothes are inundating the retail scene here. I worry you will become the Liz Claiborne or the Jones New York of my generation and I don't mean that in a positive way if you know what I mean. Let us not forget the oversaturation of Diane Von Furstenburg. I get it and yet I don't want to buy it. Clothing aside, the only other criticism is the fact that all racks against the windows are hard to see since the light coming in is so bright. Might I suggest putting a film on the windows?

I am just thankful to have a store that I can run in and out of quickly and potentially find something unique and useful without having to search high and low. I am begging the GM Richard and the shoe Manager Carlos to allow me to host a shoe party one day soon. Interested in attending? Let me know.

Healthy Snacking, Healthy Portions Lecture Recap

First of all I want to thank Traci Higgins our lecturer for doing a phenomenal job. I understand parking was a nightmare out on Hayes Street due to the Symphony gala, so my apologies to those of you who were unable to get there. Regardless, I'd like to share some of the highlights with you:
1. We learned that a Big Mac, a Starbucks blueberry muffin and a small, non-buttered popcorn all have the same amount of fat. Very scary!
2. Traci discussed how to cut calories throughout your day.
a. instead of eating a huge Noah's bagel with cream cheese, buy whole grain mini bagels and put Laughing Cow cheese on it instead. You get the same taste and save over 200 calories.
b. when buying yogurt, get the smaller container and you save calories there
c. Ben & Jerry's and Haagen Das each have come out with single serving ice creams. Instead of buying the pint size and eating too much, buy the single serving. You will save yourself close to 200+ calories
d. the food industry has created "monster" fruits which do not truly reflect the serving size we are meant to eat - buy the small apple not the one the size of a basket ball.
3. Traci's restaurant tips
a. When out at a Mexican restaurant, say no to the chips and ask them to bring out corn tortillas instead. Cut these into quarters put salsa on them. It is much more satisfying than chips and you save hundreds of calories.
b. always order soup or salad before your meal. Ask for a side of fresh herbs with your salad - basil, rosemary, dill whatever. By adding these to your salad, you create more flavor and you just need a bit of olive oil to make it taste even better.
4. Never skip breakfast. If you store your calories up for a big meal out, you will inevitably overeat. Try to have fiber in the morning, like a high fiber cereal and a piece of fruit.
5. All meals should contain a protein, a fat and a carbohydrate. Do not fear carbs, your brain needs them to function.
6. Eat several small meals throughout the day so your body doesn't crash. A particularly unsatisfying lunch is a salad with nothing else. Try nuts, an egg, a slice of cheese, perhaps some hummus or even peanut butter to round out your experience.
7. If you eat a sugar like a chocolate, you must combine it with something like a fruit to balance it out so your insulin doesn't spike. Don't eat crappy chocolate, get the good stuff and savor it.
8. Most people only eat a variety of 15 items. She recommended we go to the grocery store produce section and go through everything there and list what we buy and what we don't. The list will amaze us. We should all try something new each week. Whether it is a new fruit or vegetable or a recipe we found online, we need to make the effort to try new things.

So much more was said, but those were some good points. Traci also recommended snacks like 1/2 cup of hummus and 1/2 whole wheat pita; whole wheat tortilla with 3 oz meat, 1tb cheddar cheese and black beans heated and accompanied by salsa or avocado or even an apple, pear or banana with 2 tb reduced fat peanut butter.

It was really eye opening to be shown the appropriate serving sizes for cereal and other snacks. Yes a quarter of a cup is depressingly small, but it is even more depressing to constantly be dieting. For more information about Traci, go to her website at www.dininginsf.com.

Enzymes & Energy Bars

I make a lot of my health care decisions based on recommendations from colleagues. Often I test what they suggest and then if I am happy, I tell everyone I know. My latest products I am testing are Digestive Health enzymes from a company called Wellzymes and Cinch bars from Shaklee.

A friend who is both an Acupuncturist and Pilates studio owner in Switzerland told me I had to try these digestive enzymes she was taking. According to her she lost 4 Kilos from using these and many of her clients have lost several kilos as well. You lose me with the whole Kilo thing, but 4 sounds like enough to intrigue me. She explained the enzymes help you process your food better which makes you feel fuller since you are getting the full value out of your nutrition. These enzymes also helped her get rid of her sugar cravings. I figured they couldn't hurt me so I ordered a bottle. By the time by shipment arrived, my friend called to say she had lost even more of those darned kilos. I couldn't open my bottle soon enough.

My initial findings are exactly what she said - I am feeling fuller immediately and am not as inclined to want to eat sugar (i.e. chocolate) following each meal to satisfy me. It has been one week and actually do feel like I have more energy since my digestive system isn't sluggish. This product is definitely on my must try list. I subsequently ordered their metabolic balance pills. My only criticism of this product is I find it really challenging to take two pills two hours after I eat and or one hour before I eat. That is a lot to think about. Regardless, I am happy and would order these and other products from them.

The second product I am currently in love with are the Cinch bars from Shaklee. My co-worker Shona brought them in one day and said they tasted great and filled her up. Her mother sells Shaklee products and is constantly sending stuff to Shona to try out. It helped the bar was called Chocolate Decadence. These bars are much smaller than the ones I was eating before and their calorie content was 40 calories less. I was worried that a bar with 120 calories would leave me hungry. I was wrong. These bars have 10 grams of protein and 15 grams of carbohydrates. Most notably these bars are "powered by leucine". What the heck is leucine I thought? I dug deeper to find out it is an amino acid that helps with the regulation of blood sugar levels and the growth and repair of muscle tissue. This makes sense to eat after a workout or even before. Their small size is perfect for throwing in your coat pocket or in your bag and they are great to have on hand when you need quick energy. Shona also recommended the Cinch line of teas and shakes and if you are interested in trying any of them, let us know and we can order through her mother Jayme.