No one wants to think about either one of these topics- cancer and age. Getting a Mammogram is one of the healthiest things a woman can do. Knowledge is always power but there are a lot of conflicting guidelines as to when a woman should start getting mammograms.

Common guidelines are at 40 years of age or earlier if an immediate family member (mom, sister or aunt) had breast cancer. However, in 2009 the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended that women with an average risk of breast cancer start screening at age 50. This sent outrage through the medical community and the debate continues on today. Most recently being able to test for the Breast Cancer gene(BRCA), gives many women hope they did not have before.  For women who have immediate family members that had either Breast or Ovarian Cancer, there is a test for these genes. BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 are the genes known as tumor suppressors and when they mutate can cause ovarian and breast cancer. Made popular in the news recently by Angelina Jolie, who tested positive for the gene and decided to have a double mastectomy to ensure here health down the road.  Angelina’s mother died of Ovarian cancer. To some this may seem an extreme measure but to others who have watched loved ones fight, this may feel like empowerment knowing there is something they can do to protect themselves.

Of course this is a personal decision whether or not to get tested for the gene, if you are at risk, but you must get mammograms! Mammogramsaaa do not hurt and they take 10 minutes. If you are nearing 40, over 40 or have this terrible disease in your family, find your local clinic and do something that may save your life!

Who doesn’t like a glass or two of wine? Over 330 million cases of wine is purchased yearly in America and the average person consumes 267oz yearly. White wine, specifically Chardonnay, is the favorite just beating out Cabernet by a slim margin. But how healthy is wine for your diet, skin, allergies and overall health?

aaIf you’re watching your diet, wine is high in calories and you need to consider that before guzzling away. The average glass of wine has around 125 calories, 3.5 grams of sugar and 5 grams of carbs. So, one or two glasses are fine but more than that and you are blowing your calorie intake for the day.

Wine can both aid and age your skin depending on the amount consumed.  Red wine contains Flavonoids, antioxidants and Resveratrol. Resveratrol comes from grapes and works it’s magic by not allowing the telomere (ends of DNA strand) to shorten, thus causing the aging process. However, consuming too much wine/alcohol can have the reverse affect. For example it you look at a heavy drinker’s skin they tend to be blotchy, red and dehydrated. Unfortunately for me and many people, wine can cause allergies. Many people are allergic or become allergic to tannins, sulfites and histamines. All of these can cause hives, redness, itching or congestion. Personally red wine is worse that white for me, but neither make me feel great, so I am trying to stay away, it’s so hard!

Red wine tends to be a tiny bit healthier than white wine. Remember anything in nature that is dark in the colors blue, red and green is beneficial for our health. Think blueberries, spinach and red wine. Red wine is also particularly good for the ‘good cholesterol‘. Red wine is considered heart healthy! So the moral of the story is, if you don’t have allergies to wine-drink up, in moderation of course…….just look at the Italians!

 

We are smack in the middle of bikini season, wedding season and just it’s so ‘damn hot season’ that you want to be in as little clothing as possible! There is never a better time to de-bloat than summertime. You’ll feel better and look hotter and healthier. You really only need a few days(if you’re super focused) but if you have a week to ten days that’s even better. There are foods to eat and foods to avoid, tons of water to drink, and tremendous amounts of sweat to be sweat. Follow a few of these tricks and you’ll be looking gor-gee-0o-so in no time!

I took my path to summer hotness to the extreme, I’ve been eating vegan, sugar-free, gluten free, and low sodium and for a week and plan on continuing for another week. I feel terrific and full of energy and while I don’t plan on staying Vegan, I am definitely staying dairy-free. I don’t own a scale but I can feel and tell I have lost bloat and a few pounds. If you want to jumpstart your body and drop a few lbs look into a meal delivery program like Fresh-N-Lean, so you don’t have to struggle with what to eat or not eat. These people specialize in clean, organic, healthy, gluten free, dairy free, vegan food.  They do all the work, so you can enjoy.

Drinking water is imperative to getting your body beach/bikini/vacation ready. Water equals life and we are made up of 80%! Drink people-drink! Water flushes sodium and toxins out of our bodies. Your skin will look clearer and more hydrated and so will your eyes.

A few foods to stay away from because they will bloat you are artificial sweeteners or anything ‘sugar-free’, sodium/salt, carbonated drinks, beans, high fiber greens(get them juiced instead) and dairy. There is definitely an argument that yogurt is actually beneficial for your gut and helps eliminate bloat, just depends on how you digest it. Okay, I’m going to type it- alcohol… This is the one thing people, myself included, struggle with when wanting to drop weight or bloat. If you must drink be smart about what you’re drinking. Stay away from wine because of the sugar and beer because its heavy and carbonated. Vodka with lime is your best bet as far as low calories and no carbonation. There are also a lot of ways to ‘skinny’ your cocktails-see our post for July 4th for some yummy ideas.

Anti-bloat foods you should eat are papaya because it contains a digestive enzyme that helps break down protein. Celery because it is a diuretic which relieves fluid and cucumbers because they de-puff anything and are mostly water. Asparagus contains a ‘good’ gut bacteria and green tea is the mother of all  when it comes to a natural diuretic.

While all of this healthiness is ensuing, you need to sweat and work out! Sweating will get toxins out of your body and working out releases endorphins that make us feel good! Running or spinning will help you drop weight fast. Cross training continually will only help your body look more sculpted and toned. Getting enough sleep is important too. The term ‘beauty sleep’ didn’t invent itself after all.

If you have tricks on how to get summer-sexy ready fast, share them with us!! See you in your string bikini!