It looks like winter isn’t finished with us as the north braces for yet another storm.  What better comfort food is there for a cold, snowy night than a warm, hearty bowl of barley & lentil soup?

Barley is high in fiber and selenium and is a great source of phosphorus, copper and manganese. It contains eight essential amino acids and is reputed to regulate blood sugar for up to 10 hours after consumption.  Lentils are also high in fiber and also are one of the best vegetable sources of iron, B vitamins and folate.  Delicious, healthy and filling!

Ingredients:

1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 clove, garlic minced
¼ cup olive oil
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 15-oz can petite diced tomatoes
½ cup lentils, rinsed
½ cup pearl barley
4 – 5 14-oz cans low sodium vegetable broth (add fifth can for thinner soup)
½ tsp dried Italian herbs
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 cups carrots, sliced thin

Cooking directions:

• In a large, heavy soup pot, cook onions, celery and garlic in hot oil until tender.
• Add remaining ingredients
• Cook for 40 minutes, or until barley, lentils and carrots are tender. If soup is too thick after cooking, add 5th can of vegetable broth and adjust seasonings.

This soup is best if made a day early and reheated.
The longer it sits, the thicker it gets – almost like a stew.
Yummm!!!

Makes 8 – 10 servings.  Per serving:  185 calories, Protein: 5 grams, fat: 7 grams, carbs: 20 grams; sugar: 6 grams; sodium: 140 mg  (approximately, depending on brands that you use).

The latest craze in athletic footwear is making an awful lot of promises.  Can a pair of shoes tone and tighten your legs, give you a perky derriere, burn more calories and get you in shape without setting a foot in the gym? Let’s examine ….

The idea of reshaping your body with your shoes is not original. Remember the earth shoes craze in the 70s?  They featured “negative heel” technology that promised natural body alignment and better posture.   And Dr. Scholl’s exercise sandal — the wooden sole and leather strap sandal that promised beautiful, toned calves.

The latest in the line of “fit” shoes are the “rockers” – MBT’s Antishoe, Skechers‘ Shape-Ups and Reebok’s Easytones. Will the other major shoe companies be far behind?  With the least expensive model starting at right around $100, this is very big business, as sales are predicted to reach over $800 million in 2010.

The rocker shoe isn’t new, but as its comfort and design has improved, so has its popularity. Rockers were initially developed for people with back pain, poor circulation, people who suffer with plantar fasciitis or for those who are on their feet all day. The highly cushioned, curved sole forces the wearer to work harder to maintain balance while the shoe takes pressure off the forefoot, resulting in relief for the hip and knee joints and immediately improving posture. The rolling heel-to-toe gait is designed to simulate walking in a more natural environment, sort of like walking on sand, activating more muscles in the feet, legs and derriere.  More active muscles burn more calories.

The theory is valid.  The question is — do they really do more than your standard fitness shoe?

In a six-week trial commissioned by Skechers and conducted by a California chiropractor, each of a dozen women were given a pair of  Shape-Ups and told to wear them during their normal daily activities and walking programs. There was no control group and the test wasn’t rigorously designed. To summarize briefly, the results showed an average weight loss of 3.25 lbs, a small loss in body fat, and an improvement in glute strength and lower back endurance.

In an unpublished study commissioned by Reebok, the University of Delaware tested five women on a treadmill with electronic sensors attached to their legs.  The results showed that wearing the EasyTone worked the gluteal muscles an average of 28 percent more than when wearing a typical Reebok walking shoe and hamstring and calf muscles worked 11 percent harder. Reebok maintains that it has collected 15,000 hours’ worth of wear-test data from shoe users who say they do notice the difference.

WLKY TV, a television station located in Louisville, Kentucky, performed its own study, which it reported on just last week. In a test similar to Reekbok’s, three subjects walked on a treadmill with sensors attached to the muscles in their legs, glutes and abs.  One wore her Mary Jane shoes and then switched to Fit-Flops and the other two wore their regular running shoes and then switched to Sketchers Shape-Ups and Reebok Easy Tones, respectively.  Their results were quite surprising — in each case the leg and glute muscles actually worked less in the fit shoes than in the standard shoes.  One positive note — the subject wearing the Skecher  Shape-Ups did show a significant increase in abdominal activity (400%).

There have been no studies to date on the long term benefits of walking in rockers.  Once the body adjusts to the unstable walking surface, the added toning effects, if there are any, may not last.

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) has commissioned a study by the researchers at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, to investigate the claims of the Reebok EasyTone and other “toning” walking shoes. The results of that study are expected to be available in Spring/Summer 2010.

Rockers aren’t for everyone, so you may want to consider a few things before investing in them.  (1) Wearing rockers can aggravate symptoms of motion sickness.  (2) Switching from your stilettos to rockers can cause major damage to your calf muscles and hamstrings, so be sure to do some warm up exercises and stretches before donning the shoes. (3) If you have balance problems or your feet tend to over-pronate, you may want to avoid the shoes entirely.  And (4) rockers are recommended for walking only – they aren’t safe for running, jumping or activities that require lateral movement.

As you can see, the jury is still out on this one.  If you’re in the market for a new pair of walking shoes, try them out.  Let us know what you think!

I read, recently, that sinusitus is currently one of the top reasons people visit their doctors in the United States. Considering the increasing levels of pollution and chemicals in our environment, it’s not surprising that the number of people suffering from allergies, asthma and other forms of nasal congestion and respiratory illnesses continues to rise.

Although I’m fortunate that I don’t suffer from allergies, I have noticed that the cold winter weather really dries out my nasal passages. I kept hearing about neti (nasal irrigation) pots and the relief they provide, so I thought I’d try one out.

I googled neti pot to learn a bit about it first, found a video demonstration (shown below), and although the  “ick” factor was fairly high, the procedure looked easy enough.  So I purchased one, bought some uniodized salt and gave it a try.  It really is simple, especially once you have the proper head tilt, and yes, my nasal passages felt so much better afterwards!

Neti has been performed by Yoga and Ayurveda practitioners in India for thousands of years. Neti is one of the six purification techniques undertaken prior to practicing yoga to help prepare the body for the yoga practice. Some practitioners believe that jala neti (water cleansing) practice affects the sixth chakra (or third eye), which helps to awaken higher states of consciousness. Alternative health physicians recommend neti to cleanse nasal passages and prevent illness. With scientific studies supporting the effectiveness of neti usage, even MDs are going the natural route and recommending nasal irrigation to sinusitus patients before prescribing medication.

In 2007 Oprah featured the subject on one of her ”Ask Dr. Oz” shows. Amy, an audience member who suffered from sinusitis, bravely demonstrated the neti on national TV.  In a follow-up segment, Amy said both she and her husband now use the neti pot every day and that she no longer suffers from sinus headaches; and a member of Oprah’s Harpo staff, who started using a Neti after the show aired, reported finding relief from her lifelong battle with allergies!

The biological explanation for how the Neti pot works has to do with the tiny, hair-like structures called cilia that line the inside of the nasal and sinus cavities.  (Remember 7^th grade biology?)  The cilia wave back and forth to push mucus either to the back of the throat where it can be swallowed, or the nose to be blown out.  Chronic sinus problems cause the cilia to beat more slowly and inefficiently. The saline rinse helps increase the speed and improve coordination of the cilia so that they may more effectively remove the bacteria, allergens and other irritants that cause sinus problems.

While there are advanced techniques using various herbs and herbal oils, the simplest technique, known as “jala neti” uses water (jala) for the cleansing process. You fill the small teapot-shaped receptacle with a saline solution made up of warm water and non-iodized salt, tilt your head over the sink and pour it into one nostril (see the demo video below). As the water runs out the other nostril, it clears the nasal passages of mucus … and anything else that might be hanging around in there. (Yes, I know … ewww … but you really don’t see anything but clear water.)

About 10% of regular users experience mild side effects, such as nasal irritation and stinging. Nosebleeds can occur but are very rare. Reducing the amount of salt, using non-iodized salt, adjusting the temperature of the water and adjusting the frequency of Neti pot use usually decreases the side effects. The neti should be washed thoroughly and dried completely after each use. Neti pots are inexpensive and widely available in drugstores, health-food stores and on-line.

If you’re serious about your yoga or Pilates practice and want to invest in a mat that offers the ultimate in support, stability and performance, then consider the  Manduka Black Mat PRO. Known for its comfort and cushioning, it’s reputed to be the mat chosen first by yoga instructors worldwide.

The Black Mat is thick  (¼”) and really dense – yet it allows you to feel connected to the floor – an important factor in a yoga mat. Some mats offer extra thickness, but they’re soft; and that can make balancing poses difficult.  But the Black Mat Pro’s density provides a firm, supportive foundation for your standing poses, allowing the arch of your foot to stay lifted as your heel and toes stay grounded. Still, there’s more than enough cushioning for your floor poses …  for your hips in Bow pose, your neck in Bridge pose or the tops of your feet in Reclining Hero pose.

The mat has a definite top side and bottom side.  The top isn’t like a standard “sticky” mat, but its non-slip fabric finish keeps your feet firmly rooted during standing poses such as Downward-Facing Dog and Warrior … even at your sweatiest. And the bottom holds it in place on hard, slippery floors, leaving you confident that it won’t move during your aggressive Ashtanga practices.

Because it’s made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), you may think the Black Mat Pro isn’t  environmentally friendly, but Manduka’s plants have been certified by the European Oeko-Tex council as producing zero toxic emissions in their manufacturing process.  And PVC is a high-performance material, so this mat is designed to last a very, very long time. It even comes with a lifetime guarantee which you won’t find with any other mat.  This, to me, makes the Black Mat a very eco-friendly product.

I should mention that, because of the Black Mat PRO’s density, extra length (71″ or 85″) and extra width (26″), it’s no lightweight. The 71” mat weighs in at a full 7 lbs and the 85” is 8.5 lbs, which might make it a bit inconvenient to tote around.  If you like the idea of the Black Mat Pro, but want something more portable, the Manduka ProLite, might be a better choice. Not quite as dense or as wide as it’s big brother, the ProLite is 3/16” thick and 24” wide,  (but has the 71″ length) and only weighs 4 lbs. It’s made of the same high-performing, slip resistant fabric-like surface and comes with the same lifetime guarantee. And unlike the Black Mat Pro (which comes only in black), the ProLite gives you 5 color choices.

The name “Manduka” was inspired by the Hatha Yoga Pradipika pose, Mandukasana, or Frog Pose. Manduka has provided top quality yoga products to yoga teachers and students for over ten years. From its beginning, the company has had a reputation for celebrating the bond yoga shares with the natural world. The idea of respect for all living things is key to the company’s philosophy.

Your yoga mat can make a world of difference in your yoga practice. It won’t make you more flexible or stronger or increase your balance, but it will offer the support that you need to find and unleash your inner warrior!

• Available in 2 lengths: 71” ($85.00) and 85” ($96.00)
• Made of Polyester and eco-certified PVC
• Color: Black
• Width: 26”
• Thickness: ¼”
• Weight: 7 lbs or 8.5 lbs.
• 30-day return warranty
• Lifetime guarantee